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Integrated Essay: Value Chain Analysis

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Integrated Essay: Value Chain Analysis
Introduction

The purpose of this essay is to analyze the strength and weakness of the value chain for the Department of Veteran Affairs Supply (Value) Chain.
Core Concepts

The objective of this analysis of the Department of Veteran Affairs Supply (Value) Chain is to provide clear and concise identification of strengths and weaknesses (internal) opposed to opportunities and threats (external) (SWOT) critical to the viability of the value (supply) chain. Porter’s Generic Value Chain is the model for the analysis that identifies information, value-adding activities, e.g., primary activities, inbound logistics, and outbound logistics within the larger value system. The value-added to the value chain is the support services increase the efficiency of current Veterans Affairs supply chain. The data captures analytics requirements for informed decision; the results will be propagated as research.
Analysis
Analyzing the Department of Veteran Affairs Supply (Value) Chain one must consider core concepts, the value chain, value-generating activities and feasibility of the supply chain. The management of key VA organizations and contractors are vital to sustainability of the integrated enterprise supply (value) chain. According to Porter (1985) “Value chain is the analysis of a business as a chain of activities that transform inputs into outputs that creates value for customers. For analyzing the sources of competitive advantage, value chain forms a tool, a means to evaluate the activities performed in an organization and how they interact, in a systematic manner.” (Porter, 1985).
Table 1
SWOT Analysis for {Department of Veteran Affairs Supply Chain}

|SWOT Analysis (Opportunity and Threats Omitted) |
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