In this assignment, you will research a selected company and develop a case study analysis on forecasting and planning a supply chain.
Instructions
Consider that you work for a company that develops and sells case studies and case study analyses. Your company’s primary customers are colleges and universities that want to use them within their courses, but your company also has customers that use them for management training and development. Your manager asked you to conduct research and develop a case study analysis on the company’s supply chain strategy, including transportation. She is specifically interested in you doing the analysis on one of the companies from this list:
Amazon.
Apple.
L. L. Bean.
Starbucks.
Walmart.
Research and write about the company that you have selected from the above list.
You and your manager discussed the high-level outline of your analysis and agreed you should address the following items:
Describe the company’s business model (particularly related to their supply chain strategy).
Provide a diagram or visual to explicitly describe that same business model.
Compare and contrast the company’s supply chain strategy with another company’s strategy.
Use another company from the list to determine which supply chain areas the company excels at compared to your selected company.
Explain the transportation strategy of the company.
What modes of transportation is the company using to move products from factories to customers?
Analyze the global challenges the company faces in its supply chain.
What are the company’s main supply chain risks and how can the company reduce these risks?
Analyze the economic and political factors that can impact the company’s transportation network.
How might these factors relate to future improvements?
Analyze the role demand forecasting plays in the company’s supply chain strategy.
Include in your analysis the challenge of forecasting in times of uncertainty.
Explain how pricing promotions are used to change demand.
Use some examples that indicate how the company has used pricing promotions to increase demand.
Submission Requirements
Your assignment should also meet the following requirements:
Format: Based on the intended audience, your report should be well organized and written in clear, succinct language.
Length: 5–6 double-spaced pages.
Font and font size: Times New Roman, 12 point.
APA format: Use current APA style and formatting for in-text citations and references.
References: 3–4 sources are required. As the basis for your research, you can use any of the resources noted in this course, in the Capella library, and on the Internet.
Include at least one reference from The Wall Street Journal.
Note: Use of additional resources will assist in achieving distinguished level ratings.
Before submission, refer to the scoring guide for insight into the grading criteria for this assignment.
Competencies Measured
By successfully completing this assignment, you will demonstrate your proficiency in the following course competencies and scoring guide criteria:
Competency 1: Examine how a supply chain supports an organizational strategy.
Describe the company’s business model.
Compare and contrast the company’s supply chain strategy with another company’s strategy.
Explain the transportation strategy of the company.
Competency 2: Assess how to improve supply chain efficiencies.
Analyze the global challenges the company faces in its supply chain.
Analyze the economic and political factors that can impact the company’s transportation network.
Analyze the role demand forecasting plays in the company’s supply chain strategy.
Competency 3: Analyze supply chain systems to meet customer demands.
Explain how pricing promotions are used to change demand.
Competency 4: Communicate in a professional manner that is consistent with the expectations for supply chain managers and participants.
Convey purpose in an appropriate tone and style, incorporating supporting evidence and adhering to organizational, professional, and scholarly writing standards.
