Submit one PowerPoint file. The use of the “Notes” page format is suggested to provide any additional detail/explanation as may be appropriate. After reviewing the materials relating to the Walmart Ch


Submit one PowerPoint file. The use of the “Notes” page format is suggested to provide any additional detail/explanation as may be appropriate.

After reviewing the materials relating to the Walmart China case study, please address the questions in the order in which they appear. No more than 8-10 PowerPoint slides, the first of which should be a cover slide. These 8-10 slides should include any information in the form of charts, tables, graphs, maps, etc., that you feel may be relevant to include and that may help to strengthen your position.

Assignment Questions  

  1. Evaluate the costs of the cross-dock and staple stock distribution center models. The information provided in the case should be sufficient to identify the types of relevant costs to be considered and develop numerical estimates for each as they relate to the cross-dock and staple stock distribution center models.  What conclusions would you draw from your evaluation of the financial aspects of your analysis?
  2. Aside from the financial analysis included in Question 1, what do you consider to be the advantages and disadvantages of each of these approaches?
  3. If you were Lesley Smith, what would you recommend at the upcoming meeting in Bentonville, Arkansas? How might your recommendations be similar to or different from Walmart’s strategies in other major global geographies?

The readings below will help to enrich your overall perspectives on the transformation process and on supply chain transformation.

Please quote sources below in your PPT presentation. 

  1. Langley, C. John, “SC Transformation Process Model” Background Information v1.0.
  2. Gokce, Sargut, and Rita Gunther McGrath, “Learning to Live with Complexity,” Harvard Business Review, September 2011. (Provided through the Harvard Course Reserves).
  3. Bucy, Michael, Hall, Stephen, and Yakola, Doug, “Transformation with a Capital T,” McKinsey Quarterly, November 2016.
  4. Sabath, Robert, and Richard Sherman, “Want to Innovate Your Supply Chain? Break the Rules,” Supply Chain Management Review, 17(1) January/February 2013, pp. 12-18.
  5. Sharma, Udit, “The Solution to Transforming the Supply Chain: Back to Basics,” Industry Week, January 26, 2019.
  6. Fleischer, Wolfgang, Graf, Claudia, and Tim Lange, “Supply Chain of the Future: Key Principles in Building an Omnichannel Distribution Network,” McKinsey & Company, January 2020.
  7. IBM Institute for Business Value, “Forging the Future of Supply Chains,” 2022.