Business Textbook Supply Chain
September 25, 2011
MGT301-CE
Case 1 Business Textbook Supply Chain
1.
20.4
2. Some may think that the only customers of textbooks are the students but that is not the case. There are a variety of customers that buy the textbook before it even reaches the student, someone has to decide what textbook the students are going to be using for which particular course. Business school curricula is changing and therefore their textbooks needs are changing, they want textbooks that cover a variety of information and data in one single, easy to transport textbook. Some school that were moving the modular course structures wanted books that were easy to cover in a course that lasts sometimes as short as a week long. And now, more and more students are buying their textbooks in non-traditional bookstore, in places such as Amazon.com and ebay.com. These students want textbooks that are affordable as well as the correct copy for their course. Some professors want textbooks in “packet” from with chapters and cases from several different sources. And finally, some customers are purchasing e-books, which makes reading their textbooks convenient and easy to transport. Bookstores and online retailers are also large customers of textbooks and possibly the most critical, seeing how they are the ones that ultimately sell the books to the end consumer, the student.
3. A supply chain is the global network of organizations and activities involved in designing a set of goods and services and their related processes, transforming inputs into goods and services, consuming these goods and services and disposing of these goods and services. The major players in the supply chain of textbooks are authors, text editors, graphic artists, commercial printers, and others suppliers to edit, design and produce books. Each division of the supply chain adds value for the critical consumers. Operations management activities located throughout the supply chain create and enhance the
MGT301-CE
Case 1 Business Textbook Supply Chain
1.
20.4
2. Some may think that the only customers of textbooks are the students but that is not the case. There are a variety of customers that buy the textbook before it even reaches the student, someone has to decide what textbook the students are going to be using for which particular course. Business school curricula is changing and therefore their textbooks needs are changing, they want textbooks that cover a variety of information and data in one single, easy to transport textbook. Some school that were moving the modular course structures wanted books that were easy to cover in a course that lasts sometimes as short as a week long. And now, more and more students are buying their textbooks in non-traditional bookstore, in places such as Amazon.com and ebay.com. These students want textbooks that are affordable as well as the correct copy for their course. Some professors want textbooks in “packet” from with chapters and cases from several different sources. And finally, some customers are purchasing e-books, which makes reading their textbooks convenient and easy to transport. Bookstores and online retailers are also large customers of textbooks and possibly the most critical, seeing how they are the ones that ultimately sell the books to the end consumer, the student.
3. A supply chain is the global network of organizations and activities involved in designing a set of goods and services and their related processes, transforming inputs into goods and services, consuming these goods and services and disposing of these goods and services. The major players in the supply chain of textbooks are authors, text editors, graphic artists, commercial printers, and others suppliers to edit, design and produce books. Each division of the supply chain adds value for the critical consumers. Operations management activities located throughout the supply chain create and enhance the