Question

1. What is involved in developing a business plan for production and supply of products? What role do retailers play in achieving the important flexibility that is so important to efficient and timely supply of products?

2. What is involved in developing a business plan for production and supply of products? What role do retailers play in achieving the important flexibility that is so important to efficient and timely supply of products?

3. Mobile marketing is gaining ground. What do you think about the practice of companies making increased use of our cell phones for marketing purposes? What are the pros and cons of marketer's ability to track a consumer's location (Geo-location marketing) and "push" advertising for nearby businesses to their cell phones? Some businesses use a more traditional Ad and others use text messaging. In your opinion is this helpful or not?

Answer 1

Supply chain management is a process which is used by companies to maximise the efficiency and to ensure the quality control.

The five basic components of supply chain are as follows.

1. Plan

2. Develop

3. Make

4. Deliver

5. Return.

1-Plan-

Planning is the first stage of a supply chain. A plan is developed for the actual need of the customer. For a profitable supply chain good planning is very essential. For proper resource management and customer satisfaction supply chains are developed to maintain high profits and correct delivery to the customers.

2-Develop-

Development is the second stage for the supply chain, How the source or the raw material supplier interacts with the company and provide a better service is ensured in this section. It also plans for shipping, delivery and payment. Developing relations with the suppliers is very important as raw material's quality should be constant.

3-Make-

In third stage product is manufactured , packed , shipped and delivered to the customer, This is a manufacturing step hence it plays a big role in the goals of a supply chain because if the production is slow or any part of the making reduces it speed it effects the whole system.

4-Deliver-

Delivery is the fourth part of the process in which the product is handed over to the logistics , The products are distributed with the help of warehouses and payments are collected via invoice system.

5-Return-

Return is the final part of the supply chain in which the customer can return the defective or faulty products and company can raise questions on the same..

Each of above components have their own significance in creating an effective supply chain. Main goals explained above should be strictly followed to ensure the quality and effectiveness of the chain.

Using cell phone as a way for developing mobile marketing platform is very effective as most of the people are connected to the internet and mostly spend their time on the mobile devices. Approaching mobile platform for creating a better marketing structure would be beneficial for any company to improve its overall market position. Geolocation marketing advertisement advertisement is also very effective to provide current offers and other effective mediums which would be beneficial for the company to maintain better sales and support ask it would also provide up to date information to the customers for new products and services.

Using traditional approaches for advertisement is also a good option as it focuses on getting attention of the customers who are not involved in mobile platform marketing and it definitely provides a better support for getting the old age customers which usually do not have good hands in technology such as mobile phone platforms and internet.