
10 You are hired as an assistant brand manager for a popular consumer product. One day in an
emergency meeting, the brand manager informs the group that there is a problem with one of the
suppliers and that he has decided to send you over to the manufacturing facilities to investigate the
problem. When you arrive at the plant, you learn that a key supplier has become increasingly unreliable
in terms of quality and delivery. You ask the plant manager why the plant doesn’t switch suppliers,
because it is becoming a major problem for your brand. He informs you that the troubled supplier is his
cousin, whose wife has been very ill, and he just can’t switch right now. What course of action should
you take?
Net Savvy
1 Zappos.com, an online shoe seller, has received praise for its stellar supply chain management.
Go to http://about.zappos.com/zappos-story/fulfillment-facility, look through the warehouse tour, and
see how a shoe ultimately reaches the customer. How does its distribution center enable Zappos to
adhere to its marketing communications message and provide excellent customer service?
2 The case study for this chapter examines how Zara International, a division of Inditex,
successfully manages its supply chain. Visit Inditex’s Web site (www.inditex.com) and go to
“Corporate Responsibility,” then review the company’s commitment to corporate social responsibility,
particularly the section that pertains to its Internal Code of Conduct. Considering the discussion in this
chapter about strategic relationships, how does Inditex address the factors necessary for mutually
beneficial partnerships, according to its code of conduct?