IntroductionEvery organization, whether it is a manufacturer, wholesaler, service provider, or retailer, buys materials, services, and supplies to support operations. Using strategic sourcing to procure materials and services within the supply chain network to manufacture and deliver a product can provide obvious cost savings opportunities. Perhaps less obvious are the substantial cost savings that can be realized by any organization with respect to the goods and services for the non-manufacturing operational needs.Let’s take a look at how the US Federal government uses strategic sourcing to leverage its buying power in order to create operational efficiencies and save costs.InstructionsFor this assignment, research the website, compose your response to the questions, and post as one initial response to the discussion forum, “Strategic Sourcing: Not just for Manufacturers.”Research the Federal Strategic Sourcing Initiative on the GSA website: http://www.gsa.gov/portal/content/112561 Respond to the discussion questions: Which strategic sourcing initiative is the most impactful? Explain your position. What other strategic sourcing initiatives would you recommend to the GSA? The Federal Strategic Sourcing Initiative was started in 2005. Why does it take some organizations a long time to accept and implement proven best practices?

Introduction Your research paper provides an opportunity for you to research the supply chain management best practices of a company that is ranked as a global supply chain leader in their industry. This is the perfect opportunity to demonstrate what you have learned in this course, while discovering how a top company uses supply chain management.You will submit a topic in this module, an outline for your paper in a future module and the completed paper at the end of the course.Instructions to Learners Choose a company that you are interested in learning more about from the "Gartner Supply Chain Top 25 list," which can be found using this link: http://www.gartner.com/technology/supply-chain/top... .Research and reference at least 5 sources.Use APA style for formatting and references.For this module, choose a company and submit that company and a few sentences about why you chose that company.

View the video "Project Management at Six Flags, New Jersey" and discuss the following:What type of Project Management techniques are used at your place of work? ( Remember we all have a system to keep us on track whether you are in a manufacturing facility, a service organization or even a student.)Link for the video: http://bevideos.mhhe.com/business/video_library/00...The discussion should be above 200 words.