Summer Internship Report on Madura Garments Essay Example

Summer Internship Report on Madura Garments Essay Example Summer Internship Report on Madura Garments Paper Summer Internship Report on Madura Garments Paper 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 predetermined 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 list 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. 3 4. 1 DMAIC 13 4. 2 Fishbone Diagram. 15 4. 3 Cause and Effect Matrix. 17 4. 4 Failure Mode Effect Analysis.. 18 5. Methodology.. 4 5. 1: Understand the current market and business scenario.. 25 5. 1. 1: Market Scenario: .. 25 5. 1. 2: Agent Performance: 29 5. 1. 3: Business processes: 30 5. 1. 4: Key Points: . 5 5. 2: Ascertain the current service level of the system.. 36 5. 3: Identifying and Defining Problems.. 37 5. 3. 1: Fishbone Diagram: 37 5. 3. 2: Cause and Effect M atrix: 38 5. 3. 3: Failure Mode Effect Analysis: 39 5. 3. : Principal Issues: 41 5. 4: Process Improvement Plan 42 5. 4. 1: Short term changes: 43 5. 4. 2: Long term plans: 47 5. 5: Process Control.. 1 6. References:.. 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 businesses 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 gar ments 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 brand 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 Manufacturing Madura 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 related 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 (Black Belts, 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 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 th e current process and collect relevant data. ? Analyze  the data to investigate and verify cause-and-effect relationships. Determine what the relationships are, and attempt 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 first step section of this site, 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 are 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 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 positive one, such as a desired process outcome. Kaoru Ishikawa, a famous Japanese consultant developed this method in the 1960s. It is also known as Cause-and-Effect Diagram or Ishikawa Diagram. The balance chapter details the steps required to construct a fishbone diagram. The example effect to illustrate the concept is 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 II Identify 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 CE 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 e xperience with similar products or processes, enabling 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 weaknes s. 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: Severity Determine 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 engineer 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 methods 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 |Moderate | |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 i n 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. Methodology A 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 avenues 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 return 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 |1875000 | |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 op tions: 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 Sourcing 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 sc hedule 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 offered 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 so urcing options for fabric and trims (lower lead time to source trims than brands) Schedule production 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 sepa rate 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 targets Pro blems 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 storage 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 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 y ear 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 betwe en 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: 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 cate rs 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 Customer 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 Informati on 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 enquiries Process 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

Civil War Essays - American Civil War, History Of The United States

Civil War Essays - American Civil War, History Of The United States Civil War The Civil war rages, the War between the States has become known as the bloodiest war ever fought. The Civil War divided the United States between its Northern and Southern states. The battles lingered for long years, but the consequences of the war have endured time. The start of the war began with the firing on Ft. Sumter by the Southern states and lasted until General Robert E Lee surrendered his southern troops at Appomattox Court House in Virginia on April 9, 1865. The War pitted brother against brother in attempts to retain a way of life and thinking. Although there has not been agreement on the major causes of the War, this essay will explore possible immediate causes and long term causes of the War. The immediate causes of the war that will be discussed are the election of Lincoln as president, the quest of the South to succeed from the Union, and the firing on Fort Sumter. The longer term causes discussed will be economic differences between the North and South, failure of Congress to compromise and the slavery and territory issues. The immediate causes of the War were the election of Lincoln as president. The fire-eaters threatened secession because of Lincoln's affiliation with abolitionist. The Southern states wanted their independence respected by the national government. The preservation of the way of life in the Southern states was of utmost importance. In opposition to legislation that would strengthen the national government the Confederacy rejected the demands of the Union. The Southern states believed that the right to succeed from the Union was within the doctrine of states' rights. Secessionist believed that the national government was a conglomeration of sovereign states and that any state had the legal right to remove itself from the Union. As Lincoln gave his inaugural speech he declared that secession was illegal and that he would acquire Southern possessions. One of these Southern holds would be Fort Sumter, which is located in the heart of the South. On April 12, the Confederacy fired upon Sumter to capture better position to defend initiated the battle that would culminate into the bloodiest War ever. The economic climates of the North and South differed a great deal. The North's economy depended heavily upon industry. The South was based on an agricultural economy, which produced such cash crops as tobacco, cotton, and sugar would suffer great hardships. Secession was key to the survival of the South and its way of life. Without secession the South would have to face an economy without its cheap resource, slave labor. Southerners felt that slavery should be the foundation of their society and it was more of a necessity than an evil. With expansion facing Congress, the issue of slavery played a key role in the division of the Union. Anti-slavery advocates demanded that slavery be left out of the new territories. Legislation was continuously introduced into Congress that would limit the span of slave labor, however the South responded by stating that could not be prohibited from any land that was in the Union. The slavery issue was a constant in legislation with Congress, various compromises attempted to settle the issue but with no solution. Popular-sovereignty was a compromised that would have allowed the territory itself to establish the laws on slavery, but proved damaging to the cause of the Anti-slavery activist because it allowed slavery in states that had previously determined it to be illegal. In order for the issue to be resolved and to keep the Southern states from seceding the Union a compromise needed to be reached. Of the compromises submitted to the national government, the Crittenden Compromise was the most popular. The Crittenden Compromise attempted to protect the system of slavery by establishing amendments that would limit the national governments ability to abolish it. This Compromise was not successful because of Lincoln's strong stand against the institution of slavery. The failure to compromise between Congress lead to further division amongst the States. The actions of the North and the South and their failure to compromise lead to the most costly war in human casualties ever. The destruction of the South's way of life and a new Union were the direct results of war. The eventual collapse of slavery and the total collapse of the South's economy, along with Lincoln's leadership brought forth a new nation and economic structure. This new structure brought tariffs favoring for manufacturing, free homesteads, and central banking, and railways for everyone.

Human Resource Issues in India, China, Brazil, and Nigeria Essay

Human Resource Issues in India, China, Brazil, and Nigeria - Essay Example The paper tells that in all the four countries that were analyzed, the labor market is large, and an opportunity for the company to expand its business. The transition to recent models of human resources is a key strength to the nations and this will influence positively to the company. Culture is a big threat to the establishment of the company, and this is because of the sensitivity of the issues being addressed. One weakness of these nations is the high turnover as witnessed in India. It is recommended that the company take advantage of the large labor market. However, it should be aware of the existing cultural and political issues in these nations. These issues pose a serious challenge to the establishment and growth of the company. Human resources are regarded as the most crucial asset of any organization; however, not all organizations are capable of fully harnessing its potential. The human resource system is defined as a set of individual but interrelated processes, activiti es, and functions that are aimed at maintaining, developing or attracting a company’s human resources. In order to enhance operational performance, there is the need to equally manage the system in both manufacturing and service organizations. Innovative manufacturing practices and sophisticated technologies do very little to improve operational performance unless the essential HRM (human resource management) practices are in place to create a constant socio-technical system. Therefore, there is a need for organizations to assess their existing practices in HRM and amend if needed in such a way that employees can efficiently contribute to the improvement of operational performance. There has been a considerable shift towards appreciating human resources in the Indian organizations. This is because they have become strategy driven instead of the status quo, which is instigated by culture.

Teenage Pregnancy Literature Review Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Teenage Pregnancy - Literature review Example It will also cover the factors that cause and how it can be prevented. Cherry, A et al, (2001), Teenage Pregnancy: A Global View, Greenwood Publishing Group, New York. According to Cherry and others, teenage pregnancy is the pregnancy that afflicts persons under 20 years especially when the pregnancy terminates. This predicament is always brought by various individual and societal factors that is always manifested in most communities. For example, poverty, parental neglect, lack of education and unemployment have been cited as most reasons why teenagers fall pregnant early (Cherry et al, 2001, p.120). In addition, the authors explain that the pregnancy can occur at various periods in the life stage of the girl child. This is either before or after puberty. On that note, it also happens with menarche, which is the first menstrual period that happens between the ages of 12 and 13. According to the writers, this is the stage of fertility among females and they are prone to getting pregn ant. However, these authors concur that teenage pregnancies differ from nation to nation depending on the economic prospects, development and cultural factors among others (Cherry et al, 2001, p.126). Similarly, there is the use of condoms and contraceptives that are varying from country to country. While other nations allow the use of contraceptives to prevent unwanted pregnancy among teenagers, other countries bar them the grounds of religion and culture. Aria, L, (2009), Teenage Pregnancy: The Making and Unmaking of a Problem, The Policy Press, New Jersey. According to Aria in her book, there are different signs and symptoms of noting when a teenager is pregnant. However, before she tackles that, she narrates the risk factors that teenagers/adolescents have to contend with in the community. For example, economic disadvantage especially in developing nations that survive on less than a dollar a day and older male partner. Additionally, poor school performance, young age and single or teen parenthood are other serious factors predisposing teenagers to early pregnancy (Aria 2009, p.89). Therefore, the symptoms of pregnancy among teenagers include abdominal distention, fatigue, missed period and breast enlargement or breast tenderness. Others include nausea/vomiting, frequent urination and light-headedness or actual fainting. On that note, Aria suggests various signs and tests that are fundamental to identify early to help a pregnant teenager. For example, she observes issues such as gaining of weight and medical examination may indicate increased abdominal girth. Alternatively, healthcare provider may also examine the top of the enlarged uterus called the fundus to establish a better way to help the teenager. These examinations may entail that involving the pelvic to show purple or bluish coloration of the vaginal walls (Aria 2009, p.142). Furthermore, urine and/or serum when passed through a pregnancy test usually turn out as positive. Another key test involv es the dates of the pregnancy that confirmed or checked using a pregnancy ultrasound. Farber, N, (2009), Adolescent Pregnancy: Policy and Prevention Services, John Wiley & Sons, New York. Farber her in book explains the practical policies that if implemented have a chance of reducing teenage pregnancy. Similarly, she has tested treatments that pregnant teenagers should undergo in order to safeguard the welfare of the unborn baby.

To Kill A Mockingbird by Harper Lee Essay Example for Free

To Kill A Mockingbird by Harper Lee Essay In the novel To Kill a Mockingbird, Harper Lee tells the story of Scout and Jem, two young children who learn about racism and injustice in the small town of Maycomb, Alabama, in the 1930s. The childrens father, Atticus, is a lawyer who is appointed to defend Tom Robinson, a black man unjustly accused of rape. It is through this trial, as well as through other characters, that the children learn about the injustices of the world and the need for compassion, a trait that demands that we rise above our selves and see things from another point of view. This different perspective is the crux of compassion for it is only by understanding anothers point of view that we can truly empathize and have compassion for someone who is different from us. It is through compassion that one understands why it is a sin to kill a mockingbird, those creatures and people who do no harm and need our understanding. Finally, it is through compassion that we can overcome human weakness, such as prejudice and injustice, and act with integrity and courage. In To Kill a Mockingbird, Arthur Radley, Mayella Ewell, and Tom Robinson are three characters that demonstrate the need for compassion. One of the few characters that deserve compassion in this novel is Arthur Boo Radley. His father prohibits him from leaving the house and having any contact with the rest of Maycomb. Thus, it is just about impossible for him to even live a normal life. Moreover, Arthurs mysterious lifestyle inevitably leads to frequent false accusations that more than hurt his reputation. From Arthur Radley, Jem and Scout as well as the reader learns that what one may think of another may not be true until they completely understand things from that individuals standpoint. As Mrs. Maudie says it, they dont do one thing but sing their hearts out for us. Thats why it is a sin to kill a mockingbird. This quote is a perfect description of Arthur and how he treats others. It tells the reader that like a mockingbird, he does good deeds for others and asks of nothing in return. For instance, in the novel Arthur puts gifts in an oak tree for Jem and Scout to enjoy. In addition, towards the end of the book, he rescues them from Bob Ewells sudden attack. Yet, a person worthy of compassion does not necessarily have to perform good deeds. A good model of this is Mayella Ewell. In a society so concentrated on ones wealth, it is hard for anyone like Mayella Ewell to meet its expectations. Therefore, one may also be compassionate towards Mayella. Living in poverty, she has to struggle to support seven siblings along with a drunken father. Whats more is that her familys past not only affects others outlook on her; it takes away from her sense of worth as well. She has no friends and through the trial Scout realizes that she must have been the loneliest person in the world. Harper Lee also informs us that the Ewells have brilliant red geraniums, cared for as tenderly as if the belonged to Miss Maudie Atkinson. She further states that these flowers belong to Mayella. Since having no friends, Mayella turns to gardening. She treats the flowers as though they were her only friends and cares for them dearly. This shows that she is just a normal child who needs as much care and attention as anyone. But because of her family history others dont feel the need to have compassion for her. Also as a result of her horrible upbringing, Mayella soon makes a choice that would eventually ruin another mockingbird. Deserving more compassion than anyone is Tom Robinson. Tom, a poor black male, has to make a great effort to provide for a wife and four kids. He is a hard working and sincere man whose only mistake was having sympathy for Mayella Ewell. He tries to do her favor but because of the racism in Maycomb, Tom is soon accused of raping Mayella and founded guilty. Losing hope, he tries to flee but is soon shot down because of his crippled arm. Then shortly after Toms death Scout finds a roly-poly in the house. Why couldnt I mash him? I asked. Because they dont bother you, Jem answered in the darkness. The roly-poly is a perfect portrayal Tom Robinson in that both of them had not done anything to cause any harm. Nevertheless, they are both punished. Jem understands this because he feels compassion for the insect as well as compassion for Tom. As Arthur, Mayella and Toms situations show, having compassion is a  necessity when dealing with others. Through compassion we understand from a different perspective what someone experiences. It is through this perspective that we rise above our differences and accept what is truly there. Without compassion, discrimination, injustice and rivalry will surely prevail.

James Joyces Araby - Loss of Innocence in Araby Essays -- Joyce Dubli

Loss of Innocence in Araby In her story, "Araby," James Joyce concentrates on character rather than on plot to reveal the ironies inherent in self-deception. On one level "Araby" is a story of initiation, of a boy’s quest for the ideal. The quest ends in failure but results in an inner awareness and a first step into manhood. On another level the story consists of a grown man's remembered experience, for the story is told in retrospect by a man who looks back to a particular moment of intense meaning and insight. As such, the boy's experience is not restricted to youth's encounter with first love. Rather, it is a portrayal of a continuing problem all through life: the incompatibility of the ideal, of the dream as one wishes it to be, with the bleakness of reality. This double focus-the boy who first experiences, and the man who has not forgotten-provides for the dramatic rendering of a story of first love told by a narrator who, with his wider, adult vision, can employ the sophisticated use of irony and symbolic imagery necessary to reveal the story's meaning. The boy's character is indirectly suggested in the opening scenes of the story. He has grown up in the backwash of a dying city. Symbolic images show him to be an individu... ...ossibility. That sense of loss is intensified, for its dimension grows as we realize that the desire to, live the dream will continue through adulthood. At no other point in the story is characterization as brilliant as at the end. Joyce draws his protagonist with strokes designed to let us recognize in "the creature driven and derided by vanity" both a boy who is initiated into knowledge through a loss of innocence and a man who fully realizes the incompatibility between the beautiful and innocent world of the imagination and the very real world of fact. In "Araby," Joyce uses character to embody the theme of his story.

Political Forces in the Glass Ceiling

Despite all of the political forces on the side of women who attempt to break through the glass ceiling, limited progress has been made. Numerous studies lament the virtual absence of women in the elite tier of corporate positions: chief executive officer, chairman, president, and executive vice president. Unfair employment practices strengthen the glass ceiling and hinder the advancement of women in the workplace. These practices include sexual harassment, sexual discrimination, and pregnancy discrimination. Although activists have succeeded in getting stronger laws passed, such as the Civil Rights Act of 1991, true progress eliminating the glass ceiling must be based on private sector initiatives. The Civil Rights Act of 1991 gives women considerable more clout in their defense against discrimination than did the Civil Rights Act of 1964. The Civil Rights Act of 1964 prohibited discrimination against women who successfully filed suit against their employers for unfair practices. The Act also states that these women can only receive back pay and reinstatement in their old jobs. However, the 1991 Civil Rights Act, incorporated previous laws while also easing the burden on employees suing to prove job discrimination. Within the new law, a successful litigant can collect monetary damages, as well as, request a jury trial, sue in conjunction with others who have received similar unfair treatment in the workplace, and request the courts to judge the case based on the reasonable woman standard as opposed to the reasonable man. The 1991 Act also places the burden of proof on the employer, rather than the employee. â€Å"Indeed, the Civil Rights Act of 1991 and other recent court decisions have given women new clout in the workplace† (Morris 61). An example of this clout is the intense publicity surrounding the Anita Hill v. Clarence Thomas hearing. Hill, a black law professor at the University of Oklahoma, electrified the nation when she charged that Clarence Thomas, then a Supreme Court nominee, had sexually harassed her when she worked for him in the early 1980s. Hill testified before the all-male Senate Judiciary Committee about her discomfort when Thomas insisted on describing pornographic movies and made sexual advances. An all-white and all-male Senate sought to discredit Hill, some of who accused her of lying or being delusional, but her testimony elicited nationwide support. The Senate confirmed Thomas† actions were inappropriate, but Hill†s testimony was almost entirely disregarded. The hearing angered women, especially those who had suffered similar experiences of sexual harassment in the workplace, and it also empowered many others to come forward with similar allegations. â€Å"The furor that ensued was just the fuel need to pass the Civil Rights Act of 1991† (Stith 187). In recent litigation, women have begun testing the extent of their employment rights beyond the rights guaranteed to them in the Civil Rights Acts. An example of this is a group of eight women employees of the Stroh Brewery Company in Detroit. These women charged that their employer had created a working environment that was hostile to women. As part of their allegation, they pointed to sexually offensive commercials that Stroh†s aired featuring the Swedish bikini team, scantily clad young women with large breasts. The Stroh plaintiffs contended that the ads were proof that the company sanctions sexism. â€Å"The company has defended its ads as simple entertainment protected by the First Amendment†s guarantee of free speech† (Vilanch 7). The plaintiffs in the Stroh case won their lawsuit and created a landmark decision for challenges of this type, particularly due to the fact the courts must now decide based on the reasonable woman. Although the presence of strong laws is powerful ammunition to fight to eliminate discrimination in the workplace, litigation is not the most effective solution to the problem. Women who experience workplace discrimination are often reluctant to file official complaints for a variety of reasons including; feelings of inadequacy, fear of reprisal, and fear of being labeled troublemakers. Some women also fear retaliation from their employers as well. In regard to the latter, other women simply do not have the money to carry out a lawsuit that may take years to settle or reach court. In sexual harassment lawsuits, the prospect of going to trial is enough to scare off many women, particularly once they realize how vulnerable their credibility is in legal matters concerning sexual activity. â€Å"Many labor experts believe women are held back from jobs because of subtle sexual harassment. Only the concerted efforts of enlightened companies, not litigation, can eradicate this form of injustice† (Morrison 15). One enlightened company, Du Pont, has made efforts to help women managers overcome the glass ceiling. Du Pont has established a staff position to focus on advancing the careers of promising women and minorities. â€Å"If a division is looking for the manager of affirmative action and upward mobility then Du Pont is the example to follow† (Gallagher 88). Such a staff position is needed to provide support, counseling, and advocacy for women who find their career advancement has stalled due to subtle discrimination. Despite the efforts of some companies, gender diversity is still sorely lacking in Corporate America. A recent study revealed that of America†s 500 largest companies, women held only 10 percent of the top executive positions. â€Å"For all the bravado of the past decade, women in most organizations are not much further along. The glass ceiling has not shattered† (Himelstein 64). Although some companies are diversifying their executive workforces, most companies prefer to initiate these diversity efforts on their own, rather than being forced into it by legislative quotas or affirmative action. For example, Coopers and Lybrand, whose all-male corporate management committee was confronted by its female employees last year, regarding the absence of women in management, preferred to resolve the situation themselves. At issue, was the fact that women only accounted for 8 percent of the firms† 1,300 partners and only 3 percent of the firm†s 70 regional managers. The confrontation which occurred during a management meeting where it was revealed that gender myths about women†s performance as managers still persisted. For instance, the male partners assumed that the women were reluctant to engage in business travel and informal business gatherings. As a result of the confrontation, Coopers and Lybrand initiated programs to address diversity issues. These programs included mentoring and formal training. â€Å"Coopers and Lybrand proclaimed that 30 percent of their new partners by the year 2000 would be women, up from 17 percent in 1999† (Glover 16). Eliminating the glass ceiling requires zealous planning efforts by corporations that are committed to diversity. The first step involves setting goals. â€Å"A few companies are achieving success in the battle to get women into the executive suit. They have backed sound strategies with effort, money, and long term commitment† (Weiss 191). Various companies base their goals on census data, desiring their workforce to reflect the gender demographics of the surround region, while other companies eschew quotas and internal goals, but seek the same results, increased diversity. Diversity goals can help but women into the pipeline through the hiring process. The presence of women in senior positions tends to attract women who hold similar aspirations. Once employed, women must receive the training that will allow them to move into the corporate ranks. For example, Colgate-Palmolive favors fast tracking its employees through cross training. Cross training exposes the employee to a variety of functions within the organization; the broad base of knowledge acquired is critical to success as a future manager. The efforts that corporations are putting into diversifying their workforces is bearing fruit. An example is J.C. Pennys, which initiated a drive in 1988 to fill 1,000 management positions (created by the relocation of company headquarters) with qualified women. After setting numerical goals and establishing formal networking and mentoring programs. â€Å"Pennys was able to increase its percentage of senior managers who are women from less than 12 percent in 1990 to more than 35 percent by 1997† (WIBC 103). The glass ceiling that prevents women from advancing to top positions will only be shattered by the combined efforts of political activists and the private sector. Strong legislation provides women with the power they need to litigate unfair employment practices. Private sector initiatives help create a climate that is supportive for women to develop their skills and make it to the top. Women have made key victories, both in the political arena and in Corporate America. Thousands of women managers are in the pipeline and on the right track to assume their rightful places in the ranks of corporate executives. If current efforts bear fruit, the glass ceiling will no longer be a limiting factor for women of the 21st century.

Clean Edge Razor Case

Problem Statement: Paramount has become a market leader in global consumer products; but knows that innovation is vital to continue success. Paramount has used technology to create an innovative razor, but wants to make sure that it is positioned effectively. Situation Analysis: * Customers: Male consumer products have been trending upward in the last decade. The customer segments are broken up into three areas; social/emotional, involved razor users, and uninvolved or maintenance users. Social/emotional are responsible for 39% of Nondisposable razors, Involved is for 28%, and maintenance users account for 33%.In 2009 consumers razors and replacement cartridges at a higher rate than ever before. * Competitors: Competition includes direct competition as well as substitutes for Nondisposable razors. In 2010 the three major players were Paramount, Prince, and Benet & Klein (B&K). Prince mainly focuses on super-premium products. B&K entered the Nondisposable market in 1985. There are als o new entrants which account for the rest of the market. In 2010 Paramount is expected to have a 21. 4% dollar market share. * Company: Paramount is a large consumer products company with $7 billion in gross profit in 2009.The current Nondisposable razor line has products in both the market and value customer segments. The Clean Edge Razor is the first Nondisposable razor produced by Paramount that has a technological innovation. Paramount is relying on the Clean Edge Razor to increase sales and earn more market share in the Nondisposable razor category. * Context: In 2011 the effects of a recession are becoming less drastic than in years before. Customers have more disposable income and companies have more money to spend on investments such as media/advertising and R&D. Collaborators (retailers): In 2009 food stores represented 42% of all razors and cartridges. Other distributors include drug stores, mass merchandisers, club stores, and other distributors. As SKU’s increase, shelf space is increased to accommodate for all of the different products. Distributors are willing to increase shelf space because the margin on razors is high compared to other consumer products. Alternatives: Position the Clean Edge Razor as a niche product for highly involved groomers looking for a superior shaving experience. Pros * Less cannibalization. Social shavers right now aren’t interested in the Pro or Avail razor. Paramount is concerned with the overall profitability of all the razor lines. By positioning the Clean Edge Razor as a niche product, the brand equity of Pro and Avail won’t be as affected as if the Clean Edge Razor was positioned as mainstream. The current customer segment for emotional shavers is 39%. With over 1/3 of the customer segment involved with emotional razor purchases there is a decent sized market that could use the benefits of the Clean Edge Razor. * The net operating profit based on financial analysis is higher than the mainstrea m positioning strategy.There are advantages of positioning the as a niche product. Advantages * One advantage is that customers will be more involved, so they will take the time to research the product. After the consumer investigates the Clean Edge Razor, he will be able to tell that there is a clear advantage and the Clean Edge Razor is the best option. * Another possible advantage could be that Paramount could increase the size of the social/emotional market. Cons * Clean Edge Razor is losing out on potential sales because the market is much smaller. * Another con is the negative brand awareness.Even if Paramount created the greatest razor of all time, the brand wouldn’t become stronger because only people who know about razors would know that Paramount is making technological innovations. Through a niche market Paramount would need to rely on their other razors to remain relevant to the mass market. This could prove to be difficult as other companies continue to come out with new razors. Disadvantages * The investment spent on R&D to create the Clean Edge Razor was substantial; it will take longer to earn back the money spent on developing the Clean Edge Razor.Position the Clean Edge Razor to the Mass Market Pros * More people will be exposed to the product. This will lead to greater sales. This will also improve brand equity. Through this positioning strategy Paramount will have a razor in each segment. * Although not as profitable, this positioning strategy will still make a profit and build brand equity. Advantage * Paramount will be viewed as innovative and keeping up with competition. A company that is stagnant falls behind. Through marketing this razor to everyone, Paramount will be viewed as taking the next step to create the best razor.Currently Paramount isn’t working on any other innovative razors so this technology will have to be available to all different types of customers. Cons * One con is that not everyone will know how the v ibration will help prevent a better shave. There are also a lot of people who don’t need a superior razor; they are content with the razor the way it is. * Another con is that the razor will have to be priced lower than if it were a niche position due to competition. * Money spent on advertising. Based on the pro forma; it would cost roughly $12million more to advertise to the mass market.This is risky if the Clean Edge Razor doesn’t do as well as forecasted. Disadvantage * Cannibalization. Currently Pro and Avail have 22. 2% of the volume of razors sold, the largest of any pair or razors. Introducing a razor in the same market with more features will damage the sales of both the Pro and Avail. * This will also negatively impact the brand power of Paramount when the numbers are revealed and it shows that Pro and Avail are not doing as well as expected. * Based on financials this is the worst strategy to pursue. Recommendation: It is important for Paramount to grow the Clean Edge Razor as well as the Pro and Avail.I recommend that the company position the Clean Edge Razor for one year as a niche position and then position the Clean Edge Razor as a mass-market razor for everyone to use. Pros: * Through using a bit of both positioning strategies Paramount will receive the best of both worlds. One pro is less cannibalization of Pro and Avail in the first two years while consumers are adapting to the Clean Edge Razor. By the time the Clean Edge is positioned as a razor for everyone; the 39% of people who have already been exposed to the Clean Edge will be able to differentiate this razor from the Pro and Avail.The cannibalization after the first two years won’t be as severe because people will have already been exposed to the Clean Edge Razor. * A lower price when the product is positioned differently will lead to a larger share of social shavers. The social shavers that have been paying a premium price will be happy to pay less money. The othe r social shavers that don’t use the Clean Edge will be more likely to use the shaver because the price will be lower; meaning the consequence of the razor not meeting expectations will decrease. The sales will increase dramatically after the second year due to more potential customers. Based on my financial statements the net profit is slightly larger than the niche positioning strategy by itself. * Growing brand equity and positive word of mouth advertising through social shavers telling friends and family Cons: * Regardless of the positioning strategy there will still be some cannibalization. * Social shavers may see the change in positioning as a shift in quality and think that a lower price will equate to a bad razor. * The incremental net profit may be too similar to the niche positioning strategy to risk damaging brand power. Implementation Plan:On January 1, 2011 I will tell production to manufacture the Clean Edge Razor just as if we were pursuing a niche positioning strategy. We will spend the $14 Million dollars in advertising on specialty male health and fitness magazines, television shows, and radio stations. We will also be relevant on social media sites such as Twitter and Facebook. There will be contests with our razors and customers will get the opportunity to spread word-of-mouth about the Clean Edge Razor. Paramount expects to make over $52 million, with most of that coming in the second year because the first year is mainly niche positioning.It is safe to say that $20-$23 million will be made in the first year. During September we will launch a new campaign positioning the razor as the everyday man’s razor with advanced technology. During this time we will also run a smaller ad campaign for the Pro and Avail marketing the razors as reliable and a staple of the razor market. This is why advertising increases overall in the combination strategy. Paramount is expecting cannibalization regardless, but using a mix of both strategies will help offset the large cannibalization from just using the mass marketing strategy.This will benefit Paramount as a company because Clean Edge Razor will be exposed to every customer segment while still trying to maintain the brand power of Pro and Avail. This strategy will benefit the brands as much as possible. Also, the financials in the Appendix support this strategy over the niche and mass marketing positioning strategies. Cannibalization is inevitable; but it is vital that customers from all segments see that Paramount is an innovative company determined to find new ways to benefit their customers. Appendix

History of Naturalization Requirements in the U.S.

History of Naturalization Requirements in the U.S. Naturalization is the process of gaining United States citizenship. Becoming an American citizen is the ultimate goal for many immigrants, but very few people are aware that the requirements for naturalization have been over 200 years in the making. Legislative History of Naturalization Before applying for naturalization, most immigrants must have spent 5 years as a permanent resident in the United States. How did we come up with the 5-year rule? The answer is found in the legislative history of immigration to the U.S. Naturalization requirements are set out in the Immigration and Nationality Act (INA), the basic body of immigration law. Before the INA was created in 1952, a variety of statutes governed immigration law. Lets take a look at the major changes to naturalization requirements. Before the Act of March 26, 1790, naturalization was under the control of the individual states. This first federal activity established a uniform rule for naturalization by setting the residence requirement at 2 years.The Act of January 29, 1795, repealed the 1790 act and raised the residency requirement to 5 years. It also required, for the first time, a declaration of intention to seek citizenship at least 3 years before naturalization.Along came the Naturalization Act of June 18, 1798 - a time when political tensions were running high and there was an increased desire to guard the nation. The residence requirement for naturalization was raised from 5 years to 14 years.Four years later, Congress passed the Naturalization Act of April 14, 1802, which reduced the residence period for naturalization from 14 years back to 5 years.The Act of May 26, 1824, made it easier for the naturalization of certain aliens who had entered the U.S. as minors, by setting a 2-year instead of a 3-year interval between the declaration of intention and admission to citizenship. The Act of May 11, 1922, was an extension of a 1921 Act and included an amendment that changed the residency requirement in a Western Hemisphere country from 1 year to the current requirement of 5 years.Noncitizens who had served honorably in the U.S. armed forces during the Vietnam conflict or in other periods of military hostilities were recognized in the Act of October 24, 1968. This act amended the Immigration and Nationality Act of 1952, providing an expedited naturalization process for these military members.The 2-year continuous U.S. residence requirement was done away with in the Act of October 5, 1978.A major overhaul of immigration law occurred with the Immigration Act of November 29, 1990. In it, state residency requirements were reduced to the current requirement of 3 months. Naturalization Requirements Today Todays general naturalization requirements state that you must have 5 years as a lawful permanent resident in the U.S. prior to filing, with no single absence from the U.S. of more than 1 year. In addition, you must have been physically present in the U.S. for at least 30 months out of the previous 5 years and resided within a state or district for at least 3 months. It is important to note that there are exceptions to the 5-year rule for certain people. These include: spouses of U.S. citizens; employees of the U.S. Government (including the U.S. Armed Forces); American research institutes recognized by the Attorney General; recognized U.S. religious organizations; U.S. research institutions; an American firm engaged in the development of foreign trade and commerce of the U.S.; and certain public international organizations involving the U.S. USCIS has special help available for naturalization candidates with disabilities and the government makes some exceptions on requirements for elderly people. Source: USCIS Edited by Dan Moffett

Week 3 Questions Essays - Business Economics, Management Accounting

Week 3 Questions Essays - Business Economics, Management Accounting Week 3 Questions Christina McBee ACC 400 December 18, 2017 Arlene Murphy Week 3 Questions 20.1 a. The level of sales at which revenue exactly equals costs and expenses Break Even Point b. Costs that remain unchanged despite changes in sales volume Fixed Costs c. The span over which output is likely to vary and assumptions about cost behavior generally remain valid Relevant Range d. Sales revenue less variable costs and expenses Contribution Margin e. Unit sales price minus variable cost per unit Unit Contribution Margin f. The reduction in unit cost achieved from a higher level of output Economies of Scale g. Costs that respond to changes in sales volume by less than a proportionate amount. Semi-variable Costs h. Operating income less variable costs None 20.7a. Contribution margin ratio. (30-6)/30 =.8 is a 20% contribution margin b. Sales volume required to break even. 360000/20%= $ 1,800,000 need to be sold to break even c. Sales volume required to earn an annual operating income of $440,000. 360,000+440,000=800,000/20%= $4,000,000 needs to be sold to earn an operating income of $440,000 d. The margin of safety if annual sales total 60,000 units. 1,800,000/20%= 9,000,000 Sales for 60,000= 1,800,000 Margin of safety is 1,800,000-= 1,800,000 e. Operating income if annual sales total 60,000 units. 1,800,000x20%= $360,000 21.2 Home Depot closing its doors in the China Market caused a $10 million opportunity costs. With the closing of the store, merchandise had to be marked down and the $10 million is the amount of the markdowns, which would have actually been sold if the store had remained open. The sunk costs and the incremental costs would be the remaining $135 million, which would be from things that can not be avoided. 21.6 Fixed Costs 60,000 60,000 Variable Costs 75,000 0 $6 (Per Unit) 90,000 Total 135,000 150,000 The company should continue to produce the product, as they save $15,000 in costs if they do not outsource the product. 22.9 There are 3 characteristics that should be apparent at an accounting level for a company. The first is a budget. There must be a budget in place for every aspect of the business, from the toilet paper for employees, to the amount of labor spent. The second characteristic is timely performance reports. Every company should have some sort of system in place to gather reports on the successes and failures of the business. These reports can include but are not limited to cash flow statements, profit and loss statements, and balance sheets. The third characteristic is the measuring of performance. Each business, or store in this case, should be held accountable for certain performance measures. The responsibility accounting system at Cold Moo could be improved by implementing more of a accountability ratio for each store, as they are not incurring all of the costs that the corporate office is incurring, as far as distribution costs and such. By holding those stores more accountable, th e corporate office should see improvements in the bottom line. 22.1 A. Entire Company Solid Division % of Solid Division Sales Powdered Division % of Powdered Division Sales Sales $1,720,000 $850,000 100% $870,000 100% Contribution Margin $861,000 $382,500 45% $478,500 55% Product Line Fixed Costs $425,000 $175,000 20% $250,000 28% Common Fixed Costs $250,000 $125,000 15% $125,000 14% The responsibility margin for the solid division is at 80% (45+15+20) whereas the responsibility margin for the powdered division is at 97% (55+28+14). B. In looking at both divisions, it would seem that the more profitable of the two would be the solid division. After costs, the solid division leaves a 20% profit, with the powdered division only leaving a 3% profit. C. Entire Company Solid Division % of Solid Division Sales Powdered Division % of Powdered Division Sales Sales $1,820,000 $900,000 100% $920,000 100% Contribution Margin $911,000 $405,000 45% $506,000 55% Fixed Costs Product Lines $425,000 $175,000 20% $250,000 27% Fixed Costs Common $250,000 $125,000 14% $125,000 14% Advertising $15,000 $15,000 2% $15,000 2% After factoring in an advertising cost, the solid line will have a responsibility margin of 81% and the powdered will have a responsibility margin of 98%. Adding the advertising costs to each division only raised the margin by 1% on either side. I would suggest that the company advertise the solid line as the cost margin

Course journal Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Course journal - Essay Example The internet also allows us to do homework much more easily than we were in the past because there are many resources. We can complete all of our assignments in the comfort of our own home. Facebook has allowed me to connect with so many of my old friends. Malcolm Xs the Ballot or the Bullet speech was aweinspiring. The 1960s was an amazing time period with so much happening. Pop had reached records with bands like the Beatles and the Rolling Stones, John F Kennedy died after being elected, and the Civil Rights Movement concluded with a bang when Malcolm X gave his incredible speech. The people of the 1960s must have been feeling jerked around over and over again. I see the speech on video and think, how could something draw so many people and be so depressing at the same time. We have many followers of Malcolm X and many enemies witnessing his speech. I could not imagine how anyone would want to listen to something so detrimental to my future as a black person. Unfortunately, this is how things were done at that time. Incredible political history was witnessed and Malcolm X paved the way for so many changes for the black population to become what it is today, accepted and strong. Segregation was his philosophy because he knew that wh ites were not going to do anything about improving the situation if blended together. He also took on a more violent approach because he knew that no changes would be made unless some drastic measures were made. Malcolm was a pas sionate person with powerful words to convey an even more powerful message. No speech in history could compare to his speech because no movement was like the Civil Rights movement. I am not black but I could not imagine living in the society they live in dealing with the prejudice they deal with. It appeared to be a life that was so hard to deal with that I am surprised at how brave Malcolm and others like him were. It takes a very special person to

Promotion Plans and Blends Part II Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Promotion Plans and Blends Part II - Assignment Example This is very important to do so as to ensure that it will not be applying the right solution for the wrong position. On technology, I strongly believe that apart from the use of social media which you elaborate, an alternative would be to use the company’s own website in a more interactive manner. Laureate Education. (Producer). (2013).  Daryl Travis: Positioning statements and branding  [Video Baltimore, MD Author]. Video posted to: https:/​/​class.waldenu.edu/​bbcswebdav/​institution/​USW1/​201520_02/​MS_WMBA/​WMBA_6060/​USW1_WMBA_6060_Week06_videoA.html I have a feeling that not only did you look at how different examples of promotions are blended by Hanes Company but you went a step further to look at the impact of blending different forms of promotion. This is because the use of television and promotional advertisement and emotional branding form two important and separate forms of promotion that could be said to be physiological and psychological (Perreault Jr., Cannon & McCarthy, 2014). Most certainly, I find this a very tactful and prudent way of attracting the promotional interest of as many people as possible. Having said this, I am of the opinion that there still remains a lot of potential in the use of social media in promotions that Hanes Company has not taken advantage of. Having social media platforms where the company can share its unique promotional blend with the public could be very