BSBINN801: Implementing Drones in Woolworths' Supply Chain Logistics

This report analyzes the potential implementation of drones within Woolworths' supply chain network, focusing on enhancing logistics and promoting sustainability. It explores current trends shaping Woolworths' operations, such as customer expectations for premium experiences and the importance of omni-channel presence. Creative thinking techniques like brainstorming and Creative Problem Solving (CPS) are considered to address supply chain issues. The report identifies stakeholders involved in the change, including management, distributors, investors, and customers, and suggests knowledge transfer methods like training sessions and communication strategies. Potential barriers to innovation, such as workforce resistance and implementation costs, are discussed along with mitigation strategies. The report also reflects on the innovation strategy's role in achieving sustainable supply chain management and concludes by emphasizing the feasibility of drone implementation for Woolworths' sustainable growth. Desklib provides access to similar reports and study resources for students.

Future use of drones for
Australian businesses
Implementation in Woolworths’ Supply chain
logistics

Introduction
Woolworths is planning to introduce drones
in the supply chain networks for avoiding
situations of delivery delays
The innovation will be adding to the
sustainable approach of the business and help
the same in achieving a competitive edge
over the other players in the market.

Trends that are shaping the operations of
Woolworths in Australia
The Australian customers expect a premium experience
for the value that is invested by the same
The presence of omni-channel will be helping the
organization in enhancing the shopping experience of the
customers
Woolworths is planning to utilize drones instead of other
means in order to adhere to the ‘on time delivery’
expectations of the customers and gain a competitive
advantage
The Australian customers holds the notion that
personalization of the commodities and the manner in
which they are delivered helps in enhancing their
shopping experience

Creative thinking techniques and issues
The different techniques that might be considered by
Woolworths are Brainstorming and Creative Problem
Solving (CPS)
The organization might take steps to brainstorm an
idea through the identification of the supply chain
issues and thereby choose from among a series of
ideas for resolving the issue (Brunswicker and
Vanhaverbeke 2015)
Creative Problem Solving model in order to identify
the issue and thereby apply different recommended
steps in order to eradicate the issue that is faced by
the same

Requirements for promoting sustainable approach and
people involved
The implementation of drones in the supply
chains of the organization will be helping the
same in enhancing the operations while
operating in diverse international markets
(Mieres et al. 2012)
The different stakeholders that will be
involved during the change will be the
management itself, the distributors and
logistics manager, the investors and the
customers

Devising appropriate means of knowledge
transfer
The organization must take steps to make the
stakeholders aware of the operations of the
same while the business rephrases the
logistic processes through the introduction of
drones (Massini and Miozzo 2012)
The organization will be taking steps to
initiate different training and induction
sessions with the employees in order to make
them aware of the functioning of the drones

Potential barriers to innovation and strategies to mitigate
the issues
Potential barriers that might be faced by the
organization
 Resistance from the workforce due to job cuts
 Resistance to the training that will be provided by the organization
 Costs incurred by the organization while shifting their supply chain to drones
 Resistance from the investors
 Implementation failure
Strategies to mitigate the issues that might be faced by
the organization
 Assessment of the capabilities of the organization
 Negotiation with the stakeholders
 Designing suitable training and framing alternative posts for the employees
facing job cuts
 Testing the technology before implementing

Communication with the stakeholders
The organization will be undertaking open
meetings with the selected stakeholders in
order to make them aware of the different
changes that are planned by the business
The enterprise might also issue newsletters
and send emails to the different relevant
stakeholders in order to make the same
aware of the different modification that are
planned by the business.

Resources required for the innovation
The resources that might be required by the
organization are segregated into two definite
divisions- Human resource and financial resource
The human resource of the organization will be
helping the same in undertaking the smooth
functioning of the processes as per the
sustainable objectives of the business
the financial resources of the organization will be
helping the organization in boosting the
capabilities of the same to afford the drones for
introducing the same in the business model

Reflection on the innovation strategies
The innovation strategy that was considered
by the organization will be helping the same
in introducing the sustainable approach
through the smooth functioning of the supply
chain networks and logistics units
The strategy of introducing drones in the
supply chain networks will be helping the
concerned organization in avoiding the
product delays

Conclusion
The assessment aims at identifying the
feasibility of the organization in introducing
drones in the supply chains
The different uncertainties and strategies of
the organization, identified in the research,
will be helping the organization in
undertaking the right decision for sustainable
growth of the same

References
 Brunswicker, S. and Vanhaverbeke, W., 2015. Open
innovation in small and medium‐sized enterprises (SMEs):
External knowledge sourcing strategies and internal
organizational facilitators. Journal of Small Business
Management, 53(4), pp.1241-1263.
Massini, S. and Miozzo, M., 2012. Outsourcing and offshoring
of business services: challenges to theory, management and
geography of innovation. Regional Studies, 46(9), pp.1219-
1242.
Mieres, C.G., Sánchez, J.Á.L. and Vijande, M.L.S., 2012.
Internal marketing, innovation and performance in business
services firms: the role of organizational
unlearning. International Journal of Management, 29(4),
p.403.