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• Explain how Blockchain technology can be used to improve supply chain integrat

ID: 386358 • Letter: #

Question

• Explain how Blockchain technology can be used to improve supply chain integration (Chapter 4) in order to improve food safety for customers and create a competitive advantage for Walmart.

• Discuss the advantages and disadvantages of centralized purchasing for Walmart.

• Explain why some suppliers might be resistant to long-term contracts with Walmart and make suggestions on how Walmart may be able to overcome this resistance.

• Describe the differences between category strategies and strategic sourcing. Make a recommendation on how to utilize category strategies to gain and sustain a competitive advantage at Walmart.

Explanation / Answer

Supply chain management is complex, traditional and untraceable. Daling with manufacturers, dealers, suppliers, vender and customers lessens the possibility of a smooth and flawless processing of the transaction at all levels. Hence blockchain helps in simplifying this issue and adding an organized and transparent network that helps supply chain management to be managed and controlled efficiently. In blockchain certain internal and external value networks are formed which help in making supply chain management more simpler, transparent and traceable. In the network, certain nodes are formed which interlink one transaction to another and this prevents any kind of tampering. the nodes in the network keep getting updated as the new transactions are done. As the transactions are linked to a false transaction cannot be made at any level as it will be connected to other transactions before it.

Blockchain helps in the food supply chain also in many ways. The food products brought at a store through a supply chain is not possible to track. With blockchain this traceability is possible. as the total volumes brought and sold can be tracked. It decentralizes the control and responsibility of any one link in the supply chain thus it is not needed to trust and seek the support of one party in the supply chain for the supply chain information. The products cannot be contaminated and sold at a higher price. The product sold cannot be higher or lower than the product bought. Hence the tackling of any such ill practice becomes easier.