Final answer:
Walmart employs Vendor Managed Inventory (VMI) with P&G to optimize its supply chain, reflecting a trend in retail operations towards efficiency known as McDonaldization.
Step-by-step explanation:
Walmart's request for Procter & Gamble (P&G) to electronically link its computerized cash register scanning system represents a type of supply chain management, specifically an inventory management system known as Vendor Managed Inventory (VMI). In this arrangement, Walmart leverages technology to communicate its inventory needs directly to P&G, ensuring that merchandise is replenished efficiently and effectively. This system benefits Walmart by reducing inventory holding costs and improving shelf availability, while P&G can streamline its production and distribution schedules to meet Walmart's real-time demand.
Implementing VMI is a strategic move aimed at making the supply chain more efficient and is part of the broader trend of McDonaldization, which bestows efficiency, predictability, calculability, and control over various aspects of retail operations. This type of integration exemplifies the continuous evolution within the retail industry to optimize operations and meet changing consumer demands.