Supply

QSO 630 Milestone Three Guidelines and Rubric Overview: As a supply manager committed to the efficiency of the supply chain operation, it is critical to be aware of strategies for improving productivity and quality. This course has prepared you to improve an organization’s supply chain. The final project for this course is the creation of a supply chain management plan. The final product allows you the opportunity to connect theory with reality through research on an industry and company supply chain. The project is divided into three milestones, which will be submitted at various points throughout the course to scaffold learning and ensure quality final submissions. Prompt: For your third milestone, you will analyze plans for inventory management and the impact of the manufacturer’s production strategy, identify and analyze your centralized and decentralized distribution strategies, analyze the impact of production strategy and contracts, complete an analysis of performance measurements on your industry’s supply chain, and discuss how the supply chain creates a competitive edge. This milestone is due in Module Seven. Specifically, the following critical elements must be addressed:

I. Inventory Management: a) Product Selling Season: Determine whether seasonal or generic products or both are sold. Determine if the selling is seasonal, steady, or hybrid. b) Retail Inventory Strategy: Using the information you received from your interview with the industry retail store manager, determine what

inventory policy strategies the store has adopted for order quantity, safety stock, and reorder level. c) Impact of Manufacturer’s Production Strategy: What impact does the nature of selling have on the supply chain? Consider domestic and foreign

supply base, safety stock levels, reorder points, and demand variability. Identify the production strategy for the company (continuous/mass production, batch production, or project-based).

II. Distribution Management:

a) Centralized Distribution Strategy: Describe your centralized distribution strategy. Explain why the strategy was selected and identify potential risks based on your distribution strategy.

b) Decentralized Distribution Strategy: Explain why the strategy was selected and identify potential risks based on your distribution strategy.

III. Product Supply Contracts: a) Production Strategy and Contracts: Complete an analysis of the impact of the production strategy on the supply chain. Identify the appropriate

production strategy and contracts for the supply chain, such as daily deliveries, weekly deliveries, and monthly deliveries of supplies. Consider stable ordering versus high variability. Be aware that multiple strategies may be employed. If more than one strategy is used, be sure to discuss when the contract approach is used and why.

IV. Performance Measurements: Complete an analysis on how the industry supply chain performance is measured. Explain the performance measures used to measure performance for each of the following parts of the supply chain.

a) Manufacturing: Identify the performance measure and explain how they attempt to perform better than their competitors. Be sure to address addresses quality, cycle time, and takt time.

b) Distributors: Identify the performance measure and explain how they attempt to perform better than their competitors.

c) Retailers: Identify the performance measure and explain how they attempt to perform better than their competitors. d) Third-Party Logistics Company: Identify the performance measure and explain how they attempt to perform better than their competitors. Be

sure to addresses cost, efficiency, and wavelength. e) Supply Chain Competitive Edge: Discuss how the supply chain creates a competitive edge. Be sure to consider low cost, service levels, wide

distribution network, and quality level in your response.

Rubric

Guidelines for Submission: Your paper must be submitted as a 4- to 5-page Microsoft Word document with double spacing, 12-point Times New Roman font, one-inch margins, and at least three sources cited in APA format.

Critical Elements Exemplary (100%) Proficient (90%) Needs Improvement (70%) Not Evident (0%) Value

Inventory Management: Product

Selling Season

Meets “Proficient” criteria and demonstrates keen insight regarding important specifics of the product selling season

Provides a description of the product selling season

Provides a description of the product selling season, but determination is inappropriate or cursory

Does not provide a description of the product selling season

8.5

Inventory Management: Retail Inventory Strategy

Meets “Proficient” criteria and demonstrates keen insight regarding important specifics of inventory policy strategies

Provides a description of what inventory policy strategies the store has adopted for order quantity, safety stock, and reorder level

Provides a description of what inventory policy strategies the store has adopted, but determination is inappropriate or cursory

Does not provide a description of what inventory policy strategies the store has adopted

8.5

Inventory Management: Impact of

Manufacturer’s Production Strategy

Meets “Proficient” criteria and demonstrates keen insight regarding important specifics of the production strategy

Identifies the production strategy for the company and the impact of the nature of selling on the supply chain

Identifies the production strategy for the company, but does not discuss the impact of the nature of the selling on the supply chain

Does not identify the production strategy for the company and the impact of the nature of selling on the supply chain

8.5

Distribution Management:

Centralized Distribution Strategy

Meets “Proficient” criteria and demonstrates keen insight regarding important specifics of a centralized distribution strategy

Provides a description of a centralized distribution strategy

Provides a description of a centralized distribution strategy, but determination is inappropriate or cursory

Does not provide a description of a centralized distribution strategy

8.5

Distribution Management: Decentralized

Distribution Strategy

Meets “Proficient” criteria and demonstrates keen insight regarding important specifics of a decentralized distribution strategy

Provides a description of why the decentralized distribution strategy was selected and identifies potential risks

Provides a description of a decentralized distribution strategy and identifies risks, but details are inappropriate or cursory

Does not provide a description of why the decentralized distribution strategy was selected or identify potential risks

8.5

Critical Elements Exemplary (100%) Proficient (90%) Needs Improvement (70%) Not Evident (0%) Value

Product Supply Contracts: Product

Strategy and Contracts

Meets “Proficient” criteria and demonstrates keen insight regarding important specifics of a production strategy and supply contracts

Provides an analysis in the impact of the production strategy on the supply chain and discusses the appropriate production strategy and contracts for the supply chain

Provides a description of a production strategy and supply contracts, but determination is inappropriate or cursory

Does not provide an analysis in the impact of the production strategy on the supply chain

8.5

Performance Measurements: Manufacturing

Meets “Proficient” criteria and demonstrates keen insight regarding important specifics of measuring manufacturing performance

Provides a description of measuring manufacturing performance that addresses quality, cycle time, and takt time

Provides a description of measuring manufacturing performance, but determination is inappropriate or cursory

Does not provide a description of measuring manufacturing performance that addresses quality, cycle time, and takt time

8.5

Performance Measurements:

Distributors

Meets “Proficient” criteria and demonstrates keen insight regarding important specifics of measuring distribution performance

Identifies the performance measure for distributors and explains how they attempt to perform better than their competitors

Identifies the performance measure for distributors, but determination is inappropriate or cursory

Does not identify the performance measure for distributors

8.5

Performance Measurements:

Retailers

Meets “Proficient” criteria and demonstrates keen insight regarding important specifics of measuring retail sales performance

Identifies the performance measure for retailers and explains how they attempt to perform better than their competitors

Identifies the performance measure for retailers, but determination is inappropriate or cursory

Does not identify the performance measure for retailers

8.5

Performance Measurements: Third-

Party Logistics Company

Meets “Proficient” criteria and demonstrates keen insight regarding important specifics of measuring third- party logistics providers

Identifies the performance measure for third-party logistics and explains how they attempt to perform better than their competitors addressing cost, efficiency, and wavelength

Identifies the performance measure for third-party logistics, but determination is inappropriate or cursory

Does not identify the performance measure for third-party logistics

8.5

Performance Measurements: Supply Chain Competitive Edge

Meets “Proficient” criteria and demonstrates keen insight regarding important specifics of how the chosen company’s supply chain is a competitive edge

Provides a description of how the chosen company’s supply chain is a competitive edge

Provides a description of how the chosen company’s supply chain creates a competitive edge, but determination is inappropriate or cursory

Does not provide a description of how the chosen company’s supply chain is a competitive edge

8.5

Critical Elements Exemplary (100%) Proficient (90%) Needs Improvement (70%) Not Evident (0%) Value

Articulation of Response

Submission is free of errors related to citations, grammar, spelling, syntax, and organization and is presented in a professional and easy-to-read format

Submission has no major errors related to citations, grammar, spelling, syntax, or organization

Submission has major errors related to citations, grammar, spelling, syntax, or organization that negatively impact readability and articulation of main ideas

Submission has critical errors related to citations, grammar, spelling, syntax, or organization that prevent understanding of ideas

6.5

Total 100%