Supply Chain Case 1
Case Write-up
Week 1
1. Supply Chain
2. Who are the various customers for textbooks? What do these customers want in terms of goods and services related to textbooks? From the publisher’s point of view, who is the critical customer?
The various customers are professors, students, bookstores, schools, and online retailers. The customers want “on demand” accessibility, flexibility, and more content in the textbooks. The professors are the critical customer because they directly impact the design and content of the book.
3. Who are the major players in the supply chain? What operational roles do they play in terms of creating value for the critical customers?
According to the text, ALL of the organizations and activities involved in designing, transforming, consuming and disposing of the product and services are apart of the supply chain. There are players in the supply chain that have a more important role than others. The editors, authors, commercial printers and etc play a major role because they are responsible for the design, content, and quality of the product. This is also known as functional value. The transportation supplier and distribution center increase economic value by logistic managements which lower transportation costs. Mountain Company, bookstores and online retailers are responsible for the marketing and advertising also known as the psychosocial function.
4. Given the anticipated changes in the market and in product and process technologies, how do you envision each supply chain player’s role changing in the future?
I believe that majority of their roles may minimize or even disappear altogether. For example, if customers are beginning to increase their usage of the internet and eBooks to access textbooks, then the transportation supplier’s role would minimize or be deleted. This would also affect the distribution center as well as bookstores. Online retailer’s role would begin to increase as more customers begin to use them
Week 1
1. Supply Chain
2. Who are the various customers for textbooks? What do these customers want in terms of goods and services related to textbooks? From the publisher’s point of view, who is the critical customer?
The various customers are professors, students, bookstores, schools, and online retailers. The customers want “on demand” accessibility, flexibility, and more content in the textbooks. The professors are the critical customer because they directly impact the design and content of the book.
3. Who are the major players in the supply chain? What operational roles do they play in terms of creating value for the critical customers?
According to the text, ALL of the organizations and activities involved in designing, transforming, consuming and disposing of the product and services are apart of the supply chain. There are players in the supply chain that have a more important role than others. The editors, authors, commercial printers and etc play a major role because they are responsible for the design, content, and quality of the product. This is also known as functional value. The transportation supplier and distribution center increase economic value by logistic managements which lower transportation costs. Mountain Company, bookstores and online retailers are responsible for the marketing and advertising also known as the psychosocial function.
4. Given the anticipated changes in the market and in product and process technologies, how do you envision each supply chain player’s role changing in the future?
I believe that majority of their roles may minimize or even disappear altogether. For example, if customers are beginning to increase their usage of the internet and eBooks to access textbooks, then the transportation supplier’s role would minimize or be deleted. This would also affect the distribution center as well as bookstores. Online retailer’s role would begin to increase as more customers begin to use them