...a. Managing Inventory is one of the most important tasks of a retailing company. If there are not enough goods in stock, some of the customers might be disappointed. Stocking too many will reduce the profit margins. Do you think Amazon.com adopted the right strategy while trying to manage its inventory? Was it successful in executing this strategy? Ans: Amazon’s was started with a focus on the following four value propositions: * Convenience * Selection * Price and * Customer Service With these objectives Amazon opted for e-business of retailing. This offered the convenience. Amazon offered more choices than a conventional retailer. Since, it had the volumes it was able to offer products cheaper to the customer. It always met the shipping schedule and therefore had a lot of satisfied customers. However, as Amazon expanded it kept on changing its strategy and adapted itself. This ensured that though the four value propositions were still maintained the supporting business model kept on evolving. Amazon's decisions in maintaining its inventory have been fruitful over time. Amazon took deliberate and conscious decisions in managing its Inventory. 1.0 Amazon’s Initial Strategy for Inventory Management After the initial success of its lean e-tailing model, Amazon realized that in order to grow and maintain customers it would need to create its own warehouses and stack inventory as per customer requirements. Though this made sure that the goods were delivered...
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...Running head: FACTS ABOUT OUTSOURCING 1 The Facts about Outsourcing Lawrence Smith Professor Barron Columbia College FACTS ABOUT OUTSOURCING 2 Abstract Globally, businesses have undergone unprecedented changes because of technology, the internet, and improved educational systems around the world. There are so many moving parts to having a successful business; nowadays, many organizations are outsourcing their non-core activities to external agents. Outsourcing is becoming an increasingly accepted practice for both small and large businesses of today. Outsourcing has quietly grown into a standard operating procedure for many organizations. This rising use of outsourcing represents a paradigm shift in the way companies conduct business. In today’s business environment, every company is looking for ways to reduce costs. Many are now turning to outsourcing as a weapon in their cost-cutting arsenal. But outsourcing is about more than shrinking budgets and reducing headcount. This paper will explain the term outsourcing and address why organizations prefer to outsource some of its functions in today’s business environment. Also, discussed in this paper will be the advantages and disadvantages of the outsourcing process and its rewards and risks towards the organization. FACTS ABOUT OUTSOURCING 3 The Facts about Outsourcing The word outsourcing could be described as the contractual relationship with a specialized outside service provider...
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...and customer demands require excellence of service. In distribution, selective, exclusive and intensive are three primary channels in which an organization must determine the best option in relation to products and customers. The Kimberly Clark Company provides an excellent example for today’s organizations with “a customer-oriented supply chain reorganization begun more than four years ago, K-C is improving distribution efficiencies, reducing transportation costs and shrinking its carbon footprint, while becoming an indispensable partner to retail customers” (Jamison, 2008, para.3). Technology and the Supply Chain Continuous advancements in technology offer new solutions to old problems in supply chain management as well as placing focus on the current needs of distribution in global markets. Real-time locations systems (RTLS) are among emerging technologies where “RFID is no longer considered an emerging technology. It is a proven solution with high value add and an increasingly attractive ROI, said Michael Liard, Director, AutoID for VDC Research Group.” (Zebra Technologies, 2012). Technology plays an important role in distribution where retail customers focus on inventory reduction while maintaining adequate supply to meet consumer demands. Real time information provides organizations such as Kimberly Clark with the necessary data to develop the most effective channels for distribution based on individual products and customers. Kimberly Clark’s EDI Solution Kimberly...
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...PRAHAKARAN (810986) Title Company: Caterpillar Inc Background Caterpillar Inc. Overview The Caterpillar Tractor Co. was formed in 1925 as a result of the merger of the C.L. Best Gas Tractor Company and the Holt Caterpillar Company. Restructure as Caterpillar Inc. in 1986, and it is currently one of the world’s largest manufacturers of construction and mining equipment, diesel and natural gas engines and industrial gas turbines. Caterpillar has over 3 million machines in usage and it runs in three primary lines of business such as Machinery, Engines, and Financial Products. . Strategic Overview In order to remain to excellently grow the business and success against the competition, Caterpillar has implemented Vision 2020, an enterprise strategy that emphases on the Company’s customers, employees, and stockholders. Vision 2020 is built on Caterpillar’s strategic goals, operating principals, and core values. The three primary strategic goals of Vision 2020 are to produce superior financial results, be a global industry leader and have the greatest team. Involved in Vision 2020 are Caterpillar’s “Big 8” requirements for 2011 through 2015 which is focus on how Caterpillar will success and preserve and improve its leadership position. Over Vision 2020, Caterpillar expects to win by delivering valued, quality products, services and solutions to customers that deliver the lowest total owning and operating lifecycle costs. This value plan, enabled by incomparable...
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...CASE STUDY : Multinational Outsourcing and CSR. Inditex: The worldwide outsourcing garment industry and social community development in Morocco “Intermón claims that pressures on foreign clothing suppliers are smothering employees. […] In Morocco, where Cortefiel, Inditex (Zara), Mango and Induyco (El Corte Inglés) manufacture their products, a Tangier based textile factory sold a pair of slacks to large Spanish retailers for 3.3 euros three years ago; today, the same item sells for 2 euros. Female factory workers work 12 to 16 hours a day during the high season, because orders from Spain demand six ‐ day delivery terms in order to suit shop window change schedules.” (El País Newspaper, “Mujeres en Aprietos”, 10 ‐ 02 ‐ 2004) towards process outsourcing that responded to its characteristic labor ‐ intensive production and current competitive pressures for cost reduction and flexibility. Sector companies had been forced to redesign their business strategies, focusing on performance measurement, new competence and skill development, product quality improvements and more strategically oriented human resources management. Yet, this new strategic focus entailed unprecedented risks, especially as regards labor practices, environmental care and unfair competition. As multinational companies embarked on this process, multilateral agencies and global NGOs had begun to look into and report on wrongful practices by large corporations...
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...CHapter 15 supply chain management Teaching Notes It is important to emphasize that Supply Chain Management involves the entire range of production and distribution processes. Students need to understand the trade offs involved in supply chain function related to JIT, inventory management purchasing and delivery lead times and quality. Supply Chain Management requires a broad view of the entire flow from purchasing to final delivery to the customer. Supply Chain Management is becoming increasingly more important due to the following factors: 1. Implementation of JIT systems. 2. Emphasis in reduction in inventories. 3. Emphasis in reduced order cycles and reduced lead times. 4. Continuous and rapid change in products and product designs (shorter product life cycles). 5. Shorter product introduction and product development times. The importance of Supply Chain Management can not be underestimated because it ensures that the right materials are at the right place at the right time at a minimal cost and maximum quantity. In addition, supply chain management requires very careful coordination of activities between various business organizations on the chain. Integration of databases and sharing key pieces of information among the different business organizations on the supply chain not only provides timely and valuable information to companies on the supply chain, but also assists in improving the trust and the overall relationship between suppliers and their customers...
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...KARELIA UNIVERSITY OF APPLIED SCIENCES International Business Degree Program Swedish Clothing Industry Global Business Environment November 2013 Introduction The distance between people in the world is decreasing. In stores in Sweden we find goods from all corners of the world. We are intertwined in a world of mutual dependences and it is what we now call globalization. Economic globalization is a historic process and the result of human innovation and technological development. The economies in the world are integrating, particularly through trade and financial flows, but globalization can also involve movement of people and labor, as well as knowledge and technology across international borders. This means that countries can specialize and produce what they are best at. Countries across the world wills also have access to more capital, better technology, cheaper imports and major export markets. This does not mean that all countries have access to the benefits of globalization, in the poorest countries, the international community help with contributions. The question is that is globalization a treat or an opportunity? Some believe that the difference between the rich and poor countries only increased with globalization, while others argue that the difference in income or GDP between countries across the world has increased, but it is not the whole truth. Wider measurements of welfare that takes social conditions in the calculation shows those developing countries...
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...currently are two main types of outsourcing: traditional and Greenfield 1. Traditional outsourcing is all about employees at the company ceasing to do their jobs and the outside service provider presents these services. In the IT management data centers and networks could be examples of traditional outsourcing (Robbins,34). 2. Greenfield outsourcing is all about is the corporate change without hiring any external employees or service providers. In other words, the company like Nike in our case may hire independent contractors or startup companies to provide some services that the company did not do inhouse (Caroselli, 113). The following essay will speak about the NIKE company and its outsourcing business practices that although proved to be very profitable for Nike at some point of time would attract international attention with respect to the ethics involved in the corporate management, working conditions and compensation. According to corporate website (www.nike.com) Nike, Inc. is principally engaged in the personal design, development and worldwide marketing of stylish fashionable footwear, apparel, equipment and accessory products. The Company is a seller of athletic footwear and athletic apparel worldwide. Nike sells its products to approximately 18,000 retail accounts in the United States alone and through a mix of numerous independent distributors, licensees and subsidiaries in approximately 140 countries worldwide. Virtually all of its products are manufactured by independent...
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...as they respond to challenges in their environment. These resources can be developed in-house or developed among strategic partners or purchased. Outsourcing entails the delegation of tasks or jobs from internal production to an external entity such as sub-contractor. It is the process of placing the development of system components in another development organization with the aim of achieving cost reduction and a gain in terms of production capacity and development. The main striking features of the Nigerian economy today is that available infrastructures of all types fall far below the quantities and qualities required. This naturally results in overstretching of most facilities. Despite huge potentials in almost every sector, poor overall economic performances have made it inevitable to tap unduly and at high cost and less profit than they should be. According to Alaofin (2003), “operating costs are high in Nigeria inspite of relatively cheap labour hence, running any business according to international standards is therefore costly”. He further stated that facilities management as an area is just evolving in Nigeria through janitorial services which is the best development component, has been around for nearly (5) five decades. Security services are in the stage of development. He stated that there are various merits of outsourcing which include better focus, economics of scale in purchasing and specialization. Dalhat(2009) in analyzing the development of a service industry...
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...S LEGO GROUP: AN OUTSOURCING JOURNEY w 910M94 PhD Fellow Marcus Møller Larsen, Professor Torben Pedersen and Assistant Professor Dmitrij Slepniov wrote this case solely to provide material for class discussion. The authors do not intend to illustrate either effective or ineffective handling of a managerial situation. The authors may have disguised certain names and other identifying information to protect confidentiality. Richard Ivey School of Business Foundation prohibits any form of reproduction, storage or transmission without its written permission. Reproduction of this material is not covered under authorization by any reproduction rights organization. To order copies or request permission to reproduce materials, contact Ivey Publishing, Richard Ivey School of Business Foundation, The University of Western Ontario, London, Ontario, Canada, N6A 3K7; phone (519) 661-3208; fax (519) 661-3882; e-mail cases@ivey.uwo.ca. Copyright © 2010, Richard Ivey School of Business Foundation Version: (A) 2010-11-12 PROLOGUE The last five years’ rather adventurous journey from 2004 to 2009 had taught the fifth-largest toy-maker in the world — the LEGO Group — the importance of managing the global supply chain effectively. In order to survive the largest internal financial crisis in the company’s roughly 70 years of existence, resulting in a deficit of DKK1.8 billion in 2004, the management had, among many initiatives, decided to offshore and outsource a major chunk of LEGO’s...
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...effect on make or buy decision. The vertical chain is ‘’ the process that begins with the acquisition of raw materials and ends with the distribution and sale of finished goods and service.’’ (Besanko et al, 2010, p119) The term vertical integration is used to describe firms that produce and sell their goods without relying on external co-ordination. Firm’s vertical boundaries can identify what to make (internally inside the organization) and what to buy (externally by using the market). Some of the pharmaceutical companies like Pfizer have strong vertical chains. So as to market its drugs in 150 countries, it gives high importance for production that starts by acquiring active pharmaceutical ingredients (API) and shifting them to manufacturing sites all across the globe. These manufacturing sites are either approved under the stringent laws of FDA or EMEA (2 important bodies responsible in monitoring the quality of registered products across the globe). Sometimes Pfizer also uses loan-licensing companies as external manufacturers when in-house facilities are not available or feasible. Once the product is manufactured, it is sent for quality control release and then packed and shipped to the first point of distribution (global hubs). From these locations; depending on the demand from each region; packed products (formulated products) move to the regional hubs. These hubs in turn will supply to either local hubs (within the country) to cater within the country of operations...
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...Introduction to Supply Chain Management * Supply Chain Management: A set of approaches utilized to efficiently integrate suppliers, manufacturers, warehouses, and stores, so that merchandise is produced and distributed at the right quantities, to the right locations, and at the right time, in order to minimize system-wide costs while satisfying service level requirements. * Takes into consideration every facility that has an impact on cost and plays a role in making the product conform to customer requirements * Be efficient and cost-effective across the entire system * Supply chain strategies cannot be determined in isolation. They are directly affected by another chain that most organizations have, the development chain – includes the set of activities with new product introduction * It is challenging to design and operate a supply chain so that total system-wide costs are minimized, and system-wide service levels are maintained. * Uncertainty and risk are inherent in every supply chain * The development and supply chains intersect at the production point (HP was one of the first firms to recognize this intersection) * What makes finding the best system-wide, or globally optimal, integrated solution so difficult? * The supply chain is a complex network (Ex: National Semiconductor) * Different facilities in the supply chain frequently have different, conflicting objectives. * The supply chain is a dynamic system that...
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...Vertical Integration vs Outsourcing of Zara Written by Mohd Rahman October 04, 2014 “The original business idea was very simple. Link customer demand to manufacturing, and link manufacturing to distribution. That is the idea we still live by” -- Jose Maria Castellano Rios, Inditex CEO. 1 Introduction to Zara Zara is an icon in the fashion world and largest international fashion designing and manufacturing company. Zara is the flagship chain store of Inditex Group owned by Spanish tycoon Amancio Ortega, Inditex is one of the world's largest fashion retailers with eight brands and over 6,460 stores throughout the world (Ref-1). Headquarter of the group is in Coruña, Spain where the first store of Zara was launched in 1975. This paper will analyse the company and try to link its activities with supply chain strategy of vertical integration and outsourcing. Later will come to a conclusion that Zara is vertically integrated with justification and made recommendation for further improvement. Definition of Vertical Integration In strategic management, the term vertical integration describes a style of management control, when a company expands its business into areas at different points of the same production path. Vertically integrated companies in a supply chain are united through a common owner. Usually each member of the supply chain produces a different product or services, and the production combine to satisfy common need. In the following paragraph I will try to...
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............................................................................4 3 NIKE SUPPLY CHAIN PROCESSES...............................................................................................................5 3.1 Nike Product Development....................................................................................................................5 3.2 Nike’s Manufacturing flow management........................................................................................6 3.3 Lean manufacturing ..................................................................................................................................6 4 NIKE SUPPLY CHAIN ASPECTS.....................................................................................................................7 4.1 Nike Vertical Relations.............................................................................................................................7 4.2 Horizontal Relations .................................................................................................................................8 5 NIKE SUPPLY CHAIN STRATEGY.................................................................................................................8 5.1 Outsourcing as the key procurement strategy.............................................................................8 5.2 Role of Information...
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...|PROBLEM STATEMENTS/WEAKNESSES/STATISTICS |STRENGTHS/STRATEGIES IN PLACE | |What can be Ducati’s strategy for long-term growth? |Motocycles evoke” rebellion, freedom, desire, sex, mobility, design, technology, engineering, innovation, | |Was broadening of Ducati’s traditional niche the right move? |speed, and death” | |Should Ducati attack Harley Davidson’s niche with an interpretation of a cruiser? ** Ducati’s |Cruisers are big motorcycles with an upright riding position. Design emphasized styling over comfort and | |unexplored market segments include Off Road/Dual Purpose, Cruiser and Touring (Exhibit 5 – page 17) |speed., and preferred by many American riders. = this design will definitely not cater to European and Asian | |Ducati’s Fixed Sales Cost in 2000 is 3 times as that of HD (14.5Million vs. 5million). |customers. | |EBITDA – is a measure of a company’s cash flow before certain deductions. It is not a realistic view |Desmodromic engine ...
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