The
aim of this research paper is to provide deep insights regarding the supply
chain management activities and how supply chain management help the
organization to improve its performance. The supply chain management is a broad
term which includes various business activities such as transportation
distribution, logistics and inventory management. Supply chain management have
major impact on the performance of the organization. This research paper will
evaluate how supply chain management effect the overall profitability &
productivity of the organization and what can be done to improve the supply chain management. The research
paper is divided into four main sections the first section is the introductory
section which discusses the significance of supply chain in the organizations.
In the second section detail literature review have been performed to
understand how supply chain effect the performance of the corporations. The
third section discuss how supply chain improve the performance. The forth and
least section discuss how corporation can improve the supply chain management
to improve the overall profitability, efficiency & productivity of the
organizations. In short the paper will provide a brief overview regarding the
supply chain significance & its effect on the organizational performance.
Significance
of Supply Chain Management within Organization
As
discussed earlier the supply chain management is broad term which include
various business activities such as supply of goods, inventory management, transportation/logistics
and consumer satisfaction etc. If the organization able to manage all the
activities efficiently than not only the performance of the corporation
enhances but also the organization can compete with its competitors more
effectively. Today the competition in the international market has increased up
to lot of extent and in order to gain competitive edge over the competitors the
organization will have to reduce its expenses and will have to enhance the
speed of the process so that customers can get their product on time.
Through
effective inventory management the corporation can not only reduce its cost but
also the efficiency of the organization will increase up to lot of extent.
There many inventory management software that are available in the market that
can be used for improving the management of the inventory. The corporation can
also take help of latest technology to track their logistic activity which will
help the organization to improve the speed of production. In simple words the
organization operations will become smoother if the corporation has managed its
supply chain appropriately. The customer satisfaction play key role in
enhancing the revenue of the organization and if the customer are not going to
get their favorite product o time than not only the reputation of the company
will decline but also the revue will decline as well. That is why Supply chain
play a significant role in the organization.
Supply
Chain Management Effect on Organizational Performance
In
this research paper the effect of supply chain on the organizational
performance will be evaluated. Over the years studies have shown that the
effective supply chain management improves the performance of the organization.
In order to investigate this fact various research studies have been reviewed
which discuss the effect of supply chain on the performance of the
organizations. It is evident that through focusing on inventory management,
transportation and supplier network the corporation can smooth its operations
which will ultimately help the organization to enhance its revenues.
Literature
Review of Supply Chain Management
In
the research study the deep insights regarding the supply chain management have
been provided. The researchers have stated that the supply chain management
practices have significant impact on the performance of the organization along
with competitive advantage. The research focuses on 5 key dimensions of supply
chain which include quality of information, Customer relationship, supplier
partnership and information sharing. For this research study the data is
gathered from 196 corporations. The results of the study shows that the SCM
practices have significant impact on the organizational performance and
competitive advantage. The SCM helps the organization to improve organizational
performance. It means that if the organizations focused on SCM practices they
can gain competitive advantage over their competitors (Chavez, et al., 2014).
In
the study conducted by Kenneth W. Green, Pamela J. Zelbst and Jeramy Meacham
the green supply chain management practices are discussed in detail. According
to the researchers the green supply chain management practices have immense
impact on the performance of the corporation. In order to conduct this research
the data is gathered from 159 production managers. In this paper the green
supply chain practices are analyzed which incorporates environment protection. The
findings of the study shows that the green SCM practices have huge impact on
the performance of the organization and the performance of the organization
experience improvement due to green SCM practices. The SCM improves the
economic performance of the organization which improves the operational
performance. The operational performance than ultimately improves the overall organizational
performance. In short through effective SCM practices organization can achieve
their desire goal (Green, et al., 2012).
In
another research study the researchers have focused on the relationship between
the organizational performance and SCM practices. The researches have analyzed
the SCM practices and organizational performance to know whether the SCM and
organizational performance have any association or not. For conducting the
study the data is gathered in abundance so that detailed analysis can be
performed. The findings of the study shows positive association between the SCM
and organizational performance. It means that if the organizations want to
improve their performance they will have to focus on the supply chain
management practices. The SCM practices allow corporation to gain efficiency
& productivity (Gunasekaran, et al., 2016).
The
study conducted by Alan T.L Chan, Eric W.T. Ngai & Karen K.L. Moon have
provide brief overview regarding the effects of SCM practices on the firm
performance. In the research study the researchers have focused on the fashion
industry. The researchers have stated
that in the fashion industry the supply chain management activities can play
key role in improving the performance of the organizations. In order to conduct
the study the data is gathered from 141 garment producers. The findings of the
study shows that the SCM practices can play key role in improving the performance
of the corporations (Chan, et al., 2016).
The
study conducted by Antony Paulraj, InjazzJ. Chen and Constantin Blome have
discussed the importance of SCM practices in the organization. The researchers
in this study focuses on the ethical considerations and included moral motives
regarding the SCM practices. For the research study the data is gathered from
259 SCM corporations who were present in the country of Germany. The findings
of the study shows that the high level of moral obligations allows the
corporations to focus on SCM practices. The moral obligations influence the
corporations to improve their practices so that customer gets the best quality
products (Paulraj, et al., 2017).
Benefits
of Supply Chain Management
High
Efficiency of Supply Chain Management
The
major benefit which the organizations get from effective supply chain
management is the high efficiency of the corporation. When the inventory is
managed appropriately than the production process gets stabilize and
organization produce products according to the demand. It means that no excess
products will be produced and through this efficiency of the company increases.
The process of production speeds up when the organization utilize latest
software & technology for improving the logistics. The higher efficiency of
the organization means that the revenue of the organization will enhance which
ultimately enhances the profit as a result.
Decline
in Cost of Supply Chain Management
Managing
the costs of the organization is a crucial task because if the cost are not
managed appropriately the organization will unable to increase its overall
profit. Through effective inventory management the organization can reduce its
costs. The overall production and supplier cost can also be decline by using
latest techniques of supply chain. In simple words the modern supply chain
techniques can help the organization to manage its cost more efficiently which
will ultimately allow corporation to sustain in the long run and expand its
current operations in various parts of the world (Lambert, 2008).
Higher
productivity of Supply Chain Management
The
main aim of every corporation is to generate significant amount of profit and
it will only be done when the organization is providing the products to the
customers according to the demand. Sometimes the demand of the product suddenly
increase in the market and the corporations often experience difficulty in
meeting the sudden increase in demand. The effective supply chain management
can help the organization to meet the increase in demand efficiently because
through latest technology the production process can be changed according to
the demand. It means that through effective supply chain corporation can
enhance its productivity without any difficulty.
Reduction
in process Delay of Supply Chain Management
Another
major benefit of effective supply chain management is reduction in process
delay. In many organizations there are several processes which have to be done
in order to reach the finished outcome. If different processes are not managed
accordingly than the product might experience delay in reaching to the end
consumer. The supply chain management helps the organization to streamline
different processes so that product can be manufactured on time and can be
distributed to the nearest retail outlet without any difficulty. Achieving this task with traditional
approaches was difficult and sometimes customers have to wait for their
product. But today with latest techniques achieving this task has become quite
easy with the help of latest software (Lambert, 2008).
High
Customer Satisfaction of Supply Chain Managemen
It
is evident that when the customers are going to get their product on time than
the customer satisfaction will increase. The customers today are looking for
high quality with affordable price. The high quality goods will only be
produced if the supply chain of the organization is effective. If the supply
chain activities are not up to the set standards than the quality of goods can
be decreased which will ultimately effect the customer satisfaction. Therefore
through supply chain management the organizations can improve the quality of
the goods by purchasing material from trusted suppliers. Furthermore through
effective cost management the organization will have the opportunity to sell
the products on competitive prices
Consequences
of Ineffective Supply Chain
Poor
Quality of Supply Chain Management
The
first major consequence which the organization face from ineffective supply
chain management is the poor quality of their products. The poor quality of the
products occurs when the corporation has not created strong relationship with
the suppliers or purchase goods from such suppliers which does not provide
quality material. Due to this the quality of goods suffers a lot. The low
quality goods then decrease the sales of the business because customer dies not
get satisfied with the quality of the products. Ultimately the profit of the
corporation declines which have major impact on the overall performance of the
business. Therefore it can be said that the supply chain ineffectiveness reduce
the performance & efficiency of the businesses.
High
Inventory Cost of Supply Chain Managemen
As
discussed earlier the inventory management play key role in reducing the cost
and improving the efficiency of the production process. If the supply chain
management of any corporation is in effective than it means that the inventory
management cost will increase which will increase the overall cost of the
organization. Through this it will become difficult for the corporation to
increase profit. If the costs of the corporations are not managed than the
organization cannot achieve its desired goals such as expanding the business or
making investment in various projects. Therefore if the supply chain is not
effective than costs of the corporation will increase that will have negative
impact on the profitability (Coyle, et al., 2008).
Delay in
production of Supply Chain Management
The
delay in the production occurs due to several issues such as in effective
inventory management, ineffective supplier management and procuring material
from suppliers in delay. The effective supply chain management insures that the
organization should purchase the material on time so that the product can
produced and delivered to the customer without any delay. However this is not
the case when the supply chain activities are not managed by the corporations’
accurately. The delay in production will have negative consequences on the
profitability and goodwill of the organization. Today the customers does not
want to wait for their product for a long time.
Decline
in Overall profitability of Supply Chain Management
It
is obvious that when the corporation supply chain is not effective then the
chances of poor quality production are higher. The poor quality products will
not be accepted by the customers which means that revenue of the organization
will decline. On the other hand the cost of the corporation will increase die
to ineffective management of inventory & logistics which will further
decline the profit of the business. The customer loyalty has huge significance
for the success of the business and if the customer loyalty is going to experience
decline than achieving the goal of increasing revenue will become quite
difficult (Coyle, et al., 2008).
Low
Customer Satisfaction of Supply Chain Management
It
is highly important that the organization meets the needs and preferences of
the customers. This can only be done by providing them best quality products on
affordable prices. The organization can only provide affordable prices when
their costs are managed appropriately but this becomes quitter difficult when
the corporation supply chain management is weak.
Analysis
& Discussion of Supply Chain Management
Through
analyzing various studies it can be said that the supply chain management have
huge impact on the performance of the corporation. Through effective supply
chain management the organization not only can improve its efficiency but also
have the opportunity to increase the satisfaction of its customers. The
organization can improve its operations which will ultimately help the
organization to achieve its desired goals. Through effective supply chain
management the corporation will have the record of various activities through
which the internal control of the corporation will become stronger. Through
effective supply chain the organization will able to make strong relationship
with its suppliers & customers
For
cost management the supply chain management is highly important. The
organization can achieve balance between the services and costs. The organization
will get the opportunity to meet the needs and preferences of the customers
more efficiently. The demands of the customers can be processed in less amount
of time and they will able to get the products on low prices. Furthermore due
to globalization various organizations are expanding into different parts of
the world. The effective supply chain management help the business to not only
manage the cost in the international market but also help the company to
develop strong relationship with the customers (Coyle, et al., 2008).
As
from literature review it has been known that the supply chain management have
huge effect on the performance of the organization but the thing that still needs
to be discussed is how to improve the supply chain management in the
organization. There are many ways through which the supply chain management
activities can be improved. First thing that should be done is to create a plan
regarding the supply chain management. In the plan the goals and objectives of
the supply chain management should be identified. The organization then take
help of the IT experts in implementing the latest software.
It
is highly important for the organizations to focus on their efficiency &
performance because if the performance of the organization is not up to the
mark than the organization cannot generate enough profit. With low
profitability the corporation will unable to run its operations effectively and
ultimately sustaining in the long run will become very difficult for the
organization. The effective SCM practices can help the organization to improve
the performance.
It
is recommended to the organizations to implement effective supply chain
management practices so that the issues like, delays, high costs and customer
dissatisfaction can be resolved. Through new technologies there are endless
possibilities for the organizations to grow and compete with other
organizations. Through robust SCM strategies organization can distinguish
itself from the rest of the organizations and can provide variety of
product/services to its customers. The only thing that needs to be realized
here is to implement those strategies which allow corporation to improve the
supply chain management practices.
Conclusion
on Supply Chain Management
If
all the above discussion is summarized than it is evident that through
effective supply chain management the organization not only can improve its
efficiency but also have the opportunity to increase the satisfaction of its
customers. The organization can improve its operations which will ultimately
help the organization to achieve its desired goals. Through effective supply
chain management the corporation will have the record of various activities
through which the internal control of the corporation will become stronger.
Through effective supply chain the organization will able to make strong
relationship with its suppliers & customers.
It
is evident that when the customers are going to get their product on time than
the customer satisfaction will increase. The customers today are looking for
high quality with affordable price. The high quality goods will only be
produced if the supply chain of the organization is effective. If the supply
chain activities are not up to the set standards than the quality of goods can
be decreased which will ultimately effect the customer satisfaction. There are
many ways through which the supply chain management activities can be improved.
First thing that should be done is to create a plan regarding the supply chain
management. In the plan the goals and objectives of the supply chain management
should be identified. The organization then take help of the IT experts in
implementing the latest software. It is recommended to the organizations to
implement effective supply chain management practices so that the issues like,
delays, high costs and customer dissatisfaction can be resolved. Through new
technologies there are endless possibilities for the organizations to grow and
compete with other organizations.
References
of Supply Chain Management
Chan, A. T., Ngai, E. W. & Moon, K. K., 2016. The
Effects of Strategic and Manufacturing Flexibilities and Supply Chain Agility
on Firm. European Journal of Operational Research, pp. 1-35.
Chavez, R., Yu, W., Feng, M. & Wiengarten, F., 2014. The
Effect of Customer-Centric Green Supply Chain Management on Operational
Performance and Customer Satisfaction. 25(3), p. 205–220.
Coyle, J. J. et al., 2008. Supply Chain Management: A
Logistics Perspective. s.l.:Cengage Learning.
Green, K. W., Zelbst, P. J. & Bhadauria, J. M. a. V. S.,
2012. Green supply chain management practices: impact on performance. Volume
17, pp. 290 - 305.
Gunasekaran, A. et al., 2016. Big Data and Predictive
Analytics for Supply Chain and Organizational Performance. Journal of
Business Research, Volume 70, pp. 308-317.
Lambert, D. M., 2008. Supply Chain Management: Processes,
Partnerships, Performance. s.l.:Supply Chain Management Inst.
Paulraj, A., Chen, I. J. & Blome, C., 2017. Motives and
Performance Outcomes of Sustainable Supply Chain Management Practices: A Multi-theoretical
Perspective. 145(2), p. 239–258.