Discussion 6: Global Sourcing Challenges
With the increased use of off-shore locations for aircraft maintenance and repair support, concerns about the quality and costs of materials and parts have grown. Find a credible article from the research or professional literature in the Hunt library describing events related to counterfeit or sub-quality materials being used by aircraft support providers. Tell the story of the event or situation, describe the effects on the aviation companies involved, and suggest possible ways to avoid or to mitigate the dangers resulting from such practices.
Include at least one formal reference entry with your main post to support your comments.
Personalize it
Global Sourcing for Aviation
The aviation industry has expanded globally in recent years as companies consolidate and world locations open to tourism and trade. When a plane operates in a distant country, it is practical to have support and service facilities nearby for needed services, supplies, fuel, ground support, and even crew briefings and accommodations. In the 6.2 Discuss It! activity, you identified issues related to inferior or counterfeit maintenance parts. But there are many other challenges involved when using off-shore support for aircraft operations. Investigate the state of global logistics for aviation companies by looking at recent articles from the professional literature. Share your findings with the class.
Use the Hunt Library databases to select a current research journal or professional trade publication article related to global sourcing aspects of supply chain. Your selected article must be from within the past few years. Do not use newspaper articles, news presentations, PR releases, web sites, blog posts, Wikipedia entries, or other online web sources for your articles. You may use respected business magazine articles from Forbes, Fortune, The Economist, or Business Week.
Write a review of the article addressing the following elements.
- Identify the article, its author, and publication, and briefly summarize the purpose and content of the article. Provide a formal reference entry for the article in current APA format.
- Compare and contrast the article’s content with the readings from the course text.
- Analyze how the article’s information and findings can be applied in today’s organizations to improve logistics management performance.
- Evaluate the reliability and validity of the article using critical thinking and rational analysis of its content, logic, author credentials, and purpose.
- Justify your conclusions and make a concrete recommendation to others in the class about whether or not they should read the article.
Your article review should be approximately 500-700 words. Use current APA formatting for citations.
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.
- Compare and contrast the differences involved between purely domestic logistics operations and the challenges of global logistics systems as related to aviation and aerospace companies.
- Assume you are the logistics vice president for a major airline seeking to expand its international operations. What factors would you consider when determining where to locate parts and maintenance warehouses and facilities? What are the cost trade-offs involved?