The movement of materials and information within a Supply Chain
The Task Select and read one academic journal article about the movement of materials and
information within a Supply Chain. Then, select a company (manufacturing or service) and
consider its internal and external supply chain in terms of the movement of materials and
information. Regarding the internal supply chain, you must identify the main functions
(departments) working together inside the company to transform raw materials and
components into finished products. Then, you need to consider the movement of materials
and information between these functions (departments). In terms of external supply chain, you
must consider the movement of materials and information between the first tier suppliers, your
selected company, and its first tier customers.
To collect data, you can use primary data (interview with managers of your selected
company) and/or secondary data (i.e. company’s website, newspapers, articles, etc.)
Deliverables A written report between 1000-1200 words (excluding references and appendices).
Referencing All sources must be referenced using the Harvard style.
Assessment Criteria and Weighting
Criteria
a) Understanding of key findings from the selected academic journal article. (30%)
b) Considering the movement of materials and information within internal and (60%)
external supply chain of selected company.
c) Structure of report (10%)
Weighting 20% of the overall module mark.
Solution
Supply chain is unavoidable pillar for the successful operation of any organization,
company, or even a minute retail shop. Li, and Lin, (2006) talks about the use of exterior
reserves to accomplish some doings meant for domestic employees and reserves. The document
refers to this as outsourcing. However, it is important to note that the term outsourcing first came
into spheres in 1989, but this does not mean there was no aspect of outsourcing in the early
times. The aspect of outsourcing is valuable because there is no organization that is an island.
Cost reduction, great marketability, risks sharing, and sufficient use of the scarce resources are a
few of the benefits that any company gains when they carry out outsourcing practices.
However, it is good to know that there is poor and successful outsourcing. Every
organization aims at maximum profit and income generation and this relies completely on the
pillar of successful outsourcing because a poor one is a clear reflection of dismal performance as
well as creation of bad picture in the world economic sphere that results to reduction of the
potential customer base. This is due to production of substandard goods and services (Li, and
Lin, 2006). Having a strategic plan as a company, support from similar companies and
authorities, good employee relations, and, perfect contracts are a few of the factors that
determine whether an outsourcing will be successful or not. It is because the ability of a program
to succeed does not only depend on one body, but entire nations, hence need for partnership
operations.
Communication is a factor that the journal also gives a priority, since initiation of the
outsourcing process requires the passage of information from and to the bodies where the
companies want to deal with. Outsourcing process is not a single-phase activity as it involves
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four stages, which are curriculum commencement, service implementation, last agreement, and
curriculum closure respectively.
The commencement stage involves the coiling of the ideas and passing them down to the
concerned parties. The service stage is the second phase and it entails drafting down the criteria
while the third phase (last agreement) involves the amendment of the draft contract that the
parties have in possession. Curriculum or program closure is the last stage and here there is an
aspect of termination of the program because things are already running as per expectation and it
is a normal duty and therefore no need to insist on the past things and aspects. This should be a
formal process because if it is informal then the probability of things remaining stand still is so
high (Li, and Lin, 2006).
Flexibility of employees, quality service delivery to the customers, effective use of
available reserves, easy passing of information, and employment of top-notch performing
employees and applicability of the correct tactics are the advantages that come with the act of
outsourcing (Li, and Lin, 2006). These totals up to one thing still, which is generation of
maximum profit and income to all the parties involved through provision of perfect services to
their clients, which make them more marketable in their field in comparison to other companies
that do not outsource. Outsourcing, therefore, brings the energy of an organization into on and
makes various organizations to strengthen and focus their energy into the area of satisfying
customer needs beyond the expectation of several employees.
Every organization has variety of departments that work as a unit to ensure the aspect of
supply and demand of the goods is balanced within its management aspect (Monczka, et al,
2015). A good example of such organizations is the Apple Company that deals with the issues of
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technology and similar products. Human resource management, Accounts, marketing,
procurement, and standard verification are some of the departments that Apple has. For the
internal activities to be successful, there must be movement of information and materials within
these departments and not just movement but effective one.
The idea of the information starts from the marketing department of the Apple Company,
which carries out research and lets the quality assurance department know what type of
technology products the clients or customers on the ground wants. The information then passes
to the procurement department whose role is to look for the sources of the quality of materials
that can help in the production of the goods that the company wants (Monczka, et al, 2015). The
department then provides the accounts department with the quotation of the amount of cash that
the suppliers require. Depending with the available resources, the account department releases
adequate money for acquisition of the bet company that provides top-notch materials for the
production of the intended products.
The human resource department is the employing body of any organization and the Apple
Company is not an exception either. This department sets the job requirements depending on the
information that the quality assurance department releases to them. It receives the applications of
potential employees and set the date for interview. It then interviews the employees and tell the
one who are successful the reporting date. According to the set standards of the quality assurance
department, the human resource management department evaluates the performance of the
individuals and trains them effectively. In a case the employees violates the set rules and
regulation, the human resource management department is endowed with the duty of punishing
them and even sacking them if necessary.
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The product materials of Apple company starts moving from the employees who
manufacture them to the quality assurance department which tests and determines if they are fit
for human use or consumption. If they meet the set standards by the quality assurance
department, then the company passes them to the marketing department after the accounts
department set their prices and the products finally land in the hands of the consumers (Monczka,
et al, 2015). Therefore, each department has a role to play in this field and the overall success of
the Apple Company as well as any other kind of organizations.
Apple and any other similar company do not produce products for its own use, but targets
a customer base who are the main stakeholders of any company because without them the
company cannot advance. Information reaches the internal supply chain of Apple organization
through meetings of various departments, writings of internal memos, and even phone calls at
times. The external supply gets the information through advertisements and marketing through
the marketing department of Apple organization. Externally, the information can even reach the
supply can through customers who are loyal to apple company and thinks that a particular body
is the best to supply their materials or products to Apple because they can spur the production of
quality technological product as well as any other thing that customers dream of from Apple
Company.
The main suppliers of the Apple Company include other organizations like the Nokia and
technological firms. These companies receive information through emails and even
advertisement from the Apple Company (Monczka, et al, 2015). The first tier, suppliers and
customers mainly receive information from Apple company through advertisement and
marketing because these are the avenues that access any kind of hidden and open places whether
through televisions, internet or even surveys.
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Reference List
Li, S. and Lin, B., 2006. Accessing information sharing and information quality in supply chain
management. Decision support systems, 42(3), pp.1641-1656.
http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0167923606000327
Monczka, R., Handfield, R., Giunipero, L. and Patterson, J., 2015. Purchasing and supply chain
management. Cengage Learning.
https://books.google.com./books?hl=en&lr=&id=cAJoBwAAQBAJ&oi=fnd&pg=PR4&
dq=movement+of+materials+and+information+within+apple+company+Supply+Chain&
ots=R9mQi7qnDl&sig=bGynztxrFIJm_Zsdl8S6iW0XDq0&redir_esc=y#v=onepage&q=
movement%20of%20materials%20and%20information%20within%20apple%20compan
y%20Supply%20Chain&f=false
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