An Analysis Of Customer Relationships In Supply Chain Management (Term Paper Sample)

Customer Relationships in Supply Chain Management Name Instructor Subject Date Executive Summary There are various current issues that affect global supply chain management including the consideration of environmental factors and customers relationships in global firms. Global firms should train their employees and other stakeholders such as suppliers in order to understand the needs and expectations of their customers. The firm product and services qualities and standards should be improved especially through the use of cost effective procedures. Suppliers risk management should be promoted in global firms as this usually results into effective relationship between the firm customers and the firm management systems. Global firm managers should adopt current marketing procedures as opposed to the use of traditional marketing strategies in order to attract various customers in the firm. There are various tools of supply chain management systems that can be used in promoting customers relationships in global firms including the use of JIT systems, the application of efficient customer response as well as the use of inventory management systems. Introduction Supply chain management mostly involves various activities in global firms including those that include moving of goods, products as well as the firm raw materials from production stage to the end the customers and other end users of the firm products and services (Barnes 2008). This is mostly achieved through the use of various stakeholders in the firm including firm employees such as suppliers, distributors as well as other shareholders in the firm (Govindan, and Cheng 2011). In most cases, supply chain management in various firms usually involves and includes various activities such as procurement procedures, production scheduling systems as well as other order processing activities in the firm (Anderson 1998). Supply chain management also includes various transportation systems, warehousing procedures, inventory management systems and other customer’s service based activities in the firm. The information system that firms used to monitor all its activities related to supply and distribution of firm products is also included in the supply management systems (Govindan, and Cheng 2011). There are various tools that global firms are usually using in order to promote their supply chain management systems including the use of JIT manufacturing procedures by various companies such as Toyota and Nike (Govindan, and Cheng 2011). There are also other supply chain quick feedback mechanisms that global companies such as Coca Cola usually use in order to promote and evaluate their customers’ needs and interest (Govindan, and Cheng 2011). This usually involves the use of appropriate communication channels between the firm management systems and the customers in order to provide efficient customer response systems towards the firm products and services (Kouvelis, Dong, Boyabatli, and Li, 2011). There is also the use of electronic commerce practices and activities including the use and application of EDI procedures in the global firms such as Adidas shoe manufacturing firm (Govindan, and Cheng 2011). Furthermore, the application of various supply chain tools such as the internet and vendor based inventory management devices is also common among various supply chain management systems of various global companies such as Toyota and Shell firm leaderships and management system (Beamon 1999). The main aim of effective and proper supply chain management systems in many global firms such as Nike, Adidas, Coca Cola as well as Toyota is mainly to promote the relationship between the customers, employees and the firm management systems especially through the use of various supply chain management tools and practices (Govindan, and Cheng 2011). This also mostly involves the provision of various supply chain management practices in global firms including the application of both tradition marketing strategies and current marketing strategies and policies that mostly involves the evaluation of the firm customers through the use of social media platforms (Govindan, and Cheng 2011).Supply chain management also may involve the application of various purchasing as well as logistic procedures in global firms in order to improve the firm positioning and efficiency systems (Barnes 2008). In that sense, the main purpose and aim of this paper is to discuss the use of supply chain management systems towards the promotion of customers as well as employees relationships in the global firms (Govindan, and Cheng 2011).This is because various global firms mostly involves in a number of supply chain management systems including various issues that mostly relates to customers demands and expectations towards the firm services and products qualities (Barnes 2008). Background Information about Supply Chain Management and Customers Relationships Supply Chain management mostly refers to the various network systems of distribution through the use of different firm facilities in order allow effective purchase and procurement of different raw materials in the firm into finished products that can be distributed to customers of the firm (Govindan, and Cheng 2011). In most cases, the concept of supply chain management is mostly applied in different firm activities including manufacturing as well as other firm services delivery systems (Bowersox, Closs, and Cooper 2010). Supply chain management also involves various strategic processes through which global firms can use in order to plan and acquire a number of future and current needs and expectation of different customers of the firm (Li 2007). The effective management of supply chain base systems also usually involves the utilization of various cross-functional teams in order to achieve the mission as well as the goals of global firms such as Coca Cola, Adidas and Nike (Barnes 2008). The current supply chain management systems that is being used by various global firms mostly involves a number of customer coordination, monitoring as well as sharing of information through the application of various inventory management practices (Barnes 2008). These practices are mainly designed in firms in order to promote value addition towards the firm services and products. The use of current supply chain management systems is mainly designed with the aim of reducing the cost of manufacturing, distribution and to improve the achievement of higher operational efficiency in the firm (Blanchard 2010). Supply chain management is also one of the cross-functional strategies that involve the purchasing, supplying, quality assurance as well as customers related functions in the global firms. Supply chain management usually involves the development as well as management of various customers’ relationships with different suppliers of the global firms (Barnes 2008). This is because suppliers form one of the major stakeholders in the distribution and transportation of the firm raw materials as well as products of the firm (Barnes 2008). Importance of effective Customers Relationships in Supply Chain Management Toyota Motor firm is one of the global firms that mostly in the manufacturing and selling of various automobile products globally (Govindan, and Cheng 2011). It main headquarters is in Japan and the firm mostly involves in the selling, distribution as well as manufacturing of this products through the use of various supply chain management procedures (Ray 2010). This is because supply chain management forms one of the major inventory management practices that are usually used in global firms in order to promote the relationship between the firm customers and other stakeholders in the firm (Govindan, and Cheng 2011). In most cases, global firms usually involve the application of proper supply chain management systems in order to reduce operational cost in the firm activities and projects (Wisner, Tan, & Leong, 2009). Supply chain management mostly involves a number of inventory practices that covers customer’s relationship systems in order to promote efficiency in global firms (Barnes 2008). A number of global firms such as Toyota and Coca Cola are also currently applying various JIT strategies and procedures in order to develop their logistics through the application of pull systems in the firm (Waters 2010). This usually reduces the cost that may be incurred in the supply chain management systems of these global firms (Larson 2002). Most global companies are also currently involving in proper management of employees in order to promote the quality as well as standards of services and products that are offered by these firms to their various customers globally (Barnes 2008). In that sense, global firms usually apply various employee training procedures in order to promote their professional growth and development in the firm (Sprague 2007). Employee diversity as well as proper communication systems between the global firm leadership systems and their customers is mostly used by a number of global firms in order to promote their profitability systems (Barnes 2008). Therefore, customers relationships as well as employee effective relationship systems in supply chain management is one of the current factors that should be considered by various global firms such as Shell, Total, Adidas, Nike among many other global companies in order to improve their operational efficiencies (Barnes 2008). How effective Customer Relationships Contributes to Supply Chain Management The supply chain management systems of various global firms is currently becoming complex and a number of firms are increasing involving in the promotion of effective relationship between the firm activities and the customer’s needs and expectations (Gonzalez-Benito 2007). Customers relationships in supply chain management reduce the various challenges that global firms are facing i...