MGT 5309 – FALL 07
Assignment #1 – Chapter 1
I. Question #1
Consider the purchase of a can of soda at a convenience store. Describe the various stages in the
supply chain and the different flows (materials, money, and information) involved.
II. Question #2
What are some strategic, planning, and operational decisions that must be made by apparel retailers
like “The Gap”?
III. Question #3
Consider the supply chain involved when a customer purchases a book at a traditional bookstore.
Identify cycles in this supply chain (use the cycle view of the supply chain) and the location of the
push/pull boundary (the push/pull view).
IV. Question #4
Consider the supply chain involved when a customer orders a book from Amazon. Identify the
push/pull boundary and two processes each in the push and pull phases.
V. Question #5
Describe the supply chain of the company that you presented in class. Include in your description: (a)
the identification of the customers, manufacturers, wholesalers/distributors/retailers, and
component/raw material suppliers; (b) the supply chain network with the flows of materials, money,
and information; (c) the cycle and the push/pull views of the supply chain; (d) the strategic, planning,
and operational decision that must be made by the company to run the supply chain.
VI. Question #6
Write a short (no more than one page) summary of the paper by Mentzer et al. “Defining Supply
Chain Management,” Journal of Business Logistics, Vol.22, No.2 (2001).
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