Supply Chain Management Assignment: Chapters 16-20 - University Name

This document provides solutions to a Supply Chain Management assignment, addressing key concepts from chapters 16-20 of the textbook. The assignment covers organizational changes in transportation for lean supply chains, including negotiation strategies and online communication. It also explores elements and characteristics of lean systems, the differences between common and contract carriers, and important negotiation points with transportation providers. The document further delves into reverse auctions, ERP product selection challenges, and barriers to implementation. Additionally, it examines the shift towards strategic performance measures, benchmarking in purchasing, supplier innovation strategies, and the role of purchasing in sustainable development, including the use of recycled content and energy reduction. The solutions are well-researched and provide detailed answers to each question, supported by relevant references.

Running head: SUPPLY CHAIN MANAGEMENT
SUPPLY CHAIN MANAGEMENT
Name of Student
Name of the University
Author Notes
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Answer to question 1
The notable change that should occur between the buyer and seller is to negotiate with
the carriers for a long-term contract, establish online communication to control the material
over the network and pick up and deliver the products on a regular schedule (Cooper, 2017).
Answer to question 2
Elements- Manufacturing flow, organisation, process control, metrics and logistics.
Characteristics- Proper optimisation of inventory, rapid fulfilment of the requirement of
consumers, customisation of the supply chain, utilisation of sources through sustainability
and compliance and visibility of system (Schniederjans, Schniederjans & Cao, 2018).
Answer to question 3
Common carriers provide transportation to the public through the truck. They file
liability insurance (Koopman & Dourado, 2017). On the other hand, contract carriers provide
trucks and transportation based on specific contracts. They do not carry freight for the public.
Answer to question 4
The following negotiations should be discussed with the transportation service provider
before and during a negotiation
 Insurance of the product.
 Shipping details related to the product.
 Storage charges.
 Export and import documentation.
 Packing charges.

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Answer to question 5
An auction in which the seller bids for the sale of their products and services is known
as the reverse auction (Lieberman et.al., 2019). The reverse auction is dependent on the
economy of the market; therefore, it is controversial.
Answer to question 6
In an EPR system, there are plenty of challenges and barriers in the selection of the EPR
product. The challenges of EPR implementation is given below.
 The primary thing that is challenging is the selection of a perfect product. There is
plenty of EPR application in the market. One should know the vendor’s experience
and projects before selecting the best EPR application.
 As senior executives play a notable role in the project, any ignorance from senior
management can be extremely challenging for the success of a project.
 Adequate training can be problematic for most of the companies. If the management
fails to train its employees, it will be difficult for them to handle the project.
 The cost of implementation can be higher for management. The greater the
customization, the greater the implementation cost will be.
Answer to question 7
Most of the organisations are focused on measuring their support function towards
their productivity. They should mitigate the gap between the strategies and execution of their
work, which will end up satisfying the need of the buyer. To eliminate the gap, the leaders of
the management should motivate their employees for day-to-day execution of their strategy.
The management should also manage their operational programs, which will encourage an
individual to take ownership of the strategy. The leaders should also monitor and control the

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company’s progress towards their strategy, which will focus on buyer’s activity as well as
focus towards their strategic measures.
Answer to question 8
Over the recent ten years, benchmarking has been an important aspect of the
purchasing departments. Benchmarking is the best practice in the industry, which offers
exceptional performance in business operations. Benchmarking also has a positive impact on
purchasing and business performance; however, the effect of benchmarking can be direct or
indirect. Benchmarking also enhanced the quality of the firm. Benchmarking aid the
managers to identify which standards are necessary to lead their firm to reach world-class
performance. Benchmarking also aids the supply chain management in different areas,
including information technology management, make purchase decisions and supplier-
customer relationship (Bichou, 2017).
Answer to question 9
The first thing that the organisation should do to innovate the suppliers is to enhance
communication regarding the strategic lines of innovation. The innovation roadmap will aid
the supplier to have its vision through the project. Next thing that the organisation should do
it to select the best suppliers to implement the innovation. The business should select the best
suppliers from the list other than relying on Supplier Relationship Management. The
organisation should also structure the internal exchanges that will drive better innovation to
the suppliers.
Answer to question 10
The purchasing aids the organisation to reach its sustainable development strategies.
Most of the organisations produce the product from recycled contents, which aids the
sustainability of the environment. Purchasing is interlinked with sustainability (Kähkönen,

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Lintukangas & Hallikas, 2018). Sustainable purchasing reduces energy and wastes, thereby
reducing the impact of the product.

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References
Bichou, K. (2017). Port Efficiency and Performance Benchmarking. Encyclopedia of
Maritime and Offshore Engineering, 1-14.
Cooper, R. (2017). Supply chain development for the lean enterprise: interorganizational cost
management. Routledge.
Kähkönen, A. K., Lintukangas, K., & Hallikas, J. (2018). Sustainable supply management
practices: making a difference in a firm’s sustainability performance. Supply Chain
Management: An International Journal.
Koopman, C., & Dourado, E. (2017). Defining Common Carriers: Flight Sharing, the Faa,
and the Future of Aviation.
Lieberman, A., Shemer, J., Natanzon, A., & Bigman, R. (2019). U.S. Patent No. 10,339,600.
Washington, DC: U.S. Patent and Trademark Office.
Schniederjans, M., Schniederjans, D., & Cao, R. Q. (2018). Topics in lean supply chain
management. World Scientific.