Unit 2 assignmentTarget Corporations Supply ChainThe
purpose of this assignment is to confirm understanding of a supply
chain and its relationship to the demand chain by analyzing Target
Corporations supply chain and assessing if it meets demand chain
expectations.DirectionsUse the APA formatted Microsoft Word document template in Doc Sharing as the starting point.Write
a 5-6 pages paper (exclusive of the Title and References pages)
describing Target Corporations Supply Chain based upon the information
in Chapters 6 and 7 of the Walters and Rainbird (2007 textbook
(especially Figure 6.2 on page 155) and from additional resources from
the Unit 2 reading materials.Include an assessment of the efficiency of Targets supply chain and whether the Supply Chain supports its Demand Chain.Apply and citeat leastthree
supportive, relevant and respected resources within your paper using
APA in-text citation formatting and list the applied on a References
page using APA formatting.Submit your Microsoft Word document into the Unit 2 Dropbox.Unit 3 assignmentEffective Value Chain equals Competitive AdvantageThe
purpose of this assignment is to confirm understanding of the direct
correlation between an effective value chain and a firms competitive
advantage.DirectionsUse the APA formatted Microsoft
Word document template in Doc Sharing: Unit 3: Effective Value Chain
equals Competitive Advantage Assignment as the starting point.Write
a 5-6 pages paper (exclusive of the Title and References pages) making a
compelling argument as to why an effective value chain creates
competitive advantage.Examine the concepts of a Value Chain, Competitive Advantage and Customer Delight.Discuss the inter-relationship of the three elements.Provide examples of companies that have been successful in this integration and at least one that has not.Apply and citeat leastthree
supportive, relevant and respected resources within your paper using
APA in-text citation formatting and list the applied references on a
References page using APA formatting.Submit your MS Word document into the Unit 3 DropboxUnit 2 discssion

Discussion

The
Demand Chain
A demand chain is an
interconnected series of business processes and activities designed so firms
can understand, manage and motivate customer demand in markets within the
firms current and potential capabilities and product range. If a firm does not
understand its demand chain, it is impossible for the firm to design an
effective supply chain. A value chain is essentially the demand chain plus the
supply chain. Although presented as two distinct areas for analysis, in reality
the demand chain and the supply chain must be harmonious, especially at the
point of achieving theValue Proposition(refer to Figure 1.1 on page 19
of the Walters and Rainbird (2007) textbook for an illustration).
Required Reference
Materials
For this discussion
assignment it is required thatat leasttwo
resources from our Unit 2 reading be applied and cited, both within the
response and at the end of the response (using APA formatting).
The main purpose of this
discussion assignment is to demonstrate an understanding of a demand chain, in
the students own words and by applying and citing relevant supportive
references. The response should be based upon the students experience and the
knowledge gained from reading Unit 2s assigned reading. The content should
include:
1.
An explanation of a demand chain
2.
An identification of the constituent parts of a demand chain
3.
Why a business should understand the constituent parts of their
demand chain
4.
A description of how a demand chain is created
5.
A description of how a demand chain can be beneficially used
6.
An example of a demand chain
a.
Choose a Fortune 500 company (not on the GB570 project list) and
describe its demand chain.
7.
The description should be supported by at least two applied and
cited references from the Unit 2 reading materials. Additionally cite any other
references used when creating the response and apply APA style and formatting.Project DiscussionThe
Unit 2 Project Discussion involves everyone in the class. You will post
your choice of the company you will analyze and assess. Select one
company from a predefined list of choices as described in the file
below. In this discussion, you will share information; about yourchoice
and about the potential resources that might be used to achieve
requirements described in the Unit 4 Individual Project Paper: Value
Chain Analysis, and the Unit 5 Individual Project Presentation: Value
Chain Assessment.The specific requirements for this Unit 2 Project Discussion are.kaplan.edu/GB570_1108D/images/product/GB570_u2project.pdf”>listed here.In
Unit 6, we will reconvene to review our Unit 5 assessment presentation
and to bring closure to our Value Chain Analysis and Assessment
adventure.Unit 3 discssion
responses are submitted to Turnitin to confirm originality and
correct citation of references).

Discussion 1
of 2

Competitive Advantage and the Value Chain
Write a 350-500 word response (formatted to APA style and
including references and citations).
Address the following questions:
Is the
concept of a value chain intrinsic to all businesses and if not, why not?How does
a Value Chain assist in creating competitive advantage?Can
competitive advantage be achieved without a value chain?
In your reply also discuss the meaning of the comments made by Lu
and Hung (2010) in their article in the Unit 3 readings i.e. the competiveness
of the individual firm depends upon the competitiveness of the value chain to
which it belongs (p. 1155).
Is this
statement valid, and is cost reduction the only purpose of a value chain?
Apply and cite at least three relevant and respected resources
[one of the applied and cited references should be the Lu and Hung (2010)
article] within the response and list the references at the end of the
response. Use APA formatting.
Discussion 2 of 2Is Outsourcing a Competitive Advantage?The topic of outsourcing often elicits heated and often polarizing debate on its use as a basic business strategy.Required Resource (Kaplan Library)Yaghoubi,
N. M., Moradi, M., & Banihashemi, S. A. (2011). Analyzing the
effect of value chain outsourcing on productivity based on the customer
and learning perspective of the BSC Model.Interdisciplinary Journal of Contemporary Research in Business, 2(10), 45-56.Discuss
circumstances when outsourcing should be considered, and whether
outsourcing will add to the competitive advantage of a firm. Make sure
to include the financial AND human considerations that should be
included in the decision process.Apply and cite the
above-required resource plus at least two additional relevant and
respected resources within the response and list the references at the
end of the response. Use APA formatting.Unit 2 assignmentThe
purpose of this assignment is to confirm understanding of a supply
chain and its relationship to the demand chain by analyzing Target
Corporations supply chain and assessing if it meets demand chain
expectations.DirectionsUnit 3 assignmentThe
purpose of this assignment is to confirm understanding of the direct
correlation between an effective value chain and a firms competitive
advantage.DirectionsUnit 2 discssionThe
Demand ChainA demand chain is an
interconnected series of business processes and activities designed so firms
can understand, manage and motivate customer demand in markets within the
firms current and potential capabilities and product range. If a firm does not
understand its demand chain, it is impossible for the firm to design an
effective supply chain. A value chain is essentially the demand chain plus the
supply chain. Although presented as two distinct areas for analysis, in reality
the demand chain and the supply chain must be harmonious, especially at the
point of achieving theValue Proposition(refer to Figure 1.1 on page 19
of the Walters and Rainbird (2007) textbook for an illustration).Required Reference
MaterialsFor this discussion
assignment it is required thatat leasttwo
resources from our Unit 2 reading be applied and cited, both within the
response and at the end of the response (using APA formatting).The main purpose of this
discussion assignment is to demonstrate an understanding of a demand chain, in
the students own words and by applying and citing relevant supportive
references. The response should be based upon the students experience and the
knowledge gained from reading Unit 2s assigned reading. The content should
include:1.
An explanation of a demand chain2.
An identification of the constituent parts of a demand chain3.
Why a business should understand the constituent parts of their
demand chain4.
A description of how a demand chain is created5.
A description of how a demand chain can be beneficially used6.
An example of a demand chaina.
Choose a Fortune 500 company (not on the GB570 project list) and
describe its demand chain.7.
The description should be supported by at least two applied and
cited references from the Unit 2 reading materials. Additionally cite any other
references used when creating the response and apply APA style and formatting.The
Unit 2 Project Discussion involves everyone in the class. You will post
your choice of the company you will analyze and assess. Select one
company from a predefined list of choices as described in the file
below. In this discussion, you will share information; about yourchoice
and about the potential resources that might be used to achieve
requirements described in the Unit 4 Individual Project Paper: Value
Chain Analysis, and the Unit 5 Individual Project Presentation: Value
Chain Assessment.The specific requirements for this Unit 2 Project Discussion are.kaplan.edu/GB570_1108D/images/product/GB570_u2project.pdf”>listed here.In
Unit 6, we will reconvene to review our Unit 5 assessment presentation
and to bring closure to our Value Chain Analysis and Assessment
adventure.Unit 3 discssionresponses are submitted to Turnitin to confirm originality and
correct citation of references).

Competitive Advantage and the Value ChainWrite a 350-500 word response (formatted to APA style and
including references and citations).Address the following questions:In your reply also discuss the meaning of the comments made by Lu
and Hung (2010) in their article in the Unit 3 readings i.e. the competiveness
of the individual firm depends upon the competitiveness of the value chain to
which it belongs (p. 1155).Apply and cite at least three relevant and respected resources
[one of the applied and cited references should be the Lu and Hung (2010)
article] within the response and list the references at the end of the
response. Use APA formatting.Is Outsourcing a Competitive Advantage?The topic of outsourcing often elicits heated and often polarizing debate on its use as a basic business strategy.Required Resource (Kaplan Library)Yaghoubi,
N. M., Moradi, M., & Banihashemi, S. A. (2011). Analyzing the
effect of value chain outsourcing on productivity based on the customer
and learning perspective of the BSC Model.Interdisciplinary Journal of Contemporary Research in Business, 2(10), 45-56.Discuss
circumstances when outsourcing should be considered, and whether
outsourcing will add to the competitive advantage of a firm. Make sure
to include the financial AND human considerations that should be
included in the decision process.Apply and cite the
above-required resource plus at least two additional relevant and
respected resources within the response and list the references at the
end of the response. Use APA formatting.