ALL DOCUMENTS NEED TO BE ON SEPARATE WORD DOCUMENTS Part 1 Respond to the following scenario as you complete your report: You have been hired as a consultant by Adidas to analyze Nike’s direct-to-consumer (DTC) distribution strategy to determine if Adidas should develop a similar competitive strategy. Nike, the U.S. sportswear giant, has been working to bring its manufacturing process closer to the point of sale, and concurrently adopting a direct-to-consumer strategy with a focus on owning the experience. Selling direct to consumer, commonly referred to as DTC or D2C, means you’re selling your products directly to your end customers. Write a management report analyzing Nike’s supply chain strategy for Adidas’ executives. Include the following: • Analyze why the company (Nike) has adopted a DTC supply chain strategy by explaining the advantages and disadvantages and the impact of this strategy on its profitability. • Analyze the importance of the Internet and social media (to Nike) and compare today’s marketplace to a future marketplace advantage. • Analyze how the company’s (Nike’s) DTC strategy satisfies customers and discuss the advantages of this type of competitive distribution strategy. • Recommend steps for the company (Nike) to continue to grow its DTC strategy and support with cited sources in areas of organizational structure, technological investments, digital strategy, and customer relationship management. • Recommend steps for the company (Adidas) to effectively grow its DTC strategy and support with cited sources in areas of organizational structure, technological investments, digital strategy, and customer relationship management. • Format: Submit a professional and well-organized Word document. • Length: 5–6 double-spaced pages. • Font and font size: Times New Roman, 12-point. • APA format: Use current APA style and formatting for in-text citations and references. See Evidence and APA for help if you need it. • References: 3–4 sources are required. As the basis for your research, you can use any of the resources noted in this course, in the Capella library, and on the Internet. Part 2 Consider that you work for a company that develops and sells case studies and case study analyses. Your company’s primary customers are colleges and universities wanting to use them within their courses, but your company also has customers using them for management training and development. Your manager asked you to conduct research and develop a case study analysis on the company’s supply chain strategy, including transportation. She’s specifically interested in you doing the analysis on one of the companies from this list: • Amazon. • Apple. • AT&T. • CVS Health. • L. L. Bean. • McKesson. • Starbucks. • Walmart. • Your workplace (if your company sells more than $50 million per year). Research and write about the company that you have selected from the above list. You and your manager discussed the high-level outline of your analysis and agreed you should address the following items: • Describe the company’s business model and illustrate the business model through the use of a diagram or visual. • Compare and contrast the company’s supply chain strategy with another organization’s strategies and summarize key findings of areas the other organization excels in. o Use another company from the list to determine which supply chain areas the company excels at compared to your selected company. • Analyze the transportation strategy of the company using examples of the various transportation modes to support the effectiveness of moving products from factories to customers. • Analyze the global challenges that the company faces in its supply chain and discuss risks and associated strategies to minimize the risks. • Analyze the economic and political factors that can impact the company’s transportation network and relate to future improvements. • Analyze the role demand forecasting plays in the company’s supply chain strategy and support the analysis with ways to manage the challenges of forecasting in times of uncertainty. • Analyze how pricing promotions are used to change demand through relevant examples that demonstrate this strategy. • Format: Based on the intended audience, your report should be well organized and written in clear, succinct language. • Length: 5–6 double-spaced pages. • Font and font size: Times New Roman, 12 point. • APA format: Use current APA style and formatting for in-text citations and references. See Evidence and APA for help if you need it. • References: 3–4 sources are required. As the basis for your research, you can use any of the resources noted in this course, in the Capella library, and on the Internet. o Include at least one reference from The Wall Street Journal. o Note: Use of additional resources will assist in achieving distinguished level ratings. Part 3 For your white paper, you may use the same company you selected for another assessment or select a different company from this list: • Amazon. • Apple. • Boeing. • L. L. Bean. • Intel. • General Motors. • Starbucks. • Walgreens. • Walmart. • Your workplace (if your company sells more than $50 million per year). Conduct your research and write about the selected company’s information management system (IMS). Include the following: • Analyze the company’s information management system and relate the IMS to the company’s business objectives. • Analyze how technology is used for managing the company’s transportation and warehousing network using relevant examples. • Analyze how the company’s IMS provides a competitive advantage over the competition and summarize the unique features that create customer satisfaction. • Analyze how the IMS helps coordinate between supply chain partners and provide an example of how the coordination leads to exceptional service. • Analyze how an IMS helps monitor orders and inventory levels and satisfy customers using relevant real-world examples. • Analyze why managing information is equally or more important to the company than moving products by relating the impact of information management to productivity, efficiency, and profitability. • Format: Submit a professional and well-organized Word document. • Length: 5–6 double-spaced pages. • Font and font size: Times New Roman, 12-point. • APA format: Use current APA style and formatting for in-text citations and references. See Evidence and APA for help if you need it. • References: 3–4 sources are required. As the basis for your research, you can use any of the resources noted in this course, in the Capella library, and on the Internet. o Note: Use of additional resources will assist in achieving distinguished level ratings.