Supply Mgmt Case Studies Essay Example

Supply Mgmt Case Studies Essay Example Supply Mgmt Case Studies Essay Supply Mgmt Case Studies Essay What are the most likely benefits of forming strategic supply alliances with Sunspots key suppliers? A strategic alliance between Sunspot and its key suppliers will result in a relationship based on trust. Its key for both parties to develop and manage this Institutional trust or the alliance will fall. Trust will facilitate communication which will lead to less errors and higher quality, faster development times, and lower costs. Synergies created by alliances result in reductions of direct and indirect costs associated with labor, machinery, materials, and overhead. Other benefits are reduced time to market, improved technology flow from suppliers, and Improved continuity of supply. With strategic alliances, all parties have a stake In the success of Sunspots business. Instructor Comments: 2. What are the disadvantages or risks of such alliances? Alliances are a resource- intense approach to supply management with several disadvantages or risks. Theres a danger the supplier will act in an opportunistic manner over time; perhaps Sunspots electronic systems dont allow for optimum Information sharing and communication with its suppliers. Mr.. Bart Lyons will have to ensure he has a supply manager who is trained in managing alliance partnershipsif not, the alliance will fail. Sunspot will have to accept added risk associated with reducing the supply base. Both the supplier and buyer need be aligned In what their ultimate customer considers valuable and In their respective villous thus able to make long term commitments to each other. Sunspot must determine if the benefits of an alliance outweigh the effort, risk. And resources required. 3. How can these disadvantages be offset? The three most important factors in a successful buyer-supplier relationship are two- way communication; the suppliers responsiveness to supply managements needs; and clear product specifications. To offset the risk and/or disadvantages actions can be taken to appoint an inter-film team that receives guidance and training in the implementation of practices. Additionally, the firms can develop a communication system that addresses risks and rewards openly. They can take actions to develop and measure trust, as well as, use negotiation as a trust-building opportunity. Addressing the risk and disadvantages early will aid in the success of the relationship and both firms. Case u y e revel 1. Discuss the basic inventory problem confronting this firm. Mrs.. Glass made the decision to reduce cost by reducing inventories without considering the problems it would cause for other functions. This created a shortage of inventory causing increased cost by using air freight to meet demand while keeping the companys commitment to the customer for prompt delivery. 2. Air freight bills keep growing both in numbers and in total dollar value of freight reinserted. What are the factors that have contributed to the development of this situation? Do they reflect efficient or inefficient management of supply, inventories, and production in firms such as this one? Discuss. Air freight bills keep growing because of the lack of inventory on hand to run a complete production. One factor contributing to this situation is the companys promise of prompt delivery without regard to what the companys actual capability is. Another includes decisions being made by one department without consideration of the how it would affect the entire Hahn or timely information on sales forecasts. It appears the company has not yet found an organizational structure and governance process that will allow the supply chain to function effectively and efficiently. Additionally, prior to this meeting it seems there was no cross-functional approach to supply management. Decisions are being made without team synergy, input from all affected functions, and effective problem resolution. As materials gain in importance, becoming a larger proportion of the cost of goods sold, issues such as inflated inventories, poor quality, material tock-outs, long lead times, and miscommunication provide the impetus for a movement to capture control of materials under one individual. This gave rise to the materials management approach to structuring the material portion of an organization. 3. What should Joan Glass do? Joan must start with the basics of setting up the materials management organization to provide an integrated systems approach to the coordination of materials activities and the control of total material costs. She also needs to evolve the supply chain management structure to encompass the planning and management of all activities involved in forecasting, sourcing, and procurement and all incoming logistics management activities. It will create integrated processes throughout the organization. Setting up a cross functional team will address many supply management related activities. In addition, policy will need to be established to ensure all parties know their respective roles and expected involvement. Snouts Glass suggest a materials manager Absolutely, she should suggest a materials manager to have control and responsibility for the purchasing, planning and scheduling, transportation, and warehousing functions. This will optimize the performance of the materials system resulting in improvements in inventory levels, customer service, and communications, ultimately improving the bottom line. However, she must also suggest organizing the cross-functional team so the materials manager will have broader information to make smarter decisions. 5. Should Glass build up her inventories? Considering the facts known in this case, she should first determine if process improvements would resolve the issue prior to accepting additional cost of larger inventories. There are several areas to consider with regard to process improvements. The traffic manager stated that Joan spreads the small orders so he can never find a way to consolidate them to get volume rates. There is probably a more efficient way to combine the small orders know that Joan knows the issues. He also stated he is having problems with outgoing shipments. He could probably negotiate with the transportation company on incoming and outgoing shipments which could also lower air freight costs. The marketing manager is promising customers prompt delivery but has he thought to promise what the actual capability is and many customers might accept that. Joan needs access to earlier sales forecasts. There may be a way for her to get real time access. By building up her inventory, Joan has not resolved the issues. I believe she should consider the many areas of process improvements shown in this case. Case Study #3 Pacific Healthcare 1. What alternatives should Barney Rubble consider when addressing the problem? Since Mr.. Howell had control over the supplier selection, it suggests that the company has a decentralized purchase authority policy. Mr.. Rubble should consider if centralized or decentralized authority is best for the company. Additionally, Mr.. Rubble must consider the total cost. If he stays with Kodak, then he benefits from the maintenance and service discount. If he chooses competitive bids from different sources, then he must find another company to perform the services. If he chooses to negotiate with Kodak, he could try for a lower total cost with a more attractive procurement situation. Mr.. Rubble will need to analysis the cost, benefits, and risks involved with all situations. Finally, Mr.. Rubble should make decisions based off of Pacific Healthcare supply strategy for medical supplies to obtain the highest quality tit the best service at the lowest overall cost. 2 Snouts Pascals supply polices allow Tort any meal star personnel to control sourcing decisions? There are advantages and disadvantages of decentralized purchasing authority. One Justification for decentralized purchasing authority is the purchase of unethical odds and ends which the X-ray film may fall into that category. However, partial decentralization of purchases may be the solution. Mr.. Rubble could change the policy so that he is involved in all sourcing decisions but allow the medical staff to do the actual purchasing. By using the cross-functional team concept, all parties can have input and make better purchasing decisions. 3. What are the advantages and disadvantages of staying with Kodak or changing suppliers? How would you evaluate these? By staying with Kodak, the price and quality is higher and the company benefits from the maintenance and service discount. By changing suppliers, the cost would be lower but an additional requirement for maintenance and service will need to be fulfilled. On the surface it would appear that competitive bidding could fill the requirement however I believe estimations is the best option since the maintenance and service will also be required. Pacific Heathers objective is to find a single-source supplier for a one year contract. Mr.. Rubbles market research should show not only the quality and costs of the film but the service and maintenance quality and costs as well. If Kodak ends up being the best value meeting the companys supply strategy and objectives, then he should pursue a long term alliance. 4. What action could Mr.. Rubble have taken prior to Mr.. Howls death to obtain reduced film prices? Mr.. Rubble could have encouraged top management to establish a better policy on the purchasing authority. He could have created cross- functional teams to better understand the departments sourcing concerns, as well as, ensured collaboration and buy in. Supply managers cannot forget their internal customers. Mr.. Rubble could have also taken advantage of Mr.. Howls long standing relationship with Kodak to open the doors for negotiation. Case Study #4 The Case of the Sleeping Dogs 1. Is it an ethical problem for a supply manager to buy something he or she knows is ad for the environment, or to avoid buying something known to be environmentally safe?

Nick DiChario Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Nick DiChario - Essay Example (Nick DiChario.com)His short fiction has appeared in science fiction, fantasy, mystery, and the following publications in the United States: The Year's Best Science Fiction, The Year's Best Fantasy and Horror, and The Best Alternate History Stories of the 20th Century, among many others. (www.cybling.com, Nick DiChario as guest). DiChario has also been nominated for a John W. Campbell Award, two Hugo Awards, and a World Fantasy Award. In addition to writing stories, some of his plays have been presented in Geva Theatre's Regional Playwrights Festival in upstate New York, and he is the workshop coordinator for Writers & Books. (Id.) It is clear that DiChario does not take himself too seriously which may be the reason why his writing is so successful. He chatted on a blog with fans from the Green Room at "Chicon, the 58th Annual World Science Fiction Convention". Research across the web also indicates that he enjoys the feedback that he receives from his fans and avidly writes back. The largest impression that I received from this novel was that it made me wonder what would happen if I were in Tink's shoes. A small and remarkable life is a fitting title to this novel because in the grand scheme of life, Tink's could hardly be considered influential. However, it was remarkable in that we have a wonderful impression of what it would be like to be a fish out of water. The adaptation has suffocated a person, and DiChario shows us what it would be like realistically for an alien. Based on his description, I guess it would be the same for us if we ever visited "Wetspace". This novel tells us the story of Tink Puddah, a strange being mostly conveniently referred to as the "foreigner". Tink comes to us from a place called "Wetspace". It looks like Tink may be the child of Nif and Ru, also two aliens from "Wetspace". The Three have decided to come to earth and adapt themselves to the planet and its' people in the mid 1800's. I also thought that it was interesting to begin the story with Tink's funeral. I loved the idea of the preacher being the public enemy instead of the alien. In fact in his review of the book, Corey Redkop from "Shelf Monkey states "DiChario propels the story through startling imagery that pays homage to the tenets of the genre while at the same time raising the bar". The novel allows us to examine our own conscious while enjoying science fiction at the same time. It also demonstrates that all persons are fallible. One of the most interesting aspects of this book is that it is a "first contact" novel. Taking the form of a 'first-contact' novel (i.e. a story based on the presumption of Earth's first contact with an alien life form), this really does seem like we are almost experiencing this story ourselves. What I appreciate most about this novel is that despite the subject matter, we are still taken through unexpected roads which for a moment seem ludicrous, yet after thought are log ical. My favorite quote from this novel is: "Their metamorphosis had begun-they had each developed two miniature spherical structures of jelly-like eyes with which to see the new world. Bodies shrinking, rounding, bending. Bones to support the eco-matter. Small, bipedal, humanoid creatures they would become. Atoms, molecules, joints, nails, skin, glands, hormones,

Personnel Planning And Recruitment Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Personnel Planning And Recruitment - Essay Example This method enables the better use of internal talent since an employee can be moved to a job at which he/she performs better. The downside is that appropriate candidates might just not be available for some vacancies internally therefore leading to placement of unsuitable individuals. Another is Promotions which involve an employee being moved to a higher ranking position. They are a source of motivation and encouragement to the workers. However, they may lead to conflict among the employees seeking for promotion to the vacancies available. External sources on the other hand have to be acquired from outside the organization. One example is placement agencies which are private firms conducting recruitment activities on behalf of organizations at a fee, the advantage of this is it assists organizations to acquire necessary competencies. They however increase the cost of recruitment. Another is press advertisement of vacancies in journals and newspapers. The main advantage of this meth od is its wide reach. It is however time consuming as well as costly (Tellis, 2004). Evaluation of Job Ads The jobs ads evaluated were posted on the internet. They all follow the principal of AIDA (Attention, Interest, Desire, and Action).

Foundation of Leadership Essay Example for Free

Foundation of Leadership Essay How do leaders of today become what they are now? What experiences did they gone through in stabilizing their foundations of good and ideal leadership? There are just too many aspects in life that will mold you to become an efficient leader. Every experience, person you will meet, and their ideals will contribute to create a leader out of you. 1. Create a diagram that demonstrates the interplay of your life. Include the aspects that you think are important. The diagram shows how an individual gain his skills and knowledge through social interaction. Personal experiences teach an individual what to do and what he will become in the future. The relationship and interaction with the people around you mold and stabilize your character. The work and experience that you have or have been engaged in will create the kind of leader you are or can be after surpassing circumstances and pressures. Your goals and desires will determine how far you can go. 2. What principles surfaced to you from your readings of Synchronicity? To what extent have you practiced any or all of the disciplines in the context of your personal life? Synchronicity, a book written by Joseph Jaworski, also discussed about important insights in leadership. He presented the value of servant leadership; wherein in an organization an individual is after the group instead of one’s self interest. Servant leaders should know how to listen, empathize, be aware, heal himself and the members, conceptualize, foresee, persuade, commit, and build his community. Servant leaders should also know how to keep the harmonious relationship among members. From my own experience, I have proven that servant leadership works. A leader who values the group members and their opinion has too far to go in leading. Listening, empathy and awareness are very important. Moreover, respect is also being gained in return. You can also expand and develop ideas through brainstorming. Jaworski also discussed the importance of advance planning and conceptualizing. You will be able to estimate and assume future events and circumstances, enabling you to know what to do or avoid in the future. Learning from the past is also important, past experiences can be one’s pattern in decision-making. Leadership skills can be developed and improved through one’s knowledge and experiences. Different styles can be used depending on the situation for a more efficient results, only proper decision-making should be done wisely. To be knowledgeable and ideal leader, explore the world and learn more things in life. Be responsible. 3. Locate one or more websites and journals that explore leadership traits and styles, and discuss management and leadership. A group of researchers led by Kurt Lewin, conducted an experiment in order to study and identify specific types of leadership. In result, the group established three major types: the authoritarian leadership (autocratic), Participative (democratic), and delegative (laissez-faire). (Kendra Van Wagner) In authoritarian leadership, clear expectations of all the details is provided such as what, when, and where something should be done. Leaders decide independently with a little contribution from the rest of the group, or even nothing at all. In this type of leadership, less creativity in decision-making is being formed by the group. However, it is applicable in situations wherein there is minimal time for group discussion or when the leader is the most knowledgable and reliable member of the group. (Kendra Van Wagner) Participative leadership allows everyone to take part in the discussion and decision-making processes and is guided by the leader. The output of the work lead by democratic leaders is more creative. Members are being more motivated and creative as the leader encourage them to participate, but preserve the final decision to him. (Kendra Van Wagner) Members under delegative leadership work independently with a little or no guidance at all from the leader and leave decision-making to the rest of the group. On the other hand, this style can be useful for members that are highly competent in an area of proficiency, but frequently results into weakly defined roles and lack of enthusiasm. (Kendra Van Wagner) Leadership goes hand in hand with management. Though the two are inseparable terms, it is important to know the distinction between them. Leadership deals with the concept and rationale while management is into the logistic details such as who, when and when. Leaders direct the organizarion while managers handle the process towards a certain goal. Leaders motivate others to go beyond their limit and explore whereas managers make others do what they need to do. Managers are focused on present circumstances; leaders conentrate on conceptualizing and foreseeing. Leaders plan; managers make things done. They have different jobs and responsibillities, yet the two are directly linked to each other. How can you plan for the future and lead if you don’t know how to manage and work things out? (Webb) Works Cited Jaworski, Joseph. Synchronicity: The Inner Path of Leadership . Berrett-Koehler Publishers; 1st ed edition , March 1996. Kendra Van Wagner. Leadership Theories. 2007. About. com. 26 September 2007 http://psychology. about. com/od/leadership/p/leadtheories. htm. Webb, Bert. My Two Cents: Leadership vs. Management. 26 September 2007 http://hwebbjr. typepad. com/openloops/2005/03/my_two_cents_le. html.

Devaluation and Export Performance Essay -- Economics

Agriculture plays a vital role in the Ethiopian economy, contributing 42 percent of Gross Domestic Product (GDP), 80 percent of the employment and 90 percent of total export earnings (Ministry of Finance and Economic Development [MoFED] 2011; Diao et al. 2010). In 2009 with an effort to remove the vicious socio-economic circle, the government of Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia (FDRE) developed a Growth and Transformation Plan (GTP) with a priority to export orientated agricultural development to lead industrialization (MoFED 2010 P. 22). Despite the over-ambitious plan, however, the performance of the export sector has remained undeveloped which calls for sound macroeconomic policies that are crucial to combat the bottlenecks constraining the export sector. Foreign exchange rate is a key macroeconomic variable that determines performance of export in a country. The causes why export performance depends on the foreign exchange regime in developing countries include: the characteristics of exportable goods, the effectiveness of financial sectors and trading with foreign currencies rather than with the domestic currency (Nilsson K. and Lars N. 2000). Accordingly, Ethiopia's export is characterized by primary agricultural products with inelastic export demand and supply, concentration of market and products, little value addition. The result of primary agricultural product export is a smaller marketing margin and insignificant bargaining power on the world market. The financial sector is also constrained with higher probabilities of the existence of parallel markets that fail at allocating resources to their most efficient usage. Moreover, all trade transactions are carried out with foreign currencies, predominantly with US... ... 2011. â€Å"The Dynamics between Real Exchange Rate Movements and Trends in TradePerformance: The Case of Ethiopia.† Munich Personal RePEc (Research Papers in Economics). Munich. Michael, Nwidobie Barine. 2011. â€Å"An Impact Analysis of Foreign Exchange Rate Volatility on Nigeria’s Export Performance.† European Journal of Economics, Finance and Administrative Sciences Issue 37 (September): 47-55. National Bank of Ethiopia (NBE). 2011. National Bank Annual Report 2009/10. Addis Abeba: NBE. http://www.nbe.gov.et/publications/annualreport.htm (Accessed on Apri 25, 2012). Nilsson, Kristian and Lars Nilsson. 2000. â€Å"Exchange Rate Regimes and Export Performance in Developing Countries.† Oxford: Blackwell Publishres: 331-349. The World Bank (WB). 2012. World Development Indicators: Ethiopia. WB. http://data.worldbank.org/country/ethiopia (Accessed on April 26, 2012).

Fetac Level Customer Service

The hotel offers 104 superb bedrooms designed for guest comfort and relaxation, many with superb sews over the river and town. They have two penthouse suites known as the light and dark rooms offering luxury at its finest, ideal for special occasions. The Westport Hotel The Westport Hotel has been transformed into the hippest & liveliest luxury designer hotel in the region. After a major refurbishment in 2011, the Westport Hotel now attains the status as the most popular hotel in Dragonhead. The inviting exterior is that of sophistication and city reminiscence.Located in the very heart of Dragonhead it comprises of 27 tastefully decorated bedrooms all of different infatuations, flat screen televisions with cable channels and high speed internet access. The aim of the Westport Hotel is to make your stay one of comfort, enjoyment and relaxation. 2. Summary/Evaluation I The D Hotel I The Westport Hotel I Organization/Business Image I The image I got of the D Hotel was that it is a very middle of the road hotel. The d ©cord is standard and not very up-market. It is clean and tidy and felt very welcoming, making me want to stay there.I The image I got of the Westport Hotel was that It is very up-market, the lobby is spotlessly clean and the d ©cord is very high end. I think that the business image is better than that of the D Hotel. I Personal Presentation of Employees I The sales associate was wearing a black t-shirt and black trousers; I felt that she was well presented with regards to her the ends from dragging on the ground. I The sales associate was dressed in a black suit with a white shirt and no name tag. She was very well presented with minimal make-up and nicely groomed hair.The presentation of the staff is much better than that of the D Hotel. I Interpersonal Skills of Individual(s) Dealt With I I think the sales associate was very good at her Job; she was polite and welcoming and dad me feel like a valued customer. Her interpersonal skills were 100% better than those of the staff at the Westport Hotel. I The sales associate didn't do very well and I think she should consider another career path. She was impolite to me and seemed exasperated with my questions. She could improve on her manners towards customers.I Effective Handling of Enquiry I The sales associate was very efficient in handling my enquiry as she had a very good knowledge of the deals available to me. She was much more effective at handling my enquiry than the employee at the Westport Hotel. I The sales associate wasn't very efficient in handling my enquiry she made me feel like I was bothering her with stupid questions. I Ability of Employee to Present Information Accurately I The sales associate was brilliant she went through everything with me and explained what each price included making sure I knew what I was getting for my money.She was much better than the employee at the Westport Hotel. I Although I did eventually get the information I required the sales a ssociate didn't present it to me accurately as she Just scribbled some generic prices down onto a scrap of paper and thrust it into my hand before smiling me. I Overall Comment of Efficiency and Customer Service Delivered by the Organizations/Business I The only things that I found wrong were the fact that her trousers were far too long and she never offered me her name. Other than that it was a very good experience. My experience was much better than the one I had at the Westport Hotel.I The experience made me feel like the hotel didn't want me as a customer because I wouldn't fit their usual clientele, the sales associate was UN- friendly and rude and it made me not want to stay in the hotel. 3. Recommendations on Improving Customer Service The Only way I think that the D Hotel can improve on their customer service is to make sure that employees make the customers aware of their name so that they don't have to ask for it and to also make sure that employees are dressed in a more p rofessional manner with correctly tailored clothing.

French Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars