GSCM 3163 Assignment #1

The objective of this assignment is to get you familiar with the concept of a supply chain using an everyday product.Pick any product you are familiar with, such as your cell phone or jeans.Please follow these steps in completing this assignment:

1) Identify the product and its brand.Identify where the company’s home office is.

2) Find out what company made the product and where it is located.This is probably not the same location as the company’s home office.

3) Identify three components of your product (for example, the SIM chip of a cell phone or the denim fabric in a pair of jeans).Identify possible suppliers of these components and where their manufacturing plants (not home offices) are located.If there are multiple suppliers, just identify one of them and where their manufacturing locations are.These are tier one suppliers to the manufacturer.

4) Identify one material (for example, copper wire or denim fabric) that went into each of the three components (a total of three different materials- one for each of the three components).Identify possible suppliers of these materials and where their manufacturing plants (not home offices) are located.If there are multiple suppliers, just identify one of them and where their manufacturing locations are.These are tier two suppliers to the manufacturer.

5) Identify one material (for example, copper or cotton) that went into each of the three components (a total of three different materials- one for each of the three components).Identify possible suppliers of these materials and where their manufacturing plants, mining operations, or other sources (not home offices) are located.If there are multiple suppliers, just identify one of them and where their manufacturing locations are.These are tier three suppliers to the manufacturer.

6) Identify the company that sold you the product (for example, Best Buy or Gap).We will call this the tier one customer of the manufacturer.

7) Identify yourself as the tier two customer.

8) After you have written parts 1-7, construct a figure in Excel or some other type of drawing tool that shows the supply chain for your product.Identify each component under the tier one, two, or three suppliers they apply to, the product under the focal company, the retailer under tier one customer, and you as the tier two customer.Copy it into the Word file. Identify each tier and the companies within each tier.Place yourself at the end of the supply chain.You can also hand draw the figure and send me a picture or pdf file of the drawing.