100 second reflection for Week 8
Think for 100 seconds, and summarize the key things that you learned in the class during Week 8:
Hulu Case
Lecture about Global sourcing / outsourcing
MIS 3537 – Spring 2017
Think for 100 seconds, and summarize the key things that you learned in the class during Week 8:
Hulu Case
Lecture about Global sourcing / outsourcing
When thinking about all the content we covered in Week 8, there were some very interesting concepts that were intriguing. In terms of the Hulu case, I found it very interesting and helpful to study a case that deals with an unfamiliar supply chain. Everyone thinks of physical movement/transportation when thinking of supply chains, and seeing the complexities of digital content supply chains, and all the players involved was a very enlightening concept. In terms of the class lecture, a concept that peaked my interest was advantages and disadvantages to outsourcing. Before, I figured outsourcing was always a beneficial decision for a business, as it often reduces costs because of cheap labor. However, hearing that there are some disadvantages was really eye opening as well.
This week we talked about the Hulu case where Hulu currently has 9 million subsribers. One of its main competitors is Netflix, in that they are both major online video streaming servers. Hulu was able to partner with major TV networks to provide next day TV airing. In the second part of class we discussed eProcurement, Strategic Sourcing, and eAuctions. I learned what the business process and business funtions are in terms of procurement process. Companies begin to outsource because it offers cost benefits, quality benefits, and aggregation benefits.
This week, as we completed the Hulu case, I learned about the connection between digital streaming platforms and the supply chain. One of the questions we addressed was about how and why digital streaming companies control the supply chain of digital content acquisition. The companies can control the content with unique and limited licenses. They can also control the devices used, for example: hardware deals, software development, Amazon Firestick. Nintendo gaming consoles, kindle, etc… The case helped identify the supply chain when it comes to the digital marketplace. During the latter half of the class, I learned about supplier assessment factors, including: replenished lead time, on-time performance, supply quality, supply flexibility (so they can meet unexpected demand), pricing terms, exchange rates
This week we discussed Hulu’s supply chain and business. I found it really interesting because we compared it to Netflix, one of their biggest competitors. I personally use Netflix, but after this week it seems like Hulu may be better. I remember when Hulu was free and we just had to watch advertisements, but now they switched over to a subscription model similar to Netflix. However other than that, they are very different. Hulu has made partnerships with several TV programs in order to get their shows on their website really fast, some even next day. Netflix is completely different and works directly with the content makes and makes contracts with them, however they do not have shows/movies that are new like Hulu does. This has definitely been a deal breaker for customers who switched to Hulu from Netflix. It takes a lot longer for shows and movies to get on their site due to their different supply chain model.
It was interesting learning about Hulu and its supply chain during week 8. Comparing this company to Netflix was interested and showed how they handle their competition. Hulu has been able to form partnerships with particular programs which allowed them to stand out from the crowd, gain marketshare, and become successful. Other new things that I learned in this class were the importance of issues such as replenished lead time, on-time performance, and exchange rates. Companies need to have a flexible supply chain to be successful.
This week, learning about how Hulu changed the market for television providers and broadcasters is something I have heard about but never studied before. The impact that Hulu and other companies like Netflix have had are undeniable. They changed consumers taste, created a new market, and forced previous television providers and broadcasters to change their methods and develop new strategies in order to compete and stay relevant. In the class lecture we learned about things like exchange rates and outsourcing. We discussed how companies need to have supply chain set that can handle unexpected fluctuations such as supply quality, demand, and performance.
During week 8 there were several interesting things that we learned. Firstly, I found it interesting to learn about Hulu and its supply chain, as it is something that I have never really put much thought into before. Hulu is a very different then one typically imagines a supply chain to be. The reason for this is because when I personally think of a supply chain, I think about several different physical components, not in the digital sense that companies Netflix and Hulu operate. In relation to the lecture on global sourcing, I found the touches on procurement to be helpful. I have heard the term numerous times in previous courses but I never really understood what it was, exactly. After the lecture I have a much better understanding of procurement and its importance to the business process.
In week 8 we talked about the Hulu case and eProcurement. We talked about how successful Hulu has been with all of the competition within the industry. Their biggest competitors are Netflix, HBO go, and amazon prime tv. They also have to compete/face people who illegally download and stream different content. I learned the what the business process and business functions are in terms of the procurement process. eProcurement uses the internet to facilitate, integrate, and streamline the procurement process. It can reduce administrative costs and become more efficient when ordering products.
This week we discussed the Hulu case and the global implications of insourcing and outsourcing supply chain activities. To begin with, the Hulu case was interesting because it offered a unique perspective to supply chains that most people don’t consider. Instead of the physical transfer of materials and products, Hulu had to deal with some of the regulations and barriers regarding the flow of information. This case exemplified how powerful the internet can be when attempting to leverage different supply chain dynamics. Additionally, we discussed global insourcing and outsourcing. As the world moves further into the digital age, eProcurement offers different cost savings and efficiency increasing benefits to global supply chain everywhere.
Through all of the content that we learned in week 8, I found the Hulu case to be especially interesting. When going through all of my classes and learning about supply chain, it has been assumed that the the topic had to do with the distribution of physical products. When talking about intellectual property, there are so many different components involved in the distribution of those goods. There are also many regulations and barriers that go into the transportation of goods based from information. In addition to the Hulu case, we also learned about global insourcing and outsourcing. Companies are relying more and more off of the internet through tools such as eMarkets and distribution through eProcurement. Due to the internet, processes which once used to be complex are now able to be streamlined and integrated.
This week we discussed Hulu and their virtual supply chain. When people generally think of supply chain they think about moving goods from point A to point B. Virtual supply chain takes place through licencing deals and partnerships. This case showed how the company handled and distributed the flow of content. Hulu is a unique case, they have their traditional competitors such as netflix and HBO. Hulu must also compete against illegal downloading. This is something that traditional supply chains did not have to deal with. We also learned about e procurement. Firms are using modern technology to streamline the procurement process. The use of eprocurement increases efficiency and can decrease administrative costs.
I typically associate the study of supply chains with the production of a physical product, i.e something that is manufactured. But this week it was interesting to learn about the supply chain with information type of goods and digital products. I use products such as Hulu and Netflix regularly and to learn about how Hulu gets and distributes its content was very informative. We also learned about SaaS (software as a service) which is software that is licensed and accessed through a browser.
Week 8 was led with Hulu case and global sourcing in supply chain. It was an interesting perspective to understand a digital company like Hulu and how they work. Although it is non traditional, Hulu has a very legitimate supply chain. They were able to navigate their way to the top of the video streaming market to compete with Netflix. The second half of class was eProcurement and sourcing. eProcurement helps facilitate the sourcing process that companies go through by speeding up the communication process which in turn reduces process costs and perhaps enables firms to entertain more suppliers or more bids. In a way, such benefits allow a firm to greatly expand its supplier network base by taking advantage of the economies of scale that e-procurement provides.
In week eight my team and I presented the Hulu case. It was interesting to learn all the different approaches to the virtual or digital supply chains companies are taking. The internet and other technologies are changing the way advertisers, end consumers, and content providers distribute their products. In the second half of class, we discussed eProcurment, eSourcing, and eAuctions. We also learned the differences between a business function and a business process.
In week 8, we discussed the Hulu case and how Hulu has evolved over the past few years. Originally, it showed content for free and had an option for upgrading to Hulu Plus, which was a paid subscription for more content and less advertisement (it has since made Hulu Plus it’s main focus). TV Everywhere is definitely a huge threat to Hulu because it offers similar content to current users for no additional cost. The case stated that 91% of households pay for a television service. In the lecture we went over topics such as eProcurement, outsourcing/sourcing, and auctions. It was interesting to learn about the “Dutch auction” and how it is the complete opposite from the traditional “English auction.”
Personally, I never used online streaming services such as Hulu or Netflix. The first time I used an online streaming service was actually Xfinity’s TV Everywhere because I did not need to pay extra to access content. I can understand why Hulu feels pressure to keep up with the competition. I liked learning about a technology/ entertainment company because the supply chain greatly varies. Due to no traditional raw material, it is interesting to see how content is transferred and ultimately delivered to the customer.
This week, we discussed the Hulu case, as well as some global supply chain activities. One interesting thing I learned from this case was the variety of S.C. management technologies they utilize, such as real-time content, big data analytics and machine learning. In regards to the big data analytics, this is very useful to Hulu as they help the company analyze user data to understand both user activity and preferences. In addition to the Hulu case, we also spoke about global sourcing and outsourcing. One important takeaway I took from this discussion was the idea that companies (especially global firms) need to have a flexible supply chain in order to handle unexpected fluctuations (i.e. Crocs).
Week 8 we talked about the Hulu case. Hulu was different then all of the other companies we looked at because the product they sold wasn’t a physical object. Hulu was able to bring cable tv on demand of the internet which made Hulu the first of its kind. Hulu’s supply chain was how they acquired the rights to TV shows to display on their site. I found it interesting that while they are aware of their competitors like Netflix and Amazon Prime, they also consider illegal down loading. Most companies that sell physical products don’t have to ever worry about illegal downloading. The second half of class we talked out Eprocurement. EProcurement uses the internet to make the supply chain more efficient. The more effective the supply chain is the cheaper it is which then increases profits.
During this class we discussed Hulu’s electronic supply chain model. I found it interesting how Hulu began as a service that was paired with tv/cable subscriptions and eventually adapted to customer preference by offering a subscription based model. The fact that Hulu is 100% virtual gives them a very large competitive advantage to the cable providers and content creators. While cable companies have large infrastructure costs, Hulu does not. This is an advantage because the company can easily adapt to changes in customer preference without losing a lot of money on fixed assets. Additionally, since Hulu does not create content they can focus on what matters most to their business model, creating a portal that allows customers to connect to the content they want. Unlike Netflix, Hulu does not need to put any thought into creating original content, which also allows them to focus on building relationships with large scale networks and host their content.
In week 8, we discussed how Hulu created originally and how it evolved to a main competitor in the video streaming industry. It was interesting to know how Hulu competed with other similar companies with its distinct offers. The second part of class we looked at the eProcurement process, in terms of eContracting, eRequisition, eFufilment and ePayment. More and more companies are relying on the internet to conduct procurement and souring, so as to cut cost and it enables collaborations.
I enjoyed discussing the Hulu case this week because the company’s supply chain does not involve physical products. Traditional supply chains have manufacturers, warehouses, distributors, wholesalers, and retailers. Hulu has a virtual supply chain. Licencing and partnerships allow information to flow through the supply chain. By doing so, digital streaming companies are able to control the supply chain of content acquisition.
We talked about the Hulu case in the week 8.Hulu case is a very interesting case because Hulu’s supply chain does not involve physical goods, but the digital contents. To efficiently manage its digital content supply chain, Hulu must make its digital contents appeal to its viewers. In order to do so, Hulu has to work closely with its digital content suppliers. Also, it is important for Hulu to utilize Big Data tools to make its operations more efficient in term of finding customers preferences, and other aspects.
This week we discussed in depth the Hulu case, learning all about how their supply chain operates. I enjoyed learning about a sully chain that does not involve physical items, which I had never given much thought to. Advertising seems immensely critical for companies like Hulu and Netflix to keep profiting with their business models. It is intriguing how these companies essentially changed the viewing habits of TV watchers. Nowadays I don’t know too many people who watch traditional television more than they watch television through an online service. We also discussed global sourcing. It is no surprise to me that eMarketplaces and eAuctions hold so much power in terms of both buyer power and seller power. This discussion made me realize how much business opportunity there is on eProcurement, too. Procurement requires most of a company’s spending on cost-of-goods sold, so streamlining this process and continually improving on its efficiency has a lot of potential; I expect to see more and more companies focusing on this in the near future.
This week we learned about Hulu and discussed aspects of business that prove to be vital when delivering a nontangible product or service. I found our discussion really intriguing because I had never thought about just how much viewing has now been moved to a digital format. I think that television services such as Verizon, Comcast, Direct TV, etc could really benefit from following in the footsteps of the business model of Hulu. They are smart and capitalize on the fast-paced changes that come with the online streaming business.
In week 8, my group and I presented the Hulu case then we went forward to discuss global sourcing and outsourcing. One of the main topics we covered were figuring out how businesses, like Hulu, deliver virtual goods; things you can’t physically touch. We also talked about how important advertising is for companies like Verizon, Comcast, and Hulu. My personal favorite part of the presentation was seeing how online streaming services like Hulu or Netflix are actually starting to become a threat to the big cable companies and how those companies are dealing with them. This case matched perfectly with our class’s topic of eProcurement. More and more companies are becoming reliant on eProcurement because of the global trend that seems that there are an increasing amount of consumers that are shopping for the majority of the things they want online.
Last week we discussed the hulu case. Hulu was able to compete with TV network by taking advantage of internet to provide digital content to users for a lower subscription. it was informative to learn how Hulu managed the supply chain of its digital content. They create a new market and provide more convenient products to users that slowly shifted from TV to online streaming.
In this week’s lecture, we started by discussing the Hulu case. We learned how Hulu evolving their business and how importance that innovation make it able to defeat its competitors and capture huge amount of customers. As a great introduction, Hulu case made a well sense for us to understand today’s topic, which is about e-Procurement and global sourcing strategies. EProcurement is literally different with the traditional procurement since its process was facilities, integrate, and streamline from the way of Internet. As well, we had discussed the variety types of auctions and how they were worked, which is fun.
In week 8 we read a case abut Hulu and their supply chain. The company’s evolved, complex and efficient supply chain allowed them to compete against their biggest competitor, Netflix. We also learned about eProcurement and global sourcing. eProcurement is the use of Internet (I/T) to facilitate, integrate, and streamline the procurement process. eProcurement can be very advantageous because procurement costs represent a huge amount of COGS and eProcurement can decrease costs a lot. The eProcurement consists of eContracting, eRequisition, eFulfillment, and ePayment.
Before this Hulu case assignment I really didn’t have any idea how their supply chain worked other than they obtained licensing rights for certain territories. It is amazing the complexity of these agreements and how Hulu has created value in the service it provides even though it doesn’t make the actual content. I also think it is interesting how they usually only obtain the rights to stream content in certain countries, other countries may already have exclusive rights. We also talked about eprocurement and global sourcing.