Order Description
The global supply chain is more than direct ownership of production and distribution. It is also a network of relationships with both internal and external partners. It requires establishing relationships with organisations operating under completely different political, economic, and physical environments.
Based on the above statement, you are asked to choose a large enterprise, which has become over the years the cornerstone of the supply chain (e.g., Nike, Tesco, IKEA, Samsung, Ford, Apple, P&G, DHL, Nestle) and critically discuss:(i) how it manages to establish close coordination across the globe (including any outsourcing/offshoring decisions and location-specific advantages), (ii) how distinctive R&D investments helped the company to increase its revenues, (iii) what are the supply chain risks and the associated mitigation strategy (iv) how advanced technology means/tools (e.g., 3D Printing, Big Data analytics or Internet of Things) help to maintain the competitive advantage.
