Supply Chain Management Process - Assignment Example

SUPPLY CHAIN MANAGEMENT Supply chain Management Author Author Affiliation Date Question # 1 (a). A supply chain is a system of autonomous or semi-autonomous trade entities that are collectively responsible for manufacturing, distribution activities and procurement, related with one or more families of products that are related directly or indirectly to each other. In other words, it could be said a supply chain is a system consisting of facilities and supply options that are important for performing various activities such as procurement of materials as well as changing these materials and resources into intermediary and final goods, services and products, and the timely delivery of these finished products to consumers (Teigen, 1997). Typically we denote supply chain in such a way: (Answers Corporation, 2011; Cox, 1999; New, 1997) Supplier to Manufacturer to Wholesaler to Retailer Question # 1 (b). The important features that are useful in supply chain are, planning for business operations, product planning, strategic management and planning and sales forecasting, supplier management, production planning, logistics management and an organized implementation plays a very critical role in the achievement of the smooth work flow. Following are the main components of Supply Chain Management that include: (Rockford Consulting Group, Ltd., 1999; Atilgan & McCullen, 2011; Chong, Chan, Ooi, & Sim, 2011) 1.Strategic Planning: first aspect in the elements of a supply chain is strategic planning in which performance planning is completed for the optimization and implementation of the required tools and technologies for measuring the size, spot or location and the variety of facilities that we opt in order to meet up the goals that are set for customer service. 2. Demand Planning: second key component in the supply chain is demand planning, which is based on the predictions that a customer demand. In addition, this kind of planning is done in such a way that it ensures improved and precise customer demand and needs. 3. Distribution Planning: There are a lot of current changes involved in distribution planning in the business world due to globalization factor. The planning for supply or distribution is done to decide whether demands can be satisfied by the accessible supply elements. 4. Planning for manufacturing: manufacturing planning refers to the fact manufacturing department. As we know that manufacturing division in some organization is usually confronted with a lot of problems as when we compared it to other divisions. However, meeting the demands in terms by maximizing the resources that include various aspects like human resource, assets, equipment and finance and planning has to be fulfilled only in terms of planning that is related to engineering, assembling and the developing environment. It would help us a lot in delivering sophisticated capabilities that would help us in the organization to make the better use of the production resources and capital, progress in efficiencies, and also to increase output with lower costs. 5. Production Planning: production planning has its own importance while drawing the ratio aspects between capacity requirements and production capacity available. With production planning comprehensive scheduling is prepared with proper planning that is required for procurement. Moreover, there is need to compare the capacity requirements with the orders received from the customers with the available production capacity is done through detailed scheduling. 6. Logistics and Transportation Planning: Logistics and transportation planning has its own importance for the timely delivery of products. However, this kind of planning is carried in the form of various routes, whereas management is fulfilled with necessary conditions of planning and the transportation for the payments and timely delivery of the goods are done consequently. Question # 1 (c). We can define supply chain as a set-up of retailers, storage facilities, transporters, distributors and suppliers of goods that take part in the production and also helpful in the deliverance as well as trade of a product towards the customer. We can conclude supply chain in three key parts: (Kietzman, 2011; Cassivi, 2006) Supply process that is generally focused on the materials that are supplied to manufacturing, for instance when, how and from which place. Manufacturing process where as manufacturing is usually focused on converting these raw materials into completely finished products. Distribution process The concept of distribution is something different from supply and manufacturing, the distribution is concerned with and focuses on ensuring these products get in touch with the consumers through a prearranged system of distributors, retailers and warehouses. The concept of supply chain is applied to manufacturing process and for the products of daily usage. Moreover, a supply chain can be utilized to give us an idea about how quite a lot of processes contribute to one another. The definition of the supply chain can be applied to various operations such as internet tools, finance, and a lot of other fields (Kietzman, 2011; Barratt, 2004). Question # 2 (a). Dell Computer Corporation is a multinational organization Michael Dell in 1984if we analyze different aspects of this company we have came to know that Dell Computer Corporation has revolutionized the computer manufacturing by deploying the Dell Direct model. Hence Dell Inc eliminates the concept that this technology is expensive. Due to this industry adopt supply chain methodology and achieved priority in computer marketplace share. Moreover, in the management of its supply chain, Dell Inc also used its aspects of direct modeling and own planned associations and contacts through agreement between a lots of the indenture productions, in which most of them have their business and factories located in China. Dell Inc matches its supply and demand ration in market and in its result these deal between manufacturers fabricate such sort of products that are considered to be semi completed and transport these products to Dell's Ireland and United States factories. Many researchers and authors mention Dell Inc as a better technology and that is widely used today, however it is a true fact that Dell Inc. is one of the most important computer productions which are facilitating their customers in a low cost in this period. Moreover Dell Inc is still rising in opposition to their competitors in global scenario. Dell Inc is one of the leading computers manufacturing corporation that have a direct business supply chain replica having no mediator but it initiates and ends with their customers. It is also analyzed that Dell Inc also as an industrial trademark serves on the distinctive incorporation that may include level 6 vs. level 5 developing procedure that is more dependent upon the third involving party. Dell Computer Corporation has diverse production process which include assemble the mechanism or parts required for a desktop level and this may be a subject need more broader analysis. Dell’s approach and potency towards client’s reliability is the chosen patterns and arrangements of the consumer’s choice and emerging trends in local and global marketplace where customer thinking is served as a supportive experience future strategy. After that Dell Inc organizational workforce completes the entire leftovers of desktop personal computers by installing the mechanism that includes various components that are modified for Dell Inc clients. However in this challenging era dell maintains a flexible policy to stay behind in prices as other market competitors. Dell adopt the strategy of low down its cost and react to consumer’s demand and requirements with pleasure, another aspect in its supply chain or growth rate is that Dell’s suppliers uphold a least amount of semi accomplished supplies record in a centralized location where each one of Dell's mechanized advanced facilities are available easily (Johnson & Simon Templar, 2011). The success of Dell Inc relates directly or indirectly to this fact that Dell is involved in selling of its (PC)computer systems openly to its customers, instead of making arrangements with the leading retailers and distributors and hence Dell bypass them both in order to attain better results by direct communication with their end users. Dell's supply chain is concerned mainly with three stages; if we interlink them we can describe them in this link Supplier (to) Manufacturer (to) Wholesaler (to) Retailer The direct connection established by Dell’s allows its customers to: (Hoole, 2005) Recognize the ongoing marketplace segment in proper manner There is a need for analysis in the required supply and demand ratio in addition to productivity of both segment as well as customer relationship. Expand your ideas according to market trends and total globally adopted environment. However, precise demand forecasts are vital. Dell Inc has approach to make available customer related products or facilities in cheap cost but with quality providence. Computers that are manufactured by Dell Inc are supplied on time. Dell Inc effectively implement this approach throughout its well-organized and resource full production or we can say that manufacturing operations and the thing that is more vital is the enhanced supply chain management. As many aspects are mentioned earlier Dell takes guidelines directly or indirectly from its customers and serves them as a strategy goal for improving their supply chain management. Hence, as a result Dell successfully eliminates the expenditure of mediators (third party) that may if calculated in the entire expenditure of computer for the client/consumer. If we talk about saving of time Dell easily saves its time on dealing out orders that other organizations generally sustain in their sales arrangement. As a result, direct arrangement with the client Dell gets a clear but broader positive sign of market ongoing trends. Hence in mapping the supply chain strategy for Dell results in better productivity in organizational as well as customer related services for future. Question # 2(b). The supply chain is also known as the service chain and the value chain; however it depends upon fashion which changes with the passage of time, or occasionally. In addition, similar to the other things, the supply chain management is not a universal remedy. Basically supply chain is a strategy that we called as an operational policy or guideline in case if it is implemented properly. It also provides us new dimensions for competing: introducing rapidly new and advanced customer zed high value products with better quality and providing them with extraordinary lead times, making fast decisions, and producing products or goods with high speed. In addition, the companies which are the developers of software products have jumped on the bandwagon and attempted to claim supply chain model as their own. However, as with the enterprise resource planning investments, this reality doesn't match the propaganda.  The true restructuring of the supply chain starts only with the physical elements; it is not based on the virtual elements.  Information transformation is serious to swiftly moving parts only through the series of processes. Question # 2 ( c). It is hard to say not impossible that every upside has a downstream, also in supply chain management. If an organization is not balancing its own supply with market demands it will certainly not be able to meet to stability required for the supply and demand of their whole supply chain network. The main disadvantage is that profitable supply chain management is difficult to implement in those organizations which are immature as well as informal. Need of transparency is extremely required in some organization that fulfills the criteria of supply chain management. If in whole supply management network even only single node is hiding some sort of information, this will affect the total profit and gains of entire organization which may finally be result in collapse. So transparency is an effective tool as well as important aspect in supply chain management. How problems can be resolved? In accordance to given views the most efficient technique to resolve the issue in matter of various conflicts. If we want to resolve the issue that affects our key factors of corporation like productivity and human resource we have to support communications stuck between the dissimilar corporations and various related officials that structures the supply chain. If we align trade/business and departmental objectives, market strategies, and goals, it helps a lot in improving the competence with efficiency of the whole supply chain. References Answers Corporation. (2011). Why are Supply chain and supply chain management so important? Retrieved March 25, 2011, from http://wiki.answers.com/Q/Why_are_supply_chain_and_supply_chain_management_so_important Atilgan, C., & McCullen, P. (2011). Improving supply chain performance through auditing: a change management perspective. Supply Chain Management: An International Journal, Volume 16, Issue 1, pp. 11-19. Barratt, M. (2004). Understanding the meaning of collaboration in the supply chain. Supply Chain Management: An International Journal, Volume 9, Issue 1, pp. 30-42. Cassivi, L. (2006). Collaboration planning in a supply chain. Supply Chain Management: An International Journal, Volume 11, Issue 3, pp. 249-258. Chong, A. Y., Chan, F. T., Ooi, K., & Sim, J. (2011). Can Malaysian firms improve organizational/innovation performance via SCM? Industrial Management & Data Systems, Volume 111, Issue 3, pp. 410-431. Cox, A. (1999). Power, value and supply chain management. Supply Chain Management: An International Journal, Volume 4, Issue 4, pp. 167-175. Hoole, R. (2005). Five ways to simplify your supply chain. Supply Chain Management: An International Journal, Volume 10, Issue 1, pp. 3-6. Johnson, M., & Simon Templar. (2011). The relationships between supply chain and firm performance: The development and testing of a unified proxy. International Journal of Physical Distribution & Logistics Management, Volume 41, Issue 2, pp. 88-103. Kietzman, S. (2011, March 16). What is a Supply Chain? Retrieved March 25, 2011, from WiseGeek.com: http://www.wisegeek.com/what-is-a-supply-chain.htm New, S. J. (1997). The scope of supply chain management research. Supply Chain Management: An International Journal, Voume 2, Issue 1, pp. 15-22. Rockford Consulting Group, Ltd. (1999). Supply Chain Management. Retrieved March 24, 2011, from http://rockfordconsulting.com/supply-chain-management.htm Teigen, R. (1997, May 17). Supply Chain Management. Retrieved March 24, 2011, from http://www.eil.utoronto.ca/profiles/rune/node5.html Read More