What elements of the strategic sourcing process do you feel are the top candidates for improvement at Alligator, and why?
Critical Path Method
The critical path is the longest succession of tasks that has to be successfully completed to conclude a project entirely. The tasks involved in the sequence are called critical activities, as any task getting delayed will result in the whole project getting delayed. To determine the time duration of a project, the critical path has to be identified. The critical path method or CPM is used by project managers to evaluate the least amount of time required to finish each task with the least amount of delay.
Cost Analysis
The entire idea of cost of production or definition of production cost is applied corresponding or we can say that it is related to investment or money cost. Money cost or investment refers to any money expenditure which the firm or supplier or producer undertakes in purchasing or hiring factor of production or factor services.
Inventory Management
Inventory management is the process or system of handling all the goods that an organization owns. In simpler terms, inventory management deals with how a company orders, stores, and uses its goods.
Project Management
Project Management is all about management and optimum utilization of the resources in the best possible manner to develop the software as per the requirement of the client. Here the Project refers to the development of software to meet the end objective of the client by providing the required product or service within a specified Period of time and ensuring high quality. This can be done by managing all the available resources. In short, it can be defined as an application of knowledge, skills, tools, and techniques to meet the objective of the Project. It is the duty of a Project Manager to achieve the objective of the Project as per the specifications given by the client.
Alligator, Inc.
Alligator, Inc. is a shoe designer, manufacturer, and distributor that launched its business in 2012. Although the company operates globally, its headquarters location is in Arteixo, Galicia, Spain, which coincidentally is the central location for Zara, the flagship chain store of the Inditex group, the world's largest apparel retailer. The best-selling brand of Alligator, Inc. is its GatorsTM model, which is a market leader in the funky, brightly-colored, lightweight shoe market that has enjoyed unexpectedly high demand in recent years. Made of a highly-resilient, space-age plastics material, Gators TM success is related also to the fact that each pair includes "one-size áts all" orthotics to meet the needs of individual consumers. Alligator, Inc. has patented the processes relating to the manufacture of the orthotics, and the overall value of this product innovation is similar to the way in which the super-secret formula for Coke is valuable to Coca-Cola, Inc.
The Alligator supply chain begins with retail consumers who are located in regions throughout the world. The GatorsTM product is available for consumers at a wide variety of department stores, airport kiosks, Internet, and a select number of Alligator stores located primarily in developed countries. In addition to proprietary manufacturing facilities in Spain, Gators TM are produced by contract manufacturers in the Shenzhen area of China and in Brasilia, Brazil. Generally, the
The supply side of the Gators TM supply chain was a little more complicated, as most inputs to the ánished product were available from suppliers in the regional markets, but the custom-át orthotics were all produced in University Park, PA in the United States. This is because the developers of the orthotics technology were professors in the supply chain and information systems and footwear technology departments at Penn State University. Overall, Alligator's relationships with its suppliers could have beneåted from better coordination, and more timely and complete exchanges of information. At the time that this case study was published, Alligator was in the process of designing an IT capability that would capture point-of-sale information, for further use in streamlining and aligning supply chain operations. Also, the sales of GatorsTM exhibited seasonal variation, but to some extent seasonal sales in the southern hemisphere complemented sales in the northern hemisphere
To help address some of the supply chain issues facing Alligator, Bryson Wilde has recently been hired as the new SVP Supply Chain, and Molly Walters has been selected as the årst chief information officer for Alligator. Collectively, and with the help of consultant Anna Walters, this group has taken time so far to visit the company's global facilities and to become aware of the situation, problems, and concerns that are faced by Alligator, Inc. with regard to the Gators TM product. The following are some of the questions that will need to be addressed by this group.
What elements of the strategic sourcing process do you feel are the top candidates for improvement at Alligator, and why?
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