Feeding Innovation through the Supply Chain - Assignment Example

The paper "Feeding Innovation through the Supply Chain" is a wonderful example of an assignment on marketing. Corning Inc. is witnessed to be one of the leading innovators in the global manufacturing industry, producing glass and other related materials through using a material science approach (Corning Incorporated, “About Us”). The graphical illustration (see Appendix) depicts a complete structure of the value chain practiced in Corning.

EXPLANATION OF THE CURRENT TYPE OF BUSINESS PERFORM BY CORNING

Corning is one of the leading marketers acting as a producer, customer, or intermediary. Justifiably,  as a producer, the manufacturing functions of Corning comprise a major set of activities that aid in producing its superior range of glass items, fulfilling the expectations of the final consumers (1Corning Incorporated, 2014).

Correspondingly, Corning is also regarded as one of the prominent customers in purchasing materials required to produce its wide range of cutting-edge products. In this similar context, the business functions of Corning are often identified to play an intermediary role in delivering its products to varied manufacturers. Thus, it is quite apparent that the overall business operations perform by Corning involve a set of multidisciplinary roles that empower the company to accomplish its strong position as a producer, intermediary, or a major consumer as well.

DISCUSSION OF CHANNEL MANAGEMENT PROCEDURES OF CORNING AND HOW THEY ARE SIMILAR OF DIFFERENT FROM THE PROCEDURES OF APPLE AND SAMSUNG

The channel management procedure is viewed to be one of the major components of Corning’s value chain procedure, which cooperates in delivering its varied products to the ultimate customers. According to the current value chain structure, the channel management process of the company encompasses a wide number of giant manufacturing companies from the telecommunication and household product manufacturing industry. In this similar context, the channel management procedure of Corning is quite dissimilar to its major network partners such as Apple and Samsung in terms of targeting end-users of the products. Justifiably, the end-users of Corning are ascertained to be Apple or Samsung, whereas, the individual customers are certainly determined as the end-users of the two companies.

IDENTIFYING REASONS WHY CORNING’S PARTNERSHIPS ARE ESSENTIAL TO ITS SUCCESS

Behind the continuous success in business, partnerships with the giant companies across different product manufacturing business industries play an imperative role for Corning. For instance, building strong partnerships with Apple as well as Samsung has raised several opportunities for Corning to deliver its Gorilla Glass for their advanced communication devices. Moreover, fostering a business relationship with both the partners have also been identified to build a superior competitive position for Corning.

THREATS ASSOCIATED WITH THE MARKETING CHANNELS OF CORNING

The possible threats associated with the marketing channels of Corning can be characterized into different aspects. In this regard, the higher possibility of new entrants in a similar business industry can be regarded as one of the crucial threats for Corning to maintain a strong relationship with its major partners. Moreover, unabated or significant instability in a technology-based business environment can also be a major threat for Corning, hindering it to maintain a superior competitive position.