PART 1
Respond to the following in a minimum of 175 words:
· What are the greatest strengths and opportunities in supply chain management in your organization? How can they be maximized?
· Are there any weaknesses or threats involving the supply chain? How would you recommend addressing these or avoiding them becoming a larger problem?
PART 2
In the final week of the course, you synthesize the knowledge of health care costs, revenue, and expenses, along with the underlying economic drivers of these considerations to evaluate ways to improve quality of care and to lower costs for patients. You also integrate considerations in supply chain management that can impact your brand and, in turn, affect demand for your services, whether positively or negatively.
Write a 1,225- to 1,550-word report of your organization’s supply chain management and how it impacts your organization’s brand. Include the following points:
· Based on the assignment in Week 2, analyze how the economics in your market impact your organization’s management of its supply chain.
· Based on the assignment in Week 4, analyze if the expenses in your organization are impacted positively or negatively by how the supply chain is managed.
Summarize the state of supply chain management and operations at your organization. Make any recommendations based on supply chain best practices to enhance its performance within the context of the health care sector.
Many suppliers and their customers co-brand now (think of Coca-Cola and McDonald’s). Are there opportunities for your organization to co-brand with any of its supply chain partners? If so, what are the advantages?
Cite any references to support your assignment.
Format your citations according to APA guidelines.
PART 3
Respond to the following responses based off part one in 50 words minimum. Each response must have a reference.
R1
I feel when it comes to supply chains at least when it comes to my job they have 1 or maybe 2 people that focus on the supply that comes in and out of the facility. i feel that by me working with the mentally challenge and the elderly the supply chain is very important because one mistake can mess up alot of work when it comes to the patients. i feel that if they dont put in the orders on time how is the patients are going to get the proper care that they need. when it comes to my job i feel that they weakness is that getting things done on time. i feel even though we are a small company that is growing it should be better at having things like supplies sent to the staff in a timely matter. its times i have to go out and buy my own supplies because they are late with shipping supplies to us and we cant just leave the patient there with out care so sometimes we have to buy our own gloves and hand sanitizer and mask and i feel like things like that we shouldnt have to wait for because thats the companies job to provide these things.
R2
It is important for any organization, company, and business to develop an effective supply chain management for its operations. This endeavor can be challenging and complex, especially in the health care sector where supply chain is directly linked to patients’ safety and their health outcomes. Organizational leaders must explore and navigate different potential solutions to enhance their supply chain management.
The organization I work for is the County of San Mateo. The Procurement Division oversees all procurement, supply, delivery, and it is housed within the Human Resources Department of the county. One strength and opportunity of the county’s supply chain process it’s process of connecting with suppliers. Organizations who are interested in doing business with the county must register on Public Purchase:
https://www.publicpurchase.com/gems/sanmateo,ca/buyer/public/home. This is where county solicitations are posted publicly, firms must select the categories of work they qualify for, and firms receive an Invitation To Bid (ITB) and Request For Proposal (RFP) solicitations for the categories they select. (County of San Mateo, 2022). This is an effective way to screen and select quality potential suppliers for the organization. And suppliers have the need and burden to explain and demonstrate their ability to satisfy expectations and meet delivery and deadlines.
The Procurement Division is housed within the Human Resources Department, and I consider this a disadvantage. Based on HR’s organizational chart, Procurement and Contracts Management reports to a Deputy HR Director, who reports to the HR Director. Rather, procurement and contracts should be within, or connected with the Financial Services and the Controller’s Office, as it involves heavy money flow and payment for supplies and materials. Financial services and the controller’s office oversee all financial transactions and reporting, that is will only be effective for procurement to work closely with both departments. Human Resources handles all employee matters such as leave, wellness, benefits, learning and development, etc., and procurement does not appear to be suitable within HR. Also, procurement division is led by a manager who supervises six Buyers. Each Buyer is responsible for supply chain in 5-8 areas, where some buyers are responsible for more areas than others. However, this arrangement can pose challenges and issues in the future, where only six Buyers may not be adequate to cover supply chain for numerous units/departments across the county’s 14 departments. The county should seriously consider technologies which help with surveillance, providing early warnings, forecasting shortages, and monitoring available goods and products to effectively manage the supply chain process. (Harvard Business Review, 2020).
County of San Mateo. (2022). Supplier Information. https://www.smcgov.org/hr/supplier-information
County of San Mateo Human Resources Department. (2022). HR Organizational Chart. https://www.smcgov.org/hr/hr-organizational-chart
Harvard Business Review. (2020). Four Ways Technology can Enhance your Supply Chain. https://hbr.org/sponsored/2020/11/four-ways-technology-can-enhance-your-supply-chain
R3
Typically, SCM attempts to centrally control or link the production, shipment, and distribution of a product. By managing the supply chain, companies can cut excess costs and deliver products to the consumer faster. This is done by keeping tighter control of internal inventories, internal production, distribution, sales, and the inventories of company vendors. To maximize the outcome of internal inventory, supply chain management has inventory management software that allows managers to benefit from an on-demand or lean inventory model. Effective supply chain management enables companies to improve product flow through accurate demand and sales forecasting and also improve inventory management to arrest the bullwhip effect and avoid underproduction. SCM also minimizes delays and allows full traceability and visibility into the movements of goods from the supplier to the customer. SCM enables working strategies that can accelerate time-to-market and optimize business speed, while ensuring high level of product quality.
Companies with effective supply chain management can remove the bottlenecks to supply chain information flow. It can help them evaluate the quality of information sharing, and then implement solutions to best fill the gaps. SCM helps design effective best practices to facilitate different types of supply chain information that usually come in different formats and structures. SCM also enables accurate, timely, complete, and relevant information flow to avoid missed opportunities and possible risks.
To maximize the potential of SCM, however, companies should embrace a data-driven approach because data is at the core of every supply chain transaction and is fundamental to product, information, and financial flow optimization. Companies can achieve this by embracing a data-driven approach to SCM using the OpenText ALLOY Platform, because data is the basic element in production, information, and financial flow in the supply chain network.