Retail Supply Chain & Logistics: A Report on Workplace Practices

This report examines workplace practices in the retail industry, focusing on supply chain and logistics, with Target as a case study. It discusses the evolution of work patterns, the impact of technology, and the importance of Workplace Health and Safety (WHS). The report covers aspects such as emplo...Read More

Work Place Practices

Supply chain management is defined as process of flowing products and services from
raw materials to final products and services. This includes all types of activities which help in
maximisation of customer value as well as attainment of competitive advantage at marketplace
(Attaran, 2017). Similarly, on other hand, logistics is defined as management of transportation
from one place to another which includes transportation, packaging, inventory, supplies,
warehousing and social security. With change in time, there is more use of technology and
robotic for producing goods and services. In current scenario, society has been changed and
move towards providing of equal opportunity, working hours, location, flexibility and others in
order to attain goal and objectives of business. The organisation chosen for given report is Target
which is retail organisation dealing in different products and services and provides to consumers.
There is change in work pattern from past years due to which it has made work easy and simple.
The main aim of essay report is to cover various aspects of supply chain and logistics in terms of
people participate, work performed, ages of employees, employee participation and so on.
At workplace, WHS (Workplace Health and Safety) plays an effective role to provide
health and safety need to their employees working in organisation. It is essential for all business
to consider safety as well as healthiness of their workforce so that they perform in better way to
gain goal and objectives of business (Gonzalez & Jabbour, 2017). Main role of WHS is to
provide all types of safety in terms of using machinery, equipment and others to employees. This
was evolved due to facing of many issues at workplace in context of health and safety of
employee working in organisation. For example, in case of manufacturing and logistics work,
more safety is required which is possible through WHS. The employees who join organisation
are provided with terms and condition regarding working conditions, working hours and leave
conditions (Petersen, Hackius & von See, 2018). This should be made very clear in advance so
that employees do not have to face any issues or problems at their workplace. Respective
organisation has to use law and legislation for their employees so that their working conditions
are better. In most of business, working hours is 9 hours according to shifts it may varies and
sick, causal, paid leaves should be provided to all work force. With rise in robotic or technology,
it has made work easy as well as simple.
In previous time, tradition work has to be carried out but now organisation uses
machinery to manufacture final products and take help of air transport, roadway in order to
provide product to final consumers in appropriate manner for positive results. In context of

supply chain and logistics, there is use of machinery to save time and cost and get maximum
production along with rise in profitability of business (Peterson & Fedor, 2019). Educational
requirement for supply chain and logistics are graduation or diploma in supply chain
management along with experienced employees who possess good knowledge, skills and
capability who can easily handle work of logistics and supply chain. This industry is fastest
growing and creates employment opportunity for individuals. Employees who have learned such
skills of handling, manufacturing and transferring products from one to another can use in other
field as well as industry. This is transferable skills which are developed by working in respective
industry. Respective retail industry has change their manufacturing and logistics from traditional
to machinery.
Such changes has effect on lifestyle of Australians people as they faced problem at initial
stage to get product from machine as they were habitual to use traditional method manufactured
products but now they find it more comfort and easy. This made work simple and easy along
with maximum productivity and profitability (Yu & Xiao, 2017). Target organisation always
focuses on environment while manufacturing products and services in terms of recycling, saving
planet and use of green products. In next 10 years, there will be more use of technology for
manufacturing goods which is challenging for all industry to adopt to new one that leads to rise
in cost as well as time to apply those in business. Change of work has helped people to complete
their activities and task on given time period along with it they easily maintain work life balance
between personal and professional life. The several factors which have influenced changes in
work conditions in recent years are adaption of new technology, change in lifestyle of people and
many more.
In current time period, people participate in supply chain and logistics in full time as it is
not possible to work in part time and perform activities. Employee has to perform work by going
to organisation where they have to convert raw materials to finished product that take long time
which is not possible to sit at home and conduct work (Triki & Crainic, 2018). The people
participation is full time so that they can send final products to consumers in effective and
efficient manner for attainment of positive outcomes. Each employees work in any organisation
with motive of getting timely salary so that they can fulfils their need and requirements in
effective manner. All employees working under supply chain and logistics are regarded as paid
worker as none of individual work without money. It is important for respective organisation to

provide their employees with salary and wages so that they can manufacture products and service
timely and provide to final consumers in stipulated time period. In order to perform supply chain
and logistics work, employees should be school leaving age as they can learn very fast and
perform each and every activities and operations in best possible manner. They are taught by
experienced employees of organisation who possess good knowledge, understanding, skills to
perform activities and operations.

REFERENCES
Books and Journals
Attaran, M. (2017). Additive manufacturing: the most promising technology to alter the supply
chain and logistics. Journal of Service Science and Management, 10(03), 189.
Gonzalez, E. D. S., & Jabbour, C. J. (2017). Advances in supply chain and logistics management
for a more sustainable society: An introduction. JOSCM: Journal of Operations and
Supply Chain Management, 10(1), 1.
Petersen, M., Hackius, N., & von See, B. (2018). Mapping the sea of opportunities: Blockchain
in supply chain and logistics. it-Information Technology, 60(5-6), 263-271.
Peterson, D., & Fedor, M. (2019). 1. An aspect of supply chain and logistics that you are
interested in and/or. Supply Chain Management, 9(4).
Triki, C., & Crainic, T. G. (2018). Special issue on:“Models and methods for the supply chain
and logistics management”. EURO Journal on Transportation and Logistics, 7(4), 311-
313.
Yu, Y., & Xiao, T. (2017). Pricing and cold-chain service level decisions in a fresh agri-products
supply chain with logistics outsourcing. Computers & Industrial Engineering, 111, 56-66.