Global Digital Business BUSN11123

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Executive Summary 

Supply chain management is considered the network for all the people, resources, and businesses that
can be managed well with sufficient technological advancements. Global digital business is involved
in the production and distribution of any particular good. In this report the concept of supply chain
management runs under global digital improvement provides an insight into the actual meaning of
the concept of sustainability. Here some areas of discussion including the objective, solutions, and
technological application have been made as per the proposed discussion made by Walker(2018) at
the center for evidence-based management meeting held in Chicago. 

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Table of Contents
Introduction............................................................................................................................................3

Body of Report.......................................................................................................................................3

The objective of the application area.................................................................................................3

Supply chain management and relevant problems.............................................................................3

The solution to the problems..............................................................................................................4

Technology solves the problem.........................................................................................................5

Evidence to the solution works with some alternatives.....................................................................6

Summary and Recommendations...........................................................................................................9

Reference..............................................................................................................................................11

Appendices...........................................................................................................................................12

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Introduction 
The discussion of the supply chain is known as the part of daily living where new advancement is

added to livelihood. Understanding the scientific concept of supply chain management is essential.

Here according to the annual meeting held in Chicago in 2018, Walker introduced two terms of

technological advancements, one is a universal machine and another is complete languages (Walker.

2018). Both of the ideas aim to advance living with the right set of applications. Supply chain

management is known as the systematic and planned coordination of conventional business

operations which support operations along with the distribution network that is held between the

individuals. In this report, the correct form of applied technological advancements in supply chain

management along with the better solutions and decisions that can be taken have been discussed. 

Body of Report

The objective of the application area

 To find out whether computers provide the potential solutions

 To measure the possibilities in supply chain management with the application of technology

 To find out the problems in supply chain management

 To find out the solutions technology provided to solve the problems

Supply chain management and relevant problems

According to (Ageron et al., 2012), the distribution of the supply chain is known to hold consistent

changes along with the factors which have an influence on the management and rules. According to

(Ahi, and Searcy, 2013),  the changes in supply chain management are dynamic which contributes to

change with the adoption of new technology and alternatives. The performance scale of any

organization is influenced by supply chain processes which can be handled through the suppliers,

inventories, distributors, and technological professionals. 

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For the Maintenance of the appropriate operation of the supply chain management, the engaged

managers need to create efficient plans along with strategies. This includes the use of technological

advancements through the forecasting and analysis of well-defined plans to enhance corporate

performance. According to (Ashby et al., 2012), the system runs under supply chain management

and is considered to be held at the foundation of modern business forums. With the increasing need

for sustainability, the major challenge can be faxed under the maintenance of supply chain

management. Due to the higher requirement for sustainability in the global business environment,

there is an increasing industrial justification that has to be set within the context of the supply chain.

This promotes sustainable supply chain management. The unique movement of resources under the

supply chain is known as the fundamental concept that is granted to distinctive regions at functions

like focal organization, suppliers, and customers. In order to integrate all these procedures, the

optimization of the efficient competitive edge in the market is necessary. For the encouragement

towards strategic alliances, suppliers play an active role in their efficient interaction with the focused

organization which is a fundamental issue in supply chain management. Suppliers also play an

essential role to promote and support to continue supply chain management. 

There are various problems that supply chain management can face with product-based businesses

over the globe. Material scarcity, higher freight price levels, cyber-attacks are some observed

problems that take place to diminish the chances of expansion, difficulty in demand

forecast, changing consumer attitudes, and lastly digital transformation. 

The solution to the problems

According to the annual meeting held in Chicago (Walker. 2018), all the encompassing solutions to

the problems that arise in supply chain management are known to be digital. Supply chain

management is known to entail the integration related between supply chain management and

sustainability where the combination of both the social and environmental components. Digital

technology is known to allow immutable and permanent solutions to the supply chain. This also

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works as the potential explosion that catalyzes the exceptional level of innovation and technology.

This digital technology provides to get the ability in delivering nee kind of trust provided to a wide

range of services. Digital transformation is the industrial level implies taking advantage of

intelligence, automation, blockchain, analytics, and the internet of things (IoT) (Garzoni et al., 2020).

Here with all these advanced levels of technologies used in collecting the process is automatically

used to define the information added to the supply chain for the purpose to make decisions over the

activities. With the use of digital transformation, industrial units are able to solve the glitches and

issues of cyber attacks or hacking by improvising the agility of the inventory management area. This

solution can be made through the systematic integration of procedures and transformations that

improve operational excellence. 

Technology solves the problem 

According to (Reinartz et al., 2019), a supply chain with the need for digital transformation is known

as one of the most important problems for supply chain management that need to be resolved. Old

and backdated supply chains worked through data-intensive procedures and now with the changes in

needs and advancements, the improvement can take place only by the adaption of new innovative

technologies. Here the main purpose of the supply chain to adapt digital transformation in a superior

way is to allow the improvement in customer experience through the reduction of barriers between

the consumers and suppliers. Global digital transformation not only improves operational works but

also strengthens communication networks, visibility, and level of inventory (Perboli et al., 2018). 

Here are some ways through which the digital transformation can be made including the leverage

technology for improving real-time visibility, implementation of advanced analytics for a good level

of insights, the extension of visibility through the supply chain procedure, establishment of a clear

set of vision for the transformation held, overcome the lack of invention phrase and lastly solve the

issues in integration, collaboration, and automation. According to (Muobgoh, and Ojadi, 2018),

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technologies can be taken into the account with the term agile development which is relevant to the

digitalization of the supply chain. However, any business cannot get full utilization of digital tools

and technologies without amped-up procedures for managing the. Here the value of all these

procedures is immense. The main problem of digital transformation in the supply chain management

process is that whenever the supply chain starts adaption to new technologies, the traditional

technology creates gaps and glitches. 

Evidence to the solution works with some alternatives 

With proper management of the supply chain and with the appropriate way of adapting technologies,

the required solutions can be made.

Improvement in efficiency: efficiency in supply chain management is known as the fundamental

goal of the supply chain process. Here the mitigation of waste is associated with efficiency. The

waste can take different forms such as waste of resources, cost, time, and other factors. The outcome

of this is the mitigation of waste which is a crucial aspect in the process of digital transformation of

supply chain management. Supply chain management offered various solutions to the issues through

the adaption or global digital improvement. As per the analysis (Kain, and Verma, 2018), with the

aim to reduce the waste of resources, supply chain management better their transformation process

through better inventory, logistics, and management. Managers do this through the measurement of

scopes included in the improvement of distinctive systems for promoting waste minimization. Here

the evidence of technological advancement is the utilization of ERP software through which

businesses can share real-time inventory data on a quick note to restock the inventory to satisfy

customer demand. 

Quality improvement: The management of the supply chain's waste is merely one component.

Obtaining the highest caliber product is a crucial objective as well.  according to (Akwei, and Zhang,

2018) quality assurance is the process of assuring that a product or service meets all of the customer-

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specified quality standards, from performance to specific features. The same goes for  (Liu, et al.,

2018) who states that it also involves acting morally, adhering to laws governing food safety,

utilizing sustainable practices, and taking other like-minded actions. It is crucial that specific

standards are established and that the supply partners are included from the beginning. It is essential

to be quick to handle change and variation to that specification, according to the analysis done by

Pagell, and Shevchenko, (2014), in order to keep items moving throughout the supply chain. A

company's overall profitability and the caliber of its products are both directly impacted by supply

chain management. Consequently, quality control throughout the supply chain is essential for gaining

a competitive advantage in the market and lowering operational costs.

Logistics and optimization of transportation: Optimizing transportation and logistics is a key

component of supply chain management. According to (Azzaoui,  et al., 2021), each entity operating

as a stand-alone business would be responsible for managing its own portion of the ordering,

shipping, and transportation of goods, which would result in inefficient scheduling and coordination

and have a disproportionately higher cost. In order to ensure constant communication among all

parties involved in the process, such as distributors, producers, resellers, and retailers, supply chain

management is the exercise.

Cost savings achieved through chain sustainability: Supply chain management aims to reduce a

business's operating expenses. According to Warner, (2017), the creation of an optimized supply

chain reduces all types of business expenses, including the cost of purchasing, producing, and

shipping goods. Businesses must successfully develop policies to promote sustainability through the

reduction of costs. Extraneous and unnecessary expenses are harmful to the business of an

organization. According to (Langenwalter, 2020), enabling a smooth flow of resources between a

supplier and a firm and the movement of finished products between a company and its clients can

minimize the holding period for both raw materials and finished products.

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Customer satisfaction: Customer satisfaction is promoted because maximizing customer satisfaction

will increase profit for any business. In light of this logic, supply chain management's top priority

should be to ensure that customers are satisfied. Pagell, et al., (2010) asserts that the supply chain is

without a doubt the most effective way to provide customer support. Directly impacted are pricing

and delivery, two of the most crucial elements in determining customer satisfaction. Similar to this,

the idea was put forth that by having an efficient and sustainable supply chain, a business could

outperform rivals in terms of retail price and profitability. High-performing operations that make it

simpler for businesses to deliver goods and services to customers on time and to their satisfaction

are, in the opinion of Rajeev, et al., (2017), the answer to achieving this is the promotion of customer

satisfaction. Giving customers what they want, when they want it, and for the least amount of money

possible is therefore essential to maintaining client satisfaction. This can be done by using

sustainable and efficient supply chain management.

In recent years, it has become abundantly clear how important artificial intelligence is to supply

chain management. A digital supply chain, according to (Hitpass, and Astudillo, 2019), is an

automated network of business processes that is maintained by various stakeholders. According to

the empirical review on the effects of artificial intelligence on supply management, the process starts

with obtaining raw material supplies and ends with the delivery of the finished product to the

customer. This offers a perfect example of a circumstance in which artificial intelligence (AI) could

increase productivity and reduce costs. Similarly, Sancha, et al., (2015) assert that businesses might

employ AI to enhance selections made regarding the purchase of goods, inventory storage capacity,

production schedules, and other matters. Artificial intelligence and another relevant form of agile

technology is therefore essential for a company that wants to lower expenses, increase customer

satisfaction, and promote supply chain sustainability. Samuel and Shahriar, (2015) illustrates that

artificial intelligence (AI) in logistics and supply chain enables organizations to optimize their supply

networks by identifying patterns and trends in the data they have amassed over time and making

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recommendations based on those patterns. In the early stages of the supply chain space, those who

used artificial intelligence significantly reduced logistics costs and promoted sustainability,

according to McKinsey research (Gezgin, et al., 2017).

Summary and Recommendations 

Every business should integrate digital transformation into supply chain management if at all

possible, to benefit their own supply chain businesses. Digitization in supply chain management has

increased sustainability. The report is based on the Chicago meeting where Walker presented some

digital transformation concepts and solutions. Linking that meeting overview with the context of

global digitalization impact on supply chain management entails the purposeful simplification of a

company's supply-side operations in order to optimize customer value and achieve a competitive

edge in the market. It denotes an effort on the part of suppliers to develop and implement the most

efficient and economical supply chains. Supply chains include everything from production to product

development to the information systems needed to manage these processes. Having a sustainable

supply chain enables a company to operate more profitably and efficiently, which in turn generates

contented clients and keeps the company's competitive edge. This is a situation where technology

and artificial intelligence in particular, is extremely helpful. Artificial intelligence (AI), a popular

technology, is enhancing the intelligence and durability of every industry. Predictive analytics that

are accurate, improved supplier relationship management, and supply chain optimization are some of

its benefits. Successful uses of artificial intelligence have been reported by numerous businesses. In

order to optimise processes, it is important for businesses to implement artificial intelligence.

Recommendations:

 Machine learning for inventory management is a recommended application

 Robotics for warehouse efficiency is recommended for better solutions

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 Robotics and machine learning for timely delivery is also recommended for reducing

problems in chain management

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Reference
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empirical study. International Journal of Production Economics, Vol. 140, No. 1, pp. 168-182.

Ahi, P., and Searcy, C. (2013). A comparative literature analysis of definitions for green and
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Akwei, C. and Zhang, L., 2018. Integrating risk and performance management in quality
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Ashby, A., Leat, M., and Hudson-Smith, M. (2012). Making connections: a review of supply chain
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Azzaoui, A.E., Kim, T.W., Pan, Y. and Park, J.H., 2021. A quantum approximate optimization
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Garzoni, A., De Turi, I., Secundo, G. and Del Vecchio, P., (2020). Fostering digital transformation of
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Gezgin, E., Huang, X., Samal, P. and Silva, I., 2017. Digital transformation: Raising supply-chain
performance to new levels. McKinsey & Company, pp.1-10.

Hitpass, B. and Astudillo, H., 2019. Industry 4.0 challenges for business process management and
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Kain, R. and Verma, A., 2018. Logistics management in supply chain–an overview. Materials today:
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Langenwalter, G.A., 2020. Enterprise resources planning and beyond: integrating your entire
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Liu, Z., Chen, Q. and Cai, L., 2018, June. Application of requirement-oriented data quality
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Muobgoh, O. and Ojadi, F. (2018). Indigenous Logistics and supply chain management practice in
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Pagell, M., and Shevchenko, A. (2014). Why research in sustainable supply chain management
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Pagell, M., Wu, Z., and Wasserman, M. E. (2010). Thinking differently about purchasing portfolios:
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Rajeev, A., Pati, R. K., Padhi, S. S., and Govindan, K. (2017). Evolution of sustainability in supply
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Reinartz, W., Wiegand, N. and Imschloss, M., 2019. The impact of digital transformation on the
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Samuel, F. and Shahriar, A. (2015). Big data analytics for supply chain management: a literature
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Sancha, C., Longoni, A., and Giménez, C. (2015). Sustainable supplier development practices:
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Appendices
Walker (2018). Technology fads: weighing risks and benefits. [Online]. Available at:

https://www.slideshare.net/barene/technology-fads-weighing-risks-and-benefits

(Accessed 3 december 2022).

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