Supply and Chain management assessment. Management Coursework

SUPPLY AND CHAIN MANAGEMENT ASSESSMENT
by Student’s Name
Course code+name
Professor’s name
University name
City, State
Date of submission
1 Discuss how the key performance objectives, as stated by Slack, influences the operations strategy of a chain of convenience stores. Select two key decision areas.
One of the critical performance objectives stated by Slack is quality. According to Slack and Lewis (2002), quality measures how well the product meets certain specifications. Quality also defines the desirable features of a product, the reliability of a product, the durability of a product, the serviceability of the product, the ability of the product to carry out its intended function, and the extent to which the customer believe in the value of the product (Brown, Bessant, and Lamming, 2013). All of these factors measure product quality. Quality has a considerable influence in convenience stores since it is the determinant of whether or not a customer is satisfied with a product or service offered. Quality products and services provided to the customers create a positive impact on the experience with the convenience store.
Another key performance objective is dependability. Dependability is the quality of being trustworthy and reliable. It measures how reliable the business is in terms of timely delivery of products to consumers according to the planned prices (Slack and Lewis, 2002). The ability of a product to function consistently as intended over a long period also determines the dependability of a product. This performance objective influences convenience stores by giving the customers an impression of whether they can rely on the organization for the timely supply of goods ordered without delay or changes in price as previously promised (Hill, 2017).
Dependability may not affect the chances of the customer is choosing the service because they may have consumed the product. However, it influences the decision of the customer whether or not to return to the store for a further purchase or give recommendations. In other words, the reliable business has the potential to sustain customers and increase the market size through recommendations (Brown, Bessant, and Lamming, 2013). Two key decision areas are supply networks and process technology. These two decision areas help in the efficient and effective supply and distribution of products to the market.
2 Discuss how the four perspectives of operations strategy as defined by Slack impact on product and service development
Slack’s four perspectives of operations strategy include top-down, bottom-up, operations resources, and market requirements (Slack and Lewis, 2002). A top-down perspective describes a traditional organizational style that focuses on the demands and vision of upper management. The directives and goals follow the chain of command, implying that they flow from the top management to the bottom subordinates. Since the top-down approach emphasizes on governance, it does not allow the employees to show creativity (Brown, Bessant, and Lamming, 2013). The impact of this strategy is that it makes it difficult for the business to introduce new products and services. It is because the approach makes the employees be pas...