Three Country Supply Chain

Team Challenge

Which three countries are going to be involved your supply chain? Which processes, products and services go in each country?

Resources

The Google Gapminder is an awesome tool for understanding global economic issues. Also see the original Gapminder for some great insights about data representation of global issues!

The Portals to the World website on the Library of Congress provides in-depth information about the nations and other areas of the world. Each country has links for a wide range of categories. This is a great resource for students to get information about countries in the news or small countries with minimal information on them at the library.

The World FactBook has a lot of country-specific information in it. Can you find the labor costs, manufacturing costs for your countries and use that information in your plan?

Process

BASIC LEVEL Find two countries that have a relationship with each other in a supply chain, or create a potential a supply chain (hint: follow a package that is shipped using UPS. UPS designs supply chains for companies; see if you can find out how they do it).

GRAB YOUR POINTS!

1. Log into eFolio. Place your work into your team's "GBP & TIP Challenges" folder. Title your entry with [Your Name]-[Challenge title]-[Process Level] (e.g. David Gibson-Title-BASIC) so that we can credit you for your work!

2. Evaluate the Challenge.

GOING BEYOND In terms of your team's solution, think about the design of a manufacturing plant for various parts that have to be made in different countries or for services that can be performed in different countries. Then move the sub-assembly to another country. Explain what happens at each step and the resources each country offers to the operation

The 3 to 5 page "Manufacturing & Operations" section of the Business Plan should address questions such as the following:

Products are produced in the places that are best equipped to produce them. Based on this fact, where will you source the components of your product?
Where will they be designed?
Where will they be assembled?
How will they be distributed to a global market?

GRAB YOUR POINTS!

2. Evaluate the Challenge

GOING CRAZY Create a matrix that describes each of your three countries' roles in the supply chain and use it as a "Table" in your business plan. In the squares of the matrix, put short descriptions that you make longer in your narrative. In the columns put the country names, and in the rows put the business process roles (e.g. manufacturing, sales, marketing, administration, etc.) For the CRAZY points must use at least three countries. Discuss why your team chose these countries

If you were to create a company to produce your product, where would the headquarters be?
Where would your engineers be?
Where would your manufacturing plant be?
Discuss how your team arrived at these decisions. Discuss the personal vs. business motivations for this decision.

And remember (as boringly always!!!) document your team roles in this task and save for the "Key Personnel" and "Appendix"

Task Leader, (Research Team Leader, Team Leader)
Documentation (writing, editing, putting things together, linking to standards)
Resources (finds and gets stuff)
Evaluation and team reflection role (process monitor role)

GRAB YOUR POINTS!

2. Evaluate the Challenge