Discussion 7: Global Sourcing Challenges
The readings this week delve deeply into planning, analyzing, and implementing an effective logistics structure for the organization. It is a highly detailed, systematic task to design a fully functioning organization, and often it is a trial-and-error effort. But, there is a better way! After reviewing the approach advocated in Chapter 13 of our excellent text, address the following discussion topic.
Consider your present or past employer’s organizational structure, whether process-oriented, function-oriented or mixed. Compare and contrast that organizational structure with the concepts and principles presented in this module’s readings. If you are not currently employed or prefer not to consider any of your employers, research an organization that is of interest to you. Respond to the following.
- Evaluate the effectiveness of your selected organization’s structure.
- What changes in the organization would you recommend to improve its potential for productive operations?
Networking and Collaboration
Address the items below for your fourth journal entry. Your narrative should be between 300-500 words.
- Identify a collaboration or interaction between two aviation or aerospace organizations that you are familiar with. If you do not know of such a collaboration, select an article related to this topic from the academic or professional literature from the Hunt library.
- Describe how the organizational collaboration is implemented and to what purpose the interaction between the organizations was originally established. Suggest whether you feel the collaborative effort has been successful.
- In your opinion, what factors are critical for effective collaborations between companies or government entities? Give a practical example from your experience or from the readings of each of the factors you identified in the first part of this item.
Review It
To confirm that you have mastered the content for this module, complete the end of module review below.
Independently answer the following essay questions using your own words.
- Describe how a logistics alliance would be implemented, maintained and eventually terminated between aviation-related companies. What issues or factors would limit the potential success of such an alliance?
- Aviation and aerospace logistics operations differ from those of retail or general manufacturing enterprises. Identify three areas where aviation/aerospace logistics and supply chain planning differs from general logistics systems design. Elaborate on those differences and illustrate your comments with a practical example of each.