remediation

1) Many outsourcing decisions involve the concept of a core competency. Define what is meant by this term. Discuss if film technology is truly a core competency of Santek.
Ans: Core competence is by far the best initiative which can be taken by a firm and which also meets the three conditions i.e., competitors should not be able to produce easy substitutes which are similar to the product, the product should be beneficial to the consumer and finally it can dominate most markets which means that the product has a wide leverage power.
Santek Images has a wide global market for its film products. The single competitor may not adequately make the company loose the grip of the market. Hence, film technology is truly the core competency of Santek.

2) Develop a process that would guide firms through the insourcing/outsourcing process. Create a process that is robust enough to use across a variety of product/service applications.
Ans: The process usually begins with thorough training of the working staff that may either be in-sourced or outsourced. It is important because the background knowledge of the product being handled is crucial. The marketing of the product and the time zones which affects the working hours of employees is also equally important. The manager can either be outsourced or in-sourced. Workers who are outsourced should be well oriented or perhaps the company should have the understanding of the workers located in different parts and plan for their working requirements in the most satisfying manner. Projects which prove to be less volatile and more stable should be given priority. This will make it possible for development to be carried out in the most uniform way. Each project should be well monitored to ensure that completion is effected at the right time. Large groups can be assigned a particular project to complete quickly.
3) A major challenge with an insourcing/outsourcing analysis involves gathering reliable data. Discuss the various groups that should be involved when conducting an insourcing/outsourcing analysis. What information can each of these groups provide?
Ans: One of the most important groups which can be used when conducting outsourcing/in-sourcing analysis is a team which has the professional background in marketing. This team can hold meetings with product suppliers who are well versed in the supply field. Such sources of primary information are often deemed to be the best. Also, the sources of information may include websites, reports from various fields as well as the internet. These sources may sometimes lack consistency or accuracy and may not be fully relied on. Market players who are well experienced in outsourcing or in-sourcing can be used to obtain information pertaining to market research because they have a wide range of relevant data which can be helpful. The data collected in the above processes is then processed, analyzed and used as guidelines for introducing a new product into the market against any possible challenges which may be experienced.
4) Do you think hardware suppliers are candidates for alliances or partnerships with Santek? Why?
Ans: I feel an alliance system would work well between the two parties keeping in mind that Santek Images primarily deals with matters related to media and should the company continue to outsource, then an alliance system will eventually be established making it easier for it to acquire all its suppliers with ease. In addition, the operations of Santek images are a little different with that of the hardware supplies and so they getting into a partnership would mismatch their working portfolio. It is more comfortable if an alliance could be established between the two parties.
5) Partnerships and alliances are special forms of supplier-buyer relationships. First, define the concept of partnerships and alliances. Second, identify when a firm should pursue a partnership or alliance with selected suppliers. Use the portfolio segmentation tool to assist with your answer.
Ans: A Partnership is a form of business arrangement whereby two or more players enter into a contract to start and run a business enterprise. The capital required to start and run the business is contributed by all the partners in the agreement. Profits and losses are also shared in the same proportion as the amount of capital contributed. Partners in a business may be of different types, some may actively participate in the running of the business while others may be passive in their roles. On the other hand, a business contract which has been facilitated by two or more businesses as a result of seeking ways of improving performance is referred to as an alliance. Some of the reasons why businesses choose alliance system is to reduce production costs and also improve customer experience of the goods and services being offered. Risks and opportunities are taken care of by all the members in the alliance. I believe that partnerships can work well in situations where both businesses have a comparative operating capacity in the market and that none of the partners has an advantage position than the other. An alliance is best applied when there is need to outsource products from another company due to cost advantage among other reasons.
6) Develop a process that firms can use when identifying and developing supply chain alliances.
Ans: Planning forms the fundamental starting point when developing the supply chain alliances. It begins by choosing an organization which has the capacity to form the best alliance. In addition, the goals and objectives need to be clearly drafted out including the requirements of which services to be offered. The evaluation process should also be established to ensure that performance timelines and deadlines are met. Agreements which are mutually beneficial should be written so that no alliance member gets a feeling of unfair deal. This will also be useful in developing a good working relationship among the alliance members who are supposed to share any pertinent information regarding the agreement. Furthermore, matters regarding tradeoffs should be discussed in details to allow a profitable venture experience between or among the alliance members. Finally, training should be organized to cater for the capacity building and professionalism of the staff across the organizations. This will definitely improve the standard of the employees and commodities and services being delivered.