Implementation of Sustainable Supply Chain †MyAssignmenthelp.com

Question: Discuss about the Implementation of Sustainable Supply Chain. Answer: Introduction Logistics are a bunch of activities that take place within the premises of an organisation. A supply chain is a network of companies that work in a united manner and coordinate the actions to meet the demands of the customers. According to Christopher (2016), logistics and supply chain management of organisations are important to understand the manner in which flow of goods within an organisation takes place. Logistics management focuses on the procurement, distribution and maintenance of inventory within an organisation. It is a simple method of providing services to customers by incorporating a systematic flow of good from one level to another. The assignment focuses on John Lewis Partnership and the strategies required by the company to solve its issues about the supply chain management. The change in demand pattern in the market requires that the goods be received at the pickup stations (Jacobs, Chase and Lummus 2014). The assignment suggests alternative methods to manage the pickup of goods and deliver it to the customers. The flexibility of SANDC is considered and the impact it can have on home shopping is analysed in the assignment. Furthermore, the assignment provides methods to improve the SANDC and provides a framework that highlights the flow of goods in a warehouse. John Lewis Partnership is a British retail company that operates the departmental store, John Lewis. One of the subsidiaries of the company is Waitrose and are related to other related activities in the retail, banking and financial sectors. The company was founded in Oxford Street situated in London in 1929 (Johnlewispartnership.co.uk 2018). Some of the products that the company manufactures include clothing, watches, jewellery, cosmetics, food and financial services. However, it has been seen that the number of employees in the company has dipped in the last year. Currently, the company owns 88,900 employees working across the different branches across the country (Johnlewispartnership.co.uk 2018). One of the reasons behind the fame of the company is the fact that it manufactures accessories that are suitable to meet the needs and demands of the middle as well as the upper-class customers. Apart from clothes, John Lewis Partnership also possesses Ocado web supermarket that is in co llaboration with food items of Waitrose and the non-food items of John Lewis (Johnlewispartnership.co.uk 2018). Alternatives to be considered for accommodating pick up method In the modern world, it is necessary that the goods be picked up from a location that can be convenient for the customers as well as the organisations. Pick up stations are managed by the organisations that help in maintaining the transferring of goods from one place to another. In this regard, it can be said an effective method of material handling equipment needs to be adopted by the organisations so that it can gain the benefits of the effective picking up of goods. Some of the effective methods include: Conveyors: The use of a conveyor is to move materials frequently from one place to another by using a fixed path. In such cases, placement of the goods needs to be done in a place that is convenient for the machine to pick up the goods (Brandenburg et al. 2014). The conveyors are characterised keeping in mind the type of products that are being handled. In the case of John Lewis, the products are mainly the clothing or jewellery item that does not have huge size and weight. However, one negative point of the conveyors is the fact that if the material is damaged then it may be difficult for the company to find an alternate route of displacing the product. Cranes: As stated by Wisner, Tan and Leong (2014) cranes are used for transporting goods over variable paths. The transportation of goods from one place to another is limited and it is done in a place that has insufficient place. One of the advantages of cranes is the fact that it provides more flexibility in the movement of goods from one place to another. However, the limited area of movement proves as a disadvantage for the mechanism as the good can be transported to only a restricted place. Hence, John Lewis can afford to avoid undertaking such equipment while attempting to transfer goods from one place to another. Industrial trucks: Industrial trucks are considered as the most effective form of transportation equipment as it does not have any restricted mode of travel. It provides flexibility to the organisations as it can be used to transport goods from one place to another effortlessly (Fahimnia, Sarkis and Davarzani 2015). However, unlike the commercial trucks, these types of trucks are not provided with the license with to travel on public roads. In a company like John Lewis, industrial trucks can be used effectively for roaming the premises of the company and deliver the goods from one department to another. Flexibility of SANDC and its impact on home shopping Home shopping is one of the modern day trends that customers prefer with the implementation of modern technologies. The application of SANDC and OSR equipment need to be flexible within an organisation so that the demand pattern of the customers can be analysed. Every company need to have a personal SANDC and OSR equipment base so that it can deal with the demands of the modern technology. According to Fernie and Sparks (2014), it is important for organisations to remain updated about the changes that exist in the modern environment. The flexibility of the SANDC can be accessed by the rate at which an organisation can maintain its flexibility in the market. The demand pattern of the customers is that every organisation need to maintain its products based keeping in mind the advantages of the customers. In the case of John Lewis, the company can open up providing the experience to the customers about purchasing products from online. The development of the SANDC and its flexibility can help the company in identifying the demands of the customers and ensure that the OSR equipment of the company is used properly. However, the key implementation issues that can be faced by organisations in the application of the SANDC are the fact that employees need to be convinced about the changes that are required in the organisation. According to Sindi and Roe (2017), the introduction of new technologies in an organisation can help it to remain updated with the modern environment. However, the new technologies may require more revenue and the implementation can result in the hiring of people with the required expertise. In the case of John Lewis, the company need to ensure that proper revenue is maintained so that the technology can be implemented in a successful manner. In the future, the operational changes that need to be maintained can be analysed by the effectiveness of the SANDC. John Lewis can analyse the impact of changes and implement the required equipment to mitigate the changes within the organisation. As stated by Tobescu and Seuring (2015) it is necessary for every organisation to remain aware of the changes that need to be incorporated for maintaining a proper logistic and supply chain management system. In this regard, it can be said that improvement needs to be made in certain levels of the organisation so that it can incorporate the SANDC in a proper manner. Methods to improve SANDC Having analysed the effectiveness of the SANDC, methods can be developed to improve the functioning of the operation. According to Selviaridis and Norrman (2013), certain factors in John Lewis can be examined so that the company can have a stable supply chain management. These areas are important to ensure that John Lewis maintains its competitive advantage in the retail business market of Britain. Efficiency: The efficiency of the employees needs to be measured by the manner in which they contribute to the success of an organisation. Manzini, Bozer and Heragu (2015) are of the opinion that the skills and talents of the employees increase the efficiency and productivity of an organisation. In the case of John Lewis, the efficiency of the company can be measured by the skills involved among the employees and by the manner in which the company can implement SANDC. This one area needs to be monitored by John Lewis so that it can maintain its competitiveness in the market. Service levels: According to Mueller et al. (2017), the service level of every company needs to be the priority. This is mainly because of the fact that customers expect a proper after sales service so that it can maintain a connection with the organisations. The organisations need to ensure that the service level involves the same quality as the level of products that an organisation manufactures. In this regard, it is necessary for John Lewis to ensure that the service level of the company meets the expectations of the customers. This can help in maintaining a proper logistic department so that the company can meet the demands of the customers. Ergonomics: This is similar to the efficiency of the employees that work in an organisation. The only difference is that this particular concept focuses on providing employees with the opportunity to work in environments that are suitable for the skills and talents of the employees. In this regard, Choe, Tew and Tong (2015) provided opinion stating that the ergonomics is one of the essential factors that can be used to analyse the potential of the employees. In the case of John Lewis, the SANDP can be improved by ensuring the ergonomics of the company is effective for the utilisation of its resources. Sustainability: One of the most important aspects of modern management is the fact that sustainability needs to be maintained so that an organisation can have a competitive advantage (Verma, Dixit and Bajpai 2016). In the case of retail organisations, the sustainability is important so that harmful chemicals are not used for the manufacturing of the clothes. Apart from this, it needs to ensure that the pickup of raw materials is done in a sustainable manner so that organisations can maintain its effectiveness in the business environment. Logistics management strategies required to resolve issues Having analysed the situation that is faced by John Lewis, it can be said that the company need to formulate strategies that can help it to regain its status in the retail market of Britain. It needs to be done systematically so that the organisation has the capacity to continue its production as well as oversee the logistics management of the organisation. The strategies include: Proper planning: According to Stadtler (2015), the foremost step of formulating a strategy is to ensure that proper planning takes place. This involves procuring the goods and storage facility along with the exact location of the position. The planning need to include the time, transportation as well as the cost factor that helps in analysing the current situation of the organisations. In the case of John Lewis Partnership, the company need to analyse the revenue it has before implementing any strategies related to the transportation and organising of products. A supply chain operative needs to be devised by the organisation so that the flow of the goods within the organisation can be analysed. Automation: Monczka et al. (2015) stated that in the age of technology and modern equipment, it is necessary for every organisation to utilise the machinery and increase the efficiency of the organisation. Automation plays a vital role in the optimisation of the business process and the effectiveness of valuable software that exists in the business. John Lewis can adopt business process software that can help the organisation track the movement of goods. The suppliers and client will get full details about the information related to the goods and formulate ways to intercept the goods upon arrival. This can help John Lewis to save valuable time and workload of employees, as the manual tracking engages an employee in the tracking of goods. Provide support to employees: For an organisation to work in an efficient manner, it is necessary that support and coordination among employees exist. Building a team that undertakes every essential aspect of an organisation is important to the success of a business. Team goals can be provided keeping in mind the organisational goals and proper guidance need to be provided so that these goals can be achieved (Hugos 2018). John Lewis needs to encourage the support between the employees and ensure that proper training is provided to the employees so that they can be productive in maintaining the satisfaction of the customers and identifying their needs. Manage warehouses: Mangan, Lalwani and Lalwani (2016) correctly observed that effective supply chain management needs to proper management of the warehouses. Improper warehouse management cannot ensure the success of an organisation as the products that are to be stored cannot be determined. Therefore, it is necessary that John Lewis understands the products that it manufactures and accordingly manage the warehouse. For example, during the Oscado web supermarket, it is necessary that John Lewis remain aware of the type of food items that are being undertaken in the company. In case it stores grains, then the manager needs to ensure that the grains are stored in moisture free environment. Such analysis of situations can help John Lewis to maintain the threats and issues in the supply chain management. Efficient transportation: Without proper transportation, it can be difficult for organisations to deploy the good manufactured from one place to another. Brindley (2017) observed that efficient transportation system can help organisations is two-fold. It helps in reducing the expenses of hiring transportation vehicles from other industries and it increases the speed at which the products are delivered to the market. John Lewis needs to improve the transportation services in a manner so that the best route for delivering products can be obtained. This can save money as well time for the organisation. After analysing the logistics and supply chain management of John Lewis, a diagram can be provided to outline the flow of goods in the warehouse. Conclusion Thus, it can be concluded that logistics and supply chain management is important to maintain a quality of products and services and ensure that the customers are satisfied. With proper management of logistics, it can be difficult for organisations to ensure that a proper flow of supply within the organisations is maintained. 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