Global Supply Chain Management Case Study Report Essay

Global Supply Chain Management Case Study Report - Essay Example e supply chain that allows the achievement of business objectives, before an attempt is made to determine whether a lean approach or agile approach to manufacturing and supply chain management is most appropriate for Wal-Dart. However, the analysis using Fisher’s (1997) model proves inconclusive, although Singh and Sharma’s (2009) definition of lean manufacturing appears to describe the outcome desired by Wal-Dart, and Bruce et al (2001) find that, in the fashion and textile industries, aspects of both lean and agile approaches, that they termed â€Å"leagility†, can be appropriate. A more radical approach to Wal-Dart’s problems is suggested by Lee (2010) who considers that the whole of the supply chain should be reviewed and revamped if necessary, which allows a holistic view to be taken and also provide an opportunity for Wal-Dart to introduce a more sustainable supply chain. A more detailed analysis is undertaken using Slack et al’s (2009) four stages of a fast fashion supply chain: design, manufacture, distribution and sales. Several issues are considered that fall across the different stages, including information supply from the retail outlets, the inability to change the manufacturing locations in the immediate short term, the possibility of setting up distribution service centres with their own transport service, and using enterprise resource planning to integrate the whole supply chain for more immediate, accurate provision and use of information. The overlaps of these areas across the four stages supports the idea of a holistic approach to resolve the problems. This idea is further supported by Lubowe (2009) who finds that senior management support, organisational structures and technology are key ingredients to a successful global integration strategy involving three key elements of repeatable processes, optimised assets and integrated op erations. Overall, there is no one best solution to the problems Wal-Dart is experiencing revealed by