To analyze the process of Argos' shopping design and supply chain, and Essay

To analyze the process of Argos' shopping design and supply chain, and to implement a business process improvement (My subject - Essay Example They include customer service, procurement, and manufacturing, each of which directly impact into the firm’s performance. They are also classified according to whether they are key or secondary processes; key processes directly impact upon the firm’s mission and strategies (Radhakrishnan & Balasubramanian, 2008). Companies that deliver goods more frequently use methods and techniques involving materials movement and processing. Compared to companies that deliver services, manufacturing and merchandising businesses are more involved in the manipulation of physical resources, and therefore have systems that (1) source raw materials, (2) determine the economic quantity and cost of ordering from suppliers, (3) set standards of quality of materials to be sourced, (4) determine the mode of transportation and the conditions requisite in these various modes, and (5) provide the proper storage facilities with the requisite environmental conditions for as economical a cost as pos sible. These functions pertain to the supply chain, which involves the acquisition and processing of material goods, and their transformation into a form that customers may use. The supply chain also involves making goods available in their present form to the consumers who have need for them. For any manufacturing or merchandising business, the supply chain is ‘a global network of organizations that cooperate to improve the flows of materials and information between suppliers and customers at the lowest cost and the highest speed’ (Govil & Proth, 2002, p.7). The supply chain’s overriding goals is the maximization of customer satisfaction, which strategically is the ultimate objective of the business organization. Efficiencies that may be developed in a firm’s supply chain may result in competitive advantages that other firms may not find easy to imitate (Suhong, et al., 2006). This study will explore the operational processes of an actual firm, specifical ly Argos Ltd., subsidiary of the Home Retail Group. The supply chain management of the company will be the focus of the investigation. The objective of the study shall be to describe and evaluate the various operational processes that are undertaken in the course of managing the supply chain, from the time orders are originated with the suppliers to the moment the product is delivered to the consumers who are ultimately the end users. Argos was chosen as the subject of this research, because its merchandising retail operations provide a variety of opportunities and situations to observe the movement of materials and their distribution to the intended market throughout the length of the supply chain system. The case study enables an indepth analysis of the company, to the extent that secondary data is available, in furtherance of understanding the principles of supply chain management. Chapter 2: Literature review and background Literature review The academic literature on supply cha in management is substantial, prompted by the interest of manufacturing operations managers as to how they may improve efficiency and increase customer satisfaction with their products. The studies focus on various important aspects of supply chain management. Karadeniz (2009) draws attention to the importance of the retail site selection and its relation not only to the market