Fruitful Market Mediation

Working in the primary sector, FruitCom is a grouping of exporters who banded together in order to break into and develop new markets. While they aim at cooperating and coordinating their activities to support actions within these new markets, the firms involved still compete in other, more established, export markets. This “coopetitive” relationship allows the group many benefits related to their ability to source material and ensure a more consistent supply, but opens them up to challenges, such as dealing with opportunistic behaviour by other members. This case outlines the background of the firms and introduces the most recent significant challenge they face. The implications of their structure are discussed with emphasis on supply, risk pooling, information sharing, and revenue- and cost-sharing. The successes gained by the group are not without sacrifice; the challenges of their operations are discussed with stress on the most recent and perhaps the most significant challenge yet.

A Study of Eco-Friendly Supply Chain Management at Cement Industries of Chhattisgarh

India has experienced one of the fastest economic growth rates in the world which has been a dramatic driver in the nature and scale of impact on the country’s environment and natural resources. Environmental risks and problems are widening. The issues of managing environment impacts are capturing public attention. Modernization and technology up-gradation is a continuous process for any growing industry and is equally true for the cement industry. With increasing awareness of environmental protection worldwide, the green trend of conserving the Earth’s resources and protecting the environment is overwhelming, thereby exerting pressure on corporations in India. The pressure and drive accompanying globalization has prompted enterprises to improve their environmental performance (Zhu and Sarkis, 2006). Consequently, corporations have shown growing concern for the environment over the past ten years (Sheu, et al., 2005). The pressure on corporations to improve their environmental performances comes from globalization rather than localization (Sarkis and Tamarkin, 2005). Increasing environmental concern has gradually become part of the overall corporation culture and, in turn, has helped to reengineer the strategies of corporations (Madu, et al., 2002).

Multilayered Distribution System in India

This chapter presents several case studies of the multilayered system in India and shows how the prevalent distribution system preclude any means of cost reduction and making these supply chains efficient. Supply chains of perishable goods, electronic products, FMCG products and Pharmaceutical products are discussed in this chapter. Each of these supply chains present unique challenges and issues that need attention. The three main objectives in these studies are to understand the distribution systems as well as cost economics of the supply chains, identify potential conflicts and issues in their distribution system, and to study the effect of macro-environment on the distribution system. Apart from these objectives, these cases are also meant to prepare those venturing into such supply chains to come up with efficient solutions for improving these supply chains.

Supply Chains of Commodity Products in India

Rice is one of the major commodities produced and consumed in India. India is also home to one of the finest varieties of rice sold under the name of Basmati. The State of Chhattisgarh is considered the Rice Bowl of India as it is one of the largest contributors to paddy production in India. Around 3 million families subsist on farming in Chhattisgarh, out of which, 1.522 million families are small farmers (owning less than 2 hectares of land). The Government of Chhattisgarh procures paddy in Chhattisgarh on behalf of Government of India. This scheme benefits about 1 million farmer families by procuring about 3 million metric tons of paddy in the Kharif Marketing Season (KMS) of a year, spending about 600 Million US Dollars. The procurement takes place through about 1333 Primary Agricultural Societies in the whole state covering geographical area of 135000 sq. km. The paddy procured is converted into rice by millers after entering into an agreement. Rice is then handed over to Chhattisgarh State Civil Supplies Corporation to use it in another important scheme for providing food security to the poor. The supply chain of rice production is very simple. It is harvested in the form of paddy from the field and sold to the millers who then process the rice. The processed rice is then sold to the market. Although simple, there are a number of inefficiencies present in its supply chain. This case familiarizes the readers of the distribution system of rice, various government policies in its distribution system, and the issues that need to be addressed in a typical distribution system of rice. The case also urges the readers to mull over how these inefficiencies can be overcome with the latest supply chain management techniques so as to make its distribution efficient and cost effective.

Supply Chain Management for NGOs

This chapter documents the supply chain management practices at The Akshaya Patra Foundation (TAPF), a not-for-profit organization, which began operations in June 2000 by feeding 1500 children in 5 schools in Bangalore (Massachusetts Medical Society, n.d.). On November 28, 2001 the Supreme Court of India passed an order which mandated that: “A cooked mid-day meal is to be provided in all the government and government-aided primary schools in all the states.” Akshaya Patra was called in to give testimonies to the Supreme Court in order to implement the mandate. With the partnership of the Government of India and various State Governments as well as the generosity of thousands of supporters, it has grown from a small endeavor to a mammoth force that stretches across the country. Now Akshaya Patra is the world’s largest Non-Governmental Organization, providing a free midday meal to 1.2 million underprivileged children in India (Akshaya Patra India, n.d.). It houses one of the finest technologies, and its kitchen operations are exemplary. The case specifically discusses its operations in Bhilai (Chhattisgarh State), India’s Steel City, where it provides free meals to around 31,768 children in about 156 schools around Bhilai.

Assessing Trade Friendliness of Logistics Services in ASEAN

Free trade agreements have been employed, either unilaterally or as a bloc, as an instrument to overcome the inefficiencies in trade brought about by the prevailing barriers and regulatory measures. During their 10th Summit, the leaders of ASEAN agreed to integrate their priority sectors with a vision to developing an ASEAN economic community whereby there would be a free flow of goods, services, investment and a freer flow of capital, equitable economic development, and reduced poverty and socio-economic disparities. This market would have no price discrimination for commodities and against foreign goods, services, capital, and labor. The aim of this chapter is to assess the current state of the cross-border trade in logistics services among ASEAN. The extent of the ease of cross-border trade is measured in terms of trade friendliness. The trade friendliness is a measure of the openness of ASEAN towards conducting free cross-border trade.

Transport and Logistics in Dubai

The phased development of Dubai’s transport and logistics sector over the past several decades has culminated in the establishment of a major regional commercial hub, a so-called “aerotropolis”. Although a work-in-progress, several stages of this long-term project are already operational, and construction remains ongoing. The future success of this government project is unclear. In the public sector, there exist major challenges, some reflective of the need to efficiently manage and coordinate such a huge undertaking while others stem from the uncertainties of a competitive global market-place. For individual companies and industries (public and private) looking to participate and commit to the venture, a number of issues need to be addressed in the formulation of business strategies.

Categorization of Losses across Supply Chains

Supply chain loss can occur during transit and storage, leading to unnecessary inefficiencies. The literature details much of the traditional losses, albeit descriptively and for developed economies. Through several case studies conducted on the Indian manufacturers and retailers, this case study discusses the losses specific to supply chains operating in developing economies that are difficult to control and prevent even with contemporary enabling technologies such as RFID. This chapter also suggests some possible measures to counter such losses, so as to increase the efficiency and enhance the resilience of the supply chain. An understanding of these losses and their possible mitigation through improved flows, reduced inventory, and reduced manpower, can equip firms for better supply chain risk and productivity management.

Commercial Logistics vs. Military Logistics

Military logistics originated from the military’s need to make provisions of arms, ammunition, and ration as they moved forward from their bases. Military operations and maintenance have made a significant contribution towards developing logistics in the initial stage as compared to other business sectors. Though logistics originated and developed from military operations, it is now widely adopted in the area of manufacturing, production, and business management. This case study analyzes the difference between military and commercial logistics in terms of their entire supply chain management, which includes procurement, inventory management, warehouse location and operation, ABC categories, material handling, network, transportation, information flow and technology, and security management.

The Internationalization Path of Wanxiang

This case study examines the internationalization experience of Wanxiang, an auto supplier in China. Once at the lower end of internationalization and controlled by its Western partners without its own brands and distribution channels, Wanxiang has managed to climb the ladder of internationalization and taken a greater share of supply chain profits using its coopetition strategy with Western partners. Two mini-cases are presented and discussed in this chapter. The first describes how Wanxiang obtained more direct market access and the appropriation of supply chain profits in competition with its Western partners. The second describes how Wanxiang acquired more sophisticated technological assets for value-addition and managed them astutely. Two important areas were explored: (i) prudent use of diversification for capital accumulation to support capability building; and (ii) management of technology acquisitions and markets by maintaining a proper balance between autonomy and the integration of the acquired business units.