Supply Chain Outcomes, Essay Example

Business outcomes resulting from successful supply chain is what every organization targets. An organization sets up a successful supply chain and manages it with an intention of getting positive business outcomes. The most likely outcome an organization can achieve after successful management of its supply chain include cost reduction, responsiveness, sustainability, innovation, resilience, security, and innovation among others. I agree that the posts are the outcomes expected by various organizations. This is because every organization wants a supply chain that will reduce costs, secure products, increase innovation, respond to the changing conditions, environmental friendly, and recover easily from unexpected risks (Hugos 2011, p. 93).

The supply chain management theory focused on the textbook is about internet marketing. This is whereby marketing and supply of products is performed online using the organization website and social media web pages like histogram, twitter, and facebook. The organization will create its own website where the products and services are posted together with the contacts and location of the organization. This will enable the organization to market and supply its products online without meeting with the customers physically. In addition, the organization can create social media web pages on twitter and facebook. The organization frequently posts and updates products and services. This is the best method of marketing and supplying products in the digital era. The customer will the social media sites as the frequently visited web pages today and meets the products offered by the company. The customer will communicate with the organization on how the transactions and supply are made online.

Some managers and researchers consider the six outcomes as mutually exclusive (Flynn & Zhao 2010, p. 63). Effective supply chains should have hybrids reflecting on various combinations of the six outcomes. In this regard, supply chains that focus only on one of the six outcomes cannot develop a sustainable advantage on their competitors in the market. For example, those supply chains, which offer the lowest costs alone, will not be able to respond accordingly to the unexpected changes in supply and demand. The supply chains, which are over focused cannot meet the requirements of the emerging trends in the business environment. The trick to this challenge is to get a blend, which differentiate the supply chain from that of the competitors. The blend should also attract customers of which they will be willing to pay.

The supply chain should be designed in a way that the outcomes are achieved, and the customers are not overwhelmed by the prices of the products. This is because some supply chains make the prices increased to extent that the consumer will strain when buying the products. The supply chains used in supplying the products should stimulate and maintain the quality of products in the market. This will motivate the consumers or customers who are the last in the supply chain to enjoy products of high quality (Christopher 2012, p. 105). The outcome on the security of the products should be emphasized. This is because the customers will be greatly affected if the products are not secured properly from the source. For example, if the products supplied are contaminated, the products will affect the customers. Thus, they will trust the products supplied to them through the chain in the future. Organization should focused and consider the effects of the supply chain on the final consumer when they are focusing on the successful supply chain and the outcomes. This is because the consumers are the important people in the supply chain as the supplier and other organization are depending on them to achieve the market of the products.

References

Christopher, M. (2012). Logistics and supply chain management. Pearson UK.

Hugos, M. H. (2011). Essentials of supply chain management (Vol. 62). John Wiley & Sons.

Flynn, B. B. & Zhao, X. (2010). The impact of supply chain integration on performance: a contingency and configuration approach. Journal of Operations Management, 28(1), 58-71.