Assessment 1
Preparation
Take time to research and review systems mapping strategies
for operations and supply chain systems.
Select a company to use as the basis of this assessment and
other assessments in this course. As you do so, consider the following
recommendations:
Select a company with a supply chain that ignites your
interest: a U.S.-based retailer with clothes manufactured in Taiwan, or an auto
manufacturer based in Japan with plants in Alabama and dealerships in England.
Many interesting supply chain scenarios are awaiting your investigation.
Select a company with accessible public information about
their supply chain. Look for published annual reports, articles, and news
reports about the company in national magazines and periodicals; information on
the company Web site; recent books about the company or its industry authored
by leaders in that field; and financial evaluations and statistics provided by
agencies like Moody’s and Standard and Poors or governmental entities like the
Bureau of Labor Statistics.
Research the global supply chain for your selected company,
including its sourcing of raw materials, transportation process, manufacturing
centers, distribution channels, and points of sale. Identify 4–6 sources that
help you understand your business’s supply chain and that you can draw upon to
complete this assessment.
Instructions
This assessment consists of three parts you will fuse
together to create a complete supply chain system report.
Part 1: Create a detailed narrative that describes your
selected business’s global supply chain. Be sure to identify details including
the sourcing of raw materials, the transportation process, all manufacturing
centers, the distribution channels, and the points of sale.
Part 2: Using the information in Part 1, create a detailed,
holistic, interactive systems map for your business’s supply chain. On the map,
be sure to:
Clearly identify points of reinforcement and advantage
within the supply chain.
Identify internal and external tasks and accountabilities
across the supply chain.
Part 3: Describe the systems dynamics that impact and shape
this global supply chain. As you do so, consider the following questions:
What barriers exist in in this supply chain? What custom
laws and practices have to be considered in shipping mode choice and countries
for product sales?
What are the “trigger points” to move from one
shipping mode to another (that is, moving from slower rail mode to air freight
with more cost)?
Additional Requirements
Written communication: Written communication is free of
errors that detract from the overall message.
APA formatting: Any resources or citations must be formatted
according to current APA style and formatting standards. Refer to the
Supplemental Resources in the left navigation menu for more information on APA
style.
Sources: A minimum of 4 sources is required.
Length: Your report should be 2–3 pages for all three parts
combined.
Font: Use Times New Roman, 12-point font.
