Competitive advantage

    Order Description         Acting as a Business Consultant, and using information about Sainsbury’s and ALDI as an example of companies from the retail sector, prepare a report which critically evaluates how supply chain decisions made by the above companies have helped them create, maintain or improve their COMPETITIVE ADVANTAGE. For example, the fashion retailer Zara sources products with uncertain demand from local manufacturers, and those with more predictable demand from Asia. This decision means the company can benefit from both shorter lead times and cheaper manufacturing, depending on the products being sourced, whilst being able to respond quickly to unpredictable and rapidly changing customer demand. The report should make general recommendations for a new retailer to protect their INBOUND LOGISTICS OPERATIONS in global supply chains, from events outside their control. The recommendations should be mindful of their relative impacts on the organisation and the customer, both in the short and long term. For example, having a single source supplier may deliver greater visibility, quality and cost certainty, but the risk of supplier failure could outweigh any short term financial benefit. ASSESSMENT STRATEGY The report should include but not necessarily be limited to: • Supply chain relationships • Cost to serve • Inventory management • Use of technology • Distribution centre operations management • Lean / agile supply chains • Value and the end to end supply chain • Supply chain resilience and sustainability • Ethical and transparent supply chains • Inbound logistics strategy • Global supply chain • Inventory management • Distribution centre operations