This chapter explored the salient themes emerging as disruptions in the supply chain management at Walmart and the Boeing Company. It examined how both companies have responded to highly publicized disruptions in their supply chains, compromising customer satisfaction. Thousands of complaints against Walmart could be classified as: 1) Profiling (allegations of theft, race-based refusal of services, locking up goods); 2) Damaged goods; 3) Billing issues; 4) Delivery problems / Missing goods; 5) Communication barriers due to delayed, inconsistent, or incoherent messages; and 6) Employee complaints. Walmart’s typical response was an apology, a courtesy gift card, or to settle lawsuits. In the case of Boeing, investigations unveiled deception in business practices which resulted in inaccurate information being shared with regulating agencies as well as poor coordination of repair efforts, lack of documentation, ineffective communication, or neglect. Boeing’s problems led to catastrophic failures, for which Boeing has paid billions of dollars in damages and agreed to strict monitoring.
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