Value Chain

identify and analyze elements of the value chain and understand how they must interact to create value for the organization. The intent is to review the present, or relatively recent value chain of the company selected in the Unit 2 Value Chain Analysis Discussion. Use the Walters and Rainbird (2007) text and at least five additional relevant respected resources to support the value chain analysis. Use the APA formatted MS Word document template as the starting point for writing a 10-12 page paper (not including Title or References pages).

Customer-focused companies benefit from analyzing their value chain as the process allows them to understand customer expectations, purchasing responses, product-service use, and accept that they are unlikely themselves to posses all of the resources to service customer needs.

When conducting a value chain analysis, customers and their characteristics are studied, and their needs and wants, identified. These expectations form the basis for the demand chain. A supply chain design must be cost effective and respond to the expectations of the demand chain and the value proposition. Together, the demand chain and supply chain process and management comprise the value chain.

The following outline is based upon Figure 1.1 on page 19 of the Walters and Rainbird (2007) text. This outline is also included in the APA formatted Microsoft Word template in Doc Sharing.

The main purpose of this assignment is to assess a value chain for its effectiveness. The intent is to assess the outcome of the value chain analysis completed in unit 4.

Assessing a value chain offers management the means to evaluate existing and new strategic opportunities. Completing an assessment of a value chain analysis provides insights into how opportunities might be pursued while identifying potential problems to be addressed. The point of the assessment is to identify optimal solutions, i.e., solutions acceptable to customers, suppliers, employees and investors.

Because value is derived from customer needs, activities that do not contribute to meet these needs are considered non-value added waste. One requirement when assessing a value chain is considering the tasks and functions that occur to eliminate any non-value added waste. By streamlining the processes that generate the goods and services that customers value, fewer resources need to be expended and the margins between customer value and the cost of delivery increase thereby improving a firm’s profit margin. One of the requirements in this assignment is to identify non-value added waste in the value chain and recommend how to eliminate it from the value chain

Another objective when assessing a value chain is to extend the competitive advantage of the value delivery system, not merely to meet levels of competitive necessity. By addressing specific value drivers, it becomes possible to target added value towards surpassing specific customer expectations.

Using the outline below as your guide, prepare a 10-12 slide Microsoft PowerPoint presentation; (not including Title slide, List of Contents slide, or References slides). Use the main slide area for the main points and the notes section for elaboration and application and citation of at least five relevant and respected supportive references. Not only is this presentation a graded Dropbox assignment, it will also be shared with the class as an attachment to your main discussion response in the Unit 6 Value Chain Assessment Discussion.

Here is a possible outline to address the requirements of the Value Chain Assessment presentation:

Slide 1: Title slide

Slide 2: List of Presentation’s Contents

Slide 3: Introduction (state the purpose of presentation)

Slides 4 -5: Recap the Value Chain Analysis (from the Unit 4 paper)

Slide 6: Recommend how to eliminate waste in the value chain

Slide 7: Statement of your determination if the Value Chain is effective at this time

Slides 8-10 – Defend your determination of effectiveness of the value chain by including an assessment of the Value Chain’s components

Slides 11-12 – Recommendations and suggestions for improvement to a future Value Chain

Slide 13: Summary slide – Recap of the presentation

Slide 14: References – using APA, list all references applied and cited in the notes section of the presentation.

Submit your completed value chain assessment into the Unit 5 Dropbox.