Orchestrating Supply Chain Opportunities

Book description


Efficient planning and superior execution against clear objectives is the way companies operate best. For many companies, the planning process is carefully orchestrated, objectives are set, budgets are negotiated, resources are allocated, and then it's up to the organization to execute. But what happens when the unexpected occurs? Say, an event occurs that throws the status quo into turmoil. What if your business declines by 40% in 1 month, what do you do? Conversely, what if your demand spikes by 50% in just a few months, what then? Suppose a natural disaster happens, or a new technology creates a significant, but unplanned opportunity? We call these events 'stretch opportunities'. This book will focus on strategic thinking and tactical examples of how best to prepare for such events. We will outline common themes across all such challenges. We will introduce three key management concepts: Flexibility, Agility and Real Options. We also include a specific chapter on how to structure supply chains to capitalize on stretch opportunities and we provide specific tactical frameworks to build in agility, flexibility and real options into a supply chain. We will end with a checklist that managers can use to ensure that the right questions are asked in developing supply chains so that the ability to "surge" at profitable opportunities is nourished.

Table of contents

  1. Title Page
  2. Copyright
  3. Contents
  4. Preface
  5. Acknowledgments
  6. Introduction: Orchestrating Supply Chain Opportunities
  7. Chapter 1: Amazon.com—Orchestrating Stretch Demand: How Amazon.com Saved Christmas
  8. Chapter 2: The U.S. Coast Guard—Orchestrating Stretch Response: How the U.S. Coast Guard Saved Victims of Katrina
  9. Chapter 3: Reflect.com—Orchestrating Stretch Innovation: How Procter & Gamble Leveraged Innovation on the Internet
  10. Chapter 4: Watsco—Orchestrating Stretch Opportunities: How Watsco Navigated a Perfect Storm
  11. Chapter 5: Kryptonite Lock Company—Orchestrating Survival: How the Blogs Unlocked the Secret of Kryptonite
  12. Chapter 6: The United Nations Joint Logistics Center— Orchestrating Humanitarian Logistics: How the UNJLC Coordinates Relief for Victims of Global Catastrophes
  13. Chapter 7: Fashion Demand Stretch—Everybody Needs a Croc: Globally Scaling a Supply Chain
  14. Chapter 8: FreeFlow—Stretching the Web: How Technology Enabled Resolution of Supply Demand Mismatches
  15. Chapter 9: Orchestrating Reconfiguration: How SAP and Shipwire Enable the Unexpected
  16. Chapter 10: Building Flexibility, Agility, and Real Options Into Your Supply Chain: How Can Your Company Orchestrate Stretch Goals?
  17. Chapter 11: Gizmo—A Story of Stretch: Stretching a Fictional Story of Success
  18. Chapter 12: Book Summary, Conclusions, and Takeaways: A Summary of Supply Chain Stretch
  19. Chapter 13: A Stretchable Supply Chain Checklist: Questions All Managers Should Ask About Their Supply Chains
  20. Notes

Product information

  • Title: Orchestrating Supply Chain Opportunities
  • Author(s): Ananth Iyer
  • Release date: April 2011
  • Publisher(s): Business Expert Press
  • ISBN: 9781606492246