scm供应链管理-MBA课件供应链管理学员问题探讨与案例分析 精品
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这一管理模式兴起于20世纪90年代,在西方国家得到了广泛的应用和发展,并取得了显著的成效。
英国著名供应链专家马丁·克里斯多夫(Martin. Christopher)曾说“市场上只有供应链而没有企业”,“21世纪的竞争不是企业和企业之间的竞争,而是供应链和供应链之间的竞争”。
近几年,中国理论界对供应链管理的研究取得了很大的进展,但企业界对供应链管理的应用却步履维艰。
只有极少数大企业如海尔集团成功地实施了供应链管理。
文章的写作目的就是探讨如何成功地构建中国企业的供应链管理体系。
本文首先论述了供应链管理产生的背景和发展的环境及条件,认为供应链管理是现代企业寻求发展的必要途径和必然手段。
然后对供应链的概念和供应链管理的概念进行了深入地探讨,并认为“系统”思想、“合作”思想和“共赢”思想是供应链管理的核心思想,阐明了在新经济时代企业实施供应链管理的重要意义,并进一步分析了成功构建供应链管理的核心要素要求(战略合作伙伴关系、业务流程再造、核心竞争力和信息技术)以及国内外优秀企业实施供应链管理的成功经验。
在此基础上得出了文章的最后一部分,也是本文突破的难点和创新点:中国企业实施供应链管理的主要问题分析和对策。
这一部分主要从系统的观点出发,深入分析了供应链系统的元素——企业、系统的结构——空间结构和时间结构,以及系统的环境——政府和市场,找出了中国企业供应链管理的发展在元素、结构和环境这三个方面分别存在的问题,并提出了相应的对策。
《供应链管理》案例分析案例分析题二如何选择供应链下游的物流服务提供商?作为全球最大的食品公司之一,凯士食品公司主要生产饮料、奶粉和饼干等包装食品。
上世纪90年代中期进入中国后,凯士先后在全国建立了4个生产厂和8个分拨中心,到1999年的时候,饼干业务已占有国内市场25%的份额,其他业务在国内同类产品中占据的市场份额也相当大,年产量逐步提高。
作为一家大型跨国企业,凯士在中国的物流策略沿用了其在全球市场上的一贯做法,即全部选择第三方物流,并且只与业内最具实力的物流服务商合作。
刚进入中国时,凯士公司还处于市场开发阶段,产品生产运输量每年也是2000吨,并不是很大,物流矛盾不太突出。
而且,当时国内物流业很不成熟,大型物流公司还未成型,市场处于培育阶段。
当时任凯士食品公司华东区域物流经理的李宾,从未遇到过物流公司的“霸王条款”。
国内实力稍好一点的物流公司,都争先恐后与凯士合作,一是争取业务,二是冲着它的品牌地位。
虽然当时的物流公司规模小,网络更不健全,但是对货主企业提出的要求,往往竭力而为。
1999年后,凯士业务量突飞猛进,李宾升职为中国区物流经理,负责整个国内市场的仓储物流业务,工作内容之一就是挑选主要物流服务商。
而此时的物流服务市场,已经初具规模,几家中型物流公司成长起来,尤其是一些早年进驻中国的世界500强企业培育出来的物流公司,全国服务网络已经初具规模,已经具有足够实力为其他货主企业提供较高水平的物流服务了。
因此问题随之而来。
当这些为数不多的大型物流服务商终于有能力选择服务对象时,反而不像以前那样竭尽全力。
尤其在最初商定合同条款时,总是尽量避免让利和对自己不利的因素,力图将所有的风险都推给货主企业。
每年6、7月份,公司都会举行物流服务商招标会,确定下一年度的物流服务商,也顺势对公司的物流策略进行相应的调整。
(1)选择大型物流公司:永捷曾经是一家跨国日用品公司胜捷公司的物流部,后来独立出来成为第三方物流公司。
SCM供应链管理的案例分析简介供应链管理(Supply Chn Management,SCM)是指对供应链中各个环节实施计划、组织、控制和协调,以达到全方位的供应链协同优化和资源整合,提高供应链整体效能,降低成本,提升客户价值的管理方法。
本文将通过分析一个实际的SCM案例来深入探讨供应链管理的关键问题和解决方案。
案例背景某电子产品制造公司(公司A)是一家跨国公司,专注于生产和销售电子产品。
公司A的供应链包括原材料供应商、工厂、分销商和最终客户。
然而,公司A在近期遇到了供应链管理的一系列问题,包括库存管理困难、供应链协同不畅等。
问题分析1. 库存管理困难公司A生产的产品种类繁多,库存管理难以精确掌握。
造成这一问题的原因主要有两点:•供应商的交期不准确:由于供应商对公司A的订单交期不能准确承诺,导致公司A难以及时掌握所需原材料的数量,进而无法精确安排生产计划。
•预测准确性不高:公司A当前的销售预测主要基于历史销售数据,然而这种方法往往无法应对市场需求的变化,导致生产计划的不准确性,库存数量无法精确掌握。
2. 供应链协同不畅供应链协同的不畅导致了生产计划、库存和销售之间的信息不对称。
这一问题的主要原因有:•信息流不畅:公司A与供应商之间的信息交换主要依赖于传统的邮件和电话沟通,信息传递效率低下且容易出错,导致生产计划无法及时更新,进而影响库存和销售。
•生产计划不透明:公司A的工厂和分销商之间缺乏有效的合作机制,无法及时共享生产计划和销售情况,导致生产和销售之间的不协调。
解决方案为了解决上述问题,公司A决定采用以下策略和工具来改善供应链管理效果:1. 制定准确的生产计划公司A通过引入先进的数据分析工具,结合市场需求的实时监测,改进了生产计划的准确性。
具体措施包括:•建立准确的需求预测模型:公司A基于历史销售数据和市场趋势,建立了准确的需求预测模型,以帮助预测未来销售需求。
•优化供应商管理:公司A与供应商建立更紧密的合作关系,要求供应商提供更准确的交货时间,并与其建立长期合作的预测机制。
生命是永恒不断的创造,因为在它内部蕴含着过剩的精力,它不断流溢,越出时间和空间的界限,它不停地追求,以形形色色的自我表现的形式表现出来。
--泰戈尔中国经济管理大学MBA课件《供应链管理》学员问题探讨与案例分析(苏尼尔•乔普拉著教材)CHAPTER ONEDiscussion Questions1Consider the purchase of a can of soda at a convenience store. Describe the various stages in the supply chain and the different flows involved.When a customer purchases a can of soda at a convenience store, his purchase represents theend of a supply chain’s delivery of an item and the beginning of information regarding hispurchase flowing in the opposite direction.The supply chain stages include customers, retailers, wholesalers/distributors, manufacturers,and ponent/raw material suppliers. A customer’s purchase moves product towards the customer and dollars and information towards the retailer.The retailer places an order from the wholesaler/distributor to replenish stock, thereby moving information back up the supply chain while moving product down the supply chain. As theorder is filled, the retailer will move dollars back up the supply chain.The wholesaler/distributor transmits information and dollars to the manufacturer who produces product and ships it down the supply chain to the wholesaler.Finally (or initially, depending on your perspective) the manufacturer moves orders(information) and dollars towards suppliers in exchange for material flow into their production processes.2Why should a firm like Dell take into account total supply chain profitability when making decisions?Dell realizes that their ultimate success lies with the success of their supply chain and its ability to generate supply chain surplus. If Dell was to view supply chain operations as a zero sumgame, they would lose their petitive edge as their suppliers’ businesses struggled. Dell’s profit gained at the expense of their supply chain partners would be short lived. Just as a physicalchain is only as strong as its weakest link, the supply chain can be successful only if allmembers cooperate and focus on a global optimum rather than many local optima.3What are some strategic planning and operational decisions that must be made by an apparel retailer like The Gap?As The Gap plans supply chain strategy it must first consider the marketing function’s pricing plans in order to structure a supply chain consonant with these plans. Strategic considerations such as the capacity of each supplier and assembly operations, sourcing decisions and how logistics are to be handled are all part of the design. The supply chain must also settle onmunication channels and frequencies.Supply chain planning takes the strategic decisions as a given and seeks to exploit efficiencies in the chain to maximize supply chain surplus. The entire chain should collaborate inforecasting and planning production as to achieve a global optimum. The forecasts should take into account planned promotions and known seasonal fluctuations in demand.The operational decision take the plans as a given and make day-to-day decisions to process customer orders, allocate resources to certain customers, trigger orders from supply chainmembers, and deliver product.4Consider the supply chain involved when a customer purchases a book at a bookstore. Identify cycles in this supply chain and the location of the push/pull boundary.All supply chain processes can be broken down into four process cycles that connect the five stages of the supply chain; the customer order cycle, the replenishment cycle, the manufacturing cycle, and the procurement cycle.The customer order cycle connects the customer with the retailer; this connection is made as the book, perhaps Supply Chain Management by Chopra and Meindl, is selected and paid for by the customer.The replenishment cycle connects the retailer and the distributor and is triggered by theretailer’s need to fill the emp ty shelf space with another copy of this tome.The manufacturing cycle connects the distributor and the manufacturer. As demand for the book is realized and distributors empty their warehouses, they signal the manufacturer to printanother million copies to fill their empty warehouses.Finally, the procurement cycle connects the manufacturer and the supplier. The manufacturer requires raw material inputs of paper, ink, etc., to begin the assembly process for another batch of Supply Chain Management.The push/pull boundary exists where demand switches from reactive (pull) to speculative (push) production. For most bookstore supply chains the push/pull boundary is between the customer order cycle and the replenishment cycle. The customer order pulls the book from the book store shelf but the initial production of the book was triggered by a build order that moved materials along the supply chain to the retail outlet.5Consider the supply chain involved when a customer orders a book from Amazon. Identify the push/pull boundary and two processes each in the push and pull phases.In Amazon’s original operations design the push/pull boundary existed betwixt the retailer (Amazon) and their distributor. Amazon ordered product from the distributor and the customer order arrived. Today, Amazon has six warehouses where it stocks an inventory of items it is confident that will sell. In this scenario, the push/pull boundary exists between the customer and the retailer.Processes in the pull phase are the order fulfillment, shipping, customer returns, and customer billing. Processes in the push phase are production, stock replenishments, shipping, andpayment.6In what way do supply chain flows affect the success or failure of a firm like Amazon? List two supply chain decisions that have a significant impact on supply chain profitability.The success or failure of a pany like Amazon is decided by the effective function of its supply chain. The flow of products from publishers to distributors to customers must be rapid and reliable in order to satisfy customers. The flow of information back through the supply chain allows all members to coordinate efforts. The flow of money allows all supply chain members to maintain operations. Supply chain profitability is influenced by sourcing, promotion, and fulfillment decisions.CHAPTER TWODiscussion Questions1.How would you characterize the petitive strategy of a high-end department store chain such asNordstrom? What are the key customer needs that Nordstrom aims to fill?The Nordstrom web site states the following. Over the years, the Nordstrom family ofemployees built a thriving business on the principles of quality, value, selection, and service.Today, Nordstrom is one of the nation’s leading fashion retailers, offering a wide v ariety of high-quality apparel, shoes, and accessories for men, women, and children at stores across the country. We remain mitted to the simple idea our pany was founded on, earning the trust of our customers one at a time.Nordstrom fills customer needs for high quality fashion merchandise and outstanding levels of customer service. Price is no object for the typical Nordstrom shopper.2.Where would you place the demand faced by Nordstrom on the implied demand uncertaintyspectrum? Why?Implied demand uncertainty is demand uncertainty due to the portion of demand that the supply chain is targeting, not the entire demand. A high-end department store chain such as Nordstrom falls on the high end of the implied demand uncertainty scale. The fashion items that Nordstrom stocks have extremely high product margin, high forecast errors and stockout rates, and once the season is over, these items are sold at deep discounts at their Nordstrom Rack outlet stores.3.What level of responsiveness would be most appropriate for Nordstrom’s supply chain? Whatshould the supply chain be able to do particularly well?Supply chain responsiveness takes many forms, including the ability to respond to a wide range of quantities, meet short lead times, handle a large variety of products, build innovativeproducts, meet a high service level, and handle supply uncertainty. The Nordstrom supply chain must be highly responsive in the areas of handling highly innovative fashion products, customer response, and service level; they are effective in supplying well-heeled customers withmerchandise and their return policy is legendary in the Pacific Northwest.4.How can Nordstrom expand the scope of the strategic fit across the supply chain?Scope of strategic fit refers to the functions within the firm and stages across the supply chain that devise an integrated strategy with a shared objective. By adopting an interpanyinterfunctional scope strategy, Nordstrom will maximize supply chain surplus. Nordstrom can move in this direction by working with their suppliers as if they are actually owned byNordstrom. Rather than viewing the supply chain as a zero-sum game of inventory costminimization and profit maximization, Nordstrom must recognize that spreading the wealth andoccasionally taking on more inventory than is optimal for them will result in improved customer service. The interpany interfunctional scope of strategic fit requires more effort than the other approaches presented in this section; Nordstrom must evaluate all aspects of their supply web.5.Reconsider the previous four questions for other panies such as Amazon, a supermarket chain,and auto manufacturer, and a discount retailer such as Wal-Mart.Amazon focuses on cost and flexibility by providing books, music and a host of otherhousehold products at low prices. Customers place orders online and expect to receivepurchases in a number of days. Customer orders are processed at central warehouses or are drop shipped from suppliers by mail or mon carrier. For the most part, the implied demand uncertainty for Amazon is low as they cast such a wide net. Amazon’s supply chain must be responsive in terms of flexibility; they handle an incredibly diverse range of products.Amazons supply chain should be able to provide low prices wide variety and reasonabledelivery schedules for its customers. In every link of the supply chain, Amazon must function on the cost-responsiveness efficient frontier in order to support its petitive strategy.A supermarket chain focuses on cost and quality, with some specialty chains adding flexibilityby carrying a broader range of products that may be targeted towards customers interested in organic products or ethnic cuisine. Implied demand uncertainty for a supermarket chain tends to be low; shoppers are typically repeat customers and have a constant demand level. Thesupermarket supply chain must be responsive by receiving produce quickly to ensure freshness and have a high service level. Supermarket supply chains tend to be well-established and can improve strategic fit by emphasizing speed to maintain freshness, hence perceived quality.Auto manufacturers have extremely plicated supply chains that are increasingly focused on flexibility and lean operations. Implied demand uncertainty for auto manufacturers variesconsiderably by target market and manufacturer. Automotive supply chains among the big three in the United States have made great progress in the last decade and recognize that they must be responsive from a time and flexibility standpoint.Wal-M art’s supply chain is obsessed with cost and is facilitated by a low implied demanduncertainty, their impressive logistics system and their management information systems. Their supply chain is able to respond quickly to fill a wide variety of products to keep merchandise on Wal-Mart’s shelves. Wal-Mart’s level of coordination along the supply chain is excellent; it would be difficult to point out areas where true interpany interfunctional scope of strategic fit has not been achieved. The sole supply chain criticism that surfaces is an occasional report that suppliers feel as if supply chain surplus is not shared equitably.6.Give arguments to support the statement that Wal-Mart has achieved very good strategic fitbetween its petitive and supply chain strategies.The best argument to support the statement that Wal-Mart has achieved very good strategic fit is their success as a pany. petition today is supply chain versus supply chain, not pany versus pany, so a pany’s partners in the supply chain often determine the pany’s success.Wal-Mart’s strategic focus on cost is evident in their petitive, product development, supply chain, and marketing strategy. Their marketing strategy of advertising every day low prices appeals to consumers and does not disrupt the supply chain by causing surges in demand.Visiting one of their big box stores reveals low-priced merchandise, both national and store brands, stacked from floor to ceiling without elaborate displays or decoration. Wal-Mart’slogistics and information systems are famous for coordinating their entire supply chain andallowing it to meet customer needs at minimal cost.CHAPTER THREEDiscussion Questions1.How could a grocery store use inventory to increase the responsiveness of the pany’s supplychain?The logistical driver of inventory enpasses all raw materials, work in process, and finishedgoods within a supply chain. A grocery store can be more responsive in the eyes of itscustomers if it offers a broader variety of SKUs and/or maintains a greater quantity of eachSKU. A greater quantity of each SKU is problematic for highly perishable items like produce, meat, fish, etc. For these items, a grocery store supply chain should be set up to permit frequent orders so that freshness is ensured and a stockou t situation won’t exist for a significant length of time. A grocery store supply chain should use historical demand patterns for seasonal items to relieve stress on all members and provide customers with product during peak demand periods.2.How could an auto manufacturer use transportation to increase the efficiency of its supply chain?Transportation, a logistical driver, entails moving inventory from point to point in the supply chain. The trade-off in transportation is between the cost of transportation and the speed atwhich product is transported. Slower modes of transportation reduce cost, but could be areasonable approach if suppliers are co-located with the assembly operations. If the supplychain is designed in such a way, and assembly operations are located with proximity to markets, then the supply chain can be run cheaply without holding too much inventory in transit.3.How could a bicycle manufacturer increase responsiveness through its facilities?Facilities, another logistical driver, are the actual physical locations in the supply chain network where product is stored, assembled, or fabricated. A facility that is designed to be flexible can respond quickly to market demands by retooling to produce different models or products,whereas a dedicated facility cannot. Locating a facility close to the market will increaseresponsiveness at the cost of decreased economies of scale that might be achieved with acentralized location. A facility that is under capacity will be less responsive than a facility that is appropriately sized or has excess capacity.4.How could an industrial supplies distributor use information to increase its responsiveness?Information is a cross-functional driver and consists of data and analysis concerning facilities, inventory, transportation, costs, prices, and customers throughout the supply chain. Information serves as a connection among all members of the supply chain and operates within eachmember to facilitate internal operations. Accurate information can improve responsiveness by helping an industrial supplier better match supply and demand. Information that is gathered farther down the supply chain can be transmitted instantaneously and accurately to the supplies distributor. Instead of waiting for a human to call or FAX an order, the distributor can replenish inventory to the necessary levels or provide what is needed to fill the order as it is realized.5.Motorola has gone from manufacturing all its cell phones in-house to almost pletelyoutsourcing the manufacturing. What are the pros and cons of the two approaches?Sourcing is the set of business processes required to purchase foods and services. Thesedecisions are crucial because they affect the level of efficiency and responsiveness thatMotorola can achieve. The Motorola production system for their line of pagers was hailed as a breakthrough in mass customization, so it was somewhat surprising when Motorola outsourced cell phones.. Sourcing decisions should be made based on the total supply chain surplus; if a third party can help the chain achieve greater surplus, then the function is a prime candidate for outsourcing. Motorola was willing to give up some control and possibly some of its design talent and assembly expertise because it felt that the supplier could provide product of anappropriate level of quality with the responsiveness necessary. Products and services that are outsourced are rarely brought back in-house and should never be tied too closely to theoutsourcing party’s core petency.6.How can a home delivery pany like Peapod use pricing of its delivery services to improve itsprofitability?Pricing is the process by which a firm decides how much to charge customers for its goods and services. Pricing affects the customer segments that choose to buy the product as well as the customer’s expectations. Peapod can use everyday low pricing of its products to ensure stability in the supply chain, but can influence demand by varying the delivery charges. For example, by establishing a minimum order amount of $50 and charging $10 to deliver an order under $75, Peapod provides an incentive for a customer to pile on additional items to save on per unit shipping. An order over $100 incurs a delivery fee of $7, which is the lowest delivery charge for a residential customer.Peapod also varies delivery charges by time of day; evening delivery times on weekdays and morning deliveries on Sunday within narrow windows cost an extra dollar, wider delivery windows are $1 less. The delivery latitude allows Peapod’s delivery dr ivers to schedule more efficiently thereby increasing profitability.7.How has globalization made strategic fit even more important to a pany’s success?The key to achieving strategic fit is a pany’s ability to find a balance between responsiveness and efficiency that best matches the needs of its target market. Supply chains today are more likely than ever to be global, which increases the difficulty of coordination but opens up a much broader selection of potential supply chain members. This globalization also results in increased petition from other supply chains that were not a concern a decade ago. This increased petition among supply chains benefits consumers, but increases the pressure on each supply chain to carefully select members that best fit the overall strategy.8.What are some industries in which products have proliferated and life cycles have shortened?How have the supply chains in these industries adapted?The authors cite the example of running shoes increasing from five styles in the early 70s to almost 300 by the late 90s. Other products that have seen an explosion in variety includepersonal electronics, beverages, snack and prepared foods, entertainment, tires, and personal services.Supply chains have leveraged information systems, recognized the need to collaborate onproduct and process design, and supply chain execution. The supply chain stance has shifted towards a partnership orientation from a focus on price negotiations.9.How can the full set of logistical and cross-functional drivers be used to create strategic fit for aPC manufacturer targeting both time sensitive and price conscious customers?The logistical drivers, facilities, inventory, and transportation, and the cross-functional drivers, information, sourcing, and pricing, must be used in concert to achieve the appropriate balance of efficiency and responsiveness for the supply chain to be successful. A PC manufacturer that wants to deliver product both quickly and efficiently can make cost and time trade-offs among these drivers to achieve their goals. These trade offs across drivers afford more flexibility but require constant vigilance as the trade-offs within each driver change. In addition, some drivers may be altered more easily, e.g., order quantity and transportation media, than other drivers, e.g., location and sourcing.CHAPTER FOURDiscussion Questions1.What differences in the retail environment may justify the fact that the fast-moving consumergoods supply chain in India has far more distributors than in the United States?India is a land of shopkeepers selling to over a billion consumers. India is beingly increasingly Westernized, but it will be quite a while (if not forever) before shopkeepers are supplanted by large retailers. The sheer volume of small store owners requires a large number of distributors to service them. The younger generation in India, particularly the IT rich areas of Bangalore and Chennai, have far higher disposable ine than the older generation and the rest of the country.These young workers have very different retail habits and are causing changes in India’sshopping and supply chain needs. Poor infrastructure, although not entirely a retail concern, is another reason why India may need far more distributors than in the U.S.2. A specialty chemical pany is considering expanding its operations into Brazil, where five paniesdominate the consumption of specialty chemicals. What sort of distribution network should this pany utilize?If the expansion into Brazil is merely a sales operation, then distributor storage with last mile delivery is the best network design. If the expanded operations include manufacturingcapabilities, then manufacturer storage with direct shipping is a strong possibility. Given the nature of the product, package carrier delivery is not an option and retail storage with customer pickup is out of the question since this is a B2B scenario. In-transit merge would be an option only if the manufacturer established a network of plants in Brazil, perhaps focused factories relatively close to each customer.The chemical pany has only five customers to serve; it would not require too large aninvestment in logistical infrastructure to effectively serve all five without intervention by adistributor. Their short supply chain would be easier to coordinate due to the stable demands and information sharing that is possible in a B2B scenario.3. A distributor has heard that one of the major manufacturers from which it buys is consideringgoing direct to the consumer. What can the distributor do about this? What advantages can it offer the manufacturer that the manufacturer is unlikely to be able to reproduce?The two supply network designs that the distributor can propose to counter the manufacturer’s proposal are the distributor storage with package carrier delivery and the distributor storage with last mile delivery. Both of these counter-proposals offer higher order visibility for the customer while having simpler information infrastructure than with manufacturer storage. The response time for both is excellent, and the customer experience is also superior to the direct model. If the manufacturer is trying to provide excellent customer service, the increased costs in transportation and potentially higher levels of inventory may be acceptable tradeoffs.4.What types of distribution networks are typically best suited for modity items?modity items are available from many sources and customers expect them to be deliveredquickly; if a supply chain can’t be responsive, the customers will move on to the next source. A distribution network designed for retail storage with customer pickup achieves quick response for high demand, low variety products. Other modity products can be effectively distributed using distributor storage with last-mile delivery, which is also suited for high demand, quick response products.5.What type of networks are best suited to highly differentiated products?The networks that are best suited to highly differentiated products are the manufacturer storage with direct shipping and the manufacturer storage with in-transit merge. Both approaches have the ability to aggregate inventories and postpone product customization, which would help support a wider variety of products.6.In the future, do you see the value added by distributors decreasing, increasing, or staying aboutthe same?It is doubtful that value added by distributors will decrease over time; the nature of petition in all areas would suggest that distributors that add less value would be winnowed out. It is more likely that distributors will be asked to do more or may volunteer to do so as a means ofdifferentiating themselves from the petition.7.Why has e-business been more successful in the PC industry pared to the grocery industry? Inthe future, how valuable is e-business likely to be in the PC industry?The PC industry is selling a highly customized product that is purchased on a per-household basis, less routinely than the modity products that make up groceries. A pany like Dell can leverage the Internet as a marketing and distribution tool to advertise new capabilities andoptions before bricks and mortar retailers can. Dell also removes whatever intimidation (or frustration) factor might be experienced by conversing with in-store sales representatives. puters have a very high value to shipping cost ratio, so the increased shipping costs when pared to a traditional store are negligible. Groceries have a much lower ratio; although in-store shoppers are incurring costs to pick up their groceries, those costs are hidden in parison to the delivery charge on an itemized bill from Peapod.E-business will continue to be a valuable tool in the PC industry; none of the advantagescurrently being enjoyed by Dell and Gateway are likely to change significantly.8.Is e-business likely to be more beneficial in the early part or the mature part of a p roduct’s lifecycle? Why?E-business is more likely to be more beneficial in the early part of a product’s life cycle. E-business strengths include flexible pricing, promotions, and product portfolios and greater speed in disseminating product information. Later in the life cycle, a product is likely to be a modity, which doesn’t play to the strengths of this channel.9.Consider the sale of home improvement products at Home Depot or a chain of hardware storessuch as True Value. Who can extract the greatest benefit from going online? Why?Both entities and other hardware panies like Ace are already on-line. An article titled “Home Depot’s Self-Improvement –pany Business and Marketing” by Eric Young in The Industry Standard, September 11, 2000, indicates that Home Depot is the last major player to go on-line, but brings the deepest pockets. Those of us that have stood in line with the contractors realize that many of Home Depot’s items are ill-suited to a web enterprise and the clientele is equally ill-suited. Contractor sales are such a significant portion of Home Depot’s sales in parison with the mix at True-Value, that it is likely that True-Value will ultimately benefit more from an e-merce division.The article goes on to say,“Each chain is employing a sl ightly different e-merce strategy. Whereas Home Depot wants its site to replicate its merchandise mix, True Value limits the number of items it offers online. For example, at True Value, Net shoppers won't find products most people need in a hurry, such as toilet-tank fix-it kits. "You're not going to wait three days to have it shipped so you can stop the water from dripping into your neighbor's apartment," says Neil Hastie, CIO at TrueValue..Ace Hardware, meanwhile, thinks bigger is better. Its site offers almost everything in its stores, plus about 15,000 additional products. Ace's supplementary online offerings are a windfall from its investment in OurHouse., a Web-based home improvement site that handles Ace's online sales. The two panies split online revenues. Ace joined forces with OurHouse to get a leg up in e-merce. "We didn't want to be left in the starting gate," says Ken Nichols, a retail operations vice president for Ace.Waiting in the wings is Lowe's, the nation's second-largest home improvement chain. Like Home Depot, Lowe's wants to expand its online presence but is approaching e-merce slowly.Beginning in October, the retailer will offer a wide selection in a limited number of categories, such as hand tools and appliances. Lowe's will deliver Net orders directly to buyers or to the store closest to the customer, again like Home Depot.Meanwhile, Internet-only retailers are scrambling to win over customers, vowing to pete against offline chains in price and selection. CornerHardware, for example, says it currently has125,000 products available -- three times the number available at an average Home Depot store.The pure Internet players acknowledge that they don't have the brand recognition of Home Depot. But they hope to build their brands before Home Depot and the other brick-and-mortar stores establish a strong online presence. Still, it's not clear that any are benefiting from first-mover advantage. Already two Net pure-plays -- Hardware. and HomeWarehouse. -- have gone under.”10.Amazon. sells books, music, electronics, software, toys, and home improvement productsonline. In which product category does e-business offer the greatest advantage pared to a retail store chain? In which product category does e-business offer the smallest advantage (or apotential cost disadvantage) pared to a retail store chain? Why?Amazon’s greatest e-business advantage es from book sales; they are able to list millions of book titles that a physical store cannot possibly carry on their shelves. Cost advantages for。