Literature Review and Analysis of Supply Chain Management

This assignment involves a thorough analysis of various literature related to supply chain management. It includes a review of different studies and articles that have been published in reputable journals and books. The focus is on understanding the key concepts, theories, and applications in supply chain management, as well as exploring the latest research and trends in the field. Specific details include a review of 17 papers and articles from renowned authors such as Fahimnia, Feenstra, Frantal, Kononiuk, Mehmood, Monczka, Mota, Nimtrakoon, Pagell, Quarshie, Roni, Sallis, Schwartz, Silvestre, Webster, Witkowski, and others. The analysis covers topics such as green supply chain management, strategic foresight in logistics, sustainable supply chains, corporate social responsibility, and supply chain accountability.

Running head: LOGISTICS AND SUPPLY CHAIN MANAGEMENT
Logistics and supply chain management
Word Count
Name of the student
Number of the student
Subject name
AQF level
Name of the university
Author Note:

2
LOGISTICS AND SUPPLY CHAIN MANAGEMENT
Executive summary
The following report is based on the study of the supply chain management of Cole’s
Supermarket in Australia. The formulator of the report has identified the different kinds of
elements related with the supply chain strategy of the business. The report has started with a
brief introduction about the company and has progressed with the literary review and a brief
yet compact methodology section. Finally it ends with a short conclusion and a detailed
recommendation of the same.

3
LOGISTICS AND SUPPLY CHAIN MANAGEMENT
Table of Contents
Introduction.....................................................................................................................................5
Project statement........................................................................................................................5
Project topic.................................................................................................................................5
Literature review.............................................................................................................................5
Supply chain management and financial sustainability:.............................................................5
Supply chain management and environmental sustainability:...................................................6
Logistics and supply chain management:....................................................................................7
CSR and supply chain management:...........................................................................................7
Purpose of the research..................................................................................................................8
Research method.............................................................................................................................8
Project report...................................................................................................................................9
Description of the topic...............................................................................................................9
Principles and theories..................................................................................................................11
Research methodology and justification.......................................................................................13
Method Outline.........................................................................................................................13
Research Philosophy..................................................................................................................13
Research Approach....................................................................................................................13
Design of the Research..............................................................................................................14
Research Strategy......................................................................................................................14
Sampling Technique and Sampling Size.....................................................................................14
Findings and data analysis.............................................................................................................15

4
LOGISTICS AND SUPPLY CHAIN MANAGEMENT
Findings......................................................................................................................................15
Data Analysis..............................................................................................................................15
Conclusion and Recommendations...............................................................................................19
References.....................................................................................................................................22

5
LOGISTICS AND SUPPLY CHAIN MANAGEMENT
Introduction
Project statement
The supermarket and grocery stores in Australia is considered highly competitive as well
as concentrated. The renowned retail stores in Australia include ALDI, Coles and Woolworths.
With the establishment of ALDI in 2001, the retail industry in Australia has taken a new shape. It
has started growing and developing with a new product line, which gained momentum
alongside the products of Coles and Woolworths. The trend of retail industry started affecting
the shopping behavior of the individuals. Strong competition from the new retail companies
had a significant impact on the traditional companies of Coles and Woolworths (Bailey 2017).
Project topic
This project will focus on the logistics and supply chain management within Coles
Supermarkets in the Australian Supermarket Industry. The content of the particular project will
center on the sustainable supply chains, planning, management and analysis of logistics
functions. The issues with Coles supply chain are associated with its high price for the regular
groceries and their high rate of stock- outs. Customer data has highlighted that the complaint
about stock- out is a long-term issue in Coles supermarket (Brandenburg et al. 2014).
Literature review
The literature for this topic will be totally dependent on the different principles and
elements of Supply Chain Management, corporate social responsibility and sustainability
theory. Previous case studies will be used as a secondary source of information to gather
evidences for the topic. As the theme of this topic will centre on the supply chain management
and logistics of Coles therefore relevant theories have been selected.
Supply chain management and financial sustainability:
Bekaroo, Bokhoree and Pattinson (2016) mention that supply chain management at
Coles and sustainability are closely related. The supermarket chain’s product line consists of

6
LOGISTICS AND SUPPLY CHAIN MANAGEMENT
baby products, Coles mobile, gift cards, liquor and meat. The supermarket also sells gluten free
products which cater to the needs of the health conscious and aged consumers. An analysis of
the product line of Coles clearly shows that the supermarket chain is heavily dependent on a
large number of suppliers both from within Australia and abroad to make these products
available to customers. Sallis et al. (2015) further point out in this regard that the supply chain
management of Coles plays a significant role in rendering it sustainability, both environment
wise and financially. First, the supply chain management of Coles enables it to acquire superior
quality products like dairy products at economic rates. Secondly, this helps the Australian super
market chain keep its operational costs low which in turn enable it to keep the prices of its
products low. Moreover, due to a vast supply chain spanning across the several countries, the
supermarket chain is able to import premium goods from other countries. Thus, it is able to
cater to both middle class consumers and upper class consumers. This earns the supermarket
chain immense revenue, thus rendering it financial sustainability. Nimtrakoon (2015) in this
respect points out that high revenue generation boosts the capital generation required to
propel its operations. This is because the management of the supermarket allocates a ratio of
its revenue towards paying high returns to investors. Blankespoor and Zhu (2018) in this respect
reiterates that economic supply chains enable the supermarket to maintain low acquisition of
materials, thus maintaining high profit percentage. Thus, from the above discussion it can be
said that supply chain management plays significant role in achieving financial sustainability,
both in terms of generating revenue and capital.
Supply chain management and environmental sustainability:
As per Mota et al. (2015), chain management takes the center stage in attaining
environmental sustainability. The country of Australia has very strict environmental laws which
aim to protect the biodiversity and heritage of the country. The laws encompass all industries
and business Organizations. The laws require the business Organizations including
supermarkets like Coles to comply with them and have provisions of initiating legal actions
against defaulters (environment.gov.au 2018). Silvestre (2015) mention that supply chains plays
a very important role in compliance with the environmental laws. This is because the suppliers
provide the supermarket with environmental friendly products like organic products which help

7
LOGISTICS AND SUPPLY CHAIN MANAGEMENT
it to attain environmental sustainability in terms of product offering. Thus, the chain
management plays a very significant role in assisting Coles comply with the Australian
environmental laws and reducing legal expenditure it would have otherwise incurred due to
non-compliance with environmental laws. Thus, environmental sustainability leads to financial
sustainability. Christopher (2016) points out another significant aid without which sustainability
and supply chain management would not feasible-logistics.
Logistics and supply chain management:
Sallis et al. (2015) already points out that efficient supply chain management is
dependent heavily on logistics as pointed out Christopher (2016).The logistics chain consist of
wide network of warehouses and transport consisting of air, water and road transport which
ensure that the suppliers can deliver their goods to Coles at convenient. This enables these
suppliers to keep the rates of those products low which in turn enables Coles to maintain the
value of products low. de Jong et al.(2016) strengthens the discussion by pointing out that
logistics chain today follow HUB AND SPOKE MODEL which consist of transportation of goods
from one point to the other in order to enable faster transport. The suppliers use important
transport junctions like principle air ports and ports to accumulate large volume of freight
which is then transported to the target market. Roni, et al.(2017) in this regard point out this
hub and spoke model enable logistics companies to transport bulk items which reduces the cost
per item. The suppliers using these logistics network have to incur lower expenditure which
enables them to charge less from the companies like Coles acquiring their products. Thus,
logistics form the base of an efficient supply chain management and sustainability at Coles.
CSR and supply chain management:
Quarshie, Salmi and Leuschner(2016) mention that CSR and supply chain management
of supermarket chais like Coles are related very closely. The product range of Coles would
reveal that it sells high quality local products like Australian wine besides selling branded
products. The supermarket chain acquires products from local producers and enables them
generate revenue. Epstein(2018) points out in this respect that the supermarket chain as a
responsible corporate citizen brings about economic development among the local population.

8
LOGISTICS AND SUPPLY CHAIN MANAGEMENT
The local producers are able to produce higher quality products to the supermarket and thus
the latter is able to procure them at lower prices. This allows the Coles to keep its cost of
acquisition if raw materials low and enjoy high percentage of profits. Further it can be pointed
out that the supermarket chain provide markets to local producers of Australia like local wine
producers to sell these products. Witkowski and Kiba-Janiak(2014) mention this means that the
supermarket can acquire those locally produced products by incurring lower logistics costs.
Thus, corporate social responsibility can enable the Coles to achieve higher degree of efficiency
both in terms of supply chain and logistics chains management. Frantál et al.(2015) mentions
that corporate social responsibility enables the Coles to create a strong social image in Australia
which helps it to compete with its competitors like Woolworths. Thus, it can be inferred that
benefit CSR is not limited to efficient management of supply chain and logistics chain. It has
emerged as a formidable tool to sustain the market competition from other big supermarket
chains.
Purpose of the research
The purpose of the following research is to find out about the supply chain and logistics
issues in the Coles supermarket and the appropriate use of relevant principles and theories
with regard to those issues. The research is aimed at the high price of the grocery stores and
the large amount of stock-outs in the market. The customer data has highlighted ample amount
of complaints from the customers therefore, it is intended to look for a remedy to this issue.
This research will serve the purpose of project planning and management at the Coles
supermarket with respect to the Australian supermarket industry (Christopher 2016).
Research method
Research methods are the processes and procedures, which are followed while
collecting data and gathering information. There are different types of research methods and
those are dependent on the topic and subject of the study. For this particular research, case
study approach will be used and secondary data will be collected to serve the purpose of this
research. The data, which will be collected from the secondary sources, will be analyzed using

9
LOGISTICS AND SUPPLY CHAIN MANAGEMENT
qualitative methods. No numerical data will be used in the findings and analysis of data (Coles,
Xhelili and Kessler 2016). Rather, information and qualitative data will be emphasized while
carrying out the process of data analysis.
Project report
Description of the topic
The effectiveness and strength of the supply chain and logistics industry in Australia
plays a crucial role in enhancing the productivity and economy of the country. This project is
based on the supply chain and logistics functions of Coles supermarket and the issues faced by
the organization in terms of high price and large stock- outs. In the Australian retail industry,
cost- effective supply chain and logistics functions permit the exporters to grab the
international markets easily by helping the Australians manufacturers to remain cost-
competitive in the import market. It is helpful in enabling different organizations in Australia to
face competition in the industry by decreasing the cost and offering more choice to the
customers (Fahimnia, Sarkis and Davarzani 2015).
According to the supply chain report 2017, Coles had brought together the stakeholders
from all over the logistics and supply chain industry in Australia. By stressing more on the
logistics and supply chain issues at Coles it can be mentioned that, the significance of
appropriateness in the supply chain measures the reason and effects of inaccuracy. It is
considered as an approach to deliver benefits to the customer with few learning from the
practical experience. Accuracy is regarded as a key factor at Coles by pointing at the proper
amount of inventory existing to offer best value to the customer. FMCG market is facing stiff
competition due to the unavoidable challenges faced because of environmental impacts
(Kononiuk 2018).
In such a complex surrounding, it is important to set the basic training standards
properly which is underlying the process and affects the outcome largely. Without setting up
the basics properly, there is a possibility that the process might vary in the supply chain. There
is a scope that other parts of the business might be hampered as an after effect of this process,

10
LOGISTICS AND SUPPLY CHAIN MANAGEMENT
which might hamper the process of delivering best customer value (Mehmood, Katib and
Albeshri 2017). Taking proper measures are very important as the organization might miss on
the situation, which can take toll on their reputation. Coles has used the approach of
integrating training standards with technology to set up a proper and accurate inventory. The
primary measures are managed by categorizing on priority basis to find out about the reasons
behind the measures. This process is conducted with the suitable stakeholders to seek for
sustainable solutions as a part of supply chain management that can be utilized to provide
customers with better value. Although there are lots of barriers and challenges in the process of
logistics and supply chain, it sometimes becomes out of control by the organization to manage.
However, the process of dealing with the inventory is totally under the organizational control.
Thus is because, a correct inventory helps in the process of effective decision making, provides
a flexible work environment and attains the ability to react better in face of the challenges.
Inventory also affects the outcome of other supply chains and the logistics functions (Monczka
et al. 2015).

11
LOGISTICS AND SUPPLY CHAIN MANAGEMENT
Principles and theories
For this particular project on Coles’ supply chain and logistics, the principles of
sustainability, CSR and supply chain management is focused on. Sustainability is referred to as a
kind of economy and culture that can be long- lasting and retained on a international level.
Therefore, Coles management has taken the responsibility to deal with their social and
environmental effects in a serious manner. They think it to be a significant decision of the
customers as well as the team members and the suppliers (Pagell and Shevchenko 2014). They
make it a point to constantly look out for new opportunities and make a positive impact on the
society by recycling waste, increasing resource efficiency and being responsible towards ethical
sourcing. On the other hand, the supply chain facilities at Coles allow the organization to think
deeply about the supply chain by responding fast to the change in sales. It helps in getting used
to the change in inventory and services are delivered in a quick manner. Coles has managed to
create a quick supply chain by making sure that their distribution centers incorporate the
processes and automation of logistics successfully. As Coles required a salutation for securing
their future processes, therefore they made sure to be cost- effective for overcoming the
challenges. This process helped in total reduction of direct labor by palletizing crates. The
pallets of the distribution centre are usually filled with cartons and other such objects from the
suppliers (Webster, Bargon and Carter 2015). That is how, Coles is able to keep a control on
their costs as well as the security of supply with the help of automation due to the increase in
reaction and decrease in lead- time. Coles was benefitted by having a proper control over their
inventory and at the same time, enhanced the shelf life of the product.
Schwartz(2017) defines corporate social responsibility as the business approach which
emphasises that business Organizations must work towards acting as responsible corporate
citizens aiming to bring about betterment of the society and the other stakeholders as well.
Binz et al. (2017) in this respects that business Organizations like Coles are corporate citizens
which uses resources like capital and human resources from the economy and pay taxes to the
government. Thus, they are on regular basis engaging in transactions with several stakeholders
like customers and the suppliers. For example, the suppliers provide the Coles Supermarket
with authentic high quality local products like Australian wine and beef. Feenstra(2018) takes

12
LOGISTICS AND SUPPLY CHAIN MANAGEMENT
this importance of local suppliers to the next level by mentioning that local products enable
supermarkets give authenticity to their product lines, thus gaining differentiation from their
competitors. Thus, the business Organizations are also responsible to bring about the socio-
economic development. These Organizations in fact benefit by the development of the local
producers. The local producers due to increased income are able to offer better products to the
supermarkets owing to their increased resources. Thus supermarket chains can enable their
supply chains to gain higher degree financial sustainability and encourage them towards using
environment friendly methods of producing raw materials. This way the supermarket can attain
higher degree of sustainability and reduce its carbon footprints. Thus, corporate social
responsibility can enable business Organization to strengthen their image and reduce their
environmental impacts. This important role which CSR plays has made business Organizations
adopt CSR as a part their core strategy which is supervised by the apex management.

13
LOGISTICS AND SUPPLY CHAIN MANAGEMENT
Research methodology and justification
The following chapter of the project will highlight the different methods that are used in
the conduction of the following study. Methodology is one of the most important chapters of
the project as because it provides the details of the different kinds of the model that are used in
the following chapter. The methodology provides an appropriate framework that can help to
complete the report within the calculated time limit. The following report has included the
outline of the different methods, the research philosophy, strategy and approach to the study.
The data collection processes and the sampling techniques has also been provided in the
following chapter.
Method Outline
The report has used the case study based approach. The post positivism research
philosophy has also been used in the research that would be helpful in determining the
different types of the methods that will be most suitable. The deductive approach on the other
hand is an additional benefit for the formulation of the report. The study has used mainly the
qualitative data analysis method to analyze the results from the collected data.
Research Philosophy
The following report has used the positivism research philosophy to conduct and
complete the findings on the study of the sup-ply chain of Coles supermarket. The main use of
using the positivism research philosophy is the use of different kinds of factual knowledge to
test the formulated research hypothesis and questions. Moreover the use of the particular
philosophy also enables the formulator of the particular study to analyze the data more
scientifically.
Research Approach
The report has used the deductive case study approach over the use of inductive
approach to find out the results of the research. The use of the deductive research also allows

14
LOGISTICS AND SUPPLY CHAIN MANAGEMENT
the formulator of the report to test the formulated hypothesis or the issues that bothers the
supply chain or the logistical management chain of the different kinds of organization. The use
of deductive approach also goes well with the collection of secondary articles and researches
that are used to formulate the study in a proper and effective manner. The secondary resources
are generally referred to as the data collected from sources like earlier works, magazines and
reports or literary articles that were published earlier. The most important reason of using the
deductive source of approach is usually the saving of time and resources to conduct such a
study. The collection of data and other sources from that of the earlier literary articles has
helped the formulator of this particular study to save ample amount of time which in turn have
helped to provide the readers with a much diversified understanding of the topic and has also
increased the scope of the research.
Design of the Research
The following case study has used the descriptive design to conduct the study. The
descriptive design goes in a perfect harmony with that of the deductive approach and also
provides the formulator of the study to make a proper clarification about the existing problems
of the research topic. The study in this case has considered the problems that lie with the
supply chain management of Coles Supermarkets. The use of the descriptive method also helps
to get a clear and transparent idea about the different kinds of the future occurrences and also
helps to formulate a solid plan based on the present occurrences.
Research Strategy
The following study is generally based on the case study method where the formulator
has selected a particular case study that is based on the supply chain strategies of Coles
supermarket in Australia. All the data has been collected from the case study and has then been
analyzed to find out the actual results. The following method helped the formulator to analyze
the impact of the supply chain management on the success of Coles Supermarket.

15
LOGISTICS AND SUPPLY CHAIN MANAGEMENT
Sampling Technique and Sampling Size
The following report will be mainly based on the secondary data that will be analyzed
from their sources. The sampling size will usually involve the number of sources that have been
considered for the collection of the data related to the following project.
Findings and data analysis
Findings
I found that the supermarket of Australia has been following the supply chain
management principles based on three major frameworks. The supply chain management is
totally dependent on the use of these frameworks efficiently and in a proper manner. I was also
able to get a thorough knowledge of the different types of other elements related to the
following topic. However the most important finding was that of the use of the latest
technological features in business.
Data Analysis
Market competition is one of the major issues that tend to cripple the mentioned
supermarket and disrupts it operational sustainability. The external market environmental
analysis of the company showed that the company faces a lot of threats from the operational
other competitors in the market. Therefore the company has to maintain a supply chain
strategy to ensure a smooth operational functioning (Bailey 2017). The presence of a proper
supply chain management is essential for the success of the business in the market. Supply
chain management depends on some key elements namely;
a. The Product Flow- The product plow is correspondent to the flow of goods to the
customer from the supplier of these goods. It involves the flow of goods from the
different types of manufacturers to the end users of the same products.
b. The Information Flow-The flow of information refers to the flow of transmitting the
different orders and the update of the different kind of the delivery status.
c. The finance flow- The finance flow refers to the payment schedules, credit terms and
the different kinds of title ownership arrangements.

16
LOGISTICS AND SUPPLY CHAIN MANAGEMENT
The conduction of the following report has helped to find out the needs for the supply
chain management. The analysis of the literature review has provided the readers with the
main details about the actual need for supply chain management of the organization. According
to, Bailey (2017) there has been a rapid increase in the globalization of the supply chain
management. Each and every organization irrespective of their size and nature of business are
in need of a proper and effective supply chain management that helps to maintain a healthy
supply base. The products that are produced by the companies are generally marketed and
promoted by Coles in their stores. Coles stores are not only confined to small localized areas
but have expanded their bases to even small towns and even in some rural areas of Australia
(Brandenburg et al. 2014). These have promoted the goods of the organization in a much better
and broad way and have resulted in the formation of the different supply chains. Therefore
globalization has increased the extent to which the products can be marketed or distributed.
The companies have been trying to market their products all over the areas where it has its
presence and thus its supply chain has been growing bigger and bigger in the coming years. The
more bigger the supply chain grows, the more bigger that it gets complex in nature. The supply
chain thus is now controlled by an advanced version of software that is required for the use of
the organization. According to the management of the mentioned Supermarket of Australia
earlier in the past the marketing, planning, distribution and other kinds of retailing activities
needs to be done in a proper manner and independent manner (Bailey 2017). The management
of the company focuses on the impact on the inventory levels and the different kinds of the
distribution capabilities. The orders of the organization are thus taken very carefully and placed
accordingly.
As mentioned earlier the growth of the supply chain management will see the growth in
the delivery time. This increase in the time will be a cause of anxiety as the company in such a a
case has to compromise on the quality or quantity of the products to make sure they meet the
deadline of the supply. The speeding up of the supply chain thus exaggerates the risk of
compromise (Brandenburg et al. 2014). The speeding up of the supply chain will thus fail to
deliver the necessary results for the organization. Therefore a change and restructuring is
essential for the success of the supply chain management. The supply chain according to the

17
LOGISTICS AND SUPPLY CHAIN MANAGEMENT
following report is the flow of information and material from supplier to the customers. The
scope of supply chain management is;
1. Reducing the total costs of the supply chain and the costs
2. Increase in the capacity, utilization and profit of the business
3. Speeding up the process of the supply chain and the flexibility to the customers
The management of Coles Supermarket generally follow the principles to avid any forms of
problems that may cause a crisis situation. In short the management ensures every steps to
secure the supply line of the goods and products within the organization. The report has
addressed the three main strategic frameworks adapted by the management of the
organization to ensure the best possible use of the supply chain sources.
1. CSR sustainability- Each and every large company have a social responsibility. Apart
from earning profit the management of the companies have to make sure to address
such kinds of responsibilities to address the different social and cultural issues both
within the workplace as well as outside the workplace (Brandenburg et al. 2014). The
management of Coles Supermarket has initiated as well as participated into a number of
different CSR initiatives that has been helpful for the organization to make the most of
the business.
2. Sustainable Supply chain management- The thorough analysis carried out in the literary
part of the following project found out that the management of the company utilizes
sustainable supply chain management in a proper way so that the organization can
utilize it to the full extent. Some of the key importance of Sustainable Supply Chain
Management are as follows;
 A sustainable supply chain management strategy is useful for improving the
relationships with the suppliers of the company. This in turn helps in the
enhancement of the bond with the suppliers.
 The sustainable supply chain management also helps to improve the quality of
the different kinds of goods and products that are available in the supermarket
stores.

18
LOGISTICS AND SUPPLY CHAIN MANAGEMENT The sustainable supply chain strategy helps to attract and retain the employees
of the organization can outsource different extra tasks and prioritize the stay of
the most able and qualified employees.
 The sustainable supply chain management of the organization provides a high
level of security to the investors and the creditors. Such a supply chain ensures
the creditors about a proper return from any kind of long term or short term
investment in the market.
The management of Cole’s supermarkets practices sustainable supply chain marketing
just for the above mentioned benefits. The marketing teams of the company are always
engaged in finding out new and much better ways to carry out sustainable supply chain
management. The following report has highlighted the process by which the company creates
the sustainable chain management. As observed by Christopher (2016) the employees at Coles
have developed a sustainability plan to ensure that they stay focused and concentrate on
providing better services to the customers of the organization.
3. Logistics-Logistics management is one of the main tasks of the organization when it
comes to sustainable supply chain management. The management of Coles
Supermarket runs one of the best supermarkets of Australia just because of the
advanced chain of logistics. The results of the following analysis show that the
mentioned supermarket industry is customizing the different kinds of operational
strategies of the organization. The management of the company uses the efficient
consumer response method to increase the supply chain efficiency of Coles
Supermarket and drive the new set of logistics trends within the industry. The trends
include the likes of the expanded service requirements, mass customization, customer
loyalty and private labeling, delivery options and increased challenges in different kinds
of competitive markets. Apart from this third and fourth party based logistical systems,
electronic supply chain management and reverse logistics are increasingly become
normal for different large business organizations. Coles have recently implemented the
use of the electronic point of sales data collection (Brandenburg et al. 2014).

19
LOGISTICS AND SUPPLY CHAIN MANAGEMENT
The findings implied that the advancements in the transportation and the storage
technologies includes different kinds of breakthrough technologies to improve the supermarket
operation to the level of leading automobile manufacturers, the increased present challenges
and the different opportunities of the supermarket industry in the island continent of Australia.
Though Coles face a lot of different internal as well as external challenges from the different
kinds of sources, the company ensures the maintenance of the best logistics solution to provide
effective and efficient services to the customers of Coles (Christopher 2016).
Conclusion and Recommendations
The following report has been formulated in a proper and efficient manner to get a
better understanding of the supply chain and logistics system of Coles. The following report has
highlighted the different kinds of the elements that are considered during the supply chain
operations of the business. The report has also identified three different frameworks that are
used by the management of Cole’s supermarket in Australia to smoothly conduct the supply
chain operations of the business. A thorough analysis of the report will thus provide a clear
picture of supply chain management in Coles and will also serve as one of the secondary
sources for future researches.
The findings and analysis of the report has provided an insight into the supply chain
strategies that are generally followed by Coles supermarket. Some of the main
recommendations of the organization are as follows;
a. Adoption of a demand driven planning and business operating model- The proper
predication and contingency planning tools will ensure a complete view and an effective
response to risks such as suppliers who discontinues with the business, political
upheaval and different kinds of natural calamities that may affect the smooth
operations of the organization (Brandenburg et al. 2014). The management of Coles has
to make specific arrangements to adjust the pricing, shape the demand and move the
additional products more quickly than ever, drive the revenue growth and more as such.
The main task of the organization must concentrate on finding different leverage

20
LOGISTICS AND SUPPLY CHAIN MANAGEMENT
opportunities and mitigate different kinds of challenging events to ensure the success
and sustainability of Coles in local as well as international markets.
b. Ensuring a reliable and productive Supply- The absence of a reliable supply chain for
Coles often presents different kinds of problems. The absence of a reliable supply to
customer facing stakeholders to meet the agreed upon service levels tends the
manufacturers of the different products to hold the inventory buffers to ensure meeting
the satisfaction levels of the customer. The following costs of the business may even
involve the buying of different kinds of products that includes the likes of wrong and
inferior products. The limitations of such flawed process can be met by the use of latest
technological software by the management of the organization.
c. Use of the Right practices and the best tools- The demands on supply chain managers
to respond in a rapid and efficient manner to different kinds of organizational
developments and organizational changes are required to increase the profitability of
the organization. The effective strategies and solutions that exist in the business set up
and support each other on different kinds of strategies. Therefore the use of the proper
strategies is utmost essential for the success of the business in the market. Apart from
this the management of Coles must also concentrate on the use of the proper tools that
will help Coles to supply the best possible products in the correct time to the customers.
The tools that will be used will be tested tools and used by most of the large
supermarkets of the world.
d. Using Advanced Software to track and manage inventory in real time- As mentioned
earlier the use of modern and latest technological tools is key to the success of
maintaining a proper supply chain (Christopher 2016). The maintenance of a proper
supply chain is important for the use of the organizational tools and they can use it in
different occasions to maintain the different levels of the supply chain. The
implementation of the different kinds of the software also helps the organization to
monitor and regulate the whole of the supply process and achieve the desired results.
e. Making sure that the marketing and supply chain teams are in proper synchronization-
The management of Coles must make sure to execute a proper promotion strategy to

21
LOGISTICS AND SUPPLY CHAIN MANAGEMENT
deliver the best results for the organization. Most of the companies including that of
Coles overlook the alignment of the supply chain and the marketing teams which is by
far the most efficient and crucial way to ensure the maintenance of a smooth supply
chain. The presence of a marketing alert the supply chain goes ahead in the right path of
a proper promotional policy.
f. Manage each of the product individually but understand how products behave in
groups- There are different kinds of perishable categories, products often substitute so
readily for one another that the customers can switch over from one brand to the other
brand without any second choice (Christopher 2016). The company must begin the
process of optimization by identifying the must haves in each of the different large and
small sub categories to support the different processes of the organization.

22
LOGISTICS AND SUPPLY CHAIN MANAGEMENT
References
"Department Of The Environment And Energy". 2018. Department Of The Environment And
Energy. http://www.environment.gov.au/resource/local-government-and-australian-
environment-law.
Bailey, M., 2017. Absorptive Capacity, International Business Knowledge Transfer, and Local
Adaptation: Establishing Discount Department Stores in Australia. Australian Economic History
Review, 57(2), pp.194-216.
Bekaroo, G., Bokhoree, C. and Pattinson, C., 2016. Impacts of ICT on the natural ecosystem: A
grassroot analysis for promoting socio-environmental sustainability. Renewable and Sustainable
Energy Reviews, 57, pp.1580-1595.
Binz, C.A., Ferguson, K.E., Pieper, T.M. and Astrachan, J.H., 2017. Family business goals,
corporate citizenship behaviour and firm performance: disentangling the
connections. International Journal of Management and Enterprise Development, 16(1-2), pp.34-
56.
Blankespoor, E. and Zhu, C., 2018. Capital market effects of media synthesis and dissemination:
Evidence from robo-journalism. Review of Accounting Studies, 23(1), pp.1-36.
Bohari, A.M., Hin, C.W. and Fuad, N., 2017. The competitiveness of halal food industry in
Malaysia: A SWOT-ICT analysis. Geografia-Malaysian Journal of Society and Space, 9(1).
Brandenburg, M., Govindan, K., Sarkis, J. and Seuring, S., 2014. Quantitative models for
sustainable supply chain management: Developments and directions. European Journal of
Operational Research, 233(2), pp.299-312.
Christopher, M., 2016. Logistics & supply chain management. Pearson UK.
Christopher, M., 2016. Logistics & supply chain management. Pearson UK.

23
LOGISTICS AND SUPPLY CHAIN MANAGEMENT
Coles, N., Xhelili, A. and Kessler, A., 2016. SUPPLY CHA! NGE in European Food Chains.
In Business Forum Report. Wuppertal. This report can be downloaded at www. supplychainge.
org/the-business-forum Forum Organized by Collaborating Centre on Sustainable Consumption
and Production (CSCP) Hagenauer Strasse (Vol. 30, p. 42107).
de Jong, S., Wetterlund, E., Hoefnagels, R., Tzanetis, K., Pettersson, K. and Junginger, M., 2016.
Optimizing biofuel supply chains based on liquefaction technologies: evaluating the hub-and-
spoke model. In Swedish Association for Energy Economics (SAEE) conference 2016, Luleå,
August 23-24 2016. Luleåtekniskauniversitet.
Epstein, M.J., 2018. Making sustainability work: Best practices in managing and measuring
corporate social, environmental and economic impacts. Routledge.
Fahimnia, B., Sarkis, J. and Davarzani, H., 2015. Green supply chain management: A review and
bibliometric analysis. International Journal of Production Economics, 162, pp.101-114.
Feenstra, R.C., 2018. Restoring the product variety and pro-competitive gains from trade with
heterogeneous firms and bounded productivity. Journal of International Economics, 110, pp.16-
27.
Frantál, B., Greer-Wootten, B., Klusáček, P., Krejčí, T., Kunc, J. and Martinát, S., 2015. Exploring
spatial patterns of urban brownfields regeneration: The case of Brno, Czech Republic. Cities, 44,
pp.9-18.
Kononiuk, A., 2018. Strategic foresight in logistics-possibilities of application. Research in
Logistics & Production, 8, pp.77-89.
Mehmood, R., Katib, I. and Albeshri, A., 2017. Enabling Next Generation Logistics and Planning
for Smarter Societies.
Monczka, R.M., Handfield, R.B., Giunipero, L.C. and Patterson, J.L., 2015. Purchasing and supply
chain management. Cengage Learning.

24
LOGISTICS AND SUPPLY CHAIN MANAGEMENT
Mota, B., Gomes, M.I., Carvalho, A. and Barbosa-Povoa, A.P., 2015. Towards supply chain
sustainability: economic, environmental and social design and planning. Journal of Cleaner
Production, 105, pp.14-27.
Nimtrakoon, S., 2015. The relationship between intellectual capital, firms’ market value and
financial performance: Empirical evidence from the ASEAN. Journal of Intellectual Capital, 16(3),
pp.587-618.
Pagell, M. and Shevchenko, A., 2014. Why research in sustainable supply chain management
should have no future. Journal of supply chain management, 50(1), pp.44-55.
Quarshie, A.M., Salmi, A. and Leuschner, R., 2016. Sustainability and corporate social
responsibility in supply chains: The state of research in supply chain management and business
ethics journals. Journal of Purchasing and Supply Management, 22(2), pp.82-97.
Roni, M.S., Eksioglu, S.D., Cafferty, K.G. and Jacobson, J.J., 2017. A multi-objective, hub-and-
spoke model to design and manage biofuel supply chains. Annals of Operations
Research, 249(1-2), pp.351-380.
Sallis, J.F., Cain, K.L., Conway, T.L., Gavand, K.A., Millstein, R.A., Geremia, C.M., Frank, L.D.,
Saelens, B.E., Glanz, K. and King, A.C., 2015. Peer reviewed: Is your neighborhood designed to
support physical activity? A brief streetscape audit tool. Preventing chronic disease, 12.
Schwartz, M.S., 2017. Corporate social responsibility. Routledge.
Silvestre, B.S., 2015. Sustainable supply chain management in emerging economies:
Environmental turbulence, institutional voids and sustainability trajectories. International
Journal of Production Economics, 167, pp.156-169.
Webster, J., Bargon, R. and Carter, M., 2015. Supply chain accountability: How far does
responsibility extend?: Recent enforcement outcomes in the trolley collecting
industry. Brief, 42(3), p.22.

25
LOGISTICS AND SUPPLY CHAIN MANAGEMENT
Witkowski, J. and Kiba-Janiak, M., 2014. The role of local governments in the development of
city logistics. Procedia-Social and Behavioral Sciences, 125, pp.373-385.