(BUS06128) supply chain management assignment on project Purchasing and Procurement management
Question
Task: how can supply chain management assignment research techniques be used to enhance project management and efficiency?
Answer
Answer to Question 1
Thissupply chain management assignment assesses the supply chain's three most strongly linked elements are procurement, manufacturing, and material management. Both a structural formula and functional activity, procurement. It participates in various activities to ensure it provides the business with the possible value. The production team is responsible for delivering the product in exact quantity and schedule. In this case, the materials management is responsible for evaluating and identifying the supplier and arranging the agreement. The production department, where the material handling department was not supposed to indicate the inventory requirement expressly. Production is also accountable for keeping a good communication line according to their demands. Whenever the manufacturing department's output and timetable change, the materials management department change the quantity of the materials, and it demands from the supplier shortly before shipment commences (Phijffer, 2022). The production department of an organization must accurately estimate the number of materials needed for production as well as the ones accessible in inventory by certifying the same with the inventory department. The supply chain management assignment findings show this is the obligation of each component in order to ensure a seamless flow of material. The material management team must place the request from the vendor for the specific number of materials purchased from the production area without having to amend the purchase before the delivery date. On the buyer's end, the obligations include working internally in the company to determine organizational requirements, developing standards and conditions for the supplier, picking the correct supplier, and conforming with the needs of the suppliers regarding the payments while overlooking the performance of the suppliers.
Answer to Question 2
In the supply chain management assignmentcase study, the parties involved are Avion as the buyer and Foster technologies as the supplier. To maintain a smooth flow of materials, the supplier must adhere to the standards and requirements of the buyers while providing them with the proper quantity and quality of services and goods. Initially, the issue appeared to be lacking delayed delivery and material quality imposed by the poor communication and performance from the supplier, Foster technologies. Material and production management are the two main components of the supply chain that have underperformed in this instance (Kim and Zhao, 2021). The responsibility of correctly predicting the needed supplies and equipment and conveying that information to the supplier comes within the scope of material handling. If production requires more materials or supplies, this information must be relayed to management, who must decide based on the available information. Production is liable for maintaining a positive line of communication depending on their demand. I consider that to supplement what Foster cannot provide, Avion Inc. must be looking for a further provider based on the data now accessible. There is no question that miscommunication is the biggest problem in this case. For both stakeholders and suppliers—to effectively interact and, as a consequence, conduct business effectively, communication is of the greatest priority. Although they deal with the material flow regularly, it is also an indication of the ineptitude of Avion, Inc.'s procurement managers that they are blind to specifically noticeable shifts in quantity and supply time needed for operations.
Answer to Question 3
The supply chain management assignmentprocess of switching suppliers involves a substantial amount of time. Therefore, it is not a simple task. The business would have to look for the best provider in terms of materials accessibility, price, and quality in order to switch to a new provider. After that, the business should negotiate with each supplier and verify the trustworthiness of the providers. It would demand a substantial amount of time from the firm, during which it feared losing its ability to manufacture and perform other crucial functions. The unpredictability of a new employer and the strategy that the supplier provides are the disadvantages (Yazdani et al., 2022). In other instances, the supplier may have violated the conditions of the agreement, been insecure economically, or collapsed in another way. In different situations, the supplier can be performing its contract agreements, but the client may experience less benefit than they did. In those instances, the client must evaluate what percentage of the responsibility lies on the supplier. Also, it's difficult to anticipate what sorts of issues can emerge if a supplier is replaced, and when they do, the company might be left with only lost money if they do. The following elements, which are grouped under switching costs, can make switching from one supplier to another complicated:
- Transportation has already scheduled and bargained with the carrier
- Lack of time to understand new provider processes and work procedures
- Potentially long-term contracts that would be very pricey to break
- Reassertion of the supply chain, such as storage sites and connections to new geographical areas
- Expensive market research to discover the new star provider and create contract extensions.
Answer to Question 4
In order to determine the actual root of a problem using supply chain management assignment techniques, a detailed assessment of the issue is necessary before a resolution can be reached. The entire case is resolved when this "Actual cause" is handled. It indicates not only determining the issue at the moment but focusing on developing a particular strategy and solution for preventing the issue in the long run. For this specific case study, it could imply a redesign of the corporate structure of Avion, consolidation of procurement, change of management and production and materials management teams. Identifying the root cause of a problem requires thorough inquiry or delving deep into the matter in order to determine its complete source and select the most appropriate strategy for its rehabilitation. It is essential to pinpoint the problem's root cause, whether it be a part, a service, a client, or something else that could not perform its role and why it happened in the first place (Rajabion et al., 2019). The correct way to proceed is to go back to each layer of the situation and continually ask oneself, "Why?" as we filter the problem's surface to uncover its concealed root cause. In order to repair a problem, it is crucial to determine the source of the problem. If Kevin had not even talked to Foster's production supervisor, in this case, the procurement teams at Avion might have thought that the suppliers were responsible for the underperformance in on-time delivery and material quality. So, they may switch suppliers, which will require several months and a lot of work.
Answer to Question 5
I think good consumers provide consistent and clear expectations and instructions of the service and items received, and are proactive in communication with the suppliers to ensure the proper delivery of the instructions while complying with the requirements of the suppliers. Between buyers and suppliers, credibility goes both ways. It is not the customers' world anymore. There is no more competition between vendors, but also between consumers as well. To be a good supply chain consumer, a company should focus on making payments on time while meeting any other needs of the supplier, conveying the company's needs and wants consistently and clearly to the vendor and performing measurements on the performance of suppliers while maintaining consistent or open communication. In the supply chain framework, an individual or company that places an order for products with specific requirements is known to be a good customer. Such clients place orders based on precise assessments of the goods for which they order components. No last-minute changes will be made to the quantity of merchandise needed or the delivery times specified (Chen et al., 2021). Furthermore, the supply chain management assignment research shows they keep in direct contact with their suppliers. A purchasing business wants to be regarded favorably by a supplier to build and maintain a strong relationship with them. Product delivery is simple and quick if the client has a good working relationship. This enables it possible for the company to obtain the items effectively, reducing the company's overall cost. A business must take the essential steps if it wishes to be an excellent supply chain customer: Constantly communicating with the supplier and giving specific information, including the goods required, their specifications, how they must be supplied, and when they must be provided.
Answer to Question 6
The overall performance of an organization needs to be measured to get details of the lacking areas. Generally, performance measurement can be used to motivate employees and managers in order to make decisions to benefit a corporation. Supply chain performance measurement can be described as the ability to judge the effectiveness of a supply chain system (Sardi et al., 2020). Performance measurement of supply chain networks helps in supply chain control. The stage of supply chain controlling means the steering as well as the construction of the interactions in the entire supply chain. The supply chain management assignmentprocess helps to focus on adequately controlling supply chain networks so that it cannot impose any kinds of issues. The direct aim of supply chain control is to manage performance in terms of effectively using all the available resources. Another role of performance measurement in managing the supply chain is proper monitoring. Performance management can help in monitoring supply chain activities in order to control spending and relevant things. The central concept of performance measurement through monitoring is to achieve higher visibility. According to professionals, this can help companies to monitor the flow of services and products in a systematic manner. Therefore, supply chain monitoring can help companies primarily focus on data and information sharing. Performance measurement of internal supply chains helps in focusing on lead times (Sardi et al., 2020). These measures do not generally evaluate or analyze the whole supply chain. Alternatively, external supply chain management can also be handled by performance management tools.
Answer to Question 7
Changes in the supply chain management actually disrupt the normal flow of services as well as goods due to poor scrutinize. Maintaining an adequate level of supply chain management across the global context is not an easy task (Min et al., 2019). Changes in the supply chain take a lot of time. Hence, companies become unable to deliver services or products to customers. Moreover, the supply chain management assignmentprocess of getting raw materials to get stopped; thus, the manufacturing unit is disrupted heavily. The supplier was actually a star when Avion started working with them. It was a bad incident while everything in the supply chain management seems to be disrupted. Hence, Avion must adopt changes (Min et al., 2019). It may create difficulties in delivering goods and services as new things take time to adjust.
Answer to Question 8
Lead time is basically the process of managing customer retention. Avion Inc wants to reduce the lead times because they got to know the highest limit of handling systems was not more than 3500 units. Additionally, the two-week lead times were not as per their expectations. Alternatively, if Avion really reduces its lead times on its purchased components as well as materials the company could be able to get a higher competitive advantage. Therefore, it will be able to grasp half of the market share effectively (Heydari et al., 2020). This is why the company wants to reduce its lead times on its purchased materials and components. With a lower lead time, Avion will be able enough to make their customers happier than before. Alternatively, the firm will also be able to charge high prices than before. When lead times are short, customers tend to get products in a quick manner. Shorter lead times may also lead to shorter obsolescence. Reduction in lead times is also crucial as it becomes a part of the improvement process in the organizational context. It teaches a firm to adequately reduce the tasks that are unnecessary. The supply chain management assignmentprocess of waste management becomes more accessible for a company as well. Reduction in lead times enables a company to focus and accelerate the improvement process. However, longer lead times frequently result in higher wastage of resources as well as inefficiency. Companies like Avion could have the ability to review their processes against barriers.
Answer to Question 9
A single-source contract is a document that guarantees a company will get the best products at the cheapest costs (Suri, 2020). This effectively improves the payment terms as well as the negotiations. There are more benefits to using single-source contracts in the organizational context. When an organization only has one supplier, it could have considerable opportunities to negotiate. For instance, a single supplier may offer special deals along with payment terms. The quality of goods and services becomes higher when a company uses a single-source contract. This makes the process of supply chain management easier than others. Hence, a company like Avion can provide sensory experiences to its customers. Ultimately, it will result in increased profits. Single-source contracts can also assist companies in cost reduction in supply chain management. This approach can also be applied to lowering operational costs. Hence, it will become easier for companies to utilize the saved money in other business activities. On the other hand, it also increased product consistency in a unique manner. When a company has single sourcing, suppliers may be aware of its priorities or preferences. This also ensures every product functions and appears in the same way. Not only the same way, it also provides the quality of every product (Suri, 2020). Therefore, getting a higher competitive advantage in the market will not any longer be a suspicious aspect for firms as well. This can also influence the customer base of other companies and competitors to provide more success opportunities. Increased influence on customers can lead to more productive work. Single-source contracts, therefore, provide brand partnership opportunities to a firm. However, it is only possible when a company and its single supplier have a positive warranty. They may then consider brand partnership initiatives in the organizational context. Minimize the possibilities of administrative work greatly.
Answer to Question 10
It has been identified throughout thesupply chain management assignment case study that Aion is facing issues in communication as well as supplier-buyer aspects. Therefore, the company, Avion, needs to ensure that it has a good communication channel in its work setting (Kharouf et al., 2020). Likewise, Avion needs to secure various aspects such as purchase orders, specifications of the order numbers, emails and more. It is vital to ensure that the expectations of the company are clearly defined to its supplier in a systematic manner. Without this initiative, the company will not be able to make their supplier feel the importance of their goals and objectives. It is not an uncommon factor for increased confusion or misunderstanding if suppliers are not aware of the expectations of the particular company. It is easy to complain and blame the supplier, but great inspiring work is not an easy task to accomplish. Secondly, the company can also track its performance in supply chain management. Avion needs to decide what percentage they actually want from the products they are purchasing from the supply chain management. Having meetings with critical people and executives in order discuss all the issues can help to overcome them. Open communication is essential in the workplace to reduce internal conflicts (Kharouf et al., 2020). Moreover, Avion may go for other suppliers if problems will not be solved with only one supplier. Additionally,thesupply chain management assignment identified that the company can also train its employees in order to do proper teamwork so that they will get the opportunity to support each other during any crisis.
References
Chen, Q., Adey, B.T., Haas, C.T. and Hall, D.M., 2021. Exploiting digitalization for the coordination of required changes to improve engineer-to-order materials flow management. Construction Innovation.supply chain management assignment
Heydari, J., Kermani, E. Z., Tat, R., & Heydari, E. (2020). Channel coordination in a two-echelon supply chain with lead time reduction using a wholesale price scheme. International Journal of Procurement Management, 13(6), 756-774.
Kharouf, H., Biscaia, R., Garcia-Perez, A., & Hickman, E. (2020). Understanding online event experience: The importance of communication, engagement and interaction. Journal of Business Research, 121, 735-746.
Kim, K. and Zhao, L., 2021. Filtering facepiece respirator supply chain management framework in a disaster such as COVID-19. Societies, 11(4), p.136.
Min, S., Zacharia, Z. G., & Smith, C. D. (2019). Defining supply chain management: in the past, present, and future. Journal of Business Logistics, supply chain management assignment40(1), 44-55.
Phijffer, S.R., 2022. Decreasing the down time in the factory due to delivery delays after moving to a new dedicated distribution center (Bachelor's thesis, University of Twente).
Rajabion, L., Mokhtari, A.S., Khordehbinan, M.W., Zare, M. and Hassani, A., 2019. The role of knowledge sharing in supply chain success: Literature review, classification and current trends. Journal of Engineering, Design and Technology.
Sardi, A., Sorano, E., Cantino, V., & Garengo, P. (2020). Big data and performance measurement research: trends, evolution and future opportunities. Measuring Business Excellence.
Suri, R. (2020). Quick response manufacturing: a companywide approach to reducing lead times. Productivity Press.supply chain management assignment
Yazdani, M., Pamucar, D., Chatterjee, P. and Torkayesh, A.E., 2022. A multi-tier sustainable food supplier selection model under uncertainty. Operations Management Research, 15(1), pp.116-145.supply chain management assignment
