Assessment 5 - Business

Conduct a case study analysis on the information management system of a company you choose from a list of possibilities and provide that analysis in a Word document of approximately 800–1000 words.

Meeting customer demands and high efficiencies are the goals of the majority of supply chains, and companies strive to develop sustainable long term supply chain solutions.

By successfully completing this assessment, you will demonstrate your proficiency in the following course competencies and assessment criteria:

• Competency 1: Design a supply chain to support an organizational strategy.

o Describe an organization's information management system (IMS).

• Competency 2: Improve efficiency in the supply chain.

o Evaluate the competitive aspects of an organization's IMS.

o Describe how the IMS helps coordinate between supply chain partners.

• Competency 3: Manage a supply chain in order to satisfy customers.

o Explain how an IMS helps monitor orders and inventory levels and satisfy customers.

o Explain why managing information is equally or more important to a company than moving products.

• Competency 4: Communicate in a professional manner that is consistent with the expectations for supply chain managers and participants.

o Exhibit proficiency in writing, critical thinking, and academic integrity by appropriately attributing sources.

There is a need for coordination in the supply chain and to understand the impact of coordination on supply chain performance. The information management system measures the success of each supply chain partner and allows the members to improve as they develop trust and closer working relationships. The innovation and changes produced in supply chains, in response to market changes or from the drive to improve efficiency, effectively customize its structure, and improve its performance.

Questions to Consider

To deepen your understanding, you are encouraged to consider the questions below and discuss them with a fellow learner, a work associate, an interested friend, or a member of the business community.

For the following questions, refer to the National Geographic video, Ultimate Factories: IKEA, and Kinnander's article, "IKEA's Challenge to the Wooden Shipping Pallet," listed in the Resources.

• What is the importance of developing a sustainable supply chain?

• What are three initiatives that IKEA is doing to make its supply chain sustainable?

Resources

Internet Resources

• Kinnander, O. (2011). IKEA's challenge to the wooden shipping pallet. Bloomberg Business Week. http://www.businessweek.com/magazine/ikeas-challenge-to-the-wooden-shipping-pallet-11232011.html.

• Sustainable Supply Chain Foundation. (n.d.). http://www.sustainable-scf.org/

• Assessment Instructions

For this assessment, consider that you work for a company that develops and sells case studies and case study analyses. Your company's primary customers are colleges and universities wanting to use them within their courses, but your company also has customers using them for management training and development. Your manager asked you to conduct research and write a case study analysis about a company's information management system (IMS). She's specifically interested in you doing this associated with one of a small set of possibilities she provided to you. You may use the same company you selected in a prior assessment or you may select a different company from the following list:

• L. L. Bean.

• Amazon.com.

• Starbucks.

• Intel.

• Johnson and Johnson.

You and your manager discussed the high level outline of your case study analysis and agreed you should address the following items. As the basis for your research, you can use any of the resources noted in this course, in the Capella library, and on the Internet.

Analyze and describe the company's information management system. As part of your analysis, analyze if its IMS gives the company a competitive advantage over their competition.

Recommend improvements for the competitive aspects of the organization's IMS.

Analyze how the IMS helps coordinate between supply chain partners.

Analyze how the IMS helps to monitor orders and inventory levels and satisfy customers.

Analyze why managing information is equally or more important to the company than moving products.

Based on the intended audience, your report should be well organized and written in clear, succinct language. Target 800–1000 words. Follow APA rules for attributing sources that support your analysis and conclusions.