Supply chain Management: questions and answers

Résumé du document

This document contains questions and answers about supply chain management.

Extract : "The Beer Game is a simulation of the supply chain where players should honor the consumer orders in managing their stocks, supplying and costs. Our individual performance in the Beer Game can't be taken as a component of our final grade in the course for several reasons.

First of all, the game is composed of four elements in the logistic chain (factory, distributor, wholesaler and retailer ), which depend all on each from another (orders placed –incoming orders) with a long lead-time.

In second place, there are the lacks of communication and transparency between different partners of chain (factory, distributor, wholesaler and retailer), which also work individually (no long term vision) and according to every unit: thus, it is complicated to have a good appropriateness between the demand and stock.

Thirdly, we can connect it to the idea of lack of reliable information between the various units, which can have consequences (for instance: an “unknown demand” - the retailer is in possession of information concerning the demand whereas the factory not).

In fourth place, they have not equally the same function: every element places orders according to the structure of the supply chain which can have repercussions such as the bullwhip effect : strong disconnection between the consumption with the actual customers demand and the manufacturing with the actual factory activity"

Extraits

[...] To alter demand, manage queue and thus to move the lines faster it is more simple. Actually, the shift supervisors start up a conversation with clients and listen them: the aim being to consider customer as an asset, in other words a source of strategic advantage (new ideas). Lastly, we can add that a barista clears and cleans tables to save time. Information The customer participation is encouraged what represents a continuing relationship with Starbucks. In actual fact Starbucks submits questionnaires in the store in order that clients send in feedbacks about their experiences. [...]

[...] This strategy implies a lot of advantages and disadvantages that we are going to examine now. In term of benefits and in first place, there is the cost notion: in actual fact, the more the provision will be diversified, the more the expenses in terms of labor and part will be weak. It is obvious that the price of work and capital factors will not be the same if we are located in France or in Korea. In second place, there is the risks question which could take the form of manufacturing. [...]

[...] Firstly, the multiplication of supplying sites could raise the issue of after sale services. Indeed, there will be various post sale services and in case of problems with the parts of plane, it could be difficult to manage questions of manufactured pieces concerning returns in terms of price and transportation. Secondly, we can cite another relevant idea: the transport. Indeed, the considerable number of foreign suppliers can entail issues regarding the organization and links of transportation. In third place, we can list the legal and cultural problems. [...]

[...] The visual case developed from the slide with the Boeing 777 manufacturing strategy show us a decomposed Boeing 777 with the different parts of plane. We also are able to see where come from the various elements with countries and who are the manufacturers. The several pieces of the Boeing 777 are inherent to nine countries with : Australia, Brazil, Japan, Korea, Italia, Canada, France, Singapore and Ireland and its providers number amounts to fourteen through : Asta, Embraer, Mitsubishi, Hawker DH, Fuji, Korean, Alenia, Kawasa, Menesco y Messier, Pratt & Whitney, General Electric, Rolls-Royce, 3Am Short and Kawasaki. [...]

[...] The management positions are trained for 8 to 12 weeks with barista information, store operations, practices, procedures, information systems and management. The employee empowerment is characterized notably by the fact that suggestions and complaints provided by employees are treated of equal importance and employees can participate in the improving policies. Finally, employees are encouraged to get some feedbacks from their own goal. Quality To monitor and measure quality, Starbucks uses methods such as the customer experience maps which show interaction with Starbucks during a visit (store location & appearance, warm greet by staff, in-store deco, smell and background music, long queue, price quite expensive, coffee varieties, friendly staff and professional in coffee, accept credit cards, give you a coupon to buy coffee in 15 days, long wait to get your coffee, feed yourself with milk and sugar, coffee taste and packing We also can quote other method such as the quality rating through sales growth, market shares and profitability(net margin). [...]