Purchase Solution

Logistics:Assessing Distribution and Supply Chain Management

Not what you're looking for?

Ask Custom Question

Article Reflection

Part 1

Find a current article (not more than 4 years old) that relates to one of the topics explored in your readings or course discussion. Write a 1-2 page paper that contains a brief summary of the article, how it relates to course content and/or discussion, and your personal opinion of the article. What do you agree with? What do you disagree with? What did you find particularly interesting or surprising? Include a reference list in APA format for the article along with any other sources used (including your textbook).

Part 2

Final Project Topic Selection

This week you will be submitting a brief description of the topic you would like to explore for your project. Write 1 paragraph discussing the details of the company you would like to use for your project, including what type of company it is and the size of the company. Also discuss any issues you currently have in mind regarding the supply chain strategy you will use for your project, based on your current knowledge of supply chain management.

Bowersox, D.(2013). Supply Chain Logistics Management. (4th ed). Richard D. Irwin, Inc

Purchase this Solution
Solution Summary

This detailed solution includes a paper that discusses a recent article regarding logistics (Staples smart packaging system), with APA references. Part 2 are two proposals to discuss distribution of Whole Foods or a local supermarket chain.

Solution Preview

Here you go - gave you two options for the second part. I think you might be able to find more information regarding Whole Foods. Is this what you are looking for? Please let me know. Formatted copy is attached.

Article Reflection 1

Logistics Management featured an article regarding Staples' smart packaging system recently. Staple is the "world's largest office supply company" and is the "second largest retailer on the Internet" (Napolitano, 2013). To ensure its success, Staple promises that any order placed before 5 p.m. will be delivered the next day to "98 percent of the population from its network of state of the art fulfillment centers" (Napolitano, 2013). Packaging of products is expensive, and the larger the package the more space it takes to ship, thus costing Staples more. To this end, Staples has launched a "smart-size packaging program" that allows the retailer to create custom sized carton specific packaging for every less-than-full case order it ships. This program helps the company reduce packaging (thus reducing costs and increasing sustainability) while increasing efficiencies in product handling and transportation.

Before Staples embarked upon this program, order pullers would try to fit product into one of five different standard-sized containers, filling extra space with packaging. This resulted in extra packaging and extra boxes, and ultimately extra transportation needed to handle larger orders. In Staple's Secaucus facility, "about 6,000 to 8,000 custom sized boxes" (Napolitano, 2013) are generated daily, based upon break-pack cube sizes. As a result of this revolutionary system, Staples has realized immediate savings. Corrugated cardboard usage has dropped 15 percent, air pillow usage has been reduced 60 percent, and overall cubes of orders have been reduced ...

Solution provided by:
Sally Baldwin, Ed.D
Education
  • BA, University of Southern California
  • MSS, United States Sports Academy
  • Ed.D, Boise State University
Recent Feedback
  • "Thk u"
  • "Thank you!:)"
  • "Thank you!:)"
  • "Thank you!:)"
  • "Thank you!:)"
Purchase this Solution
Free BrainMass Quizzes
Motivation

This tests some key elements of major motivation theories.

Marketing Management Philosophies Quiz

A test on how well a student understands the basic assumptions of marketers on buyers that will form a basis of their marketing strategies.

Lean your Process

This quiz will help you understand the basic concepts of Lean.

Income Streams

In our ever changing world, developing secondary income streams is becoming more important. This quiz provides a brief overview of income sources.

Cost Concepts: Analyzing Costs in Managerial Accounting

This quiz gives students the opportunity to assess their knowledge of cost concepts used in managerial accounting such as opportunity costs, marginal costs, relevant costs and the benefits and relationships that derive from them.

View More Free Quizzes
Related BrainMass Solutions

  • PC Connections

    In this case, physical distribution and supply chain management are both correct. However, as per student comments from feedback, the correct study answer is physical distribution.

  • Wal-Mart's supply chain management

    Its supply chain strategy has four key components: vendor partnerships, cross docking and distribution management, technology, and integration.

  • Supply Chain management

    223936 The changes in supply chain management and technology has been THE biggest difference between brick and mortar and eBusinesses.

  • Supply Chain Management

    71406 Supply Chain Management Task - Supply Chain Management (SCM) has been a popular buzzword since the mid 1990s, and has had many variations of definition by many experts.

  • Logistics Management and Procurement and Supply Management

    Integration of Supply Management and Distribution Management Supply chain management is basically focused towards the cost of products that are being offered to the customers.

  • Question about Strategic Goals

    What are the strategic goals of supply chain management and how does forecasting, planning, procurement, making, transportation, and distribution affect these goals? The strategic goals of supply chain management are two fold.

  • Supply Chain Management and Just in Time Delivery

    Supply Chain Management (2nd Edition). Published by SAGE. Snow, C. (2007). Supply Chain Performance Management for Operational Excellence. Ventana Research, 7(1).

  • Supply Chain Management Effects

    215885 Supply Chain Management Effects Describe how at least three other areas that could be severely affected by errors in supply chain management besides finance; marketing, or customer service; and operations and transport.

  • Supply Chain Management

    (b) contain and reference new learning that has occurred The new developments in supply chain management that have occurred are that supply chain has become and important concern of management.

  • Supply chain management and organizational profitability

    542771 Supply chain management and organizational profitability I need help with this: Research a company that uses supply chain management (SCM) and look at how their organizational profitability is affected by it.

View More Related Solutions