Please see attached instructions and follow them.InstructionsPart 11-1.5 pages using APA format, write a Final Self-Reflection Paper using the following prompts to guide your reflection on your course experience and for professional development. Develop a professional development plan that identifies how you plan to continue learning about the financial aspects of supply chain management.Answer these questions. 3-4 pages pagesHow has your thinking about what SC cost and financial analysis is, and how a SCM professional does his/her work changed, if at all?Assess your strengths in financial aspects of SCM and identify your top two current strengths and top two areas for your continued growth as a Supply Chain Manager professional.Identify specific ways to maintain personal strengths and continued growth such as professional readings, stretch assignments, volunteer opportunities, further education, etc.Considering the assigned readings for this week, explain how you will build your own SC “tool-kit” as you enter or continue to participate in SCM.Based on the assigned readings and your own experience and research, explain how the SC workforce is shifting and the relevance of financial management skills.Part 2 (4 pages)The purpose of this Final Assessment is to provide you with an opportunity to synthesize and apply the material covered in this course to develop a briefing presentation to a company’s senior leadership. It must incorporate your analysis of the firm’s supply chain financial management, including the strengths and risks.You will use the Hostess Brands, Inc. Annual Report, Form 10-K (Links to an external site.) (“Hostess 10-K”), at the provided link as background information for this final course assessment.The Hostess 10-K is from a real company and is available to the public.The questions below have been developed only for academic purposes as part of this final course assessment. They are not intended to imply any current or future actions by Hostess Brands, Inc.Read the case carefully before you begin to address the questions at the end of the background information.As this is a long document requiring a lot of vertical scrolling, you may download a copy of this Final Assessment (Links to an external site.) case information.Background:Hostess started in business in 1919 and produced popular snack foods such as Twinkies and Hostess Cupcakes until the company went bankrupt and closed in 2012.Shorty after the original Hostess company closed, new investors started a new company, Hostess Brands, Inc., and brought back the popular snack products with the previous brand names such as Twinkies and Hostess Cupcakes.The new company, Hostess Brands, Inc., is referred to as the “Successor” company in the Hostess 10-k. The new company operates very differently in terms of automation, workforce, distribution, and new product innovation.More information about the old company that went bankrupt and the new successor company can be found at the optional references below:The Decline of Hostess…What Happened?https://youtu.be/-c26ewfay9QDevelop your responses as if you are a consultant who has been asked by senior executives of the new Hostess Brands, Inc. to evaluate its supply chain financial management as they want to improve performance and ensure the company’s long term success..Using the material covered in this course, develop a briefing to the company’s senior leadership that incorporates your analysis of the firm’s supply chain financial management including strengths and risks.• Clearly state and explain your recommendation(s) to the firm’s senior leadership.• Include referenced material from this course and your own research to support your analysis and recommendation(s).Specific questions you’ve been asked to address are below. However, do not limit your briefing just to these questions.1. How is the company’s financial health?(a) Select relevant financial tools studied throughout this course and use them to analyze the company’s financial strengths and risks.b. Explain why you selected the financial analysis tools and what they show about linkages between the supply chain and the company’s finances.2. How is the company managing its costs?(a) Describe how the company tried to reduce costs and mitigate material price fluctuation by making changes in the supply chain such as places of delivery.b. Research customer online reviews of the new company’s products that are still using the old brand names such as Twinkies or Hostess Cupcakes. Discuss any customer reactions that might have resulted from cost reduction and pricing mitigation strategies. What does this suggest about how supply chain changes can impact retail customer acceptance and sales?3. What overhead should be allocated to new products?The Hostess 10-K states “Our brand strategy, combined with investments in highly effective marketing and brand-building, has resulted in what we believe to be one of the strongest brand equities in snacking.” Hostess products have been popular, and the brand is well known, but it has not been associated with a healthful diet because it uses ingredients such as high fructose corn syrup.The Hostess 10-K describes the company’s innovation efforts to develop “a premium snacking platform made with no artificial flavors or colors or high fructose corn syrup” for “ingredient conscious consumers.”a. If the company develops new innovative non-Hostess branded products to attract “ingredient conscious consumers,” should it allocate the same corporate SG&A to the non-Hostess branded products? Or, should they not be burdened with the Hostess brand advertising? Explain why or why not.b. Would your answer be different for new products that still carry the Hostess brand?c. Explain why or why not.4. What are international expansion considerations?The Company has had some success internationally and assume they have asked you about expanding to open a bakery in Mexico. What are some financial considerations about this potential international expansion?5. What supply chain recommendations will improve financial performance?a. What actions do you recommend and why?b. What metrics should senior management monitor to look at progress on these recommendations?Comments from CustomerDiscipline: supply chain management
