Prompt 10; Misrepresentation in Supply Chain

Apple has been praised over the past 10 years for its exceptional Supply Chain. They have been industry leaders in cutting shipping costs and increasing the amount of product that they ship. Many companies have adopted the Apple model and put the system to work within their own organizations. Year after year, Apple releases new products. Year after year, Apple ships these products out with efficiency that even Amazon is jealous of.

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Recently, Apple has been taking heat for its Supply Chain issues with the launch of their tenth anniversary edition iPhone.

You can read about it here.

Because Apple tried to incorporate a new body and innovative technology into this new phone, they haven't been able to ship the product as quickly as everyone expected. This problem with production clearly is not a Supply Chain issue within Apple. This is a production issue.

Supply Chains are mostly focused around the shipment and distribution of products from the point of manufacturing to the point of sale. The actual development and manufacturing of the product does not fall on the shoulders of the Supply Chain field. The above article is completely misrepresenting where Apple's issues can be found.

Don't believe the hype boys and girls. Apple still has one of the top Supply Chains that the world has ever seen, and they are constantly making strides to improve it.

-Devon Anderson

Supply Chain Solves Problems

Not only does supply chain help a company achieve efficiency, it also helps the company plan for the future. The article "Big data untangles supply chain complexity" simplifies a complex system to make it easier to understand how supply chain can fix a problem. The article discusses how Starbucks used analytics to solve an issue.

When news broke that Starbucks used red dye made from crushed beetles to give their strawberry drinks the pink color, customers were disgusted. The company was quick to analyze where in the supply chain they needed to fix their problem. They went to the supplier and got rid of the beetles immediately. The use of analytics allowed the company to focus on their problem area and recover quickly without any further damage to the company's reputation.

It's crucial to be able to quickly identify where in the supply chain something had gone wrong. This career field is responsible for a company's successful present and future.

-Lauren Jankowski

Works Cited:

Chavez, Jon. “Big Data Untangles Supply Chain Complexity.” The Blade, 27 Oct. 2017, www.toledoblade.com/business/2017/10/27/Big-data-can-ease-supply-chain.html.

https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/india-needs-problem-solvers-just-graduates-mohammed-sameeruddin-khan/

Seasons Affecting Companies Supply Chains

There are many factors that contribute to a companies supply chain. They have to prepare for each holiday season to make sure everything runs smoothly. Every season comes with different challenges because of various discounts on products. If your companies supply chain is not able to produce enough products and ship them out to the eager customers, then they will lose their clients. I found an article that expresses the affects the holidays have on a companies supply chain.

It all starts with predicting what the consumers will demand to have. Every season has new products that everyone "has to have". They do not want to over or underproduce a certain product. Predicting the customer demand will help the supply chain to move efficiently through the hectic holiday season. Without the right predictions, though, the supply chain will lose customers and the overall company will be affected.

With holidays approaching, every supply chain needs to keep communication as their first priority. Black Friday and Christmas will leave a handful of companies as busy as ever. If suppliers and manufacturers do not communicate then shipments can be missed and customers are left unhappy. Staying organized and having strong communication will keep the movement of products running smoothly.

Sadly, snow is approaching right around the corner. This can affect a companies supply chain in a harsh way. If a severe snow storm is approaching, then distribution of products will be brought to a halt. There is no way to predict when a large storm is suddenly going to hit, so the companies are left running around trying to find the best way to get their products to the consumer as fast and safely as possible.

In this day and age, it is very easy to get frustrated when your product does not show up on time during the holiday season. We need to keep in mind that every companies supply chain is most likely working their hardest, but there can be a handful of factors contributing to getting your order out. The best thing to do is just sit back and relax, and just know that you will eventually get the product you ordered.

-Jarrod Lincoln

4 Qualities of a Successful Business-Person in 2017

Business is one of the most rapidly growing industries across the globe. As the markets increase, competition for jobs has also rapidly increased. To be successful in this industry there are several qualities that can give any business person a competitive edge.

One very crucial quality of a successful business person in this day and time is someone who is someone who is willing to step outside of the norm and take risks to set themselves apart. Business is the most popular degree for U.S. college graduates with nearly 400,000 students graduating with a degree in some sort of business each year ("The NCES fast facts"). The obtain a status of reigning success in the industry, creativity is crucial to differentiation. Trail and error is often involved in the journey to prosperous business endeavors. Steve Jobs is one of the most well known names in business. He is praised for his accomplishments with Apple Inc, but few know of the trail and error involved in his success. His company NeXT was a complete failure labeled as “the doom of his career,” later became the basis for much of the technology that are today’s widely loved Apple devices (Linn).

In looking for success, it is most often found among people who are passionate about what they do. It is extremely important to pursue jobs at companies that interest you, or motivate you to want to succeed. It is really hard to want to do well in a position that you hate. It shows when people like what they do, because they are willing to put in the extra work that is necessary to get ahead. Drive is is the most defining ingredient in the recipe for achievement.

Another important skill of a successful business-person in 2017 is the ability to set goals for themselves, and being willing to learn and grow throughout their career. Striving for new information and new techniques is a quality essential for being the best in your field. Business is a constantly evolving industry. Learning, and being willing to learn is crucial to success.

Business is often considered a social sport. Someone’s ability to affectively converse with a colleague and manage diverse environments is critical to their success. For most jobs in business, you come in contact with lots of different people with different opinions. Being able to get past, or understand people’s differences is crucial to affective communication. Relationships are important to help open the doors to opportunities for advancement in this career path.

With competition for business markets becoming increasingly more demanding, employers, and investors are looking for differentiation among individuals in the workforce. For those with future careers in business, it important to develop and polish these qualities for the most promising job pathways.

-Kenzie Miller

Work Cited:

Linn, Allison. “What Steve Jobs Taught Us: It’s OK to Fail.” NBCNews.com, NBCUniversal News Group, 6 Oct. 2011, www.nbcnews.com/id/44278117/ns/business-us_business/t/what-steve-jobs-taught-us-its-ok-fail/#.WfYgBUyZMdU.

Staff Writer. “5 Essential Skills for a Successful Business Career.” Image, Independence University, www.independence.edu/blog/5-essential-skills-for-a-successful-business-career.

“The NCES Fast Facts Tool Provides Quick Answers to Many Education Questions (National Center for Education Statistics).” National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) Home Page, a Part of the U.S. Department of Education, nces.ed.gov/fastfacts/display.asp? id=37

Vozza, Stephanie. “Eight Career Skills You Need To Be Competitive In 2016.” Fast Company, Fast Company, 13 Jan. 2016, www.fastcompany.com/3055352/eight-career-skills-you- need-to-be-competitive-in-2016.

History of Supply Chain Management

The Supply Chain industry has been around for quite some time. As a result, it has changed several times. Taking a step back and looking at the history of Supply Chain is a good idea because viewing the past can give us insight to the present and future of our industry.

Lets start back about 100 years ago. Our nations economy, along with the global economy looked very different from what we see today. Back then Supply Chain focused on stream-lining very labor intensive activities. There was also a large push to optimize things like, storage, packaging and shelf space. Supply Chain was not necessary the global logistics field that we see today.

http://www.trainsofturkey.com/pmwiki.php/Steam/56701

About 50 years ago, there was a major shift in how companies transported goods. Companies moved away from railways, and toward shipping in large trucks. This was significant because it was a whole new way to ship things with more efficiency. This resulted in more handling costs, and more warehouse space being purchased by large companies. Now that so much more product was being moved to market, it was getting increasingly difficult to keep inventory and and transactions records. This is when Supply Chain truly started to grow.

The 1980's marked the start of the modern Supply Chain era that we currently see today. Global economies became increasingly dependent on one another, and new technology allowed for product to be shipped across the world at rates that were never before seen. This is when Supply Chains became truly complex. This is when the need for Supply Chain Managers was felt across the world.

The future is very bright for Supply Chain Management. This is a high demand field that offers very rewarding work. Companies are always looking to streamline, cut costs, and increase profit. The Supply Chain Manager has a large role to play in the future.

-Devon Anderson

Prompt 8: Practicing your knowledge.

I had the opportunity to travel overseas to China as a business intern for a company out of Detroit Michigan. Through this experience I learned a lot about how the supply chain works internationally.

The company that I interned with was a heater company out of Detroit, that distributes their product to suppliers overseas. We visited a lot of the warehouses that the product was brought to and met with the suppliers from China. It is interesting to see all the places product has to go to before it is brought to its final location.

Also, I learned a lot about the different aspects of the business that need to tie together for a successful product to come out the way that it is intended. We had to meet with the cities leader of the gas line to be able to work out the lowest price for the heater units to use and make them a competitive product to be sold in the area.

This was one of many different things that we had do to help increase the price efficiency of the product and make it more competitive for the market of China.

Although this experience was not fully related to supply chain, I was able to travel and visit a lot of different parts aspects of this companies supply chain and understand the how it all comes together to deliver the final product.

My job shadow opportunity sparked my interest in Supply Chain and I hope that in the future I will be able to do a supply chain specific internship.

-Kenzie Miller

http://tedorcg.com/SupplyChain

Six Things To Know When Going Into Supply Chain

After doing this blog for a few weeks I have come to know the ins and outs of supply chain management. It has been a big help becoming more comfortable with the basics, but there is always more to learn. I recently read an article about the six main things people should know when looking for a career in supply chain management, and I thought it was worth sharing.

The first thing that you should know is the essentials of the job you are thinking about pursuing. There could be companies that are looking for a supply chain manager, but the day-to-day job description could be completely different. Even though it is the same job title, every company has their way of functioning their supply chain. So know the essentials of a certain job will help you know if it is right for you.

Secondly, supply chain relies heavily on data. If you are the type of person who can look at charts or numbers and find a solution, supply chain is for you! Workers must look at past numbers to see what was working and was not working. The main goal is to efficiently get the product to the consumer in a timely manner. They can take their most efficient months and build on whatever was working to provide the best service for their customers.

Another thing to know about supply chain is that it is very competitive. In order to be successful, you have to come to work everyday passionate and driven in order to make sure the job is done. If an order is backed up and late to a certain customer, then you might lose them. To work in supply chain, you must be a person that is known for getting things done on time.

One thing that should be known about supply chain is that it is not boring. Our world is constantly changing and so are consumers, which makes days as a supply chain worker very unexpected. Odds are, you will not show up to work doing the same exact thing you did the past few days. Supply chain is constantly looking for new ways to move products and gain the trust of large customers.

In supply chain, building relationships is a priority. Everyone knows the phrase, "it's all about who you know". Well, in this case, that is very true. Having connection in supply chain can open the door to new suppliers and customers. Once you acquire those suppliers or customers, you can begin to build a long lasting relationship with them. This will help with sales.

Lastly, there are so many career options in supply chain. Keep your mind open to all of the options and find what fits you the best. Before stating a career with a certain job title, it would be helpful to intern or shadow at certain companies to see what type of supply chain job interests you.
                                    
                                http://www.argentus.com/supply-chain-jobs-scm-jobs/

All in all, the article was helpful by letting me know what to expect in my future career. I am eager to continue becoming more comfortable with supply chain.

-Jarrod Lincoln