Terminologies in Supply Chain Management

Supply Chain Management

Intangible Qualities of a Public Transportation System

Among the intangible qualities of a public transportation system include; safety, riding comfort, ease of using the service, convenience in use and reducing stress to individual commuters and the road systems. If a public transportation system is safe from accidents and crime commuters will find them ideal for use in their day-to-day activities. Commuters' daily preference for public transportation system would make the service provision more viable and easy to maintain. Subsequently the public transport system would flourish and remain for a longer period. Riding comfort comprises of availability of a sitting area while waiting, comfortable seats in the buses or commuter train and cleanliness. This attribute factors in the perception of satisfaction with the atmosphere during travel allowing commuters to embrace public transport system in their daily errands. Subsequently the public transport would have a reliable demand sufficient to sustain the service provision through the revenues earned (Henke, 2007).

In the event that commuters find the information on the routes and service provision reliable, an aspect in ease of using the service is factored in. The public transport is therefore expected to flourish owing to the capcity to incorporate the users need for ease in using the system. If a public transport is considered convenient compared to private means, the demand for the public transport system will push for the continued use of the public transport system. This will also promote the continuation of service by allowing public transport providers to learn and identify the convenience aspects that encourage continued use of the service by the commuters (Henke, 2007).

Public transport system is an alternative to private systems of transport that allow more people to access the service without stretching the demand for limited roadways and parking spaces. The public transport system by providing service to a large number of people presents an opportunity for activities around the transit node to increase and expand (Henke, 2007). The expansion of activities further increases the number of persons using the public transport system and thereby promoting the service's sustainability and continued presence.

Supply Chain Management

Supply Chain Management came about as the need for higher efficiencies in the labor-intensive process grew. The intent of improving the manual processes in handling inputs in a production process made it possible to conceptualize the overall production process. This conceptualization elevated the configuration of multiple business practices through collaboration into a single synchronized process (Christopher, Martin, & Denis R.T., 2001). Supply Chain Management helps a firm to understand its overall operation and synchronize these operations in a compact system of processes that target efficiency. The need for firms to achieve efficiency in their process is also brought about by the need to stay ahead of competitors. In essence, a firm will seek to attain efficiencies relative to the changes in technology and stay ahead of its competitors. With the ever changing operational scenario attributed technological changes, competition between firms has elevated the field of Supply Chain Management to incorporate mechanical automation and responses to changes (Christopher et al., 2001). The Supply Chain management field has also changed to become more dynamic and responsive to the external and internal environment.