Michigan State University

Formal Research Paper

Tyreese Brewington
WRA 110
Christie Daniels
16 October 2014

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Tyreese Brewington
Professor Christie Daniels
WRA 110
16 October 2014
Formal Research Report
Supply Chain Management is based on two core ideas, as defined by Robert
Handfield, Executive Director and Supply Chain Management Professor at North
Carolina State University. The first of these ideas is that ever product that reaches an end
user inevitably reaches that end individual, or consumer, through the cooperation
between multiple organizations, which refers to the supply chain. The second idea is
based upon the idea that supply chains have always existed but companies have simply
only worried about what goes on within their own building. Thus, the book definition of
Supply Chain Management is, the active management of supply chain activities to
maximize customer value and achieve a sustainable competitive advantage. The ultimate
goal of supply chains over time are to improve supply chain relationships between
business that operate with each other, design products that can easily be integrated into
the supply chain, ensure that information inside the actual supply chain is easily
accessible, keep costs down as much as possible, creating new supply chain systems,
and potentially changing the management of businesses individual supply chains. Supply
Chain Management uses expository writing. This is essentially just writing that is meant
to inform the reader. Supply Chain Mangers also use informational readings including
reports of different aspects of the supply chain. Research used in Supply Chain
Management includes graphs, and other types of information that highlight the potential

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future value of inventory, net value, and other things that will be highlighted in this
research paper.
Writing is a huge part of any discipline. In Supply Chain Management, managers
often write essays that are of the expository type. Expository writing is defined as the
type of writing that is used to explain, describe, give information, or inform a reader.
When individuals use expository writing, it is assumed that the receiver of this
information is someone who knows little to nothing about the subject at hand.
Essentially, when one writes in the expository context, they must ensure that they make
sure to show the reader what they are talking about instead of actually straightforwardly
telling them exactly what it is that they mean. Individual companies have their supply
chain managers write reports that are often used to ensure that each individual
organization of the supply chain is in cooperation with each other. Thus, this expository
writing helps to ensure that the management of the supply chain stays together. This
refers to the second part of the definition of Supply Chain Management, in which
explains that todays Supply Chains are moving away from simply reporting on what is
going on in individual companies, but moving to actively receiving reports from each
individual organization, or business that helps to get a product from its lowest
production level, to a product that is able to be used by consumers. The entire idea of
expository writing in supply chain management helps to further the effect of todays
supply chain. It allows for these businesses to further communicate in ways that they
previously have not been able to communicate. It allows for them to become more
closely interconnected which in turn helps to build a stronger supply chain which is not
only advantageous to the business, but the consumer as well. Increasing the figurative

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strength of the supply chain of a business drives down the cost of goods sold for the
business, which in turn causes the price of said goods to go down, which causes the
demand for these goods to increase.
Readings used in the field of Supply Chain Management vary greatly. Whether it
be an expository writing coming from other members of similar supply chains, or
whether it be a formal research paper on the increase of the need for supply chain
management strengthening, it is all important. These readings provide key analysis on the
most important aspects of the supply chain. The readings often include information on the
design, planning, execution, and monitoring of the supply chain activities with the
objective of creating net value, building a competitive infrastructure, leveraging
worldwide logistics, synchronizing supply with demand, and measuring performance
globally. All of the above concepts are extremely important in the success of an
individual supply chain. These things could result in the difference of a huge net profit of
a business, or the business losing so much money that they are forced into bankruptcy.
This is why it is important for individual companies to continuously read the writings of
other companies, especially when these readings report on how a company is specifically
performing.
Research in the Supply Chain Management field is arguably the most important
aspect of the entire field. Supply Chain Managers use research that covers things form
product development, sourcing, production, logistics, and the information systems that tie
all these concepts together. This research helps ease the flow of a business goods and
materials from the actual business to the consumer. The research conducted by individual
organizations is often linked together in an effort to further strengthen the supply chain.

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In 2014, a study was conducted on the research of Supply Chains and offered opinions on
the mind-set of supply chain managers. Study one found that often in the research of
Supply Chains individuals cooperative and competitive attitudes in their day-to-day
business interactions were changed due to the fact that they were exposed to new
situations within the supply chain conditions of patnerial and adversarial relationships.
This study is key because it offers an example on how the culture of supply chain
management is continuously changing. It shows how the field is moving away from the
days of the past in the sense that in the past, supply chain was essentially a joke.
Supply Chain Management is one of the fastest growing fields. Today, there is a
strong demand for new supply chain managers. With increased emphasis on the field, the
importance of the readings, writings, and research in the Supply Chain Management
discipline are growing an all time high. These three fields are interchangeable in different
ways. There are many reasonings behind using certain types of readings, writings, and
research, and many of them could be used for all three sections of supply chain. These
things help to achieve the ultimate goal of supply chain management, which is to
essentially get the good to the consumer in the cheapest way possible by ensuring that the
different branches, or business of a single supply chain are all cooperating in a positive
manner together.

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Works Cited
"American Pie (film Series)." Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, 13 Oct. 2014. Web. 14
Oct. 2014.
"Information about Expository Writing." Expository Writing. N.p., n.d. Web. 15 Oct.
2014.
"ORIE - Research." Supply Chain. N.p., n.d. Web. 15 Oct. 2014.
"Supply Chain Management, SCM, SCRC Supply Chain Resource Cooperative, Poole
College of Management, North Carolina State University." What Is Supply Chain
Management? N.p., n.d. Web. 14 Oct. 2014.
"Teacher Guide To Different Types of Writing." Teacher Guide To Different Types of
Writing. N.p., n.d. Web. 12 Oct. 2014.