Walmart Case Study

Study Question #4. Compare and contrast the customer service, customer satisfaction, and customer success philosophies of supply chain management.

Each alternative must be clearly identified. The key advantages and disadvantages of each alternative must be listed and thoroughly discussed. The compare and contrast (pro and con) assessments of each alternative must be done against the decision criteria previously listed and discussed. A matrix format may be used in order to more accurately compare each of the alternatives. If multiple decision criteria are being used, weighting of each of the criteria must be applied. It is also important to look at the short and long term results of each alternative, and to assess the best, the worst, and the most likely outcomes for each alternative. Qualitative and quantitative analysis will be required. It will also be necessary for the student to use the various supply chain management tools and techniques learned throughout the certificate program to determine those possible outcomes.

: As a procurement officer what lessons can be learnt from this case study and what actions would you put in place?

The topic selected is (Strategic Procurement & Supply Chain Management). For this study, we have selected Toyota Motor Corporations as our company of choice. Toyota is without doubt the best in the world, with its many philosophies and principles on how to make the best out of the least; JIT, lean production and elimination of waste and the desire for continuous improvement are just a few ways how Toyota has become the best in the auto industry. Toyota as a name, a company, and as a brand has become synonymous with Quality.

1. Study the networked supply chain concept as implemented by Cisco. What are its strengths and weaknesses?

4.Given the 4 areas of the company, choose some supply chain processes and suggest appropriate performance metrics.

ReferencesJoansson,J2008,http://bsminfo.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=625&Itemid=147, accessed 15/05/2009Li, Y, Yu, J & Xu, L 2006, 3PLs in supply chain management, http://www.globrand.com/2006/18441.shtml, accessed 12/05/2009Rudnick, M 2008, Best Buy, Super-Regional See Major Gains in White Good, http://www.allbusiness.com/company-activities-management/sales-selling-sales/9341175-1.html, accessed 14/05/2009Weng, D 2006, 3PLs-The Breakthrough of Supply Chain Innovation, http://ww

Companies around the world are focussing on incorporating sustainability policy and practices in their supply chain (Ageron et al, 2011). The topic of sustainability has been of great interest for the last decade and businesses have adopted a certain level of commitment towards sustainability practices (Hassini et al, 2012), yet some business tycoons suffer in developing an effective supply chain model.

Sustainability has become a great topic of interest in many arenas. Particularly, leading organizations are recognizing sustainability needs to be an essential aspect of their long term strategies. With this recognition, better business practices are being sought by investors as well as sustainability is becoming a driving force for better efficiencies and innovation. Two organizations, Wal-Mart and Starbucks, have both took on sustainability as long term initiatives to address their customer needs and affect how their suppliers operate.

Efforts to improve do not cease at an organization's internal functions, but should span over the supply chain as well.

1. What aspects of Boeing's supplier relations program specifically address reduce inventories; maintain quality, regulatory compliance, and competiveness?

Read the case study below “Harvey Industries”. Provide reasoning for the current financial distress of the company and make recommendations for improvements to the new company president. Include at least one specific recommendation for both Supply Chain Management (chapter 15) and Inventory Management (chapter 13), as well as any other recommendations you deem necessary from your reading. Provide your recommendations in a 2-4 page APA style paper.

Recent years have brought several changes in business practices, technologies, increase of demands, and environmental trends. For businesses these changes represent vast challenges especially for supply chain and purchasing managers, demanding special attention to key issues related to contract management practices, lean supply chains, ethics and laws, purchasing of services, performance measurement and new trends in the field. Below is a summary identifying six purchasing and supply chain management key issues, supply chain and purchasing managers are required to identify future and actual key issues within these elements and how to manage it effectively in order to stay competitive and maintain the good performance of the company.

Walmart has excellent experience in their board composition. Board members should have industry and consumer knowledge, financial and technological expertise, and CEO experience (Nadler et al. 30). Walmart’s board members have extensive experience in accounting, investing, technology, strategy, law, and international business. Many members are former CEOs who have experience in major corporations including Yahoo!, Instagram, and KPMG. Every member is also a board member of another company. This allows them to draw on experience from different situations that they have faced ("Corporate Governance").

Walmart’s supply chain management has proved to be very effective, which has led the company to success. This case study analyzes the company’s strengths and weaknesses, and factors in what threats they face, as well as what opportunities that they can exploit.