The Supply Chain Spin

Rhino is an example of a company whose product is far more knowledge than tangible product. But efficient production requires the same management and coordination one must give to a complex physical product. So the domain of physical and intellectual products aren t widely separated — if they are separated at all. The techniques described throughout this book are meant to have equal application in both cases. 

By handling core supply chain functions itself, some companies are able to respond quickly. Such companies are one-stop sources for big apparel labels. Esquel customers become less likely to switch because there are few full-service providers capable of replacing them. On the other hand, those who promote asset-light companies with little or no fixed overhead cost recommend reliance on trading partners to make heavy investments. So, nonintegrated supply chains, unlike Esquel s, have their proponents. 

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Supply chains that burst to many tier 1 customers/suppliers will strain corporate resources and limit the number of process links the focal company can integrate and closely manage beyond tier 1. In general, managers in companies with immediately wide vertical structures actively manage only a few tier 2 customers or suppliers. Some companies have transferred servicing small customers to distributors, thus moving the small customers farther down in the supply chain from the focal company. This principle, known as functional spin-off, is described in the channels literature (Stem et al. 1996) and can be applied to the focal company s network of suppliers as well as to its customers. 

Much of the focus regarding social standards is aimed at garment-making factories however, there is a growing acceptance that there are major social issues within other parts of the apparel supply chain. For example, forced child labor in cotton fields in Uzbekistan, bonded female labor in spinning mills in Southern India (sumangli), and worker safety problems in dyehouses and tanneries. 

How do retailers define their supply chain Is it determined by the extent of their contractual obligations or by the traditional view of the textile processes (spinning, fabric production, coloration, and garment making) or is it determined by the full life-cycle analysis ... 

Fe3+ in iron-sulfur proteins has an electron spin resonance (esr) signal, while Fe2+ does not. Assume that you have a preparation of mitochondria that are able to synthesize ATP via oxidation of NADH supplies of rotenone, antimycin A, and KCN and access to an esr spectrometer. How could you establish which of the complexes of the electron-transport chain contain iron-sulfur proteins ... 

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