Course Library Guidea Capella Cu Zara Apparel Ret
- Context
- A supply chain is an interrelationship through which information, physical goods, and services flow back and forth. It consists of business entities that contribute the value-creating activities of supplying necessary materials and transforming various resources into finished goods and services, and distributing the final outputs to the customer.
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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.
- What are the implications of a successful supply chain management strategy to a business in today’s competitive global economy?
- How can a supply chain help a company reach its strategic goals?
- Why do many companies choose to contract with third-party logistics companies?
- What are components of a successful supply chain?
Resources
Required Resources
The following resources are required to complete the assessment:
Library Resources
The following reading is available full-text in the Capella University Library. Search for the article by clicking the linked title and following the instructions in the Library Guide.
- Ferdows, K., Lewis, M. A., & Machuca, J. A. D. (2004). Rapid-fire fulfillment. Harvard Business Review, 82(11), 104–110.
Suggested Resources
The following optional resources are provided to support you in completing the assessment or to provide a helpful context. For additional resources, refer to the Research Resources and Supplemental Resources in the left navigation menu of your courseroom.
Capella Multimedia
Click the links provided below to view the following multimedia pieces:
- The Supply Chain Process | Transcript.
- This interactive provides a snapshot view of the supply chain.
Library Resources
The following e-books or articles from the Capella University Library are linked directly in this course:
- Blanchard, D. (2010). Supply chain management best practices (2nd ed.). Hoboken, NJ: Wiley.
- Drake, M. (2011). Global supply chain management. New York, NY: Business Expert Press.
- Greeff, G., & Ghoshal, R. (2004). Practical e-manufacturing and supply chain management. Oxford, England: Newnes.
- Farooqui, S. U. (2010). Encyclopedia of supply chain management: Volume I. Mumbai, India: Himalaya Books Pvt.
- Farooqui, S. U. (2010). Encyclopedia of supply chain management: Volume II. Mumbai, India: Himalaya Books Pvt.
- Farooqui, S. U. (2010). Encyclopedia of supply chain management: Volume III. Mumbai, India: Himalaya Books Pvt.
Course Library Guide
A Capella University library guide has been created specifically for your use in this course. You are encouraged to refer to the resources in the BUS-FP3022 – Fundamentals of Supply Chain Management library guide to help direct your research.
Internet Resources
Access the following resources by clicking the links provided. Please note that URLs change frequently. Permissions for the following links have been either granted or deemed appropriate for educational use at the time of course publication.
- Arizona State University: W. P. Carey School of Business. (2010). Module 1: What is supply chain management? Retrieved from
- FedEx. (2011). FedEx supply chain global distribution center. Retrieved from
- Sustainable Supply Chain Foundation. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.sustainable-scf.org/
- Chopra, S. (2019). Supply chain management: Strategy, planning and operation (7th ed.). Boston, MA: Pearson.
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Assessment Instructions
Zara is the flagship brand for Europe’s fastest growing apparel retailer and has about 1500 stores in major cities around the globe.For this assessment, consider that you work as a manager in Zara’s corporate organization. Zara’s leadership team is considering changes in their supply chain management practices, and your manager asked you to prepare a report that analyzes their current practices as input to their decision-making process. Your report will be reviewed by the overall leadership team. After conducting some research on the topic, you identified a highly useful resource, which is a summary of Zara’s supply chain management practices provided in the Harvard Business Review article, “Rapid Fire Fulfillment,” (linked in the Resources under the Required Resources heading). Your manager agreed with you about that resource being highly useful, and the two of you further agreed that your report should address the following key questions as items Zara’s leadership team will be interested in:
- Analyze and explain why the company’s supply chain strategy is successful. As part of that, examine the effect of the selection and management of suppliers and determination of information needs and systems.
- Analyze the importance of the company’s fast response and information infrastructure as related to the company’s supply chain strategy. For example, what advantage does Zara gain against the competition by having a very responsive supply chain? What information infrastructure does Zara need in order to operate its production, distribution, and fast fashion retail network effectively?
- Analyze how the company’s unique replenishment strategy satisfies customers. For example, what advantage does the company gain from replenishing its stores multiple times a week compared to a less frequent schedule? How does the frequency of replenishment affect the improved customer satisfaction?
- What information infrastructure does Zara need in order to operate its production, distribution, and fast fashion retail network effectively?
Based on a leadership team audience, your report should be well organized and written in clear, succinct language. Target 600–800 words. Attributing sources in your professional and academic work supports your analysis and conclusions and demonstrates ethical behavior and academic honesty. Following APA rules for attributing sources provides consistency and ensures that readers can locate original sources if desired.
Zara-Rapid Fire Fulfillment Scoring Guide
CRITERIA | DISTINGUISHED | |||
---|---|---|---|---|
Explain why a company’s supply chain strategy is successful. | Analyzes why a company’s supply chain strategy is successful. | |||
Describe the importance of a company’s fast response and information infrastructure. | Analyzes the importance of a company’s fast response and information infrastructure and links the analysis to the supply chain strategy. | |||
Describe how a company’s unique replenishment strategy satisfies customers. | Analyzes how a company’s unique replenishment strategy satisfies customers. | |||
Exhibit proficiency in writing, critical thinking, and academic integrity by appropriately attributing sources. | Exhibits proficiency in writing, critical thinking, and academic integrity by appropriately attributing sources, and supports analysis with relevant research. |