Strategies for Operations Strategy

Strategies for Operations Strategy DEFINITION OF STRATEGY: The pattern of most important objectives, goals and purposes and the fundamentals, plans, policies and philosophies for achieving those goals, that are declared in such a way as to define what business the firm is engaged in, and what kind of organization it is or would like to be. OPERATION MANAGEMENT: Operations management is an area of business concerned with the production of goods and services, and involves the responsibility of ensuring that business operations are efficient in terms of using as little resource as needed, and effective in terms of meeting customer requirements. It is concerned with managing the process that converts inputs (in the forms of materials, labors and energy) into outputs (in the form of goods and services). OPERATION STRATEGY: There are two types of operations strategy: They have a particular essence, a blend or fusion of building blocks that give each a unique composition customized to the embeddedness of the situation; and These various operations strategies have a number of tactical factors or contingency issues that influence the deployment of the strategy and also act as management levers to enhance its competitive ability. The operations strategy cannot be designed in a vacuum. It must be linked to the customers and other parts of the enterprise and the supply network.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  (Alan Rushton and John Oxley 1989) The operations strategy has an important role in coordinating the operational goals to those of the organization. However, the objectives will change over time; hence the need for the operations strategy to anticipate future needs. In this way it acts as a portfolio that can adopt to the changing product and the service combination needs of the final customer. SUCCESS FOR OPERATION STRATEGY: The keys to competitive success for the operations strategy lie in: To know the requirement of markets Identifying the priority choices Understanding the consequences of each choice Appreciating the various trade-offs TECHNOLOGY: Technology is the survival of the fittest. Know a days every firm is trying to get new environment which is surrounded by vast eruptions of not only nuclear power but also technological power as well. Globalization has led Managers to become more fully equip and face their competitors fiercely with strong and analytical based marketing strategies. The number of world-class competitors is increasing at an alarmingly rate and to gain the upper edge a firm has to develop an internal system so strong that it can leave its competitors far behind in the race and earn the loyalty of not only its existing customers but also take over the new market successfully. In order to penetrate into the market successfully organizations are realizing that strong engineering, design, and manufacturing functions are necessary. So where it all did began that organizations began to realize the customer needs and fulfill them according to their demand. No longer was the customer dumb but the integral force behind an organizations position in the market, the organization soon learnt to cater to its needs and specifications, designing and engineering customer specific goods available within time and at cost effective prices. It was in the early 1980s that demand for new products escalated and manufacturing organizations soon realized that in order to meet the ever changing customer needs they need to become flexible and responsive in modifying existing products and processes. As manufacturing capabilities improved in the 1990s, managers realized that materials and service inputs from suppliers had a major impact on their organizations ability to meet customer needs. This led to an increase focus in the supply base and the organizations sourcing strategy. Managers also realized that producing a quality product was not enough. Getting the products to customers when, where, how, and in the quantity that they want, in a cost-effective manner, constituted an entirely new type of challenge. More recently the era of the â€Å"Logistics Renaissance† was also born, spawning a whole set of time-reducing information technologies and logistics networks aimed at meeting these challenges. As a result of these changes, organizations now find that it is no longer enough to manage their organizations. They must also be involved in the management of the network of all upstream firms that provide inputs (directly or indirectly), as well as the network of downstream firms responsible for delivery and after-market service of product to the end customer. From this realization emerged the concept of the â€Å"supply chain management†.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  (Stephens 1992) Supply chain management is the back-bone of operations management without it the flow of products from producer to customer would in fact collapse. To better understand the operations management and how strategies are applied to it to get the competitive advantage over other firms let us take an example of FedEx Business Logistics Services and Laura Ashley EXAMPLE OF FEDEX BUSINESS LOGISTICS SERVICES   LAURA ASHLEY: The United Kingdom-based garment and home furnishing company Laura Ashley had severe financial problems in the early 1990s. The company had grown rapidly since Bernard and Laura Ashley started production in 1953 of hand-printed scarves, and by 1990 Laura Ashley employed more than 8000 people and owned or leased about 550 retail shops in 27 countries. The company also supplied a number of franchise shops in other countries. Total sales in 1990/1991 were about GBP 325 million, more than 40% of which came from North America.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  (Stephens 1992) Poor logistics performance was recognized as a major cause of the above-mentioned financial difficulties. Laura Ashley had serious problems in servicing its customers worldwide. The company could not get products from distribution centres to stores quickly enough to avoid stocking out on major items. Laura Ashley had seven distribution centers around the world, but they were largely unconnected by management information systems. Overall stock availability was only about 80%, although inventory costs were high. The transport system was inefficient and spread over eight principle carriers. In 1992, Laura Ashley decided to hand over the global logistics functions to Federal Expresss newly formed business logistics division. The two companies signed a 10-year contract. All in-house logistics operations were transferred to Business Logistics. The 300 Laura Ashley employees from distribution centres and distribution all become employees of Business Logistics. Laura Ashleys distribution centre in Newton, Wales, was transferred to Business Logistics, and the remaining six centres were closed. The higher efficiency of a single-hub distribution system more than offset the extra transport costs. The new contract targets a 10% reduction of distribution costs in the first year. Beyond cost savings, the new system will be more reliable, with frequent store deliveries. The target is to be to supply shops anywhere in the world within 24 or 48 hours, depending on location. A further advantage is access from the individual stores to Business Logistics on-line information system, which provides data on which products are in stock, expected dates for receipt of out-of-stock items and the location of all items in-transit. The partnership with Business Logistics has enabled Laura Ashley to re-launch its catalog mail order business. CAPACITY Maximum output or producing ability operating at capacity Capacity of service firms is constrained by Time Labor Equipment Facilities Four ways to manage constrained capacity Amount of capacity needed The timing of changes Need to maintain balance throughout the system Flexibility of facility and workforce Capacityuse existing resources more efficiently Extend hours of operation Staff work more efficiently during peak times Reduce service levels or offer smaller range of options during peak times Improve customer service Vary capacity to meet demand adjust the firms resources to match demand What could be done during peak periods? i.  Ã‚  Ã‚  use part-time/casual employees ii.  Ã‚  share or rent extra facilities or equipment iii.  Ã‚  cross-train (multi-skill) employees iv.  Ã‚  outsource some functions i.e. reservations (Robert B. Hanfield Ernest L. Nichols) What could be done during off-peak periods? Schedule down-time Reduce staff numbers LOCATION: The marking out of the boundarier, oridentifying the place or site of, a piece of land, according to the description given in anentry, plan, map, etc. The location of facilities involves a commitment of resources to a long-term plan. Once the size, number, and location of these are determined, so are the possible paths by which product flows through to the final customer. These decisions are of great significance to a firm since they represent the basic strategy for accessing customer markets, and will have a considerable impact on revenue, cost, and level of service. Every firm/business looks for location that will help them to expand their markets. Location decision represents a key part strategic planning process of virtually every organization. Need for Location Decisions Marketing Strategy Basic Cost of a Business Expand of business Depletion of Resources Nature of Location Decisions Importance of strategic Entail a Long term commitment/costs Impact on investments, revenues, and Operations Supply chains Goals/objectives Profit potential No single location may be better than others Make right decision to choose perfect location More Options Expand existing facilities Addition of new facilities Shifting Objectives of Location Decisions Decide on the criteria Identify the important factors(location of markets or Raw materials) Develop location alternatives Evaluate the alternatives Make selection Trends in Locations Foreign producers locating in U.S. â€Å"Made in USA† Currency fluctuations Just-in-time manufacturing techniques Micro factories Information Technology EXAMPLES OF VARIOUS COMPANIES: Let us consider some examples of various companies which have taken location under account in order to grow Nike and Reebok, the two largest athletic footwear companies, look to contractors in Asia to manufacture their shoes. Sourcing from Asia offers advantages of low cost and flexibility, When FedEx opened its Asian Hub in Subic Bay, Philippines, in the 1990s it set the stage for its new â€Å"round-the-world† flights linking its Memphis and Paris package hubs to Asia. When Mercedes announced its plan to build its first major overseas plant in Vance, Alabama, it completed a year of competition among 170 sites amongst 30 states and two countries. When Hard Rock Cafà © opened in Moscow in late 2002, it ended three years of advanced preparation of a Russian food supply chain. PROCESS: Hammer and chamhys defines process as a collection of activities thats takes one or more kinds of input which generate an output that is of value to the customer.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  (Hammer chamhys 1993) The various kinds of business process are: Supporting processes:- this include IT support, recruitment, Accounting. Operational processes:- operational processes are manufacturing, purchasing, sales, marketing. Core process:- Add direct value to the customer in term of products or services, Corporate Governance: one can define corporate governance as the culture of company which includes rules, policies, and customs. They also manitain relationship with management board of director, shareholder and stakeholder (Employees, bank, supplier, customer etc). Strategic Management: strategic mangement provides overall directions of an organisation. The aims and objectives, developing polices and plans to achieve these objectives. This Managemrial top level actitvity is usually performed by CEO (Chief Executive Officer) and the exclusive team. LAYOUT: In operations management strategy there are four types of Layouts: Facility Layout and Basic Formats Process-oriented Layout Layout Planning Service Layout Facility layout Facility layout can be defined as the process by which the placement of departments, workgroups within departments, workstations, machines, and stock-holding points within a facility are determined. Process-Oriented Layout Design places departments with large flows of material or people together Dept. areas have similar processes Used with process-focused processes Product-Oriented Layout Facility organized around product Design minimizes line imbalance Types: Fabrication line; assembly line Retail Service Layout Goalmaximize net profit per square foot of floor space. Services capes EXAMPLES: Examples of companies who have employed layout strategies In 1995, Toshiba was the market leader in portable computer sales worldwide. The company used layout strategy in its Ome factory in Japan. Total Quality Management(TQM) Definition â€Å"TQM is a complete re-organizing of the work process and the workplace by application of principles of â€Å"teamwork and work â€Å"teams† that are supposed to involve the worker and give them greater control in their work.† Total Quality Management (TQM) is a comprehensive and structured approach to organizational management that seeks to improve the quality of products and services through ongoing refinements in response to continuous feedback. TQM requirements may be defined separately for a particular organization or may be in adherence to established standards, such as the International Organization for Standardizations ISO 9000series. TQM can be applied to any type of organization; it originated in the manufacturing sector and has since been adapted for use in almost every type of organization imaginable, including schools, highway maintenance, hotel management, and churches. As a current focus ofe-business, TQM is based on quality management from the customers point of view. Business Process Outsourcing Business process outsourcing (BPO) is the act of giving a third-party the responsibility of running what would otherwise be an internal system or service. For instance, an insurance company might outsource their claims processing program or a bank might outsource their loan processing system. Other common examples of BPO are call centers and payroll outsourcing. Typically, companies that are looking at business process outsourcing are hoping to achieve cost savings by handing the work to a third-party that can take advantage of economies of scale by doing the same work for many companies. Or perhaps the cost savings can be achieved because labor costs are lower due to different costs of living in different countries. In exchange for the potential cost savings, the company in question must relinquish control over an aspect of their business which explains why business process outsourcing is often reserved for non-critical, non-core type of work. REFERENCES: Philip B. Schary and Tage Skjott-Larsen, Managing the global supply chain management, Munksgaard International Publishers Limited (pages 16, 24 and 38) Alan Rushton and John Oxley, Handbook of Logistics and Distribution Management, 1st published in 1989 by Kogan Page Ltd (pgs 74-76) Ronald H. Ballou, 3rd edition Business Logistics Management, Prentice hall (pages 44, 56 and 171) Robert B. Hanfield Ernest L. Nichols, JR. Introduction to Supply Chain Management (pgs9-22, 45-56) William J.Stevenson 9th edition Operation Management(International student edition with global readings)(pgs361-367,227-229) http://www.netmba.com/operations/project/cpm/ http://www.ganttchart.com/Ganttwith%20DependenciesExample.html BIBLIOGRAPHY: Philip B. Schary and Tage Skjott-Larsen, Managing the global supply chain management, Munksgaard International Publishers Limited (pages 16, 24 and 38) Alan Rushton and John Oxley, Handbook of Logistics and Distribution Management, 1st published in 1989 by Kogan Page Ltd (pgs 74-76) Ronald H. Ballou, 3rd edition Business Logistics Management, Prentice hall (pages 44, 56 and 171) Robert B. Hanfield Ernest L. Nichols, JR. Introduction to Supply Chain Management (pgs9-22, 45-56) http://www.netmba.com/operations/project/cpm/ http://www.ganttchart.com/Ganttwith%20DependenciesExample.html Heinrich, Claus E. Adapt or die: transforming your supply chain into an adaptive business network. Hoboken, N.J: J. Wiley Sons; 2003. Fredendall, Lawrence D. Basics of supply chain management. Boca Raton: St. Lucie Press; 2001 Hugos, Michael. Essentials of supply chain management. Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley Sons; 2003 David Simchi Levi, Philip kaminsky, and Edith Simchi Levi. Designing and Managing the Supply Chain: Concepts, Strategies, and Case Studies. Irwin McGrawHill, 2000. Sunil Chopra and Peter Meindel. Supply Chain Management: Strategy, Planning, and Operation, Prentice Hall of India, 2002.

Ifugao

Ifugao Ifugao is a province of the Philippines in the Region of Luzon. It is located in a mountainous region characterized by rough landscape, river valleys and massive forests. Banaue Rice Terraces  are the main tourist attractions in the province. These terraces were artificially made by man and without the use of machinery. Level steps were provided so the natives can plant rice. During harvest time, the women are the ones incharge, while the men are incharge of cooking the food for the women after planting.The Ifugao’s are known for their weaving crafts and basketry. These are tasks done only by the women. Traditionally, weaving is done for family needs, but it is also done for commercial purposes. The men are skilled wood carvers and metal workers. Wedding ceremonies are performed traditionally in which selected elders will carry out the ceremony to wed the new couple. This traditional wedding ceremony has also a lot of practices.But generally, the ceremony is being don e in the house of the bride in which the selected old people guided by an anointed elder priest, known as the Mumbaki, will butcher animals then sing the traditional wedding verses. After that, the old people will perform traditional dances in front of the newly-wed couple. Throughout the wedding, family members and relatives will join and perform native dances. The Ifugao’s practice a number of rituals.Some of these rituals are Hingot, the ritual which announces the coming together of two families;  Amung, a sacrificial ritual wherein the gods and the family's ancestors are asked to make the body healthy, the mother well and strong, and the family wealthy;  Uya-uy, a ritual of feasting;  Ketema, a ritual that’s supposed to identify the spirit who caused a certain sickness. Ayag; and  Kolot, a ritual for the first cutting of child's hair. They also practice rituals during planting and harvestation. In general, these rituals were prayers and requests to the gods .

The Bloody Sunday-Industrialists

Working conditions are intolerable; our situation is becoming more excruciating as the time goes by. Father Gapon has been like a ray of Gratifying light that has shone through our darkened hope and made it come to life once again. Four members of the Assembly of Russian workers were dismissed at the putilov iron works 2 days ago and father Gapon true to his word has assisted us by calling for industrial action. 110,000 workers in St Petersburg, including myself, have now gone out on strike. We now sit impatiently anxious to see what our next step of action shall be and how it may affect our life in the days yet to come. Will we fail and go back to our insufferable conditions as they were before, Will we come out on top and get given the tolerable treatment we deserve, or worse yet will we suffer such a humiliating defeat that our conditions worsen from what they once were. Sitting here I can not help but allow such thoughts to surface in my mind, after all this is a significant action by which my life can suffer a vast transformation, whether it will be for better or worse, is still yet to come. January 18th Another day has begun and yet another decision has been made Father Gapon has decided to make a personal appeal to the Tsar. He has wrote a petition asking to give us healthier working conditions, we have requested a reduction in working days from 10hours to 8hours, a increase in wages and an improvement in working conditions amongst others. The response to our petition amongst the workers is overwhelming as an infinite amount of people have signed the petition. We shall go to the winter palace on the 22nd of January to present our petition, in hopes to get a positive response to the requests we have made. I live in hope till the day comes for us to present our petition to the tsar and receive a response expectantly a constructive one at that. 22nd January 1905 As we marched through the Winter palace we were road blocked by the army, we attempted to get them out of our way in a calm and rational manner however despite our attempts they refused to move and let us in. Unable to think of any alternative we only saw one action we could take that could possibly give us an opportunity to move the army out of our path. Crouching down to the ground the protestors and I gathered stones of the ground and regrettably threw them at the army, although it was regrettable we had no alternative, the army put us in a tough situation from which we could not get out of without putting up a fight. The army inevitably fought back using water cannon and rubber bullets to disperse of the crowd we had formed, however as they begun to fight back we refused to back down, we wanted our rights to be given to us, we wanted to be treated with respect and be addressed to by others with some common decency, is that so much to ask? What we did was not a crime we could have gone much further with the matter however we did not, we merely stood up for our own rights. We all began to scream and panic scattering away from one another as a trigger was pulled and a gun shot was heard going off. Within seconds thirteen of our allies are lying dead on the ground they had just minutes ago picked stones up from, others were wounded and the remainder in shock. The army when questioned claimed they only returned fire, however how could this be true when we approached the winter palace unarmed? It is undeniably clear that we could not have fired any shots, we did not fire any shots, and the only shots that were fired were those of the armed force.

Analysis Of Abc Islam Book - 1581 Words

ABC Islam Book By Ethan Khorashadi (Letters A - M) and Nathan Karter (Letters N - Z) A is for astronomy Astronomy was one of the great advances by Muslim scholars. This study had many uses for Muslims. Muslims also used this study to be directed in the direction in Mecca Muslims also found at the earth evolves around the sun. B is for Baghdad Baghdad was a Muslim city that was decorated with the most advance architecture. This city was located between the Tigris and Euphrates rivers. This city hosted the Abbasid Dynasty and became their capital. The great mosque is also located there. C is for calligraphy Calligraphy was the highest decorative art form. This is also in the Qur an. This art decorated everyday items. The artist of mosques would use calligraphy to write parts of the Qur an on the Mosque. Calligraphy is words connected or cursive. D is for desert The desert makes up 75% of the Arabian Peninsula. The environment in this region is very mild with sun and a dry climate. The Arab Bedouins used camels and sheep to travel in this desert. This desert is called the Dahna desert. E is for exposed to trade Muhammad the Muslim prophet was introduced to trade when he was around 12 years of age. He was introduced when his grandfather took him. When he grew up in his younger years he became a trader for a widow. As he traded he married the widow. This exposure led to a different life style and a differed path. F is for FatimidShow MoreRelatedAl Ahram Beverages1451 Words   |  6 PagesCase Analysis Al Ahram Beverages Company â€Å"2† By: Marmina Abdel-Malek 900 00 1809 Fall 09 â€Æ' I- Overview: ABC was a public company originally found in 1897, that has been nationalized in 1963, until it had been privatized in 1997 and acquired by the Luxor Investment group represented by Ahmed el Zayat as a CEO and board chairman. Luxor group is an American investment group focusing on investment more than the business itself. 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