Logistics and Supply Chain Planners
Order ID:89JHGSJE83839 Style:APA/MLA/Harvard/Chicago Pages:5-10 Instructions:
Logistics and Supply Chain Planners
Number of Pages: 6 (Double Spaced)
Writing Style: APA
Number of sources: 4
Choose an industry you have not yet written about in this course, and one publicly traded corporation within that industry. Research the company on its own Website, the public filings on the Securities and Exchange Commission EDGAR database (http://www.sec.gov/edgar.shtml), in the University’s online databases, and any other sources you can find. The annual report will often provide insights that can help address some of these questions. Write a six to eight (6-8) page paper in which you: 1. Analyze the business-level strategies for the corporation you chose to determine the business-level strategy you think is most important to the long-term success of the firm and whether or not you judge this to be a good choice. Justify your opinion. 2. Analyze the corporate-level strategies for the corporation you chose to determine the corporate-level strategy you think is most important to the long-term success of the firm and whether or not you judge this to be a good choice. Justify your opinion. 3. Analyze the competitive environment to determine the corporation’s most significant competitor. Compare their strategies at each level and evaluate which company you think is most likely to be successful in the long term. Justify your choice. 4. Determine whether your choice from Question 3 would differ in slow-cycle and fast-cycle markets. 5. Use at least three (3) quality references. Note: Wikipedia and other Websites do not quality as academic resources.
C O M P L E X I T Y A N D T H E S U P P LY C H A I N 163
By involving logistics and supply chain planners early in the design process much of the subsequent complexity can be avoided. For example, at Motorola all new product ideas are screened for complexity1 before they can be considered for commercialisation. In the past at Motorola there was often little commonality of parts across the range. For a single mobile phone there could be over 100 possible configurations, i.e. four different colours and 30 software choices. Furthermore, these product vari- ations were made ahead of demand to a forecast that was only accurate 3 per cent of the time! To tackle this problem Motorola devised a ‘Complexity Index’ for each product, which included the number of components, the degree of commo- nality, lead time of supply and so on. Ideas for new products with high scores on the Complexity Index tend not to be proceeded with.
5 Customer complexity Customer complexity arises as a result of too many non-standard service options or customised solutions. The costs of serving different customers can vary signifi- cantly. Each customer will exhibit different characteristics in terms of their ordering patterns, e.g. frequency of orders, size of orders, delivery requirements and so on. These differences will be increased further as a result of the availability of different service options or packages and/or customisation possibilities. Gottfredson and Aspinall give an example of how too extensive a service offer can add complexity to the sales process:
One telecommunications company, for example, has used the power of information technology to slice and dice its service set into ever more finely differentiated options. The firm hoped it would boost revenues by more precisely fulfilling the needs of every imaginable buyer. But offering so many options has had the opposite effect. The company’s customer service reps are now forced to sort through more than a thousand promotion codes whilst they’re talking to a potential customer. Most of the promotions offer distinct levels of discounts and product benefits. Making sense of them all is an overwhelming task.2
Even though from a sales and marketing perspective there may be advantages to be gained from offering a range of options to customers, these decisions must be tempered by a detailed knowledge of their cost and agility implications. Ultimately the only complexity that can be justified is that complexity which delivers real value for which customers are prepared to pay. A problem that is faced by many businesses is that they have a limited under- standing of the true costs of servicing individual customers. It is quite possible that because some customers generate a high cost-to-serve and order products with relatively low margins they could actually lose money for the company. Using tools such as activity-based costing can help identify those customers whose cost-to- serve is high relative to the revenue that they generate. Using this information, alternative service options might be devised that could improve the profitability of those customers.
Logistics and Supply Chain Planners
RUBRIC
Excellent Quality
95-100%
Introduction 45-41 points
The background and significance of the problem and a clear statement of the research purpose is provided. The search history is mentioned.
Literature Support
91-84 points
The background and significance of the problem and a clear statement of the research purpose is provided. The search history is mentioned.
Methodology
58-53 points
Content is well-organized with headings for each slide and bulleted lists to group related material as needed. Use of font, color, graphics, effects, etc. to enhance readability and presentation content is excellent. Length requirements of 10 slides/pages or less is met.
Average Score
50-85%
40-38 points
More depth/detail for the background and significance is needed, or the research detail is not clear. No search history information is provided.
83-76 points
Review of relevant theoretical literature is evident, but there is little integration of studies into concepts related to problem. Review is partially focused and organized. Supporting and opposing research are included. Summary of information presented is included. Conclusion may not contain a biblical integration.
52-49 points
Content is somewhat organized, but no structure is apparent. The use of font, color, graphics, effects, etc. is occasionally detracting to the presentation content. Length requirements may not be met.
Poor Quality
0-45%
37-1 points
The background and/or significance are missing. No search history information is provided.
75-1 points
Review of relevant theoretical literature is evident, but there is no integration of studies into concepts related to problem. Review is partially focused and organized. Supporting and opposing research are not included in the summary of information presented. Conclusion does not contain a biblical integration.
48-1 points
There is no clear or logical organizational structure. No logical sequence is apparent. The use of font, color, graphics, effects etc. is often detracting to the presentation content. Length requirements may not be met
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