Supply Chain Management
Founded in 1903, Ford Motor Company now manufactures or distributes automobiles across six continents. Ford employs about 164,000 people in about 70 plants worldwide. The company's automotive brands include Ford and Lincoln. According to Ford's corporate website, in 2010 Ford earned $6.6 billion, their highest net income in more than 10 years.

In 2010 Ford launched 24 new or redesigned vehicles in key markets around the world. Ford expects 70% of its growth in the next 10 years to come from its Asia Pacific and Africa region. By 2014 at least 80% of the vehicles sold under the Ford brand globally will be built off 13 core platforms. By bringing suppliers into the development process earlier, Ford hopes to generate a healthier and more efficient supply chain.

The recession had at least one positive effect for Ford: it forced them to closely examine their supply chains, analyze their assumptions, and…...

Supply Chain
There are a lot of benefits of supply chain management, to the point where it is absurd to ask what they are. What benefits are there of not engaging in supply chain management? None. So the reverse is also true. Supply chain management, among other things, ensures that you get the products/materials you need on time, on cost and to spec. While this obviously enhances the firm's value, it also enhances customer value. Customers get products at a lower cost, with fewer delays, and also to spec. The benefits of supply chain management are often passed onto the customers to help the firm gain competitive advantage.

Supply chain integration reflects the process by which the supply chain system is integrated with the demand system. An example would be a retail store that sees demand for snow shovels in advance of a blizzard, and the integrated system ensure that manufacturers can…...

G. eza Nasiri, Hamid Davoudpour, & Behrooz Karimi. (2010). The impact of integrated analysis on supply chain management: a coordinated approach for inventory control policy. Supply Chain Management, 15(4), 277-289.

Link: http://www.emeraldinsight.com/journals.htm?articleid=1865246&show=pdf

The concept of the demand-driven supply network (DDSN) and its implications on inventory control and management are discussed in this analysis, along with examples being shown of how these objectives can be achieved despite uncertainty in key markets. This analysis also includes insights into how integrated supply chain programs and initiatives can be used for creating an entire DDSN framework which can cut inventory cycle times significantly from existing orders and create more effective frameworks for managing new ones.

obert A Novack, & Douglas J. Thomas. (2004). The Challenges of Implementing the Perfect Order Concept. Transportation Journal, 43(1), 5-16.

Link: http://www.entrepreneur.com/tradejournals/article/114593329.html

The concept of the perfect order is predicated on having the right product in stock at the right time to fulfill the…...

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Robert A Novack, & Douglas J. Thomas. (2004). The Challenges of Implementing the Perfect Order Concept. Transportation Journal, 43(1), 5-16.

Link:  http://www.entrepreneur.com/tradejournals/article/114593329.html 

The concept of the perfect order is predicated on having the right product in stock at the right time to fulfill the customers' unique requests. The perfect order metric is used to evaluate how well synchronized an entire supply chain is relative to the unique needs and requirements of users. It is often used in conjunction with the hierarchy of supply chain metrics to evaluate the overall performance of suppliers relative to objectives. This analysis provides insights into how the perfect order can be achieved over the long-term.

Managing Supply Chain
Managing the supply chain

The organization that I work for deals in interior finish of houses with the range of services being the floor finishes, plumbing works and sanitary ware, home furniture and office furniture as well as curtains. The outsourcing levels within this organization run to close to 70-75% of the goods and services. In as much as there are some materials that are manufactured by the company, most of them are outsourced. Once the tenders are secured for making a final fine finish to a given block of offices, the company often outsources the skills and manpower from the companies that deal in these interior finish and decorations. The company also outsources for the skilled manpower that helps in the assembly of furniture that is delivered to the homes or offices where they secure orders. Even though the company has a few transportation vehicles that helps in…...

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References

Hohn M.I., (2010). Relational Supply Contracts. Retrieved January 29, 2015 from  http://www.google.co.ke/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=10&cad=rja&uact=8&ved=0CFUQFjAJ&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.springer.com%2Fcda%2Fcontent%2Fdocument%2Fcda_downloaddocument%2F9783642027901-c1.pdf%3FSGWID%3D0-0-45-810803-p173911532&ei=xuvLVN7lEsf3asvqgpAM&usg=AFQjCNH6rceXIS0dDS1Y7tOECoWmCBPZHA&sig2=PRfSJlKHOg-GjLHHkqITWw&bvm=bv.84607526,d.d2s 

Cecere L., (2014). Managing the Supply Chain: If Only I Could See. Retrieved January 29, 2015 from  http://www.forbes.com/sites/loracecere/2014/02/20/manaing-the-supply-chain-if-only-i-could-see/

Supply Chain Management
Hypothesis defined

Concepts of SCM and the evolution to its present day form

Critical factors that affect SCM

Trust

Information sharing and Knowledge management

Culture and elief -- impact on SCM

Global environment and Supply Chain management

"Social" and "soft" parameter required for SCM

Uncertainties

This chapter aims to give an outline and scope of the study that will be undertaken in this work. The study lays out the issues faced by manufacturing organizations when it comes to the management of supplies, inventory, operations and distribution. Any study that can help organizations understand the factors that impact the management of these resources in an organization is beneficial. This chapter also contains the purpose and the hypothesis of this study.

Purpose of this study organization, big or small, is driven by the need to generate profits for its stakeholders. As a result, these organizations are constantly looking for new ways to increase their profitability. While management concepts have been…...

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Bibliography

Adams, S.G. And Ruiz-Ulloa, B.C. (2003) An Investigation of Personnel Issues Affecting Kanban Performance: A Case Study Engineering Management Journal, 15, 19,

Ahmed, P.K. And Rafiq, M. (2003) Internal marketing issues and challenges European Journal of Marketing, 37, 1177-1186,

Angeles, R. And Nath, R. (2003) Electronic supply chain partnerships: Reconsidering relationship attributes in customer-supplier dyads Information Resources Management Journal, 16, 59,

Ansoff, H.I. (1965) Corporate Strategy, McGraw-Hill, New York, NY.

Supply Chain Management
Purchasing and Supply Management: A Key to Competitive Advantage

Purchasing and supply management is an essential function of any business. egardless of the size of the business, or the product are service that they offer, every business depends on some type of supply in order to produce goods or services. If supplies do not arrive on time, the business could be it a standstill. This not only means lost money and lost time, but it also means angry customers and potentially lost business. This research will support the thesis that purchasing and supply management play a significant role in customer relations and maintaining competitive advantage.

Definition of Purchasing and Supply Management

Purchasing and supply management means placing attention on the procedures and policies of the organization in the acquisition of goods with which to produce their products. According to Johnson, Leenders, & Flynn (2010), many academics are only concerned with the…...

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References

Barney, J. (2012). Purchasing, Supply Chain Management and Sustained Competitive Advantage: The Relevance of Resource-based Theory. Journal of Supply Chain Management. 48 (2),3-6.

Chen, CY., Leu, JD., & Chiou, CH. (2006). The impact of E-Supply Chain Capabiliy on Competitive Advantage and Organizational Performance. International Journal of Electronic Business Management. 4(%), 419-427.

Johnson, P.F., Leenders, M.R., & Flynn, A.E. (2010). Purchasing Supply Management (14th ed.). Boston: McGraw-Hill Irwin.

Kourdi, J.. (2009). Chapter 36 - OUTSOURCING. 100 Great Business Ideas: From Leading Companies Around the World. Retrieved July 29, 2012 from  http://www.elan.com.mx/biblioteca/100%20Great%20Business%20Ideas%20-%20From%20Leading%20Companies%20Around%20the%20World%20%28100%20Great%20Ideas%29.pdf

Supply chain management careful attention paid process sees materials, information, finances move supplier manufacturer wholesaler retailer consumer. Supply chain management focuses efficiently effectively coordinating flows supply chain process companies.
Supply chain management

True or false: Coca-Cola's experience with inventory forecasting supports the principles set forth by CPF

The modern day economic agents function in a more and more dynamic business environment, in which they have to simultaneously serve the growing needs of numerous categories of stakeholders, such as customers, employees, business partners, the general public and so on. In such a setting, the firms devise and implement a wide array of methods and strategies by which to serve these needs and to also maximize their chances of attaining their pre-established business goals.

Given this complex setting, companies across the globe turn to supply chain management as a mechanism of integrating all actors which ensure the efficient creation of the products and their reaching the…...

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References:

Murphy, J.V., 2002, Enabling its field sales managers to collaborate on forecasts allowed Coca Cola Bottling Co. Consolidated to slash inventories in half while absorbing 150 new products, Supply Chain Brain,   last accessed on March 23, 2012http://www.supplychainbrain.com/content/technology-solutions/forecasting-demand-planning/single-article-page/article/special-issue-collaborative-commerce-forecasting-tool-lowers-coke-bottlers-inventory/?adcode=5 

2011, Collaborative Planning, Forecasting and Replenishment (CPFR) Committee, Voluntary Interindustry Commerce Solutions, last accessed on March 23, 2012http://www.vics.org/committees/cpfr/#f1

Website of Almyta Systems,   last accessed on March 23, 2012http://systems.almyta.com 

"Wal-Mart has the biggest IT systems of any private company in the world and supply chain Wal-Mart has made important investments in supply chain management" (Why Wal-Mart's supply chain is so successful, n.d.).
Wal-Mart's way of doing business is founded on a low price approach and low transportation expenses which permit it sell its products at the lowest achievable prices. "In return for its Everyday Low Price Strategy, Wal-Mart's suppliers, both large and small, either break even or make profit supplying at Wal-Mart's stores. But the real winners are Wal-Mart's customers who save thousands of dollars buying at low prices. Since Wal-Mart stores began selling groceries almost three dozen regional grocery suppliers have struggled to match or simply run out of business. On average Wal-Mart's annual sales are $350 billion and it has more than 7,000 stores, 120 distribution centers and operations spanning fifteen countries. Nearly two million employees at…...

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References

Handfield, R. (2011). What is Supply Chain Management? Retrieved from  http://scm.ncsu.edu/scm-articles/article/what-is-supply-chain-management 

Mentzer, J.T., DeWitt, W., Keebler, J.S., Soonhoong, M., Nix, N.W., Smith, C.D., & Zacharia, Z.G. (2001). Defining Supply Chain Management. Journal of Business

Logistics, 22(2), 1-25.

Why Wal-Mart's supply chain is so successful? (n.d.). Retrieved from  http://supply-chain-case-studies.blogspot.com/2008/06/walmart-scm-strategy-analysis.html

This shift in responsibility that a payoff can force over time needs to be dealt with from a business process management and change management standpoint over the long-term (Jacobs, Chase, 2010). By concentrating on the unique requirements and needs of the internal stakeholders, payoff analysis can be profitable and productive over the long-term.
eferences:

Juan Alberto Aragon-Correa, & Enrique a ubio-Lopez. (2007). Proactive Corporate Environmental Strategies: Myths and Misunderstandings. Long-ange Planning, 40(3), 357.

Jacobs, obert, & Chase, ichard. (2010). Operations and Supply Chain Management. Upper Saddle iver, NJ: McGraw Hill Higher Education. 13th Edition.

MacMinn, ichard D., & Han, Li-Ming. (1990). Limited Liability, Corporate Value, and the Demand for Liability Insurance. Journal of isk and Insurance, 57(4), 581.

6. What strategies are used by supermarkets, airlines, hospitals, banks, and cereal manufacturers to influence demand?

There is an abundance of strategies used by retailers and members of distribution channels, healthcare providers, service providers and consumer packaged…...

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References:

Bogan, J.. (2009, October). From Bad to Worse in Mexico. Forbes, 184(6), 31.

Jacobs, Robert, & Chase, Richard. (2010). Operations and Supply Chain Management. Upper Saddle River, NJ: McGraw Hill Higher Education. 13th Edition.

Simons, G., & Isely, P.. (2010). The effect of offshoring on knowledge flows in the U.S. automobile industry. Economics of Innovation and New Technology, 19(6), 553.

Second, greater education about the values and benefit of this approach to managing projects needs to be completed (Brady, Maylor, 2010). Third, the inertia and lack of motivation to change needs to be quantified and shown to managers to see how their lack of commitment and urgency are hurting their businesses. All of these factors center on the value of time and its precious nature as a resource (Brady, Maylor, 2010).
eferences

Brady, T., & Maylor, H.. (2010). The improvement paradox in project contexts: A clue to the way forward? International Journal of Project Management, 28(8), 787.

Casamatta, C., & Guembel, a.. (2010). Managerial Legacies, Entrenchment, and Strategic Inertia. The Journal of Finance, 65(6), 2403.

Jacobs, obert, & Chase, ichard. (2010). Operations and Supply Chain Management. Upper Saddle iver, NJ: McGraw Hill Higher Education. 13th Edition.

What is the difference between statistical process control (SPC) and statistical quality control (SQC)?

The goal of statistical process…...

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References

Applegate, D.. (2010). Attribute Sampling Plans. The Internal Auditor, 67(1), 19.

Branke, J., Chick, S., & Schmidt, C.. (2007). Selecting a Selection Procedure. Management Science, 53(12), 1916-1932

Jacobs, Robert, & Chase, Richard. (2010). Operations and Supply Chain Management. Upper Saddle River, NJ: McGraw Hill Higher Education. 13th Edition.

In addition to this, the company is pressured into reducing the time in which the product will be recalled, the situation will be analyzed, and the items in case will be replaced with proper ones.

The pressure exerted by the public is also very important for the company in handling the product recall. The company must ensure that the public does not turn against the company. In order to achieve this, it is important to communicate with the customers the details of the product recall process.

7. In terms of accountability, contracts represent only a small part of the process. But negotiating a good contract does not suffice (Ernst & Young, 2009). In addition to this, specialists in the field state that metrics must be measured, and customers should also be held accountable in certain situations.

eference list:

1. Factbox -- Johnson & Johnson's recent product recalls (2010). euters. etrieved August 15, 2010 from…...

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Reference list:

1. Factbox -- Johnson & Johnson's recent product recalls (2010). Reuters. Retrieved August 15, 2010 from  http://www.reuters.com/article/idUSN0412564320100504 .

2. Ackerman, A. (2008). In the Event of a Recall. Consumer Goods Technology. Retrieved August 15, 2010 from  http://www.consumergoods.com/ME2/dirmod.asp?sid=&nm=&type=MultiPublishing&mod=PublishingTitles&mid=A533BDC6582947448BBFA37BFF6394FF&tier=4&id=1AA2E93DF49C49EFB90D641610FF8D31 .

3. Product Recall Program (2007). Zurich Services Corporation. Retrieved August 15, 2010 from http://zurichhpdelivered.com/internet/zna/SiteCollectionDocuments/en/media/inthenews/RiskTopicsProductRecall.pdf.

4. Global Supply Chain (2009). Ernst & Young. Retrieved August 15, 2010 from  http://www.ey.com/Publication/vwLUAssets/Global_supply_chain/$FILE/AABS_Advisory_Global_supply_chain.pdf .

Standardization of the longest lead-time parts and those with the highest variable costs are essential for manufacturers to stay profitable. Standardization also needs to be dictated by the implications for suppliers of key parts and subassemblies. Standardizing on long lead-time items that also have little demand variability would be the best decision.
Based on your knowledge and/or experience of Total Cost of Ownership (TOC), discuss what you think are the two most critical components of TOC.

Total Cost of Ownership's most critical areas are the recurring costs over the lifetime of an asset and the services strategies to minimize these costs. The second most critical component is the planning prior to development or manufacture to ensure that maintenance for the asset or system is as high in terms of reliability as possible (Heilala, Montonen, Helin, 2007). It is also critical on this second point to engineer in a low time to…...

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References

Jeffrey H. Dyer, & Kentaro Nobeoka. (2000). Creating and managing a high-performance knowledge-sharing network: The Toyota case. Strategic Management Journal: Special Issue: Strategic Networks, 21(3), 345-367.

Juhani Heilala, Jari Montonen, & Kaj Helin. (2007). Selecting the right system - assembly system comparison with total cost of ownership methodology. Assembly Automation, 27(1), 44-54.

Kondo, Yoshio. (1987). Quality Motivation in Japan. Human Systems Management, 7(2), 93.

Leung, K. (2010). An integrated production-inventory system in a multi-stage multi-firm supply chain. Transportation Research. Part E, Logistics & Transportation Review, 46(1), 32.

This dynamic is more than an experience effect or network effect, as it is multiplicative across the many members of the supplier network, in effect creating an entirely new platform for sharing knowledge and information. The reliance on analytics for creating the necessary integration links and platforms for decision making also dominate this phase of maturity in any supply chain network (Wang, Huang, Dismukes, 2004).
With the findings that what gets measured dictates the culture of an organization as much as how information is shared across the network, the development of an effective DDSN framework can begin. The initial steps of creating a common set of key performance indicators (KPIs) and metrics first needs to be completed, and the integration points across each area also defined. Third, there is the need for defining the idealized state of metrics performance followed by a best practices benchmark for comparable supply chain networks.…...

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Ge Wang, Samuel H. Huang, & John P. Dismukes. (2004). Product-driven supply chain selection using integrated mulit-criteria decision-making methodology. International Journal of Production Economics, 91(1), 1-15.

Link:  http://bit.ly/qhHVXb 

Defines a series of frameworks for integrating multi-attribute product and pricing data into supply chain performance and measures of profitability, using a series of longitudinal studies across several industries. This study also looked at how product-driven supply chains are more effective when analytics and KPIs are used for managing them to financial performance and increasing supplier coordination and synchronization.

Though it is not entirely necessary for the approach taken to be a novel one, the research here will consider that there are yet undetermined impacts on the merchant of such a system. Thus, a second part of this methodology will be focused upon once the literature review has provided us with sufficient data to surmise a framework for the automated system. As this automation would impact the ordering systems used by merchants outside of Imperial Tobacco, it will be important to gather feedback from such vendors. They will be asked through survey to cite pros and cons to the prospect of automated online ordering, which would likely be effective once a merchant signed to the program reached a certain inventory minimum.

As to current and unresolved issues on the subject, the input of merchants should supplement the literature review in order to demonstrate a clear course of action that will…...

This lack of tust within the supply chain has a ippling effect acoss the flow of goods and sevices, and should theefoe be addessed with a high degee of pioity. Tust must be built though a pocess of egula communication acoss the supply chain, which includes all paties involved in the flow of goods.
Communication can be established by a vaiety of means. In addition to electonic communication, face-to-face communication via meetings is also a good idea. Tust is easie to establish by means of pesonal meetings, whee ideas and infomation can be shaed among the vaious stakeholdes. Tust can also be established and maintained by means of a contact stipulating that infomation is not to be shaed with paties outside the supply chain o those who do not have a diect inteest in the supply chain itself.

A long-standing elationship with supplies will also ceate a basis of tust if…...

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references. With an online presence, a company has a platform from which to reach a much larger customer base, especially with expansion in mind. Potential customers can then complete forms with demographic and preference information to help companies determine their specific supply chain logistics.

The company's direct relationships with customers are also important in terms of customer satisfaction and service. Customers should for example have several avenues of communication should they wish to contact the company. Both complaints and compliments should be allowed either in the online or offline environment. Electronic communication can also be used for advertising new products, or soliciting information regarding suggestions for desired future products. By soliciting more opinions in this way, customer satisfaction could be more accurately ensured in terms of product quality, delivery time, and the type of products required.

CONCLUSION

The furniture industry is a challenging one in the current economic climate. However, with lean manufacturing principles across the supply chain, a competitive edge can be gained in terms of customer satisfaction and delivery times.

The bedroom furniture company should ensure that optimal technological tools be implemented in order to maintain the ability to ensure quality at optimal delivery speeds and acceptable costs. APS and EPK technology can then be implemented to establish a pull strategy in terms of the supply chain, where the customer determines the lean strategy. Optimal communication technology will ensure an integrated approach to the supply chain and build trust among the companies involved. This is vital to ensure consistent quality and optimal customer service to the end customer.

Below is an example essay to help give you ideas when writing your own paper.

Title: Bridging the Skills Gap in the South African Supply Chain Industry

Introduction:
In today's rapidly evolving global economy, the supply chain industry plays a vital role in ensuring the efficient flow of goods and services. However, South Africa's supply chain sector faces a significant skills gap, hindering its growth and competitiveness. To address this challenge, it is essential to identify and cultivate generic, transferable, core, or key attributes that can bridge this gap effectively. This essay will discuss the different forms of such attributes....

1. The importance of ethics in business decision making
2. The impact of technology on modern business practices
3. The role of corporate social responsibility in business operations
4. The benefits and challenges of globalization in the business world
5. The influence of culture on international business practices
6. The significance of leadership and management in successful business operations
7. The effects of digital marketing on consumer behavior and business success
8. The role of innovation in driving business growth and competitiveness
9. The importance of sustainability in business practices
10. The impact of financial management on business success
11. The role of entrepreneurship in driving economic growth and innovation
12.....

Principles of Business Essay Topics

Ethics and Social Responsibility

The Importance of Ethical Decision-Making in Business
Sustainability and Corporate Social Responsibility: Balancing Profits and Planetary Health
The Role of Business in Addressing Social Issues
Whistleblower Protection and the Ethical Obligations of Employees

Innovation and Entrepreneurship

The Role of Innovation in Driving Business Growth
The Entrepreneurial Mindset: Characteristics and Erfolgsfaktoren
Creating an Innovative Work Environment
The Impact of Technology on Business Innovation

Leadership and Management

Effective Leadership Styles: Authoritarian, Democratic, and Laissez-faire
Motivating Employees: Theories and Best Practices
The Importance of Diversity and Inclusion in Management
Managing Organizational Change: Challenges and....

1. The impact of blockchain technology on supply chain ethics and transparency
2. The role of artificial intelligence in ethical decision-making in supply chain management
3. Ethical considerations in sustainable supply chain management practices
4. The ethical implications of outsourcing and offshoring in supply chain management
5. The importance of cultural sensitivity in ethical supply chain management practices
6. The ethical challenges of managing supplier relationships in a global supply chain
7. The role of whistleblowers in promoting ethics and accountability in supply chain management
8. Ethical considerations in the use of data analytics and technology in supply chain decision-making
9. The ethical implications of environmentally sustainable supply....