Edward N Beaver

This course gives me a good understanding of the relationship between supply chain and technology. It is difficult to find the right position for technology in a company, but there is always a place for it. All the cases that we have read help me to learn how supply chain can changed by technology and vice versa. Reading all the cases are very interesting because it talks about issues that I don’t know or heard of. Also, the process of solving problems helped my critical thinking. I enjoyed the beer game and simulation, both are fun and meaningful games.

I felt as though this course had a good balance between real-world examples such as case studies, simulations, a guest lecture, and traditional lectures. For me personally, I thought the best example of putting this all together would have been the most recent global supply chain simulation. It really gave an accurate depiction of developing a product and putting it to market, but first deciding on how to allocate production among different locations based on your forecasted sales. The case studies made us think deeply about how technologies have changed companies mostly for the better along with the associated challenges. I think that overall this class helped further my understanding about the behind-the-scenes workings of supply chain management. I would continue to do the case studies and the simulations, I felt that they were helpful. I would also suggest integrating how to use a system like SAP for example in this function. I think that would give students the ultimate learning experience.

I feel as though I learned a lot in the course and it truly expanded my knowledge of Supply Chain vocabulary and how Supply Chain is affected by internet. I enjoyed working on the simulation assignments because it applied the concepts we were learning in class. This was a great method to apply the concepts we were learning rather than just hearing about them in a lecture. I enjoyed have the guest speaker come in as well and would continue having guests in the future, maybe even having 2-3 in the future. The weekly cases were a little challenging but definitely increased my knowledge of how supply chain is affected by the internet and it kept me up to date on the latest technological trends.

This course has taught me a lot about the supply chain in business, and how to connect it with information technology. There were a number of good things that I learned from this class, whether it was RFID, the bullwhip effect, or efulfillment. I enjoyed having a guest speaker a few weeks ago, and I enjoyed the simulations that we worked with. The beer game taught me how to work well with others and understand different roles. The supply chain simulation that we did in week 13 was both fun and interesting to apply some of the things that we learned in class to.

This course has been a big eye-opener for me. I had some internship experience with the supply chain logistics in the retail clothing industry but I wasn’t able to fully grasp the full supply chain process while I was there as I was only working with the data. This course has given me a way to interpret supply chains at a higher level and understand how technology plays a pivotal role in its efficiency and execution. The case studies helped me see how supply chains were utilized and how it was shaped around the business model. The simulations helped me understand the supply and demand implications with suppliers, retailers, wholesalers, and the bullwhip effect. In class participation was important as well because it helped keep us engaged.

I personally really enjoyed this class. The one thing that differentiates this class from others, is that we aren’t just staring at powerpoints learning about theories and how things should work. Instead, you gave us plenty of real life examples to really illustrate how the topics we learned about work in actual industries. As a finance major I never considered a career in Supply Chain, but I actually am in the process of finalizing a Supply Chain internship for the summer. Part of the inspiration for applying to the internship came from taking this class.

I enjoyed the content of this class. I think the use of lectures, case studies, and small “projects” really kept it interesting each week. Overall the content was interesting and the projects and case studies tied in well with the overall lessons. Without the case studies and projects I believe this class would have been a lot less interesting to a lot of people. The more practical applications are really what kept this class fresh and engaging each week. I learned a lot and am happy I took this class.

Overall, I thought this course was very interesting and intriguing. It helped me understand some basic concepts in both supply chain management and management within IT. The case studies were very interesting and always offered a different concept relating to supply chains, and overall exposure to differences is the key to learning. The simulations were very fun, and taught key concepts such as the bullwhip effect and the drawbacks of having a large lead time from an overseas supplier. It was also great to know that IT is a new and emerging field, and I know I chose the right major in MIS. Your background in IT and supply chain management offered great insight on how to succeed, and your overall end of the year advice was very practical and applicable to everyone’s success.

I got to learn a lot about IT and supply chain are integrated together. From reading the nine cases, I get to learned that every company has their own unique supply chain. I learned that in implementing new technology to a company’s supply chain there are advantages and disadvantages. Companies are constantly finding new ways to improve their supply chains. The beer game and global supply chain simulation provided me with more knowledge of how a supply chain function and increase my awareness about the kind of decisions I make with my team members . Decisions are hard to make at first, but learning from my mistakes is the most important lesson learned from the simulations.

Overall I found this course to be very interesting, before this course I had no previous supply chain classes, so my knowledge was very limited. This course has helped me put the supply chains that I interact with as an employee and a consumer into perspective. It was also interesting to see how the internet can benefit supply chains in order to make processes and businesses more efficient. The homework assignments were definitely helpful in gaining an understanding of the events that took place in each case, and helped visualize the supply chain in each. Overall, I enjoyed learning about your experiences in supply chain management and felt that the course material was very informative and helpful, especially to someone who has no previous learning experience with supply chains.

This class really gave me some perspective as to applications of IT in the business environment. The cases really allowed me to see how companies are integrating IT systems to get ahead of their competitors, cut down costs, and respond to demand faster than ever before. The fact all the cases were based on fairly recent events kept them interesting. The simulations were pretty great too. Being able to get (a close) hands on experience to see how things like Bullwhip effect with your own decisions made it a memorable experience, because instead of taking notes I was experiencing it myself. I’d recommend this class to others in Business or IT for an interesting elective that you actually learn from. Only thing I would change would be starting the semester with a chance to know everyone because groups are a pretty big part of the class.

This course gives me a good understanding of the relationship between supply chain and technology. It was also interesting to see how the internet can benefit supply chains in order to make processes and businesses more efficient. The case studies were very interesting and always offered a different concept relating to supply chains, and overall exposure to differences is the key to learning. I thought the knowledge you brought from the industry was invaluable, and I am very glad I chose this as my elective.

This course was really insightful and informative on how supply chains work on the technological level. I enjoyed reading through the Harvard cases to better understand how the internet effects supply chains in the real world. I also grasped the concept of a supply chain through the simulations too. I got to experience what a bullwhip effect was and how it cn screw up your supply process. I think this was a great course and hope it continues to be so.

I enjoyed this course, it gave me a great insight about how supply chains are enhanced using technology. I liked the two simulations we did in class, it gave me a better understanding of the importance of having an efficient supply chain, and all the decisions that must be made to enable the company to become more profitable and dominant within the marketplace. In addition, I thought the group case studies were interesting and I actually learned a lot from the articles and the debriefs we had in class after the group’s presentation.

In week 13 we started the Global Supply Chain Simulation. This simulation provides insight to the importance and challenge of communication with different team members when offering a product. This becomes even more challenging when deciding to roll out a new product when it’s hard to forecast how the new product will fare in the market. In order to sell the product, we need to set up suppliers that can achieve the level of quality that we’re seeking and meet demand requirements at the same time, or a good combination of both. While one supplier may be able to immediately meet our demand requirements, they may be more expensive than another supplier who has longer lead times. So with each decision, there are many tradeoffs to consider. At the end of the day, supply chain efficiency really impacts a company, as it is a contributing factor to the number at the bottom of the financial statements for the company.

In our week 13 class, we worked on the global supply chain simulation. Once I paired up with a partner, we started learning about how to use the simulation. Our job was to add on new features to two cell phones that were already made. We chose our suppliers, which included where to buy, at what cost, and how many units to produce. The simulation was four total years. So, after we chose our suppliers, we took it month by month to see how our sales were doing. There was the option of changing the quantity we wanted from a single supplier, and a few other little features. After every year, we talked with the board, who would decide on whether or not they would give us their vote.

In the global supply chain simulation I learned that accurate forecasting and production flexibility are vital in a supply chain. We learned that outsourcing production, as well as localizing a certain portion to be beneficial. We also found sometimes change orders are necessary, although they are expensive. It is important to have at least one local supplier with no lead time to be able to quickly respond to fluctuations in demand. It is also important to take into account the average, standard deviation, consensus data when forecasting. In the design room, it is important to weigh the implementation of value added attributes against the rise in cost and price.

Last week, we started the global supply chain simulation. We finished year 1 together during class time. It is an interesting game, I am getting better and better from each round. We skipped a lot details in the first year. I feel like all the discussion of customers and broad members are important as well. The votes of broad members are very hard to get. They are always not satisfied about something. The hardest part is deciding suppliers and the volume of production. You don’t want to overproduce or out of inventory. Prediction is very hard because customers are always changing. I think the marketing event is always helpful because it helps me to better understand the market and I can adjust the orders according to the feedback.

I learned a lot in the global supply chain simulation. The areas that I found most useful were the forecasting room and the production room. I found how difficult it was to predict market changes, Although it was very easy to change production half way through a year. Our first year we were very cautious, and it paid off. I also learned that it can be difficult to be great in every aspect of the supply chain and satisfy every board member.

Last week, we mainly did the simulation in class. It was key to consider the thoughts and suggestions from each person in the simulation. Each decision made was going to have effects that were either positive or negative so it was crucial to strategically think out each move. Estimating the production forecasts and allocating it to the most viable production facility was difficult. Each option had its strengths and weaknesses so we had to learn from the results each year to make the company more profitable the following year. Lessons to be learned would be to value each opinion of those who you work with, but don’t always assume they are correct. Business decisions made can go wrong sometimes and the only way to make the situation better is to lean from mistakes and perform your job duties more efficiently. The market is difficult to predict and utilizing forecasting techniques will keep inventory costs down, stock out costs non-existent, and higher profit margins which in turn result in more happy customers.

The Global Supply Chain Simulation was a seemingly easy game of how to conduct supply chain production, but this was a severe underestimation. My partner and I spent a great deal of time looking at each individual component of the simulation (which features to choose, the individual perspectives of the managers). It was especially difficult to forecast the demand for each product since we were not given historical data. This was our greatest pitfall in using the simulation. Beyond that, in the first round we made the mistake of diverting production to the PrettyClose facility, where they gave us our inventory up front and we incurred a lot of holding costs. This resulted in tens of millions of dollars of debt before April began. Our first round was an overall success, however. We remained profitable at the end of the year and learned that beginning production in January and holding too much inventory was not something we would do in future rounds.

During week 13, we had the in class simulation. Personally, I thought this simulation was a little bit more realistic than the previous one. I learned that flexibility is vital in a supply chain. This stems from diversifying suppliers, and managing inventory in an efficient manner. Change orders are also beneficial if demand shifts are very significant, although they are costly. By having a local and outsourced supplier, we could fulfill orders more efficiently. We also learned that design decisions also heavily impact the demand of our product, and by making smart and logical decisions we could amplify sales.

In this week, we had to work on the Global Supply Chain simulation, and I thought this was very interesting. Our group get to run the actual phone company with ‘UNCERTAINTY’ in the market, and we had to try to do the forecast for every year. This exercise was really helpful to gain information on the decision making of products, production line, meet with the demand, and inventory control. It was somewhat difficult to figure out the forecast only with the given information from the members from company, because market condition were dramatically changed. However at the end, me and my partner were so glad that we got all the vote at the last year.

In week 13 we ran the global supply chain simulation. When picking our options for the models we at first relied on the consensus. We learned alter that this was not the right decision. We switched our strategy to look at the per-unit profit and estimated demand. When forecasting we relied heavily on the consensus and the average demanded. We found this to be pretty accurate in the end. Two of the four rounds we stuck with only 2 suppliers and found this to be efficient. The other two rounds seemed to be complicated managing more than 2 suppliers. We also took advantage of the Celldex Conference which boosted our demand. There were times we had to issue change order in order to avoid stock outs or excess inventory. Overall, the simulation was helpful in applying what we learned in class this semester.

During this week, we went over the Global Supply chain simulation we had just done. One of the biggest things I learned from this simulation were that flexibility of the supply chain is key, especially when their is high uncertainty with the forecasted demand. For example, if you aren’t sure if you’ve ordered enough product, choose a supplier thats closer with shorter lead times. This will allow you to replenish your inventory in case you stock out. Another thing I learned was that you should always look at the average forecast, rather than the consensus. This is because the consensus can be swayed by other peoples opinions. They might just be agreeing to avoid conflict which is not beneficial.

In week 13 we ran through the first year of the Supply Chain Simulation. It was a little tough at first because we weren’t really sure how to price the phones or what features for the phone to pick. I liked that this simulation was a lot more interactive and my partner and I started to get the hang of simulation as it went on. We didn’t do terribly our first year, ending with two votes. We tried to take the advice of the board members through out each round but it seemed that whenever we’d try to gain the vote of a member, we would lose the vote of a member from a previous round which became a little frustrating. We also paid for the Celled Conference every round which was helpful and increase demand. Thinking back I wish my partner and I would’ve taken the opportunity of changing our order half way through the simulation. I believe it would’ve given us better results at the end.

This we went though the first year of the Supply Chain Simulation with our partners. The year of the simulation went well for my partner and I, we chose to be brave and get two suppliers instead of one, which helped us adjust to the later years. The forecasters seemed kind of irrelevant, the comments they said were usually unrelated and their predictions were usually completely off. I enjoyed the simulation of overall but would have liked to be able to see an example run through of the first year.

Week 13 was our Global Supply Chain simulation. In the global supply chain simulation I learned that accurate forecasting and production flexibility are vital in a supply chain. . I liked that this simulation was a lot more interactive and I started to get the hang of the simulation as it went on. It was tough to make everyone happy in the board room, but I suppose that is one of the major points of the simulation.

In week 13 during the Global Supply Chain Simulation, Evan and I learned a lot and took some positives out of it. While it wasn’t a 100% perfect simulation it still drove several key points. One being that forecasting can be a total crap shoot. While for the most part forecasting can be predicted, there can be outside influences such reports that surface that can result in the demise your product. Another key point I took from this simulation is you have to deal with people inside your organization and their differences in their opinions and forecasts and then try to understand the consensus that they all eventually come to. Also, the management of suppliers can make or break success in fulfilling orders in a timely fashion.

In week 13, my partner Joel James and I completed the Global Supply Chain Simulation Game. We learned that the key to success was to listen and understand the forecasts, standard deviations, etc. We learned it was important to maintain a flexible production schedule and supply chain to meet shifting demand, because sometimes we were thrown unexpected curveballs in the news that affected our demand. For example, in one week we had a news article published that cell phones caused cancer, and our demand shifted downwards as a result leaving us with leftover inventory. Lastly, we learned not to focus on the consensus forecasts, because the consensus can be affected by personal feelings from the forecasting team. Overall, the simulation was a great learning experience for managing a real life supply chain.

I thought it was very interesting learning about DOW’s supply chain, since it is a market leader in the chemical industry. Hearing some of their management techniques first hand was very unique. His ideas about vertical markets, consolidation, automation, and exchanging business messages are important factors of a successful supply chain. He introduced me to two new supply chain processes: source to pay and forecast to fulfill. I also found his graphical dashboard interface interesting, as I felt this gave me a really good idea of something I may see in the future as an MIS major.

I thought it was interesting to learn about how technology has changed the way companies perform business functions over the years such as the procuring of goods. The communication methods and channels have changed improving efficiencies from better forecasting numbers to quicker communication across the supply chain. I am starting a career in procurement this summer and it is exciting to see the different platforms available to complete activities in the supply chain and how technology streamlines them. Whether it is Source 2 Pay or Forecast to Fill, I’m sure the company I will be working for, Aramark, will have a SCON in place that is modern and enables users to make the best decisions on the procurement of products where at one time in the past was a much more difficult job due to the lack of current technology, collaboration, and data available. Data analytics change the way dashboard interface’s display information to make the most effective and efficient business operations decisions.

In week 12 we learned about the evolution of the B2B business network. Key things that were pointed out were the exchanging of business messages, consolidation and automation of purchasing, and focus on vertical markets. In the RosettaNet Case we learned that standards are necessary and essential in eBusiness because of the cost to develop, complexity, ease of use, and to make EDI affordable to small and medium businesses. Thinks are complicated with standards for a number of reasons: (1) Competing standards (Government, non-profit, vertical markets, private) (2) Cost of compliance (3) Time of Market. We also discussed which standard Developcom should adopt and why. We decided that a horizontal standard served better for Developcom’s customer base.

In week 12, we had a guest lecture come in to discuss the B2B Network in business. B2B is an interesting concept and has definitely changed the approach businesses take in their operations. Throughout the course of time, we have seen the integration and consolidation of processes and networks in which produces abilities like EDI, which enhances the ability for businesses to communicate and collaborate with each other. As Larry pointed out, while this change has created many benefits, it requires an added-level of relationship management between companies and their suppliers. In order to gauge these measures, I think the best way to do so would be through the use of dashboards as opposed to raw data and figures. This was pointed out in the presentation. I think that visualization with charts, pictures and colors really help us in the business world fully grasp the stories that the data is telling us and therefore beneficial in the world of business.

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I was an odd man out, so I completed the simulation SOLO.

In the last 3 weeks, I learned more about the key information technology risks and common methods organizations use to ensure security in their SAP systems. I understand the difference between task and job level security role designs in SAP and the scenarios in which each should be used. Lastly, I learned why SoD is so important in SAP and some of the mitigating controls that can be implemented to reduce those risks.

For the last three weeks, we were focusing on security and segregation of duties. SOD is used to prevent any potential opportunity to commit and hide fraud, theft or errors. We also learnt about data migration and data interfaces. I understand how the processes work, the key risks associate with these processes, and how to implement controls to reduce /migrate the risks.

Over the past few weeks we have discussed the importance of maintaining the integrity of data through the use of SOD and user management to keep the user roles documented and up to date. This concept integrates with the migration of data from one system to another, by ensuring that the data is complete and accurate. Data can be corrupted or modified when access is not controlled or restricted and can lead to undetected errors, or insecure sensitive data during a transfer. Not only do controls need to be in place , they must be followed in order to ensure security.

In the last three weeks, I have learned most relevant points in ERP that related to the field of IT Audit. For example, being able to see how SOD is implemented in SAP, different between task and job role, and seeing the roles of each job position. The concept of SOD has been clearer distinctively due to the many examples we were introduced to and thought of. These examples were more practical because we had to work with the modeled real world scenario.

Over the past 3 weeks we have talked a lot about segregation of duties. While we all knew that this is an important control to prevent fraud, we learned more about which job functions need to be separated. For example, we now know that people in sales should not be receiving customer payments. We also know that there should be a SOD in the shipping process, where the person that picks the order should not be loading the trucks. We also learned about data migration and the risks that exists when updating data for the new system.

I learned that there are many different layers to SAP security. i also learned that S.O.D applies to pretty much every single function in an organization due to the importance of not letting one person have too much power in a single function.

I have learned how segregation of duties is implemented within the SAP system and how it is different between the related tasks and job roles. For me, the many examples that you brought forward in class were extremely helpful in identifying this concept. It showed real world examples and that was helpful in my learning.

In week 11, the topic of the lecture was about Supply Chain IT standards. One of the points made in class that resonated with me the most is the use of EDI versus the “old days” when communication wasn’t facilitated with more advanced technology. The slide titled “Getting ’em to talk” accurately describes what I’m referring to. Thought my time at Temple, I’ve gained insight to the perspective of current and former professionals in supply chain who have experienced something similar to the scenarios depicted on that slide. It is definitely a unique way of conducting business and definitely more personable. However, as it was pointed out it class, this method can be very inefficient as well. Waiting to talk to someone in another country on the phone and sending things via fax takes too long and if something needs to be taken care of right away, it can be very costly. Overall, advancements such as EDI help facilitate that communication process. While it can be costly to implement the systems initially, I think that there are a lot of added benefits to EDI when looking at the picture overall.

In week 11 we learned that there are 7 C’s of collaboration: Connection with Purpose and People, Clarity of Purpose, Congruence of Mission, Strategy and Values, Creation of Value, Communication between Partners, Continual Learning, and Commitment to the Partnership. Relating to the Starbucks Case, with CI over a million coffee farmers on four continents benefited. In the lecture we discussed the Electronic Data Interchange (EDI) which is the structured transmission of data between organizations by electronic means. EDI is like a technical representation of a business conversation between two entities, the entities being two computer systems. Components of an EDI system include a computer, network and an Internet connection. EDI includes data transmission, message flow, document format, and software used to interpret documents. We learned that standards enable communication.

In our week 11 lecture, we talked about a number of things, including the Starbucks case, the 7 C’s of collaboration, Electronic data interchange (EDI), and Supply Chain IT standards. The 7 C’s of collaboration are the connection with purpose and people, clarity of purpose, congruence of mission, strategy and values, creation of value, communication between partners, continual learning, and commitment to the partnership. EDI is is the electronic interchange of business information using a standardized format. There are Supply Chain IT standards that permit many ways of communication. EDI is one of these ways that communication gets through.

In Week 11 we learned about the Electronic Data Interchange (EDI), which is the Structured transmission of data between
organizations by electronic means. We learned that an EDI is composed of a computer system (Computer, network, and internet connection). The advantages of using EDI include increased efficiency, cost savings, and starts to get rid of paper based systems.

We also covered the 7 c’s of collaboration, which were:
1)Connection with purpose and people
2) Clarity of Purpose
3) Congruence of Mission, Strategy and Values
4) Creation of Value
5)Communication between Partners
6)Continual Learning
7)Commitment to the Partnership

We also learned that XML is an extension of HTML, and that XML defines the content rather than controlling how it is displayed, like HTML.

On week 11, we talked about the ways in which we get the different components of supply chain to integrate. In other words, how do we get them to speak the same language and collaborate. We spoke about the different types of protocols such as HTTP and HTTPS, XML which allows users can define the tags making the data easier to read, EDI which helps with standards integration and can increase efficiency but requires changes to business processes, and RosettaNet which encourages industry-wide e-business standards.

In week 11 went over collaboration and integration of both supply chains and their systems. We also went over EDI which is the structured exchange of data between organizations. I learned how important it can be to make sure there is no confusion in a supply chain but also making sure that everyone can communicate quickly. If one end of the supply chain has to spend time trying to understand poorly organized data, it can lead to a bottleneck and decrease in efficiency which can be a hinderance for both firms.

In week 11 we discussed how computers communicate. We talked about standards like EDI, some of the advantages include: increased efficiency, cost savings, and weeds out paper-based systems. We also discussed XML and how it uses a schema, and tags to share information between parties. XML can also be accessed through a variety of systems and devices.

Apple’s troubles in maintaining an ethical supply chain certainly will deter some social groups from buying Apply products. I personally feel that Apple’s struggle to maintain ethical labor conditions abroad is brought about by the cultural and political differences between the United States and China. Apple’s due diligence in China as it pertains to labor conditions is somewhat difficult to manage because Chinese working conditions do not reflect American working conditions. Trying to match the two are nearly impossible, which means that the firm will have tradeoffs when manufacturing its products overseas.

Apple has taken some measures to try to mitigate the situation, which shows that the company cares for their workers, but I do not perceive the company’s labor forces abroad to deter me from buying its products. Apple products are ingrained in my way of life. I equate this “dependency” on its products as a tool I use to overlook Apple’s infractions. I do not mean to say that I want to justify poor labor conditions abroad; but rather, my expectations are low that the labor conditions abroad can be better than they are in the U.S., because it takes time to make those changes since they are brought about because of cultural, legal, and political differences.

Apple is one of America’s most profitable businesses and has a cash stash of almost $100 billion. It’s faced criticism for not doing more to repair what its own audits illustrate are rampant and often dangerous violations in its overseas manufacturing plants. More than 60% of the workers at three of Apple supplier Foxconn’s factories in China say their wages fall short of their basic needs. Apple’s troubles in maintaining an ethical supply chain make me feel disappointed in the company and frustrated with their business practices. As a result, I am less likely to buy Apple products in the future.

Foxconn’s two dozen labor and human rights violations will definitely make me think more about the type of company I am supporting. However, these workplace violations are not enough to make me stop shopping at Apple, because I feel that no other company can match Apple in the level of connectivity between devices. I do not think it that it is ethical that Apple uses suppliers with low wages, excessive work hours, low health and safety standards, underage workers, and unfair worker representation. However, Apple did cut ties with suppliers who were repeat offenders of labor and human right violations, This shows that Apple does somewhat about ethical sourcing. These violations would not be enough to deter me from shopping at Apple, because I believe Apple has enough integrity to cut ties with suppliers once violations get out of control.

I think that Amazon may have to pay LaseShip more in order for them to cover the drivers costs that they incur. LaserShip drivers originally made decent pay according to the article. However, LaserShip later cuts pay because they can’t make money with Amazon. In order to handle this PR problem, Amazon should consider paying LaserShip more so at the very least drivers costs are covered.

One way Amazon can deal with this issue is to provide a stipend that would cover a portion of the driver’s costs. In this way, the driver is receiving some financial help with his expenses, but drivers are also incentivized to be less wasteful. The payment schedule could be based on typical driving routes or average mileage. Amazon would not pay the full amount to service the vehicles, but the payment program can be structured in such a way that drivers can pocket any left over money not used for driving expenses. If drivers retain a portion of the costs, they will have a greater motivation to be less wasteful. It is like addressing the issue of ethical behavior and sustainability at the same time!

I think the issue stems with them being independent contractors. Because of that status, they lose out on many of the benefits that normal employees would receive. One way they could improve their image was if they only contracted with companies who had employees on payroll, this would force companies like LaserShip to change their ways if they would like to keep Amazon’s business. Or they could potentially choose to hire their own drivers themselves, this would be a huge cost but it would definitely help their image.

One way technology helps companies become socially and environmentally responsible is by increasing the public’s awareness of environmental efforts that the company engages in. Vice versa, if a company does something that is unethical or environmentally disruptive, the public can be made aware of those wrongdoings almost instantly. Social media is one example of how information is spread throughout an organization and external environment. This impacts the firm’s reputation and makes it more conscious of taking on social endeavors that might improve the public’s perception of that company.
The company is also able to utilize advances in technology to improve outdated infrastructures, such as lighting and transportation, in order to make their supply chains more environmentally friendly. That way, the firm is able to reduce extraneous costs (in the long-term) and is able to improve supply chain inefficiencies. Technology has allowed supply chains to become less wasteful, as is the case with Supply Chain Event Management IT systems, which track shipments and reduce truck idling – thereby, reducing the emissions that are released. This is just one way that technology has allowed supply chain activities to reduce CO2 emissions and help the planet.

Technology can help to promote corporate social responsibility, these tactics include strategic sourcing and procurement, continuous process improvement, product lifecycle management, logistics, performance management and measurement, virtualization, and carbon management.
Information systems can make an important contribution to the development of innovative environmental strategies. Information systems enable new practices and processes in support of belief formation, action formation, and outcome assessment. For example, Google installed a solar power facility at its U.S. headquarters.

There are a number of ways technology can help environmental efforts. First, Social media platforms can be used to increase awareness about environmental efforts and problems. It is easy to join and activist group online through social media or directly though the groups website. Second, technology allows things to be done virtually that previously had to be produced. For example, the music industry, book industry, and education industry now exist extensively online. Major industries becoming virtual decreased a lot of waste. Third, technology allows us to find the most efficient way to source, produce, warehouse, and distribute products.

Technology and information systems help companies be more environmentally responsible by reducing waste, creating optimization, and reducing costs. Information systems replace paper processes, and reduce the amount of paper used in an organization by sending the information electronically. Information systems optimization the supply chain process which reduces pollution, emissions, and transportation costs.

Information Systems are meant to change processes into more efficient versions of themselves. This is accomplished by using data which has been analyzed and presented in a way which highlights potential opportunities or threats. Patagonia is a leader in the green business movement and has relied heavily on its information systems to provide the best data to make great business decisions. This company realized that it could help the environment and drive sales at the same time and continues to be a leader in this industry.

In this week, we have discussed about ethics and Green in supply chain. Ethics can be defined as society’s general understanding of what is good or appropriate behavior. And we also discussed about lots of challenges in ethical supply chains such as labor cost, environment, testing on humans or animals, working conditions and many others. And we also learned that there are some key things to drive ethics in supply chain, and within some of the listed driving facts, I personally figured that ‘willing to do right thing’ is the most important thing to drive ethics in supply chain. The reason behind is that a person or people would have to have that mindset to do such an activity in ethical way, human beings are the one who is involved in every activity in supply chain and we are the decision makers in any activity involved in this. Therefore having mindset of ‘willing to do the right thing’ in our mindset is the key to be ethical in supply chain in my perspective. We also discussed about Green in supply chain and it was very interesting to see some of the environmental friendly activities are hard to decide which one is better than the others. Such activity like ‘buy local is always right’ can be hard to decide in some cases, and I believe in some case using can is better than using the bottle. I thought the discussion that we had on this topic was very interesting overall.

This week, we discussed ethics in supply chain and companies “going green” and having a good CSR (corporate social responsibility). We learned there are a few challenges to ensuring ethics in supply chain like when companies outsource, they can lose control of their normal operations, or when companies become more global they can run into issues with different laws or expectations of the country they expand to. In addition, they can run into problems with complexity or competition.There are many concerns to consider in your company that deals with ethics such as child labor, low prices, harsh working conditions, discrimination, animal and human testing, harm to the environment, etc. We talked about green supply chains and how the majority of people in the class thought that a company being green wouldn’t effect their buying decisions.

This week we learned the importance of making ethical decisions and reducing environmental impact in regard to the supply chain. Corporate social responsibility is how a company adheres to the law, ethical standards. and international norms. Challenges to ensuring ethics in the supply chain are outsourcing, globalization, complexity, and competition. Concerns in ethical supply chains include child labor, low prices, harsh working conditions, and discrimination. Green supply chains require the long term commitment of the entire supply chain to consider environmental consequences all parts of sourcing, manufacturing, operations, and distribution.

In week 10 we discussed ethics and environment in global supply chains. Ethics are society’s general understandings of what is good or appropriate behavior. Corporations must monitor and ensure their adherence to law, ethical standards, and international norms. Social accounting is the communication of social and environmental effects of a company’s economic actions to particular interest groups within society. The most powerful value chain members bears greatest burden of responsibility. Outsourcing, globalization, complexity, and competition are challenges faced when ensuring ethics in supply chains. Green supply chains are sustainable, require long-term commitment, and include the entire supply chain. The elements of green supply chains include: green design, green sourcing, green production, green distribution, and green reverse logistics.

In week 10 we discussed business ethics and the trouble Amazon faced when launching their Amazon Europe branch. Amazon had to adapt to the European culture and supply them based on what they were accustomed to. The process of supplying their customers in Europe was different than the process in the United States because of cultural differences, expectations, and ethical beliefs. Amazon, being the company that they are, managed to figure out how to operate in Europe but at the time the case was written they were in a situation where they had to figure out the most economical way to supply their customers while being responsive to their customers expectations and ethics.

In week 10 we started out by talking about Amazon and their challenges when it came to being able to distribute products in Europe. They faced challenges like cultural differences, regulatory laws, payment methods, procurement strategy, and post services. They had 3 decentralized distribution centers that created a lot of deficiencies in their supply chain. Through the European Distribution Network, Amazon was able to improve customer service, expand their product selection and create the ability to go into new markets more smoothly. In the lecture portion of the class we went over ethics in supply chains. These ethics pertained to outsourcing, globalization, complexity, and competition.Concerns in supply chains include child labor, low prices, harsh working conditions, discrimination, utilization of natural resources, etc.. We also discussed supply chains going “green” and become more environmentally friendly.

In week 10 we discussed the topic of ethical and green supply chains. In today’s world, I think that there is a lot more emphasis on going green in general. With that, there is added pressure on firms to ensure that all parts of their operations conduct business in an ethical manner. This would include things like product/component sourcing, labor relations, etc. If a company has a supplier that does not engage in ethical practices, it can face much backlash from the general public for not having more empathy for an example. The best example that comes to mind is that of Apple and Foxconn’s unethical treatment of workers.

One of the challenges that we face in global business today is that we are becoming a global economy and with that, more functions are being outsourced or offshore outsourced. While that’s great because we take advantage of lower costs and specialized goods, a problem arises in being able to control operations to have the same effect as domestic functions. I think a big reason for this discrepancies results in differences of laws and cultures in other parts of the world.

In our last class we talked about ethics and the environment. We started our class by discussing the Amazon case. In the Fox school of business we have a class regarding Business Ethics in Society. That is because ethics is a huge part of business, especially in regards to supply chain. Outsourcing, globalization, complexity, and competition are things that effect business ethics. Often times unethical behavior includes slave labor in regards to cheaper outsourcing. This usually is in relation to the supply chain. Green supply chains are often difficult to start up because they are a long term commitment, but once started, it is definitely worth it for the environment and for businesses.

In week 10 we discussed business ethics and green supply chains. We talked about the corporate responsibility of companies, and how they should monitor and ensure their adherence to the law, ethical standards, and international norms. Some of the challenges we discussed when trying to ensure ethical behavior in a supply chain is controlling outsourcing, the different laws and expectations of globalization, the complexity of various aspects regarding the supply chain, and the money and opportunities with regards to the competition. Some of the concerns that are most common when dealing with ethics in supply chains is child labor, harsh working conditions, discrimination/diversity, late recall of products, bio piracy, and political instability. With regards to green supply chains, we discussed green design of products, production, waste disposal, and packaging. Another important aspect is supplier screening, and understanding who you’re partnering with. It is important to screen potential partners for things like pollution, emissions, and waste control when your business is considered to be green.

This week, we defined ethics as “society’s general understandings of what is good or appropriate behavior”. We also discussed related topics like Corporate Social Responsibility and social accounting, both of which relate to a company and their relationship to the surrounding community. We talked about the challenges to being ethical with your supply chain, some of which included outsourcing, globalization, and complexity. We talked about fair trade and the principles that go along with it, like consumer awareness and allowing smaller businesses to join the market. We also talked about green supply chains, which are environmentally friendly sustainable supply chains.

On week 10, we learned about the importance of ethics in relation to supply chain. Normally, one part of the supply chain takes the responsibility of how the other parts of the supply chain affect the environment or community. Usually this us a brand owner or a similar role, because those who have lots of power must take lots of responsibility. We learned that it is difficult to try and control ethics in a global supply chain because there are a number of factors that can negatively affect it such as outsourcing, globalization and competition. I thought it was very interesting learning how companies could incorporate green supply chains, and I think this will become more commonplace in the future.

This week we went over globalization and all the challenges that come along with it. When Amazon was faced with expanding to Europe they created multiple chapters responsible for different countries like the UK and Germany. This because when you begin globalizing it can become very difficult to keep all the differing regulations, ethics, and normalcies which change from country to country. Amazon made the decision that it would be easier to have separate parts which specialize in dealing with specific countries, instead of being US based and having to outsource translating, legal fees, and many other obstacles that come with globalization.

I think for several years the value of green supply chains was grossly underestimated. Not many companies wanted to invest the initial capital required to turn their supply chains into environmentally responsible processes. Fast forward to today, and most companies that plan on sticking around for awhile are researching the latest methods for producing products in a responsible manor. Ethical behavior really goes hand in hand with this environmental responsibility. In today’s social media driven society, any company can come under fire for making the wrong decisions. Therefore, it is important to always take the high road.

I truly believe that a green supply chain should not only be implemented in every business, it should be enforced. Businesses are a luxury that numerically a few in this world actually benefit from. With that being said, businesses must seek to do whatever they can to decrease their carbon footprint. This can be further emphasized through the consumer by staying consistent with ethical consumerism and trying their hardest to support those companies that do follow a green supply chain. In the Amazon Europe case, they should look to use the strategy that leaves the smallest carbon footprint that while still holding their values. In doing so, their smaller carbon footprint for a company that does such massive sales can result in lower transportation costs and will most likely be building their supply chain for the future as global warming and climate change starts to heavily impact the globe.

In this week we talked about ethics as “society’s general understandings of what is good or appropriate behavior” We talked a lot about Starbucks and how when they were faced with a brand imaging conflict they decided to become more eco-friendly. They did this by teaming up with a company in Mexico that farmed shaded cocoa beans from plantations that benefited the ecosystem, neighboring towns and employees.