Organizational Global Supply Chain

Organizational Global Supply Chain

Theory of Constraints

Describe an example where the Theory of Constraints (TOC) was successfully applied to improve a process or where you saw the potential for TOC to improve the process in either a company you worked for or a company you were a customer at.

Theory of Constraints is defined as a technique for identifying the most critical limiting aspect that creates a barrier to achieving a goal and then systematically improving that constraint until it is no longer a barrier (Srinivasan, 2011). Many retailers introduced deals during the past festive season to attract customers and increase sales. While looking for a Christmas gift for my parents, I noticed an online retailer offering all products at a 30% discount. I checked the page, found something I liked, and placed my order. Unfortunately, the delivered product was not what I had ordered because the color was different from the product I had selected. I called the retailer and was informed that there was a mix-up and that whoever processed my order was unaware that what I was ordering was out of stock. The retailer, however, refunded my money and sent someone to collect the product. The retailer can use the Theory of Constraints to improve the order processing and fulfillment process to ensure that customers get the right product at the required time.

The Lean concept, why studying it is essential, and how it can applied to manufacturing and service processes

The lean concept is the concept of efficient operations or manufacturing that focuses on minimizing waste and preserving value without too much work to provide excellent customer value. The idea is important to study because it is currently being recommended to improve the supply chain by reducing waste, improving efficiency, and increasing productivity, thus enabling organizations to increase their revenue and income. Lean can be applied to manufacturing service processes by following the eight steps to a lean manufacturing approach, which includes eliminating waste by eliminating wasteful activities, reducing unnecessary inventory, speeding up response time, shortening production cycles, extending employee autonomy, ensuring that all product components are tested to ensure that they meet the desired quality, reaching out to suppliers and soliciting customer feedback.

Work center scheduling and why firms should focus on it

Work center scheduling is a scheduling approach whereby productive resources are organized, and the required work is completed within a specific time (Larco et al., 2017). Firms need to focus on this type of schedule because it helps ensure that work is completed by the due date, minimizes lead time, minimizes set-up time, maximizes the utilization of machines or labor, and minimizes work in process inventory.

Supply Chain Strategies

Choose two supply chain strategies aimed to improve organizational performance and enhance competitiveness. Explain each process, and give an example of an organization that has used each type of strategy. Was each strategy successful? Why or why not?

Every organization focuses on improving its strategic management process without incurring too many costs. Some of the most effective strategies being used to improve organizational performance and enhance competitiveness are integrating business processes with technology and using agile supply chain management. Integrating business processes with technology includes automating some corporate activities, such as customer service, to ensure that the customer maintains constant communication with customers and that customers receive a prompt response to their inquiries. Netflix is currently applying this strategy to enable the company to address the questions asked by customers in different parts of the world. The system has been successful because it has helped the company maintain a high level of customer loyalty, thus increasing income and revenue. Agile supply management is, on the other hand, defined as using competency, responsiveness, quickness, and flexibility to manage effective operations in the supply chain (Banerjee, 2020). This strategy is currently being used by Zara company. The system has been successful because it has enabled the company to expand to new markets globally and meet the demand for its products globally.

References

Banerjee, A. (2020). Agile supply chain management. Supply Chain and Logistics Management, 1722-1740. https://doi.org/10.4018/978-1-7998-0945-6.ch084

Larco, J. A., Fransoo, J. C., & Wiers, V. C. (2017). Scheduling the scheduling task: A time-management perspective on scheduling. Cognition, Technology & Work, 20(1), 1-10. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10111-017-0443-1

Srinivasan, M. (2011). Building lean supply chains with the theory of constraints. McGraw Hill Professional.

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This reflection activity is comprised of two sections, collectively totaling a minimum of 500 words. Complete your reflections by responding to all prompts.

Theory of Constraints

Describe an example where the Theory of Constraints (TOC) was successfully applied to improve a process or where you saw the potential for TOC to improve the process in either a company you worked for or a company you were a customer at.

What is the Lean concept, and why is it important to study? How can Lean be applied to manufacturing and service processes?
What is work center scheduling, and why is it essential for firms to focus on?

Supply Chain Strategies

Choose two supply chain strategies aimed to improve organizational performance and enhance competitiveness.

Explain each strategy, and give an example of an organization that has used each type of strategy. Was each strategy successful? Why or why not?