Argoss Shopping Design and Supply Chain - Essay Example

?Logistics and Operations Management: Argos’s Shopping Design and Supply Chain Chapter Introduction The operational processes of the business organization are those which most directly contribute to the value creation proposition of the firm. There are many activities undertaken by business companies which are important for it to survive, such as accounting, office management, repair and maintenance, and so forth. Such activities, however, do not directly add value to the principal product of the firm, although they are supportive of the production function that creates direct value for the firm. Operational processes are classified according to relative stability, degree of standardization, and repeatability. They include customer service, procurement, and manufacturing, each of which directly impact into the firm’s performance. They are also classified according to whether they are key or secondary processes; key processes directly impact upon the firm’s mission and strategies (Radhakrishnan & Balasubramanian, 2008). Companies that deliver goods more frequently use methods and techniques involving materials movement and processing. Compared to companies that deliver services, manufacturing and merchandising businesses are more involved in the manipulation of physical resources, and therefore have systems that (1) source raw materials, (2) determine the economic quantity and cost of ordering from suppliers, (3) set standards of quality of materials to be sourced, (4) determine the mode of transportation and the conditions requisite in these various modes, and (5) provide the proper storage facilities with the requisite environmental conditions for as economical a cost as possible. These functions pertain to the supply chain, which involves the acquisition and processing of material goods, and their transformation into a form that customers may use. The supply chain also involves making goods available in their present form to the consumers who have need for them. For any manufacturing or merchandising business, the supply chain is ‘a global network of organizations that cooperate to improve the flows of materials and information between suppliers and customers at the lowest cost and the highest speed’ (Govil & Proth, 2002, p.7). The supply chain’s overriding goals is the maximization of customer satisfaction, which strategically is the ultimate objective of the business organization. Efficiencies that may be developed in a firm’s supply chain may result in competitive advantages that other firms may not find easy to imitate (Suhong, et al., 2006). This study will explore the operational processes of an actual firm, specifically Argos Ltd., subsidiary of the Home Retail Group. The supply chain management of the company will be the focus of the investigation. The objective of the study shall be to describe and evaluate the various operational processes that are undertaken in the course of managing the supply chain, from the time orders are originated with the suppliers to the moment the product is delivered to the consumers who are ultimately the end users. Argos was chosen as the subject of this research, because its merchandising retail operations provide a variety of opportunities and situations to observe the movement of materials and their distribution to the intended market throughout the length of the supply chain system. The case study enables an indepth analysis of the company, to the extent that secondary data is available, in furtherance of understanding the principles of supply chain management. Chapter 2: Literature review and background Literature review The academic literature on supply chain management is substantial, prompted by the interest of manufacturing operations managers as to how they may improve efficiency and increase customer satisfaction with their products. The studies focus on various important aspects of supply chain management. Karadeniz (2009) draws attention to the importance of the retail site selection and its relation not only to the market but also to the distribution network of the company. Retail site selection, however, remains relevant only for brick and mortar stores; however, online shopping and internet commerce has rendered irrelevant retail site selection because the online store is virtually everywhere. What is important now is the site selections of distribution centres, which needs a location to assist and improve home delivery times. Kumar (2008) explored the growing logistics capabilities of the supermarket industry. While it is true that the supermarket industry differs from Argos in that supermarkets deal with food while Argos is strictly non-food, there are some similarities in that both are retail businesses and will have fundamental parallels between them. The qualitative study found that the supermarket industry is increasingly customizing its operating strategies. Standards for efficient consumer response, or ECR, are becoming more commonly accepted as a practice in the industry to increase supermarket supply chain efficiencies. Customizing services means tailoring the firm’s service to the preferences of the customers, which is creating trends towards expanded service requirements, mass communication, customer loyalty, and private labelling, delivery options, and heightened challenges in various markets. In the study conducted by Bourlakis and Bourlakis (2008), the importance of integrating logistics and information technology strategies was highlighted, for the purposes of attaining a level of sustainable competitive advantage. Information technology in this study included the gathering, processing, storage, retrieval, display and communication of information or data through the use of computer technology (Willcocks & Fitzgerald, 1993). Logistics management may be conducted by traditional processes and still enable a business to function, however it can only attain a level of efficiency that may be turned into a strategic advantage over competitors if it is effectively combined with digital information technology among the various elements of the supply chain and the relevant units of the organization. The study also noted that multinational firms, because of their greater capacity for operational efficiency and transmission of information on product movement, registers a higher profitability performance compared to domestic firms. Finally, an article on the nature of retail merchandising with regard to general business conditions draws attention to the role of retailer in the cost-efficiency of product delivery. David (2009) noted that since the retailers comprise the last step in the distribution of goods to consumers, they are usually held responsible by the buying public for the larger share of the price of goods. Retailers distribute goods already manufactured, thus they are in no position to prevent cyclical price changes, and may only assist in decreasing the wide volatility of these changes. Their critical service is to have the merchandise available at the time it is needed in the necessary quantity. The problem of the retailer is how to determine when and how much of it is wanted, which is always an uncertain matter. It is therefore essential that stocks of merchandise should at all times be carried, making it inevitable for the firm to incur losses on the stocks they carry during periods of receding prices. This is the business risk carried by the retailer, for which reason price margins are set significantly higher than in the wholesale business. Background of the company Argos was established in 1973, and in the intervening years has become the UK’s largest general merchandise retailer and its leading catalogue store chain (Databank Consulting, 2004). As a catalogue retailer, Argos promises product availability to the customer during all seasons (VanDerLande Industries, 2011). Argos has the distinction of being the first UK retailer for toys and small electrical appliances, and it commands a significant market share in its other product categories. The key goal of Argos is to ‘combine the comfort and the convenience of home selection via the catalogue with the closeness of high street stores’ (Databank Consulting, 2004, p.1). The firm advertises through a combination of different channels including television, radio, newspapers, magazines and posters. The methods of buying goods from out-of-store locations (by telephone and online) have become hugely popular among the English people. Type of product The nature of the supply chain relies upon the type of products transported and stored. In the case of Argos, this includes some 24,000 product lines primarily classified as furniture, gardening fixtures, the new children’s clothing line, and gift categories. In 2012 the number of product lines was increased by 500, adding further complexity to the product movement, storage and distribution throughout the store network (Argos Business Review 2012). Argos carries own-brand products (e.g. Alba, Bush, Chad Valley, Hygena and Schreiber), but it likewise trial sells third-party products on a fully integrated basis, that is, the third-party products are embedded among the company’s brands through its websites. In return, Argos earns commission on the sales. Of the 9,000 third-party product lines offered through its website, some 3,000 lines are ordered for in-store collection (Argos Business Review 2012). The physical availability of goods in stores is important in those instances that customers would want to purchase the product for immediate take home, such as during the late Christmas sale rush. The most important product lines to stock in the stores is technology products, such as the Amazon Kindle, Apple iPad, or the other electronic tablets since most walk-in customers who are looking for such a product will be expecting to walk out with one. Another would be the clothing lines newly added to the product offerings of Argos, as well as a wide assortment of consumer products such as sound and vision, homewares, photography, baby products, DIY (do-it-yourself), garden and pets, sports & leisure, toys & games, office, PC & games, personal care, jewellery and watches (Databank Consulting, 2004). However, Argos is best known for its white products (Argos Business Review 2012). These are the large household appliances (e.g. stoves and refrigerators) and are so named because they are often finished in white enamel (Merriam Webster, 2013). The supply chain should therefore ensure that these products are not only available to fill the internet orders but also to be kept in stock in stores, at an optimum level that balances carrying and order costs while ensuring that customers are not inconvenienced by stock outs. Chapter 3: The shopping design and supply chain of Argos Shopping design - Store network While the design of Argos’s sales channels makes significant use of new media and advances in communication, the brick and mortar stores remain the key component of Argos’s sales network. The stores comprise a nationwide chain that designates a system of pick-up points that serves the customer at his/her convenience. The store network is vital to Argos’s multi-channel sales because stores are involved in 90% of all the company’s annual sales consistently for the past five years (Argos Business Review, 2012). Over the next five years, some 230 store lease renewals or break clauses will provide Argos the chance to optimise its store network. It may relocate or close the older stores, allowing it the flexibility to redesign its store network to improve efficiency in product delivery, and increase sales by relocating to sites that increase accessibility to customers. Stores are also being upgraded; during year 2012 some 200 stores were already renovated, bringing the total to 350 fully refurbished stores. Customer response to the upgraded stores was very positive, enhancing Argos’s brand image and the reputation of its store service. Financial performance has improved in the stores by about 2.5% on average, which is directly attributable to the refurbishing, exceeding original expectations of 1%. Costs of renovation for each store approximates ?100,000; the total estimated cost for all stores is ?70 million, thus costs are well within expectations even as improvement in revenues are above expectations (Argos Business Review, 2012). Multi-channel sales Argos is UK’s leading multi-channel retailer. Multi-channel retailing involves reliance on several pathways or conduits; aside from brick and mortar outlets, other channels include the online computer sales, the web platform for mobile devices and the app for Android phones as well as the previously launched Apple iPhone app. The online Check & Reserve accounted for 28% of total annual sales, while mobile shopping comprises 6% compared to only 2% in the previous year (Argos Business Review 2012). Sales through the store network assure the customers of the certainty of stock availability pursuant to customer’s specifications. On the run-up to the Christmas holidays, Check & Reserve orders particularly of hot-selling items (i.e., toys and technology) push sales higher by a rate of 10% over previous months’ average sales. In the UK, Argos is the second-largest internet retailer with websites visits exceeding 430 million for the 2012 (Argos Business Review 2012). Aside from internet shopping, Argos sells through the TV shopping channel which affords it the chance to demonstrate its full range of product brands and categories, try out public acceptance of its product ideas, and explain the functions of some of the more complicated products. The TV shopping channel affords access to approximately 12 million households through Sky, Freesat, and online streaming. Together with pursuing TV advertising, Argos plans to introduce new applications for tablet devices and refreshing its website (Argos Business Review 2012). Overall, multi-channel sales for Argos amount to ?1.9 billion, or nearly half (48%) of Argos’s total sales. Check & Reserve, mobile sales, and all other internet orders make up 39% of total sales, while the 9% balance of multi-channel sales are products ordered either by telephone or in-store for home delivery (Argos Business Review 2012). Supply chain The supply chain management of Argos is so complex that it can only be efficiently undertaken with strategic partners and third party providers. Figure 2 in the Appendix shows several elements involved in the supply chain management at Argos, as provided for by the information service (IS) linking the functional units of the organization. The important activities identified in the diagram that pertain to supply chain management include warehouse management, freight management, and service management. Argos supply chain management shall be broken down into these categories and its partners and third party providers Warehouse management and product availability (Vanderlande Industries) The main challenge posed by Argos’s retail operations is the logistical management of a wide range of products in large volume over a wide geographic area and delivering customized orders sold through a multi-channel network. Argos was facing a number of constraints, namely the rapidly expanding product range and intensifying price competition in a number of core product areas, making it necessary to compete on volume and quality (Vanderlande Ind., 2011). With regard to size, the company handles two general types of products, namely the large white products and appliances, and the small items. Argos decided to centralise the distribution of small items to increase national availability. By concentrating deliveries of suppliers to one destination, it attempts to simplify the transportation situation, increase control and ascertain continuity of supply of direct imports, which are increasingly accounting for a growing proportion of Argos’s product offerings. Centralization of distribution is also undertaken in order to devote greater attention to increasing picking accuracy and efficiency (Vanderlande Ind., 2011). Freight management (UPS Supply Chain Solutions) The retail distribution solution of the freight management element of Argos supply chain system is commissioned by UPS Supply Chain Solutions. The challenge posed by the Argos supply chain is to ‘manage the flow of merchandise from numerous suppliers to any one of the Argos Retail Distribution Centres (RDCs) throughout the UK.’ The job that UPS was to undertake for Argos was pursuant to the Nominated Carrier Scheme, that is, ‘UPS receives, validates and handles consignments from several hundred Argos suppliers. Goods are consolidated with other orders for final delivery to an Argos RDC’ (UPS, 2004, p.1). There are no less than 750 suppliers providing merchandise to Argos, because each supplier made its own arrangements for transportation, with diversified documentation specific to suppliers, and subject to the standard lead times for the industry. The complexity lay in the diversity of the supplier base, and the various methods of presentation and delivery. The Nominated Carrier Scheme (NCS) was devised by the UPS Supply Chain Solutions to manage the flow of merchandise to any of the Argos RDCs located throughout the UK. Validation of the orders ensures that the order is correct, consolidated with a number of other orders bound for the same RDC, and sent to the retailer’s own distribution centre for the final delivery to the user. Consolidating the orders is necessary because most of the suppliers’ orders are less than full trailer loads, which are costly to transport on a per-order basis. UPS consolidates the suppliers’ merchandise and transports it to Argos in a single delivery (UPS, 2004). Customer service management (Accenture) A number of vital services is afforded by an efficiently managed supply chain, one of which is advanced inventory planning and other supply chain management capabilities. Accenture provides third party outsourced capability for Argos with regards to information systems management. The business challenge that faced Accenture is to assist Argos in operating its supply chain at peak efficiency, specifically by tuning in its supply to demand. This ensures that cost efficiency is not achieved at the sacrifice of customer expectations. The solution is typically to run a lean operating model; this is a challenge in the case of Argos, which is comprised of relatively small stores that measure a mere 14,000 square feet on average. Despite their size, each store is expected to carry a stock of 11,000 items. Oftentimes, only one item will be in stock at any one time, and customers are forced to wait one week or more for the stock-out items to be replenished. A further complication is that Argos’s shops employed 45 different systems in managing the company’s supply chain, some of which are more than 15 years old and nearing obsolescence (Accenture, 2008). Home delivery (DHL) The foregoing activities address the specific concerns of Argos that principally involve the physical transport and storage of the merchandise, from suppliers to customers. In this sense, customers are the final end users, represented by the local stores from whence the final delivery is to be made to the individual customers. It includes delivery to brick and mortar stores as well as to the homes of customers who ordered through the internet, mobile app, or phone. Argos Direct is that service that takes charge of warehousing and home delivery for the company. Specifically, they provide warehousing, distribution, change management, forecasting, and analysis services. DHL Exel Supply Chain (DESC) collaborates with Argos Direct, and has been doing so since 1990. DESC is responsible for the management of four distribution centres or DCs, and 34 outbases, as well as home delivery across the whole of UK and Ireland. More than 90,000 deliveries per week are typical for large items including beds, gym equipment, television sets, cookers, and other items market ‘delivery only’ in the Argos catalogue. Fleet efficiency and service improvement are the most salient concerns of DESC. Chapter 4: Proposal for new shopping design and supply chain for Argos Description The supply chain management of Argos encompasses the following activities as reported in its recent annual report (AGPS, 2013a). Supply Chain Implementation Packaging development (e.g. cartons, Vapour Corrosion Inhibitors or VCI, plastic trays, crates) and labels (barcode). Material flow development (freight, pre-inspection, consolidation centre, warehouse) Set paperwork procedures like invoice, packing list, Air Waybill (AWB), Bill of Lading (B/L) origin certification, etc. Set up the operation with partners involved. Supply Base Management Prepare delivery schedule to suppliers, ensuring on time delivery Cargo consolidation and freight definition Warehouse management to deliver according to customers’ requirements. Warehousing Trading and warehousing management to deliver according to customers’ requirements Inventory control Safety stock according to the customers’ needs Inventory Control Keep inventory to attend to peak demands and technical/ rejection issues Overseas suppliers become virtual local vendors Quality Assurance and Technical Support Supplier production control and instruction Pre-inspection of parts before overseas shipments (dock audit) Support on rejection and 8D reports, clarifications and translations. 8D refers to Eight Disciplines problem solving, a method of structural problem solving that has become standard practices in many industries. Ensure implementation of corrective actions by suppliers Support to implement design or technical changes The discussions in the preceding chapter have highlighted several challenges to the effective management of Argos’s supply chain management. Briefly summarized, they are the following: Rising number of product lines complicates assurance of pick accuracy. Being a catalogue retailer necessitates all-season product availability; therefor, security of supply is vital. Orders for deliveries from numerous suppliers usually consist of less than full trailer volumes, necessitating consolidation of orders to be sent as one shipment. The destinations are comprised of a number of RDCs spread throughout the country, complicating deliveries. There is a need to match supply and demand as closely as possible. There is also a need to enable tracing the progress and status of orders from the point of view of Argos. As evident from the discussion in the preceding chapter, Argos supply chain management is being successfully and appropriately undertaken by the firm’s logistics partners and third-party service providers. These include, among many others, Vanderlande, UPS, Accenture and DHL. Vanderlande Industries designed and undertook the distribution centre processes including the central warehousing of imported products (CDI) and the store order. Its centralization of small order items has improved picking accuracy and increased national availability. Despite this systemic change, it is found that Argos shops still have stock out problems and replenishment delays (Accenture, 2008). Argos’s use of the UPS-NCS likewise affords Argos and its suppliers improved supply chain visibility by linking it to the Internet, so they are able to trace the order from the point of receipt at the UPS Supply Chain Solution’s UK consolidation centre. As a result, because of the increased visibility, Argos is able to prioritise merchandise received in the RDCs and align them with high street demand. Finally DHL Exel provides home delivery services to finally bring the items to the consumer. Evaluation Majority of these concerns have been addressed by the current systems in place, with the collaboration of service partners and third party providers that enable the necessary logistical information to be delivered, the orders to be sourced and transported, the warehousing to be implemented, and the accurate picking and delivery to consumers’ homes be carried out. However, increasing competition and improvements attained by rival firms continually provide the pressure to do things better, more efficiently, and to achieve maximum satisfaction with the consumer. While logistics may have improved, there is still the existing problem of stock-outs and the relatively long lead time required in restocking the shelves in brick-and-mortar stores. Furthermore, the continued exponential growth of internet sales as more markets are tapped on the internet creates a constant demand for moving products more quickly, cost-efficiently, and accurately, in order not to lose market share to competing firms. As earlier observed, operational processes are those activities that comprise the core business of the firm or those that create the value stream in the organization. Operations analysis is that discipline whereby a set of analytical tools and methods are developed for rational decision making in business organizations, although the discipline has its roots in military management and logistics (Simon, 1979). The techniques may be both qualitative and quantitative. Given the data available for this study, evaluation shall be done qualitatively. There are advantages to the use of third party providers for Argos. The firm’s outsourcing of supply chain solutions allows it to concentrate better on its main business, which is to create satisfaction to its catalogue consumers by delivering high quality products at the lowest cost possible. Participation of Vanderlande has improved order picking accuracy and nationwide availability due to its centralized warehousing scheme. Development by the UPS of its Nominated Carrier Scheme has enabled Argos to track the order from the moment of delivery to the number of units delivered, and from the time the information is entered into the system from pickup to final delivery, Argos can monitor the real-time progress of the goods (UPS, 2004). Aside from benefits realized for the business, the NCS implemented by the UPS Supply Chain Solutions is able to realize additional environmental benefits. UPS carries 15,000 vehicle loads for Argos in one year, equivalent to 2.2 million miles per year. This is a significant drop from the 55,000 loads and 8.2 million miles that would have been travelled if the NCS were not undertaken. The NCS therefore increases significantly the efficiency and environmental advantage of Argos freight deliveries (UPS, 2004). Accenture’s participation enabled the first implementation of Oracle Retail Advanced Inventory Planning in the world, in the Argos supply chain system. Its aim was to increase product availability and to reduce inventory in stores and warehouse; the strategy was to enable Argos to stock a broader product range within the constraints of its existing store footprints. The Oracle Retail Advanced Inventory Planning system was adopted to realistic and forward-looking replenishment and allocation plans throughout the supply chain. Furthermore, the Oracle Retail Merchandising System allows Argos to enhance its core merchandising activities including purchasing, vendor management, core data and stock ledger management (Accenture, 2008). Finally, continued adoption of the DESC continues to enable Argos Direct with warehouse to home delivery scheduling and implementation. There are some shortcomings that are still evident in Argos’s supply chain management. In a 2013 report, Manhattan Associates informs on how despite the foregoing supply chain solutions adopted, Argos Direct developed problems in their in-house warehouse system which had been unable to process greater throughput effectively. It is not so much that the previous in-house warehouse system was deficient, but that the throughput through the warehouses have dramatically increased that the former system was unable to keep up with the escalation of throughput volume. The Oracle systems in place were more directed towards the forecasting of logistics rather than the in-house warehousing management of merchandise flow. The problems were again addressed by a third-party group, the Manhattan Associates who are specialized in supply chain solutions. Argos Direct was operating out of three warehouse locations: Acton Gate, which originally served the entire country, Marsh Leys, Bedfordshire, and Faverdale near Darlington. They now respectively serve the middle, south and north of the UK. Manhattan found out that the warehouses in Acton Gate and Marsh Leys were operating on a custom built, in-house system that ran order management, order taking, forecasting, replenishment, and warehouse management. While it was functioning well, they lacked scalability and flexibility to cope with the large rise in throughput (Manhattan Associates, 2013). The proposed solution is to upgrade the information systems at these two and maybe even the third warehouse because future trends show that Argos direct sales will continue to increase above the ?4.2 billion recorded for the previous year, and the 17 million UK households (two-thirds of the UK population) that patronize Argos Direct will only increase further. Manhattan Associates implemented the use of Radio Frequency (RF) equipment from Psion Teklogix to complement the warehouse management solution. Other changes were smoothly adopted by Manhattan by running the new system that they were introducing parallel with the old system, smoothly migrating data between the two to eventually be fully running even in the new system. Argos Direct decided that the new system should be phased in progressively instead of a sudden switch-over. The success of implementing the new system without interruption of service to the end-user has so far produced improved customer satisfaction scores, such that all three warehouses are now running on the new system. The next year after installation will provide added insight as to how such a system could be further improved. Chapter 5: Conclusion Argos has a highly complex supply chain system which poses special challenges for the company’s operations management team. Performance problems have arisen over the years in terms of supplier to warehouse order consolidation and freight management, warehouse organization and management, picking accuracy, logistics management in stores, and home deliveries for direct orders. It is to Argos’s credit that as each problem developed, there had been continual improvements undertaken in keeping pace with the escalation of operations that would have exacerbated the problem. The timely resort to specialized, third party providers of the extremely complex solutions has aided immensely in the continued progress of the company’s business. The most recent problem, reported in the Manhattan Associates 2013 report, is that of in-house warehousing management for which a solution has been adopted in the three Argos warehouses. It remains to be seen if the solution will be sufficient in the long run and may well in fact require further adjustments as the scale of operations increase. During this determination, the use of operational analysis methods to measure throughput and correlations on customer satisfaction would be useful as a means-to-end quantitative study. As of this writing, the new systems have been operating successfully at the warehouse level, and have shown improvements in customer satisfaction with accurate and timely home delivery services. References: Accenture 2008 ‘Helping Argos achieve high performance with leading-edge supply chain management capabilities and advanced inventory planning.’ Available at http://www.accenture.com/SiteCollectionDocuments/PDF/Argos_Long.pdf Argos 2013 ‘Customer Services.’ Available at: http://www.argos.co.uk/static/StaticDisplay/includeName/argosExcellence.htm Argos Business Review: Operational Review 2012 Home Retail Group 2012. Available at: http://www.homeretailgroup.com/ar/2012/review/argos/ Argos Global Partner Services 2013a ‘Supply Chain’. Available at: http://argosgps.com/serv/Supp/Supp.htm Argos Global Partner Services 2013b ‘Argos Supply Chain Integration’. Available at: http://www.argosgps.com/en/6.Services-Integration_supply_chain.php Argos Software.com 2013 ‘Solutions’. Available at: http://www.argosoftware.com/solutions/ Bourlakis, M & Bourlakis, C 2006 ‘Integrating logistics and information technology strategies for sustainable competitive advantages.’ Journal of Enterprise Information Management. 19(4), 389-402 Databank Consulting 2004 ‘Case Study: Argos UK.’ E-Business Watch: The European e-Business Market Watch. European Commission. Available at: http://ec.europa.eu/enterprise/archives/e-business-watch/studies/case_studies/documents/Case%20Studies%202004/CS_SR05_Retail_1-Argos.pdf DHL Exel Supply Chain 2006 ‘Case Study: Home Delivery & Change Management: Argos Direct, UK. Available at: http://www.docstoc.com/docs/3396925/pkms-warehouse-management-system Govil, M & Proth, J-M 2002 Supply Chain Design and Management: Strategic and Tactical Perspectives. London: Academic Press Karadeniz, M 2009 ‘The importance of retail site selection in marketing management and hypothetical approached used in site selection.’ Journal of Naval Science and Engineering. 5(3) 79-90 Kumar, S 2008 ‘A study of the supermarket industry and its growing logistics capabilities.’ International Journal of Retail and Distribution Management. 36(3), 192-211 Manhattan Associates 2013 ‘Argos Customer Case Study’. Available at: http:// www.manh.com/library/MANH-Argos-CaseStudy.pdf? Radhakrishnan, R & Balasubramanian, S 2008 Business Process Reengineering: Text and Cases. New Delhi: Prentice-Hall of India Private Limited. Suhong L; Ragu-Nathan, B; Ragu-Nathan, TS; & Rao, SS 2006 ‘The impact of supply chain management practices on competitive advantage and organizational performance.’ The International Journal of Management Science. 34, 107-124 Simon, H A 1979 ‘Rational Decision Making in Business Organizations.’ The American Economic Review. 69(4), 493-513 The Logistics Business 2010 ‘Argos Logistics Project Briefing.’ Available at: http://www.logistics.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/argos-project-profile.pdf UPS Supply Chain Solutions 2004 ‘UPS Supply Chain Solutions Creates a World-Class Retail Distribution Solution for Argos.’ Available at: http://www.brc.org.uk/Downloads/rsd_ups001.pdf Vanderlande Industries UK 2011 ‘Case Study: Argos Goes Full Speed Ahead with Automated DC.’ Available at: http:// www.vanderlande.com/web/file?uuid=2e37980d-8590...? ‘White goods.’ Merriam Webster, 2013. Available at: http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/white%20goods Willcocks, L. & Fitzgerald, G. 1993 “Market as opportunity? Case studies in outsourcing information technology and services”, Journal of Strategic Information Systems, 2 (3), 134-56. Appendices Figure 1: Argos Supply Chain Integration (AGPS 2013 b) FCL = Full Container Load; LCL = Less than Container load Figure 2: Argos Software, ABECAS Insight (Argos Software.com, 2013) Read More