There are four financial strategies. Name them, and pick two to discuss in more details

Answer 1

By placing a priority on cost control, performance effectiveness and efficiency, and viable measurement strategies, companies are able to improve financial performance. Coupled with the identification and leveraging of corporate core competencies, focusing attention on metrics such as return on assets (ROA) and return on investment (ROI) facilitates the achievement of financial objectives.

Inventory Productivity
One class of assets that already receives significant attention is inventory, and major strategies are in place at many firms to reduce inventory levels without diminishing levels of customer service (or preferably, increasing levels of customer service). Initiatives such as just-in-time (JIT), vendor-managed inventory (VMI), and continuous replenishment (CRP) are examples of popular approaches.

Facility Utilization
One of the major trends in supply chain facility management is to more effectively utilize the capacity of various types of supply chain facilities. Whether they be supplier locations, plants, warehouses, distribution centers, or customer locations, the objective is the same - to see that these facilities are utilized to an extent that will produce close to optimal efficiencies. In addition, high priority is placed on making sure that all supply chain facilities create value not only for the individual organizations, but also for the supply chain in a broad sense

Equipment Utilization Strategies
Another area of asset investment for companies is logistics-related equipment such as materials-handling equipment used in warehouses and transportation equipment that is leased or owned by a company. As companies have reduced the number of warehouse facilities that they operate, there has been a natural reduction in the materials-handling equipment that is necessary. Also, the use of technology-based devices such as handheld computers, barcode scanning devices, radio-frequency communications in logistics facilities, and RFID has caused a general reduction in the need for additional assets to move and store product.

In addition, transportation equipment is an important area in terms of asset investment and has been another area of improvement for many companies.

Outsourcing
Once a strategy that focused primarily on the commercial procurement of tangible, asset-based services such as transportation and warehousing, outsourcing now has grown into areas that are both strategic and customer focused. Thus, recent studies have cited growth in services available from the outsourced logistics sector such as freight bill auditing and payment, customer service, information technology, and light manufacturing and assembly. As a result, this increasingly popular alternative has led many firms to use the services of capable third-party logistics providers (3PLs).

The decision to utilize third-party or contract logistics companies has been fostered in part by the interest in reducing asset investment to improve asset productivity. The relevance of using a 3PL becomes even clearer as increasing numbers of businesses get involved significantly in global commerce.

There has also been a continuing trend toward the involvement of 4PL providers. Aside from managing a number of 3PL operations, a 4PL is looked to for the provision of competencies relating to knowledge availability, information technology, and skills in forming and sustaining successful supply chain relationships.