Week 1 Discussion Questions Proc 5000 Webster

After reading the notes and the chapter assignments, what are your thoughts about the purchasing function and the evolution of supply management in the 21st Century? Purchasing started off as more of a process used to carry out an organization’s mission. However, the purchasing function has evolved to include supply management in the 21st Century. Once the purchasing process was identified and defined, as time progressed, people started to notice that the simple task of acquire goods and services wasn’t so simple. It evolved and encompassed more activities such as managing, stocking, and budgeting for those goods and services.

Based on your experience or readings, discuss how Supply Management and in particular Supply Chain Management benefits organizations in the public and private sectors. Supply Chain Management benefits the public and private sectors by increasing sales. A majority of any firm’s budget will be spent on purchases for the company. If a firm can manage those purchases smartly, their sales could increase drastically. Another benefit could be a decrease in costs. Strategically managing purchases by forecasting what the market’s needs are could drive down costs.

What are the salient factors that contribute to the successful implementation of a supply chain management initiative? One salient factor is having a vision or a goal. A company must have an honest snapshot of where they stand, but they must also have some type of outlook on where they would like to be. Another factor is being able to model a best practice. Instead of reinventing the wheel, it is sometimes easier to learn from other company’s good logic. One last factor is having a realistic action plan. The company’s sequence of activities must be strategic.

Are supply chain management and the establishment of strategic alliance agreements with select suppliers more conducive to private sector organizations? Supply chain management and the establishment of strategic...