Question

Identify the nine functions of the Value Chain, and then explain what specific information is provided in Capstone to do this kind of organizational analysis? Are all functions accounted for within the simulation? Where would you find data in the Reports to do a Value Chain analysis? Be as specific as possible.

Answer 1

Value Chain: The word value chain is defined as the organization performs various activities in delivering a quality product to the market. For example, the activities of the organization describe value chain to create a valuable product to the customers.

The nine functions of the value chain are:

1. Inbound Logistics: The function basically concentrates on identifying the materials and resources from suppliers to develop a product or service. Because resources are very important for a product or service development. Without resource no product can be designed or produced to the market. Need to identify the resources is the first step of the product development.

2. Operations: the second most crucial function is operations what all process are required to develop a product or service. The operations include skilled people who are involved in operations to develop a product or service. This is basically known as using the resources in such a way to develop a final product in the organization.

3. Outbound Logistics: Each and every step of function of value chain is important in distributing a product to the market. Once the product is ready than it need a process to take it to the market that is nothing but an outbound logistics which helps to deliver or distribute the product to the required market.

4. Marketing & Sales: the process of promoting and selling is known as marketing and sales. The final product is taken to the market than its the job of the marketing and sales department to sell the product in the target market to create a value or demand. In this process various techniques and promotional methods are used to attract the market or end user.

5. Services: Now the product is finally in the market. But there should be a proper service team to help the customers in providing information and knowledge about the product. It’s the service team job is to handle all kinds of service related to the product or service.

6. Research and Development: In order to develop a product, the research and development is very important to understand the available products in the market at its competition. That can be identified by doing market research and proper analysis. That’s the reason organization invest so much in the R&D department for unique product identification or development.

7. Accounting and Finance: The organization in and out of the money is monitored by the department by allocating the resources and monitoring the accounts. All financial operations are handled by the organization through accounting and finance department.

8. HR Management: The key role player in the organization in managing the people and operations. These people perform various functions that are aligned with the organization to bring the growth and success to the industry.

9. Technology Development: Every organization is very interested and involved in creating and using the latest technology to develop or produce new products or services. The key success of every organization is increasing the efficiency by lowering the production cost. That means higher efficiency with minimum cost can be achieved through latest technologies

The Capstone is basically called as Capstone unit or Senior thesis is a research method in an education program to attain highest knowledge on researching on a particular program or project.

Basically the value chain analysis is used in every part of the program to identify the complete analysis of the project or program.

Even it helps Capstone to use the complete functions to do a thorough analysis on any program or project in identifying all the answers to the questions. It also provides an interrogative method to do research to find the highest development.

· Locating the location to identify the right information for the project. Becasue its always imporatnt to identify the location to get the valued data for the research

· Helps to improve the data that is collected. The identified data can be analysed thorugh various operations

· Improve data efficiency and quality of the collected data. The qualitative collection of data to improve data efficiency

· Cost required and investment to get the required data for the program. What is the cost involved in collecting such information and how it helps to do the research

· Identifies the market that needs research data. Is this data really fulfill the requirements

· Areas of improvement. What are the areas that needs to be improved and identify the need of data with the analysis

· Opportunities from the analysis. How the research is best from others and what makes the research better compared with similar research programs.

The data that can be identified from all the resources and operations that are performed to develop a product or service. Especially the reports that generates on the investment on the resources, and the cost involved to develop a final product. This also includes the investment in promoting the product and sales etc. At the same time identify the opportunities of the product that is developed to gain a competitive advantage.

There are certain steps that needs to be followed to do a thorough analysis to identify the data in the reports to do a value chain analysis:

· The cost that required to get the resources to develop the product

· Cost involved in the operations to bring the final product

· Cost in promoting the product in the market

· Various activities that are involved to take the product to the market like supply cost, distribution, packing and delivery etc.

· Identifying the competitive advantage that gained by the product in the market