Monday, September 30, 2019

Comparing Floods

Compare Floods in LEDC and MEDC I am going to discuss two case studies regarding floods. One of my case studies is of Cocker mouth, this is a town in England exposed to floods this is my case study of an MEDC. My other case study is the LEDC in which I talk about Bangladesh. Cocker mouth is situated in the Lake District in England. England is an MEDC and this area experienced vast ranges of flooding during late November. The town lies among the confluence of two rivers that leave it prone to flooding.The two rivers are the Derwent and Cocker. 320mm of rainfall fell in under 24 hours and this was a predicted fall which took the town by surprise. The River Cocker burst its banks after a 2. 5 metre rise in the river water level; this was a major contribution to the flooding as well as the poor preparation of the towns flood defences. Bangladesh is an LEDC bordering the Indian Ocean and it lies at the forefront of the Ganges Delta. The country is low – lying and most of its land i s 12m below sea level.Floods here have recently become stronger. During the arrival of Cyclone Aila flood waters burst the delta causing storm surges of 10 metres! The floods in both Carlisle and Bangladesh caused a lot of problems for both areas. However in contrast, the MEDC (Carlisle) suffered less from the consequences, whereas, the LEDC (Bangladesh) was affected much worse. Heavy rainfall of 200mm fell over Carlisle in a 36 hour period. The constant rainfall increased runoff because soil became saturated, this runoff ended up flowing into the river Eden.Because Carlisle is a largely urban area, concrete ground made from impermeable materials meant that surface runoff increased. There was a lot of discharge from the River Eden which reached 1520 cumecs. In contrast the Bangladeshi volume of precipitation was much higher so the floods were much worse. Very heavy rainfall amounting to 900mm fell over the month of July. Soils all over Bangladesh became saturated, this increased run off into rivers such as the Ganges and Brahmaputra. Snow melted from glaciers in the Himalayas this also increased discharge into rivers.The highest discharge for both of the biggest rivers in the area peaked at the same time, downstream discharge increased hugely. In Carlisle there was less social impact, 3 people died which is minimal compared to the 2000 deaths in Bangladesh. This is a very large amount of people and losing that many people creates a big social impact. 3000 people were made homeless in Carlisle, this is a very large amount of people, they were temporarily re – sheltered and have been re – homed since. In Bangladesh 25 million people were made homeless, many still haven’t been re – homed even in 2012. schools were flooded in the area but for people living in an MEDC there is likely to be more resources of learning available to them e. g. internet and more education centres in other parts of the country. 44 education institutions were de stroyed in Bangladesh, this being a large amount means it is much harder to find other resources for educational purpose, and many people would have to go without it as it is not economically viable for poorer people in LEDCs to move into different parts of the country. 50 businesses were shut down and must have been relocated and 70,000 houses lost power, there was minimal infrastructural damage therefore repairs to the Carlisle area would not have been too expensive compared to the large scale damage in Bangladesh, factories had to shut down so large scale business went down bringing economy to a halt, 112,000 houses were completely destroyed and whole rivers in that area were polluted. The main social effect in Carlisle was the loss of homes and education centres, in Bangladesh it was the loss of homes, education centres and widespread of water borne disease.The main economic problem in Carlisle was that the shops and local businesses on the area had to shut down as they had to e vacuate, in Bangladesh many areas would have become redundant with major business corporations such as TNCs having to be shut down as many factories were destroyed. The main environmental problem in Carlisle was that the sewage overflowed therefore the streets would have been effected and the surrounding area also, in Bangladesh the Rivers became poisoned by sewage and majority of water supplies in the area became undrinkable.In conclusion Carlisle in an MEDC had a less severe flood and because of its more affluent built up area people were affected in less of a tragic manner. Bangladesh LEDC was affected more and the and the outcome was more disastrous. In conclusion, it is apparent that both the MEDC and the LEDC experienced a variety of impacts producing a multiple chain of cost however impact severity was clearly more drastic in the case Bangladesh as it is an LEDC and its emergency plans and general infrastructure is less developed compared to England (MEDC).

Sunday, September 29, 2019

Mgmt Quiz

1. While there are many routes to competitive advantage, they all involve B. delivering superior value to buyers in ways rivals cannot readily match. 2. A low-cost leader can translate its low-cost advantage over rivals into superior profit performance by B. either using its low-cost edge to underprice competitors and attract price sensitive buyers in large enough numbers to increase total profits or refraining from price-cutting and using the low-cost advantage to earn a bigger profit margin on each unit sold. 3. The major avenues for achieving a cost advantage over rivals include A. liminating or curbing non-essential cost-producing activities and performing essential value chain activities more cost-effectively that rivals. Â   4. A differentiation-based competitive advantage E. often hinges on incorporating features that (1) raise the performance of the product or (2) lower the buyer's overall costs of using the company's product or (3) enhance buyer satisfaction in intangible or non-economic ways or (4) deliver value to customers by exploiting competitive capabilities that rivals can't match. 5.Which of the following is not one of the pitfalls of a low-cost provider strategy? B. Using a cost-based advantage to improve the company's bargaining position with high-volume buyers 6. Opportunities to differentiate a company's product offering C. can exist in supply chain activities, R, manufacturing activities, distribution and shipping or marketing, sales and customer service. 7. In which of the following circumstances is a strategy to be the industry's overall low-cost provider not particularly well matched to the market situation?When buyers have widely varying needs and special requirements and when the cost of switching purchases from one seller to another are relatively high.8. The objective of competitive strategy is to B. build advantage in the marketplace by giving buyers superior value relative the offerings of rival sellers.9. Successful differentiation allows a firm to D. command a premium price for its product and/or increase unit sales and/or gain buyer loyalty to its brand.10. The generic types of competitive strategies include C. ow-cost provider, broad differentiation, focused low-cost, focused differentiation and best cost provider strategies.11. Easy-to-copy differentiating features A. do not offer the promise of sustainable competitive advantage.12. A competitive strategy to be the low-cost provider in an industry works well when E. All of these.13. The most appealing approaches to differentiation are E. those that are tough for rivals to duplicate and that also have considerable buyer appeal. Read also Quiz Week 414. A company that succeeds in differentiating its product offering from those of its rivals can usually E.All of the above.15. A strategy to be the industry's overall low-cost provider tends to be more appealing than a differentiation or focus strategy when C. the offerings of rival firms are essentially identical, standardized, commodity-like products.16. Which of the following is not one of the five generic types of competitive strategy? E. A market share dominator strategy17. Perceived value and signaling value are often an important part of a successful differentiation strategy when E. All of these.18. A competitive strategy of striving to be the low-cost provider is particularly attractive when E. switching costs are high, price competition is strong, and buyers tend to use the industry's products in many different ways.19. A low-cost leader's basis for competitive advantage is D. meaningfully lower overall costs than competitors.20. A company's competitive strategy deals with A. management's game plan for securing a competitive advantage relative to rivals.

Saturday, September 28, 2019

A Project Report On Marketing Plan For Kudu is a Saudi Arabia

Kudu is a Saudi Arabia based restaurant chain with over 327 store outlets across the country (Kudu, 2017). The restaurant was established with the aim to offer a unique dining experience for the people of Saudi Arabia. The restaurant has a highly trained staff along with great infrastructure to maintain the standard of services in terms of quality, efficiency and reliability. The restaurant has received ISO and HACCP SQF recognition for its consistency of service standards (Kudu, 2017). The customers can watch their orders being processed and rest assured that the food is being prepared in a neat, clean and hygienic manner. The goal of the company is to â€Å"offer a unique dining experience to the customers through quality and fresh food of restaurant† (Kudu, 2017). The restaurant has excelled in its services by maintaining its service standard and procuring fresh and quality food ingredients on daily basis. Thus, the restaurant has developed a sustainable business model that would ensure the longevity of the business and assist to reach its goals. Kudu has strategically positioned itself as a restaurant that offers fresh food to its customers through its open kitchen tradition where customers can watch the preparation of the recipes being cooked and packed (Kudu, 2017). The restaurant has adopted various marketing strategies to promote its products in the market of Saudi Arabia. The restaurant has a dedicated website through which customers can access all the detailed information on Kudu related to its menu, products, stores, quality services and required details. The restaurant also displays its latest products and offers through its website. The customers can choose from a wide range of offers such as combo offers, meal offers and the festive offers that are being served during an occasion. The core focus of the company is quality, reliable and efficient services and it has been able to maintain it over a long period of time (Kudu, 2017).   The targeted customers of Kudu include men & women, students & executives, youth an d adults, friends & families, who can enjoy the delicious breakfasts, lunch and dinner at the restaurant (Kudu, 2017). Kudu may have been able to create a trust among the customers through its quality and reliable services, yet it needs to expand its market in order to grow its revenue and profitability. The restaurant targets diversified customers including men & women, students & executives, youth and adults, friends & families. The restaurant also offers home delivery to the customers to increase its reach ability and overall sales revenue. The restaurant has great opportunity to target offices in the country. Another identified opportunity for the restaurant is introducing meal campaign for the professionals and executives. The plan proposes to offer meal for the executives and professionals at their doorsteps during their lunch time. After studying the marketing strategies of Kudu, it was identified that the company has a great opportunity to target the market of corporate and professionals (Egan, 2007). The executives and professionals are busy people who do not have time to go out for their meals during lunch hours. Since Kudu has established its restaurant store outlets across the country that serves a diversified range of customers, therefore, it is not able to serve the needs of these busy professionals. In order to offer great services, a brand must take care the needs and wants of its customers (Luther, 2011). Thus, a marketing plan would be developed that would aim to target this group of people. Marketing mix element is one of the concepts of marketing that is being mostly used by the company to develop their marketing plan by analyzing product, price, promotion and place (Lamb, Hair and McDaniel, 2008). Product: The product comprises of two components that includes meal combo and doorstep services at the offices of the professionals. The meal would comprise of three components including one main course (burger/sandwich/rice beef), one drink (Coke/fanta/sprite) and any one out of salad/fries/sweet dish. The menu would be different for every day so that the customers do not get bored of eating the same food. Now the meal would be served during the lunch hours of the professionals at the doorstep of their offices so that they do not have to travel to the restaurant. This would save their order time and travelling time. Thus, the concept of innovation is being applied to create reliable, consistent and efficient services. Price: Pricing strategy depends upon the paying capacity of the consumers (Kubicki, 2015)). In this situation economy pricing strategy would be appropriate so that executives can easily avail this service (Schindler and Schindler, 2011). Since a large group of people would be availing this service, therefore, the cost of the product would also reduce and the economies of scale would be easily achieved. Promotion: In the changing business environment context, digital marketing has become a popular marketing strategy and is being commonly deployed by the companies. Kudu could also use this strategy to reach its target audience. Social media marketing, email marketing and search engine marketing are the most commonly used approaches for this marketing. In this scenario, Kudu could utilize email marketing tactics in order to reach a larger market share. Further, in order to attract larger number of audience, the restaurant could offer discounts and offers to the executives (McDonald, 2007). Place: Since the plan has proposed office delivery of meal orders for the executives, therefore, importance must be given to timely delivery of the services. The delay would cause trouble for the customers as their lunch hours are fixed and they cannot afford to waste their time. In order to implement the plan, the company must develop effective marketing strategies to attract the customers (Percy, 2008). The product has already been developed comprising of executive meal for the customers. Now communicating about this service to the target customer is an important aspect of the plan (Shimp, 2008). Email marketing is one of the most effective strategies that is used to directly reach the potential customers. The data of the potential customers could be collected through various methods. After the email ids have been collected, an appropriate email needs to be developed that highlights the core message of the campaign. Subject of Email: The subject of the email must be able to capture the attention of the user so that the reader is compelled to open the mail. The subject line would be â€Å"Enjoy your meal comfortably at your office†. This is more likely to attract the attention of the reader. Message Strategy: The image below effectively communicates the subject of the campaign. Introducing Executive Platter Services for Executives and Professional! Save Your Travelling Time and Order Placement Time By Subscribing To Our Services. Enjoy our Scrumptious Meal with varieties and flavors. For more details, contact Kudu Restaurant team: Phone: 966 (1) 419 – 1440, Email: info@kudu.com.sa Forecasting is an important element of a marketing plan that helps to project the future trends in the market. It assists to analyze the future market conditions and how would the market respond to the marketing campaign. The marketing plan targets the market segment of commercial office that are located in the centre region of Riyadh. Initially, the targeted offices include the region of Bahrain Tower, Commercial Business District and Olaya Towers so as to deliver effective services. The target group comprises of around one thousand customers and around 20% of them are likely to respond to the advertisement. Thus, the team must prepare to be able to serve to around two hundred customers. There are several methods to measure and control the marketing campaign and include the following: Egan, J. (2007). Marketing Communication. UK: Cengage Learning EMEA. Kubicki, M. (2015). The Marketing Mix:  Master the 4 Ps of marketing. US: 50 Minutes. Kudu. (2017). Heritage. Kudu. Available at: https://www.en.kudu.com.sa/heritage [Accessed Online 5 May 2017]. Lamb, C.W., Hair, J.F., and McDaniel, C. (2008). Essential of Marketing. Cengage Learning. Luther, W.M. (2011). The Marketing Plan:  How to Prepare and Implement it. New York: AMACOM Div American Mgmt Assn. McDonald, M. (2007). Marketing Plans:  How to Prepare Them, how to Use Them. US: Butterworth-Heinemann. Percy, L. (2008). Strategic Integrated Marketing Communication:  Theory and Practice. US: Routledge. Schindler, R.M., and Schindler, R. (2011). Pricing Strategies:  A Marketing Approach. California: SAGE. Shimp, T.A. (2008). Advertising Promotion and Other Aspects of Integrated Marketing Communications. US: Cengage Learning. Yeshin, T. (2012). Integrated Marketing Communications. US: Routledge.

Friday, September 27, 2019

Perry v. New Hampshire Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Perry v. New Hampshire - Term Paper Example The paper tells that the purpose of the criminal law in the US is to exactly give a fair trial for every person who will be or charged with criminal offenses. This has to be secured by the Sixth Amendment allowing defendants to have access to his or her right to counsel, secure defense witnesses and cross-examine the prosecutions. The jurisdiction of the criminal law is thus so strong in the case of Perry v New Hampshire because it ensures both the defendant and prosecutor the ability to provide their evidences as this is the ultimate way to deal with both parties a reasonably fair or unbiased procedure in the proceedings of the case. However, the criminal law is careful with accepting evidences. Thus, its power should not be undermined with suggestive circumstances such as found in the case of Perry v New Hampshire. Any form of involvement of an individual in the crime will make him or her culpable for it, the essence of accomplice liability. Involvement may be in a form of intentio nal sharing of information, advices, encouragement and so on. The very point of these actions is to provide something that will aid for the initiation of the crime. In the case of Perry v. New Hampshire, the former tried to amend the verdict of the state because of his right or privilege to amend. After the amendment, Perry was able to prove that the identification of him in the crime was tainted because of suggestive circumstances. Whoever intentionally included Perry in the crime must be able to find his accomplice and use him or her in court in order to counteract the defendant’s subject of amendment.... The very point of these actions is to provide something that will aid for the initiation of the crime. In the case of Perry v. New Hampshire, the former tried to amend the verdict of the state because of his right or privilege to amend. After the amendment, Perry was able to prove that the identification of him in the crime was tainted because of suggestive circumstances. Whoever intentionally included Perry in the crime must be able to find his accomplice and use him or her in court in order to counteract the defendant’s subject of amendment. For this reason, accomplice liability is a strong factor to weaken the defense of Perry because of the accountability of the said person due to his or her knowledge about the whole crime with the actual perpetuator. However, regarding this, Perry could potentially find another case source and that would be the case of Simmons v. United States, 390 US 377, 384 (1968). He could potentially expound this leading to proving that eyewitnesses or even the accomplice the possibility of being made under suggestive circumstances. Criminal liability refers to the responsibility of an act to harm the society which could be prosecuted by the government. The case of Perry is subject of government’s prosecution. However, the government did not eliminate his right to amend the initial verdict and so the Supreme Court would be the last to interpret his entire case. In this amendment, Perry had the privilege to counteract the claimed act against him to harm the society that is subject of government’s prosecution. Since proven not guilty, Perry therefore should not be obliged to carry a criminal liability. Various elements in crimes Actus reus means guilty act, or the actual element of the crime and this has to be proven beyond reasonable

Thursday, September 26, 2019

Better Acquisition Planning and Contracts Term Paper

Better Acquisition Planning and Contracts - Term Paper Example DHS, HHS and NASA preferred proper implementation of policies to ease their work. Moreover, the three departments adopted the need to establish a proper time frame. The three agencies: HHS, DHS and NASA, as well as, USAID developed policies, which formulated various different necessities and levels of supervision for the acquisition planning that was aimed at providing a balance between oversight and time and organizational load. Together, HHS, DHS and NASA opted for a written acquisition plans that were closely related to the fundamentals contained and defined in the federal acquisition regulation. All the departments and agencies were required to have all their cost approximation and obligations ready during acquisition planning; its aim was to ensure that time consumption and operational costs were minimized. However, NASA and DHS guidance considered the inclusion of essential lessons learned and new skills acquired from the past contracts they have been involved in the acquisitio n planning. In contrast, the three agencies have established differing conditions on the acquisition planning, for example, the individuals to carry out reviews of the documents (Compton, 2010). Implementation of the policies established under the acquisition planning took varying approaches. ... DHS, on the other hand, stated that the acquisition plans did not provide for acquisitions, for example, urgent situations, acts that had been integrated in an earlier plan already approved or procurements carried out within the mandate of Small Business Research Program (SBRP). NASA, just like HHS stated that acquisition plans did not provide room for un-sourced for proposals. NASA also confirmed their wish that architect-engineering services and research from nongovernmental organizations should not be included in the acquisition plans. Basing on the dollar awards, DHS, HHS and NASA had different requirements for different levels of grant. DHS viewed that it was essential to have vital information stored in an advanced Acquisition database for all rewards valued below $10 million. DHS proposed that failure to include the information in a database, a written acquisition plan had to be prepared. NASA opted for meetings on procurement strategy, which was aimed at establishing the way forward for awards below $10 million. The main agenda of the meeting was to look for approval of their proposal (Compton, 2010). HHS and NASA required that written acquisitions be provided for contracts that were way higher than the expectation of the agency; HHS demanded written documents for contracts above $500,000, while NASA opted for documents for any value of $10 million and above. Several elements are essential in an acquisition planning that includes cost, time, need and lessons learned from past contracts. It is very crucial to ensure that proper cost estimations are made so that the awards can cover the proposed use. The organization requesting for grants should work in collaboration with other stakeholders so that they can coordinate the process. The

Business communication Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Business communication - Coursework Example Considering that communication takes place either verbally or non-verbal such as office memos, reports, legal documents; our choices of words and phrases, tone of the speaker’s voice, as well as our gestures, facial expression and body movements when we communicate with other people reflect our own personality. The same theory and concept applies in business communication. Basically, the use of short paragraphs that is well organized and logical reflects the speaker’s characteristics in terms of being a very organized and logical person. In case the speaker is found of using positive words, the audiences will have the impression that the speaker is optimistic in life. For example: A business communicator who does not have the ability to discuss the subject matter straight to the point is likely to send message to his/her audiences that he/she does not have a clear idea on what he/she is discussing. As a result, the audiences are expected to lose their trust and loyalty with the business

Wednesday, September 25, 2019

Film Citizen Kane Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Film Citizen Kane - Essay Example To specify, the compositions in Citizen Kane have the frames that are split into fractions of light and darkness/shadow.   Apart from this, Welles successfully employs weird, exaggerated angles that make characters appear in a distorted way. This technique is illustrative of a typical noir movie syntax. In addition, low angle shots focus the attention on the protagonist’s physical stature, yet they contain frames that suggest restriction and confinement.   For example, Kane’s placing against low ceilings seems to diminish the character and contradict his prevailing personality (Citizen Kane). All in all, this technique helps to create a sense of claustrophobia through evident visual entrapment. This is known to be characteristic of noir thrillers as well. Last but not least, the sustained shots’ duration is also a feature of film noir genre successfully employed by Welles.In summary, Citizen Kane (1941) possesses a number of stylistic and technical elements o f noir films. Its fragmented structure, narrative labyrinths, sequences of flashbacks, the quest for some truth, the presence of mystery, and cynical view of power can be considered its noir stylistic aspects.   Technical noir elements include unusual angles, contrasts of light and shadow, shots of sustained duration,   and other techniques that help to create the sense of claustrophobia and entrapment characteristic of this genre.

Tuesday, September 24, 2019

Should Colleges have Child Care on Campus Essay

Should Colleges have Child Care on Campus - Essay Example The seemingly minute family concern is getting much attention from school administrations and law-makers because of the domino effect the situation can bring not only to the family but to the nation as a whole, affecting its economy and success. Looking at the situation, the individuals who have potentials which are supposed to be nurtured through higher education are forced to drop out in favor of taking the responsibility of being a full time parent. On another angle, when students are able to find child care centers for their children, the centers are usually underrated that the welfare of the children is sacrificed (McBride). For the aforementioned circumstances, it is essential that schools offer child care centers in the campus, enabling students to acquire affordable assistance with high quality performances that caters to the different schedules of students. Every parent wants to provide quality care to their children so that one of the basic considerations in choosing child care centers is the atmosphere the children are exposed to. Statistics shows that children who are given quality early childhood care are more likely to succeed in life (Anderson & Dektar). Therefore, high performance levels of child care centers need to be considered in establishing them inside the school campuses. To ensure this, having the child centers accredited should be a must. One of the accrediting bodies is the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC) which aims to strengthen the operational aspects of early childhood systems for the benefit of the children. Such accreditation will provide peace of mind to the parents, knowing that the child care centers they are entrusting their children to are efficient because they are conforming to the requirements demanded by the accrediting body. Simply having one’s child in the care of people who are not able to provide the basic needs of a child would not be sought for as parents will always be parent s, valuing more the safety and care of the children rather than their own education. However, with the accreditation of child care centers in schools, parents would be sure that the staff are well qualified and have the necessary education and training (naeyc.org) to look after their children at affordable prices. Speaking of prices, it is also to be thought of because the people the center services usually come from low-income students who are at the brink of dropping out if they do not find affordable, quality based centers for their children. Affordable prices of course, do not mean they are to be very cheap wherein the child care center will not be able to fund itself and pay for its employees anymore but that the payment should be comparable to the services. This might bring the school child care center to have two or more categories where a cheaper plan would provide the most basic care to the children like feeding, changing diapers and the like. For growing up children who ne ed more attention like being taught how to speak, walk and others, they will be given higher fees. Probably, if there are parents who would like more services to be offered to their children like being taught how to write and read, such can avail of the services at a higher rate as well. In addition, wanting more use of facilities and materials like television, computer, and toys will have to demand additional fees for

Sunday, September 22, 2019

Vicarious Liability for Police Supervisors Research Paper

Vicarious Liability for Police Supervisors - Research Paper Example The law has with considerable forethought, extended the scope of this doctrine to encompass the activities of the police. Thus, senior police officials are under a duty to supervise the activities of their subordinate officers. They are directly liable to the public for the acts of their subordinates (Del Carmen 107). This rule applies even when they authorize, participate, or ratify such acts. These senior officials are also liable, when the act had been committed in their presence and it had been possible for them to prevent it, but they had preferred to remain indifferent. Vicarious liability connotes indirect responsibility for the negligent actions of subordinates. Such conduct could be the outcome of negligence in hiring, training, assignment, supervision, entrustment, or retention (Del Carmen 107). The State laws may render police supervisors liable for the actions affecting subordinates. In general, direct liability tends to be related to the reasons for which employees could be reassigned, suspended, demoted, or dismissed from service. The provisions of Title 42 Section 1983 are generally invoked, in order to render a police supervisor directly liable to the public (Del Carmen 107). ... In addition, these police supervisors have to enhance their awareness regarding the actions and competencies of their subordinates. As such, police supervisors should recommence the fundamental tasks of continually supervising, teaching, updating, and controlling their subordinates. This will prevent to a major extent, the various civil rights actions that tend to be undertaken on a regular basis against the actions of the police. In the contemporary world, there has been a tremendous increase and development in technologies related to computers, the Internet and communications (Grossman). Consequently, the cost of providing refresher courses and documentation on a continual basis should not exceed the cost of a legal action for failure of the municipality to provide proper training and adequate supervision, with regard to its law enforcement officers (Grossman). In Suders v Easton, the plaintiff was a police communications operator, who resigned from her post without officially info rming the police department of her having been subjected to sexual harassment. Subsequently, she sued the police department for sexual harassment in violation of Title VII. Her contention was that her resignation was tantamount to a constructive discharge (Bass 195). The Third Circuit ruled that a constructive discharge on account of sexual harassment by a supervisor was a tangible employment action. This ruling effectively precluded the police department’s affirmative defense to vicarious liability. Such an affirmative defense can be resorted to when the sexual harassment does not lead to a tangible employment action (Bass 195). However, this important ruling was overturned by the Supreme Court in Pennsylvania State Police v Suders. The reason

Saturday, September 21, 2019

Battle Against Evil Essay Example for Free

Battle Against Evil Essay Night by Elie Wiesel and Hangman by Maurice Ogden both make strong points of view towards the battle between mankind and evil. Wiesels personal experiences give the reader very specific and down to the point accounts of the Holocaust. In contrast, Ogden musical poem gives the reader a very indistinguishable idea of what is taking place. One must examine rhyme over and over to be given the full impact of the poem. The battle against evil may be compared on the basis of their narration, their subject, their language usage, and their tone and mood. The narration of both Night and in Hangman can be compared and contrasted in several ways. The first person narrative is the main point of view used in both Night and Hangman. In the last section of Hangman Ogden reverts to the point of view, first person singular as contrasting to the rest of the poem, which is presented in the point of view, first person collective. Another way Night and Hangman contrast themselves is one is an actual real life experience and the other is a fictions poem. The narrator in Hangman and the author in Night differ in how the affected the events of the novel or poem. The narrator in Hangman was more of a witness to the events that happened. Now one must not think that the author of Night did not witness any accounts of evil though. The author of Night participated in many of the brutal acts of violence committed in the concentration camps, in contrast to the narrator of Hangman who only found himself in the action near the conclusion of the poem. The subject that both Hangman and Night revolve around is essentially the same idea; kill anyone you see of a certain group of people. The only difference between the two is that in Night the Jews and only Jews are slaughtered and in Hangman a foreigner, a man with a big mouth, a Jew, and a black man are all killed. The rest of the killings that the hangman committed are not explained in detail, but the reader knows he murdered many more. The use of language in both Night and in Hangman is similar at times, but  then they vary greatly from each other at other times. When the authors are describing the setting it is a time when they are alike. Weisel describes one the concentration camps in Night like this, The camp looked as though it had suffered an epidemic: empty and dead. (Wiesel 45). The next days sun looked mildly down/ On roof and street in our quiet town (Ogden 134). Is how Ogden describes his setting of the third section of his poem. A huge difference in the style of writing between the two works by Weisel and Ogden is that Weisel uses very dull and direct writing and Ogden uses very rhythmic and musical style of writing. Both Wiesel and Ogden set a negative tone in their writings. In Hangman the narrator never does a thing while he watches person after person is being executed hoping that that was the one who served the hangman best. All through out Night Elie never tries to help anyone, except his father. But even in the end he gives up all hope and has the same motive as the rest of the young men who were at the concentration camps, that it is every man for him self. The moods that are set by the authors are negative as well. Both Wiesel and Ogden start there writing off with a depressing and awful occurrence. Such as when Wiesel tells how Mochà © described the concentration camps he saw. Also how Ogden starts off his poem by saying Into our town the Hangman came, /Smelling of gold and blood and flame- (Ogden 134). Both of the works start with a negative tone and mood that pull one closer to the battle of evil. The battle of mankind verse evil is expressed many ways thought out the context of Night and Hangman. It is expressed in the narration with the use of real life experiences and awful occurrences. The subjects of two writings generally deal with the same thing, killing. The language usage, tone, and mood all present examples of the battle against the evil.

Friday, September 20, 2019

Coca Cola Crisis Case Study Commerce Essay

Coca Cola Crisis Case Study Commerce Essay Coca Cola Company is the worlds largest beverage company with manufacturing, distributing and marketing of non-alcoholic beverage concentrates around the world. Coca Cola brand and formula was bought by Asa Candler in 1889 who integrated the Coca Cola Company in 1892. Coca Cola offers almost 400 brands in more than 200 countries. CSE had a press release which stated some 12 cold drink brands in and around Delhi contained a deadly cocktail of pesticide residue in it. The tests were conducted by the Pollution Monitoring Laboratory which found 12 cold drink brands containing pesticide residue exceeding the global standards by 35 times. Since the Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) has an unclear and indeterminate standards for pesticide residues, CSE used the European standard for maximum acceptable limits for pesticide in package water. The pesticide that has been found, harmful for the human body, which were known to cause cancer, birth defects and severe damage to the immune system, nerves and reproductive systems. Analysis Many of the scientists have been arguing that the pesticide which is a by-product of Indias agriculture industry leaked into the groundwater which Coco Cola uses for the manufacturing of the drinks. Most of the industries in India are required to meet an acceptable amount of pesticide allowed but when tested; the level was far more than the acceptable level. In a matter of only 2 3 weeks the sale of Coca Cola dropped by 40 percent. The President and CEO of Coca Cola India, Sanjiv Gupta denied the allegations made by CSE also stated them to be unaccredited and misleading. They even challenged the credibility of CSE and their results and are planning to make the data public. On one hand the tests done by CSE, resulted in the exceeding presence of pesticide in those 12 samples but on the other hand when the government did the tests, it found no unsafe level of pesticide which was stated by the Minster of health and family welfare. CSE disputed the testing and stated that both the results cannot be right. Later Coca Cola hiked the prices by 15 percent in India giving the reasons that the hike in prices will cover up the increase in raw material, the cost of distribution and also the effect of the false pesticide accusation which led to a decline. This uproar also crossed across to the United States where the University of Michigan stopped the sale of Coca Cola products along with universities like New York University, Rutgers University New Jersey and Santa Clara University California which also stopped the sale of Coca Cola products. All these universities had a 1.4 million contract with Coke. In India, Coca Cola teamed up PepsiCo on a campaign to prove that their products were safe and they also issued a combined statement in the crisis through ISDMA (Indian Soft Drinks Manufacturers Association). They also stated that the customer safety was their priority and that the soft drinks which are manufactured in India fulfil the international as well as the national norms and regulations. Coke was under a lot of pressure by the protestors, who even attacked the shops in Delhi which sold Coca Cola products. The Indian Supreme Court also pressurized the company to reveal the secret recipe which has been kept a secret for almost 120 years, so that more testing could be done. States like Gujarat and Madhya Pradesh banned the Coca Cola products and wanted a nationwide ban. Sales dropped by 40 percent and also the Coca Cola Bottling Company stock went down 5 percent. This is arguably the biggest controversy in Coca Cola Company in India. Coke concentrated more on the arguing the allegation made by CSE of the pesticide charges instead on concentrating on getting back the support of the customers, especially in India. This caused a backfire as stated by Richard.S.Lewick who specialises in crisis management. All this led to the main concern of winning back the support of the consumers, quality issue, environmental issue and political issue. THE STAKEHOLER THEORY MANAGEMENT EMPLOYEES INVESTORS COCACOLA COMPANY SUPPLIERS LOCAL COMMUNITY GOVERNMENT CONSUMERS CUTOMERS The table below states the degree of importance and the power of influence of each stakeholder individually: STAKEHOLDERS DEGREE OF IMPORTANCE POWER OF INFLUENCE Employees 5 4 Investors 5 4 Suppliers 5 4 Management 5 5 Consumers 5 4 Customers 5 5 Government 5 5 Local community 4 3 Recommendations I hope the following recommendations and strategies will help Coca Cola rebuild its image and reputation in India to increase sale of Coca Cola products, improve the ratings and also earn the trust of the people in India. Internal recommendations: The first priority should be to re examine the testing amenities and update the water purification system throughout the plants in India since the company dedicates to offer healthy and refreshing products. The employees should also be regularly updated on how the crisis is being administered. A mandatory bi monthly meeting should be held which will brief on the lab results, procedure and the new policies. A toll free 800 number can be created where the customers can call and ask the operators with any questions they might have and want cleared. External recommendations: Immediately after the CSE allegations and the press release of high level of pesticide in Coca Cola products, the President and CEO of Coca Cola India should have held a news conference addressing the issue and assuring the public that the company is dedicated to offering high quality product and that the Coca Cola independent tests have resulted in the support of the standards set by the European Economic Commission (EEC), and the officials also had to take care of not admitting to the guilt but assuring that the company is dedicated and loyal to the safety of the people and always keeps on researching on improving all the products. The company should also have increased the transparency by making the lab results public on quality control etc., on their website. Instead of attacking the CSE for the allegations made by them, joining forces with them will help a lot in solving the problem which would avert the loss of customers in India and also around the world. Coca Cola Company could also have stated that the tests done by CSE, was done by a third party. The company could have been less offensive which would make the public believe that the company is taking this matter seriously and they do care about the health and safety of the public. Another recommendation can be a case of DENIAL i.e. Coca Cola India can just ignore the allegations made by CSE. Coca Cola being a powerful brand could deny the allegations, by just ignoring it because eventually after a while the people will forget about it. This is a simple alternative but it can also backfire because the reporters are known to criticise and make an issue through media. Even though the NGOs are small but the public trusts them more which could turn out to be a disaster for Coca Cola. Just as in the case of Belgium, a couple of years earlier, Coca Cola India could arrange a PR campaign which would help them regain customer loyalty. In the case of Belgium, the company there arranged a PR campaign in which vouchers, products being delivered to the house were offered which worked for Belgium because it only consists of 4.4 million households which is comparatively less to that of India. So the PR campaign plan has to be tailored to reach out to the people in India. It can also show and demonstrate that Coca Cola is not just a huge greedy company which concentrates only on profits but is a global citizen which also gives back to the people of the community. CONCLUSION It can be assured that the recommendations and strategies mentioned above will prove itself to be socially and environmentally responsible which prioritizes the safety of the public in providing safe and delicious soft drinks which will eventually lead to the sustainability of the Coca Cola India.co and its profit. The crisis spotlights on the factors that commodities like clean drinking water cannot be taken lightly and is a serious matter which need to be made a priority and the quality of the product should continually be examined and updated. The analysis of the crisis regarding socio- ecological and political changes, all are covered here as in the government taking a stand, environmental measures and public safety.

Thursday, September 19, 2019

On the Origin of Adaptations: Rethinking Fidelity Discourse and Success -- Biologically :: Article Review, Bortolotti, Hutcheon

The article, "On the Origin of Adaptations: Rethinking Fidelity Discourse and 'Success' -- Biologically," written by Gary R. Bortolotti and Linda Hutcheon criticizes the habit of using fidelity as the defining characteristic in deciding if an adaptation is a success or a failure. Bortolotti and Hutcheon posit a new system of evaluation by borrowing from the discipline of evolutionary biology. Namely, the success of an adaptation is to be judged by it's efficiency in perpetuating narrative. In evolutionary terms adaptations are predicated on survival of the fittest -the strongest narratives are the ones that adapt to their environments and replicate: by changing for different mediums, time periods, and societies they better insure the chances that the narrative will survive. The article begins with the claim from the movie Adaptation that, "adaptation is a profound process, which means you try and figure out how to thrive in the world" (443). While the authors acknowledge that the context of the film might give the impression of this being an ironic statement, in truth the opposite is true: adaptation really is pivotal to the continued survival of a narrative. The manifest problem with adaptation theory, according to Bortolotti and Hutcheon is the tendency of critics to judge adaptations as good or bad based upon the level of fidelity they maintain with the source text. Altering a source text is not a bad thing -- it is necessary. Bortolotti and Hutcheon both describe transformation of source texts as, "a common and persistent way that humans have always told and retold stories" (444). Critic Thomas Leitch agrees with this judgment and states, "every text offers itself as an invitation to be re-written" (16). But if re-writing a source text is a necessary and beneficial thing then what system of judgment should be used to replace the fidelity criterion? Bortolotti and Hutcheon suggest embracing the scientific framework of post-Darwin biology to judge adaptations. Biologically changing or mutating is necessary for a the survival of a species: creatures who cannot adapt to new environments or circumstances will die out. As stated in the article both stories and organisms share the common need to, "replicate and change" (446). The question arises, then, on how much change can be made before a story is no longer an adaptation. When does it become its own story rather than the re-telling of a source text. Critics Hutcheon and Bortolotti claim that adaptations may change many things and still maintain their status as an adaptation as long the core narrative remains in tact.

Wednesday, September 18, 2019

Geothermal Energy Essay -- Power Fuel Renewable Resource Global Warmin

Geothermal Energy: The Answer to the Energy Problem? Abstract: The global community is currently searching for new sources of energy that are not detrimental to the environment, that are cost effective, and that will be able to provide for the current and future demand for energy. Geothermal energy is one of the promising alternatives to fossil fuels because it releases no toxic or greenhouse gas emissions, its current cost is decreasing yearly, and it is a continuous source of energy. It is a clean and efficient energy source that has the capabilities to provide for a majority of the power used in the residential, commercial, industrial, and electric power sectors. This paper will examine the current and most efficient methods of mass producing geothermal energy, its cost effectiveness, environmental impact of production, the amount of power it can produce, and will determine if geothermal energy could be the answer to the world’s energy problem Introduction: The United States is faced with a major problem: finding new energy s ources that would not release pollutants released in the atmosphere. The search has been fruitful, with great development in solar, and wind technologies, but they remain much too expensive to mass produce and both have sporadic productions of energy due to a heavy reliance on the weather. Yet this search has also resulted in the growth and success of geothermal energy, which provides a continuous stream of heat energy from within the Earth. The geothermal field is quickly growing, making this renewable energy source a competitor amongst fossil fuels and a great hope for the future. Background: Geothermal energy is heat from within the Earth. This heat energy is either steam or hot water that collects ... ...hermal Power Production Jan 16 2008, Mark A. Taylor http://www.geoenergy.org/publications/reports/Geothermal_Production_and_Development_Update_January_16_2008.html -The State of Geothermal Subsurface Technology Part1, November 2007, Mark A. Taylor -http://www.geo-energy.org/aboutGE/basics.asp -US Department of Energy: Geothermal Power Plants http://www1.eere.energy.gov/geothermal/powerplants.html -Energy Information Association http://www.eia.doe.gov/kids/energyfacts/sources/grothermal.html -US energy consumption Data tables http://www.eia.doe.gov/cneaf/solar.renwables/page/rea_data/rea.pdf -Geothermal Power- Energy America -http://www.energyamericaini.com/index.php/geo_power/ -National Geothermal Collaborative -Common Questions about Geothermal Energy http://www.geocollaborative.org/publications/common_questions_About_Geothermal_energy.pdf

Stand Up And Fight :: essays research papers

I have a right to be angry. I grew up in Mobile, AL. When I was young, this place was almost all White. Everywhere I went I saw only my own people. I could ride my bicycle anywhere without fear. There were no gangs, or drugs, or drive-by shootings, or anything. The kind of guys we were afraid of in school would be total wimps today. That country felt like home. It was a home. All that is gone now. As I drive through the town where I grew up, half the cars have foreigners in them. The other half have aging Whites. The houses have fences around their front yards, with spiked arrowheads on top. On the street corners there are mini-malls with strange writing on the signs, in Chinese or Arabic or God knows what. I recently saw something that made me ill. An old man was walking down the street. He had a long flowing gray beard, and a turban, and the whole bit. He must have been from India. I thought, what the hell is he doing here in my country ? Why doesn't he stay in his own country ? He has his own homeland to live in. I do not want him here. Once, I went into Pep Boys. Behind me, I heard two voices talking in some strange garbled language that I had never heard before. I turned around and it was two White kids. I think they must have been from Eastern Europe. I felt ill. Now even the Whites are strangers. That affected more than all the rest. I do not want to live in a place where everyone is a FREAK ! I want to live in a place where I have some grounding. I do not want to live in a place where everything is always in flux. I want to live in a home. I do not want to live here anymore. All of this is being done to us. What we want counts for nothing. We live in a phony republic. The people here have about as much power as a student body government. This reminds me of what happens to European countries when they lose a war. Provinces along the border are split off and given to other countries. Foreigners move in, and the people are oppressed and become second class citizens. California and the whole West Coast are being turned over to Mexico and Asia as settlement colonies.

Tuesday, September 17, 2019

Managing Customer Relations Essay

This helps them to gather customers feedback by collating the responses and discussing about them during meetings, to see if there is an alternative, or a solution to the problem. However, not all feedbacks can have a solution as there are shortages of certain resources such as manpower, turnover rate and space in shop area. Overall, Food For Thought is a successful organisation despite not having a CRM system. They are able to generate high profits every month due to loyal customers and customers who frequent that area. Company’s Background Food for Thought is a Food and Beverage Restaurant (F&B) that sells western-styled food. It started out as a cafe in North Bridge Road. After a few years of establishment, the company decided to open another outlet at a nearby location of a larger space and closed down the cafe. Currently, there are 2 outlets (Queen Street and Botanical Gardens). They sell a variety of foods including salads, pastas, pancakes, cakes and desserts. The company has 2 selling points that differentiate them from other restaurants. First, the ambience provides a good place for customers to relax and hang out with family or friends. The overall layout emits a homely touch. Using recycled items, they decorate the restaurant with 540 jars of emptied pasta sauce. Secondly, they practice societal marketing concept by giving back 10% of their yearly profit to charity organizations. Their 5 missions include ‘Give clean water, ‘Feed good food, ‘Make poverty history ‘, ‘Teach them all’ and ‘Inspire kind acts’. (Refer to appendix A) CRM Planning Process Through the interview conducted, we found out that Food for Thought have yet to implement CRM system. However, they are considering implementing it after the organization is stable. Food for Thought connects with their customers through the use of Facebook and Twitter by learning customers’ needs and wants. Their target markets are the SMU students and the people working around the area of their location. In order to increase the awareness of their organization, they place their advertisement on the SMU daily newsletter and provide promotions for the students. Food for Thought staffs focuses on creating customer’s experience in order to build relationship with the customers. The staffs recognize their loyal customers and create a personal friendship with them. Likewise for new customers, the staff will create a customer relationship as they exercise relationship marketing. CRM Implementation Process In our opinion, Food for Thought has the basic foundation for implementing CRM system as they focus on managing customer’s experience. They start out by creating a Facebook page in order to encourage feedbacks from the customers. The management then analyzes the comments before deciding appropriate measures that should be carried out. Even though Food for Thought doesn’t have a CRM system, they collect their customers’ name card and sent out emails to update them on various promotions and competitions. They initiated the use of smart-phone apps such as chope. com or hungrygowhere. com to provide customers the convenience of making a reservation online. On the other hand, they are able to track their customers’ spending and number of times of reservation made. When queried on why they have yet to implement CRM system, Mr. Pala stated that the organization will only consider implementing a proper CRM system when the organization faces the situation whereby there is a need to analyze customer’s needs and wants to an extent. Impact of CRM on Sales and Marketing Strategy Food for Thought sales strategy focuses on the need to develop solutions to meet customer’s specific needs. The management team conducts a meeting every two weeks to review on the feedbacks mentioned through email, Facebook and Twitter (as mentioned above) to analyze on the customer’s needs. They collect verbal feedback from different customers and inform them about their menu recommendations based on customer’s individual needs and preferences. While they are collecting payments from the customers, the staffs will focus on being dialogue-oriented by engaging in small talks with the customer to understand their needs better before stating the feedback of the food to the head chef. The head chef will then make alternative recipe to meet and satisfy the customer’s needs. Through the use of sales forces, Food For Thought is able to process customer information quicker to meet customers’ need. They focus on sales force automation by using key account management such as the POS system to tabulate monthly and yearly sales. The sales activities allow them to identify the most favorable and least favorable items, via this method; they will up-sell the most favorable item to the customer while considering removing the least favorable items. The use of social media has provided the staffs with information to identify and differentiate their customers. By using this method, the staff will then be able to create a different marketing strategy to interact and customize various offerings to suit the needs of individual customers. For example, premium seating (bar table) are provided to their loyal customers, this allows the customers to not only observe the chef’s method of cooking but also engage in small talks with the staffs. Food For Thought focuses in building relationship. They believe in gaining true loyal customers by creating strong relationships through exchanging information while engaging  in dialogues with the customer. Through this method, customer knowledge will increase and therefore strengthening the relationship with the customer. Most of the loyal customers are under the undivided loyalty. They come from the workplace located nearby and only dine at Food for Thought. Loyal customers are more profitable as they help to spread positive word-of-mouth about the organization. Food For Thought implements retentio n strategies to the customers. One of which would be by rewarding loyal customers – for example, SMU students are entitled to 5% discount. This develops effective acquisition strategies to encourage word-of-mouth referrals for the customers. Loyal customers are entitled to preferential treatment as the organization treat loyal customers like family and refer to them by their name. Outcome of CRM implementation With limited resources, Food For Thought has to identify their desirable customers. Without CRM system, it is difficult to analyze customer from the restaurant. Food For Thought is currently in the stage of developing comprehensive CRM; therefore they do not have a fixed answer of the success or failure in implementing CRM in this restaurant. The current CRM implementation process has help gain customer knowledge, customer satisfaction and help building up the relationship with the customers. As Food For Thought is a developing business, there are rooms for improvement in the CRM implementation. They measure the effectiveness of CRM program through customer feedback. Using the feedbacks provided, the management is able to know the satisfaction of customers regarding the service or food of the restaurant. Unlike other restaurant that focuses on being profit-orientated, Food For Thought is customer-orientated. This implies that customer’s experience is more important than the profit gained. Moreover, customer interaction provides a measurement for the effectiveness of program. This shows that restaurant should improve on their service to retain existing customers. The increase in customer touch point will lead to an increase in opportunity in gaining customer’s knowledge thereby creating a learning relationship between the organization and the customers. Conclusion and future plans of company’s CRM strategy We have concluded that Food for Thought is a successful organization, where  they focus on building customer relationship rather than being profit-oriented. When there is a relationship built with the customers, trust will be built, and because Food for Thought believes in being customer-oriented, they never fail to recognize their loyal customers, which in turn would make the customers feel recognized and good, therefore bringing returned business. Not only do th ey build and strengthen the relationship with their external customers, Food for Thought has also built and strengthened the relationship with their internal customers, namely their co-workers. Food for Thought has also place customer satisfaction as their upmost priority, which is also another factor whereby they are successful in retaining their existing customers or acquiring new customers. Food for Thought currently has no plans to implement CRM yet as it is still a small organization. However, according to Mr. Pala, he has claimed that when the time comes when the organization faces the situation whereby there is a need to analyze customer’s needs and wants to an extent, it is then they will implement CRM, for now, they want to focus more on relationship building with their customers. Lesson Learnt Food for Thought and many other organizations faces the same problem which is the lack of manpower. Such situations are unavoidable and the turnover rate is usually higher in the F&B business as most locals prefer other lines of job than F&B. One way to overcome this problem is to have some employees, mainly the supervisor, to be on standby. Another method to overcome this problem would be to implement self-service in the outlet. However, Mr. Pala has claimed that this method may hinder the process of building relationship with the customers. Being customer-oriented, they value their loyal customers by treating them as a part of their family. Through this strategy, Food for Thought is able to build customer relationship and strengthen the bond between the organization and the customers. They gain customer’s trust by providing service beyond expectation by getting close to the customers and engaging small talks with the customer, proving that they value the relationship with each individual customer. â€Å"All customers are equal, regardless of them being loyal and long-term or new,† quoted from Mr.  Pala. They practice building customer relationship through breaking the ice by engaging in small dialogues with the customers either when they order food or upon settling the bill. When queried on how each and every staff managed to practice building customer relationship, Mr. Pala replied with the answer indicating that practice comes from the inner heart. They believe that by strengthening the bonds with ever y staff and treating them like a family will naturally bring out the courage in each and every staff to build a relationship with the customers.

Monday, September 16, 2019

Lean Operations Essay

Task 1: To what extent could or should Deane expect to apply the philosophies and techniques of JIT/Lean to the running of a staircase cell? Staircases Production Company (SPC) is a small, successful, privately owned timber and building materials company based in a small city in the UK. The company offers a wide variety of timber products, from regular doors, windows and staircases to special products such as non-standard sections or special profiles (i.e. old designs of skirting board). Its products stand out from its main competitors (small joinery businesses) with high levels of quality. Due to the quality of its products as well as the huge demand of special stairs in the region, sales has been increasing steady year by year particularly special stairs. However, the business is not as profitable as it was expected and some important customers have been complained recently due to late deliveries. Because of the loss of profitability, Dean Hammond, the new appointed General Manager of SPC, is thinking about carrying out some changes in the organisation in order to cope with the current problems. Precisely, he thinks Lean and Just-in-Time principles and techniques might help SPC increase its profitability as well as improve the performance of the whole organisation. However, although this philosophy has been applied successfully to manufacturing and operations environment (Chowdary and George 2012), Mr. Hammond unknowns if the application of Lean principles in a company that produces a high variety and low volume of products would make sense. The Lean management approach, developed by Taiichi Ohno (1912-1990) at Toyota Motor Corporation in Japan, forms the basis for the Toyota Production System. The term Lean was first introduced in 1990 in the book entitled The Machine that Changed the World by Womack, Jones and Roos. In â€Å"Lean thinking†, 5 principles were put forward an implementation framework to be used by an organisation (Womack et al. 1990): †¢Specify value from the customer’s perspective, †¢Identify and understand the value stream, †¢Improve work flow (minimize interruptions during processing), †¢Let value flow only through the customer’s pull (all work is initiated by customer demand), and †¢Pursue perfection continuously (the goal is zero waste) The core idea of Lean philosophy is to maximize customer value while minimizing waste. From a production perspective, Lean manufacturing uses Just-in-Time (JIT) approach as its production strategy for minimizing waste and improving quality (MindTool 2013). JIT provides for the cost-effective production and delivery of only the necessary quality parts, in the right quantity at the right time and place, while using a minimum of facilities, equipment, materials and human resources. JIT is accomplished through the application of specific techniques which require total employee involvement and teamwork (Lee and Ebrahimpour 1984). The application of these principles in the manufacturing and assembling processes characterized by a high variety and high volume (HVHV) of activity has been widely proven a great success. However, the difficulties associated with applying Lean principles within HVLV organization have been identified and analysed by Jina et. al (1997). The analysis of the applica bility of Lean principles in SPC has been carried out taking into consideration some aspects analysed by Jina et al. (1997): †¢Product and product demand. The manufacturing and assembling process of SPC begins with a customer’s order (simple dimensioned sketches of the required product) what is called â€Å"pull system†. Customer’s pull demand is one of the principles of Lean and it enables a company to produce only what is required, in the correct quantity and at the correct time. However, the nature of the orders (called â€Å"make to order†) makes the application of the Lean principles a huge challenge for SPC due to small changes of the inputs (changes in the schedule, differences of product mix between one period and the next one, volume changes between periods and the frequency of product changes within time-frame of customer lead time expectations) generates a large impact on the performance of the manufacturing system (Jina et. al 1997). Nevertheless, the result can be levelled within a set of well-defined flexibility parameters (Jina et. al 1997), to give some examples: commonizing raw material and finished parts and organizing for high and low level demand. †¢Process. It can be said that processes currently do not follows any flow structure: production is planned without any solid criteria and there is no single flow route for either materials or machinery. This unstructured work floor causes: joinery department job shops are untidy and congested (joiners are working on several part-finished items at once, single pieces of equipment are shared  by 10 or more joiners, joiners try to fit in with each other over the use of machinery, etc.) and big allowance of waste and timbers defects are found around the workshop. Despite of this chaos, it has been identified that the specific case of the manufacturing and assembling staircases follows a repeatable process steps (although staircases are different): cutting ti mber, sanding, machining and tenoning, which makes this process potentially standardised. Therefore, it can be said that Lean principles can be applied to this process. However, in order to identify the applicability of Lean principles to the rest of the processes, more information should be provided. †¢Workers. The processes disorder is supported by the fact that, on one hand, SPC’s joiners are capable of making any product and, on the other hand, because they enjoy the wide variety of challenging work. Despite of this, workers’ flexibility to carry out a wide range of tasks is considered as a factor that would help the implementation of Lean. To sum up, it can be said that the application of Lean principles is possible but it will be a great challenge for SPC. Task 2: What are likely to be the main categories of costs and benefits in establishing the cell? Are there any non-financial benefits which should be taken into account? Listed below, there is an analysis of the benefits (financial and non-financial benefits) and the costs (financial costs) expected to be achieved with the implementation of Lean principles in SPC: -Benefits. The company will gain financial and non-financial benefits which will affect the revenue stream of SPC and the level of satisfaction of both customers and employees. †¢The financial benefit of Lean for the company expected is an increase in its revenues as a consequence of increasing the productivity by finding and eliminating the waste within the process. This is achieved through reorganising and tidying the manufacturing floor (using 5S/CANDO or visual management), improving work flow to eliminate motion and transportation between stages of production (workshop layout) (Page 2004), and increasing employee efficiency by specialising and standardising the work and cutting out wasteful work; †¢Non-financial benefits are shown by the level of customer and employee satisfaction. On one hand, customer satisfaction increases by meeting requirements and on-time delivery; improving customer retention and attracting new customers by, for example, word of mouth (Cudney, Furterer and Dietrich 2013). And on the other hand, employee  satisfaction increases by empowering them and taking into consideration their opinion. -Costs. There are two aspects that would affect the cost stream: cost reduction within the process and cost of lean implementation. †¢Cost reduction can be located from different attributes of the manufacturing process: inventory, defects, maintenance, labour cost, compensation, etc. (Ross 2002; Stegall 2012). Each task in the process gets specialised and standardised, the employee can stop the production line if they detect defects, thereby reducing the number of defects and work-in-process; production line productivity is improved to deliver products on time, helping the company to avoid compensation and discount, and reducing over-time working. Specialised jobs require particular machines or tools, to be handled with care and regularly maintained by the employees using it, reducing risk of break-downs and repair/replacement costs. And also, a reduction of raw materials inventory (waste) is expected. †¢Cost of Lean implementation can be located from: training for employees for redefinition and re-assignment, production line stoppage, workshop layout re-organising, information technology systems and management cost for implementing new system. These costs might be quite high when the company implement the whole system, therefore in the short-term it could overcome the profit of the company. However, because Lean is a long-term commitment, it will help transform the company and enhance the profit for the long term.â€Æ' Task 3: At what stage, and how, should Deane sell his idea to the Joinery Manager and the workers? To sell the idea of Lean implementation and cellular manufacturing to the Joinery Department, Dean should have a strategy to approach first the Joinery Manager (JM) and a its employees (once the manager is already convinced). Frist, Dean needs to sell the idea to the JM because he is the one who will decide whether this plan will be done or not because his commitment and leadership are essential to achieve a successful implementation (Wrye 2013). To convince and engage the Manager with the idea, Dean needs to conduct and present a business report of the company: an analysis of the current status of SPC (covering both quantitative and qualitative aspects), with the pros and cons of Lean implementation in a HVLV organisation. A strategy and implementation pl an which shows the roadmap, methodology, goals, and objectives to be introduced. Dean can then work with the JM to customise the implementation  of the plan to suit with SPC current situation. After gaining the approval of the JM, Dean needs to prepare actions to sell the idea to employees, to create an organisational understanding of the philosophy, methodology, implementation process, in order to take full advantage of the significant changes. The JM and Dean need to explain to the workers the current situation of the company, an overview of Lean and its benefits for the whole company and for each employee’s job. The workers also need to be acknowledged for the value of their work, their power over the production line and their responsibility of product’s quality. Some training and information about the new system might also need to be provided before actual implementation. Some details should be taken into account when the department start implementing Lean: †¢Because SPC is a HVLV manufacturer should adapt Lean principles to the reality of the organiation: product design geared to logistics and manufacture; organising manufacturing along Lean principles; and integrative supplier relationships (Jina et al. 1997); †¢The manager should have a clear goal for implementing Lean for the worker to follow (Womack and Jones 2003); †¢Lean is a new concept so it should be explained without technical terms or phrases to avoid confusion or resistance (Wrye 2013). The strategy of implementation should contain small steps to give the workers time, and help them gain their confidence a nd build momentum to continue with Lean.â€Æ' Task 4: How different would the cell work be from that in the main Joinery Department? Traditionally, each worker has their own zone and working on different product or order. Each worker goes through the same process, uses the same tools so they have to wait for the tools and their turn to use the machine. Lean cell manufacturing is a common workplace that has become an integral part of Lean manufacturing because it seeks to take full advantage of the similarity between parts, through standardisation and common processing. Its implementation in the work floor implies the specialisation of each step so that one person is in charge for one activity, using one particular tool or machine to eliminate delay time (Lean Enterprise Institute 2009). The worker will have space to move for their job but the movement and motion will be minimised by eliminating the gap between their tools and each other so that they can pass the finished part to the next stage immediately. Julian Page (2004) suggested the outward facing U-shape cells which taking up the same amount  of space and give the worker more options to communicate with each other with the least movement required. For the staircases, the workshop new layout will have 5 major cells: cutting timber, sanding, machining, tenoning and assembling: †¢Each cell have its own tools and machine that only that cell uses. The machine which will be used for different purpose will be placed at machining cell; †¢Machining cell will be placed near the middle of the whole workshop so that if any other cell needed to use the machines, they can access them with the least movement; †¢Cutting timber cell: after the order was placed, timber will be delivered by vendor on to the fir st station. Here timber will be cut to required shape. Off-cuts will be at the same place and the workers at this cell know how many and what shape there are, so they can be used for future occasions; †¢Assembling cell can be spilt into 3 smaller cells: glue, wedges and treated. After this cell, the product will be finished and transported straight to packing or delivery; †¢Workers can rotate within or between the cells if they want flexible jobs, since they can all do every stage of the manufacturing line. †¢Kanban card can be used between part manufacturing cells and assembly cells to limit the level of work-in-process (Jina, Bhattacharya and Walton 1997). Further information should be needed in order to assure if this layout can also be apply to the rest of the products of SPC. Another technique to be taken in is CANDO (clean-up, arranging, neatness, discipline and on-going improvement) to help maintain the Lean workshop, control obsolescence and inventory, preserv e working tools (Page 2004). The cells and workshop is presented below: Figure 1. SPC AS-IS workshop layout Figure 2. SPC TO-BE Lean cellular workshop layout Task 5: What risks are associated with Deane’s proposal? The main risks associated with Mr. Hammond’s proposal are listed below: †¢People. Behaviours exhibited by people in the workplace such as the lack of trust and commitment is the main risk identify in Mr. Hammond’s proposal. It is also one of the main reasons for unsuccessful implementation of Lean. oJoiners’ procedures to manufacture and assemble products might experience  changes with the implementation of Lean and, therefore, it may cause stress and rejection to them. Lean manufacturing requires constant employee input on quality control, which some employees may feel disinclined or unqualified to do (ÄÅ'iarnienÄâ€" and VienaÃ… ¾indienÄâ€" 2012). oDifficulties in finding managers with sufficient leadership and persuasion skills to overcome this can be also another risk to bear in mind (ÄÅ'iarnienÄâ€" and VienaÃ… ¾indienÄâ€" 2012). †¢Investment. Inability to make invest properly in the change. oDue to the unstructured work flow, SPC will need to make significant upfront investment in achieving a level of standardized processing. oImplementing Lean manufacturing often means completely dismantling previous physical plant setups and systems. The re-location of the machinery as well as training employees can increase considerably companies’ expenses. †¢Duration. The implementation of Lean philosophy and principles is a long journey process and not easy implemented. Bibliography and references CHOWDARY, B. and GEORGE, D. (2012). Improvement of manufacturing operations at a pharmaceutical company: A Lean manufacturing approach. Journal of Manufacturing Technology Management, 23 (1), 56-75. ÄÅ'IARNIENÄâ€", R. and VIENAÃ… ½INDIENÄâ€", M. (2012). Lean Manufacturing: Theory and Practice. Economics and management, 17, 732-738. CUDNEY, E.A., FURTERER, S.L. and DIETRICH, D. (2013). Lean Systems: Applications and Case Studies in Manufacturing, Service, and Healthcare. 1st ed., CRC Press, Taylor & Francis Group. JINA, J., BHATTACHARYA, A. and WALTON, A. (1997). Applying Lean Principles for High Product Variety and Low Volumes: Some Issues and Propositions. Logistics Information Management, 10 (1), 5-13. LEAN ENTERPRISE RESEARCH CENTRE (2013). What is Lean thinking?. [online]. Last accessed 28 November 2013 at: http://www.Leanenterprise.org.uk/what-is-Lean-thinking/what-is-Lean-thinking-and-key-Lean-thinking-principles.html LEAN ENTERPRISE INSTITUTE (2009). What is Lean?. [online] . Last accessed 28 November 2013 at: http://www.Lean.org/whatsLean/ LEE, S.M. and EEBRAHIMPOUR, M. (1984). Just-In-Time Production System: Some Requirements for Implementation. International Journal of Operations & Production Management, 4 (4), 3 – 15. MELTON, T. (2005). The Benefits of Lean Manufacturing: What Lean Thinking

Sunday, September 15, 2019

Report on Usha Martin

ON SALES PROCEDURES & LOGISTICS PREPARED FOR AND PRESENTED TO (WIRE & WIRE ROPE SPECIALITY DIVISION, RANCHI) UNDER THE GUIDANCE OF Mr. ARUN KUMAR DEY (Assistant Manager) (Sales Co-ordination) SUBMITTED BY NIKHIL KIRAN BBA, BIT MESRA, RANCHI. (2008-11) ANKIT KHANDELWAL BBA, BIT MESRA, RANCHI. (2008-11) VIKASH KUMAR DUBEY BBA, BIT MESRA, RANCHI. (2008- 11) DECLARATION CERTIFICATEThis is to certify that the work presented in the project entitled â€Å"SALES PROCEDURES AND LOGISTICS OF USHA MARTIN† in partial fulfillment of the requirement for the award of degree of BACHELOR OF BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION of Birla Institute Of Technology Mesra,Ranchi is an authentic work carried out under my supervision and guidance . To the best knowledge, The content of this project does not form a basis for the award of any previous degree to any one else. (A. R. SRIVASTAV) Dept Of management Birla Institute Of Technology Lalpur Extension Centre Ranchi CERTIFICATE OF APPROVALThe foregoing project e ntitled â€Å"SALES PROCEDURES & LOGISTICS OF USHA MARTIN LTD. † Is hereby approved as a credible study of research topic and has been presented in satisfactory manner to warrant its acceptance as perquisite to the degree for which it has been submitted. It is understood that by this approval, the undersigned do not necessarily endorse any conclusion drawn or opinion expressed therein, but approve the thesis for the purpose for which it is submitted. Intenal Examiner External Examiner Head Of The DepartmentAcknowledgement The satisfaction and euphoria that accompany the successful completion of the work would be incomplete unless I mention the people, as an expression of gratitude, who made it possible and whose constant guidance and encouragement served as a beacon of light and crowned my efforts with success. This report would have been impossible but for the support and guidance that we received from various people at different stages of the project. Our sincere thanks to MR. A. R. SRIVASTAV whose excellent guidance, encouragement and patience has made possible the successful completion of this project.Last but not the least we extend my sincere thanks to the entire team for providing me their time and active co-operation and all who have helped me directly or indirectly in this project. CONTENTS SI. No. | Description| | Industry and Company Profile| | | | a) Vision| | b) A brief History | | c) Other Particulars | | d) Competitors | | The Project Profile| 1| | 2| Sales procedure and System| 3| Sales procedure and form| 4| Quality analysis Testing| 5| Dispatch | | The Project-Background & Methodology| 1| Research Topic| 2| Research Objective| | Research design | 4| Information Requirement| 5| Sampling | 6| Limitations| | Analysis and Recommendation| 1| Logistics | 2| Analysis of process involved in loading cycle | 3| Findings / Suggestions| 4| Analysis of Monthly Dispatch of wire and rope | 5| Findings / Suggestions | 6| Swot Analysis for UML| | Conc lusion| | BIBLIOGRAPHY| | | VISION In our chosen business, we shall retain market leadership in India and shall be globally competitive through customer orientation and excellence in quality, innovation and technology. Looking Back – A Brief History 960 – The Company was incorporated as Usha Martin Black (Wire Ropes) limited having its wire rope plant at Ranchi. The name was changed to Usha Martin Black Ltd. in 1979 and further changed to Usha Martin Industries Ltd. (UMIL) in 1983. 1962 –the production was started and the turnover that year was 996 MT and Rs. 22. 34 lakhs respectively. 1965 – UMIL promoted Usha Ismal Ltd. (UIL) in collaboration with CCL Systems Ltd of UK for the manufacture of fittings and accessories, equipment for pre-stressed concrete system, wire ropes and wire ropes splicing equipment at Ranchi.UIL merged with UMIL in 1990 and became a division of the company 1969-promoted Usha Brecko Ltd. To design, construct and erect Arial ropeway . 1971 – UMIL promoted Usha Alloy Steels Limited (UASL) for the manufacture of billets at Jamshedpur. UASL merged with UMIL in 1988. 1975 – UASL acquired an ongoing rolling mill at Agra. 1975 – UMIL set up its Machinery Division at Bangalore for the manufacture of Wire Drawing and allied machines in technical collaboration with Marshall Richards Barcro Limited (MRB) of UK. 1979 – In order to obtain steady supply of wire rods for its wire rope plant, UASL set up a Wire Rod Rolling Mill at Jamshedpur. 980-Promote Usha Siam steel industry Ltd. in Thailand to manufacturing wire, wire rope , and auto control cables. 1986-Promote Usha Beltrone Ltd. To manufacture Jelly filled. 1987 – UMIL, along with Bihar State Electronics Development Corporation, promoted Usha Beltron Ltd. (UBL) in collaboration with AEG KABEL of Germany for the manufacture of Jelly Filled Telephone Cables. 1993-Promoted Usha Martin Pvt. Ltd. a joint venture, to provide cellular, pagin g and Telecom services. 1994-Setup software division to provide IT solutions for communication application. Setup Usha Martin Europe Ltd. a distribution center at Glasgow, U.K. 1996-Promoted summit Usha Martin Finance Ltd. a joint venture to proved financial services. 1997 – UMIL merged with UBL i. e. 1st October 1997. 1998-Setup Usha Martin amerces inc. , distribution center in Houston. Setup UMLcor, South Africa, a manufacture unit and distribution center in Johannesburg. 2000 – Acquisition of specialty wire rope manufacturing plant in UK â€Å"BruntonShaw†. Commissioning of 25 MW thermal power plants for captive consumption. 2001 – – Commissioning of 2nd SMS to enhance capacity and produce quality specialty steel. 2003 – Usha Beltron Ltd Changed its name to â€Å"Usha Martin Limited (UML).UML created Fine Cord Plasticated coated Fine wires, household wire, Polymer coated wire, Fine Ropes & Bright Bars manufacturing facilities in Tatisilw ai- Ranchi. 2004-The company successful commissioned DRI and WHRB power plant at its steel division in Jamshedpur. 2005-The company signs an MOU with Joh. Pengg for manufacturing of the specialty oil tempered spring steel wire. Commences iron ore mines successfully. Railway siding commenced. 2006-Pursuant to B. T. A. the company acquired the business of Usha construction steel ltd. , Rolling mill at Agra w. e. f. 1st-dec- 2006 as a part of the steel segment. 007- Peng Usha Martin collaborates with Jo-Peng, Austria in 2007 for Special Wire. 2008-. In this year Usha Martin Limited has awarded for excellence in consistent TPM (Total Productive Maintenance) in 2008 by Japan Institute of plant maintenance (JIPM), and CII (Confederation of Indian Industries) 2009- In this year company sets some more plants inside the Tatisilwai wire and wire rope plant and the construction and upgradation is continued, like 20MW power plant is under construction which will increase the monthly production of the unit. A 3000 tn capacity LRPC plant was established in this year at Tatisilwai plant.The company acquired Netherland based distribution and Rigging Company De Ruiter Stackable B. V. Successfull commissioning of wire rope plant at Houston, America. Other Particulars IN USHA MARTIN L. T. D Location Chotanagpur Plateau Plant Area112 Acres Nearest TownRanchi (13 Km) Nearest Railway StationTatisilwai (1 Km) Nearest Airport Ranchi (17 Km) Nearest HighwayN H-33 (8 Km) Nearest PortKolkata (412 km) PowerContracted demand 8000 KVA Source-JSEB Water2400-3200 m3/day SourcesSubernekha River . Competitors for Usha Martin Ltd. GLOBAL COMPETITORS IN INTERNATIONAL MARKETS COMPANYCOUNTRY Kiss wireKoreaBritish RopeU. K. Haggier randSouth Africa FedgerSwitzerland Austria droughtAustria CasarGermany BridonGermany DietzGermany John ShawU. K. RedaelliItaly SFESpain TeufelbergerAustria PfeifferSwitzerland DOMESTIC COMPETITORS IN INDIA South India wireKerela Bombay Wire RopesMaharashtra Bharat Wires Ropes Maharashtra INTRODUCTION ON SALES PROFILE Sales Co-ordination Department occupies a strategic position in USHA MARTIN LTD. It spreads the organization’s effort to supply customer with ever increasing qualitative of product at profitable price. Good products at competitive price are not enough.Company’s success is affected by the dealings and association of the sales Co-ordination department with customer and public, sales Co-ordination department with other department with other department influence the company’s reputation with public. So each and every department is able to maintain a healthy relationship with sales department. QUALITY OBJECTIVES OF SALES CO-ORDINATION DEPARTMENT VISION: QUALITY WORK WITH LOWEST COST SALES PROCEDURE FLOW CHART ENQUIRY: First of all enquiry is made about the product required i. e. whether the company has required product of required size, length, weight, rate, delivery etc.QUOTATION: In Quotation Company gives detail info rmation on certain matter to the customers. The quotation includes: > Product variance > Rate > Lead time > Delivery > Making time PURCHASE ORDER: Purchase order gives the complete of the product demanded by the customer. Purchase order is packed to the Head office of the company. Along with the covering letter, the Purchase order is forwarded to the planning Department of the company and accordingly sales order is prepared. It contains following information: * Name of the customer with address. * Place, the products are to be delivered (consignee). * Reference no. hich is used as order number by the company. * Name of the product. * Size of the product. * Construction of the product. * Coating and core of the product. * Rate/price of the product. * Quantity of the product. * Remark. SALES ORDER: Sales order is prepared in the planning department with the help the existing system (BAAN). It contains entire information as given in the purchase order. Sales order is send to branch off ice, Kolkata marketing, quality assurance, sales co-ordination Department with the help of BAAN. BAAN is an intra organizational network connected with the computer and is automatically updated.SALES ORDER CONTAINS: * Customer address with code. * Order acceptance no. * Customer’s order no. * Quotation. * Order no. * Date. * Branch Name. * Consignee. * Taxes & Duties. * Postal address. * Other expenses. (Insurance, octroi, advance, commission) * Banker. * Payment terms. PRIME STOCK Prime stock is the MIS of finished goods. It is prepared by production department. It provides the clear picture of what products have been produced and their composition and thus it facilitates in analyzing. Prime stock report is sent to sales co-ordination department. It provides the following details: Sales order. * Project & lot. * Length of the product. * Weight of the product * Reel used for packing and its weight. * Type, size & construction of the product. * Coating lay, tensile. * Lubrican t used in the product. * Closing sheet date & status of the product. * Rate and value of the products. * Information regarding party code, consignee & Destination. * Inspection and age of the product. IMPORTANCE: a) Prime stock assists sales co-ordination department to take the decision in b) What ratio dispatch will be made. c) It helps in making the dispatch advice or rough challan no. ) It helps in knowing the detail specification of the products to be dispatched. PRODUCTION PLAN After the sales order has been made, the company plans about the raw materials to be purchased, the raw materials in stock, container requirement, delivery time etc. It contains the following plan: * Monthly production plan. * Quantity wise production plan. * Order wise production plan. * Raw material wise production plan. * Number of Man power needed. * Nos. of Reels, Bobbins required. * Machine planning. PRODUCTION: After production plan the actual production takes place in the production department.Th e following production process is followed: Rod Ironing Pickling Denting Wire Mill (rod is drawn to make wire) ROD WIRE STRAND ROPE WIRE * Galvanized (zinc or lead) * Black Rope: Construction: * 6/36 i. e. it contains 6 strands & one strand contain 36 wires. There are many Other constructions like 1/7, 6/7 , 6/26, 8/36 , 6/ 19 etc. * It may be G/S (Galvanize Steel) , B/S (Black Steel), G/F (Galvanize Fibre coat) etc. Q A Testing: The product produced is send to the QA department and when QA passes it certificate of test is released and then closing stock is ascertained. DISPATCH: For dispatch of goods following planning is done: * Advance dispatch plan * Container requirement. * Container Fumigation (Methyl bromide). * Loading . . . . . . . . LOGISTICS IN USHA MARTIN LIMITED The major elements of market logistics in UML are: * Order Processing * Ware Housing * Inventory * Transportation * Information Monitoring * GPS (Global Positioning System) . The Transportation System Introducti on The transportation system is the physical link connecting a company customers, raw materials suppliers , pants ,warehouses and channel members the fixed point in a logistics supply chain.The fixed points in the logistic system are where some activity temporarily halts the flow of goods in the logistics pipeline. The Role of Transportation In Logistics. Bridge over buyer-seller gap: Conceptually, a company’s logistics supply chain is a series of fixed points where the goods come to rest and transportation links. The transportation link permits good to flow between the various fixed points and bridges the buyer-seller gap. Value added: Transportation is the physical thread connecting the company’s geographically dispersed operation.More specifically, transportation added value to the company by creating time and place utility; the value added is the physical movement of goods to the place desired and at the time desired. Global impact: As supply chain becomes increasi ngly in our global economy, the transportation function is connecting buyers and sellers that may be tens of thousands of miles apart. The Transportation Selection Decision The carrier selection decision is a specialized purchasing process whereby a film purchases the service a carrier to provide the necessary link among logistics facilities.It must also consider the other costs associated with how the transport method’s services affected the facility operation. The transit time, the greater the inventory level the company requires to protect against stock outs until the next shipment arrives. Modal choice: Carrier selection is a twofold process. First the firm selects a transportation mode. The choice includes the basic mode of rail, water, trucks, air, and pipeline. In addition, intermodal transportation, which used two or more modes to provide services over a given traffic lane, is available.The most common forms of intermodal transportation include rail-truck (piggyback), truck – air and rail water. Specific carrier choice: the second step in the decision is to select a specific carrier from within the chosen mode or intermodal form. The specific carrier selection requires the firm to choose the legal carrier type: common, regulated, contract, exempt or private. , . MODE OF LOGOSTICS DEPARTMENTS Intermodal Transportation Intermodal transport services refer to the use of two or more carriers of different modes in the through movement of a shipment. PiggybackPiggyback is a specialized from in which rail and motor transport coordinate. In piggyback, the carrier places the motor carrier trailer on a rail flatcar, which moves the trailer by rail for long distance. A motor carrier combines the long- haul, low-cost advantage of rail with the accessibility of motor. Rail Truck Pipeline Water Air . . . TRANSPORTATION IN USHA MARTIN LIMITED The process adopted in UML for transportation under logistics are :- 1. ) Basic Mode Roadways 2. ) Specific type a) By Truck b) By trailer ) By container Specific Type Trailer Container Truck Mainly for Export 10 Wheeler 6 Wheeler Wheeler Diff. trailer with diff. capacity 30 ton 15 ton Open top Close on Fig- Flow chart of specific type of transportation TRANSPORTATION DEPARTMENT: UML is delivering the outgoing finished goods to the domestic customer through roadways and railways. Roadways cover the maximum delivery to the customers. But for the international customers UML is sending the finished goods through waterways (i. e. shipping). As we know that the water is the one of the cheapest means of transportation.Some times UML is meeting the customer’s need through airways, (the cost is to be paid by customers) when there is a quick delivery needed. Fig. Overall Process of Transportation In Usha Martin Limited (From sales Department) Process involve in Loading Cycle 1. ) Main gate security :- The truck / trailer reports to the main gate. The security officer inspects the vehicle no. , t ransport name, driver’s name and license no. the owner book and in time of the trucks. 2. ) Weigh bridge :- Here trucks are weighted before loading the material and a slip is given to the driver of tare weight. 3. Transporter reports to the sales officer :- The transporter reports to the department after the arrival of trucks inside the factory premises so as to prepare the loading advice. 4. ) Trucks reports to dispatch area :- After reporting to the main gate security and weight- machine the truck reports to the dispatch area to inform the department of its arrival. 5. ) Sales release the loading advice :- Soon after the transport reports, the department releases the loading advice so that the loading process starts. 6. ) Trucks are loaded as per the loading advice :- The dispatch section segregated material as per loading advice memo.The materials are loaded in such a way that the packing does not damaged during loading and in transit. 7. ) Loaded truck reports to weight b ridge :- After loading the trucks again reports to the weight machine. Here again a ship of grand weight and net weight is given to the driver. 8. ) Sales releases the dispatch documents :- The sale department releases the dispatch documents that consist of transporter note or receipt, excise / custom gate pass, packing list, certification of test, road permit that are attached to the invoice before handling over the documents to the transporter 9. ) Main gate security :-The second interactions clears or checks the party name and address, material description, quantity, invoice of the loaded truck and keep record of out time the loaded trucks. Fig. Flow of Transportation within Factory Premises (For Finished Goods) Distribution Network of UML, Ranchi EXPORTS IN INTERNATIONAL MARKETS BY UML Works Usha Martin Limited Ranchi Kolkata PortHaldia Port Mumbai Port Usha Martin, AmericaUsha Martin, Scandinavia Mid East Countries Usha Martin, Europe, UKUMLCOR, Africa To Different Customer Fig . Process of Export rope dispatch used by Usha Martin Limited (By sales Department)ANALYSIS AND INTERPRETATION USHA MARTIN INDUSTRIES assess the logistic function, which help the raw material which is purchased and then it is planned accordingly for the production and when the production is finished good is kept in the stock godown from there it is despatched according to the demand of the customer through the efficient distribution channels to the destination or warehouse accordingly. From Purchase Department:- Purchase department deals with the purchase of raw materials like wire rod and lubricants (from Jamshedpur), chemicals from (Mumbai) like, HCL Borax, etc.Propane gas (from GILO, Zinc lead (from Kolkata. ) In this department relevant information are incorporated in the purchase orders so that product supplied by the sub-contractors, meet desired quality requirements. The product is reviewed and approved by management representative and issued by head of quality system. The re sponsibility of implementing and maintaining the procedural steps of this procedure rests with in charge of purchase department. From planning Department:- Planning Department deals with the allocation of work according to product Planning Department review the purchase order.After receiving it becomes the sales order. It includes all the necessary details regarding product and also the address of the consignee. On the basis of this a W. P. S. (Work Plan Schedule) is prepared Plan horizon of UML is 15 days W. P. S. includes schedule of each and every day. That is from the day despatching of the product. Something advance planning is made for the products, which are always in, demands (for e. g. fishing rope). From production department:- The main manufacturing plants that U. M. I. contains are wire, strand and rope. Its wires and ropes are used for various purposes. For e. . fishing rope, engineering ropes etc. U. M. I. is specialists of L. C. W. R. ropes, which is mainly used, in m ining industries U. M. I. ropes have to go through a tensile strength test before DESPATCHING. Research Topic Before we start our research, it is necessary to have at least some idea of what to do? This is probably the most difficult and yet the most important component of the research project. Without being clear about what we are going to research it is difficult to plan how to research? Therefore formulating and clarifying the research topic is the starting point of any research project.Taking into account the above matter, the research topic is formulated as such: â€Å"SALES PROCEDURES & LOGOSTICS† Research Objective The research may begin with a general focus as a base from which to right a set of research objective. Objective is more generally acceptable as evidence of the researcher’s clear sense of purpose and direction. A research objective requires more rigorous thinking which derives from the use of more formal language. Therefore the broad objective of the study is : * To analyses the dispatch of wire & rope. * Control of loading cycle time. To obtain the required knowledge of the subject. * To study the existing Sales procedures & Logistics of UML. * To find out the related problem in its system and recommend solution as per the findings. * To analyse the working & function of the sales dept. or systems to know how well the manpower is utilized. * To study the distribution network. * To find out the lacunae in the functioning of the logistic department. * To find out whether the present distribution network need some changes. * To study the consumer's behaviour ; to find out which area needs improvement. To suggest corrective measures to tighten the loose threads in the area of study Sub-objective: These would be related to Sales Procedure and Logistics which contains the study of transportation. It would reveal: * Whether the sales procedure and Logistics are properly followed by UML or not. * If not, then where the improvement is required. * Is the existing system sufficient with some modifications and improvement or does it need’s to be changed to do the products well in the market and to increase the sales volume. Altogether the hypothesis / sub-objectives developed are: To analyze the performance of the approved transporter. * To reduce the loading cycle time. * To find out the fluctuation of transportation rates. * To find out the time in documentation while releasing the loaded truck. * To upgrade the existing system concerning flow of material related to the transportation. * To analyze the activity of dispatch section insuring loading and dispatch of correct material so that these are delivered at customer’s end in good condition. Research design: A research design is simply a frame work or plan for a study that guides the collection and analysis of data.It is a blue print that is followed in completing study the main purpose of the study is to maintain flexibility and to discover ideas and insights not previously recognized therefore the study has been conducted in two phases. * Exploratory study * Conclusive study Exploratory study: This research is often conducted because the problem has not been clearly defined as yet. It allows the researcher to familiarize himself with the problem or concept to be studied. It helps to determine the best research design, data collection method and selection of subjects.It has been aimed to study the basic know how about the Usha Martine Ltd. This has been done through making an introductory visit to all the functioning department of the company specially the sales co-ordination department. Conclusive study: This research is meant to provide information that is useful in reaching conclusions or decision making. The research relies on both the secondary data and the primary data. It has been conducted through interacting with various people of sales co-ordination, expertise, interviews, observations, data collection, office reco rd, questionnaires etc.Information Requirement In a broader sense we can say that the two types of data available to a research are Primary data and Secondary data. Primary data are generated when a particular problem at hand is investigated by the researcher employing mail, questionnaire, telephone surveys, personal interview, observation, experiment. The primary data which were required for the research and to get the information, done through the help of survey. The survey thus conducted, applying the various tools, to get the information . These are done though I. Observation.II. Questionnaire. III. Interview. The process by which the trucks are loaded and in accordance the data which were collected, is done through the help of observation, questionnaire, and personal interview let the researcher to know about the loading cycle time, fluctuation in transportation rate, loading and dispatch of correct material, documentation process, transporter view , employee ideas etc. Seconda ry data includes those data which are collected for some earlier research work and are applicable in the study, the researcher has presently undertaken.Secondary data include both quantitative and qualitative data, and they can be used in both exploratory research and conclusive research . There are variety of classification for secondary data. It may be documentary data, survey based data and those compiled from multiple sources. Documentary secondary data include written document of the organization. These records or the document include:- 1. Operating procedure of sales coordination department that are: a) Dispatch of wire. b) Packing of wire. c) Marking of wire. d) Dispatch of rope. e) Packing of rope or reel for Domestic / Export ) Packing of rope in coil for Domestic / Export. g) Calculation of the sub Contractor / Transporter performance rating. h) Approval of transporter. i) Handling storage and disposal of customer returned material. 2. Monthly dispatch figure of finished p roduct. 3. Daily dispatch figure of each product. 4. Organization websites. 5. Reports of committees. 6. Annual reports of the company. 7. Book. 8. Internet. 9. Domestic wise transportation rate per metric ton. 10. Dispatch documents consisting Invoice, Rough challan, Transporter consignment note, Guarantee certificate, Certificate for test, Road permit etc. 1. Placement and dispatch of containers and trucks. Sampling Generally when field studies are undertaken in practical life , consideration of time and cost need to a selection for the researcher and that is selection of few items. Sample Technique The items which are selected is called sample and the process which involves in selecting the sample is called sample technique. In this research, technique which is used for the collection of data is judgmental sampling. Before starting rational judgment is taken and the sample should be the representative of the entire transportation under logistics. Sample SizeThis refers to the no. of items to be selected. It should be neither excessively large nor too small, it should be optimum. The optimum sample is one which fulfills the requirement of efficiency, representatives, reliability and flexibility. The samples which are selected for the information collection are:- a) Monthly dispatch figure of last three years. b) Times taken by each truck for loading and also for the container were in number of five. c) Single truck / container each day for 5 days. d) Destination wise rates of transport for last three years. e) Performance rating of last quarter, ending of financial year 07 .Limitations The primary limitation of the project was the duration of one months that was set to complete the assignment. Lost of data had to be collected and analyzed for collecting the data regarding transportation. Many existing transporter could not interviewed. The secondary limitation was regarding to the secondary data collected from the internal sources of the company about the ap proved transporters, their products, loading cycle etc. because there was huge work pressure on managers as well as on supervisor Self visiting was not allowed by the company for collecting data.The company guide does have less time to spend with us because of busy schedule of sales-coordination department. Chart of time taken by each truck Findings From the entire study on total loading cycle time, it is observed that the total time taken by the trailer (including taking the empty container) and truck exceed the normal time frame. The normal time taken is more than 5 to 6 hrs. this variation ranges from 5 hrs to 22 hrs. There are more areas that have taken in to consideration which create delay in delivery.These are as follows:- * Late dispatch of documents led to late delivery of loaded trucks. The dispatch documents generally release after 4’o clock in the second half of the day and therefore even the trucks are fully loaded it waits for the document to get, before living the factory. * As per late preparation of’ certificate of test ‘by Quality assurance department the entire documentation process moves slow ; make delay. * The sample size taken to calculate the total loading cycle time of fine trucks / container shows that not a single vehicle is loaded , within a time period of five to six hrs. Delay in arrival or in time placement of trucks or trailers. * The way which involves the loading cycle is so complicated that even the transporter wants to arrive quickly, it takes enough time. * The trucks generally wait in queues because the trucks which have arrived earlier are there for loading the material / goods at loading point. * As soon as the truck reports to the factory the two way process starts, the one by the transporter and the other by truck driver. Transporter reports to the sales office and the truck to security then weigh bridge and so on. UML uses only a single mode of transportation and that is the road ways. * Trucks are loaded as per loading advice memo. Time varies in loading different types of material. For domestic supply the loading of material takes less time but for the export it takes enough time. Time also varies in loading the material which generally are product wise, size wise, and order wise. * On few occasion printing and painting of reels is done after placement of lorry. The loading cycle time in the whole process is greater and it is a lengthy procedure this time needs to be reduced.Suggestion / Recommendation While undergoing the study various flaws regarding documentation process, loading point, dispatch area, transportation was observed. During this period of our study various pit falls and problems in existing system we found ,so to provide UML a better future various options has been chalked out . * As per our analysis loading cycle time can be reduced by on-line system entry. As the truck reports the truck no. , transporter name etc. must be entered into the system by the sec urity officer. The information provided is uploaded by sales dept.The sales dept. then makes the loading advice memo entry in system accordingly and the dispatch dept. generates this loading memo and starts further process. * There should be a foolproof system of controlling, approving the placement of vehicles by logistics section to work under a committee comprising of 2/3 persons with empowerment to take decision. * Road permit, certificate of test ; other papers concerned with transportation should be arranged well in advance so as to avoid any type of delay in dispatching which might also avoid any type of delay in delivery. Painting ; printing of the reels should be done well in advance before the placement of lorry. Also material should be traced well in advance. * There should be some substitute for the weigh bridge in charge in case if he goes for lunch ; other miscellaneous activities. * There should be a provision to develop more loading points at each dispatch sections o f wire ; ropes , so as the trucks should not wait much to come to its turn for loading. Product wise, size wise, order wise, time varies for loading of different material , therefore there should be more loading point to tackle or overcome such difficulties. There should be a change in layout of loading cycle which creates some problem for heavy vehicle to weigh. This arrangement should be made easy and straight so that the process involved take less time. For example the weigh bridge should be placed near gate no. 3 which surely reduces the time in this period i. e. loading cycle period. * This entire process reduces the loading cycle time upto great extend and the work can be done effectively ; efficiently. Analysis of Monthly Despatch of Wire ; Rope 2007-10 (Quantity in MT) Month| 2009-10| 2008-09| 2007-08|April| 8150| 7750| 7533| May| 9369| 11295| 8279| June| 11399| 10686| 11960| July| 10474| 10679| 9342| Aug| 11614| 11547| 8667| Sep| 12955| 11827| 12326| Oct| 10148| 9818| 7595| Nov| 11197| 10889| 9070| Dec| 13721| 9266| 12366| Jan| 11189| 7467| 9026| Feb| 11133| 9070| 8380| Mar| 15643| 12019| 13344| Total| 136986| 122313| 117888| Monthly despatch figure from 2007-08 to 2009–10 Sale in Domestic Market for Year 2009-10 Month| Quantity(In MT)| April| 5870| May| 5988| June| 7157| July| 6948| August| 7240| September| 7698| October| 7224| November| 7369|December| 9533| January| 7814| February| 8083| March| 11451| Total| 92375 | Sales in Domestic market 2009-10 Sale in Domestic Market for Year 2009-10 Month| Quantity(In MT)| April| 5870| May| 5988| June| 7157| July| 6948| August| 7240| September| 7698| October| 7224| November| 7369| December| 9533| January| 7814| February| 8083| March| 11451| Total| 92375 | Sales in Domestic market 2009-10 Sale in Export Market for Year 2009-10 Month| Quantity(In MT)| April| 2280| May| 3380| June| 4241| July| 3525| August| 4374| September| 5257| October| 2924|November| 3827| December| 4187| January| 3374| February| 3050| March| 4192| Total| 44611| Sales in Export market 2009-10 SALES PERFORMANCE IN THE YEAR 2009-10 Fig. Sales Performance in the financial year 2009-10 Fig. Sales Performance in the financial year 2009-10 (in MT) SWOT ANALYSIS OF USHA MARTIN LIMITED STRENGTH: * Usha Martin Limited has a good brand image. * Usha Martin Limited produces good quality product. * Usha Martin Limited is one of the few producers in the world and in India as well which produces few specialty products like wire and wire rope. Usha Martin Limited has a good financial position. * Usha Martin Limited has a wide range of product. * It has big customer like Coal India, SAIL, TISCO, HEC, ONGC, ACC, CCL, BHEL, L;T etc. * Usha Martin Limited has a strong export market. * Usha Martin Limited has implemented TPM (Total Productive Management) and ERP (Enterprise Resource Planning) in 2000-01 with the objective of increasing productivity, raising quality, and reducing costs. * In the Wire Rope division, the company entered Australia and South East Asia * The company acquired Brunt Shaw Ltd. a leading U. K. Wire Rope manufacturer, to source logically – advanced Ropes and access European Market. * Usha Martin Limited has a sound workforce infrastructure. * It has sound commercially viable infrastructure. * Usha Martin Limited has a prompt good Management Information System. * Usha Martin Limited performs many welfare activities for their employee by providing them medical facilities, bus facilities, and other welfare like canteen facility, vehicle advance and medical advance. * Usha Martin Limited has the second position in the world in producing specialty products. Usha Martin Limited has got a good market share of its product range in domestic market. WEAKNESS: * Usha Martin Limited. Products are available at higher price. * It has lack of warehouse and distribution centres. * Its machines and tools have become old and obsolete. * Lack of morale has been seen among the employee of the UML. OPP ORTUNITY: * It can increase its sales by reducing the cost, so that it can sell its product at lesser price. * It can upgrade its position if it makes alliances or merges with small rivals, which are doing well at different zones of the country. Usha Martin Limited can increase its profit if it gives more emphasis on direct marketing with the customer. * Usha Martin Limited should look for areas, where there is no supplies at all * Usha Martin Limited should market its products and services on a broader horizon. * Usha Martin Lmited should forge into those product ranges, which is feasible for its diversification. * Usha Martin Limited should seek for new market globally, where things are favourable for it. THREATS: * Small rivals are emerging at different parts of the country. *Low prices of the rival's product are a great threat for the Usha Martin Limited * Timely deliveries of the product by the competitors are putting more threat to the Usha Martin Limited. * Government always changes its policies & it brings a great threat to this organization. * Due to excess bundhs and chakka jams organised by the political parties and naxlites it is a big threats for this organisation. * Bad roadways of Jharkhand state results in late delivery of raw material and finished product and availability of raw materials at the right time. CONCLUSIONEvery organization stands on some pillars. These pillars are Finance, Marketing, operations and Human resources. To maintain the current position in the respective industry the organization has to be competent in all these areas. In case of UML, it is currently leader in the domestic market and no. two position in global market of wire rope industry. To maintain its current position at all the front as discussed above. After studying the sales procedure and systems of UML, it has been found that certain procedures are lengthy which can be reduced for effective functioning of the organization.And certain Jobs need to be off-loaded so that the manpower is utilized efficiently. It helps in coordination and functioning of the organization effectively, thus enhancing the productivity & profitability of the company. (1) Web sites concerned ———–(a). www. ushamartin. com (b). www. wirerope . com (c). www. google. com (2). Company Journal ———– (a)Annual report of UML (b)Office document (c) Usha News (3). Books Research Methods for Business Student —— Philip kotler