Procurement management process Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

Procurement management process - Assignment Example The paper gives emphasis on the procurement management process and has described the same with regard to REI. The procurement management process is defined as steps, which are required for purchasing or acquiring services or products from any source that is outside the limits of a firm or organization. The sources are external suppliers of the products. The procurement management includes maintaining good relationship with suppliers for ensuring that the organization is receiving high level of services. It assures that purchasers receive those goods, which they have paid for. The success of an organization depends on effectiveness of the procurement process and therefore, managers need to create plans for procuring goods and services, facilitating the reduction of cost and time of delivery. There are many fundamental steps in the process. At the initial stage, the procurement process depends on changes in technology, attitude and personnel. A positive method is needed to be adopted, which stresses on a satisfying relationship with the suppliers. Suppliers are regarded as the most critical component in the procurement process of any company. In case of any dispute with these suppliers, the organization is bound to suffer from unavailability of the required resources, which in turn heavily affects the entire production process. The company has donated millions of dollars for supporting the conservation efforts that they have undertaken worldwide. It sends dedicated teams for volunteering in activities across several places nationwide. The activities include restoring local habitats, cleaning up the beaches as well as building of trials. Therefore, through many business practices, the company has tried to reduce environmental damages that have been created by their actions (Recreational Equipment, Inc, 2014). The company, through its successful operation, has expanded their business

International Business Finance Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2750 words

International Business Finance - Essay Example Through competitor analysis, the company can differentiate the products supplied to these new regions, and effectively overcome the impeding competition from existing suppliers (Johnson 2012). Overcoming competition remains fundamental towards ensuring successful entry into international markets. Competitor analysis could assist the company in reaching competitive edge within the international business ventures. The production methods utilised by competitors can provide the company with possible production methods to use within these regions. This will also enable the company to analyse possible production technological advancements that could be introduced, and improve the production. Introduction of new production technology could enhance production and reduce production costs. Economic status The economic status shall include the analysis of the economic systems, within these regions, and institutions. This would provide the company with information regarding the availability of e ssential natural and human resources within the target regions. The available human resources could enable the company establish the best production methods, sustainable within these regions. The economic status shall enable the company to decide on strategic approaches to take when making market entries into these regions. In a libertarian economy, for example, market entry would be easier because of limited interference from governments (Glaeser, 2010). Most economies of Eastern Europe, Africa and Asia remain relatively static with considerable government regulation. Understanding of these factors would enable the company to strategise on effective methods of coping with the government influence (Jethani 2011). Government influence in these economies limits the freedom of conducting business and could frustrate investors when assumed. Political system The company should consider the political systems in existence within the target markets. The political system immensely affects th e policy formulation and economic stability of any country. The political systems within different countries determine the influences of government owned enterprises on private businesses. While the operation of government owned enterprises depends on political systems, their influence on private businesses could affect the operations of private enterprises (Hatch, et al. 2011). Political systems could therefore, affect private businesses through offering government enterprises better operating environments, hence instigating unfair competition. Bureaucratic political systems implement controls on private enterprises while letting government owned businesses to operate freely, giving government enterprises a competitive edge. International conflicts, influenced by political systems, could also have adverse effects on international businesses. Countries experiencing international conflict could have sanctions imposed on them, and participation in international activities, including b usiness, significantly affected. Legal factors The legal system within any country affects the capacity to effectively conduct business. An analysis of the legal systems remains essential in enabling the company to determine best operating methods, applicable within the legal systems. Existence of corruption within numerous African countries could become a hindrance towards stability of operations. Corruption could become deeply rooted vice in a country’s culture that it becomes inculcated into national values

Transaction Processing System And Management Information Systems Information Technology Essay

Transaction Processing System And Management Information Systems Information Technology Essay Information System has different types as mentioned above. They are Transaction processing system, Management Information Systems(MIS), Office Automation Systems (OAS), Document Management System (DMS), Decision Support System(DSS), Executive Support System(ESS), Expert System(ES), Knowledge Work System(KWS), Acquiring Information System, Information System Security and Control, Impacts of Information System etc., These types is related to different departments in an organisation such as Operational Manager, Data worker, Middle Manager, Senior Manager etc,. The below diagram shows how the types supports different departments in an organisation. The manager, who maintains, controls and improves the activities in an organisation for better services and goods to customers. The manager checks day to day operations and with the results they will take certain activities. One of the major day to day activities is Transaction processing system. This Transaction Processing is a type in information system. The transaction process is a set of information that may be order, payment, scanned information etc., through computer and need to be updated in a database and database must sent conformation at same time for the request. Transaction process contains two types of processes they are Batch Transaction Process and Real Time Transaction Process. The batch transaction means it collects the data and stored in Database and doesnt respond immediately during process. The best example of BTP is mobile invoices, Bank statements, checks etc. The Real Time Transaction Process means it collects the data and responds immediately for the process a nd saves the records in database. The best example of RTP is Withdrawal money, Deposit money, and Scanned payment results in retail stores. Any business that may be online or offline runs under these two processes works. The below diagram show the basic transaction process which involves user, purpose and the type of process   Ã‚  Ref:  Board of studies NSW, Stage 6 Information Processes and Technology, Preliminary and HSC Courses (2007, page 14) Data Workers: The persons who work for the company are known as data workers. The best example for data workers are employees. The information system types comes under this department are Knowledge management system (KMS) and Office automation system (OAS). In any organisation KMS is used to capture, organise and create business processes in efficient and innovative way. To get the right information we collect data and apply knowledge. The organisation success depends upon the knowledge. All the employees in an organisation must share their thoughts for the organisation goal. The professional people who works for the KMS acts as advisors and give assistance for both Top level and Middle level management. These People develop new knowledge for the organisation and integrated it with existing knowledge which is nothing but updating the system. Example for KMS is the banks say that deposit money in banks for protection. In addition to that the knowledge they use to increase the customers is if you de posit the money for more than a year we will give an additional 5% for the money which means if you deposit $100 then at the end of the year you own $105. OAS is an additional tool to make the process easy in the organisation. A computer system which allows variety of application such as Microsoft word, Emails, Calender and even sharing resources each other through a connected network. This is used mainly by office workers who supports managers at all levels. The best example for OAS is Microsoft word. This application is of user interface which helps to make the documents more easy and has additional facilities like spell correction, word count etc. Middle Manager: This is one of the department/layer in an organisation. The major role is to monitor subordinates like data workers, operational manager before reporting to upper manager. The Information system types that involve in this department are Management Information System (MIS), Decision Support System (DSS), and Intelligent Support System (ISS). Manage information tells manager how to manage information for a particular situation. This information is managed in accurate, timely and relevant for situations. System is a combination of different levels in an organisation. MIS is defined as combination of different layers in organisation, people and documents to know the organisation problems and provide appropriate information for the problem. Accessing, Organising, Summarizing and displayed information for supporting routine decision making in the functional areas. The four types of MIS are TPS, OIS, DCS and Expert Systems. The example for MIS is for an online bank bill payment, the account holder has an option to transfer the amount for a particular date in each month. The bank transfers money each month on that date and send a email with information about how much money is detected, time of transfer and date of transfer. DSS is a system used to make decision with the help of wide range of resources. This system interacts with the people by using range of resources to make decisions which we see in organisation. For example, company wants to sell books internationally through online. To do this the company need to think wether the decision made is wise for business. Company can use DSS for making decisions with the help of company information and also by other resources. This result gives an idea for the company to expand the business internationally or not. http://www.answers.com/topic/information-systems http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/287895/information-system http://dictionary.bnet.com/definition/operations+management.html http://www.pcmag.com/encyclopedia_term/0,2542,t=transaction+processingi=53077,00.asp http://www.hsc.csu.edu.au/ipt/trans_systems/4-1/tps.htm http://www.ehow.com/how_5624741_start-knowledge-management-system.html http://www.systems-thinking.org/kmgmt/kmgmt.htm http://www.webopedia.com/TERM/O/office_automation.html http://www.gregvogl.net/courses/mis1/glossary.htm http://www.wisegeek.com/what-are-management-information-systems.htm

Genetic Engineering and Cloning :: Argumentative Persuasive Topics

Genetic Engineering and Cloning What are the principle, ethical issues and experimental procedures used in genetic engineering and cloning? Should Cloning be allowed to continue? In the 1970's, scientists discovered that strands of DNA could be cut using special enzymes, which could cut out genetic combinations. DNA contains information about genes particular organisms hold. Duplicates of genes are also possible through genetic engineering and are very useful for medical purposes. Advances in technology have raised issues such as animal and human cloning. These issues have caused many different sided arguments. Some people feel that cloning should be banned, however never seen to see its medical value. There are already drug and medicine manufactures all over the world that are working on products that can be produced in cows' milk or even sheep or goats milk when the trait is cloned. Right now they are trying to produce vaccines against Malaria, antibodies against HIV, as well as proteins to treat haemophilia, muscle disease, internal intestinal infections, rheumatoid arthritis, cystic fibrosis and emphysema. These same companies are also working on proteins to help digest fat and proteins to serve as nutritional supplements for infants, as well as different proteins, which are found in human blood, in cow's milk. None of these treatments would be possible in the future if cloning were banned. The Safety of genetic engineering is something that presents much concern. Looking at the current precautions and previous precautions of the biotechnological industry can clear up the safety issue. The FDA and State Governments impose limits such as the illegalization of human cloning and limits on other genetic engineering processes. The only legal forms of genetic engineering that are used today are in vitro fertilization, artificial insemination, and sperm banks. The moral question of genetic engineering is answered by looking at the advances in medicine. Today the advancements in medicine are evolving at an extremely high rate. If the science of genetic engineering is wrong, then so are the rest of the advances in medicine. The reason is because genetic engineering is just another form of medical advancement. Gene manipulation is not going to be used for any other purpose except for the treatment and elimination of disease. The one thing that people need to realize is the potential of genetic engineering. Try to visualize what parents of a child is dying from a disease like multiple sclerosis think about the benefits of genetic engineering.

Principles of Supply Chain Management Essay

Case 3) Don’t shoot the messenger 1. If you were in Jeff’s position, what would you have done to preserve relationships? If I were in Jeff’s position, I would first have thanked my suppliers and expressed gratitude to them for being willing to work closely with the company in not only designing the new product line, but in then reducing supply prices by the asked for 10 percent. I then would have tried to explain the position of the company and how the price decreases were essential to ensuring a successful product launch. Explaining why the additional cost reduction was requested may not make the actual price cuts easier to make, but it should help somewhat when it comes to maintaining the relationships with the suppliers. Hopefully Jeff has treated them honestly up until now and has a level of trust built up with them. 2. Describe the ethical issues involved. It seems to me that the main ethical issue is in the letter that was sent to suppliers on July 5th. The implicit threat that business with suppliers would be cancelled if the cost demands were not met is not consistent with the type of relationship that Jeff had built with his suppliers, based on honestly, integrity, and hard work. In addition, Billing Equipment was asking for previously agreed upon contracts to be re-opened and re-negotiated in order to make the price cuts, essentially going back on their own word. 3. What is your assessment of the general manager’s approach to meeting target cost objectives? My assessment of the general manager’s approach to meeting target cost objectives is that it is not the right way to approach the issue. I don’t like the strong-arm tactics, with the thinly-veiled threat of cancellation if they don’t comply. The General Manager should have involved the suppliers and been more open with them on the need to reduce overall costs for the product line. He could have explained the long-term benefit of partnering with Billings Equipment, even  if there were a financial sacrifice in the short term. As the case pointed out, in essence, the suppliers that complied and tried to work with the company were punished by being asked to cut prices even more. Case 5) John Deere and Complex Parts, Inc. 1. Discuss the strengths and weaknesses of John Deere’s Achieving Excellence Program. Consider and discuss other criteria to include in the analysis. John Deere’s Achieving Excellence Program is designed to develop long-lasting supplier relationships through an evaluation process that promotes communication, trust, cooperation, and innovation. I think that overall this is a very good program. It encourages suppliers to work with John Deere and collaborate to improve cost, quality, and timeliness of delivery. It includes some objective ratings that can directly measure supplier performance, and could be used to help identify areas of improvement. It helps to form long-lasting relationships with suppliers, which is in John Deere’s best interests. Some of its weakness are subjectivity, that it has no concern for what is good for supplier, and may have a difficult entry level since you only receive training if you rate highly in the system. Subjective metrics like the Wavelength and Technical criteria are more difficult to measure accurately. Subjective measures leave things open to interpretation. Personal bias or even misunderstanding can result in an artificially low or high rating in a subjective measurement. The criteria would need to be very clearly defined. The AEP program is also benefits John Deere primarily, rather than the suppliers. Suppliers that rate highly do get additional John Deere training, but even that is in the best interests of the John Deere Company. While John Deere is a reputable company, and desirable to do business with, the main reward for performance excellence in the AEP program is a plaque, maybe a banquet, and more John Deere training. The program almost has a negative incentive for new suppliers. John Deere should have some kind of outreach training for new suppliers that wish to be partners, rather than just supplying additional training for expert suppliers. It could be seen as a program that keeps the elite at elite levels, but does not offer assistance to those newcomers that may need the assistance and expertise of John Deere to improve. While responsiveness is encompassed in the wavelength measurement, I think that it  is important enough to have its own evaluation criteria (Winsor, Tan, Leong p. 124). The case mentions some of the frustrations that John Deere experienced waiting for the return of quotes from Complex Parts. An unresponsive supplier can cause supply chain issues very quickly. 2. Do you think Complex Parts has performed adequately over the past year? Why or why not? Which of the Deere supplier assessment classifications should be assigned to Complex Parts? I think that Complex Parts has adequate performance over the past year as a whole, however some areas of concern have arisen, specifically concerning delivery and communication. Their quality rating is very good, and until recently, their delivery rating was very good as well. Lately, an increasing number of deliveries had to be expedited, which costs John Deere money. The case stated that it seems as though expediting delivery has become a weekly requirement. Delivery ratings fell from 8,650 to 155,000 over the last quarter. That metric alone is enough to put the supplier in to Conditional status. Overall, I would assign a rating of Approved to Complex Parts. Their past performance is worth noting, but recent developments are of great concern. Reducing their supplier rating should send them a message that performance, specifically deliveries and responsiveness, must improve in order to continue doing business with John Deere. 3. If you were a member of the supplier evaluation team, what alternative course of action would you consider for Complex Parts? What recommendations should the team make to the project manager? As a member of the evaluation team, I would recommend that a very close eye be kept on the Delivery metric, as that is where the supplier seems to be slipping the most, and would communicate that intention to Complex Parts. They need to understand that while they have been a good supplier in the past, current performance issues cannot be ignored. Delivery times and response times to quotes and other communications must be improved. I would suggest a meeting between the project manager and key team members at Complex Parts to discuss expectations and possible consequences of  non-compliance with John Deere policies. The team should recommend a rating of Approved to the project manager, with specific follow-up items detailed surrounding delivery and responsiveness. 4. What are the short-term and long-term implications of your recommendation? Short term, I would expect immediate improvements in the delivery rating of Complex parts. The reduction in rating is very much a disciplinary action, and intended to be an eye-opener to the supplier. It sends a message that while they are still valued as a supplier, certain aspects of their performance have slipped in to the unacceptable range. Long term, I believe that an action such as this should help strengthen the relationship. Disciplinary action usually comes off negatively, but if the right meetings and discussions take place and concerns are addressed openly and honestly, Complex Parts should be able to see that John Deere does have a vested interest in helping them improve and re-attain a raking of Partner. The fact that as a member of the evaluation team I am not just recommending dropping them or recommending a raking of Conditional shows that there is still hope in rebuilding the business relationship to a healthy, productive level. Case 7) Supplier Development at Deere, & Company 1. Is Deere’s tactic an appropriate one? I do not think Deere’s tactic is the appropriate way to approach the situation. I agree from the details of the case that some improvements need to be made the help reduce they cycle time at Excelsior, but I don’t think a mandatory cost reduction is going to get the job done. I think it will create bad blood and irreparably damage the supplier relationship. 2. What are the implications of the tactic and the possible consequences, positive or negative? The implications of the tactic are that Excelsior needs to fall in line with Deere’s demands or lose their business. The added implication is that Excelsior will essentially be out of business if this happens because 95% of their income is from Deere’s orders. Both of these outcomes are negative,  and I am having difficulty seeing a positive consequence come out of this situation. I think that Excelsior is justified in their concerns, and while they may be dragging their feet, I feel like it is an appropriate reaction to the concept of restructuring their entire process. 3. If it is not an appropriate tactic, what are some alternatives? I think that a valid alternative would be to emphasize the value that Excelsior has to Deere as a primary supplier of the connector that they manufacture for Deere, and to reinforce the desire to maintain a long-term, profitable relationship with them. Additionally, Deere may have been able to supply examples of other suppliers that they have worked with to improve their efficiency. Rather than case studies and meetings, real world examples of success could be used to help persuade Excelsior’s top decision makers that this was the correct course of action. 4. Is this an ethical approach? I do not think that this is an ethical approach. Deere is effectively using their position of power in the relationship to force Excelsior to take action that they are not convinced is the correct course of action. I think that they should act in an advisory role, not force them in to action. Ultimately, the decision is Excelsior’s as to whether to re-tool and comply with Deere’s wishes, and while there are big consequences to that decision, it should not be forced upon them. 5. What are some of the implications as far as human resource management is concerned? How can the group members better manage the consensus building to present an undivided front to Excelsior? If Deere’s plan does not succeed, there is a large risk that they will have to put forth a massive human resource effort to replace Excelsior as a supplier. Deere would have to expend large amounts of time and resources to identify, secure, and develop a new supplier. The group members could better manage consensus building by involving more people from Excelsior’s production teams. Deere should work towards a  win-win scenario with Excelsior (p. 119). Perhaps they would be able to show the benefits of the proposed system to those that are closer to the actual work. Those individuals could then weigh in and lend support to the plan, possibly overcoming the resistance that Excelsior’s Frank and Sanderson felt. Deere’s associates could re-commit to Excelsior that they are a valued long-term supplier, but that these changes needed to be enacted to ensure long-term viability. Deere could explain that there are customers further down the supply chain requesting faster turnaround, and that these requests are not solely coming from Deere. References Joel D. Wisner, K.-C. T. (2012). Principles of Supply Chain Management. Mason, OH: South-Western Cengage Learning.

Ethics Log Essay

I was out shopping with a friend and saw something that struck me as very unethical. We were eating at the mall and the manager at one of the fast food places at the food court was given extra money then was due by a customer that was directly ahead of my friend in line. Instead of giving the lady back the extra money he pocketed the money. I know that we are in a financially hard time, but still the man should have told the women that she gave him too much money instead of pocketing the difference. It made me promptly decide to eat at a different place that day. September 15, 2008: I was struck today by something that made me have faith in other people. A man was rushing to leave a store and his wallet dropped out of his pocket. Two teenagers were standing around and watching the people going in and out and they both saw what happened. One of them walked over and picked up the wallet. I thought that the kid was going to pocket the money in the wallet, but instead he walked over to where the man was still putting groceries into his car. He handed the man his wallet and told him that he saw it fall out of his pocket. The man thanked him and offered him a reward. The kid shook his head and said a reward wasn’t necessary. Most of the time teenagers are given a bad name, but seeing that kid be as honest as he was made me feel good knowing that our future are the hands of kids like that. September 22, 2008: I was taking my mother to the doctor and I saw something that seemed to me to be very unethical. Two nurses were waiting for the elevator and they were discussing patients, using the first names of those patients. No one else was around the elevator, so these two women must have thought they were alone. I couldn’t believe my ears, because they were talking in very load tones and telling each other about the details of each patient. I know that doctors are held to strict ethical standards and I thought nurses were too. Anyone could have been listening to these two women gossiping. They finally stopped when I cleared my throat and gave them a look. September 29, 2008: I was watching the evening news and one story struck me as interesting. It was a story about a building contractor who had used substandard materials on some houses that he had built. The people who had bought these homes found mold and parts of their houses were falling down so that living in these homes were dangerous to the occupants. I have always believed that building contractors had an ethical right to use materials that would ensure a safe environment for the people that buy the finished homes. It seems this man cared more for the end dollar that he received then for the quality of building he produced. October 6, 2008: I was watching the news the other night and I saw a story about a psychologist that was being accused of having a relationship with a patient. I was appalled at this fact since psychologists are people who should realize how unethical something like that is. Doctors are in a position of authority over their patients and as such should not abuse hat authority by becoming involved with their patients. The psychologist is facing criminal charges and will probably have his license to practice psychology revoked. I was shocked and outraged by this story and it made me wonder what had to be going through the man’s head to get into such a situation as this where he ahs put his professional life and the reputation of his family in jeopardy. October 14, 2008: I was shopping this weekend and I saw something that struck me not only as ethical but as an example of the goodness in people. I was walking down the street from store to the next and in an alleyway there was a man who for all intents and purposes was homeless or he appears that way. As I was walking I had to stop and answer my cell phone and in vainly trying to find my phone everything in my bag fell out and spilled all over the sidewalk. This man, who was dirty from his head to his feet, came over and started helping me pick things up. I was in such a rush that I didn’t notice that my credit card had bounced in the shadows. I gave the man a curt thank you and was walking away when I heard the man come up behind me. I thought at first he was going to try and do something to me (we all don’t like to admit it but stereotypes sometimes linger in the back of the man about homeless people), and turned ready to hit the man when he smiled toothlessly at me and told me I had dropped my credit card. This man could have pocketed the card, but he chose to do the ethical and right thing of returning the card to me. October 20, 2008: An article that I read recently stuck me as very unethical practices. It was an article on how Treasury Secretary Paulson was utilizing his old Wall Street firm as a way to investigate the goings on of other Wall Street firms. The problem then is that it gives other people the idea that now Paulson’s old firm has their hands in the proverbial Treasury Cookie Jar. That kind of practice is not just unethical but wrong. The United States Treasury is something that has to investigate firms and by allowing a Wall Street firm to be seen as having ties in the department of Treasury gives the idea that the department of the Treasury is biased and will allow this firm to get by with everything and there will not be any repercussions. October 27, 2008: I was reading an article in the newspaper and came across a story about a court case in which the case had to be dismissed because the evidence that was collected was tainted. Apparently when he evidence was collected, it was misplaced and then found two days later. This struck me as highly unethical, since from my understanding when something like that happens it’s hard to know if it is really from the crime or if it had been planted. It also struck me as unethical because evidence should not be contaminated or last in order to make sure questions are not raised in the long run. November 3, 2008: I read in the newspaper about a new school curriculum that has been used at some schools around the nation. Building Decision Skills (BDS) that had â€Å"potentially positive effects† on students. This curriculum targets character education, strengthens critical thinking skills, builds leadership skills, and focuses on teaching students the best way to make ethical decisions as they enter the high school setting and are affected more by peer pressure. I remember my own high school days and how tough it can be when surrounded by friends that want you to make a decision that you don’t feel comfortable with. Ethical behavior after all is learning the right way to do something or the right choice to make when in a given situation. This new curriculum will help students with those kinds of situations. November 10, 2008: The newspaper had an interesting story about the Emperor’s Club and the case against the New York attorney general Eliot Spitzer and his charges for hiring prostitutes. Tania Hollander, the VIP scheduler for the club, also had to take responsibility in the unethical behavior of the attorney general. Ms. Hollander will face jail time for her part in this case, while the New York attorney general was cleared of the charges against him. The attorney for Ms. Hollander made a point of insinuating that this kind of nonsense was unethical in the least because it gives the public the idea that the New York attorney general is being given a slap on the wrist because of his position as an attorney general. Abuse of position such as this is always an unfair and unethical practice.