INSTRUCTIONS
SCM CASE ANALYSIS: FORECASTING AND PLANNING
Overview
In this assignment, you will research a selected company and develop a case study analysis on forecasting and planning a supply chain.
Instructions
Consider that you work for a company that develops and sells case studies and case study analyses. Your company’s primary customers are colleges and universities that want to use them within their courses, but your company also has customers that use them for management training and development. Your manager asked you to conduct research and develop a case study analysis on the company’s supply chain strategy, including transportation. She is specifically interested in you doing the analysis on one of the companies from this list:
• Amazon.
• Apple.
• L. L. Bean.
• Starbucks.
• Walmart.
Research and write about the company that you have selected from the above list.
You and your manager discussed the high-level outline of your analysis and agreed you should address the following items:
• Describe the company’s business model (particularly related to their supply chain strategy).
• Provide a diagram or visual to explicitly describe that same business model.
o Compare and contrast the company’s supply chain strategy with another company’s strategy.
• Use another company from the list to determine which supply chain areas the company excels at compared to your selected company.
o Explain the transportation strategy of the company.
• What modes of transportation is the company using to move products from factories to customers?
o Analyze the global challenges the company faces in its supply chain.
• What are the company’s main supply chain risks and how can the company reduce these risks?
o Analyze the economic and political factors that can impact the company’s transportation network.
• How might these factors relate to future improvements?
o Analyze the role demand forecasting plays in the company’s supply chain strategy.
• Include in your analysis the challenge of forecasting in times of uncertainty.
o Explain how pricing promotions are used to change demand.
• Use some examples that indicate how the company has used pricing promotions to increase demand.
Submission Requirements
Your assignment should also meet the following requirements:
• Format: Based on the intended audience, your report should be well organized and written in clear, succinct language.
• Length: 5–6 double-spaced pages.
• Font and font size: Times New Roman, 12 point.
• APA format: Use current APA style and formatting for in-text citations and references.
• References: 3–4 sources are required. As the basis for your research, you can use any of the resources noted in this course, in the Capella library, and on the Internet.
• Include at least one reference from The Wall Street Journal.

RESOURCES
What You Need to Know
ALL READING MATERIAL FOUND AT:
www.vitalsource.com
username: password:
Ebook- Supply Chain Management

Planning, Forecasting, and Coordinating Demand and Supply
• Blanchard, D. (2010). Supply chain management best practices (2nd ed.). Wiley.
• Chapter 4, “Planning and Forecasting: Headed for the Future.”
• Chapter 5, “Procurement: Go Right to the Source.”
• Chapter 10, “Globalization: It’s a Not-So-Small World.”
 Note: The concepts presented in this eBook are still applicable today and will be helpful to you as you complete your assignments. Topics that have undergone change, such as technology, will be addressed elsewhere in this course.
o Chopra, S. (2019). Supply chain management: Strategy, planning and operation (7th ed.). Pearson.
o Chapter 7, “Demand Forecasting in a Supply Chain.”
o Chapter 9, “Sales and Operations Planning in a Supply Chain.”
o Chapter 12, “Managing Uncertainty in a Supply Chain: Safety Inventory.”
o Supply Chain Management Terminology and Concepts.
o Review or learn foundational terms associated with supply management using this media. Refer to this study aid often and as needed.
o The Supply Chain Process.
o This interactive media provides a snapshot of the supply chain.
o Uncertainty Impacts the Supply Chain.
o View this media piece before completing this assignment’s interactive module.