Wal-Mart Used Technology to Become Supply Chain Leader
by Todd Traub
Posted 7/2/2012 in Arkansas Business
______________________________________________________________________________
It is hard to talk about supply chain management without mentioning Wal-Mart.
In its relentless pursuit of low consumer prices, Wal-Mart embraced technology to become an
innovator in the way stores track inventory and restock their shelves, cutting costs and passing
the savings along to customers. In the process the company became synonymous with the
concept of successful supply chain management.
“I don’t believe there is a university in the world that doesn’t talk about Wal-Mart and the supply
chain,” said James Crowell, director of the Supply Chain Management Research Center at the
Walton College of Business. “They are just so well respected because they do it so well, and
certainly I know a lot of peer institutions around our country … will bring a Wal-Mart guest to
speak.”
From ancient times through two world wars to today’s global market, the logistics of supply
chain management have challenged any enterprise that tries to move goods and materials a long
way in a timely manner. A break in the supply chain leading to a dearth of food or ammunition
could spell disaster for an army on the move. For consumers and businesses, a supply chain
breakdown means empty shelves and a loss of revenue.
Through a combination of distribution practices, truck fleet management and technological
innovations, Wal-Mart not only became the model of supply chain efficiency and used it to
become the largest retailer and private sector employer in the world.
Even the U.S. military noticed. Army Col. Vernon L. Beatty, who commanded the Defense
Distribution Depot in Kuwait, spent a year with Wal-Mart as part of the military’s Training With
Industry program.
“Supply chain management is moving the right items to the right customer at the right time by
the most efficient means,” Beatty said in article about his experience. “No one does that better
than Wal-Mart.”
Fewer Links
Wal-Mart’s supply chain innovation began with the company removing a few of the chain’s
links.
In the 1980s Wal-Mart began working directly with manufacturers to cut costs and more
efficiently manage the supply chain. From 1993 to 2001, Wal-Mart grew from doing $1 billion
mailto:[email protected]
in business a week to $1 billion every 36 hours, growth that was attributed as much to supply
chain management as to customer service.
Last year, Wal-Mart sold $1.22 billion worth of merchandise every day.
Under a Wal-Mart’s supply chain initiative called VMI — vendor managed inventory —
manufacturers became responsible for managing their products in Wal-Mart’s warehouses. As a
result, Wal-Mart could expect close to 100 percent order fulfillment on merchandise.
Wal-Mart streamlined supply chain management by constructing communication and
relationship networks with s.
Wal-Mart has become the largest retailer and private employer in the world through strategic operations and a focus on low prices. It generates over $444 billion in annual sales, more than many countries' GDP. Key aspects of Wal-Mart's success include efficient procurement directly from manufacturers, a fast transportation network, cross-docking to reduce inventory costs, and sophisticated IT systems to track sales and replenish stores. This allows Wal-Mart to offer consistently low prices while maintaining high profitability.
Walmart has highly effective supply chain management practices that have contributed significantly to its success. It uses procurement strategies like direct sourcing from manufacturers and vendor managed inventory. Logistically, it employs cross-docking and a hub-and-spoke distribution model. Walmart also pioneered the use of IT in supply chain management, developing systems for inventory tracking, replenishment, and collaboration with suppliers. These integrated IT systems and data-driven practices help Walmart maintain low inventory levels while still ensuring high product availability.
Wal-Mart pioneered an efficient supply chain management system in the 1970s using centralized distribution hubs and company-owned trucks. This hub-and-spoke model allowed Walmart to reduce costs through bulk purchasing and distribution to stores. Walmart invested heavily in IT infrastructure, implementing early barcode and EDI systems to share sales data with suppliers for efficient replenishment. Through continuous innovation, like RFID implementation, Walmart maintained supply chain leadership to offer low prices.
Sam Walton founded Walmart in 1962 and grew it into the largest retailer in the world through supply chain innovations. Walmart implemented a hub-and-spoke distribution model with centralized warehouses. This model allowed for bulk purchasing and efficient shipping to stores. Walmart also pioneered inventory management technologies like electronic data interchange and radio frequency identification to track inventory and replenish stores based on up-to-date sales data. These supply chain strategies enabled Walmart to offer consistently low prices, drive out inefficiencies, and undercut competitors.
Walmart has established itself as the largest retailer through efficient supply chain management. It reduces costs by partnering with suppliers, cross-docking products at distribution centers, and using technology like RFID tags to track inventory. RFID implementation has led to a 16% drop in out-of-stock items. Walmart's scale also allows it to negotiate lower prices from suppliers. Its supply chain integration has provided competitive advantages like lower product costs and improved in-store variety and selection.
Wal-Mart revolutionized retail by replacing physical inventory with information sharing along the supply chain. By implementing vendor managed inventory, cross-docking, and real-time point-of-sale data transmission, Wal-Mart achieved lower costs, higher profits, and greater customer loyalty through efficient logistics and inventory management.
Wal-Mart revolutionized retail by replacing physical inventory with information systems. This allowed the company to gain efficiencies through just-in-time delivery from suppliers, cross-docking of goods to stores, and real-time sales data shared along the entire supply chain. Key to Wal-Mart's strategy was using technology like RFID and EDI to lower costs for suppliers and consumers through everyday low prices.
Wal-Mart revolutionized retail by replacing inventory with information. By sharing real-time sales data with suppliers through its satellite network, Wal-Mart was able to reduce costs through efficient cross-docking and vendor-managed inventory. This information flow throughout the supply chain helped Wal-Mart achieve "everyday low prices" through lower inventories and higher productivity.
Wal-Mart has become the largest retailer and private employer in the world through strategic operations and a focus on low prices. It generates over $444 billion in annual sales, more than many countries' GDP. Key aspects of Wal-Mart's success include efficient procurement directly from manufacturers, a fast transportation network, cross-docking to reduce inventory costs, and sophisticated IT systems to track sales and replenish stores. This allows Wal-Mart to offer consistently low prices while maintaining high profitability.
Walmart has highly effective supply chain management practices that have contributed significantly to its success. It uses procurement strategies like direct sourcing from manufacturers and vendor managed inventory. Logistically, it employs cross-docking and a hub-and-spoke distribution model. Walmart also pioneered the use of IT in supply chain management, developing systems for inventory tracking, replenishment, and collaboration with suppliers. These integrated IT systems and data-driven practices help Walmart maintain low inventory levels while still ensuring high product availability.
Wal-Mart pioneered an efficient supply chain management system in the 1970s using centralized distribution hubs and company-owned trucks. This hub-and-spoke model allowed Walmart to reduce costs through bulk purchasing and distribution to stores. Walmart invested heavily in IT infrastructure, implementing early barcode and EDI systems to share sales data with suppliers for efficient replenishment. Through continuous innovation, like RFID implementation, Walmart maintained supply chain leadership to offer low prices.
Sam Walton founded Walmart in 1962 and grew it into the largest retailer in the world through supply chain innovations. Walmart implemented a hub-and-spoke distribution model with centralized warehouses. This model allowed for bulk purchasing and efficient shipping to stores. Walmart also pioneered inventory management technologies like electronic data interchange and radio frequency identification to track inventory and replenish stores based on up-to-date sales data. These supply chain strategies enabled Walmart to offer consistently low prices, drive out inefficiencies, and undercut competitors.
Walmart has established itself as the largest retailer through efficient supply chain management. It reduces costs by partnering with suppliers, cross-docking products at distribution centers, and using technology like RFID tags to track inventory. RFID implementation has led to a 16% drop in out-of-stock items. Walmart's scale also allows it to negotiate lower prices from suppliers. Its supply chain integration has provided competitive advantages like lower product costs and improved in-store variety and selection.
Wal-Mart revolutionized retail by replacing physical inventory with information sharing along the supply chain. By implementing vendor managed inventory, cross-docking, and real-time point-of-sale data transmission, Wal-Mart achieved lower costs, higher profits, and greater customer loyalty through efficient logistics and inventory management.
Wal-Mart revolutionized retail by replacing physical inventory with information systems. This allowed the company to gain efficiencies through just-in-time delivery from suppliers, cross-docking of goods to stores, and real-time sales data shared along the entire supply chain. Key to Wal-Mart's strategy was using technology like RFID and EDI to lower costs for suppliers and consumers through everyday low prices.
Wal-Mart revolutionized retail by replacing inventory with information. By sharing real-time sales data with suppliers through its satellite network, Wal-Mart was able to reduce costs through efficient cross-docking and vendor-managed inventory. This information flow throughout the supply chain helped Wal-Mart achieve "everyday low prices" through lower inventories and higher productivity.
Walmart has highly efficient supply chain management that allows it to offer low prices. It uses various technologies and strategies like cross-docking, RFID, and direct sourcing to minimize costs. This includes operating a large network of distribution centers near stores for fast replenishment and avoiding storing inventory. Walmart also leverages its scale to negotiate lower prices from suppliers. As a result, it can pass cost savings on to customers through everyday low pricing.
Wal-Mart is an American multinational retailer established in 1962 in Arkansas. It operates over 6,500 stores worldwide and has pioneered supply chain management techniques like RFID tracking, vendor managed inventory, and collaborative planning. Through early adoption of barcodes and data sharing with suppliers, Wal-Mart achieved inventory replenishment within 24 hours across its US stores.
Wal-Mart pioneered the retail hub-and-spoke distribution system in the 1970s, allowing it to achieve significant cost advantages through centralized purchasing and distribution. It emphasized reducing costs through efficient supply chain practices such as direct procurement from manufacturers, transparency with vendors, and information sharing with suppliers. Wal-Mart made large investments in inventory tracking technologies like barcoding, RFID, and EDI to monitor sales and replenish stock, helping drive its continued growth.
Wal-Mart is one of the largest Fortune 500 companies operating globally as a large retail chain. It generates high revenues leading other large companies. Wal-Mart uses an efficient logistics system to transport goods from distribution centers to stores within 2 days using over 7,000 company-owned trucks. It employs techniques like cross-docking to reduce handling and storage time. Wal-Mart operates various store formats in different segments and countries. It prides itself on everyday low prices and strives to provide customers a pleasant shopping experience. Wal-Mart aims to reduce costs through direct procurement from manufacturers and uses technology like barcodes and RFID for inventory management and logistics across its extensive warehouse network.
Walmart has become the world's largest retailer through effective supply chain management practices that focus on low prices. It operates over 11,700 stores worldwide using a hub and spoke distribution system with centralized warehouses. Walmart leverages technology like EDI, RFID, and a satellite communication system to efficiently procure inventory in large volumes from suppliers, track sales data, and replenish stores. These practices help Walmart maintain low costs that are passed onto customers through everyday low prices.
Wal-Mart pioneered the retail hub-and-spoke distribution system in the early 1970s, centrally ordering goods at warehouses then dispatching them to individual stores. This enabled significant cost savings through centralized purchasing of huge quantities and distribution via Wal-Mart's own logistics infrastructure. Wal-Mart also emphasized reducing purchasing costs by procuring directly from manufacturers and spending time with vendors to understand costs. The company invested heavily in inventory tracking technology like EDI, barcoding, and later RFID to monitor sales and stock levels across its large network of stores.
Walmart is the largest retailer in the world, operating over 7,300 stores globally. It focuses on efficient procurement, distribution, and inventory management to offer low prices to customers. Walmart collects point-of-sale data from stores daily and shares it with suppliers to better match inventory to demand and reduce costs throughout the supply chain. Key to its success is strong relationships with customers, suppliers, and employees as well as low transportation costs through its private fleet.
Sam Walton founded Walmart in 1940 and it has grown to become the world's largest retailer. Walmart pioneered efficient supply chain management practices like centralized distribution and electronic data interchange with suppliers. This allowed Walmart to offer low prices while maintaining high sales volumes. Walmart's use of technology like barcodes, data warehouses, and GPS tracking further optimized its supply chain and logistics operations.
This document summarizes Walmart's history from its founding in 1960 to present day, highlighting key acquisitions, growth milestones, and the company's impact on and use of technology in the retail industry. It began as a single store in Arkansas and grew to thousands of stores globally. Walmart was an early adopter of technology like RFID and its scale helped drive supply chain standards. The document also addresses concerns around privacy with RFID and the role of Walmart's website and use of customer data.
Walmart is an American multinational retail corporation founded in 1962 by Sam Walton. It operates under various names in 15 countries. Walmart pioneered supply chain management practices like cross-docking to reduce costs and improve inventory availability. It uses advanced technologies like satellite communication systems and RFID to track sales, inventory levels, and coordinate suppliers. Walmart's private fleet allows more control over transportation costs and delivery times compared to outsourcing shipping. While maintenance is a downside, the efficiency gains outweigh the costs. These integrated practices optimize Walmart's supply chain and support its low-price business model.
Wal-Mart has highly efficient supply chain management processes that have contributed to its success. It procures goods directly from manufacturers, uses its own large fleet of trucks to distribute goods quickly from warehouses to stores, and closely monitors inventory levels using advanced technology like RFID. Wal-Mart was also an early adopter of RFID technology, requiring major suppliers to implement it to provide real-time tracking of products throughout the supply chain. This allows Wal-Mart to keep costs low and ensure stocked shelves.
This document discusses supply chain management systems and strategies. It covers:
1. What a supply chain is and how it links suppliers, manufacturers, retailers, and customers.
2. How supply chain management systems help manage relations with suppliers through constant information exchange.
3. Strategies like just-in-time to balance distribution and synchronize product flow with the aim of getting the right amount of products in the least amount of time at the lowest cost.
4. Walmart's supply chain strategy of strategic sourcing, cross-docking, and using technology to accurately forecast demand and track inventory.
Walmart has become very successful through effective supply chain practices and cost cutting. It invests heavily in information technology and communication systems to manage its large network of retailers, suppliers, distributors, and inventory. Walmart uses ERP software and platforms to track product and financial data across its supply chain in real-time. This allows all parties to monitor inventory levels and sales forecasts. Technologies like RFID tags and handheld POS devices help Walmart quickly replenish stores and move goods efficiently.
Supply chain management (SCM) involves coordinating and integrating the flow of materials, information, and finances within and between companies throughout the supply chain. SCM aims to develop relationships with suppliers and manage the flow of goods from raw materials to end customers. Key aspects of SCM include information sharing between partners, demand forecasting and production planning, inventory management, and transportation and distribution. The goals are to satisfy customer needs through collaboration and reduce costs through efficient procurement, production, and distribution processes.
Technology plays an important role in modern retail by helping retailers gain efficiencies, improve the customer experience, and gain competitive advantages. Large retailers like Walmart use technologies like satellites, automated warehouses, and data integration across the supply chain to reduce costs, improve inventory management, and quickly fulfill customer demand. Within stores, Walmart is using technologies like mobile apps, automated restocking robots, virtual reality training, and automated unloading to improve the customer shopping experience and associate job satisfaction while reducing labor costs. The implementation of technologies allows retailers to better understand customer needs, integrate operations across locations, and efficiently manage all aspects of the business.
Wal-Mart has achieved tremendous success through efficient supply chain management practices such as centralized distribution, direct procurement from manufacturers, efficient logistics and transportation systems, and information technology to track inventory and sales. Key aspects of Wal-Mart's supply chain include the "hub and spoke" distribution system, use of EDI and RFID technology, collaborative planning with suppliers, and inventory management techniques like cross-docking and replenishment of stores from distribution centers. While initiatives like CPFR and RFID implementation presented challenges, Wal-Mart's focus on low costs, customer satisfaction, and supply chain innovation have been pivotal to its dominance as the world's largest retailer.
Wal mart case study solution.shrikant ranaShrikant Rana
Walmart has built a highly efficient supply chain management system centered around its distribution centers and use of innovative IT. It uses over 40 distribution centers located strategically across the US to stock over 80,000 items. Walmart owns the largest private fleet of trucks which it uses to directly pickup goods from manufacturers and deliver 85% of inventory to its stores. The company heavily invests in IT systems to track sales, inventory, and replenish stock based on demand. This efficient supply chain allows Walmart to offer the lowest prices through reduced costs and ensures stores are well stocked.
Walmart has a highly efficient value chain that allows it to offer low prices. It uses technology to share sales data with suppliers, enabling just-in-time inventory management. Walmart transports goods from suppliers to its distribution centers and stores via a large private truck fleet. Stores are replenished nearly daily to keep shelves fully stocked. This model, along with low prices and a focus on customers, has fueled Walmart's rapid growth into a global retail giant.
Marico is an Indian FMCG company operating in the beauty and wellness space with brands like Parachute coconut oil. To improve its supply chain efficiency, Marico cut out intermediaries by sourcing copra directly from farmers through collection centers. It provided training to farmers and transparent pricing displayed at centers to strengthen trust. Marico also incentivized farmers through loyalty programs. Walmart pioneered a hub and spoke supply chain model with centralized procurement, distribution centers, and retail stores. It leveraged technologies like EDI, cross-docking and RFID to improve visibility and efficiency across its global supply chain.
`Do assignments as detailed outNO WIKI for referncesPlease m.docxmelbruce90096
`Do assignments as detailed out
NO WIKI for refernces
Please make sure that ALL REFERNCES ARE APA CITED
TB BOOK CITATION:
Dyer, W. G., Jr., Dyer, J. H., & Dyer, W. G. (2013). Team building: Proven strategies for improving team performance (5th ed.). San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.
.
_____1.On July 9, Sheb Company sells goods on credit to .docxmelbruce90096
_____1.
On July 9, Sheb Company sells goods on credit to Wooley Company for $5,000, terms 1/10, n/60. Sheb receives payment on July 18. The entry by Sheb on July 18 is:
A)
Cash
5,000
Accounts Receivable
5,000
B)
Cash
5,000
Sales Discounts
50
Accounts Receivable
4,950
C)
Cash
4,950
Sales Discounts
50
Accounts Receivable
5,000
D)
Cash
5,050
Sales Discounts
50
Accounts Receivable
5,000
_____2.
The collection of a $1,000 account after the 2 percent discount period will result in a
A)
debit to Cash for $980.
B)
credit to Accounts Receivable for $1,000.
C)
credit to Cash for $1,000.
D)
debit to Sales Discounts for $20.
_____3.
Gross profit does
not
appear
A)
on a multiple-step income statement.
B)
on a single-step income statement.
C)
to be relevant in analyzing the operation of a merchandiser.
D)
on the income statement if the periodic inventory system is used because it cannot be calculated.
_____4.
During 2014, Parker Enterprises generated revenues of $90,000. The company's expenses were as follows: cost of goods sold of $45,000, operating expenses of $18,000 and a loss on the sale of equipment of $3,000.
Parker's gross profit is
A)
$24,000.
B)
$27,000.
C)
$45,000.
D)
$90,000.
_____5.
At the beginning of September, 2014, Stella Company reported Inventory of $8,000. During the month, the company made purchases of $35,600. At September 30, 2014, a physical count of inventory reported $8,400 on hand. Cost of goods sold for the month is
A)
$35,200.
B)
$35,600.
C)
$36,000.
D)
$43,600.
_____6.
The Freight-In account
A)
increases the cost of merchandise purchased.
B)
is contra to the Purchases account.
C)
is a permanent account.
D)
has a normal credit balance.
______7.
A company purchased inventory as follows:
150 units at $5
350 units at $6
The average unit cost for inventory is
A)
$5.00.
B)
$5.50.
C)
$5.70.
D)
$6.00.
______8.
A company just starting business made the following four inventory purchases in June:
June
1
150 units
$
390
June
10
200 units
585
June
15
200 units
630
June
28
150 units
510
$2,115
A physical count of merchandise inventory on June 30 reveals that there are 250 units on hand. Using the FIFO inventory method, the amount allocated to cost of goods sold for June is
A)
$683.
B)
$825.
C)
$1,290.
D)
$1,432.
PART II — BASIC INVENTORY COMPUTATIONS
(18 points)
9.
Joe Poultry uses a
periodic
inventory system. Its beginning inventory on May 1 consisted of 300 units of Product A at a cost of $6.25 per unit. During May, the following purchases and sales were made.
Purchases
Sales
May
6
300
units at $7.20
May
4
275
units
14
400
units at $9.10
8
300
units
21
100
units at $11.50
22
400
units
28
500
units at $11.80
24
225
units
1,300
1,200
Instructions:
Compute the May 31 ending inventory and May cost of goods sold under (a) Average Cost, (b) FIFO, and (c) LIFO. Provide appropriate supporting ca.
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Walmart has highly efficient supply chain management that allows it to offer low prices. It uses various technologies and strategies like cross-docking, RFID, and direct sourcing to minimize costs. This includes operating a large network of distribution centers near stores for fast replenishment and avoiding storing inventory. Walmart also leverages its scale to negotiate lower prices from suppliers. As a result, it can pass cost savings on to customers through everyday low pricing.
Wal-Mart is an American multinational retailer established in 1962 in Arkansas. It operates over 6,500 stores worldwide and has pioneered supply chain management techniques like RFID tracking, vendor managed inventory, and collaborative planning. Through early adoption of barcodes and data sharing with suppliers, Wal-Mart achieved inventory replenishment within 24 hours across its US stores.
Wal-Mart pioneered the retail hub-and-spoke distribution system in the 1970s, allowing it to achieve significant cost advantages through centralized purchasing and distribution. It emphasized reducing costs through efficient supply chain practices such as direct procurement from manufacturers, transparency with vendors, and information sharing with suppliers. Wal-Mart made large investments in inventory tracking technologies like barcoding, RFID, and EDI to monitor sales and replenish stock, helping drive its continued growth.
Wal-Mart is one of the largest Fortune 500 companies operating globally as a large retail chain. It generates high revenues leading other large companies. Wal-Mart uses an efficient logistics system to transport goods from distribution centers to stores within 2 days using over 7,000 company-owned trucks. It employs techniques like cross-docking to reduce handling and storage time. Wal-Mart operates various store formats in different segments and countries. It prides itself on everyday low prices and strives to provide customers a pleasant shopping experience. Wal-Mart aims to reduce costs through direct procurement from manufacturers and uses technology like barcodes and RFID for inventory management and logistics across its extensive warehouse network.
Walmart has become the world's largest retailer through effective supply chain management practices that focus on low prices. It operates over 11,700 stores worldwide using a hub and spoke distribution system with centralized warehouses. Walmart leverages technology like EDI, RFID, and a satellite communication system to efficiently procure inventory in large volumes from suppliers, track sales data, and replenish stores. These practices help Walmart maintain low costs that are passed onto customers through everyday low prices.
Wal-Mart pioneered the retail hub-and-spoke distribution system in the early 1970s, centrally ordering goods at warehouses then dispatching them to individual stores. This enabled significant cost savings through centralized purchasing of huge quantities and distribution via Wal-Mart's own logistics infrastructure. Wal-Mart also emphasized reducing purchasing costs by procuring directly from manufacturers and spending time with vendors to understand costs. The company invested heavily in inventory tracking technology like EDI, barcoding, and later RFID to monitor sales and stock levels across its large network of stores.
Walmart is the largest retailer in the world, operating over 7,300 stores globally. It focuses on efficient procurement, distribution, and inventory management to offer low prices to customers. Walmart collects point-of-sale data from stores daily and shares it with suppliers to better match inventory to demand and reduce costs throughout the supply chain. Key to its success is strong relationships with customers, suppliers, and employees as well as low transportation costs through its private fleet.
Sam Walton founded Walmart in 1940 and it has grown to become the world's largest retailer. Walmart pioneered efficient supply chain management practices like centralized distribution and electronic data interchange with suppliers. This allowed Walmart to offer low prices while maintaining high sales volumes. Walmart's use of technology like barcodes, data warehouses, and GPS tracking further optimized its supply chain and logistics operations.
This document summarizes Walmart's history from its founding in 1960 to present day, highlighting key acquisitions, growth milestones, and the company's impact on and use of technology in the retail industry. It began as a single store in Arkansas and grew to thousands of stores globally. Walmart was an early adopter of technology like RFID and its scale helped drive supply chain standards. The document also addresses concerns around privacy with RFID and the role of Walmart's website and use of customer data.
Walmart is an American multinational retail corporation founded in 1962 by Sam Walton. It operates under various names in 15 countries. Walmart pioneered supply chain management practices like cross-docking to reduce costs and improve inventory availability. It uses advanced technologies like satellite communication systems and RFID to track sales, inventory levels, and coordinate suppliers. Walmart's private fleet allows more control over transportation costs and delivery times compared to outsourcing shipping. While maintenance is a downside, the efficiency gains outweigh the costs. These integrated practices optimize Walmart's supply chain and support its low-price business model.
Wal-Mart has highly efficient supply chain management processes that have contributed to its success. It procures goods directly from manufacturers, uses its own large fleet of trucks to distribute goods quickly from warehouses to stores, and closely monitors inventory levels using advanced technology like RFID. Wal-Mart was also an early adopter of RFID technology, requiring major suppliers to implement it to provide real-time tracking of products throughout the supply chain. This allows Wal-Mart to keep costs low and ensure stocked shelves.
This document discusses supply chain management systems and strategies. It covers:
1. What a supply chain is and how it links suppliers, manufacturers, retailers, and customers.
2. How supply chain management systems help manage relations with suppliers through constant information exchange.
3. Strategies like just-in-time to balance distribution and synchronize product flow with the aim of getting the right amount of products in the least amount of time at the lowest cost.
4. Walmart's supply chain strategy of strategic sourcing, cross-docking, and using technology to accurately forecast demand and track inventory.
Walmart has become very successful through effective supply chain practices and cost cutting. It invests heavily in information technology and communication systems to manage its large network of retailers, suppliers, distributors, and inventory. Walmart uses ERP software and platforms to track product and financial data across its supply chain in real-time. This allows all parties to monitor inventory levels and sales forecasts. Technologies like RFID tags and handheld POS devices help Walmart quickly replenish stores and move goods efficiently.
Supply chain management (SCM) involves coordinating and integrating the flow of materials, information, and finances within and between companies throughout the supply chain. SCM aims to develop relationships with suppliers and manage the flow of goods from raw materials to end customers. Key aspects of SCM include information sharing between partners, demand forecasting and production planning, inventory management, and transportation and distribution. The goals are to satisfy customer needs through collaboration and reduce costs through efficient procurement, production, and distribution processes.
Technology plays an important role in modern retail by helping retailers gain efficiencies, improve the customer experience, and gain competitive advantages. Large retailers like Walmart use technologies like satellites, automated warehouses, and data integration across the supply chain to reduce costs, improve inventory management, and quickly fulfill customer demand. Within stores, Walmart is using technologies like mobile apps, automated restocking robots, virtual reality training, and automated unloading to improve the customer shopping experience and associate job satisfaction while reducing labor costs. The implementation of technologies allows retailers to better understand customer needs, integrate operations across locations, and efficiently manage all aspects of the business.
Wal-Mart has achieved tremendous success through efficient supply chain management practices such as centralized distribution, direct procurement from manufacturers, efficient logistics and transportation systems, and information technology to track inventory and sales. Key aspects of Wal-Mart's supply chain include the "hub and spoke" distribution system, use of EDI and RFID technology, collaborative planning with suppliers, and inventory management techniques like cross-docking and replenishment of stores from distribution centers. While initiatives like CPFR and RFID implementation presented challenges, Wal-Mart's focus on low costs, customer satisfaction, and supply chain innovation have been pivotal to its dominance as the world's largest retailer.
Wal mart case study solution.shrikant ranaShrikant Rana
Walmart has built a highly efficient supply chain management system centered around its distribution centers and use of innovative IT. It uses over 40 distribution centers located strategically across the US to stock over 80,000 items. Walmart owns the largest private fleet of trucks which it uses to directly pickup goods from manufacturers and deliver 85% of inventory to its stores. The company heavily invests in IT systems to track sales, inventory, and replenish stock based on demand. This efficient supply chain allows Walmart to offer the lowest prices through reduced costs and ensures stores are well stocked.
Walmart has a highly efficient value chain that allows it to offer low prices. It uses technology to share sales data with suppliers, enabling just-in-time inventory management. Walmart transports goods from suppliers to its distribution centers and stores via a large private truck fleet. Stores are replenished nearly daily to keep shelves fully stocked. This model, along with low prices and a focus on customers, has fueled Walmart's rapid growth into a global retail giant.
Marico is an Indian FMCG company operating in the beauty and wellness space with brands like Parachute coconut oil. To improve its supply chain efficiency, Marico cut out intermediaries by sourcing copra directly from farmers through collection centers. It provided training to farmers and transparent pricing displayed at centers to strengthen trust. Marico also incentivized farmers through loyalty programs. Walmart pioneered a hub and spoke supply chain model with centralized procurement, distribution centers, and retail stores. It leveraged technologies like EDI, cross-docking and RFID to improve visibility and efficiency across its global supply chain.
Similar to Wal-Mart Used Technology to Become Supply Chain Leader by To.docx (20)
`Do assignments as detailed outNO WIKI for referncesPlease m.docxmelbruce90096
`Do assignments as detailed out
NO WIKI for refernces
Please make sure that ALL REFERNCES ARE APA CITED
TB BOOK CITATION:
Dyer, W. G., Jr., Dyer, J. H., & Dyer, W. G. (2013). Team building: Proven strategies for improving team performance (5th ed.). San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.
.
_____1.On July 9, Sheb Company sells goods on credit to .docxmelbruce90096
_____1.
On July 9, Sheb Company sells goods on credit to Wooley Company for $5,000, terms 1/10, n/60. Sheb receives payment on July 18. The entry by Sheb on July 18 is:
A)
Cash
5,000
Accounts Receivable
5,000
B)
Cash
5,000
Sales Discounts
50
Accounts Receivable
4,950
C)
Cash
4,950
Sales Discounts
50
Accounts Receivable
5,000
D)
Cash
5,050
Sales Discounts
50
Accounts Receivable
5,000
_____2.
The collection of a $1,000 account after the 2 percent discount period will result in a
A)
debit to Cash for $980.
B)
credit to Accounts Receivable for $1,000.
C)
credit to Cash for $1,000.
D)
debit to Sales Discounts for $20.
_____3.
Gross profit does
not
appear
A)
on a multiple-step income statement.
B)
on a single-step income statement.
C)
to be relevant in analyzing the operation of a merchandiser.
D)
on the income statement if the periodic inventory system is used because it cannot be calculated.
_____4.
During 2014, Parker Enterprises generated revenues of $90,000. The company's expenses were as follows: cost of goods sold of $45,000, operating expenses of $18,000 and a loss on the sale of equipment of $3,000.
Parker's gross profit is
A)
$24,000.
B)
$27,000.
C)
$45,000.
D)
$90,000.
_____5.
At the beginning of September, 2014, Stella Company reported Inventory of $8,000. During the month, the company made purchases of $35,600. At September 30, 2014, a physical count of inventory reported $8,400 on hand. Cost of goods sold for the month is
A)
$35,200.
B)
$35,600.
C)
$36,000.
D)
$43,600.
_____6.
The Freight-In account
A)
increases the cost of merchandise purchased.
B)
is contra to the Purchases account.
C)
is a permanent account.
D)
has a normal credit balance.
______7.
A company purchased inventory as follows:
150 units at $5
350 units at $6
The average unit cost for inventory is
A)
$5.00.
B)
$5.50.
C)
$5.70.
D)
$6.00.
______8.
A company just starting business made the following four inventory purchases in June:
June
1
150 units
$
390
June
10
200 units
585
June
15
200 units
630
June
28
150 units
510
$2,115
A physical count of merchandise inventory on June 30 reveals that there are 250 units on hand. Using the FIFO inventory method, the amount allocated to cost of goods sold for June is
A)
$683.
B)
$825.
C)
$1,290.
D)
$1,432.
PART II — BASIC INVENTORY COMPUTATIONS
(18 points)
9.
Joe Poultry uses a
periodic
inventory system. Its beginning inventory on May 1 consisted of 300 units of Product A at a cost of $6.25 per unit. During May, the following purchases and sales were made.
Purchases
Sales
May
6
300
units at $7.20
May
4
275
units
14
400
units at $9.10
8
300
units
21
100
units at $11.50
22
400
units
28
500
units at $11.80
24
225
units
1,300
1,200
Instructions:
Compute the May 31 ending inventory and May cost of goods sold under (a) Average Cost, (b) FIFO, and (c) LIFO. Provide appropriate supporting ca.
[removed]eltomate Son rojos y se sirven (they are serv.docxmelbruce90096
[removed]
el
tomate
: Son rojos y se sirven (
they are served
) en las ensaladas.
[removed]
los
entremeses
: Se come (
It is eaten
) antes del plato principal; es líquida y caliente (
hot
).
[removed]
la
zanahoria
: Son unas verduras anaranjadas, largas y delgadas
.
[u07d2] Unit 7 Discussion 2Conflict and ChangeResourcesDiscuss.docxmelbruce90096
[u07d2] Unit 7 Discussion 2
Conflict and Change
Resources
Discussion and Participation Scoring Guide
.
Change is part of our lives. Change is viewed as positive and negative. It is accompanied with excitement and confidence, opportunity, progress, growth, innovation, fear and anxiety, upheaval, threat, and unpredictability. People react to change differently.
Based on the assigned readings, briefly answer the following questions.
List and explain the three approaches to change.
Explain the dynamics of change as you see it.
.
[removed]1.Which of the following processes addresses when to sp.docxmelbruce90096
The document appears to be a set of multiple choice questions related to public speaking concepts. It includes questions about processes of speech organization, types of supporting materials, enhancing voice volume, maintaining audience attention, outlining techniques, audience analysis methods, speech delivery elements, and other topics related to public speaking best practices.
Your paper should be a literary essay in which you present a combina.docxmelbruce90096
Your paper should be a literary essay in which you present a combination of primary and secondary research. Use MLA style for formatting (margins, spacing, numbering pages, heading, title etc.) and citing sources (parenthetical notes and works cited page)
Choose an English Romantic writer (William Wordsworth)
Choose a work by that writer as the focus of your research (Tintern Abbey)
Analyze and interpret the work to plan our approach to it and do some preliminary reading to evaluate the topic.
8 pages 4 secondary sources
.
[removed]1.Photographs are an important source of data because t.docxmelbruce90096
[removed]
1.
Photographs are an important source of data because they:
a.
b.
c.
d.
2.
The Ju/'hoansi are best described as a band because:
a.
b.
c.
d.
3.
A bifurcate kinship system is one where:
a.
b.
c.
d.
4.
The "honeymoon" phase in anthropological fieldwork can be described as a:
a.
b.
c.
d.
5.
Theoretical models in anthropology are:
a.
b.
c.
d.
6.
If your informant describes how her peers treat her differently because her father is an important film star, this is termed her __________ status.
a.
b.
c.
d.
7.
Rank societies are those where individuals gain prestige and wealth by using:
a.
b.
c.
d.
8.
Agriculturally based societies are primarily associated with which of the following economic institution(s)?
a.
b.
c.
d.
9.
An anthropologist that includes his or her thoughts about what he or she sees as well as quotations from his or her informants is presenting what type of ethnography?
a.
b.
c.
d.
10.
Anthropological interest in sexuality can be traced back to which of the following anthropologists?
a.
b.
c.
d.
11.
Which of the following chromosomal pairs shows that an individual is male?
a.
b.
c.
d.
12.
A key informant is selected using a:
a.
b.
c.
d.
13.
Which of the following situations is considered a suitable fieldwork setting for an anthropologist?
a.
b.
c.
d.
14.
The most common kinship system in North America today consists of __________ descent groups known as __________.
a.
b.
c.
d.
15.
Members of the Yurok, Karuk, Hupa, and Tolowa use valued items such as obsidian blades, white deer skins, and elaborately carved paddles and spoons to:
a.
b.
c.
d.
16.
The production maximization model of intensive agriculture strives to maximize production through:
a.
b.
c.
d.
17.
Forensic anthropologists apply their knowledge to legal issues by studying what materials?
a.
b.
c.
d.
18.
The Zuni recognize the berdache gender person as being:
a.
b.
c.
d.
19.
The Zuni recognize the berdache gender person as being:
a.
b.
c.
d.
20.
Initial attempts by AID to bring about reforestation in Haiti failed because:
a.
b.
c.
d.
21.
What type of evidence is used to analyze the evolutionary model of human cultural adaptations?
a.
b.
c.
d.
22.
The four fields of anthropology are:
a.
b.
c.
d.
23.
The description of a single society based on fieldwork is called a(n):
a.
b.
c.
d.
24.
A societal type common in foraging groups and marked by egalitarian social structure and lack of specialization is a:
a.
b.
c.
d.
25.
Among the New Zealand Maori, facial tattoos communicated all of the following, EXCEPT:
a.
b.
c.
d.
26.
The advantages of polygyny across cultures include all of the following, EXCEPT:
a.
b.
c.
d.
27.
Every aspect of culture influences every other aspect of that culture. Thus culture is:
a.
b.
c.
d.
28.
An informant tells a fieldworker that the preferred marriage custom in his culture is for a man to marry his mother's brot.
Your paper should address the following questionsWhen you hear th.docxmelbruce90096
Your paper should address the following questions:
When you hear the word “scientist” what do you envision? Which famous people or characters from the media come into your mind? What characteristics do they have in common? Discuss at least three characteristics of your vision of a scientist.
Has your image of what a scientist does and how they look changed over time? If so, how has this changed and what influenced you?
Are fictional scientists usually the heroes, villains, or a combination of the two? Provide at least two detailed examples to support your position.
How is science portrayed in fictional media (television shows, movies, music, books, etc.)? Is it seen as a positive, negative, or neutral force in the world? Give specific examples supporting your position.
Do you think the portrayal of scientists in the various forms of media influences how society views people in this profession? Why, or why not?
Can the portrayal of science in media influence how certain research and technology is viewed, and accepted, by the general public (e.g., cloning)?
Your Final Project should be written in an essay format, with an introduction and conclusion. The paper will require you to include details from research including the course materials and sources you locate on your own. Use APA format to cite your sources of information, both within parenthetical citations and also within a reference page at the end of the project.
Basic Writing Expectations:
A minimum of 1,500 words, not counting the title or reference pages
At least 3 academic resources utilized
Include a title page, double space, font size 10 or 12
Include a highly developed viewpoint/thesis, purpose, and exceptional content
Demonstrate superior organization: use logic
Free of grammar and spelling errors
No evidence of plagiarism.
Note:
no more than 10% of your paper should be direct quotes
Use the APA style for all in-text citations, references, and body of paper
.
Your Final Project from this course will enable you to compare cultu.docxmelbruce90096
Your Final Project from this course will enable you to compare cultural viewpoints toward death and dying in Western society to those in other parts of the world.
Final Project Information
Overview
Your Final Project will be a medium-length essay in which you address the cultural viewpoints toward death and dying in Western society and compare these to the perspectives toward death and dying in other parts the world. As the course content will point out, much about the Western response to death and dying amplifies the process of grief and bereavement, perhaps unnecessarily. In the West, death is something that is denied and, in many ways, is something that people seem ill-equipped to deal with once the event occurs or is imminent. Your job in this paper will be to put on your social scientist cap and offer “cultural solutions” to the way that death and dying is dealt with in Western society.
Assignment
Based on your own independent research in which you compare the cultural beliefs toward death and dying in Western societies to those in Eastern societies such as China, Vietnam, Japan, and so forth, write an essay that addresses the following points:
Describe in detail the major differences between the Western viewpoint toward death and dying and those in these Eastern societies (you may focus on one country, such as China, or talk about Eastern societies more generally). Be sure to describe the rituals involved with the process of death and dying, the various technologies, or anything that helps explain these differences.
Give one specific example of a famous case of death and dying in Western society that demonstrates some of the problems or dysfunctions of the Western viewpoint (examining cases in the media, for example, will be a great place to start!).
Finally, conclude your final paper with a detailed commentary about what we can do to change the cultural beliefs toward death and dying in Western societies in a way that makes us less afraid of the dying process. Be very specific in your commentary.
.
Your Final Paper is to be a comprehensive research study on one of t.docxmelbruce90096
Your Final Paper is to be a comprehensive research study on one of the following public policy topics:
Environmental Concerns
Immigration
Health Care
Primary and Secondary Public Education
Social Security
Welfare
Your analysis of the topic will include:
The scope and nature of the public policy problem.
How the problem came to public and political awareness.
The evolution of related public policy.
Level of government and the actors involved.
The intergovernmental structure and political concerns.
Conflicting public opinion and impact on policy solutions.
The approaches to policy formulation, adoption, and evaluation.
The suggested policy direction (continuation, change or termination) and future impact.
Writing the Final Paper
The Final Paper:
Must be eight to ten double-spaced pages in length (including title and reference pages), and formatted according to APA style as outlined in the Ashford Writing Center.
Must include a title page with the following:
Title of paper
Student’s name
Course name and number
Instructor’s name
Date submitted
Must begin with an introductory paragraph that has a succinct thesis statement.
Must address the topic of the paper with critical thought.
Must end with a conclusion that reaffirms your thesis.
Must use at six to ten scholarly sources, including a minimum of four from the Ashford University Library.
Must document all sources in APA style, as outlined in the Ashford Writing Center.
Must include a separate reference page, formatted according to APA style as outlined in the Ashford Writing Center
.
Your director is not aware of the involvement of the Department of H.docxmelbruce90096
Your director is not aware of the involvement of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) with private enterprise and has requested an information paper that provides her with an explanation about why this is important and how the DHS engages private enterprise in the protection of critical infrastructure and key resources (CIKR). Provide at least 1 example of each program that addresses state, local, tribal, and territorial (SLTT) governments, private enterprises, and individuals in the following DHS mission areas:
Prevention
Response
Recovery
.
YOull need to know The purpose of this research is to focus atte.docxmelbruce90096
YOu'll need to know:
The purpose of this research is to focus attention on how to help newly brought children adapt to the new environment at the child care, given that the children have never been to such environments before.
Content Expectations
Forms of Data (1.5 Points
): In two-to-three paragraphs, describe the multiple forms of data that you will collect (observations, interviews, artifacts, etc.) and how this information will inform your research.
Value of Data (2.5 Points):
In two-to-three paragraphs, explain the value of the selected forms of data and how this information will inform the focus and research questions.
.
Your draft should establish and develop a single thesis [or co.docxmelbruce90096
Your draft should establish and develop a single thesis [or controlling idea], develop in parts. You may also write from the earlier handout on an author you haven’t yet written about.
Gandhi’s “Economic and Moral Progress” suggests that morality and economic prosperity do not go hand in hand. In fact, he argues, oftentimes, one loses one’s morality when one becomes wealthy. Do you agree with Gandhi? Does wealth correlate with immorality? Yes or no. Explain by referring to passages from the essay.
Compare David Suzuki’s understanding of interdependence [interconnectedness] with Ricard and Thuan’s.
Discuss the ways in which Gandhi supports his argument—first with historical examples, then with famous people, then by using the writing of a famous scientist. Is his essay more effective as he adds this type of support?
Desmond Tutu describes South Africa’s decision to seek a middle path between two extremes. What are these extremes and what is this middle path? Is Tutu right in arguing for this road down the middle?
Compare Desmond Tutu’s “middle path” with the teachings of Lao Tzu. Does Lao Tzu advocate a similar position? You might include other famous historical figures who’ve argued a similar position.
David Suzuki’s “The Sacred Balance” appears to be in two parts: first, he identifies the problem in three parts, then he identifies the solution in three parts. What is the essential problem and what is Suzuki’s solution?
Tom Shadyac’s film, “I Am” has a central thesis and advocates a certain solution. What is the basic thesis of the film and what is the solution or solution[s] he advocates? What’s the basic problem and what’s the answer? And how does he convince the audience of these truths?
Kenzaburo Oe develops a very smart and very controversial thesis. What is his thesis and what exactly does he refer to in an attempt to develop, support that thesis.
Kenzaburo Oe discusses the Great Flood [Noah] at the end of his essay and identifies something very troubling about the Western mind. What is this thing he is identifying here? How does it relate to the overall theme of the essay [man’s inhumanity to man]?
Rachel Carson’s “Obligation to Endure” identifies large increases in human populations that create conditions in which insects and other forms of life must be controlled. Name a few of these patterns of behavior that cause an increase in the amount of insects among us.
Identify Rachel Carson’s thesis and her solution. What’s the problem she outlines and what does she propose we do?
How do Carson’s ideas seem to influence David Suzuki? Are they on to the same problems? How are they similar or different?
Plato’s Gorgias is a discussion of the problem of rhetoric and the need for conversation. What is rhetoric, according to Plato, and why is it so dangerous? Does he convince the reader that discourse [words] can be used inappropriately and in dangerous ways?
Discuss any of the questions that follow the readings [Understa.
Your company has just hired your foreign friend to work in a middle-.docxmelbruce90096
Your company has just hired your foreign friend to work in a middle-management position. Since you have lived in the United States for many years, your friend believes that you understand job coaching for a traditional American company. She wants to work with you and has many questions—some of which concern the manner in which cultural nuances related to religious customs, verbal and nonverbal communication, etc. may affect leadership roles.
Write a five to seven (5-7) page paper in which you:
Recommend whether or not your friend should insert herself as a coach from the beginning. Provide a rationale for your response.
Determine two (2) conflicts that could possibly arise as a result of asking people to work on days of religious significance. Propose concrete solutions for these two (2) possible conflicts.
Determine whether or not cultural quirks could restrain the foreign manager from expressing his or her ideas readily. Provide a rationale for your response.
Determine two (2) actions that you can take in order to prepare yourself and your friend to become multicultural leaders. Provide two (2) examples to support your response.
Predict two (2) major conflicts that may arise out of nonverbal communication misunderstandings (e.g., words misinterpreted, hand gestures, looks, shoulder shrugs, names of objects, etc.). Suggest two (2) actions that your friend could take in order to diffuse these types of misunderstandings and thus make the workplace more harmonious. Justify your response.
Use at least five (5) quality academic resources in this assignment. Note: Wikipedia does not qualify as an academic resource.
Please DO NOT use "I, me, you, us, or we" in the research paper.
Please include a introduction paragraph.
Your assignment must follow these formatting requirements:
Be typed, double spaced, using Times New Roman font (size 12), with one-inch margins on all sides; citations and references must follow APA or school-specific format. Check with your professor for any additional instructions.
.
Your boss has asked you to write a Project Management Plan. Your pla.docxmelbruce90096
Your boss has asked you to write a Project Management Plan. Your plan should contain the following sections:
Initiating
Planning
Executing
Monitoring and Controlling
Closing
In addition, your plan should touch upon the following components:
Integration
Cost
Human resources
Stakeholder management
Scope
Quality
Communications
Time
Procurement
Risk management
.
Your boss has chosen you to give a presentation to a number of forei.docxmelbruce90096
Your boss has chosen you to give a presentation to a number of foreign officials (We have Chosen Italy) regarding the United States Federal Reserve System. These officials are very interested in doing business in the United States, but they would like to learn more about the Federal Reserve and how it operates as compared to the official's home country.
*
Your instructor will provide a list of countries from which you may select as the home country of the "foreign officials".
Develop
a 3- to 4-slide Microsoft
®
PowerPoint
®
presentation including detailed speaker notes.
Incorporate
any feedback from peer review discussion.
Address
the following questions and include a notes page which contains the write-up portion to each question:
How does monetary policy aim to avoid inflation?
How does monetary policy control the money supply?
How does a stimulus program (through the money multiplier) affect the money supply?
Format
consistent with APA guidelines including a reference slide.
.
your assignment is to submit a presentation on Native-American liter.docxmelbruce90096
your assignment is to submit a presentation on Native-American literature. You may choose ONE of the stories below..
"The Shawl"
"The Years of My Birth"
Here are the specifications for the assignment:
1. Please submit your presentation to the Presentation Drop Box under Module 4 Hispanic-American Literature. The deadline is 12/05.
2. Your presentation will consist of a PowerPoint or Prezi. The format MUST allow for video clips to be incorporated. In order to fulfill the oral communication component of this course, you will videotape yourself speaking onto a camera or record yourself speaking. Please submit an mp3 file, not a wave file, and include this video or audio clip in your presentation. Audio is required.
3. The presentation should include:
A. First slide with your name and the story or poem you selected for your presentation.
B. Slides that show your research of a minimum of 3 facts or statistics that help enhance our understanding of Native American/ Hispanic/ African-American literature, culture, history, or traditions (depending on your last name, you will focus on one of these types of literature. Please see above). Please explain HOW these 3 facts relate to the story or poem you chose to discuss. Please provide MLA citation regarding where the facts and statistics came from (URL or article you found).
B. Please include one video clip of the author and/or historic event related to the poem or story you are presenting on.
C. Please present 2 ways in which the story or poem you chose relates to ONE literary criticism theory.
(Please see Introduction to Literary Analysis Folder under Content.) You can do this orally in video and/or audio.
D. Please audiotape yourself for 5 minutes speaking to us about the literary theory that applies to the story or poem you have chosen for your presentation. This video or audio clip should be included with your presentation or prezi.
F. On the video of yourself, please ask one question you have about the story or poem and provide a possible answer.
This presentation will be graded on:
-- complete information required
-- clarity of oral presentation
-- use of video and/or audio
-- research and explanation of literary theoy
-- analysis of story or poem.
.
Your assignment is to report on TWO cultural experience visits y.docxmelbruce90096
Your assignment is to report on TWO "cultural experience" visits you make during this term. After each visit, write a 500-800 word report about the visit and what you learned.
Your instructor may modify this assignment.
Instructions
For your two reports, attend two different venues from this list.
art museum or sculpture garden
significant or notable architectural site (if there is explanatory material there to help you understand it)
music concert
theater play
poetry reading or spoken word performance
dance performance
religious service, ceremony or ritual for a religion very different from yours, if you practice (for instance, if you are Christian, you may not go to another Christian denomination's service)
other displays or performances may be acceptable. Check with your instructor for approval beforehand.
Restrictions: The experience should be done in person. If this is impossible, contact the instructor to arrange for alternatives. You may not report on a cultural experience from prior to this class.
Write a report after each cultural experience (Cultural Experience Report #1 and #2).
Each report should include the following information. Include photos or links that help convey the information. As always, be sure to document all sources you consult in preparing your work.
Name and location of the museum, site, or performance event. If there is on-line information about the site or performance, include a link.
Type of museum, site or event. For example, is it a portrait museum, a poetry slam, an outdoor Shakespeare festival performance? If you attended a performance, name the performer or the piece. Be specific about what you attended, when, and where.
Briefly describe the general setting.
Describe at least one aspect of the experience that you found especially interesting. For example, you might write about a particular work of art, cultural artifact, song, dance section, scene in a play, costumes or lighting, a particular actor or vocalist, etc. Explain what impressed you, and why. Your reaction can be positive or negative, as long as you offer an explanation.
Identify and use at least two things you've learned in class in your essay. For example, if you visit a museum, you might point out the architectural style, discuss an artist you've learned about in the course, or tie your experience to a class discussion.
Reflect on the relevance--if any--of your experience to your everyday life. How did the experience engage your feelings or emotions, if at all? What does this tell you about human culture, or about yourself?
.
your article must be a research article You can tell it is a researc.docxmelbruce90096
your article must be a research article You can tell it is a research journal article, and not just an editorial article, because a research article will have the
7 parts of a research article
(i.e.
Title, Abstract, Introduction, Methods, Results, Discussion, References
). Once you have chosen your research journal article, then write up a 3-4 page analysis of your chosen research article answering the questions in the
“Reading a Research Article”
(attached to this page)
.
.
Your administrator has come to you for information for a present.docxmelbruce90096
Your administrator has come to you for information for a presentation regarding electronic health records to the Board of Directors at your facility. Your administrator wants you to explain what the difference between ICD-9/ICD-10 and SNOMed as related to the EHRs. What would you tell them and what 2 primary points would you want to identify and why?
.
How to Make a Field Mandatory in Odoo 17Celine George
In Odoo, making a field required can be done through both Python code and XML views. When you set the required attribute to True in Python code, it makes the field required across all views where it's used. Conversely, when you set the required attribute in XML views, it makes the field required only in the context of that particular view.
Walmart Business+ and Spark Good for Nonprofits.pdfTechSoup
"Learn about all the ways Walmart supports nonprofit organizations.
You will hear from Liz Willett, the Head of Nonprofits, and hear about what Walmart is doing to help nonprofits, including Walmart Business and Spark Good. Walmart Business+ is a new offer for nonprofits that offers discounts and also streamlines nonprofits order and expense tracking, saving time and money.
The webinar may also give some examples on how nonprofits can best leverage Walmart Business+.
The event will cover the following::
Walmart Business + (https://business.walmart.com/plus) is a new shopping experience for nonprofits, schools, and local business customers that connects an exclusive online shopping experience to stores. Benefits include free delivery and shipping, a 'Spend Analytics” feature, special discounts, deals and tax-exempt shopping.
Special TechSoup offer for a free 180 days membership, and up to $150 in discounts on eligible orders.
Spark Good (walmart.com/sparkgood) is a charitable platform that enables nonprofits to receive donations directly from customers and associates.
Answers about how you can do more with Walmart!"
বাংলাদেশের অর্থনৈতিক সমীক্ষা ২০২৪ [Bangladesh Economic Review 2024 Bangla.pdf] কম্পিউটার , ট্যাব ও স্মার্ট ফোন ভার্সন সহ সম্পূর্ণ বাংলা ই-বুক বা pdf বই " সুচিপত্র ...বুকমার্ক মেনু 🔖 ও হাইপার লিংক মেনু 📝👆 যুক্ত ..
আমাদের সবার জন্য খুব খুব গুরুত্বপূর্ণ একটি বই ..বিসিএস, ব্যাংক, ইউনিভার্সিটি ভর্তি ও যে কোন প্রতিযোগিতা মূলক পরীক্ষার জন্য এর খুব ইম্পরট্যান্ট একটি বিষয় ...তাছাড়া বাংলাদেশের সাম্প্রতিক যে কোন ডাটা বা তথ্য এই বইতে পাবেন ...
তাই একজন নাগরিক হিসাবে এই তথ্য গুলো আপনার জানা প্রয়োজন ...।
বিসিএস ও ব্যাংক এর লিখিত পরীক্ষা ...+এছাড়া মাধ্যমিক ও উচ্চমাধ্যমিকের স্টুডেন্টদের জন্য অনেক কাজে আসবে ...
How to Setup Warehouse & Location in Odoo 17 InventoryCeline George
In this slide, we'll explore how to set up warehouses and locations in Odoo 17 Inventory. This will help us manage our stock effectively, track inventory levels, and streamline warehouse operations.
हिंदी वर्णमाला पीपीटी, hindi alphabet PPT presentation, hindi varnamala PPT, Hindi Varnamala pdf, हिंदी स्वर, हिंदी व्यंजन, sikhiye hindi varnmala, dr. mulla adam ali, hindi language and literature, hindi alphabet with drawing, hindi alphabet pdf, hindi varnamala for childrens, hindi language, hindi varnamala practice for kids, https://www.drmullaadamali.com
ISO/IEC 27001, ISO/IEC 42001, and GDPR: Best Practices for Implementation and...PECB
Denis is a dynamic and results-driven Chief Information Officer (CIO) with a distinguished career spanning information systems analysis and technical project management. With a proven track record of spearheading the design and delivery of cutting-edge Information Management solutions, he has consistently elevated business operations, streamlined reporting functions, and maximized process efficiency.
Certified as an ISO/IEC 27001: Information Security Management Systems (ISMS) Lead Implementer, Data Protection Officer, and Cyber Risks Analyst, Denis brings a heightened focus on data security, privacy, and cyber resilience to every endeavor.
His expertise extends across a diverse spectrum of reporting, database, and web development applications, underpinned by an exceptional grasp of data storage and virtualization technologies. His proficiency in application testing, database administration, and data cleansing ensures seamless execution of complex projects.
What sets Denis apart is his comprehensive understanding of Business and Systems Analysis technologies, honed through involvement in all phases of the Software Development Lifecycle (SDLC). From meticulous requirements gathering to precise analysis, innovative design, rigorous development, thorough testing, and successful implementation, he has consistently delivered exceptional results.
Throughout his career, he has taken on multifaceted roles, from leading technical project management teams to owning solutions that drive operational excellence. His conscientious and proactive approach is unwavering, whether he is working independently or collaboratively within a team. His ability to connect with colleagues on a personal level underscores his commitment to fostering a harmonious and productive workplace environment.
Date: May 29, 2024
Tags: Information Security, ISO/IEC 27001, ISO/IEC 42001, Artificial Intelligence, GDPR
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Beyond Degrees - Empowering the Workforce in the Context of Skills-First.pptxEduSkills OECD
Iván Bornacelly, Policy Analyst at the OECD Centre for Skills, OECD, presents at the webinar 'Tackling job market gaps with a skills-first approach' on 12 June 2024
Beyond Degrees - Empowering the Workforce in the Context of Skills-First.pptx
Wal-Mart Used Technology to Become Supply Chain Leader by To.docx
1. Wal-Mart Used Technology to Become Supply Chain Leader
by Todd Traub
Posted 7/2/2012 in Arkansas Business
_____________________________________________________
_________________________
It is hard to talk about supply chain management without
mentioning Wal-Mart.
In its relentless pursuit of low consumer prices, Wal-Mart
embraced technology to become an
innovator in the way stores track inventory and restock their
shelves, cutting costs and passing
the savings along to customers. In the process the company
became synonymous with the
concept of successful supply chain management.
“I don’t believe there is a university in the world that doesn’t
talk about Wal-Mart and the supply
chain,” said James Crowell, director of the Supply Chain
Management Research Center at the
Walton College of Business. “They are just so well respected
because they do it so well, and
certainly I know a lot of peer institutions around our country …
will bring a Wal-Mart guest to
speak.”
From ancient times through two world wars to today’s global
market, the logistics of supply
chain management have challenged any enterprise that tries to
2. move goods and materials a long
way in a timely manner. A break in the supply chain leading to
a dearth of food or ammunition
could spell disaster for an army on the move. For consumers and
businesses, a supply chain
breakdown means empty shelves and a loss of revenue.
Through a combination of distribution practices, truck fleet
management and technological
innovations, Wal-Mart not only became the model of supply
chain efficiency and used it to
become the largest retailer and private sector employer in the
world.
Even the U.S. military noticed. Army Col. Vernon L. Beatty,
who commanded the Defense
Distribution Depot in Kuwait, spent a year with Wal-Mart as
part of the military’s Training With
Industry program.
“Supply chain management is moving the right items to the
right customer at the right time by
the most efficient means,” Beatty said in article about his
experience. “No one does that better
than Wal-Mart.”
Fewer Links
Wal-Mart’s supply chain innovation began with the company
removing a few of the chain’s
links.
In the 1980s Wal-Mart began working directly with
manufacturers to cut costs and more
efficiently manage the supply chain. From 1993 to 2001, Wal-
Mart grew from doing $1 billion
3. mailto:[email protected]
in business a week to $1 billion every 36 hours, growth that was
attributed as much to supply
chain management as to customer service.
Last year, Wal-Mart sold $1.22 billion worth of merchandise
every day.
Under a Wal-Mart’s supply chain initiative called VMI —
vendor managed inventory —
manufacturers became responsible for managing their products
in Wal-Mart’s warehouses. As a
result, Wal-Mart could expect close to 100 percent order
fulfillment on merchandise.
Wal-Mart streamlined supply chain management by constructing
communication and
relationship networks with suppliers to improve material flow
with lower inventories. The
network of global suppliers, warehouses and retail stores has
been described as behaving almost
like a single firm.
“Wal-Mart’s whole thing was collaboration,” Crowell said.
“That’s a big part of what made them
so successful.”
Even in its early years, Wal-Mart’s supply chain management
contributed to its success. Founder
Sam Walton, who owned several Ben Franklin franchise stores
before opening the first Wal-Mart
in Rogers in 1962, selectively purchased bulk merchandise and
transported it directly to his
4. stores.
In 1989 Wal-Mart was named Retailer of the Decade, with
distribution costs estimated at a mere
1.7 percent of its cost of sales — far superior to competitors
like Kmart (3.5 percent) and Sears
(5 percent).
The company’s supply chain has only become more effective
since then.
Wal-Mart developed the concept of “cross docking,” or direct
transfers from inbound or
outbound truck trailers without extra storage. The company’s
truck fleet and corps of non-
unionized drivers continuously deliver goods to distribution
centers (located an average 130
miles from the store), where they are stored, repackaged and
distributed without sitting in
inventory.
Goods will cross from one loading dock to another, usually in
24 hours or less, and company
trucks that would otherwise return empty “back haul” unsold
merchandise.
Collaboration
Companies within the supply chain synchronize their demand
projections under a collaborative
planning, forecasting and replenishment scheme, and every link
in the chain is connected
through technology that includes a central database, store-level
point-of-sale systems and a
satellite network.
5. Wal-Mart implemented the first companywide use of Universal
Product Code bar codes, in
which store level information was immediately collected and
analyzed, and the company devised
Retail Link, a mammoth Bentonville database. Through a global
satellite system, Retail Link is
connected to analysts who forecast supplier demands to the
supplier network, which displays
real-time sales data from cash registers and to Wal-Mart’s
distribution centers.
“The big piece of supply chain management is Wal-Mart has the
retail link,” Crowell said, “the
information from point-of-sale data, the cash register, that they
put into their system and share
with all their partners.
“What makes that so innovative is at one time a lot of
companies weren’t sharing that. In fact,
they were using third parties where they had to pay for that
information.”
Wal-Mart’s approach meant frequent, informal cooperation
among stores, distribution centers
and suppliers and less centralized control. Furthermore, the
company’s supply chain, by tracking
customer purchases and demand, allows consumers to
effectively pull merchandise to stores
rather than having the company push goods onto shelves.
In recent years Wal-Mart has used radio frequency
identification tags (RFID), which use
numerical codes that can be scanned from a distance to track
6. pallets of merchandise moving
along the supply chain. Even more recently the company has
begun using smart tags, read by a
handheld scanner, that allow employees to quickly learn which
items need to be replaced so that
shelves are consistently stocked and inventory is closely
watched.
RFID and smart tags are just the next generation in supply chain
innovation that dates back to the
1960s, when Sam Walton personally attended an IBM school in
upstate New York with the
intention of landing experts to computerize operations.
Wal-Mart reaps the benefits of its supply chain management in
time saved, faster inventory
turnover, increased warehouse space and accurate forecasting of
inventory levels.
“They really understand that if I’m going to build some stores
and build some distribution
centers, how am I going to service them?” Crowell said. “If you
look at some of their
competitors, sometimes they would put a store in and then
think, ‘How am I going to service
it?’”
Reference
Traub, T. (2012). “Wal-Mart Used Technology to Become
Supply Chain Leader,” Arkansas
Business, Retrieved from
http://www.arkansasbusiness.com/article/85508/wal-mart-used-
technology-to-become-supply-chain-leader (current Sep 30,
2013).
8. Demand.com]
Keywords: Cisco; Contract Negotiation; ERP Implementation;
Information Systems Project Manage-
ment; Oracle; Systems Development Lifecycle; Top
Management Support
orGanization BaCkGround
Cisco Systems, Inc. was founded in 1984 by two computer
scientists from Stanford University.
Their primary product was the “router” that controlled the flow
of data between the complex
TCP/IP1 networks that made up the Internet and corporate
intranets. Demand for Cisco’s prod-
ucts increased dramatically with the rise in the use of Internet
after 1990. By 1993 Cisco was a
$500 million company and in 1997 Cisco it ranked among the
top five companies in return on
revenues and returns on assets. In the same year, Cisco entered
the Fortune 500 and reached a
market capitalization of over $100 billion.
Don Valentine, partner of Sequoia Capital and vice chairman of
the board of Cisco, was the
first to take initiative and pave the path for the young company.
He appointed John Morgridge as
CEO in 1988, whose first effort was to build a professional
management team. His management
Cisco systems:
implementing “Customized” Erp in nine
Months and within Budget
Avimanyu Datta, Washington State University, USA
10. finance, manufacturing, and order entry. Pete Solvik, CIO of
Cisco, analyzed the UNIX-based
software package and found that it did not provide the degree of
redundancy, reliability, and
maintainability that Cisco needed to keep up with their current
business demands.
Unreliability and regular outages brought into question the
soundness of trying to modify
the current system to meet Cisco’s constantly growing needs.
An upgrade was made available,
which was a solution that offered more reliability and
redundancy2 without maintainability or
room for growth. An upgrade from their current software vendor
could not suffice for their
changing needs.
The management structure in 1993 was such that each
functional business unit made its own
decisions regarding the future of their IT systems. IT
representatives from each department were
asked to report the expenses to Slovik. Each department head
knew that further “band-aiding”
the current system was not going to be sufficient to keep up
with the company’s rapid growth.
However, no individual was willing to approach the board with
a costly and lengthy proposal
for replacement of the legacy systems.
Solvik’s initial intention was to avoid an ERP solution because
of implementations and cost
overruns. In addition, Cisco’s independent department structure
was contrary to organizational
structure supported by ERP system. Thus, Slovik planned to let
each functional area within
Cisco make its own decision regarding the software application
11. that they wanted to use. How-
ever, all functional areas were required to use a common
architecture and database to maintain
standardization within the company.
CasE dEsCription
failure of the Existing system
The year 1993 witnessed little change in the software support
system at Cisco. None of the de-
partments actually got itself a new and updated package.
Instead, they kept operating by fixing
the existing systems and somehow managed to carry on. In late
1993 Randy Pond, Senior VP
of Operations at Cisco, confirmed that fixing the existing
system was pointless as it would not
serve the growing needs of the firm. Finally, in January of
1994, Cisco’s legacy environment
entirely failed, resulting in companywide shut-down for almost
2 days. This was a shortcoming
that could no longer be ignored. A number of managers at Cisco
came to the conclusion that the
autonomous approach to systems replacement would not suffice
any longer.
Solvick, along with other managers, put together a plan to take
on replacement of all faulty
legacy applications in a single ERP project that would provide a
common data architecture
throughout each business unit. The analysis below will describe
in detail the points of their
implementation approach, why the project was successful,
whether the success was “smart” or
13. ChallEnGEs
selection of partnering Consultant and a vendor
Cisco’s management team realized that implementing an
enterprise-wide system to meet the
business needs would require heavy involvement from the
business people and the people from
the IT department. Such an involvement would be required from
the beginning of the project.
The most competent people from every department were
handpicked to be a part of the ERP
implementation team. The next step that Cisco took was to
involve a consulting partner to aid
in the implementation process. Consultants are thought to be
able to use their previous ERP
implementation experiences and act as knowledge providers
who lower the knowledge deficiency
existing within organizations (Grabski & Leech, 2006). A close
working relationship between
consultants and the organization’s project team can lead to a
valuable skill transfer (Grabski &
Leech, 2006), and control over the project. Cisco was looking
for a partner who would, in addi-
tion to providing consulting services, also help Cisco to choose
the ERP vendor.
Only4 KPMG Consulting5 agreed to provide the support Cisco
was looking for. KPMG’s
portfolio in consulting combined technical and expert business
knowledge. They appeared to
be an ideal partner for Cisco because they were willing to give
them the expert resources that
Cisco required from selecting a vendor to completing the
project in as short a time as possible.
15. newest releases to potential customers,
in return of successful implementation within budget and time.
This gave Cisco huge bargaining
power, something it could not have had with established ERP
vendors like SAP or PeopleSoft.6
Thus, Cisco went against the conventional wisdom of selecting
the most popular brand of ERP.7
Table 1 shows a comparative analysis of SAP, PeopleSoft, and
Oracle.
setting up the Budget and schedule
The Cisco team took only 75 days from analyzing the problem
to the final selection the vendor
and finalizing the schedule and budget. At this stage, the board
of directors at Cisco was concerned
with how long the project would take and how much it would
cost. A gigantic project such as
this often consumes a huge amount of resources, spins out of
control, and delivers substandard
results in the end. The Cisco team committed to do the entire
process within 9 months and for $15
million. Cisco did not attempt to do a formal economic
justification for the costs to be incurred
in this project. They looked upon it to “institutionalize a
business model for the organization.”
It was the single largest capital project ever approved by the
company.
Managing the implementation team
Cisco expanded its team from its core 20 to 100 members for
the actual implementation process.
Once again, the team consisted of only the best people,
representing a cross-section of Cisco’s
16. Table 1. Comparative analysis of ERP vendors in 1994
People Soft SAP America Oracle
1995 total Revenues $210 million $ 1.1 billion $291 million
% from Software 57% 74% 54%
% from services 43% 26% 46%
1994-1995 total revenue growth 94% 88% 81%
Revenues outside United States 17% 67% 60%
Headquarters Pleasanton, California Walldorf, Germany
Redwood Shores,
California
Strengths 1. Customer service
2. Excellent functionality
3. Growing network of
partners
1. Broadest functionality
in integrated product
suite.
2. Size and market
presence
3. Broad support from
partners
1. Large installed base
of Oracle Customers
2. Global presence
3. Link to other Oracle
technologies
18. business units. Cisco’s policy emphasized that this was a short
term project and would not impact
anyone’s career.
At the start of the implementation, the team members were split
up into five “tracks,” or
processes, each relating to a functional area Order Entry,
Manufacturing, Finance, Sales/Report-
ing, and Technology (Figure 1). Each track consisted of a Cisco
information systems leader, a
Cisco business leader, business and IT consultants from either
KPMG or Oracle, and personnel
from Cisco as team members. The five tracks were managed
from a Project Management Office
(PMO), which consisted of Cisco’s business project manager,
and KPMG’s project manager.
Monitoring the PMO was an Executive Steering Committee that
consisted of the senior-most
executives from Cisco, KPMG, and Oracle. The strategy behind
using the steering committee
was to relieve the development team of the need to intervene
directly in the management of the
project.
implementing oracle in iterative prototyping
Usually, an ERP is implemented in a sequential model as shown
in Figure 2. But Cisco employed
rapid iterative prototyping (Figure 3) as the development
technique for the implementation of
the ERP. This is because Cisco wanted to keep open the
provision to change Oracle codes to
suit its purpose. This customized coding was not offered by
other vendors. Oracle, being new
and promised with marketing assistance from Cisco, had no
option but to agree with Cisco’s
19. methodology.
Figure 1. Organizational structure of ERP implementation8
Executive Steering Committee
Comprised
Management from
Cisco, Oracle and KPMG
Monitored the Progress of project
Management office (PMO)
Project Management Office (PMO)
Responsible Implementation of the modules of Oracle
The team comprised of Mark Lee from KPMG, Slovick,
Pond and Redfield from CISCO, and the Project
Management team from ORACLE
Order Entry
• Cisco Business
Leader
• Cisco System
Leader
• 10-20 Personnel
from Cisco
• 1 IT consultant from
KMPG
• 1 IT consultant from
20. Oracle
Finance
• Cisco Business
Leader
• Cisco System
Leader
• 10-20 Personnel
from Cisco
• 1 IT consultant from
KMPG
• 1 IT consultant from
Oracle
Sales/reporting
• Cisco Business
Leader
• Cisco System
Leader
• 10-20 Personnel
from Cisco
• 1 IT consultant from
KMPG
21. • 1 IT consultant from
Oracle
Technology
• Cisco Business
Leader
• Cisco System
Leader
• 10-20 Personnel
from Cisco
• 1 IT consultant from
KMPG
• 1 IT consultant from
Oracle
Manufacturing
• Cisco Business
Leader
• Cisco System
Leader
• 10-20 Personnel
from Cisco
23. Design and Blueprint:
Requires high interaction
with end-users. The internal
team and the consultant
must work together
Software
configuration
Application
customization: Similar to
Corrective, Adaptive, and
Perfective maintenance
Data migration: involves
populating the new ERP
master file with data from
existing system
Developers
Conception
Customer’s
Conception
Divergence
V
E
R
S
I
O
N
26. is prohibited.
Table 2. Deliverables for each of the CRPs
Stage/ Prototype Deliverables and tasks
CRP 0
Training Cisco’s Employees on Oracle Package
Spelling out 80% of the requirements
Selection of Data settings of Oracle System for Cisco’s business
needs.
Delivery of the first Prototype
CRP1
(Built on CRP 0)
Customization of CRP 0, according to the requirements of the
departments, supported
by Oracle’s 5 modules (Order Entry, Manufacturing, Finance,
Sales/Reporting,
Technology )
Modify Oracle’s coding to match exact requirements of Cisco.
CRP 2
Enhancements,
Perfection, and
Testing
Enhancement of CRP 1 to add the following features:
1. Incorporation the new after-sales support package
2. Building a data warehouse to view historical data and project
27. future data
through data mining
Load testing the entire project
Figure 4. Blending of waterfall and iterative prototyping
the waterfall model with iterative prototyping from systems
analysis to final delivery. Table 2
shows the deliverables and tasks associated with each CRP).
CRP0 began with training the implementation team and setting
up the technical environ-
ment for the implementation. Here, two parallel efforts were
launched. The first effort involved
Analyze the
problem in existing
system
Evaluate Alternative
Solution
s and Zero
into one
Select Consulting
Make RFP
28. Select ERP Vendor
Make Contract
Create the team
Develop the system
in Prototypes
CRP0: First Iteration
CRP1: second Iteration
CRP2: Third Iteration
Journal of Cases on Information Technology, 11(2), ��-�0,
30. CRP0 was successfully completed.
It implemented the capacity to take a Cisco order all the way
through the company’s business
process from its quotation to payment.
The implementation of CRP0 brought forward an important fact
that the initial target of
implementation with low customization of the Oracle software
would not be successful. This
made the process more time consuming. Thus, CRP1 was
started, building on the lessons learned
with CRP0. The goal of this phase was for each of the five
tracks/modules (Figure1), to make
the system work within their specific area. This was the focused
group geared toward custom-
izing the system. Oracle had to modify12 chunks of existing
codes to match Cisco’s customized
requirement. Cisco’s promise of future marketing partnership
left Oracle with no option. Team
members documented the purpose and procedures to complete
every process, and problem issues
were addressed in weekly 3-hour meetings with the PMO.
During CRP1, the team realized that there were many business
processes that the software
31. could not support. The implementation team developed a means
for categorizing and evaluating
each instance separately. All modifications were classified as
red (extremely critical), yellow
(critical), or green (moderate). In the end, 30 developers spent 3
months to modify Oracle to sup-
port the Cisco business process. In addition, the implementation
team understood that the Oracle
package would not adequately support the after sales support
needs of the company. So the team
launched a parallel effort to evaluate and select a separate
service support package. The service
package was selected and implemented within the same
schedule as the Oracle package.
The beginning of CRP2 saw the most difficult part of the
implementation. Cisco’s initial
target of low customization was given up, and a highly
customized system was built in the end.
It included major modifications in the Oracle software,
inclusion of a new after-sales support
package, and implementation of a new approach for data
communication via a data warehouse.
The feature included capability to report historical and future
data in the integrated data ware-
32. house.
The scope change involved further adjustments to Cisco’s
resource structure for the project.
The final goal of CRP2 was to begin testing the system, to see
how well it could stand up to the
processing load and transaction volumes required to support
Cisco’s growing business. CRP2’s
focus was on testing the system with full transaction load and
assessing the date when the system
could start operation. All these were accomplished within the
initial schedule.
The Initial Instability and Its Correction
On starting operation, the new system proved disturbingly
unstable. On an average, it went down
nearly once a day. The primary problem was with the hardware
architecture, and secondarily
with the software that could not handle the transaction volume
required in the Cisco environ-
ment. Cisco realized that their mistake was that they had not
tested the system with a big enough
database. They had run individual processes sequentially with
only a partially loaded database.
34. for fixing the hardware problems
fell completely on the hardware vendor.
Stabilization
The technical problems associated with Oracle proved short
lived. Strong vendor commitment
from Oracle and the hardware vendor and experienced support
from KPMG lead to an eventual
stabilization and substantial improvement in performance, after
3 months.
Results
Cisco was extremely successful in terms of the overall
performance of the system. With major
customizations, the system was working well. The only trouble
that had plagued the implementa-
tion was the issue of hardware capacity, which was later
rectified with a match winning contract
with the hardware vendor. The complete system performance
was worked out when the project
team did its CRP design and testing. By building on the
previous version of CRP, the team was
able to optimize its functionality. At the end of the
35. implementation, the cutover was successful
because of strong coordination between each company involved.
The overall cost expectancy
was met. The goal of the project was to have the budget at or
below $15 million. Cisco reached
this goal and also decided to provide its hard working
implementation team with a bonus pool
of over $200,000.
disCussion
From the initial conception of the project, its leaders, Solvick,
Pond, and Redfield, knew what
they wanted: a large system in a short amount of time that
contained the ability to adapt and
grow concurrently with their business, and a provider that was
going to be around to support
their product well into the future. The decisiveness of the
leaders on what they wanted pushed
the selection process forward in a short amount of time. Senior
management fully backed the
project and was kept informed on every step. From the very
beginning a strong schedule and the
backing of the top management helped to insure success of the
project. Because of top manage-
37. fields and mimetic isomorphism
that is based on standard responses to uncertainty. According to
DiMaggio and Powell (1983),
the majority of organizations are followers (reactive). Thus,
most organizations do not sense a
change in environment unless one of its competitors has adopted
a technology. Following the
conventional wisdom of reactive stance and address uncertainty,
Cisco would have opted for
SAP’s R3, which was the de facto industry standard. But they
selected Oracle instead. From
the very beginning till the end, Cisco did not lose sight of the
project and were in full control of
the ERP implementation. Since this was Oracle’s first major
ERP account, they got maximum
opportunity to test, retest, alter, customize, and standardize
their modules.
Karimi, Somers, and Bhattacherjee (2007) mentioned the
critical success factors to ERP
implementation success are: top management support, project
management resources, consul-
tant resources, and training resources. Woo’s (2006) list of
critical success factors included top
management support, project team, and project management.
38. Jones et al. (2004), in exploring
knowledge sharing across during ERP implementation, listed
eight factors, which were (a)
orientation to change, (b) control, coordination, and
responsibility, (c) orientation to collabora-
tion, (d) basis of truth and rationality, (e)motivation, (f)
orientation to work, (g) nature of time
horizon (short term versus long term), and (h) orientation and
focus. The long term vision of
having a system that can sustain Cisco’s growth, choosing a
consultant and a vendor who would
be partner in Cisco’s success, and combining expertise spread
across vendor, consultant, and
the client helped sharing of knowledge and controlling of the
project (Grabski & Leech, 2006;
Jones et al., 2004; Woo, 2006; Xu et al., 2006), which enabled
Cisco to have greater control and
visibility during the implementation.
Bradford and Florin (2003) mentioned that ERP implementation
success is driven by three
factors:
1. Innovative characteristics of technical compatibility,
perceived complexity, and business
39. process reengineering.
2. Organizational characteristics of top management support,
organizational objectives, and
consensus training.
3. Environmental characteristic of competitive pressure.
Cisco, being an innovative company with high technical
capability, propelled the success
factors. Being in the IT and telecom manufacturing industry, IT
investments were not seen as
a sunk cost as were seen by organizations of other industry
verticals. Further, the project not
only received top management support from Cisco, also got the
best personnel from Oracle
and KPMG. The importance of top management support was
also studied in detail by Ehie and
Madsen, (2005), Karimi et al. (2007), and Woo (2006). Last, the
exponential rate at which Cisco
was growing justified the need for the system.
Hong and Kim (2002), Iivari (1992), and Kanellis, Lycett, and
Paul (1999) researched and
stated that the fit between the organization and the ERP system
41. with strong backing by senior management were the success
drivers of the entire project. Sec-
ond, the teams from Cisco, KPMG, and Oracle blended as one.
Such a blend of expertise spread
across helped sharing of knowledge and control the project
(Grabski & Leech, 2006; Jones et
al., 2004; Woo, 2006; Xu et al., 2006).
Cisco’s success can also be attributed in part to a combination
of luck factors and key tim-
ings that facilitated the fast implementation within budget. The
most important was the timing
of ERP implementation. Cisco’s need for a customized system,
paralleled with Oracle’s need
to establish its foothold in the ERP market. While Cisco wanted
a system that could support
its growth, Oracle needed a launching pad to test, correct, and
perfect its modules. This was
the perfect timing. Oracle had to prove its worth in a market
dominated by SAP. This timing
gave Cisco huge bargaining power over Oracle. Also, Cisco
promoted Oracle with marketing
assistance for Oracle’s upcoming products and its ERP. The
timing put Cisco and Oracle in a
positive sum situation. Another important aspect of this timing
42. was Cisco modifying Oracle’s
codes to match its customized requirements. Such timing is
impossible to replicate. It can also
be argued that Cisco, being in the telecom business, enabled its
partners, Oracle and KPMG,
to access the best technical resources for the project. This
reduced the cost of the project. The
lessons learned are:
1. Leadership—Formation of a cohesive team that was fast in its
acting led to the success of
the project. Besides, the team got indispensable support from
the Top Management.
2. Planning—The initial planning and analysis of project scope,
with the partner and vendor,
was integral to the success of the project. Cisco found the best
people for the job and what
they received in return was the unsurpassed service from each
of their partners.
3. Contract negotiation—Contract negotiation is always an
underlying factor in any project’s
success. In the Cisco case a great contract born of great
opportunity saved the company
43. thousands of dollars and perhaps months of system
configuration during the late stages of the
Figure 5. Model for successful ERP Implementation13
Top Management
Commitment and Support
Actual ERP Adoption
Favorable
awareness response
Favorable Feelings
Response
• Minimizing Adoption Cost
• Involving Individuals and
groups
• Enhancing ERP interface
quality
• Hands on training
45. over Oracle. Also, Cisco promoted Oracle with marketing
assistance for Oracle’s upcoming
products and its ERP.
4. Persistence—During the choosing of parameters and system
configuration, the company
decided to go 80-20 on parameter settings and cram months of
research and choices into
2 days. Cisco was extremely persistent in meeting the deadlines.
And because they were
ahead of schedules, the massive customization did not eat away
project time, delaying the
delivery.
The methodology used by Cisco and Oracle confirmed the six-
stage model proposed by
Kwon and Zmud (1987). The six stages included:
1. Initiation: The first or initiation stage is characterized by the
various exo- and endogenous
factors that influenced the organizations to implement an
integrated system like an ERP
system. Here the outage of the existing system and the need for
having a system that could
support its growth would be the reasons.
46. 2. Adoption: Investment decisions and cost–benefit analysis
related to implementation of ERP
systems and choice of brand or vendor were carried out during
the second or adoption stage
as suggested by Cooper and Zmud (1990) and Rajagopal (2002).
Identification of the vendor
by Cisco and KPMG and choosing Oracle because of unique
strengths is the adoption stage
of this case.
3. Adaptation: The implementation of the ERP system requires
changes in the way business is
conducted, and the companies that were interviewed carried out
BPR before implementing
an ERP system (Rajagopal, 2002). In Cisco’s case however,
business processes were not
altered. Since it was Oracle’s first major implementation,
chunks of codes were modified
to match Cisco’s business process. It was also an acid test for
Oracle’s system, as Cisco’s
business process was one of the bench marks for the industry
and Oracle got the opportunity
to change the codes to reach closer to best practices.
47. 4. Acceptance: The systems become increasingly available for
use in the organization. The
systems are modified in order to solve the problems reported by
the end-users (Rajagopal,
2002). In this case, with every iteration CRP (0 through 2),
codes were modified as per the
needs of the users and the business.
5. Routinization: The process of using the system is routinized
through usage. Because the
system was developed with successive iteration, routinization
was achieved faster than
cutover approaches.
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Amoako-Gyampah, K., & Salam, A.F.(2004). An extension of
the technology acceptance model in an ERP
implementation environment. Information & Management, 41,
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49. Cooper, R., & Zmud, R. (1990). Information technology
implementation research: A technological diffusion
approach. Management Science, 36(2), 123.
Cotteleer, M. (1998). Cisco systems, inc.: Implementing ERP.
In R.A. Burgelman, C.M. Christensen, &
S.C. Wheelwright (Eds.). (2006). Strategic management of
technology and innovation (p. 877). New York:
McGraw Hill Irwin.
DiMaggio, P.J., & Powell, W.W. (1983, April). The iron cage
revisited: Institutional isomorphism and col-
lective rationality in organizational fields. American
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Duncan, W.M. (1997). Information systems management.
London: University of London Press.
Ehie, I.C., & Madsen, M. (2005). Identifying critical issues in
enterprise resource planning (ERP) imple-
mentation. Computers in Industry, 56, 545-557.
Field, T. (1997). When bad things happen to good projects. CIO
Magazine. Retrieved November 3, 2008,
from http:// www.coi.com/acrchive/101597/bad_content.html
50. Frame, J.D. (1995). Managing projects in organizations. San
Francisco: Jossey-Bass, A. Wiley Com-
pany.
Grabski, S.V., & Leech, S.A. (2006, December). Complimentary
controls and ERP implementation success.
International Journal of Accounting Information Systems, 8, 17-
39.
Harman, M. (1998). Software engineering and development
(Vol. 2). London: University of London
Press.
Hong, K.-K., & Kim, Y-G. (2002). The critical success factors
for ERP Implementation: An organizational
fit perspective. Information & Management, 40, 25-40.
Ifinedo, P, & Nahar, N. (2007, February). ERP systems success:
An empirical analysis of how two orga-
nizational stakeholder groups prioritize and evaluate relevant
measures. Enterprise Information Systems,
1(1), 25-48.
Iivari, J. (1992). The organizational fit of information systems.
51. Journal of Information Systems, 2, 2-29.
Information Technology Management. (1999). Modern RAD.
ITMWeb Media Corporation. Retrieved
November 3, 2008, from
http://www.dep.state.pa.us/dep/deputate/oit/SDM/inHTML/Html
Files/
SDM/StyleGuide/RapidApplicationDevelopment.htm
Jones, M.C., Cline, M., & Ryan, S. (2004). Exploring
knowledge sharing in ERP implementation: An
organizational culture framework. Decision Support Systems,
41, 411-434.
Kanellis, P. Lycett, M., & Paul, R.J. (1999). Evaluating
business information systems fit: From concept to
practical application. European Journal of Information Systems,
8, 65-76.
Karimi, J., Somers, T.N., & Bhattacherjee, A. (2007). The
Impact of ERP implementation on business
process outcomes: A factor-based study. Journal of Management
Information Systems, 24(1), 101-134.
Kwon, T., & Zmud, R. (1987). Unifying the fragmented models
53. Schach, S. (1999). Classical and object oriented software
engineering: With UML and Java. USA: Mc-
Graw Hill.
State Department of Pennsylvania. (2002, September 23). Rapid
spplication development (RAD) Approach.
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mlFiles/SDM/StyleGuide/RapidApplicationDevelopment.htm
Stratman, J., & Roth, A. (1999, November 20-23). Enterprise
resource planning competence: A model
propositions and pre-test, design-stage scale development. In
30th DSI Proceedings (pp. 1199-1201).
Woo, H.S. (2006, April). Critical success factors for
implementing ERP: The case of a Chinese electronics
manufacturer. Journal of Manufacturing Technology, 18(1),
431-442.
Wu, J., & Wang, Y. (2005). Measuring ERP success. The key
user’s viewpoint of ERP implementation to
produce viable IS in the organization. Computers in Human
Behavior, 23, 1582-1596.
54. Xu, L., Wang, C. , Luo, X., & Shi, Z. (2006). Integrating
knowledge management and ERP in enterprise
information Systems. Systems Research and Behavioral Science,
23, 147-156.
EndnotEs
1 The most commonly used Network Architecture. TCP stands
form Transmission Control Protocol. IP
Stands for Internet Protocol. The architecture was founded by
the Department of Defense, USA.
2 Data redundancy and redundant servers and clients are
required against outages.
3 We will see later in the case that the low customization would
not be an option.
4 Other consulting partners considered then were Cap Gemini,
Siemens, IBM, PriceWaterhouse Coo-
pers.
5 The KPMG Consulting division now is named as Bearing
Point.
55. 6 On December 13, 2004, Oracle bought People Soft for $10.3
billion. Under the terms of the deal,
Oracle would acquire PeopleSoft for $26.50 per
7 Grounded to the theory of Mimetic Isomorphism (DiMaggio &
Powell, 1983 ), companies select the
most established de facto product of the time.
8 Source: Cotteleer (1998); Burgelman, Christensen, and
Wheelwright (2006).
9 Source: Maner (1997).
10 Systems Analysis is the first stage of the System
Development Life Cycle (SDLC). It is also the most
critical making the system correct for the business needs.
11 Data settings mainly refer to the domain of values a data is
supposed to accept. For instance the data
under item “Products” for Cisco would be routers, Switches,
and so forth. For Amazon it would be
books, CDs, DVDs, games, and so forth.
57. plan for Material Research Society. Before
joining WSU, he consulted with Frost & Sullivan and AMI
Partners.
Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further
reproduction prohibited without permission.
Communications of the Association for Information Systems
| Number 1Volume 28 Article 18
4-1-2011
ERP Implementation Gone Terribly Wrong: The
Case of Natural Springs
Vlad Krotov
Abu Dhabi University, [email protected]
Serguei Boukhonine
University of Houston
58. Blake Ives
University of Houston
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Recommended Citation
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"ERP Implementation Gone Terribly Wrong: The Case of
Natural
Springs," Communications of the Association for Information
Systems: Vol. 28, Article 18.
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59. Volume 28 Article 18
ERP Implementation Gone Terribly Wrong: The Case of Natural
Springs
Vlad Krotov
Abu Dhabi University
[email protected]
Serguei Boukhonine
University of Houston
Blake Ives
University of Houston
A Russian start-up company successfully introduced bottled still
60. water to the Russian market and, despite the rapid
growth of competition, three years later remained the market
leader. The firm’s CFO convinces the CEO of the need
for an Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) system. He justifies
the ERP as the means to enhance financial and
administrative controls, to prepare for an IPO, and, among other
reasons, to create efficiencies by better linking the
St. Petersburg headquarters with their bottling facility located
100 miles to the north. The implementation fails,
primarily due to widespread resistance within the factory as
well as from the firm’s COO. The Case provides
students with a rich look at implementation and counter-
implementation of information systems as well as the high-
level politics that can often seemingly mysteriously impact
systems implementation. Further interest and
opportunities for discussion are added via the Russian context
and the transition to free markets, as well as the
technical and operational work-arounds often required to deal
with the inadequate public infrastructure often found in
less developed parts of the world or, as in this case, in sections
of a particular country.
Keywords: teaching case, ERP, implementation, failure, socio-
technical, resistance, politics
61. Editor’s Note: A teaching note for this case can be obtained
from [email protected] Only active MIS faculty
who are currently listed in the AIS Faculty Directory are
eligible to receive the teaching note.
Volume 28, Article 18, pp. 277-282, April 2011
mailto:[email protected]
ERP Implementation Gone Terribly Wrong: The Case of Natural
Springs
ERP Implementation Gone Terribly Wrong: The Case of Natural
Springs
278
Volume 28 Article 18
I. NATURAL SPRINGS COMPANY
1
62. The Early Years
In 1992 a successful British entrepreneur (“the CEO”)
celebrated the sale of his company by treating himself and his
family to an extended tour of Europe. One stop was St.
Petersburg, Russia; there the CEO boarded ship for a
leisurely cruise along the Neva River. While the cruise was
enjoyable, the boat’s tap water was not—it had a most
unpleasant taste. To his dismay and surprise, the CEO
discovered that bottled still water was unheard of in Russia.
The CEO and his family, like most of the other tourists on
board, had to settle for the sparkling mineral water
available from the ship’s bar.
Later that day, the ship stopped in Kivgoda, a small town
approximately 100 miles North-East of St. Petersburg.
There, while touring an architecturally notable seventeenth
century building, the CEO mentioned his “drinking
problem” to the estate’s owner (“the Landlord”). The Landlord
told the CEO that he owned land nearby that was the
source of several natural springs that were highly prized sources
of drinking water. The CEO said he would like to try
this water and perhaps even bring some back to the boat for the
63. trip back to St. Petersburg. The Landlord was
happy to oblige. Moments after the first few sips, the idea of
bottling and selling the water jumped into the CEO’s
mind. He proposed a joint venture to the Landlord.
The company the CEO envisioned, and convincingly described
to the Landlord, would introduce to the emerging
Russian free market a new product: bottled still water. While
the Landlord was easily convinced, the plan to sell what
had always been free encountered considerable skepticism and
even derision. While hundreds of carbonated
mineral water brands existed in the former USSR, bottled still
water was unheard of. “Why,” people asked, “would
anyone pay for something without value adding ingredients such
as carbonation, minerals, syrups, etc.?”
Nevertheless, factory construction began the following year.
Most of 1993 and 1994 were spent putting up the
factory, installing equipment, designing bottles, designing a
distribution strategy and marketing campaign, and so on.
The CEO and his newly hired Chief Operations Officer (COO)
oversaw the work. The initial products were 1.5 liter
and 0.5 liter bottles. Sales in that first year, 1994, were less
than a million U.S. dollars and disappointing. A Chief
Marketing Officer (CMO) and a Chief Financial Officer (CFO)
64. were added to the executive team, helping to fuel sales
growth in 1995 to several million U.S. dollars. By 1996 sales
had exploded as the product category was now well
accepted, at least in the major metropolitan areas. Natural
Springs bottles were sitting on the conference tables in
the Kremlin, distributed on Aeroflot flights, and supplied to a
number of upscale hotels in Moscow and St.
Petersburg. 1997 promised to be another high growth year.
Natural Springs began to extend their product line and
leverage their brand and distribution channels. Among the first
additions were carbonated water and bottles of
additional sizes.
Leveraging that success, the company went through a successful
round of private equity financing, attracting the
attention of two international investment funds. Management
was now eying an initial public offering (IPO) in
London. No one was laughing at the business potential of
bottled water now. While dozens of competitors had now
sprung up, Natural Springs remained the undisputed market
leader. The future looked very bright.
Succession Plans
By 1996, the CEO of Natural Springs had grown bored with
65. hands-on management. He was more interested in
formulating new strategies, developing new products, and
working the financial markets. At the end of 1996, the
CEO announced his intention to soon resign as CEO and to
assume the new title of Chairman. In that role he
intended to play an advisor-like role.
The COO saw himself as the obvious heir to the throne. The
COO was born in Brazil to a Russian émigré family
fleeing the Russian Revolution of 1917. Eventually he made his
way to Canada, where he worked in a variety of
engineering and managerial capacities. Shortly after the
collapse of the Soviet Union, the COO, who spoke fluent
Russian, relocated to Russia where he eventually joined the
Natural Springs start-up and was charged with building
1
The name of the company, geographical names, as well as
certain facts have been altered in order to hide identity of
people involved in the
case.
66. Volume 28 Article 18
279
and operating the factory. Because of his traditional upbringing,
the COO enjoyed undisputed power and respect
among the parochial factory workers in Krivogda. His
successful tenure with the company had also earned him the
unconditional trust of the CEO. Moreover, as a devout Orthodox
Christian (common among émigrés but rare among
Russians born under communism), he was on good terms with
the Landlord, another devout Orthodox Christian.
The CFO was the second legitimate contender. A Russian
national, he spoke fluent English and held an MBA from
an American university. His previous experience involved
several years in the CFO role of a regional office of a
prominent American consumer goods company. He was credited
with building Natural Spring’s financial and
administrative controls—controls that were essential for
attracting venture capital and building the foundation for an
IPO.
67. The CMO was the third contender for the CEO position. He was
young, British, and graduated with a degree in
Marketing and Russian from a top school in the UK. He was a
rising star; under his watch and via his marketing
programs Natural Springs had enjoyed spectacular sales growth.
Moreover, as a UK national, fluent in both English
and Russian, he enjoyed the confidence of British investors.
Teething Pains
Despite its early success, Natural Springs faced significant
challenges, though they were similar to those of other
firms operating in the emerging free markets of the former
Soviet Union. The Russian banking system was slow and
unreliable. Telecommunications, while tolerable in St.
Petersburg, were unavailable, unacceptably slow, or
unreliable in provincial cities, including Krivogda. The postal
system was generally agreed to be all but useless for
business purposes such as mailing invoices. Further problems
involved poor road infrastructure, crime (organized
and otherwise), a repressive and confiscatory tax regime, and
widespread corruption.
Furthermore, as a company experiencing rapid growth, Natural
Springs needed to hire more employees, but
68. qualified people were hard to find. The company wanted
employees unencumbered by the deeply ingrained Soviet
ways of management. Usually, this meant hiring young people
without much experience and training them “on the
job.”
Internal controls, something that the CEO viewed as being
essential for Natural Springs success in the chaos of the
emerging market, still lagged behind sales growth. With still
more growth predicted, and greater competition, rapidly
emerging controls had to be further strengthened if costs were
to be kept in line. In the beginning of 1995, the CEO
asked the CFO to move to Krivogda to strengthen the controls at
the factory. While the CFO actively resisted the
move away from St. Petersburg, the COO, who was located in
Krovogda, viewed the CFO’s move to the factory
town as a turf invasion.
II. THE ERP PROJECT
Near the end of 1995, and after a few months at the factory, the
CFO pitched to the CEO the idea of implementing
an Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) system.
The Business Case
69. The CFO felt an ERP system would help the company in several
areas and laid out the justifications for the CEO as
summarized in Table 1.
The CEO of Natural Springs was convinced and approved the
project in early 1996. The CFO was charged with
responsibility for selecting and implementing the system.
System Selection
The company selected a British ERP system—Sun Systems
(marketed by the Systems Union). The system was
popular in Britain and the Commonwealth Nations and was
gaining popularity in Russia.
Before joining Natural Springs, the CFO had worked for a
Russian subsidiary of a prominent American consumer
goods company. The subsidiary reported to the European
headquarters in London. When the CFO joined the
subsidiary, he was directed to implement Sun Systems, which
the company had already implemented in other
Eastern European subsidiaries. The system worked fine for such
applications as inventory and sales management,
International Accounting Standards based financial accounting,
70. Western standard human resources management,
etc. But, he had initially found the system to be poorly suited
for Russian Accounting Standards, Russian human
resource management requirements, etc. His previous employer
brushed the CFO’s concerns aside. In time, the
http://www.sunsystems.com/Home/
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Commonwealth_of_Nations
http://www.iasb.org/Home.htm
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/International_Financial_Reporting_
Standards
280
Volume 28 Article 18
Table 1: Justifications for ERP
1. Both the head office in St. Petersburg and the factory in
Krivogda keep manual records of
business transactions. This leads to errors and delays. The
71. company desperately needs an
electronic system for recording and processing business
transactions.
2. An ERP system will streamline communication between the
head office in St. Petersburg and the
factory in Krivogda, improving the customer order fulfillment
process. As a reminder, here is how the
process currently works:
salespeople by phone
shipping information to the St.
Petersburg office
email nor faxes from St.
Petersburg can reliably reach the factory, St. Petersburg
dispatches a courier with printed
72. invoices who meet the trucks at a prearranged location. The
courier then rides with the
truckers and delivers invoices directly to customers. It is too
risky to hand invoices to
truckers since the documents can be intercepted by either
organized crime groups or local
tax authorities who would use them to extort money from the
company. The postal system is
too unreliable to mail them. Faxing or emailing invoices to
customers is insufficient since
they must have original hardcopies for statutory reasons
As we know, this process is riddled with inefficiencies and
fraught with the potential for, and the
reality of, errors. Frequent reconciliations of shipments and
invoices are the norm. An ERP system
can help us automate and streamline exchange of information
related to customer order fulfillment
process.
73. 3. An ERP system will help Natural Springs strengthen its
internal controls. The St. Petersburg office
finds it difficult to exercise financial and inventory controls.
Although major purchasing and accounts
payable activities are done out of St. Petersburg, the factory
needs cash for local purchases, payroll,
etc. In the factory, unbudgeted funds are often disbursed
without consulting with the CFO. The St.
Petersburg office needs real time access to factory accounting
data if we are to tighten controls over
budgets. Further, real time access to factory data can provide St.
Petersburg with up-to-date
inventory information, which is very useful for sales and labor
forecasting, purchasing, and cash flow
planning.
4. Our plans for an IPO require the ability to produce financial
reports fast as well as demonstrating
the adequacy of our internal controls. The ERP is an essential
element of the IPO strategy.
5. A successful implementation of the ERP at the factory can
open the way for an eventual transfer
of most of our back office functions to Krivogda, thus, lowering
our administrative overhead.
74. CFO developed significant expertise and increased his
confidence in the system. His conversion from resistor to
champion had been facilitated when the local partner of the
Systems Union developed makeshift ways of producing
Russian accounting statements using the Sun Systems output.
Thus, when he arrived at Natural Springs and needed an ERP,
Sun Systems seemed the easy choice. No other
ERP system was seriously considered.
Implementation at the St. Petersburg Office
The initial implementation in 1996 was limited to the St.
Petersburg office and included only the sales and financial
accounting modules. Before the implementation, the CFO
recruited an experienced accounts receivable clerk from
his former employer as well as a bright young systems
consultant who previously had worked for the Russian
partner of the Systems Union. The duo proved invaluable in
solving the technical problems related to the system
implementation. All users of the new system in St. Petersburg
reported to the CFO who had personally hired and
trained them. They were predominantly young with little
75. previous experience. The St. Petersburg implementation
went relatively smoothly and encountered little resistance.
Volume 28 Article 18
281
Factory ERP Implementation
While everybody agreed that a factory system was necessary,
there were two areas of concern: the network
connection between the two offices and system selection for the
factory.
System Connection
The ideal solution to the connection problem was to install a
high speed Internet connection at the factory and link it
to a wide area network (WAN) within the factory. Another
possibility was to acquire a private line between St.
Petersburg and the factory and implement an intranet over it.
Many other possibilities were discussed, but the
76. telecommunications infrastructure in and to the factory town
was so poor that a real-time WAN proved infeasible.
Thus, the initial plan of having a centralized ERP system
accessed in real-time from both the headquarters in St.
Petersburg and the factory town in Krivogda was abandoned.
The company had to settle for two systems—one run
on a server in St. Petersburg, another on a server at the factory.
These systems would be synchronized daily using
elaborate algorithms and batch transmissions at the close of
business each day.
System Selection
The other problem area was the choice of the system for the
factory. The CFO naturally wanted to implement the
Sun Systems ERP. He demonstrated the system to the factory
bookkeeping staff. Having spent literally decades
working with Soviet and then similar Russian accounting
standards and often lacking basic IT literacy, the factory
bookkeeping staff did not want to learn the system. Instead,
they wanted to purchase a Russian ERP package called
“1C” with locally available support. This package was tailored
to produce statutory accounts. It also had human
resources, inventory, manufacturing, and other modules
conforming to the all too numerous Russian regulations.
77. This package was poorly suited for producing IAS or GAAP
accounts, but this was of no concern to the factory
staff—IAS and GAAP accounts were produced in St. Petersburg
by the CFO. The COO supported his staff and
opposed the package favored by the CFO.
The CEO, loath to arbitrate between the COO and CFO,
compromised. The factory had to implement the Sun
Systems. However, the CEO allowed the COO to purchase the
Russian ERP system to meet Russian statutory
needs. The factory would run parallel systems.
Preparing for the Implementation
Since the existing factory staff claimed to be too busy to run
both systems, an additional clerk was hired to run the
Sun Systems at the factory. The factory IT manager was trained
to support the Sun Systems and shown how to
carry out the synchronization data transmission and procedures.
To begin to quickly capture some of the promised benefits of
the ERP, the executive team decided to speed up the
transfer of the back office functions to the factory. The
invoicing responsibility would be transferred immediately.
Henceforth, invoices would be issued at the factory and
78. distributed to the truckers in sealed envelopes. The St.
Petersburg office still retained the accounts receivable
responsibility. From then on, it would get invoice information
from the factory via the daily batched synchronization
transmissions.
The Factory Implementation Begins and Bogs Down
At the start of the factory implementation, CFO spent almost all
of his time at the factory. Everything went smoothly.
The local IT manager fulfilled his responsibilities quite well.
The factory Sun Systems clerk was a bright and hard
working individual who quickly demonstrated a good grasp of
the system. Two weeks after the factory
implementation started, the CFO went on a previously
scheduled two-week family vacation to California. With high
international telephone charges and no Internet connection, he
was essentially unreachable.
The CFO returned to find the St. Petersburg office in disarray.
The accounts receivable system was a disaster. The
factory had failed to follow the data transfer protocol. A variety
of technical reasons were given, but the bottom line
was that St. Petersburg did not have invoice information and,
therefore, could not verify the accounts receivable.
79. Moreover, with no invoice information, sales reps could not
provide order status updates to inquiring clients: they did
not know when the order was shipped (if at all) and could not
estimate delivery time. The CMO and sales reps were
now under pressure from customers and had to scramble to
prevent several of the company’s major clients from
deserting Natural Springs. The CFO tried a number of ways to
resolve the situation, including a visit to the factory.
The factory visit produced little results. The factory staff
(including the factory IT manager and Sun Systems clerk)
did little to help resolve the problem. They cited such reasons
as technical and functional inadequacy of the system,
lack of technical knowledge, and time constraints due to them
being occupied with their immediate job
responsibilities. Having received no cooperation from the
factory staff, the CFO eventually decided to pull the plug;
the company returned to the previous manual system for
handling invoices. The factory meanwhile continued to run
282
Volume 28 Article 18
80. the Russian ERP system. The data provided by it were manually
translated by the CFO to prepare GAAP and IAS
accounts.
III. AFTERMATH
The implementation failure left the CFO deeply disillusioned
and upset at the obstinacy and incompetence of the
factory staff. His stature within the company was badly shaken.
The failure also badly reflected on the COO who was
now perceived to be parochial and uncooperative. A few months
after the implementation failure the COO left the
company, citing reasons unrelated to the ERP project. The
CMO, who was largely untouched by this imbroglio, was
promoted as the new CEO of Natural Springs. While continuing
to work for the company, the CFO saw his authority
gradually chipped away by the new CEO. The CFO was quietly
ousted in the beginning of 1999.
Natural Springs was sold to a leading multinational food and
beverages company in 2002 for an undisclosed
amount.
IV. EPILOGUE
81. Several months after the failed implementation, the factory
clerk who had been in charge of the Sun Systems, came
to St. Petersburg for technical training. The CFO invited the
clerk for a dinner in one of St. Petersburg’s restaurants.
After several glasses of wine, the CFO started asking for
opinions of the ERP failure. He learned that the clerk and
the factory IT manager had been ordered by the COO not to
synchronize data with the St. Petersburg office. They
had also been ordered not to talk about it.
LIST OF ACRONYMS
1C A leading Russian ERP package COO Chief Operating
Officer
CEO Chief Executive Officer ERP Enterprise Resource Planning
CFO Chief Financial Officer GAAP Generally Accepted
Accounting Principles
CMO Chief Marketing Officer IAS International Accounting
Standards
ABOUT THE AUTHORS
Vlad Krotov is an Assistant Professor of MIS at Abu Dhabi
University, UAE. His research, teaching, and consulting
work is devoted to helping organizations to use Information and
82. Communication Technologies for creating value for
their organizations. His research on strategic information
systems, e-commerce, RFID, biometrics, and
wireless/mobile technologies has appeared in the following
academic and practitioner-oriented journals: CIO
Magazine, Journal of Theoretical and Applied E-Commerce, and
Communications of the Association for Information
Systems.
Blake Ives is Past President and Fellow of the Association for
Information Systems, a past Editor-in-Chief of the
Management Information Systems Quarterly and has twice
served as Conference Chair for the International
Conference on Information Systems. Dr. Ives is also a founder
of ISWorld. A frequent contributor to Communications
of the Association for Information Systems, he has also
published in MIS Quarterly, Information Systems Research,
Sloan Management Review, Journal of Management Information
Systems, Decision Sciences, Management
Science, Communications of the ACM, IBM Systems Journal,
and variety of other journals. He has been a visiting
Fellow at both Oxford and Harvard. He holds the Charles T.
Bauer Chair of Business Leadership at the C.T. Bauer
College of Business at the University of Houston.
84. Volume 28 Article 18
.
ISSN: 1529-3181
EDITOR-IN-CHIEF
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University of Nebraska at Omaha
AIS SENIOR EDITORIAL BOARD
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85. Editor, JAIS
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86. Richard Mason
Southern Methodist University
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CAIS SENIOR EDITORS
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87. CAIS EDITORIAL BOARD
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88. University
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90. Jan Recker
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Technology
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York at Buffalo
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Singapore
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Worcester Polytechnic
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East Carolina University
DEPARTMENTS
Information Systems and Healthcare
Editor: Vance Wilson
Information Technology and Systems
Editors: Sal March and Dinesh Batra
Papers in French
Editor: Michel Kalika
92. ADMINISTRATIVE PERSONNEL
James P. Tinsley
AIS Executive Director
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CAIS Managing Editor
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Recommended CitationCommunications of the Association for
Information Systems4-1-2011ERP Implementation Gone
Terribly Wrong: The Case of Natural SpringsVlad
KrotovSerguei BoukhonineBlake Ives
Processes and Information Systems Assignment (Due October
10th by 8:30 PM)
93. Directions: The assignment must be submitted to Moodle as a
single Word document. Save it as yourlastname_IT for
processes.docx
Please read the following three articles uploaded to Moodle:
1. Krotov, Vlad; Boukhonine, Serguei; and Ives, Blake (2011)
"ERP Implementation Gone Terribly Wrong: The Case of
Natural Springs," Communications of the Association for
Information Systems: Vol. 28, Article 18, pp. 272-282.
2. Datta, A. (2005). Cisco Systems: Implementing 'Customized'
ERP in Nine Months and Within Budget. Journal of Cases in
Information Technology, 11(2), pp. 56-70.
3. Traub, T. (2012). “Wal-Mart Used Technology to Become
Supply Chain Leader,” Arkansas Business, Retrieved from
http://www.arkansasbusiness.com/article/85508/wal-mart-used-
technology-to-become-supply-chain-leader (current Sep 30,
2013).
Write a three-page paper answering the following two
questions. The first two pages should contain answer to
question 1 and the third page should contain the answer to
question 2. Your answers are graded based on the quality of
your arguments.
1. Read papers #1 and #2 above and answer the question:
“Analyze why ERP implementation could go wrong with some
companies and go right with others.” (65 points)
94. 2. Read paper #3 to answer the question: How does Wal-Mart
use technology to manage their supply chains effectively? (35
points)
Please use Times new roman font, 12 size, single space, and 1
inch margins page margins. Do not exceed the page limit..
Include in-text citations in APA or MLA format
Answer to question 1: