Summer Internship Report on Madura Garments

Project Report On Improving Service Level for Institutional Sales SUBMITTED FOR THE PARTIAL FULFILMENT OF POST GRADUATE DIPLOMA IN INDUSTRIAL MANAGEMENT (PGDIM) By Puneet Verma Roll No. 105 PGDIM – 18 Under the guidance of [pic] National Institute of Industrial Engineering (NITIE), Vihar Lake, P. O. NITIE, Mumbai 400 087 Date of Submission: _ _ _ _ _ _ _ Certificate of Supervision This is to certify that Puneet Verma, student of PGDIM, Batch No. 18 has successfully completed the project titled – â€Å"Improving Service Level for Institutional Sales†, nder the guidance of Mrs. Sadhana Ghosh (NITIE) from 11th Jan 2013 to 15th March 2013. Based on the professional work done by him, this report is being submitted for the partial fulfillment of Post-Graduation Diploma in Industrial Management at NITIE, Mumbai Signature Faculty Guide Acknowledgement I wish to extend my sincere and heartfelt gratitude to my guide Mrs. Sadhana Ghosh(Professor, NITIE), whose Guidance and help constantly helped and motivated me during the entire tenure of the project. I am able to say with conviction that I have immensely benefited.Puneet Verma PGDIM-18 Executive Summary The apparel companies cater to various channels such as Department Stores, Trade, Organized Retail etc. Institutional Sales is a nascent business channel that caters to the demand from Institutional customers i. e organizations. Sales to this channel are generally in the form of bulk orders at volume discounts. For example, a pharmaceutical company orders through this channel for gifting shirt to doctors. The majority of the business of apparel organizations comes in through Trade and Department store channels.Orders for those channels come in during the Trade shows held twice a year 6 months prior to the launch of a season (Spring-Summer or Autumn-Winter). Sourcing and production plan for those channels so are essentially done against fixed orders. But for Institutional Channel orders are not predet ermined and customers come in with orders with very short lead time. This makes sourcing and manufacturing strategy for this process completely different from traditional channels. Currently the company Madura Garments (for reference and data) is not able to service these customers at a satisfactory level applying the business processes in place.This is contributed by the fact that the normal business model is significantly different from the requirements of this channel. The approach adopted was to first study the as-is business processes in place and review the past data to ascertain the capability of the current system in place. Next the problems in the current system were identified irrespective of whether the problem was a process or people related problem. A revised process flow was the proposed which will enable the company to service Institutional customers at a satisfactory rate.Lean Six Sigma methodology was adopted to approach the problem using a DMAIC model. The final li st of recommendations include changes in the current business process in the short time frame for immediate enhancement of service levels and long term changes to improve process capability to ramp up the business capabilities. Table of Contents Project Report1 Certificate of Supervision2 Acknowledgements4 Executive Summary5 1. Introduction8 2. Need & Significance of the Project11 3. Objective12 4. Literature Review†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦. 3 4. 1 DMAIC†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ 13 4. 2 Fishbone Diagram†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦. 15 4. 3 Cause and Effect Matrix†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦. 17 4. 4 Failure Mode Effect Analysis†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.. 18 5. Methodology†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.. 4 5. 1: Understand the current market and business scenario†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚ ¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.. 25 5. 1. 1: Market Scenario: †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.. 25 5. 1. 2: Agent Performance: †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ 29 5. 1. 3: Business processes: †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ 30 5. 1. 4: Key Points: †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦. 5 5. 2: Ascertain the current service level of the syste m†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.. 36 5. 3: Identifying and Defining Problems†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.. 37 5. 3. 1: Fishbone Diagram: †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ 37 5. 3. 2: Cause and Effect Matrix: †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ 38 5. 3. 3: Failure Mode Effect Analysis:†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ 39 5. 3. : Principal Issues: †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â ‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ 41 5. 4: Process Improvement Plan†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ 42 5. 4. 1: Short term changes: †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ 43 5. 4. 2: Long term plans:†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ 47 5. 5: Process Control†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚ ¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.. 1 6. References:†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.. 54 Introduction The Aditya Birla Group is in the League of Fortune 500. It is anchored by an extraordinary force of 100,000 employees, belonging to 25 different nationalities. In India the group has been adjudged â€Å" The Best Employer in India and among the Top 20 in Asia† by the Hewitt-Economic Times and Wall Street Journal Study 2007. Over 50 percent of it revenues flows from its overseas operations.The several Group companies under Aditya Birla Group are Grasim, Hindalco, Aditya Birla Nuvo, Essel Mining, Aditya Birla Retail Limited. Aditya Birla Nuvo Limited is a diversified conglomerate and the platform that has launched many new busin esses for India’s Premier Business house, the Aditya Birla Group. Aditya Birla Nuvo has a dozen businesses under its fold, ranging from textiles to telecom. As a leading player, Aditya Birla Nuvo ranks as †¢ The country’s largest premium branded Apparel Company : Madura Garments †¢ Largest Manufacture of linen fabric in India †¢ India’s largest and the world’s fourth largest producer of insulators The second largest producer of carbon black in India †¢ India’s second largest producer of viscose filament yarn (VFY) Aditya Birla Nuvo’s Business: Garments (Branded Apparel) Madura Garments, a division of Aditya Birla Nuvo is India’s leading apparel retail company. It enjoys market leadership in the branded garments business through its power and popular lifestyle brands – Louis Phillipe, Van Heusen, Allen Solly and Peter England. The company has also entered into a distribution agreement with the International b rand Esprit and has opened exclusive brand outlets.It has 2 successful store formats The Collective and PEOPLE. Madura Garments has exclusive showroom space which includes several large format brands outlets of world-class standards, providing top quality retail experience to the consumers. It also has a high visible presence in large department and multi brand stores. The thrust is on brand building through development of innovative new merchandise, exciting communication campaigns and enhancing the product portfolio. The overall marketing strategy has been move from a â€Å"Wardrobe Brand† to a â€Å"Lifestyle† Brand.The company has won many coveted awards in the fashion world like the â€Å"Best Retailer of the Year, Best Apparel Company of the Year, Best Trouser Brand of the Year, Best Smart Casual Brand of the Year† etc. , at well known for a such as Reid Taylor Awards and Images Fashion Awards. To bolster its presence significantly in the exploding apparel retail sector, the company has started retailing its life style brand and affordable popular brands through two new formats- Madura Garments Lifestyle Retail Company Limited and Peter England Fashions and Retail Limited. Contract ManufacturingMadura Garments Exports limited is a wholly owned subsidiary of Aditya Birla Nuvo focusing on garment exports. It is an integrated player in the apparel industry with interest in manufacturing exports of wovens, knits and Full Service Provider business. The company has modern manufacturing facilities and caters to customers like Marks & Spencer, Next, Blackberry, Arrow, Tommy Hilfiger and Menswear House. The organization delivers from design to delivery of merchandise at the customer warehouse. [pic] 2. Need & Significance of the Project Madura Fashion & Lifestyle has a fast growing institutionalized sales business.In December 2011, institutional sales hit an all time high of 4. 43 crores for a month. For FY12 institutional sales will account for Rs 14 crores with a high profitability (CBA). This channel has grown by four times in terms of sales over the last four years. However, the on time in full order execution for this channel continues to be poor. Delayed deliveries and missed opportunities continue to limit the growth of this channel. In this context, there is a need to study the supply chain (planning and execution) of this channel to identify the root cause for service failures and define process and system changes to tackle these. 3.Objective †¢ Mapping of as-is supply chain (planning process, order capture and order fulfillment process): The current business process that is being followed to cater to the customer demands †¢ Establish current service level for this channel: The order service level of the channel derived from the past data that has been obtained †¢ Identify root cause for service failures in institutional business: The major causes that leads to an unsatisfactory service level rel ated to people, process, business issues 4. Literature Review Six Sigma Methodologies: Six Sigma  is a  business management strategy, originally developed by Motorola in 1986.Six Sigma became well known after  Jack Welch made it a central focus of his business strategy at General Electric in 1995, and today it is widely used in many sectors of industry. Six Sigma seeks to improve the quality of process outputs by identifying and removing the causes of defects (errors) and minimizing  variabilityin  manufacturing  and  business processes. It uses a set of  quality management  methods, including  statistical methods, and creates a special infrastructure of people within the organization (â€Å"Black Belts†, â€Å"Green Belts†, etc. ) who are experts in these methods.Each Six Sigma project carried out within an organization follows a defined sequence of steps and has quantified financial targets (cost reduction and/or profit increase). The term  Six Sigma  originated from terminology associated with manufacturing, specifically terms associated with statistical modeling of manufacturing  processes. The maturity of a manufacturing process can be described by a  sigma  rating indicating its yield, or the percentage of defect-free products it creates. A six sigma process is one in which 99. 99966% of the products manufactured are statistically expected to be free of defects (3. defects per million). Motorola set a goal of â€Å"six sigma† for all of its manufacturing operations, and this goal became a byword for the management and engineering practices used to achieve it. 4. 1: DMAIC The DMAIC project methodology has five phases: ? Define  the problem, the voice of the customer, and the project goals, specifically. ? Measure  key aspects of the current process and collect relevant data. ? Analyze  the data to investigate and verify cause-and-effect relationships. Determine what the relationships are, and attemp t to ensure that all factors have been considered.Seek out root cause of the defect under investigation. ? Improve  or optimize the current process based upon data analysis using techniques such as  design of experiments,  poka yoke  or mistake proofing, and standard work to create a new, future state process. Set up pilot runs to establish  process capability. ? Control  the future state process to ensure that any deviations from target are corrected before they result in defects. Implement  control systems  such as  statistical process control, production boards, visual workplaces, and continuously monitor the process.Some organizations add a  Recognize  step at the beginning, which is to recognize the right problem to work on, thus yielding an RDMAIC methodology. 4. 2: Operation Definition: Recall the quote in the â€Å"first step† section of this site, â€Å"You can manage, what you can measure; you can measure, what you can define; you can define, what you can understand†. Operational definition is the first step towards effective management. It helps us build a clear understanding of a concept or a phenomenon so that it can be unambiguously measured. Let us take a very simple example to understand the need and the concept of operational definition.Let us imagine a situation that we wish to buy an all-purpose shirt with 50% cotton and 50% polyester. Would you accept a shirt whose front is made up of 100% cotton cloth and the back made of 100% polyester cloth? Surely not! Clearly we need to (operationally) define what we need. A better expression would be that we need a shirt made up of a cloth having even distribution of cotton and polyester fibers and their proportion by weight (or may be by number) is equal. So far so good, but we also need to have a mechanism to test it.In this case, we can send the shirt to a lab where randomly selected two areas (say 1 cm x 1 cm) – one from the back and one from the front ar e examined for the contents. The lab reports that group of two fibers of each – polyester and cotton are interwoven to make this clothe. Did we mean alternate fibers of polyester and cotton or something else? We now discover that we even need to define â€Å"even distribution†. In a business management scenario, common words such as good, reliable, and accurate (etc. ) can have multiple meanings unless they are (operationally) defined in a specific context.So how do we construct an operational definition? The process is explained with the help of an example in the following figure: [pic] Document the outcome of each process step and that becomes the operational definition. The operation definition must be tested before it is rolled out. 4. 2: Ishikawa’s Fishbone Diagram: The fishbone diagram is a graphical method for finding the root causes of an effect. The effect can be either a negative one, such as a process defect or an undue process variation; or a positiv e one, such as a desired process outcome.Kaoru Ishikawa, a famous Japanese consultant developed this method in the 1960s. It is also known as â€Å"Cause-and-Effect Diagram† or â€Å"Ishikawa Diagram†. The balance chapter details the steps required to construct a fishbone diagram. The example effect to illustrate the concept is â€Å"high petrol consumption in a car†. Step I Identify the process effect to be analysed. Develop an Operational Definition to ensure that it is clearly understood. Write the effect in a box on the right side and draw a horizontal arrow from left to right that touches the box as illustrated in the figure below. [pic] Step IIIdentify the main categories of causes resulting in the effect under consideration. These categories can easily be selected from the applicable six key process elements. These process elements are people, environment, material, method, machinery, and measurement. Add selected categories in the diagram as illustrated in the following figure. [pic] Step III Identify as many causes under each category and add them to the corresponding category. Detail each cause further (recursively) to the lowest level possible. [pic] Analyse this diagram to identify the causes that require deeper investigation.As fishbone diagram identify only potential causes, it may be a good idea to use a Pareto Chart to determine the cause(s) to focus on first. 4. 3: Cause & Effect Matrix The  Cause and Effect Matrix  is a tool which is used to prioritise potential causes by examining their relationship with the  CTQs. CTQ’s are placed on the top of the matrix and causes are place along the left side. The CTQ’s are ranked in terms of importance. The relationship between the causes and CTQs are ranked. An overall score is calculated and the cause with the highest overall score should be addressed first because they will have the largest impact on the CTQs.Steps 1. List the CTQs across the top of a matrix. 2. Rank and assign scores to each CTQ according to its importance to the customer. 3. List the causes on the left side of the matrix 4. Determine correlation scores between each cause and CTQ based on the strength of their relationship (E. g. 1 – weak, 3 – some, 9 – strong) 5. Cross multiply correlation scores with priority scores and add across for each cause 6. Create a  Pareto chart  and focus on the causes with the higher overall scores. The following diagram is a C&E matrix template from  ProcessMA. [pic] 4. : Failure Mode Effect Analysis: A  failure modes and effects analysis (FMEA)  is a  procedure  in  product development,  systems engineering  and  operations management  for analysis of potential failure modes within a system for classification by the severity and likelihood of the failures. A successful FMEA activity helps a team to identify potential failure modes based on past experience with similar products or processes, ena bling the team to design those failures out of the system with the minimum of effort and resource expenditure, thereby reducing development time and costs.Because it forces a review of functions and functional requirements, it also serves as a form of  design review. It is widely used in manufacturing industries in various phases of the product life cycle and is now increasingly finding use in the service industry. Failure modes  are any errors or defects in a process, design, or item, especially those that affect the intended function of the product and or process, and can be potential or actual. Effects analysis  refers to studying the consequences of those failures.The pre-work The process for conducting an FMEA is typically developed in three main phases, in which appropriate actions need to be defined. Before starting with an FMEA, several other techniques are frequently employed to ensure that robustness and history are included in the analysis. A robustness analysis can be obtained from interface matrices, boundary diagrams, and  parameter diagrams. Failures are often found from external ‘noise factors' and from shared interfaces with other parts and/or systems.Typically, a description of the system and its function is developed, considering both intentional and unintentional uses. A block diagram of the system is often created for inclusion with the FMEA, giving an overview of the major components or process steps and how they are related. These are called logical relations around which the FMEA can be developed. The primary FME document or ‘worksheet' lists all of the items or functions of the system in a logical manner, typically based on the block diagram. NOTE: Above shown example format is not in line with mil. td 1629 or Civil Aerospace practise. The basic terms as given in first paragraph of this page are not available in this template! Step 1: Occurrence In this step it is necessary to look at the cause of a failure mode and the number of times it occurs. This can be done by looking at similar products or processes and the failure modes that have been documented for them in the past. A failure cause is looked upon as a design weakness. All the potential causes for a failure mode should be identified and documented. Again this should be in technical terms.Examples of causes are: erroneous algorithms, excessive voltage or improper operating conditions. A failure mode is given an  occurrence ranking (O), again 1–10. Actions need to be determined if the occurrence is high (meaning >  4 for non-safety failure modes and >  1 when the severity-number from step 2 is 9 or 10). This step is called the detailed development section of the FMEA process. Occurrence also can be defined as  %. If a non-safety issue happened less than  1%, we can give 1 to it. It is based on your product and customer specification. Rating |Meaning | |1 |No known occurrences on similar products or processes | |2/3 |Low (relatively few failures) | |4/5/6 |Moderate (occasional failures) | |7/8 |High (repeated failures) | |9/10 |Very high (failure is almost inevitable) | Step 2: SeverityDetermine all failure modes based on the functional requirements and their effects. Examples of failure modes are: Electrical short-circuiting, corrosion or deformation. A failure mode in one component can lead to a failure mode in another component, therefore each failure mode should be listed in technical terms and for function. Hereafter the ultimate effect of each failure mode needs to be considered. A failure effect is defined as the result of a failure mode on the function of the system as perceived by the user. In this way it is convenient to write these effects down in terms of what the user might see or experience.Examples of failure effects are: degraded performance, noise or even injury to a user. Each effect is given a severity number (S)  from 1 (no danger) to 10 (critical). These numbers help an eng ineer to prioritize the failure modes and their effects. If the sensitivity of an effect has a number 9 or 10, actions are considered to change the design by eliminating the failure mode, if possible, or protecting the user from the effect. A severity rating of 9 or 10 is generally reserved for those effects which would cause injury to a user or otherwise result in litigation. Rating |Meaning | |1 |No effect | |2 |Very minor (only noticed by discriminating customers) | |3 |Minor (affects very little of the system, noticed by average customer) | |4/5/6 |Moderate (most customers are annoyed) | |7/8 |High (causes a loss of primary function; customers are issatisfied) | |9/10 |Very high and hazardous (product becomes inoperative; customers angered; the failure may result unsafe operation and | | |possible injury) | Step 3: Detection When appropriate actions are determined, it is necessary to test their efficiency. In addition, design verification is needed. The proper inspection me thods need to be chosen. First, an engineer should look at the current controls of the system that prevent failure modes from occurring or which detect the failure before it reaches the customer.Hereafter one should identify testing, analysis, monitoring and other techniques that can be or have been used on similar systems to detect failures. From these controls an engineer can learn how likely it is for a failure to be identified or detected. Each combination from the previous 2 steps receives a  detection number (D). This ranks the ability of planned tests and inspections to remove defects or detect failure modes in time. The assigned detection number measures the risk that the failure will  escape detection. A high detection number indicates that the chances are high that the failure will escape detection, or in other words, that the chances of detection are low. Rating |Meaning | |1 |Certain – fault will be caught on test | |2 |Almost Certain | |3 |High | |4/5/6 |Mo derate | |7/8 |Low | |9/10 |Fault will be passed to customer undetected | After these three basic steps, risk priority numbers (RPN) are calculated Risk priority number (RPN) – RPN play an important part in the choice of an action against failure modes. They are threshold values in the evaluation of these actions.After ranking the severity, occurrence and detect ability the RPN can be easily calculated by multiplying these three numbers: RPN  =  S  ? O  ? D This has to be done for the entire process and/or design. Once this is done it is easy to determine the areas of greatest concern. The failure modes that have the highest RPN should be given the highest priority for corrective action. This means it is not always the failure modes with the highest severity numbers that should be treated first. There could be less severe failures, but which occur more often and are less detectable. After these values are allocated, recommended actions with targets, responsibility and dates of implementation are noted.These actions can include specific inspection, testing or quality procedures, redesign (such as selection of new components), adding more redundancy and limiting environmental stresses or operating range. Once the actions have been implemented in the design/process, the new RPN should be checked, to confirm the improvements. These tests are often put in graphs, for easy visualization. Whenever a design or a process changes, an FMEA should be updated. A few logical but important thoughts come in mind: ? Try to eliminate the failure mode (some failures are more preventable than others) ? Minimize the severity of the failure ? Reduce the occurrence of the failure mode ? Improve the detection 5. MethodologyA brief outline of the methodology adopted in the project is given below: 1. Understand the current market and business scenario a. Gather historical data from the system to analyze market condition b. Analyze trends and patterns in the sales figures c. Study the current business processes and map the material and information flow 2. Ascertain the service level that the system currently operates at a. Gather data for a specified period b. Ascertain the service level for that period subjected to constraints c. Interpret the data to assess system capability 3. Identify and define the issues a. Identify the principal issues currently affecting service levels b.Use Lean Six Sigma Methodologies to structure the analysis process 4. Propose a Process improvement plan that addresses the need of the system a. Structure all the issues in the current system systematically b. Propose solutions which can positively affect the major issues c. Propose solutions for current service level improvement and long term improvement of business capabilities 5. Propose metrics to effectively control the process once implemented a. Propose metrics that can capture the effectiveness of the system in place 5. 1: Understand the current market and business scenario 5. 1. 1: Market Scenario: Brandwise sales for FY11-12 †¢ 85% of sales contributed by LP, VH †¢ 62% of LP sales contributed by December sales †¢ 31% of overall sales in December [pic] Overall Sales volume for FY ‘11-‘12 †¢ Business runs on relationship based contacts. A client can take away a number of his contacts from a business. †¢ Period for gifting by companies: April ( June †¢ Companies want products by March †¢ So ideally order should be placed by November/December †¢ Educating customers about the functioning of the business is important to obtain feasible targets †¢ Customers generally specify the brand, but may also sometimes specify the colour to coordinate with an event A serviced customer will not look for an alternate source for subsequent orders †¢ A customer may order goods for gifting or internal use †¢ Price sensitive customers †¢ Currently Pharmaceutical is the major player, but new ave nues can be explored (Essar Steel uniform order) †¢ Pharmaceutical companies generally demand a turnaround of 30 days †¢ Pharmaceutical sector generally not affected by downturns †¢ Delivery in correct time and correct order quantity †¢ If delivery is correct then a premium price may be charged †¢ Priority of delivery is low in this channel, the priority should be highest †¢ Customers may reject the order if delivery is delayed for a day. Events. Priority is low as the volume of business is low in comparison with overall business volume †¢ If service level is high then company bargaining power will also be high †¢ Market is susceptible to economic downturns (no order from IT firms for the past 3 yrs) †¢ Agents display a variety of goods to the customer. May sell a rival brand or a different product. †¢ Forecasting is difficult as a company may choose to give a different gift the next year †¢ Satisfied customers does not ensure r eturn customer but provides base for word of mouth marketing †¢ Leverage on the firms brand names †¢ High profit business where the discount depends on the volume of products ordered. No returned goods. †¢ Dealings are made with top management, so client facing operations should be capably handled Customer |Sum of Quantity |Sum of Gross | | | |Total | |Mankind pharma ltd |107500 |55623750 | |Madhuram apparels |14019 |11155274 | |Lupin limited |10460 |9936990 | |Addon holding pvt ltd. |12781 |8356870 | |Supra garments pvt limited |9098 |7067832 | |Padma international corporation |10188 |6298490 | |Unichem laboratories ltd |6555 |5004589. 37 | |Biocon limited |4980 |3650530 | |M/S.Glaxo smithline ltd |3424 |3589379 | |Clairemont enterprises |8138 |3544110 | |Emcure pharmaceuticals limited |5395 |3426004 | |IPCA laboratories limited |3284 |2891923 | |Saffron enterprises (p) ltd. |4118 |2855504 | |Geno pharmaceuticals ltd |4200 |2520000 | |Government of India |3000 |18750 00 | |Society of Petroleum Geophysicists |2028 |1817540 | |Pidilite industries ltd |2500 |1650206. 25 | †¢ 53 customers were serviced where ordered quantity was over 100 †¢ 9 orders were serviced where the ordered quantity was more than 5000 †¢ 17 orders were worth more than Rs 10,00,000 The revenue generated from these orders contribute to 88% of the overall revenue †¢ Orders exceeding 5000 contributed to 74% of overall revenue †¢ Revenue per unit from large orders generally lesser than that from medium/small orders 5. 1. 2: Agent Performance: Agentwise breakup of sales amount Proportion of sales made through agents as opposed to directly 5. 1. 3: Business processes: [pic] Current scenario of sourcing options: †¢ Sourcing not dependent on Core or Fashion, depends on how Core is defined †¢ Mills are large entities and Madura cannot consume their entire produce †¢ Sourcing time depends on overall demand for a fabric in the market †¢ Sourci ng strategy dependant on individual Style Codes For a style code with constant Y-o-Y demand an buffer inventory of 1000 mts is maintained at either factory RM level or supplier level †¢ A fabric from the current season, brand checks whether they can sell the product at the full priced market , then they service the institutionalized sales customers †¢ No separate sourcing strategy for institutional channel †¢ Sourcing strategy fixed at the start of the season †¢ Products manufactured against fixed orders †¢ Fabric sourced to meet only the fixed demand †¢ Excess fabric stock due to customers cancelling orders †¢ ARS (Automated Replenishment System) not affecting sourcing †¢ Sourcing for one style code done only once Sourcing is done according to the preplanned production schedule †¢ Fabric is not allocated to any channel, the FG is allocated to a specific channel †¢ If fabric is not sold off to the specific channel then the stock is o ffered to the same/ different channel the next season †¢ Once the plan for the season has been made the plan is not subjected to any major change 5. 1. 4: Key Points: Plant Capacity: †¢ Plant capacity is allocated to various brands depending on their orders from trade shows/forecasts †¢ The allocated plant capacity is fixed for a year and is reviewed at the beginning of the season †¢ Excess fabric stock from previous season piled-up at factory (inventory build-up) Production Planning: No separate capacity is present to cater to institutional sales †¢ Brands utilize excess capacity or reschedule work orders to cater to Institutional customers †¢ Service level dependent on demand from other traditional channels Institutional Orders: †¢ Factory receives direct enquiry from the Institutional Sales team †¢ Factory check reserve stock and ready sourcing options for fabric and trims (lower lead time to source trims than brands) †¢ Schedule produ ction plan according to excess capacity available i. e unutilized by the brands 5. 2: Ascertain the current service level of the system Data Collection: †¢ Data collected from mail records from Jan ( Mar 2012 Enquiries for less than 100 units neglected †¢ Orders divided into separate groups depending on ordered volume †¢ Overall service levels for the period is at 35% †¢ Current process can service only about 16% of the total volume of demand †¢ None of the 10000+ orders have been serviced †¢ Service level for orders between 2000-10000 is the highest †¢ Excluding the very large orders, the company serviced 40% of the total volume of demand |Row Labels |Accepted |Despatched |Enquiry |Rejected |Grand Total |Service Level | |500-2000 |7 |5 |1 |21 |34 |0. 6 | |2000-10000 |2 |4 |2 |5 |13 |0. 55 | |10000+ | | |2 |4 |6 |0 | |Grand Total |10 |15 |5 |47 |77 |0. 35 | |100-500 |225 |1725 | |3380 |5330 |0. 37 | |500-2000 |5240 |4050 |1000 |18400 |28690 |0. 34 | |2000-10000 |14380 |11500 |9500 |33500 |68880 |0. 4 | |10000+ | | |51000 |144000 |195000 |0 | |Grand Total |19845 |17533 | |High Turnaround Time |Fabric catalogue not provided for IS |567 | |High Turnaround Time |Information is decentralized |567 | |Unavailable fabric |Low clarity regarding reserve stock level |441 | |Unavailable fabric |Sourcing not done for Institutional Channel |441 | |High Turnaround Time |Low clarity regarding reserve stock level |441 | |Low Priority of Institutional sales |Volume of business w. r. overall business |441 | |Unavailable fabric |Volume orders |405 | |Unavailable capacity |No separate plant capacity for Institutional customers |245 | |Low Profitability |Discount margin offered |245 | |High Turnaround Time |Response time to get back on a query |245 | |Unavailable capacity |Volume orders |189 | |Unavailable capacity |Current utilization of factory for retail channels |175 | |Delayed Delivery |No separate plant capacity for Institutional customers |175 | |Low Profitability |Price sensitive customers |147 | |Delayed Delivery |Current utilization of factory for retail channels |125 | |Low Priority of Institutional sales |Price sensitive customers |105 | |Competitor Action |NOS range not always available |105 | |Competitor Action |Agents working for multiple companies |45 | 5. 3. 4: Principal Issues: Fabric Stock: †¢ Fabric catalogue is not provided for IS leading to lack of clarity for agents and IS team †¢ Reserve fabric stock at factory level is not visible to IS team †¢ Sourcing for fabric is not done for Institutional customers Process: †¢ Priority for Institutional orders are low †¢ Information is decentralized leading to a high turnaround time †¢ Bulk orders from Institutional customers leading to shortage of available capacity †¢ Slack information flow between brand and factory leading to delayed production Planning: †¢ Lack of planning and subsequent strategizing for achieving tar gets Problems with forecasting the sales of this channel †¢ Manufacturing for orders are done on an ad-hoc basis 5. 4: Process Improvement Plan The proposed solution has been broadly divided into short term actions and long term actions: Short term actions: a. Channel potential †¢ Dispel value chain image †¢ Communicate benefits of the channel †¢ Change accounting standards for brands for catering to IS b. Fabric stock visibility †¢ Catalogue of reserve stock in factory †¢ Swatch set, inventory record of current stock made visible to IS team c. Process capability †¢ Sourcing done on a limited scale by the IS team †¢ Book order for a limited quantity of core range during trade show Plant capacity set up to cater to Institutional customers exclusively Long term plans: †¢ Revamp Order Interface †¢ Integrate sourcing solutions †¢ Create and maintain a database of mills †¢ Create an online portal for centralized information stor age from the brand, factory and IS team †¢ Formulate ramp-up strategy †¢ Target a service level of 100% for orders within 5000 †¢ Process should be capable of handling 5000+ orders with a lead time of 45 days †¢ Target new segments to increase business volume †¢ Create a low price point brand, Byford, to cater to demand for price sensitive customers 5. 4. 1: Short term changes: Channel Potential: †¢ Apprehension of brands regarding profitability and quality of products offered Demand from this channel is an additional demand (basic difference from value channel) †¢ Quality assurance according to brand standards †¢ Adhering to predetermined discount slabs (PC:MRP ratio) †¢ Potential to facilitate fabric stock liquidation (AS has already prepared swatch set) Process Capability: †¢ NOS stock not always available leading to business loss in Core range †¢ IS team should form some sourcing capabilities by using the standard mills â₠¬ ¢ IS team can also book a certain range of core products during trade shows (brands currently identify 5 styles that will sell in IS) †¢ Separate plant capacity based on past year minimum demand per month for the past year Fabric stock visibility: Swatch set of reserve fabric stock to be made and sent to the IS team †¢ A basic database of current stock from traditional channel that the brand can offer for IS †¢ Information clarity between the stake holders for fabric stock to be centralized Key Changes: †¢ Central repository of information regarding reserve stock from factory and excess fabric stock from all national mills adhering to quality standards †¢ Repository periodically updated for fabric from current stock (dropped order) that can be offered to Institutional customers †¢ Agents have an upstream visibility regarding fabric on offer, therefore enabling queries to be addressed on first contact IS team and agent have stock visibility to reply to queries better, shortening the order capture time †¢ IS team itself explores sourcing options if fabric not present with brand †¢ Interaction with brand minimized regarding the fabric stock information †¢ Interactions between contact points in the whole process flow reduced Non-Availability of capacity: †¢ Plant capacity not allocated to Institutional sales †¢ Delay in order delivery due to lack of capacity †¢ Separate line to cater to IS specially during peak season (Aug/Sept) †¢ Line can be used for traditional channel in case capacity unutilized †¢ Factory to have the capability to manufacture 7000 units for IS per month 5. 4. 2: Long term plans: Strategic goals: Target a service level of 100% for orders within 5000 units †¢ Aim to serve 12 very large orders (revenue over Rs. 50,00,000 every fiscal year) †¢ Service an order with volumes larger than 5000 in 45 days lead time (considering fabric sourcing is required) Expansion: â⠂¬ ¢ Pharmaceutical sector contributes to 90% of the current business †¢ Decrease dependency on one sector by exploring new avenues †¢ Actively ask agents to promote business to new customers and provide incentive if a new sector is breached (volume orders) Brand development: †¢ Byford currently caters to Institutional customers †¢ Make Byford capable of servicing parallel industries like uniform orders, that are not being serviced by LBRDs Byford can service internal requirement for manufacturing industries that cannot be serviced because of price point issues (accept orders only beyond a certain volume) Key Changes: †¢ Interface is created to capture the entire information in an accessible format †¢ Interface provides information about style code, fabric properties, swatch, quantity available, estimated manufacturing capacity and price of product †¢ Processes typically addressed after an enquiry is expedited to be processed beforehand †¢ Cus tomer driven ordering system which minimizes the unstructured interaction between the various stakeholders †¢ Customer has ready information regarding the quantity available, fabric availability and tentative delivery dates Price, fabric and plant capacity issues are dealt with in a structured manner to avoid unnecessary delays n the system †¢ Information is centralized successfully and the interface can be further utilized by other channels (e. g: a Trade customer wants to order a Core range) 5. 5: Process Control Auditing Measures: †¢ Brands feel it is not profitable to sell to Institutional channel because of the 67. 3% transfer price between MFL & MGLRCL †¢ Monthly targets are affected as brands service IS orders †¢ Separate auditing for sales made through Institutional channels Process Capability: †¢ Measure of defects in delivery (quantity & quality) for orders accepted †¢ Measure to be Defects Per Hundred Opportunities †¢ Service level: the number of accepted enquiriesProcess Dashboard: a. Historical: †¢ Data for the past quarter †¢ Revenue †¢ Selling price †¢ CBA †¢ Orders accepted †¢ Orders served †¢ Monthly plant utilization b. Exceptions: †¢ Data outliers in business process †¢ Largest enquiry by volume †¢ Largest order accepted †¢ Longest delay c. Current status: †¢ Enquiries under process †¢ Enquiries potentially worth over Rs 10,00,000 †¢ Actual sales vs target sales d. Future: †¢ Current orders under process †¢ Utilization of plant capacity by IS †¢ Scheduled vs expected delivery dates 7. References: Toyota Kata: Managing People for Improvement, Adaptiveness and Superior Results by Mike Rother †¢ The Toyota Way by Jeffey Liker

Oryx & Crake Summary Essay

Xenotransplantation is the transplantation of living cells, tissues or organs from one species to another such as from pigs to humans ( Medical grafting). Such cells, tissues or organs are called xenografts or xenotransplants. The term allotransplantation refers to a same-species transplant. Human xenotransplantation offers a potential treatment for end-stage organ failure, a significant health problem in parts of the industrialized world and worldwide shortage of organs for clinical implantation. It also raises many novel medical, legal and ethical issues. A continuing concern is that pigs have different lifespans than humans and their tissues age at a different rate. Disease transmission (xenozoonosis) and permanent alteration to the genetic code of animals are a cause for concern. Genetic engineering, recombinant DNA technology, genetic modification/ manipulation (GM) and gene splicing are terms that are applied to the manipulation of genes. It involves the isolation, manipulation and reintroduction of DNA into cells or model organisms, usually express a protein to reach desired effects. Cloning is the process of creating an identical copy of something. Genetic recombination is the process by which a strand of DNA is broken and then joined to the end of a different DNA molecule. A genetically modified organism (GMO) is an organism whose genetic material has been altered using the genetic engineering techniques generally known as recombinant DNA technology. Why Oryx and Crake Was Written â€Å"Every novel begins with a what if and then sets forth its axiom. The what if of Oryx and Crake is simply What if we continue down the road we’re already on? How slippery is the slope? What is our saving graces? Who’s got the will to stop us?† –Margaret Atwood Settings in Oryx and Crake Pre-Catastrophic Society: Games With Virtual Reality And Virtual Violence Society Fixated on Physical Perfection and Longevity, Virtual Elimination Of The Middle Class (produced a gap between rich and poor), Disappearance Of Safe Public Space, People Live In Either Tightly Controlled Compounds Of The Elites Or Dangerous Pleebands, Almost Everything Is For Sale, Medical Advancements, Life Is In The Hands Of Large Corporations, Private Security Forces, Scientific Advancements: Genetic Engineering & Xenotransplant, Technologically Driven, Extreme commercialization and commodification of life and the commodification of human life and sexuality in prostitution and online child pornography. Jimmy and Crake spend a lot of their free time playing online computer games such as Kwiktime Osama (a reference to Osama bin Laden) and Blood and Roses, or watching live executions, Noodie News, frog squashing, graphic surgery and child pornography. Post-Catastrophic Society: Naturalistic society Science vs. Anti-Science â€Å"Please don’t make the mistake of thinking that Oryx and Crake is anti-science. Science is a way of knowing, and a tool. Like all ways of knowing and tools, it can be turned to bad uses. And it can be bought and sold, and it often is. But it is not in itself bad. Like electricity, it’s neutral. The driving force in the world today is the human heart – that is, human emotions. (Yeats, Blake – every poet, come to think of it – has always told us that.) Our tools have become very powerful. Hate, not bombs, destroys cities. Desire, not bricks, rebuilds them.† –Margaret Atwood Plot Summary of Oryx and Crake The protagonist of Oryx and Crake is Snowman, clad only in a bed sheet and a Red Sox cap, who appears to be the last human being on Earth. He’s not entirely alone, however; strange hybrid beasts such as wolvogs, pigoons and rakunks are roaming freely. As well, a group of what he calls Crakers—strange human-like creatures—lives nearby. They bring Snowman food and consult him on matters that surpass their understanding; thus, Snowman comes across as a post-apocalyptic hermit guru. As the story develops, these assorted lifeforms are revealed to be the products of genetic engineering. In flashbacks, we learn that Snowman was once a young boy named Jimmy, who grew up in the early 21st century. His world was dominated by multinational corporations which kept their employees’ families in privileged compounds separated from a global lower moiety of pleeblands. Shortly after Jimmy’s family moved to the HelthWyzer corporate compound (where his father worked a s a genographer) Jimmy met and befriended Glenn (later known as Crake), a brilliant science student. Atwood’s satirical take on current society is presented most pointedly in the jaded activities of these two youths. Jimmy and Crake spend a lot of their free time playing online computer games such as Kwiktime Osama (a reference to Osama bin Laden) and Blood and Roses, or watching live executions, Noodie News, frog squashing, graphic surgery and child pornography. One of Glenn’s favourite pastimes is an online game called Extinctathon, a trivia game which requires immense knowledge of extinct animal and plant species. Using the codenames Thickney (Jimmy) and Crake (Glenn), they both play as teenagers. It is not until they are both in university that Jimmy discovers that Crake has worked his way up to become a Grandmaster. On another trip through the dark underbelly of the Web, they come across an Asian child pornography site, where Jimmy is struck and haunted by the eyes of a young girl. Unknown to Jimmy, Crake is similarly affected by the sig ht of this young girl. Crake eventually finds this girl (or a woman who could be her) and hires her, as both a prostitute and a teacher of the Crakers. Her name is Oryx. Jimmy identifies the haunting memory of the young girl with Oryx, though it is never made clear as to whether or not the two are the same person. Oryx eventually becomes intimately involved in the lives of Jimmy and Crake, and both fall in love with her. Oryx, however, views their relationship as strictly professional and only admires Crake as a scientist and â€Å"great man†. For fun and affection she turns to Jimmy, though her feelings for him are not as clear. The two hide their relationship from Crake, and Jimmy is often plagued with the thought of Crake finding out about his betrayal. Crake uses his prominent position at a biotech corporation to launch a project to create the Crakers. His goal is to create a peaceful society that will live harmoniously with each other and nature. These genetically engine ered humans are leaf-eating herbivores and they only have sexual intercourse during limited breeding seasons when they are polyandrous. Thus, many of the apparent conflicts in human culture are replaced with a mockery of intelligent design. At the same time, Crake creates a virulent genetic pandemic that, apparently, killed off all humans except for Jimmy. Jimmy was unknowingly vaccinated with the intention of acting as a guardian for the Crakers. Thus, Crake represents a mad scientist; he is maddened by the troubled society that he lives in. His rationale is that he is heroically saving intelligent life from an inevitably dying society. In the story’s climax, Crake’s perfected â€Å"hot bioform,† present in one of his company’s products, is activated and spreads throughout the world. When called to account for his actions by Jimmy, Crake kills Oryx by slitting her throat. In rage and panic, Jimmy shoots Crake, resulting in his being left to obsess over his vanished world and unanswered questions. Jimmy contemplates abandoning the Crakers but is constantly haunted by the voice of Oryx, and reminded of his promise to her to watch over them. Though Crake opposed and belittled human religion, Sn owman instills the Crakers with his own invented religion revolving around Crake and Oryx. Oryx becomes the guardian of the animals and Crake the creator god. Crake suffers from unremembered night terrors. During visits, Jimmy hears Crake screaming in his sleep. Crake claims to not remember them. This forms one of the book’s most profound ironies. Crake is a leader in the most advanced (and corrupt) health care system in human history, and Jimmy is unable to save humanity by simply getting Crake’s head examined. At the same time, however, Crake attends a university referred to as Asperger’s U, referring to the university’s high population of incredibly intelligent, socially awkward people, which might suggest that his idea was not the product of insanity or something ‘wrong’ with him, but rather the knowledge that everything else around him was wrong. During Snowman’s journey to scavenge supplies, he is uncomfortable wearing shoes now that his feet have become toughened without them. He cuts his foot on a tiny sliver of glass. Infected by who-knows-what descendant of transgenic experiments, his body cannot fight back, and his leg becomes inflamed.Returning to the Crakers, he learns that three ragged true humans have camped nearby. He follows the smoke from the fire and watches as they cook a rakunk. Uncertain of how he should approach them (Blast them to bits to protect the Crakers? Approach with open arms?) he checks his now unworking watch and thinks, â€Å"Time to go,† leaving the reader to speculate as to what his actions and future will be. Literay Works Coral Ann Howells argues that Oryx and Crake is in some ways a sequel to Atwood’s The Handmaid’s Tale in that it carries the national catastrophe in the earlier novel to global level[5]. A major reference seems to be to the â€Å"Last Man† topos in science fiction, which was inaugurated by Mary Shelley’s The Last Man, also a post-apocalyptic novel, whose main character is the only survivor of a plague that has killed off all other humans. George Orwell’s Nineteen Eighty-Four (1949) had a working title that relates it to Shelley’s book: â€Å"The Last Man in Europe†[6]. Other references, of course, include Shelley’s Frankenstein (1818/1831) as well as Jonathan Swift’s Gulliver’s Travels[7] (1626/1635). Gulliver’s Travels is also the source of one of the two epigraphs and puts emphasis on the claim that the speculation about the near future in Oryx and Crake serves to make a point about the present state of the world. Swift’s speaker as quoted by Atwood says: â€Å"my principal design was to inform you, and not to amuse you† (Oryx and Crake, Epigraph). The second quotation from Virginia Woolf’s To the Lighthouse (1927) refers to the absence of safety in the word, pointing to Snowman’s existence in the world af ter Crake’s catastrophe.

Managing Employee Performance Essay

In the article under review, Hoogenboezem and Hoogenboezem (2005) discuss the introduction of performance measurement in the Dutch Police service since 2002. This phenomenon followed radical changes in Dutch political organization largely precipitated by the rise of politician Pim Fortuyn who had government performance on top of his political agenda. The Dutch government, like most of its Western counterparts had been cited for underperformance with regards to public service delivery. The government had frequently shifted this blame on non-performance of its civil servants. This was taken as a key political agenda in the run up to the 2002 elections in the Netherlands. Fortuyn’s argument was that government had refused to exercise control by holding public sector managers accountable and setting targets for them. The authors examine the Dutch political system. Traditionally, the system has thrived on consensus building. This had affected efficiency in performance within the public sector which gave rise to a ‘’political attention for performance measurement’’ (2005:571). They also investigate the collapse of the Dutch pillars of society, the nature of policing and the community policing approach in the Netherlands and conclude that performance measurement will eventually become ineffective as a performance enhancing instrument. This they ascribe to the fact that the whole process of targeting in the Dutch Police administration does not have a firm philosophical base. It is based on loose arguments of a loud politician and an electorate that wanted change at all cost. Importing management practices like performance targeting from the private sector to the public sector comes with complexities (Adcroft and Willis, 2005). This is manifest in the struggle to cope with t argets by the Dutch Police. Effect of Targets on Performance Measurement The consequence of the political waves in the Netherlands in 2002 was the setting of quantitative law enforcement targets for political heads of the Police force. Specific figures for the number of suspects to be prosecuted for public violence and juvenile crime, for example were set. It appears to me that the targets are the result of undue political pressure rather than a carefully thought through system of performance management. Performance management systems are implemented to produce tangible results for organizations based on their mission statement and strategic objectives. Performance measurement is only one component of a performance management system. There is no indication, at least from the journal article, that the due processes for establishing a performance management process, namely prerequisites, planning, execution, assessment, review and renewal/recontracting (Agunis, 2009:32) are followed in the Dutch Police example. The effect is the general cynicism towards tar geting by the Police and the public. Again, employees react differently to performance measurement. This requires that organizations must be able to predict employee reaction to targets and factor these reactions into the management process (Selden and Sowa, 2011). Feedback from the parties involved in the Dutch Police targeting differs hugely. Whilst one group (senior management) appear enthused about the targets, another group (the operational policemen) are aggrieved. This suggests lack of consultation of all stakeholders which is a key component to successful performance management; especially in the setting of targets and measurement criteria. The essence of policing is to make society safer. Any ‘’†¦system that will not make the Netherlands safer†¦Ã¢â‚¬â„¢Ã¢â‚¬â„¢ (Hoogenboezem and Hoogenboezem, 2005:573) is doomed to fail ab initio. Such a system lacks strategic congruence and becomes a public relations gimmick. This is the position expressed by some in Police leadership. However another group are inspired about getting more money ((Hoogenboezem and Hoogenboezem, 2005:573). The ‘’more money’’ factor will tend to obscure an impartial assessment of the scheme. This is also the case with Police chiefs expressing some support for targeting, with targets linked to reward in their case. Policemen at the operational level have problems with the targets because they make their jobs a routine; leaving them with few choices in the maintenance of law and order. The exercise of discretion appears to be of intrinsic value to the operational policeman. Where targets have placed a strict regiment on the use of discretion the intrinsic motivation in being a Policeman gets lost. An unmotivated Policeman could be a danger to society. Although officers in lower and middle management appear inspired about targets and their alignment to rewards, this is not necessarily a motivator for performance. Job enrichment and job enlargement have been recognised as essential motivators in the not-for-profit organizations (Selden and Sowa, 2011) and the Dutch politicians must recognise this. Any perception of unfairness in the Performance management system could lead to decreased employee commitment (Aguinis, 2009) and eventually undermine the whole system. In this regard the conclusion of the authors that the performance measurement in the Netherlands Police is a mixture of cynicism and a public relations ritual of signing contracts is validated. This is largely the result of it being a knee jerk reaction not involving employees in the determination of the entire process. Employee involvement helps translate targets into operational language that is understood by all participants in the process (Chamberlain, 2011) and bought into. Employee buy-in is essential for the success of every performance management system. Worst still is the fact that the new requirements of the Dutch Policeman under the present circumstance has not come with any training package. It is also not evident that systems of recruitment and selection have been amended to reflect the expected outcome in view of the radical changes in nature of the job. Conclusion In my opinion performance of Policemen should not be measured against outcomes. It should be exhibited in various agreed behaviours and programmes. Take the example of Washington State in the US where pperformance data indicated an increase in motorcycle accidents. Several Agencies like the Department of Licensing, Washington State Patrol, Traffic Safety Commission and the Department of Transportation, worked together to provide more education for motorcycle operators and manufacturers as well as stricter licensing. These measures (programs and behaviours) resulted in fewer accidents (http://www.agacgfm.org/research/downloads/CPAGNo23.pdf). The case for quantifying performance outcomes for the public sector does not have much merit in my opinion. References Aguinis, H. (2009) Performance management. 2nd ed. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson/Prentice Hall. Chamberlain, L (2011). ‘Does your performance management need a tune-up?’ Strategic Finance. November. pp.18-20. Available at: http://content.ebscohost.com.ezproxy.liv.ac.uk/pdf27_28/pdf/2011/5Y6/01Nov11/67179179.pdf?T=P&P=AN&K=67179179&S=R&D=buh&EbscoContent=dGJyMNLe80SeprY4wtvhOLCmr0mep69Ssam4SrWWxWXS&ContentCustomer=dGJyMOzprkmvqLJPuePfgeyx44Dt6fIA . Accessed on: 7 December 2011) Hoogenboezem, J. A., & Hoogenboezem, D. (2005) ‘Coping with targets: performance measurement in The Netherlands police’, International Journal of Productivity and Performance Management, 54 (7), pp. 568–578. http://sfx7.exlibrisgroup.com.ezproxy.liv.ac.uk/lpu?title=International+Journal+of+Productivity+and+Performance+Management&volume=54&issue=7&spage=568&date=2005&issn=&eissn Seldon, S., & Sowa, JE (2010) ‘Performance management and appraisal in human service organizations: management and staff perspectives.’ Public Personnel Management. 40(3), pp. 251-262. Available at: http://ehis.ebscohost.com.ezproxy.liv.ac.uk/ehost/pdfviewer/pdfviewer?sid=8b3e34b3-2e4c-4ffe-bcb5-f57ceb9d50f7%40sessionmgr113&vid=4&hid=120 (Accessed on: 7 December 2011) Adcroft, A., & Willis, R., (2005) ‘The (un)intended outcome of public sector performance measurement’ International Journal of Public Sector Management, 18(5) pp. 386-400. DOI 10.1108/09513550510608859. Available at: http://www.alternativeminds.co.uk/AA4.pdf. (Accessed on: 28 December 2011)

Marketing communication Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

Marketing communication - Essay Example The selection of the proper target group and promoting the event is very much important. To satisfy the demanding customers the event management companies are creating new ways to win the customers mind. The Glastonbury Music and Art festival is one of the legendary events in the world. And to design a marketing campaign for this event is a challenging work to do. However, the proper marketing communication mix is discussed in this particular paper to make it the best event in UK. The events like Woodstock music festival, October Fest, many sports events like Football World Cup, Cricket World Cup, Olympics, and art and music festival like Glastonbury Festival of contemporary performing art are globally renowned events and managing these events with suitable marketing communication is a very challenging job Introduction: Marketing is concept that, boost up the sales. It is basically a presale activity. Marketing is something which needs innovation and creativity as the act of marketin g depends on the need and preferences of the consumers. The marketing is the blood of the company, without the proper act of marketing it is very hard to sell a product. Marketing consist of many factors and, it is always changing with the changes in the mind of the customer. There are many theories in marketing management but, most of the times these theories are better to be read in the books for the academic excellences but, in real life the marketing have ever changing dimensions. It should be remembered by each and every marketing person that, marketing is not only about the selling product in a fast manner. It should be remembered that the proper marketing strategy would give a long term effect on the product itself to modify into a brand. Most of the time marketing and sales is taken as the cause and effect, but marketer forget about another asset associated with the marketing and that is brand. This paper will take an attempt to identify the best marketing communication proc esses, advertising tag lines and best ethical practices of the advertising with the proper regulations for the event called The Glastonbury Music and Art festival. The paper will mostly focus on the best marketing campaign which includes media, PR and online promotions. The identification of target audience, conceptualizing the event and post event analysis is very much important for any event management company. The event management industry has given a new look to the global event business. The properly managed international events have a great effect on the economy of the country. The event management business and the core concept of globalizing the events have given a great repute to the cultural festivals. An Evaluation of Marketing Communications: The marketing mix: In this new era of marketing the traditional 4 Ps are not enough anymore. As every product is associated with some kinds of services so the 7 Ps are more relevant. Service marketing required some more specification s as far as the marketing is concern. The traditional four Ps of marketing are very important for the product marketing. However, according to Crane (1993) the additional three Ps are also very important for the service oriented business (Crane: 1993). And they are people, physical evidence and the process. According to Rutherford and O’Fallon (2007) the hospitality industry works with three main parties and they are the owner of the hotel, the management team and the

Patient's Bill of Rights Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Patient's Bill of Rights - Essay Example He claims that the state has denied him the right to proper medical attention due to his health ramifications. The bureaucratic insurance companies have bottlenecked his efforts to access full medical cover owing to diabetic condition. The pre-existent condition suffered by John places him at a disadvantageous position in the social arena. His condition limit his ability to access affordable health insurance if he becomes self-employed, secures a job in a company that does not proffer coverage, or experience a life changing circumstances like retirement, divorce or relocation to a different state (HHS, 2011). That is when the Affordable Care Act comes to his aid. If it were, at any rate, rescinded, John would suffer a circumstantial health blow dealt by nature in the event of sickness. The Pre-Existing Condition Insurance Plan provides John with protection against egregious insurance companies’ discriminative health-oriented policies. ... for pre-existing condition, and Pre-Existing Condition Insurance Plan have been set up to cater for those uninsured but have a pre-existing condition (HealthCare.gov, 2010). Despite this preexistent health condition, the interim Affordable Care Act that the congress amended on June 22, 2010 caters for John’s health issue.. The Act provides for the safeguard of his health by enshrining health related regulations. It contains the Pre-Existing condition Insurance Plan that offers protection for John. It avails health coverage to US citizens. John stands to benefit from what the plan has to offer as meticulously elaborated in the plan. The benefits include primary and specialty care, hospital care, prescription drugs and treatment of pre-existing condition. Also, the program charge normal premiums irrespective of the medical condition and income are not the ground for legibility (HealthCare.gov, 2010). The State have several Federal-run programs that provide a legal framework gear ed towards addressing John’s health dilemma. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services effects the Pre-Existing Condition Insurance Plan. However, there are laid-down requirements that John must comply with for health coverage. They include documents like a letter from a health practitioner indicating his name, his medical condition, name of the practitioner, license number, state of licensure, and signature; denial letter from an insurance company licensed in John’s state; the rejected offer of the insurance coverage that says John’s condition won’t be covered in the event of acceptance of the offer and/or the premium get overcharged because he was underage or he lived in Massachusetts or Vermont. All the above documents should be dated within a one-year period (HealthCare.gov,

Challenged Questions 4,5,6,7,8,9,10 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Challenged Questions 4,5,6,7,8,9,10 - Essay Example 3. Forward pricing makes sense when firms are launching products and the strategy is to ensure that in the initial stages, forward pricing is competitive in the hope of increasing sales later on as well as having an outlook that is bullish on the potential of the product. 4. Centralized decision making is effective when goods are mass produced and sold on a large scale whereas decentralized decision making is effective when the products are targeted at niche segments. The lower wages in the former scenario as well as the higher wages in the latter scenario are justified by the pricing of the products. 5. The differences between these two strategies lies in the way in which marketing costs dominate for export related strategy whereas manufacturing costs dominate for import related strategies. The management control issues that these firms face would be in the sphere of having less control when they operate in nondomestic markets in a manufacturing capacity whereas they would have more control when they are operating in a non domestic market in an import related capacity. 2. It does not seem paradoxical to me because there are certain aspects of products that are not imitable and these are the patented features. Hence, the way to resolve this paradox is by making products that are have unique and distinctive features. 4. It is not the case for firms operating in monopolistic competition as the firms need to be efficient to pursue a product differentiation strategy which needs niche investments and expertise in making unique products and services. 1. Backward integration often results in maximizing efficiencies across the value chain and hence ensuring that firms gain competitive advantage. The opportunism of vertical integration is that firms can leverage upon the entire supply chain as opposed to some parts of it in backward integration. 2. The threats

Is the use of field trips in geography a useful wasy for children to Essay

Is the use of field trips in geography a useful wasy for children to learn between the age of 5 to 11 year old discuss - Essay Example In short, early years geography is fundamentally about the development of the concepts of ‘space’ and ‘place’ and, entirely depends upon a wide range of classroom tasks and related learning activities that can contribute to effective learning of these concepts. Practical tasks with which children may engage to promote meaningful learning in geography draw upon a complex theoretical framework. Present space clearly does not allow for a comprehensive overview and analysis of this. Thus it is intended to highlight a number of key elements of the framework and to illuminate these with recent and relevant research evidence. (Birch & Palmer, 2004, p. 8) While the content of the National Curriculum for Schools in England underpins and guides the structure of the forthcoming text, it also discusses general principles of teaching and learning in geographical education that are transferable and applicable to all ‘early years’ children of nursery and school age. It is relevant to teachers, student teachers, policy-makers and all other providers of field trip education for children aged 5 to 11 years; that is, the Foundation Stage and Key Stage 1 in the language of the National Curriculum. We consider it to be both a difficult and inappropriate task to pursue any discussion of learning experiences relating to the subject matter of geography in the early years of schooling without making reference to the cross-curricular theme of education for sustainable development, closely allied to the area of learning which many know as environmental education. These learning experiences refer to a large extent of Geographical field trips which are inextricably linked in the work of primary education ranging from nursery to early primary classes. Therefore, their inter-relationships are considered with field trips and practical examples that take account of teaching and learning across the whole spectrum of geography and what might be termed

Political Science Middle Eastern Politics Essay

Political Science Middle Eastern Politics - Essay Example Whatever the reasons, the establishment of Israel infuriated the Palestinians who deemed the Jewish state as occupation of their homeland including that of their second most important place of worship, the Aqsa Mosque. The most revered place of Muslim worship is the Ka'aba in Saudi Arabia. The Palestinians and Arabs felt that it was a total injustice to ignore the rights of the majority of the population of Palestine. The Arab League and Palestinian institutions rejected the UN partition plan supported by the United States, and formed volunteer armies that infiltrated into Palestine beginning in December of 1947. Thus the formation of Israel in 1948, laid the foundations of a conflict which took the lives of thousands of Palestinians and Israelis but even more devastating was the diaspora of Palestinians who took refuge in neighboring Arab countries fleeing the conflict and the associated socio-economic problems. While Israel was recognized by the United Nations as a sovereign state with rights to self-determination, the Palestinians remained a tribe without any rights. "The Arab-Israeli conflict has been a persistent source of tension for decades, for example, but it has taken on new dimensions in the aftermath of the failed Oslo process and the recent explosion of violence that shows no signs of abating." (Bensahel et al, 2003) In fact, no sooner was the Jewish state announced that the region was engulfed in a war: as the British left Palestine, Egypt, Syria, Iraq, Lebanon, Jordan and Saudi Arabia declared war on Israel. Egyptian, Syrian and Jordanian began to invade the newly declared country. An armistice was soon reached with the mediation of the UN, but as the dust settled, Israel had conquered double the land it was originally allowed under the UN Partition Plan. In 1964, the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) was formed under the leadership of hardliner Yasser Arafat with the aim of destroying Israel. The Palestinian National Charter called for the liquidation of Israel. Three years later, Israel conquered the West Bank from Jordan and Golan Heights from Syria. UN Resolution 242 called for Israeli withdrawal. This was followed sooner by the Yom Kippur war involving the Egyptians, Syrians and Israel. The signing of a peace accord between Israel and Egypt in 1979 ushered in an era of relative peace . But three years into this era, Israel attacked neighboring Lebanon and conquered most of its land in pursuit of wiping out PLO fighters. In 1993, the Oslo Declaration signed by Israel and the PLO called for mutual recognition. Two years later, the Palestine Authority was established. In 2005, Israel evacuated Gaza and parts of West Bank occupied in 1949. In the wake of the September 11 attack, Israel and Palestine Authority reached a peace accord but it was never implemented. The Arab countries as well as the former Soviet Bloc, the Non-Aligned

Hants Hotels Report Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Hants Hotels Report - Essay Example The strategy to be used in Hants hotels should address information quality, effectiveness of management systems and relevance of management system to decision making by management. The business should adopt an information processing centre that will gather, disseminate and coordinate information at all levels (Floyd and Wolf, 2010). The unit will be tasked to research and process on affront data arising and affecting the industry as a whole, location operations and size of the market. Once the data is processed, the information should be communicated in the most efficient channel possible to the relevant destination (Mckeen and Smith, 2008). This will help the management and other workers in the business react efficiently and effectively to current situations. To make the strategy effective, management has to organize and avail procedures on training workforce of the Hants hotel group on the use and usefulness of the information centre. This will make sure they are not left out but they are at the centre of the control (Floyd and Wolf, 2010). For the information management to be of optimal benefit to the hotel, information assembling and decoding should be done by all stake holders agreeing on key information decisions (Mckeen and Smith, 2008). This ensures that tools used in information management are used for realizable results and pay off expected is realized. Allowing consensus building in the information creation will help the business eliminate the following problems in information management (Peppard, 1993). Hants hotel group is under difficulty of delivering solution, thus, the information management center should recognize presence of complexity and manage it. To manage the complexities the information management should take clear direction and avoid use of simple approaches to solve the problem. Parallel activities should be planned to face the

Lifespan Development & Personality Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Lifespan Development & Personality - Term Paper Example The paper also throws light on the major psychological theories concerning one’s physical development, cognitive development as well as one’s social, moral and personality development during childhood. The focus of the paper is to pinpoint the major factors that contribute to one’s development in all these fields of development. Both genetic factors and environmental factors influence the physical development as well as the personality and character of a child. The physical appearance such as eye color, hair color and gender of the child has very much to do with the hereditary influences. According to Freud the three parts that make up the personality of an individual are the id, the ego and the super ego. While the id is moved by the principles, the ego is governed by reality principles and the super ego tries to satisfy morality principles. Conflicts occur in the personality of an individual due to the inner struggles among these three factors and these conflicts manifest in the form of dreams, neurotic symptoms or defense mechanisms. For Freud there are five distinctive stages through which a person passes through his childhood and each of these is linked to the physical development of the body. For Freud, it is the libido or sexual urge that dictates terms over one’s behavior and he held that at each stage of the developmental process â€Å"a single body part is particularly sensitive to sexual, erotic stimulation† (Stevenson, 1996) and unless these physical needs at each stage of development are fulfilled the child subjects himself to frustration and fixation and this can adversely affect the development of adult personality too. The five psychosexual developmental stages framed by Freud are the oral stage (birth to 18 months), the anal stage (18 months to three years), the phallic stage (3 years to 6 years), latency period (6 years to onset of puberty), and the genital stage (from puberty on). As the childhood

Reintroduce death penalty Essay Example for Free

Reintroduce death penalty Essay Death penalty is a legal process through which, as a punishment a person is sentenced to death for a criminal offense by the state. Criminal offenses punishable through death penalty are referred to as capital offenses or capital crimes. The death penalty proponents, pro-capital punishment argues that it is an important aspect for deterring crimes, preserving law and order, and is less expensive compared to life imprisonment. They also claim that it is in the honor of the victim to award the death penalty. This is because it ensures the offenders of the heinous offenses do not get another chance to commit such crime again. In addition, the death penalty consoles the victims grieving families. Those opposed to death penalty, abolitionists argue that there is no deterrent effect on crimes, and government wrongly uses it as power to take life. They claim that it is the death penalty is a means to bring about social injustices through targeting people who cannot afford good attorneys, and people of color disproportionately. They argue that life imprisonment is less expensive and more severe than the death penalty. With all these arguments, we are left to decide on what course to take, assess the pros and cons of capital punishment and decide to support or oppose it. Questions relating to who deserves the death penalty and who does not have been raised by both the advocates of death penalty and those opposed to the death penalty (Zimring 91-93). Should death penalty be introduced? This is the argument of this paper. Capital punishment, in many countries, cultures and societies, throughout the human history has been applied in the justice system; the question that arises is that is it morally acceptable? Is it justified? Both the advocates for death penalty and the opponents of death penalty have valid arguments to back up their reasons. Those for the death penalty argue that the act of capital punishment is a deterrent to crime. However, those against argue that the death penalty is only a life imprisonment and not a deterrent to crime. It is however evident that the deterrence from the perspec tive of capital punishment is about the murderer’s mind involving the existing psychological processes (Haag 70-71). Not everybody deserves the death penalty. However, some people earn capital punishment. A person who breaks into a grocery store and steals bread definitely does not deserve the death penalty. In addition, people who commit murder for self-defense or during moment of  passion. Such people according to me do not deserve death. On the other hand, a serial killer after the lives of innocent people for fun and personal gains deserves capital punishment. I support the proponents of capital punishment. This stance is informed by a number of facts and reasons. Death penalty is a deterrent to crime. Even though the death penalty is irreversible, convicted persons are often given numerous chances to prove their innocence. Capital punishment assures societal safety through elimination of criminals. A life for a life is a sensible and credible assertion. Deterrence is punishing someone to create fear among people for punishment. Capital punishment is a punishment creates fear, especially in the minds of sane persons. Haag (2003) in his article On Deterrence and Death Penalty, people refrain from dangerous and harmful acts because of inchoate, vague, habitual, and most importantly preconscious fear (Haag 72). Everyone fears death, and most criminals would have a second thought if they were aware their own lives would be on the line. There are not so many justifications and evidence of death penalty to effectively deter crime than the usual long term imprisonment. The countries or states with the capital punishment has no lower rates of crime or rates of murder than those countries and states without those laws. On the other hand, the states or countries that campaign against capital punishment have not shown any significant deviation in the rates of murder or crime. The indicates that capital punishment has no defined deterrent impact. Claims that the executions dissuade particular number of murders have been discredited thoroughly by the researches of social sciences. In fact people do commit murder widely in the heat of passion basically under drug or alcohol influence, or because of mental illness, without thinking about the implications of the act. Those murderers who make plans of their murder crimes expect and intend to escape punishment by avoiding getting caught (Haag 70-73). On the other hand, some social research has found that execution has a significant deterrence to incidents of murder. In addition, the implementation of the capital punishment is related to the increased murder incidences, while those against the death penalty argue that the capital punishment is used unfairly against the African Americans, every extra execution prevents murder of 1.5 African Americans. In moratoria, death row, and commuted sentences removals tend to increase murder  incidences. Americans have emerged to support the capital punishment for reasons such as; the existence of minimal justification that suggest unfair treatment of the minorities, and that the death penalty results into a reduction or deterrent to crimes and saves life. Those for capital punishment believe that the death penalty ultimately deter murderers from killing more innocent people. No concrete evidence justifies this assertion. Therefore the supporters suggest that the capital punishment is a basic reminder to the general public that there is no reward for crimes. It gives people a notion that if you engage in killing innocent people then you are forced to pay a quite high price (Zimring 95-96). Abolitionists, opponents of the death penalty argue that there is no need to take the life of a criminal to deter life, and that imprisonment in itself is a deterrent to criminal activities. Zimring (2004) asserts that deterring crime is only possible by frightening the would-be criminals by arrest, conviction, and punishment. However, imprisonment may not be enough for some criminals to stop committing more crimes. A number of criminals such as serial killers believe that they would never be caught and brought to justice. For these kinds of criminals, the death penalty should be warranted to teach others a lesson and instill fear in them. The advocates of anti the death penalty argue that capital punishment is irreversible, and may lead to making irreversible mistakes. I accept this fact because once someone is awarded the death penalty; there is no reverse even if they only failed to prove their innocence (Haag 77-78 ). However, the probability of making a mistake with the death pe nalty is very minimal, extremely low. Capital punishment is very extreme. Therefore, the judicial system exercises it with a lot of care and caution. Because of the various guaranteed rights protection of people facing capital punishment, guilt must be determined by convincing and clear evidence that leaves no room for alternative justification of facts. The right to appeal is also protected for the convicts, and other privileges that ensure only rightly accused persons are awarded the death penalty. According to Haag, whenever life is at stake, trials are often more likely to be fair, and the death penalty is less often inflicted unjustly than others. Therefore, the abolitionists’ argument of making irreversible mistakes is unjustified. People have argued that the death penalty theory is correct since people are deterred from doing crimes by what they fear most,  that people fear death more than any other punishment, that the death penalty is a deterrent to crimes that any other punishment possible, and that the capital punishment is humane enoug h and the law supports it. They also argue that because those sentenced to death normally do much to have the day postponed, it proves that people fear death and therefore will avoid it (Zimring 97). Others have also said that the televised executions are more effective as people exercise more reaction to what they see than that which they imagine. It is hence hard to threaten murderers with something basically invisible, but in their minds, the death penalty is a major deterrent option. These are justifications that the death penalty is effective. The U.S establishment of the death penalty was due to capital crimes and murder. State or congress legislature may recommend the death penalty for capital crimes. According to the Supreme Court ruling, the death penalty does not violate the Eighth Amendments ban per se on unusual and cruel punishment. However, the Eighth Amendment shapes certain aspects of procedures regarding where a jury may prescribe the death penalty and the way it must be conducted. Analyses of Eighth Amendment demand courts to consider the evolution of decency standards. This is important in ascertaining that a particular punishment constitutes an unusual or cruel punishment. It is required that when considering evolving decency standards, objective factors that show a change in standards of the community must be observed and independent evaluations made concerning the reliability and/or essence of the statute in question. Although the death penalty is being considered effective in deterring capital crimes, the Supreme Court ruling discredited capital punishment for juvenile offenders. Majority opinion indicated that juveniles are irresponsible and immature. They have incomplete character development and are greatly vulnerable to negative influences. The Supreme Court deduced that adolescent offenders assume reduced accountability for their crimes. However, social science researchers point out that people do commit murder widely in the heat of passion. The reas on for this may be influence from drug or alcohol, mental illness. This renders little or no thought to the consequences of the act. Those murderers who make plans of their murder crimes expect and intend to escape punishment by avoiding getting caught. Therefore, the death penalty may be appropriate in such cases (Zimring 98-101). In conclusion, I support the arguments given  by the proponents of the death penalty, the pro-capital punishment. I think death penalty should be reintroduced. I take this stance because I believe the death penalty serves a definite purpose of deterring crime and bringing criminals to justice, as well as honoring the victims. For capital punishment to rightly serve this purpose, it must be made efficient and more effective. The system of justice has gone through a drastic transformation to ensure only rightly accused persons are brought to justice. I believe the death penalty ensures societal safety, brings criminals to book, brings justice to the victims, and deter crimes and reduce the number of criminals. From these illustrations, I believe capital punishment should not be abolished. Capital punishment is necessary to maintain public safety and keep justice shining in the society. It also cuts down the number of convicts on death row. The death penalty relieves families and friends who lose their loved ones in the merciless hands of criminals. It also solves the problem of overcrowding through a humane action. From this account, the death penalty aids in resolving a number of societal criminal issues. Therefore, I take the stance of the pro-capital punishment: I support the reintroduction of death penalty. Works Cited Haag, Ernest Van Den. On Deterrence and Death Penalty, Reserved reading for Philosophy, 2(3) 2003; 44-78. Zimring, F. E. The Contradictions of American Capital Punishment, New York: Oxford University Press. 2004. Print.

The Force Increases, As Will The Acceleration Essay Example for Free

The Force Increases, As Will The Acceleration Essay Prediction: In this experiment, I predict that as the force increases, as will the acceleration. Therefore, as the force decreases the acceleration decreases. I can also predict that the force and acceleration of an object are directly proportional, meaning that if the force was to be doubled, then the acceleration would also double. I can predict this using Newtons second law of motion. Newtons second Law of motion: Force = Mass x Acceleration (N) (kg) m/s (variable) (measurement) In simple terms, this means that if the force is to increase then the acceleration must also increase because the mass multiplied by the acceleration must equal the force. The equation, like many others can be re-arranged in order to show a possible prediction for the value in m/s that the acceleration will be the subject of the equation. Acceleration = Force (Mass / 0.400kg) Mass Weight is a force. Weight is quite oftenly confused with mass, however each one differs to the other. Mass is measured in kilograms (kg). The weight of an object only concerns the amount of matter an object is made up of. In contrast to the mass of an object, the weight of an object regards how much it is being pulled down to the centre of the earth through gravity. Weight is a force and is measured in Newtons (N). Diagram of apparatus: The experiment that was carried out occurs when a slider is pulled through two light gates via a weighted pulley upon a soft bed of air to minimalise friction powered by a vacuum connected to the air track. When the rider breaks the beam produced from Light gate 1, a recording is began by a computer linked up to both light gates. Once the rider cuts through the second light gate, then the timer on the computer steps automatically as the light gates can relay a signal to the computer. A computer is used rather than the naked eye because the computer can be precise to 2 decimal places (d.p). Once the slide has passed through both light gates, it is moved around both light gates and the experiment is repeated. The variable for this investigation is force, that is controlled through the weights used n the pulley. The weights are changed at five separate times, at each time a different weight is used. My variables are as follows: 0.02 N , 0.03 N , 0.07 N , 0.08 N , 0.12 N ( N = Newtons) The values I chose are all the smallest possible values that I am able to create. In relation to safety, there are no specific safety issues that come to into play during this particular investigation, however behavior around the apparatus and the laboratory is always considered a safety issue. The factors that are necessary to maintain as constants throughout the experiment in order to keep a high degree of accuracy are: * Straight light gates (equidistant 40cm apart) * Same starting point of the rider ( 5cm before the initial light gate) * Mass of the rider (0.400kg) The light gates are required to be equidistant (40cm apart) and level in order to keep the test so accurate readings can be recorded. The mass of the rider must also be mentained at exactly 0.400 kg because a slight chance in the weight will cause a change in the acceleration of the rider can result in widespread and inconsistent results. It is also important to mention the starting point of the rider that must remain constant in order for the rider to pass through each light gate at the same speed during each repeat reading recorded. In addition to these points of accuracy, there are others, which have sufficient relevance to the experiment. The level at which the air track is must be kept horizontal so that the rider has neither too longer, or too shorter acceleration value that is recorded due to the slider being against or along the gradient of the air track. This can be simply modified by adjusting the track then leaving the rider without a weight and switch on the air track, if the rider remains stationary then the air track is horizontal. The experiment will be measured on 3 occasions for each variable, these repeat readings will be averaged out into a single figure to gain an accurate set of results. To prepare for the investigation, a preliminary test was carried out in order to discover which mass of the rider produced the most accurate results. To do this, the lightest mass of the rider was used with the lightest and heaviest weights (0.020N lightest) and (0.170N heaviest). The masses of the rider were the largest possible (0.400 kg) and the smallest possible ( 0.200kg). The results showed me that the lighter the mass of the rider, the wider the range of results that I recorded. In contrast, the heavier the mass of the rider was, the more reliable my results were because they provided the smallest range. This meant that I chose the heaviest possible weight of the rider possible, which was 0.400kg. Skill area O (Obtaining The Results): FORCE (N) MASS (KG) Acceleration ( m / s ) Test 1 Test 2 Test 3 Average 0.02 0.400 0.05 0.04 0.05 0.05 0.03 0.400 0.07 0.08 0.07 0.07 0.07 0.400 0.18 0.18 0.17 0.18 0.08 0.400 0.19 0.19 0.21 0.20 0.12 0.400 0.31 0.31 0.31 0.31 Skill area E : Evaluation: My results throughout my investigation, were very accurate. The spread of my repeat readings were very small, each reading for each strength of force were close together shown a high level of accuracy throughout the investigation. All my average points that I recorded are close to the best-fit line that I have drawn, which suggests that all my results have been accurately recorded and displayed in my analysis and obtaining evidence sections. The procedures to which I applied my investigation were suitable because I was able to produce an accurate set of results with relative ease. In my opinion, my evidence can support a sufficient conclusion that as that the force upon on object is directly proportional to its acceleration produced. My results were tested over a reasonable range and are considered accurate as they fit in with my initial theory and also they fit in with my initial predictions that I was able to produce. I was able to produce these predictions by re-arranging Newtons second law to show me what the acceleration of an object can b equal to in terms of its force and mass. (Old equation) Force = Mass x Acceleration (N) (kg) m/s (variable) (measurement) (New, Re-arranged equation) Acceleration = Force (mass / 0.400kg) Mass I have a range of values for my force, I inputted each one of these values to gain predicted results. (When force = 0.02) : 0.02 = 0.05 (Actual average = 0.05) 0.400 (When force = 0.03) : 0.03 = 0.075 (Actual average = 0.07) 0.400 (When force = 0.07) : 0.07 = 0.175 (Actual average = 0.08) 0.400 (When force = 0.08) : 0.08 = 0.20 (Actual average = 0.20) 0.400 (When force = 0.12) : 0.12 = 0.30 (Actual average = 0.31) 0.400 As the above figures display clearly, my results are all highly accurate and sufficiently support my prediction and theory. All that remains is to discuss how I can extend my investigation. The obvious point that springs to mind is to gather further results to obtain an exceptionally high level of accuracy. However, I can also look to change my variable from the force to the mass of the rider. I can do this by investigating the relationship between the mass and force on a rider to give me additional information. I can carry out these tests in the same manner as I have discussed for this particular investigation, but changing the variables used. I will use a range of variables that will aid me complete my investigation reaching sufficient conclusions.