这是一个供应链管理代写的相关案例
Question 1
a) The paper ‘What is the right supply chain for your product?’ (Fisher, 1997) includes the following statement: ‘Before devising a supply chain, consider the nature of the demand for your products’. Explain what Fisher means by this, and how, according to his framework, understanding the nature of demand can then determine the design & management of the supply chain.
(50% of marks)
b) The Fisher model could be seen as one form of the ‘trade-off’ in operations and supply. Briefly outline the basic idea of the ‘trade-off’. Then, discuss whether and how the ‘fast fashion’ model of Zara could be seen as changing the established trade-offs in the fashion clothing industry.
(50% of marks)
Question 2
Many manufacturers are incorporating more service elements with their products. This is sometimes known as ‘servitization’.
a) Identify and explain the typical reasons for manufacturers to adopt servitization strategies.
(40% of marks)
b) A famous example of servitisation is the Rolls-Royce ‘Power-by-the-Hour’ model. In this kind of model, instead of selling engines to airlines (e.g. British Airways), the manufacturer retains ownership of the engines and charges their customers according to use – so many £ per kilometre flown. The manufacturer is responsible for maintaining the engines in working order, and paying for the maintenance work and spare parts. By collecting data from the engines about how well they are working during flights, they are able to anticipate or identify faults and carry out maintenance work in good time, as well as providing advice to airlines about how to operate the engines most efficiently.
This contrasts with the traditional Product-based Model. In this case, the manufacturer sells the engines to the airlines. This involves infrequent, large expenditures by the customers, i.e. each time they buy an engine, costing tens of millions of pounds, and then separate payments to the manufacturer for maintenance work and spare parts. The manufacturers typically make significant profit from the maintenance and spares. If the customer’s engines need a number of repairs in a short period, it can lead to sudden large expenditures for them.
Compare the two models in terms of:
• the behaviours they encourage in the engine manufacturer (through financial and other incentives);
• the advantages and disadvantages from the point of view of the customer (i.e. the airline);
• the possible implications for sustainability.
(60% of marks)
Question 3
a) Discuss advantages and disadvantages, for a City Council, in outsourcing street cleaning to a private-sector subcontractor.
(50% of marks)
b) If you were the purchasing manager for the City Council, how would the use of an output- or outcome-based service contract with the subcontractor to obtain good value for the Council and the citizens? What would be the possible risks to each organization of using such a contract?
(50% of marks)
Question 4
Mike Fitzwell has just taken a job as Supply Chain Director for Sainsco supermarkets. He hasn’t worked in the industry before, so he decides to walk around some Sainsco stores to help him understand the business. He hears comments from two customers:
Customer 1 – “They have run out of Tropico orange juice again. I don’t want anything fancy – no passion-fruit or rhubarb flavours – but I do expect to be able to buy consistent quality basic orange juice every time I come here. And I am not really too worried about paying a few pence extra. But, based on my experience today, I might as well go to Aldidl: I expect them to be a bit less reliable, but at least they are cheaper.”
Customer 2 – “This new range of exclusive international ready meals looks interesting. They’re quite expensive, but I don’t mind, I feel like treating myself, as it’s Bank Holiday weekend. The publicity information says that there are 20 different types, but at the moment they only have 12 of them here on sale. I was interested in the French cassoulet, but they don’t have that one in stock. Never mind, I’ll try the Indonesian rendang curry. I can try the cassoulet on another occasion.”
a) What can Mike learn from these comments about the differences between the relative importance of the five performance objectives for the supply chain for each of these products?
(40% of marks)
b) Based on your discussion in part (a), and using any other relevant frameworks such as the 4Vs, identify the implications of the factors affecting customer demand for the design and management of the supply chain for each.
Comment in particular on the implications for integration with the suppliers, the management of inventory, the use of information and the most important performance indicators to be used in managing the suppliers.
(60% of marks)
Question 5
Horizontal logistics involves collaboration between firms at the same stage of the supply chain, to share resources and processes for their logistics operations.
One example is the collaboration between Tata, who make Tetley Teabags, and Kelloggs, who make breakfast cereals. They have production facilities near to each other in Greater Manchester, and deliver to very similar sets of customer locations, usually the distribution centres of the big supermarket chains. The logistics firm Norbert Dentressangle operates a warehouse near the production sites, and then coordinates sharing of their truck capacity, by Tata and Kelloggs, for the onward journey to the supermarkets.
a) What logistics functions are being performed by the Dentressangle warehouse, and how do they add value?
(20% of marks)
b) What is the likely impact on cost for Tata and Kelloggs? Explain your answer.
(20% of marks)
c) Identify and explain any environmental benefits of this arrangement, and relate your answer to the concept of the ‘Triple Bottom Line’ in sustainable supply chain management.
(30% of marks)
d) The products involved have quite consistent and predictable demand levels, and have a relatively long shelf-life (compared to perishable food such as meat or vegetables). How do these factors each help to make horizontal logistics more feasible than for perishable products?
(30% of marks)
Question 6
According to one of the original definitions of supply chain management, by consultants Booz, Allen and Hamilton in 1982, inventories should be ‘a balancing mechanism of last resort’.
a) Explain what is meant by this statement, in the wider context of the principles of supply chain management.
(30% of marks)
b) Identify five possible roles of inventory and the ways in which each one might contribute to the effective operation of a supply chain, by acting as a balancing mechanism. Please illustrate your answer with reference to specific supply chain examples such as those discussed on the course.
(70% of marks)