This report provides a comparison of the supply chain management practices of Wal-Mart and Toyota. Comparison was done after researching, examining, and analysing each company’s supply chain management practices, in relation to each company’s values and philosophy. Comparison was done in five sections, by examining strategic alliances, procurement and outsourcing, challenges and risks, sustainable strategies, and efficient supply chains in relation to technology. Additional figures and references used can be found in the appendix and reference list.
Comparison of the two supply chain management practices showed that despite being from different industries, with different company philosophies, Wal-Mart and Toyota both have similarities in their supply chain management practices. In particular, the two companies are similar in their responses to challenges and risks faced, as well as the incorporation of sustainable strategies in their supply chain practices, and their usage of technology to increase the efficiency of their supply chains.
In conclusion, a number of recommendations are presented for each firm. Wal-Mart is advised to foster a more collaborative supplier relationship, especially with local entities in unfamiliar markets, as well as encouraging suppliers to build more sustainable operations through the research of efficient packaging designs. Recommendations for Toyota include revising contracts and risk management with Toyota’s current and future suppliers for stricter quality control along their supply chain, so as to ensure delivered materials are standardised. Moreover, Toyota could also enter new geographic markets though a strategic alliance with existing companies. By doing so, Toyota is able maintain thei...
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Wal-Mart is currently eradicating some of its negative images by going green, keeping prices continuously low, contributing to disaster relief, community service and a health enticement for Americans to lose weight. Research shows that Wal-Mart believes that by making these changes now, it would help them come closer to the company’s main objectives of respecting the individual, servicing the customers with superior and excellent customer service. Wal-Mart also wants and has the expectations of its suppliers to adhere to these beliefs in their contracting, subcontracting, and other business relationships.
Wal-Mart is a huge retail powerhouse that is able to maintain its competitive edge by cutting costs and maximizing shareholder wealth. Wal-Mart’s strength is derived from its in-depth and diverse supply chain that has been recognized as one of the best business management control systems. The company competes by providing low prices made possible through comprehensive supply lines that allow managers to shop around for the cheapest prices when determining what goods should fill store shelves. Wal-Mart’s ability to efficiently use supply chain management has given them a competitive advantage over their competitors such as: Target, Costco, Kmart, Real Canadian Superstore, Dollarama, etc. All of these rival firms have similar corporate structures to Wal-Mart’s - Costco is a warehouse store offering wholesale...
In order to succeed, managers have to realize that they cannot do it alone and they must work together on a daily basis with the whole organizations in their supply chains. Because supply chain management involves all functions within an organization, managers need to know what a supply chain is, why it is important, and the impact of supply chain management on the success and profitability of their organization. Today, Wal-Mart topped the list of the America’s biggest companies on the Fortune 500 list, “with sales of almost $345 billion — more than a quarter of a trillion dollars” (Forbs). Wal-Mart’s supply chain management is becoming recognized as a core competitive strategy.
One aspect of Wal-Mart that sets them apart from other corporations is how they manage their relationship with their suppliers.
Q: Analyze the competitive strategies: What is their key competitive strategy? Are they effective and why? A: Walmart has been able to preserve market leadership position primarily due to its efficient integration of suppliers, manufacturing, warehousing, and distribution to stores. Its “supply-chain strategy” has four key components: vendor partnerships, cross docking and distribution management, technology, and integration. This management strategy has provided the company with several sustainable competitive advantages, including lower product costs, reduced inventory carrying costs, improved in-store variety and selection, and highly competitive pricing for the consumer. Walmart’s low-cost leadership strategy and differentiation strategy support the supply-chain strategy in order to retain competitiveness. According to a University of San Francisco case study, it was revealed that “[Walmart’s] competitive strategies are very effective because it provides consum...
The two supply chains of Walmart and Amazon are different from each other and are best at their own perspective. The Amazon’s supply chain is completely based on online retailing whereas the supply chain of Walmart is based on “bricks and mortar”
Wal-Mart’s strategy over time helped it establish leadership position in discount retailing. It used rural underserved markets to announce its arrival. It also used innovation levers, customer centricity, positioning as a low cost player, and effective stakeholder management including employees, suppliers, and stockholders to achieve distinctive competitive advantage. It successfully outperformed other firms in the industry leveraging its strategy to achieve overall cost leadership. Their customers desire products that are more efficient, last longer and perform better. They want to know the product’s entire lifecycle. They want to know the materials in the product are safe, that it is made well and is produced in a responsible way. These desires inspired them to help develop the sustainability index. With this initiative, they are helping to create a more transparent supply chain, accelerate the adoption of best practices and drive product innovation and ultimately providing their customers with information they need to assess products’ sustainability.
Wal-Mart is known to beone of the best supply chain companies in the world. Throughout the years Wal-Mart has adapted strategies that keep up to their name. Unlike many retailers, Wal-Mart purchases goods directly from manufacturers, skipping a few steps of the supply chain cycle. Buyers use advanced negotiation skills to make sure they are receiving the best price on purchases. Wal-Mart also has their own trucks picking up from warehouses, reducing the price significantly on transportation. Long term relationships with vendors are extremely emphasized to understand prices and cost structure. These practices build Wal-Mart to its name and keeps low prices for retail customers all over the world. Supply Chain studies have shown that in 1998, Wal-Mart would fill up stock in 2 days compared to their competitors which would complete it in 5. Part of the reason Wal-Mart would replenish so
Supply chain management has been defined as that process that involves the management of information, materials, and all the finances that are handled within and across the entire supply chain process (Christopher, 2016). The management is usually done through out the entire supply chain management from that moment when the suppliers are involved through all the manufacturing activities, different distribution activities, and the way that the products are served to the final product consumer (Turban, et al., 2002). The process also includes all the activities that different organizations offers to their customers as after sale services for purposes perfecting their services and products towards their highly valued customers (Christopher,
Sustainability of the supply chain has increasingly become a crucial aspect of corporate responsibility. Apart from being good for business, management of social, economic, and environmental effects of supply chain remains the right thing to do. Constantly changing markets have created complex landscapes that businesses must navigate to build sustainable supply chains. Sustainable supply chains aim at creating social, economic, and environmental value for all stakeholders throughout the supply chain. Building sustainable supply chains not only benefits the stakeholders but also aims at safeguarding business interests. Businesses can easily become sustainable by understanding who they are and working closely with people. Nestle is company that has been at the forefront in advocating for sustainable supply through the ‘creating shared value’ platform. The report makes recommendation on the role of supply chain management in attaining sustainability.
Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. is a renowned retail goods superstore that sits atop the Fortune list at number one. It would be very difficult to find an individual who is unaware of Walmart’s position as the largest brick-and-mortar retail chain in the world. The company has thrived over the past few years and is continuing to grow by effectively managing its store operations and distribution strategies. One of the major contributors to the business consistently meeting market expectations is directly attributable to their management approach. Walmart has revolutionized the way retail companies manage their supply chains in more ways than one. But, perhaps the most revolutionary was the practice of unprecedented coordination with suppliers (Chekwa,
This retail giant aims to provide their customers with goods at low prices, whenever and wherever they want them. In order to maintain this goal Wal-mart needs to find ways to develop low costs supply structures. That is why it is pivotal for Wal-mart to preserve a respectful and honest relationship with their suppliers. These relationships are based on practicing a legal, efficient and fair business. The selection process the suppliers undergo focus mainly on objective criteria’s such as quality, price, delivery, adherence to schedules, adequate product and adequate sources of
Wal-Mart is also working hard to have responsible sourcing. They are motivated to work with stakeholders and suppliers to push for responsibility in their global supply chain from the start of an idea to its end life. These are Wal-Mart’s
This report has clearly in detail described the meaning, benefits as well as the need and challenges of the RFID in the supply chain system. While RFID comes with a larger magnitude of benefits than the bar code, it’s an expensive medium and comes at a price that may be prohibitive to many businesses. On the one hand, RFID is advantageous in different areas of the supply chain and does not require line-of-sight scanning; it helps in labor reduction, enhances visibility of products and processes , and helps in inventory management. On the other hand, RFID is an expensive solution, lacking benchmarks or standards, suffers from some adverse deployment issues, and suffers from major privacy concerns. However with the ultimate aim to see the establishment of item-level tracking which should act to revolutionize SCM practices, RFID is here to stay.
The key performance drivers of Supply Chain Management (SCM) are - facility effectiveness, inventory effectiveness, transportation effectiveness, information effectiveness, sourcing effectiveness, pricing effectiveness, delivery effectiveness, quality effectiveness and service effectiveness. These drivers include various performance markers that may be measured quantitatively by gathering information and applying them in SPSS. The works here may principally be quantitative with spellbinding measurable investigation. In the current world, practical supply chain management to help the triple primary concern, (nature, domain, and economy) is likewise included in the extent of supply chain performance drivers. This is relatively a quite new research region.