Assignment No.

15
Discussion Questions

1. What is a supply chain?

. In commerce, supply-chain management, the management of the flow of goods and
services, involves the movement and storage of raw materials, of work-in-process
inventory, and of finished goods from point of origin to point of consumption
2. What are some recent trends in supply chain management?
Data-visualization Will Shorten Delivery Times. ...
Supply Chain Managers Will Focus on Increasing Perfect Order Deliveries. ...
Sustainable Practices Will Be a Leading Focus of Supply Chain Executives. ...
Service Supply Chains Will Dominate the Market. ...
Supply Chain Management Will Finally Have a Standard Certification Process.

3. What are the elements of supply chain management?

There are four major elements of supply chain management: integration, operations,
purchasing and distribution. Each relies on the others to provide a seamless path from
plan to completion as affordably as possible.

4. What are the strategic, tactical, and operations responsibilities in supply chain
management?
Tactical planning is short range planning emphasizing the current operations of various
parts of the organization. ... Those mishaps, in conjunction to their potential
consequences are called “tactical risks”. Operational planning is the process of linking
strategic goals and objectives to tactical goals and objectives.

5. What is the bullwhip effect, and why does it occur? How can it be overcome?
The bullwhip effect is a distribution channel phenomenon in which forecasts yield supply
chain inefficiencies. It refers to increasing swings in inventory in response to shifts in
customer demand as one moves further up the supply chain.

6. Explain the increasing importance of the procurement function.

It is undisputed that the procurement function has evolved throughout the past decades
from a clerical, order-taking role to a strategic role. ... This evolved, modern
procurement function increases its organizations competitive advantage by utilizing
suppliers' external resources.

7. What is meant by the term inventory velocity and why is this important? What is
information velocity, and why is it important?
. Inventory velocity is the time period beginning with the receipt of raw materials and
ending with the sale of the resulting finished goods. Thus, it is the period over which a
business has ownership of inventory. ... A reduced amount of inventory therefore
equates to fewer holding costs
8. Explain strategic partnering.
A strategic partnership (also see strategic alliance) is a relationship between two
commercial enterprises, usually formalized by one or more business contracts. A
strategic partnership will usually fall short of a legal partnership entity, agency, or
corporate affiliate relationship.

9. What impact has e-business had on supply chain management?

Here are five advantages of having an ebusiness:
Removes location and availability restrictions. The internet reaches across the world
and spans all time zones. ...
Reduces time and money spent. ...
Expedites customer service. ...
Shows you how to improve. ...
Keeps your business relevant.

10. What are some of the advantages of e-business?

Access to broader information through research. Reducing the cost of doing business
by lowering transaction costs and increasing efficient methods for payment, such as
using online banking and reducing stationery and postage costs. The opportunities to
adopt new business models and develop tailored customer support.