Prompt 4:Considering Delivery and Style

Looking for credible information online can be challenging with the mass amounts of information posted online every day. When researching supply chain two credible sources are blogs and scholarly essays written by established professionals in the field.

Blogs are a great way to access specific and current information about supply chain. When written by professionals, blogs can be an easy way to quickly access information about burning topics in the field. On the blog Supply Chain Matters written by Bob Ferrari, a large variety of real world stories are written regarding the supply chain happenings of recognizable companies often in an informal yet informative tone. Blogs often there are a large variety of topics covered that give the specifics on the happenings in the industry globally, and locally. Disadvantages of blogs is that they often can lack credibility if they are not written by a trusted source and can often by biased by the opinions of the author(s).

Scholarly articles can provide in depth information about topics. As they are normally focused in on on specific topic, they provide deeper insight into topics, but with a much more scholarly tone. To publish a scholarly article, a large amount of research needs to be made, and most of the time it is done by the person writing it, making it very credible. Disadvantages of a scholarly article is that they are often a lot of information, making specific info difficult to locate.

Both blogs and scholarly articles can be trustworthy resources for information regarding supply chain management with credible professional authors in the field.

-Kenzie Miller

The Top Supply Chain Companies

Supply chain is a fantastic field to go into when seeking a job out of college. From the small to the big companies, supply chain workers are in need. Every company needs to be able to move their products in a fast and efficient way. It is likely that the first job out of college will not be for one of the larger companies, but through hard work, you will be able to make it to the big leagues. Having a very effective supply chain will allow all of your products and raw materials to arrive on time to the designated location, which will keep the costumers happy. The larger companies can see this efficient work and may want you on their side.

Well known companies such as: Nike, McDonald's, BMW, and Coca-Cola have been ranked in the top 25 best supply chains. They have gotten this honor through strong inventory management, being flexible with order requests, and speed of order fulfillment.

Nike was ranked eighth out of the 25 top supply chain companies. They have spread to have 700 factories that span across 42 countries. They have focused on the productivity of their labor and have been reducing waste. Here is a basic look at the flow of Nike's supply chain.

https://paginas.fe.up.pt/~als/mis10e/ch9/chpt9-2bullettext.htm

McDonald's had a very efficient year and made their way to second on the standings. They have found a system of supply chain that has been working for years. This results in McDonald's having 35,000 restaurants in over 100 countries. They are able to serve about 68 million customers per day.

BMW found themselves at the 22 spot on the list. Over the years they have ensured that they have a mutual understanding of their products with their suppliers to ensure product quality. They also pride themselves on their competitive prices and innovation.

Coca-Cola is one of the largest beverage companies, who are ranked 14 on the list. They want to serve their costumers with efficiency, so 95 percent of the beverages they make are made in the country in which they plan to sell them. This allows them to lower their productions time. Coca-Cola also prides themselves on their relationship with their retailer.

Knowing about the big companies can help when you are setting goals for yourself. Once you get a smaller job out of college you can begin tracking on how the big companies are doing recently. Then, you can send out applications to the companies that have been doing well in order to fulfill your goals.

You can find my source here if you would like to see the rest of the best supply chain companies across the world.

-Jarrod Lincoln

Prompt 5: Supply Chain Management Association

This past Tuesday I attended a general membership meeting of the Supply Chain Management Association we have at Michigan State University. Before I went I explored the club's website to get an idea of what the club is about. Just by looking at the website I could tell that the members have a professional mindset and are ambitious to accomplish their goals. I took a look at the schedule the association posted and the first thing I noticed were all of the opportunities this group provides to give a person experience and to get involved in the business world. The members of this organization are serious about their future and are willing to take the steps they need to achieve their goals.

During the two hour meeting, the board members introduced themselves quickly and mentioned any announcements they had to share. After their brief introduction, four major companies presented including: Boeing, Intel, Target, and 3M. The companies provided details about internships and career opportunities they offer. After the meeting concluded members got the chance to talk with the companies and even turn in their resumes. Outside of the lecture hall were even more companies the association had arranged to have them critique resumes. This club offers individuals many resources to allow the to succeed. Supply Chain Management Association matches it's professional style with a close and friendly group of people who are all encouraging of each other.

Their main form of communication is through email. The board members summarize what the meeting will consist of and they include any announcements that they have for the members. A second form of communication is on the website where they project
up coming events. Supply Chain Management Association is a professional setting that encourages you to succeed.

-Lauren Jankowski

SCMA-logo.png

Real life examples of Supply Chain Management

For anyone who has ordered anything on Amazon, you have been a costumer to one of the leaders and innovators of supply chain management. When you order a package included in their Prime service, or two day delivery offer, a warehouse is notified, and puts your packages together within hours, and sends it off for delivery. 

This supply chain is commonly used by all online companies, but what sets Amazon apart is how they are able to to do it so quickly and at such a low cost. Thanks to the supply chain management, the company is light years away from most companies, in metrics and communication, delivery speed.

Methods that Amazon has used to obtain success include, cutting down their use of human labor as well as partnering with other companies to ensure the lowest price and the most consistent product. In many of their factories they have cut down on human labor using machines to package, as well as in some countries delivering using drones. Amazon has taken great success from utilizing their supply chain managers and increasing the speed of purchase to delivery with flawless coordination in-between.

Next time you order something on Amazon with two day delivery, you have a supply chain manager to thank for getting you your package on time!

-Kenzie Miller

aneesh p Follow. “Case Study on Amazon.com's Supply Chain
Management Practices | MBAtio...” LinkedIn SlideShare, 28 Feb. 2014, www.slideshare.net/aneeshp1/case-study-on-am

Burnson, Forrest. “6 Ways Amazon Is Changing Supply Chain Management.” Software Advice, Software

Advice, 13 July 2016, www.softwareadvice.com/resources/amazon-supply-chain-management/.

Different Careers in Supply Chain

When one thinks of Supply Chain Management, the easy association to make is that everyone with this degree is a Supply Chain Manager. Makes sense, right? Wrong. While there are certainly a lot of Supply Chain Managers in this field, there is actually a variety of positions available to graduates with a Supply Chain degree. The following list is just a few, you can find more here.

Supply Chain Manager: $104,850
A Supply Chain Manager handles the logistics of a product. From the factory where it's produced, to the retail location where it's sold to a consumer. They oversee the whole 'supply chain' and make sure that it is running efficiently.

Purchasing agent: $62,220
A Purchasing Agent handles a lot of the business prior to the manufacturing of whatever product their respective company is trying to sell. They create purchase orders, purchase equipment, contact suppliers, and take care of almost anything necessary to manufacture a product.

Logistics Analyst: $74,260

A Logistics Analyst has several different tasks. They maintain databases that are full of information about efficiency and distribution tasks, they review performance data in order to ensure maximum efficiency, and they also just look at the supply chain as a whole to see what can be improved.

-Devon Andeson

Prompt 1: Common Preconceptions

Supply Chain Management is not widely known by most people. This may result in a handful of preconceptions of what supply chain is or how supply chain workers present themselves. Before truly looking into what supply chain is my preconceptions were as follows. The workers most likely are outgoing and have good social skills. I think this because they need to be able to communicate to keep the flow of goods steady and frequent. They should also be comfortable with people of many backgrounds because they have sales with all nations. Workers in supply chain probably have to be good on computers; they need to be able to make spread sheets or create charts to keep track of sales. Change is all around us, especially in sales, so workers must be able to adapt to change.

After doing some research, most of my preconceptions I was not sure about turned out to be correct. When big companies have many suppliers, communication is key to avoid any slow down of the product getting to the consumer. Good social skills come in handy in Costumer Relationship Management, it is cheaper to have a long-lasting relationship with a customer, rather than trying to constantly pick up new costumers. Because supply chain has gone global, it has opened new markets and ways to retain supplies. This goes along with my idea that the workers must be able to relate to people of all backgrounds. Not all workers in supply chain need to be good with computers, though. There are many job titles in supply chain, so there are options that do not require computer skills. Lastly, a costumers demand is always changing, people in supply chain have to forecast these changes in order to adjust their sales to keep costumers. The source of my research can be found here.

I found that I had a good grasp on the basics of supply chain. After doing the research, though, I feel more well-rounded in what I know. The second edition of Principles of Supply Chain Management was easy to follow along with and very helpful (link posted above).  It is a great source to any type of questions about supply chain.

-Jarrod Lincoln

The Skills Needed for Supply Chain Management

Supply chain management isn't easy and it requires a set of skills to be successful. There are many more skills that are useful, but the skills I discuss will help one succeed and be a leader in supply chain.

The first necessary skill is to have information technology and automation knowledge. This skill uses technology as a tool to acquire the data one is looking for. It is important to know how to use certain softwares as their use in the business world is expanding.

A second skill that is vital is to have a grasp of economics and market behavior. It is imperative to understand how the market functions and to be able to predict its future demeanor. The market connects companies to their cost of producing and cost of goods sold. Obtaining this skill allows a supply chain management leader to run the company cost efficiently.

Understanding cost-to-serve is another useful skill. Being able to determine when a service is impairing the company's profit is something not many have. Acquiring this skill will put you ahead of others and can help you make direct and positive impacts to the company.

The skill of flexibility is important to being a supply chain leader. Data is constantly changing and being able to change your course of action is vital to succeed. It's crucial to embrace change as it comes and to not resist it.

A fifth skill is project management skills. Under this skill is it essential to have organizational skills, negotiation skills, and knowledge of risk management. It's critical to comprehend risk associated with the approval of a project. Communication and negotiation skills allow you to effectively discuss projects and data with members of your team to ensure efficiency among the company.

The last skill I will be discussing is the ability to get the best from people. Encouraging others to thrive in the field is what makes a team successful. One must remember that if the team works together and succeeds, everyone succeeds. Communication, collaboration, and change are the three C's of supply chain leadership to keep in mind when part of a team. A leader also must be able to asses their own weaknesses and build on those to be the best leader on can be.

Knowing the skills that are needed for supply chain is important to be successful in this career. These skills are useful to know because it gives an idea of what it takes to work in supply chain management.

Works Cited:
O’Byrne, Rob. “6 Key Supply Chain Leaders' Skills and Why You Need Them | Supply Chain and Logistics Blog.” , 1 Dec. 2016, www.logisticsbureau.com/6-key-supply-chain-leaders-skills-and-why-you-need-them/.

-Lauren Jankowski