Interview question and response JR Buyer Role: Management Essay

INTERVIEW QUESTION AND ANSWERS
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Job titles within supply management and explain how they contribute to the success of an organization.
Logistics Manager – The logistics manager is mainly tasked with overseeing the planning and management of all logistical operations. Logistical operations include; storage, transportation, fleet management. The process of delivering the product to the customer or the business is mainly for the logistics manager. The logistical manager helps the organization deliver products to the customer in time and safely. He/she assists in supplying raw materials to the organization. A logistical manager is critical in liaising and negotiating with suppliers, manufacturers, retailers, and consumers. Competent logistical manager figures out ways to optimize the logistics of each product and reduce inefficiencies and increase the reliability of the logistical network.
Warehouse/Store manager – Warehouse/store managers are tasked with overseeing the receipt, storage, and dispatch of goods. The manager must find ways to optimize the utility of the store/warehouse to ensure productivity targets are met. A competent warehouse manager ensures efficient utilization of the storage facility, organized storage to expedite receiving and dispatch of goods, and ensures the team is motivated and fostering optimal performance. The warehouse manager also ensures the safe storage of goods and the optimal utility and performance of warehouse equipment. A successful warehouse/store manager helps optimize the resource available for storage and helps the logistical network perform optimally.
Supply chain manager – Supply chain manager develops the supply chain and monitors the overall performance and efficiency of the SCM process. The main is to improve productivity, improve efficiency, and reduce the cost of running the supply chain. A successful supply chain manager helps the organization to optimize resources, set key supply chain performance indicators, and develop the overall supply chain strategy for the organization.
How sales department & supply management facilitated integration benefits the organization
Improved customer service metrics - Healthy cooperation between the sales department and the supply chain is instrumental to any business. In most cases, the sales department is responsible for delivering the product to the consumer. If the cooperation between the two departments is optimized, the business delivers a better customer experience. The customer can get his/her product in time and repeat purchases along with a better review of the product and or service are more likely CITATION Sad13 \l 1033 (Sadrzadehrafiei, Chofreh, Hosseini, & Sulaiman, 2013). Therefore, optimal integration and cooperation between the supply chain and sales department benefit the business by building better customer relationships, creating customer loyalty, and helps the business receive repeat purchases.
Reduced inefficiencies and overhead costs – Poor coordination and collaboration between sales and supply chain departments lead to increased inefficiencies caused by redundant operations. When the sales department is detached from the supply management, it creates unnecessary redundancies in reporting and wastes time in harmonizing and reconciling the operations. Increased integration centralizes data and information and avails it to the two departments hence leading to better customer service, less overhead within the organization, and reduced inefficiencies.
Better decision-making processes – when sales and supply chain departments collaborate, they arrive at decisions faster and can improve the overall productivity of the team. Faster decision making is possible because the two departments share more data/information, and there is better communication. Additionally, they can quickly try new ideas and refine processes to ensure the optimal utilization of the resources.
The role that supply management plays in achieving sustainability goals in an organization.
Recycling its products and using SCM to connect customers to recycling plants - Recycling has become an essential step in achieving sustainability goals. Since the supply chain helps create a connection from the business to the customer, they can also be utilized to connect the customers to the recycling plants when the products come to the end of their lives CITATION Wib17 \l 1033 (Wibowo, Sholeh, & Adji, 2017). The distribution network used to supply the materials to the customers can be used in reverse to collect the recyclable products and deliver them to the processing plants.
Optimizing SCM helps reduce the carbon footprint of the organization - There are several ways in which SCM can be used to reduce environmental footprint. First, the SCM department can come up with a more environmentally friendly way to address the carbon footprint of each product transported to the customer. Some modes of transport are more pollutive than others, i.e., air transport is more pollutive than marine shipping CITATION Lin16 \l 1033 (Lin, Chen, & Kawamura, 2016). Hence, the company can come up with ways to avoid overreliance on air transport and use maritime shipping which has less environmental footprint per product.
Using more environmentally friendly equipment in the supply chain – There are a myriad of ways of how a company can improve its supply chain equipment to use modern, more efficient, and less environmentally pollutive equipment. For example, opting to use electric equipment (like vehicles & forklift) rather than internal combustion engines (ICE). Internal combustion engines produce carbon dioxide as a byproduct of burning fossil fuels. Electric cars are cleaner and environmentally friendly than ICE. Thus, shifting from ICE engines to electric alternatives in the supply chain can help reduce the environmental footprint of transporting each product CITATION Lin16 \l 1033 (Lin, Chen, & Kawamura, 2016).
Changing packaging – the supply chain is heavily reliant on the packaging to ensure safe and convenient transport of each product. Most packaging is done in plastic which is one of the leading solid environmental pollutants. Changing packaging to more environmentally friendly materials such as biodegradable packaging materials can help sustainability goals.
Collaboration with other partners to reduce environmental footprint – Collaboration between businesses can aid in reducing carbon footprint, especially in delivering products to the consumer. There are some routes or regions were operating a full supply network would be uneconomical. In such places, the company can partner with other businesses to optimize their operations in the region or use the network of another established business to deliver products for it rather than running a parallel logistical network. Amazon uses FedEx and UPS to aid in delivering products in some places rather than investing in creating its logistical network CITATION Nic19 \l 1033 (Statt, 2019).
Five items that would be considered when determining the total cost of ownership (TCO) for a piece of capital equipment.
The direct cost of acquiring the equipment - For new capital equipment to be acquired and installed, some costs must be met. They include; Equipment cost, installation, shipping, existing equipment removal, start-up assistance, cost, and time of training. All of these items should be considered as part of the initial cost of the equipment and have a net negative impact on the business. Careful planning can help reduce this cost or spread it over a period of time to reduce the impact it could have on the organization.
Recurring direct costs – For daily operations, the capital equipment will need more inputs for production. They include; fuel, operating labor, insurance, maintenance, utility costs, engineering, and spare parts. Cumulatively, these costs have a net negative impact on the business. They must be provided for and expected. They are also likely to cost more than the cost of purchasing the equipment in the long run, and careful analysis must be conducted before settling on what product to acquire.
Equipment indirect costs – These are costs that cannot be directly derived from the equipment. They include unscheduled maintenance and downtime, material spillage (waste), contamination/pollution cost, etc. Money lost during equipment downtime is indirectly caused by the equipment and must be reduced at all costs. These costs have a net negative effect on the business. Careful consideration must be taken to find equipment that is reliable and effective to avoid indirect costs.
Equipment life cycle/obsolescence – Each machine must come to its end of life or utility to the businesses. The equipment can be repurposed to do something else, scrapped ...