In the unit you learned all about classifications and types of businesses, as well as a very important part of the retail business known as the supply chain.

Question

While you’ve already learned that a supply chain involves a network of people and activities that help move a product from start to consumption by the end user, taking the time to explore this process in a more hands-on way will help you develop a deeper understanding of what it takes to create a successful supply chain. So for this lab, you will be creating a visual representation, complete with images, graphics, and text, of a supply chain in action!

Candy bars will be the real-world example you’ll be exploring and creating a supply chain for. The first step in developing any supply chain is to come up with the list of materials or ingredients that are needed to make the product and where these materials or ingredients come from.

To help get you started, you can use the list of ingredients below. For each ingredient, you will need to perform online research to determine where you might source this ingredient from (there may be multiple places). The first one is done for you as an example:

Cocoa: West Africa, Central and South America, and parts of Asia
Nuts:
Aluminum Foil (for wrapper):
Sugar:
Paper (for wrapper):
Raisins:
Milk:
Corn Syrup:
Vanilla:
After you have done your research on the ingredients, it’s time to create your visual representation of the candy bar supply chain. You are free to use any slideshow presentation software. You may choose to make each step on the supply chain its own slide or put the entire map of your supply chain on one slide.

Whatever format you choose, you must include arrows that guide the flow and direction of your supply chain. See the example below to get an idea of a format that would work well:

Colorful supply chain winds from product creation to delivery, showing all the steps in between.
While your supply chain visual might include more steps than those that are listed below, the following four components must be addressed in your visual:

Supply: raw materials supplied to manufacturing
Manufacturing: building, assembling, converting, or furnishing these raw materials into finished products
Distribution: ensuring these products reach consumers through an organized network of transporters, warehouses, and retailers
Consumption: customers
Your supply chain visual should include a graphic or image for each step along the way as well as text boxes with descriptions and explanations of each step.

Beyond these requirements, you have plenty of creative freedom to make this supply chain visual as innovative and personalized as you like.

For more information on how you will be graded, please refer to the rubric below.

Answer 1

To create an effective visual representation of a candy bar supply chain, you will need to gather detailed information about the ingredients you listed, along with their sources, and then represent the entire process graphically. Here's a breakdown of how to organize your information and visualize the supply chain for a candy bar:

Step 1: Research Sources for Ingredients

1. Cocoa: West Africa (Ivory Coast, Ghana), Central and South America (Ecuador, Brazil), parts of Asia (Indonesia).

2. Nuts:

   • Almonds: California, Spain, Australia
   • Peanuts: U.S. (Georgia, Alabama), Argentina, China
   • Hazelnuts: Turkey, Italy, U.S. (Oregon)

3. Aluminum Foil (for wrapper):

   • Primary producers: China, U.S., Russia, Brazil.
   • Suppliers often include packaging companies such as Reynolds and Alcoa.

4. Sugar:

   • Sources: Brazil, India, China, U.S. (Florida, Louisiana, Hawaii).

5. Paper (for wrapper):

   • Sources: Canada, Nordic countries, U.S.
   • Manufacturers: International Paper, WestRock.

6. Raisins:

   • Major sources: California, Turkey, Iran, South Africa.

7. Milk:

   • Sources: U.S. (California, Wisconsin), Europe (Netherlands, Germany), New Zealand.

8. Corn Syrup:

   • Major producers: U.S. (corn belt states like Iowa and Illinois), Canada.

9. Vanilla:

   • Major sources: Madagascar, Mexico, Tahiti.

Step 2: Structure the Supply Chain

Supply Chain Steps

1. Supply:

   • Collecting raw materials from various sourced regions.
   • Include images of farms, ingredient packaging, and transportation methods.

2. Manufacturing:

   • Describe the process of turning raw ingredients into a candy bar during production.
   • Include factories, machinery, and assembly lines in your visuals.

3. Distribution:

   • Illustrate how finished candy bars get to retailers.
   • Include trucks, shipping containers, warehouses, and stores.

4. Consumption:

   • Represent the end user (customers) enjoying the candy bars.
   • Show images of people purchasing and eating the candy bars.

Step 3: Visual Representation

You can use presentation software like PowerPoint or Google Slides. Here is a suggested slide outline:

1. Slide 1: Title Slide

   • Title: "Candy Bar Supply Chain"
   • Optional: Fun graphic or background related to candy.

2. Slide 2: Supply

   • Text box: "Raw materials are sourced from various regions."
   • Include images of cocoa farms, nut trees, sugar cane, etc.
   • Arrows showing direction from raw materials to manufacturing.

3. Slide 3: Manufacturing

   • Text box: "Ingredients are processed and combined in manufacturing."
   • Show images of factories, mixers, and the production line.
   • Arrows pointing from supply to manufacturing.

4. Slide 4: Distribution

   • Text box: "Finished candy bars are distributed to retailers."
   • Images of transportation vehicles, warehouses, and retail shelves.
   • Arrows from manufacturing to distribution points.

5. Slide 5: Consumption

   • Text box: "Customers enjoy their favorite candy bars."
   • Pictures of people purchasing and eating candy bars.
   • Arrows leading to the consumer.

6. Slide 6: Conclusion

   • Summary of the entire process and importance of supply chain management in delivering quality products.

Additional Tips

• Use bright colors that reflect candy packaging for the slides.
• Incorporate charts or icons to represent data visually.
• Make use of engaging fonts and bullet points for easy readability.
• Consider adding short animations to illustrate the flow of processes.

Grading Rubric Reference

Make sure to check the grading rubric to ensure all requirements are met, such as completeness, creativity, clarity, and effective communication of ideas.

By following these steps, you should be able to create an insightful and visually appealing supply chain representation for a candy bar. Good luck with your project!