reate a 9 pages page paper that discusses an appropriate supply chain model for a firm.
Create a 9 pages page paper that discusses an appropriate supply chain model for a firm. There are many different models that have been introduced as viable supply chain ideologies, all designed to be cross-functional, address downstream and upstream components, and maximize operational efficiencies. All of these different supply chain models are intended to build firm resilience, or the capability of the supply chain to adapt and respond to change (Wieland and Wallenburg 2013). especially for firms maintaining a customer-centric business model where evolution is constant and a legitimate business requirement to ensure an elongated industry life cycle.
In today’s industries in which a firm maintains substantial competition in a competitively-saturated market, the aforementioned resilience can theoretically provide a firm with competitive advantages if the firm’s chosen model of the supply chain provides cost advantages and improves total organizational efficiency. Randall, Morgan and Morton (2003) assert that this competitive advantage can be achieved for companies with superior supply chain responsiveness underpinning adaptability for unpredictable demand and achieve the ability to triumph over market uncertainty at a cost lower than competitors.
However, the idea of supply chain responsiveness is still conceptual, supported by very little existing empirical research addressing adaptability and responsiveness and their relationship to competitive advantage (Sukati, et al. 2012). With such a significant gap in the research literature, achieving malleability and responsiveness makes it difficult for a firm to determine which specific supply chain model would be most appropriate for achieving competitive advantages. Hence, this proposed research study intends to explore two different models of the supply chain, an agile system and a vertical integration model, to determine whether these models may potentially provide a firm with competitive advantages and improve responsiveness and adaptability concurrently. .