Research Proposal: Aligning Supply and Demand Planning for Efficiency

This report investigates the alignment of supply and demand planning to achieve supply chain efficiency, focusing on Microsoft Corporation as a case study. It addresses the mismatch between supply and demand, which leads to potential losses and inefficiencies. The research aims to identify the causes of this mismatch and propose solutions to improve alignment, ultimately maximizing profits and reducing surplus. The study emphasizes the importance of forecasting demand to control production, enhance customer service, and gain a competitive advantage. The research methodology includes qualitative approaches such as questionnaires, focus group surveys, and interviews to facilitate the formulation of adequate research findings.

Running Head: RESEARCH PROPOSAL
Alignment of Supply and Demand planning to attain Supply Chain Efficiency
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Company in Scope: Microsoft Corporations
1. Brief Introduction to Background
Microsoft Corporation was founded in the year 1975 by Bill Gates and Paul Allen. It has
developed over the years and currently it is the largest supplier of software products in the
market such as laptops, iPhone, iPad and MacBook.
Microsoft Corporation Supply Chain Management
Microsoft Corporation was the only established supplier of software products by 2000. Other
firms entered the market and the competition was not too stiff. There was no need to regulate
the supply of its products because its products was the most dominant in the market (Ayers &
Odegaard, 2017). Currently many firms are into the business hence most of them duplicate
Microsoft products and sell at a lower price than the company. This has really affected the
performance of the company hence there has been a need to supply a specific amount of
products in the market according to the consumers demand to reduce the chances of
duplication especially by Chinese software firms (Gattorna, 2015). As a result, the research
shall be very important in addressing this aspect.

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1.1. Introduction to Topic Area
The real integration of the supply chain requires the alignment of the supply and demand for
the products to enhance continuous flow of the goods and services and reduce surplus
production so as to minimize waste. Many organizations suffer great as a result of not
matching the supply and demand of their products hence there is excess in the market whose
potential consumers do not require much of the product. This problem can be solved through
forecasting the demand for the goods and services within the organization. This enables the
organization to produce a given amount as per the demand of its products in the market.
Furthermore it leads to increased profits for the organization. It also results to better service
for the customers because demand forecasting enables the organization to determine the
potential consumers for its products hence controlling the production process.
1.2 Problem Statement and Rationale for Research Topic
Microsoft Corporation is currently struggling with the mismatch of the supply chain of their
products with the demand of their products in the market. This is problematic because it may
result to great losses for the company. The research proposal aims to provide advice to
Microsoft on how they shall align their supply chain with the demand of their products in the
market to maximize the profits and reduce the surplus in the market (McCormack & Johnson,
2016).

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1.3 Aims and Objectives
The research aims to accomplish the following:
Outline what causes the mismatch between demand for products and supply for Microsoft
Corporation’s supply chain. This is important because it shall enhance the success of the
business through reduction of inventory held by the business hence profit maximization.
To come up with relevant solutions to improve the process of aligning the supply and demand
within Microsoft Corporation so as to achieve a sustainable competitive advantage for its soft
wares in the market by producing a sufficient amount to cater for specific consumers’ needs.
Objectives of the Research
General objective
The main purpose for this study is to outline various causes for mismatch between demand
and supply of products in Microsoft Corporation. The outcome of an improvement in the
alignment in demand and supply will be to quantify the products been produced to reduce the
surplus in the market. It also enhances accuracy by the producer when focussing for higher
sales in the target market by supplying the quantity as per the demand from consumers.

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Specific objective
Secondary objectives that were formulated by the researcher for the study were as follows:
To come up with an new features for the products and services through effective alignment to
achieve maximum returns from the sales by the company so as to attract more consumers
which shall enable the organization to speculate for the quantity that can be supplied in the
market at any given time to reduce the surplus which usually results to losses as the
organization incurs specific costs to produce various quantities of products at any given time.
To suggest the best practices that would create value for all the Microsoft products worldwide
which shall enhance organizational growth and development.

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1.4 Summary of Introduction
It is becoming a necessity in the current business world to align the supply of products with
the demand in the market (Hugos, 2018). This is essential because their many producers for
the same products in various parts of the world hence it is usually essential to supply a given
amount that cannot be a surplus in the market. This is essential because it enables the
organization to reap maximum profits due less inventory which facilitates continuous
production (Gattorna, 2017). The organization can only be in a good position to monitor the
movement of its products in the market if it aligns the supply of its products in the market and
demand from the customers. If the demand is too high, the organization through a proper
market research increases the supply hence maximizing the profit (Wu, Wu, Chen & Goh,
2014). If the demand is too low, the organization reduces the supply of its products in the
market. In supply chain management, this is what is being referred to as the process of
aligning the supply and demand which is the fundamental aspect for this research proposal.
This study is going to be important to Microsoft Corporation because it shall enable the
company to know the effective ways for matching the demand for its products with the
supply to ensure profit maximization. The study shall incorporate a qualitative approach
where the questionnaires shall be filled by the sample population to facilitate the research
findings. Focus group surveys and interview shall also be conducted by the researcher to
facilitate the formulation of adequate research findings from the study.

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References
Ayers, J. B., & Odegaard, M. A. (2017). Retail supply chain management. CRC Press.
Gattorna, J. (2015). Dynamic supply chains. London: Pearson Education Limited.
Hugos, M. H. (2018). Essentials of supply chain management. John Wiley & Sons.
Gattorna, J. (2017). Introduction. In Strategic supply chain alignment (pp. 15-21). Routledge.
Wu, T., Wu, Y. C. J., Chen, Y. J., & Goh, M. (2014). Aligning supply chain strategy with
corporate environmental strategy: A contingency approach. International Journal of
Production Economics, 147, 220-229.
McCormack, K. P., & Johnson, W. C. (2016). Supply chain networks and business process
orientation: advanced strategies and best practices. CRC Press.