MKT 301- power point

Saint Leo University

Supply Chain Management

Supply chain management is an assembled procedural process determined to create effective planning and control the flow of goods, information, and money between the consumer and the producer. The supply chain consists of all activities ranging from the sourcing and procurement of goods, the conversion into small acceptable quantities by the consumer, to all logistical procedures which involve activities such transportation to the final consumers (Christopher, 2017). The supply chain makes use of different suppliers, intermediaries, third party companies such as logistics companies to reach the final consumer. This assignment explores the supply chain in the supply of coffee or chocolate.

In supply chain management, there will be various factors necessary to be considered in order to ensure success. The producer needs to consider the supplier's knowledge about the market of his products. How much knowledge does the supplier has related to consumers' preferences? The producer should also consider the information available in terms of consumer wants and needs about a certain product. Another factor is the welfare of the entire industry dealing with the supply of the same good or good closely similar to that good. This information is important as it helps the supplier in identifying a proper supply method for a certain good in which less competition will be highly posed (Christopher, 2017). Some of the obstacles likely to be experienced in the supply chain management include increased costs in the prices of goods as the good passes through different intermediaries in the supply chain. Sometimes goods supplied through the supply chain takes very long before reaching the final consumer and hence some needs tastes might change or be lost in this period of time.

In selecting suppliers for the product it would be prudent to consider the cost associated with that supplier, the ability held by the supplier to reduce risk in the market and increase sales, how consistent the supplier is in the market and the capabilities to hold attract more customers into the market. The best kind of supplier would be the one with a very high ability to hold firm the market as well as at a low reduced cost. Political issues that might be involved in the supply of the good might involve tax issues and political temperatures that might determine the supply method. Other trade and social issues might include the interaction between the different suppliers and customers (Mentzer et al.,2001). Importation restrictions in this case shall form a big barrier in making sure that different goods flow smoothly in the supply chain. Import restrictions cause time lags and hence might lead to changes in consumer wants and preferences.

Upstream activities in a supply chain are activities involved between the early productions of a good to a point where goods can be in a presentable form to the consumer. Midstream activities involve activities involved in making sure that goods reach different consumers at their point of consumption. Downstream activities consist of procedures used to make sure that goods reach the customer.

References

CHRISTOPHER, M. I. (2017). Logistics & supply chain management.

Mentzer, J. T., DeWitt, W., Keebler, J. S., Min, S., Nix, N. W., Smith, C. D., & Zacharia, Z. G. (2001). Defining supply chain management. Journal of Business Logistics, 22(2), 1-25.