Nanotechnology: Taking Action :: Science Technology Essays

Nanotechnology: Taking Action Happiness is a goal that never seems attainable. Philosophers have struggled with the idea of happiness and the implications of what it means to want. Perfection seems as a sickness to our very nature. We as humans strive for achieving the unachievable. Yet, the irony of this pursuit of happiness is that, once that want is achieved, new wants form, and then happiness is again hidden. But, what if perfection could happen? What if society and its environment could once again live in the Garden of Eden? What if a dream utopia could become a reality? The possibilities seem endless, as nanotechnology evolves into our civilization ever so swiftly. Nanotechnology combines science and technology in an overall effort to create robots so small that they have the capabilities of rearranging all atomic structures into any form. Basically, nanotechnology is the "total control [over] the structure of matter."[1] It seems impossible to imagine that such technology could ever exist. That we as the human race can create machines that could be designed to cure the common cold, rid the body of cancer cells, or reestablish endangered species. Yet, as science progresses these ideas are becoming real. The way nanotechnology works is very simple, but on a very, very small scale. The general idea is to create diminutive robots called nanobots out of carbon elements. These nanobots will be "equipped with arms able to grasp, manipulate, and lock in place individual atoms†¦in effect, [they would] resemble extremely small unmanned submarines."[1] Other attributes that would be included on these nanobots include a basic structure frame, engines for propulsion, computers to process information, and communication links to other nanobots. The two different types of nanobots are assemblers and disassemblers. The first being a bot that creates and builds, and the latter being one that destroys and tears down. How small are one of these bots one might ask? Well, a nanometer is one-billionth the size of a meter, and the estimated size of a nanobot is 500-2000 nanometers.[1] The positive attributes of nanotechnology vary widely. As mentioned above, advancements in medicine could eliminate all disease and even strengthen the common human immune system. Energy efficiency could be greatly improved as described by Dr. Stephen L. Gillett, Department of Geosciences at the University of Nevada, "fuel cells†¦focused processing†¦distributed fabrication†¦information-intensive energy extraction sensing†¦efficient energy management†¦and super strength materials" all can be achieved almost immediately through nanotechnology. Nanotechnology: Taking Action :: Science Technology Essays Nanotechnology: Taking Action Happiness is a goal that never seems attainable. Philosophers have struggled with the idea of happiness and the implications of what it means to want. Perfection seems as a sickness to our very nature. We as humans strive for achieving the unachievable. Yet, the irony of this pursuit of happiness is that, once that want is achieved, new wants form, and then happiness is again hidden. But, what if perfection could happen? What if society and its environment could once again live in the Garden of Eden? What if a dream utopia could become a reality? The possibilities seem endless, as nanotechnology evolves into our civilization ever so swiftly. Nanotechnology combines science and technology in an overall effort to create robots so small that they have the capabilities of rearranging all atomic structures into any form. Basically, nanotechnology is the "total control [over] the structure of matter."[1] It seems impossible to imagine that such technology could ever exist. That we as the human race can create machines that could be designed to cure the common cold, rid the body of cancer cells, or reestablish endangered species. Yet, as science progresses these ideas are becoming real. The way nanotechnology works is very simple, but on a very, very small scale. The general idea is to create diminutive robots called nanobots out of carbon elements. These nanobots will be "equipped with arms able to grasp, manipulate, and lock in place individual atoms†¦in effect, [they would] resemble extremely small unmanned submarines."[1] Other attributes that would be included on these nanobots include a basic structure frame, engines for propulsion, computers to process information, and communication links to other nanobots. The two different types of nanobots are assemblers and disassemblers. The first being a bot that creates and builds, and the latter being one that destroys and tears down. How small are one of these bots one might ask? Well, a nanometer is one-billionth the size of a meter, and the estimated size of a nanobot is 500-2000 nanometers.[1] The positive attributes of nanotechnology vary widely. As mentioned above, advancements in medicine could eliminate all disease and even strengthen the common human immune system. Energy efficiency could be greatly improved as described by Dr. Stephen L. Gillett, Department of Geosciences at the University of Nevada, "fuel cells†¦focused processing†¦distributed fabrication†¦information-intensive energy extraction sensing†¦efficient energy management†¦and super strength materials" all can be achieved almost immediately through nanotechnology.

Essay examples --

How is morality defined? I never really grasped a straight forward definition of morality given by the speaker. Morality to me is a person’s code of conduct that they live their life by. It is a person’s beliefs that make them feel if something is right or wrong. What are the three interpretations of the hypothesis that morality evolved? The first interpretation of the hypothesis that morality has evolved is that some components of our moral sense evolved. This hypothesis is the least controversial of the three interpretations. This is because it is the only one that has any real sort of evidence that I can see. That evidence comes in the form of phylogenetic evidence. Scientists have been able to determine the primates exhibit some of the same emotions that humans have. Dr. Machery specifically reference a setting where one primate had more desirable food than the other and envy or jealously was exhibited by the primate with the less desirable food. This evidence means that emotions were passed down from a common ancestor before humans evolved. The second interpretation... Essay examples -- How is morality defined? I never really grasped a straight forward definition of morality given by the speaker. Morality to me is a person’s code of conduct that they live their life by. It is a person’s beliefs that make them feel if something is right or wrong. What are the three interpretations of the hypothesis that morality evolved? The first interpretation of the hypothesis that morality has evolved is that some components of our moral sense evolved. This hypothesis is the least controversial of the three interpretations. This is because it is the only one that has any real sort of evidence that I can see. That evidence comes in the form of phylogenetic evidence. Scientists have been able to determine the primates exhibit some of the same emotions that humans have. Dr. Machery specifically reference a setting where one primate had more desirable food than the other and envy or jealously was exhibited by the primate with the less desirable food. This evidence means that emotions were passed down from a common ancestor before humans evolved. The second interpretation...

FBI Case Study

The â€Å"Who Killed the Virtual Case File? † case study is a clear example of project failure which resulted on not only balloon the cost of the project, but also loss that could be counted on millions of dollars. Because of the size of the project and the failure of the project, it is broadly used to prevent future IT Project Management disasters. Project Overview: When special agent Larry Depew collected evidence of illegal activity of the Russian and Italian mafia tax skim activity, FBI didn’t have database system, which could organize and support all the information gathering processes that were needed for the organization. A decade later, Depew was landed in his first project management job called FBI Virtual Case File project (VCF), even though he had no previous experience. In the PMBOK Guide book describes what abilities a project manager should possess to successfully manage projects is: knowledge, performance and personal . In the results of lack of experience and ineffective planning the project was unfortunate failure. Because of availability of funds, the FBI’s 23 divisions developed own database system for each of the different divisions. In the result FBI ended up with 45-50 different investigative databases and applications, which are not communicating with each other. Also, the Automated Case Support (ACS) system was cumbersome to use, inefficient and had limited functional capabilities. Additionally all 13000 were really old which resulted in not supporting new software’s. Intranet that connected FBI offices had 56-kilobit-per second modems. SAIC (Applications International Corp. ) for software developed delivered 700,000 lines of code bug-ridden, off target system which resulted in $105 million worth loss. However, researches and findings showed that the FBI—lacking IT management and technical expertise—shares the blame for the project's failure. The research and study later on painted a picture of an enterprise IT project that fell into the most basic traps of software development, from poor requirement gathering, planning and bad communication between software developer and FBI. The key issues related to the failure of the project: * Violation of the Project Scope Management. One of the main factors of VSF project was poorly defined business requirements and overly specific nature of the requirements defined in systems design and analysis phase which resulted in creating 400 functional deficiencies found after testing the system. * Violation of the Project Cost Management The lack of IT investment processes resulted in ballooning the cost of the project in spite of the millions of dollars spending which was the also one of the main reason of VSF project failure. Violation of the Project Time Management Overly ambitious schedules and poorly defined schedule is one of the among VSF project failures. * Violation of Project Risk Management Procedure The lack of a plan to guide hardware purchases and deployment was one also of the failures of VSF project. Resolution: * The FBI’s higher management will be participating in the new software development to overcome the discrepancies associated with the previous those were VCF project. FBI is planning to purchase software from the vendor to digitize all documents, crime related evidence paperwork processes in the single database and still continue use VCF project systems up until it will be replaced with the desired software. * The new project will deploy and create new monitoring, risk management system which involves planning, scheduling and target oriented testing. Relevance to IT Project Management: * Project Scope Management Project Scope Management includes the processes required to ensure that project includes all the work required, to complete the project successfully. Scope Management includes following steps: clearly defining and documenting project business requirements by the company shareholders (collect requirements), develop a detailed description of the project (define scope), subdivide project deliverables and project work into smaller, manageable components (create WBS), formalize acceptance of the completed project deliverables, and monitoring the status and scope (verify scope), and managing changes to the scope baseline (control scope). FBI’s VSF project failed to define detailed project requirements, formalize acceptance of completed project deliverables by SAIC and monitoring and managing the scope by project manager. * Violation of the Project Cost Management Project Cost Management includes the processes involved in estimating, budgeting, and controlling costs so that the project can be completed within the approved budget. The cost management process includes: developing an approximation of the monetary resources (estimate costs), estimating costs of the individual activities (determine budget) and monitoring the status of the project budget and managing changes to the cost baseline (control costs). VSF project failed to address cost control in project cost management, because it had possibility to receive funding from the government. * Violation of the Project Time Management. Project Time Management includes the processes required to manage timely completion of the project. It includes following processes: identifying the specific actions to be performed to produce the project deliverables (define activities), identifying and documenting relationships among the project activities (sequence activities), estimating quantities of material, people, equipment, or supplies required to perform each activity (estimate activity resources), coming up with the approximate number of works periods needed to omplete individual activities with estimated resource (estimate activity durations), analyzing activity sequences, durations, resource requirements, and schedule constrains to create project schedule (develop schedule), and monitoring the status of the project to update project progress and managing changes to the schedule baseline (control schedule). In VSF project most of the required activities in time management FBI m anagement and SAIC failed to follow. * Violation of Project Risk Management Procedure. Project Risk Management includes the processes of conducting risk management planning, identification, analysis, response planning, and monitoring and control on the project. It includes following processes: defining how to conduct risk management activities (planning), determining which risks may affect the project and documenting their characteristics (identify risks), prioritizing risks for further analysis and combining their probability of occurrence and impact (perform qualitative risk analysis). Numerically analyzing the effect of identified risks on overall project objectives (perform quantitative risk analysis), developing options and actions to enhance opportunities and reduce threats to project objectives (plan risk responses), and implementing risk response plan, tracking identified risks, monitoring residual risks, identifying new risks, and evaluating risk process effectiveness throughout the project (monitor and control risk). In the FBI case none of the project risk management was applied to minimize risk associated with the possibility of the failure of the VSF project. Key Takeaways: It is important follow IT project management rules in order to develop the system. Main lessons learnt from the case study: * Business requirement analysis and technical requirements are crucial in the success of the project in planning phase. * Managing communication between companies’ key shareholders and server providers is required for productive outcome of the development. * Project monitoring and testing is vital task and should be accepted throughout the development * Prototypes be shown to client on regular basis to avoid all changes required at the end of the project * Having a individuals without proper knowledge in the rojects leads to the project success * Planning and monitoring leads to delivering the right product and timely completion of the project * Unsystematic approach in project time management could lead to delay in completion of projects * Deficient and unsatisfactory requirements lead to incomplete projects failure Research Approach For my research approach, I used Project Management and body of knowledge to identify main processes of the project management, and applied some basics acquired from the Systems Analysis and Design class to identify where FBI’s VSF project failed to address and manage this huge multimillion dollar project.

Business and Administration Unit 1 Assessment 1

Unit one: Principles of personal responsibilities and working in a business environment Assessment You should use this file to complete your Assessment. †¢ The first thing you need to do is save a copy of this document, either onto your computer or a disk †¢ Then work through your Assessment, remembering to save your work regularly †¢ When you’ve finished, print out a copy to keep for reference †¢ Then, go to www. vision2learn. com and send your completed Assessment to your tutor via your My Study area – make sure it is clearly marked with your name, the course title and the Unit and Assessment number.Please note that this Assessment document has 8 pages and is made up of 7 Sections. Name: Devan Primus Business and Administration Unit 1 Assessment 1 Section 1 – Know the employment rights and responsibilities of the employee and employer 1. Identify four main points that would be included in a contract of employment. If possible, use an example contract to support your answer (feel free to obscure any confidential information). Place of employment S. Com Group Limited (Company Registration Number 02209742) whose registered office is at 800 the boulevard, Capability Green, Luton, Bedfordshire.LU1 3BA Job Title Warehouseman Start Date The date in which an employee would commence work Holidays e. g. The contractor will be entitled to accrue, on a pro rata basis, 28 days of paid holiday per year (for the avoidance of doubt the 28 days are including Bank Holidays). payments for holiday will be calculated on the basis of the Normal Rate. Holidays may only be taken with the prior written consent of S. Com. The contractor shall endeavour to co-operate with the Clients requirements at all times and any request for paid holiday should be made as far in advance as possible.The Contractor must record all authorised holiday in the relevant timesheet. 2a) List three key points of legislation that affect employers in a business environm ent. Security Data Protection Health and Safety 2b) List three key points of legislation that affect employees in a business environment. Employment Rights and Responsibilities Grievance Procedure Equal Opportunities 3. Identify a range of places where a person can find information on employment rights and responsibilities. You should identify at least two internal and two external sources of information.You can get internal information from you line manager or a representative from your trade union. You can also find external information from the government websites and libraries. 4. Describe how representative bodies can support employees. For example Trade Unions can help employees with such things as disciplinary hearings and any disputes employees have regarding wages, holidays or even changes in the work place. 5. Briefly describe employer and employee responsibilities for equality and diversity in a business environment.You should give at least two employer responsibilities a nd two employee responsibilities. If possible, provide relevant equality and diversity procedures from your workplace (or place of study) to support your answer. These documents should be annotated to highlight the relevant sections. When hiring a new employee a company should never discriminate. For example if they interview a person who was over weight or from an ethnic background, they should still be considered for the job based on their skill set not their background or how they look.Also as a company stake holder’s, manager and team leaders have a responsibility to ensure and maintain equality and diversity throughout the company to make sure every employee is respected and treated fairly. Every individual employee is responsible for their own behaviour and actions. They should never make another employee feel unsafe, singled out or be unfairly treated. Any employee who is ever witness to such discrimination has a duty to report it to the relevant management without fea r of being discriminated against themselves. . Briefly explain the benefits of making sure equality and diversity procedures are followed in a business environment. Your answer should include one benefit for the employer, one benefit for the employee and one benefit for the overall organisation. Employee By offering employees training opportunities who are willing to gain extra skills to progress in their career, they will find staff will work harder and be more productive. In the long run staff will feel appreciated knowing their all being treated fairly.Employer By offering training opportunities and not discriminating in any way or form, the company can bring in talented people from all backgrounds that in turn will bring fresh and new ideas. Organisation Overall outcome for the company will see a happier work force and productivity increased possibly leading to increased profits. Section 2 – Understand the purpose of health, safety and security procedures in a business en vironment 1. Identify employer and employee responsibilities for health, safety and security.If possible, provide relevant health, safety and security policies / documents from your workplace (or place of study) to support your answer. These documents should be annotated to highlight the relevant sections. An employer is responsible to ensure that all workers have a safe place to work in regards to their health and safety. They must assess any risks an employee will encounter whilst in the work place, not only this but anyone who comes into contact with their business. Risk assessments should be carried out and information given to all employees making them aware of all isks and how to deal with situations if and when they arise, this can be achieved by training staff on relevant protocols and use of equipment. It is an employees responsibility to look after themselves an that of others who may be affected by their actions at work, employee, co-workers and employer must work togethe r to ensure that everyone meets their legal requirements. If an employee has any worries about health and safety in their work place they should voice their queries to either a manager, team leader or a health and safety representative.To support my answer I have some health, safety and security polices from an old place of work. Risk Assessments/Methods Statements †¢ Make sure you know what hazards exist before you start work. Have them communicated to you. †¢ Always follow instructions given to you by your line manager/supervisor. †¢ Risk assessments/method statements have been completed for your protection and are there to create awareness of the hazards you may be subjected to. Ask to read the assessments before you commence work. Machinery and Equipment Use only serviced and tested equipment †¢ Use the machinery or equipment for the purpose it is intended. †¢ Know the location of the cut off switch. †¢ Ensure that you have been trained and authoris ed to use that item of machinery or equipment. †¢ If defective equipment is found, clearly mark it, ensure no one else can use it and report it to your line manager/supervisor. †¢ Read instructions carefully before operation. If in doubt ask. Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) †¢ You must co-operate with PALL by wearing PPE to combat potential hazards. Factory floor employees must provide their own safety boots and overalls. †¢ Protective eye goggles are to be worn at all times on the factory floor. 2. Explain the purpose of following health, safety and security procedures in a business environment. Following these procedures is very vital for a company, keeping its staff safe is a main priority when it comes to health, safety and security. Keeping employee’s information confidential meeting legal responsibilities in regards to the data protection act, also protecting staff from personal attack or assault. . Describe three different ways of maintaining a safe and secure business environment. Three different ways of maintaining a safe and secure business could be †¢ Using passwords on computers to stop unauthorised access †¢ Making sure valuables are locked away and kept out of sight †¢ Reporting any security issues to the appropriate person Section 3 – Understand how to communicate effectively with others 1. Complete the table below with descriptions of different methods of communication.You should include two verbal, two non-verbal and two written methods of communication. |Methods of communication |Description | |Verbal communication |1. Standing in front of colleagues giving a presentation. | | | | | | | |2. Having a conversation over the telephone. | | | | | | | |Non-verbal communication |1.Body language i. e. facial expression and peoples attitudes. | | | | | | | | |2. persons posture or hand movements | | | | | | | |Written communication |1.Writing an email to a colleague | | | | | | | | |2. ending a letter to a client | | | | | | | 2. Using two specific examples, explain how to choose the most appropriate method of communication to meet your needs and the needs of others.If you had a deadline to meet and had to make changes at the last minute to a project, you would need to inform all relevant people of the changes as soon as possible. The most appropriate method would be verbal communication as sending an email for instance may get to all recipients to late. Written communication is a most appropriate method when detailed information or instructions are required, for example a client or business associate is far away to easily speak to over the phone or in person. 3. Describe at least two ways of actively listening. Showing eye contact is a good way to show that you are listening to someone when they talking. †¢ Also writing down notes and questions to be asked at the appropriate time. Section 4 – Understand how to work with and support colleag ues 1. Explain the purpose of agreeing standards for your own work. Give at least two reasons. If the employee agrees to work place standards it gives the employee a better understanding of what is expected of them, this also enables them to keep track of their own progress and performance.Work place standards are set and known by managers, if employees don’t stick to them this could lead to employees interpreting the own ways of doing things causing conflict between themselves and other colleagues. 2. Explain the purpose of taking on new challenges and being able to adapt to change at work. Being able to take on new challenges at work would make you more valuable to an organisation, if you are more willing to learn new skills and progress with the company you could find yourself in a new job role with more responsibility.There are many reasons for change in the work place and most of these are made to make the organisation be more efficient for themselves, employees, clients and to stay inline with the ever changing legal requirements. 3. Explain the purpose of treating others with honesty and consideration. As the saying goes ‘do unto others as you would expect them to do unto you’. If u treat everybody the same with honesty and respect they will show you the same in return. This will make the work place and its employees run more smoothly with fewer hiccups.Every person is an individual and has their own problems but if you show respect they are more likely to open up and in turn begin to trust. This doesn’t mean you have to agree with them but shows you are willing to listen to their opinions and ideas, in the long run things can be achieved which will benefit everyone. Section 5 – Know how to plan own work and be accountable to others 1. Explain the purpose of meeting work standards and deadlines when completing tasks in a business environment. It is important to stick to work standards and deadlines in a company as failu re to do so could to adverse outcomes for the organisation.Every body has their duties and responsibilities and if they are not executed properly it can have a knock on effect and lead to the loss of clients and not hitting set out targets. 2. Describe two different methods that you can use to plan your own work in a business environment. By planning your work before starting a task you’re making yourself aware of what need to be achieved. You can do this by prioritising your work load getting the more important aspects done first and the lesser important task after.Avoiding any distractions that will cause you to lose site of what you have to achieve in a set timescale, this could be stopping to chat or other colleagues asking you to do trivial task which could be done at a later time, apologise and continue with your work. 3. Describe ways of keeping other people informed about progress and compare their effectiveness. What are the benefits and drawbacks of each approach? T elephone conversation You can keep your manager informed by telephone to update him/her on your progress.He or she will get all the information they need quicker but by communicating in this way it could lead to missed out information Meetings This is a good way of informing your manager and colleagues of your progress. The only draw back is its a little time consuming; nether the less you can fill your manager in with all the relevant information and also give an estimated completion time, if you feel you won’t get the job completed on time you can ask your manager for an extension. Section 6 – Understand the purpose of improving own performance in a business environment and how to do so 1.Explain the purpose of continuously improving your performance in a business environment. Continuing to improve your own performance can lead to better prospects for an employee. The better an employee is at their job the more chance of possible training, promotion or pay rise and h ave a long-term affect on their career prospects. This will make an employee constantly think about what they can achieve and end up with job satisfaction. 2. Describe at least two ways of improving your performance at work. Where relevant, illustrate your answer with specific examples from your own experience.Set yourself career targets as to where you would like to be in life. Try to take on extra responsibility at work and show team leaders/managers that you are capable of hard word. In previous employment I worked harder and it paid off, I was given extra responsibility to run a team of colleagues in the restaurant and make sure my section ran as smoothly as possible. 3. Briefly describe at least two different types of career pathways that may be available to you. I could take on a higher position in my current employment whether that is a team leader, supervisor or manager preferably a managerial position.Other options available to me could be in sales or even IT. Section 7 â⠂¬â€œ Understand the types of problems that may occur in a business environment and how to deal with them 1. Identify at least two different types of problems that can occur in a business environment. A minor incident could be that a customer had booked a table at your restaurant and on arrival be told that there is no reservation on the computer system. This could easily be resolved by apologising to the customer and getting them a new table as quick as possible.A major incident could be that a customer has had a serious trip or fall on the premises and for this type of incident I would call a manager. I feel a manager with more experience than myself would be better at handling this kind of situation in regards to legal obligation and how best to assist the customer. 2. Complete the table below by describing at least two specific problems that can occur at work and how they can be dealt with. |Problem |Dealing with the problem | |1.A customer has been waiting a long time for a me al they had |Go over to the customer and apologise for the delay and with the say| |ordered. |so from my manager offer a complimentary drink. | | | | | | | | | | |2.A customer has a complaint about a meal received from the |Speak to the customer and indentify what the problem is, take the | |kitchen. |food back to the kitchen and explain what is wrong with the food. | | |Ask the customer if they would like a replacement or prefer a | | |refund. | | | 3. Complete the table below by listing at least two problems you are able to deal with yourself and two problems you would need to refer to others to deal with (and how you would refer these problems). |Problems I can deal with: |Problems I would need to refer to others: |How are problems referred to others? | |1. |1. | |Customer toilets have run out of toilet roll. |A cooker in the kitchen has stopped working. |Ring maintenance explain the situation and | | | |ask for help | | | | | | | | |2. |2. | | |There’s a spill age in the kitchen. |You know of a colleague bullying another |Raise awareness to the relevant superior | | |member of staff. |manager. | | | | | | | | | | | | Once you have completed all 7 Sections of this Assessment, go to www. vision2learn. com and send your work to your tutor for marking.

Case: 7-Eleven Japan Co. Essay

Question 1: A convenience store chain attempts to be responsive and provide customers what they need, when they need it, where they need it. What are some different ways that a convenience store supply chain can be responsive? What are some risks in each case? A convenience store can be more responsive by doing exactly what Seven-Eleven Japan is doing; many locations, rapid replenishment, appropriate technology deployment, and an equally responsive supplier (vertical integration for many of their SKUs). The risks associated with this system are the costs coupled with demand uncertainty. If demand patterns change dramatically, or the customer base changes, then Seven-Eleven is left with an operation that is not needed. Offering variety of services in the case of this case study Seven Eleven offered attractive services to customers such as ski lift voucher pass, payment of mail order purchases, internet shopping, a meal service delivery, automatic teller machines installation in each store, pick up online services, electronic money service that allow customers to prepay and use a card or cell phone to make payments etc. on the other hand, a short coming might result due to the failure of one or more information system due to failure or break down. Question 2: Seven-Eleven’s supply chain strategy in Japan can be described as attempting to micro-match supply and demand using rapid replenishment. What are some risks associated with this choice? Question 3: What has 7-Eleven done in its choice of facility location, inventory management, transportation, and information infrastructure to develop capabilities that support its supply chain strategy in Japan? Information infrastructure: 7-Eleven implemented a Total Information System through which the company could efficiently share its information thus making its supply chain responsive. The system was installed within each store, headquarters, suppliers and vendors. And also the system linked all the stores with each other. The Total Information System comprises of POS registers, Integrated Services Digital Network (ISDN), Graphic order terminal, scanner terminal and store computers. The data related to the sales as well as the purchaser is collected through the POS register for analysis. For efficient management of the inventory, the graphic order terminal, scanner terminal and store computers are used thus assists in improving both the efficiency and responsiveness. Inventory management: The store owner or the manager makes use of the graphic order terminal to place orders so as to replenish inventory in order of their arrangement on the store shelf. The owner had access to analysis of waste, 10 day and 10 week sales trends SKU, sales trends of new products, sales analysis by day and time etc that help him in forecasting demand. On the other hand, the Scanner terminal receives products from a distribution center and therefore monitors inventory by checking whether the order received matches with the original order placed. The store computer helps in tracking store inventory. Transportation: Trucks are used to transport goods to the stores. 7-Eleven makes use of a flexible distribution system which means that it can alter the delivery schedules according to the varying customer demand. Also, the suppliers send orders via trucks to the distribution centers. The latter cross docks inventory from supplier truck to distribution trucks. Moreover, to maintain the quality of the products, the distribution trucks are temperature controlled of four categories for different types of products such as frozen/ chilled foods, processed foods etc. Facility location: The facility location of 7-Eleven comprises of two types namely, the distribution centers and retail stores. 7-Eleven follows a market or area dominance strategy through which it forms clusters of stores in the area where already a 7- eleven store exists rather than having a handful of stores dispersed over a wide geographical area. Among the clusters there’s a distribution center which is surrounded by 7-Eleven stores. Approximately, there are 50-60 stores in each cluster. Question 4: 7-Eleven does not allow direct store delivery in Japan but has all products flow through its distribution center. What benefit does 7-Eleven derive from this policy? When is direct store delivery more appropriate? 7-Eleven has the policy of delivering its products to the retail stores via the distribution centers. Through these distribution centers, the replenishment cycles are reduced and a proper sales record can be maintained and monitored. Through the Point of Sale registers, signals can be transmitted to both the distribution centre and the supplier hence orders can be organized accordingly. Also, orders are sent directly to the distribution centre so that they can be allotted to the appropriate vehicle. A combined delivery system is used by 7- Eleven, in which four groups of temperature-controlled trucks are used to send fresh products. The trucks are sent several times a day during peak hours in order to avoid delays. Also, confidence is maintained between the supply chain partners and an additional person is not needed while the load is being received and checked. The process reduces delivery time. However this system might require a number of daily deliveries, but the number of trucks needed is much lesser therefore it reduces the delivery cost and facilitates a more prompt fresh food delivery. And hence the stock is continuously replenished. This network process ensures flexibility in the sense that it can alter the delivery schedules due to any demand fluctuations. There is a twelve-hour limit upon the restocking of food items. The disadvantages however include that the retail stores will have little control when the restocking takes place. Also, a number of stores rely on just one combined distribution centre. Also, if the system goes down while the delivery is at CDC, then all the stores can be affected and timely deliveries might not be possible. Hence accurate forecasts are needed. Direct delivery system might be a useful technique as the stores follow variant patterns. If the demand increases and a store require a greater number of deliveries then the demand can be met more efficiently as the deliveries can be made directly to the stores. Question 5: What do you think about the 7dream concept for 7-Eleven Japan? From a supply chain perspective, is it likely to be more successful in Japan or the United States? Why? In February 2000, 7-Eleven established 7dream.com, an ecommerce company, the goal of which was to exploit the existing distribution system and the fact that stores were easily accessible to most Japanese Stores served as drop-off and collection points for the customers and proved successful as 92% of their customers preferred to just pick up their goods from the local convenience store which they ordered online rather than have them delivered to their homes. This was understandable given the frequency with which Japanese customers visit their local convenience store. 7dream hoped to build on this preference along with the synergies from the existing distribution system as the company required an effective and efficient supply chain to cater to the demand of the customers who ordered online and provide the company with a time frame for delivery. From a supply chain perspective, it is believed that the 7dream concept is likely to be more successful in Japan than in the United States. The reason for saying so is that, the Japanese market is much smaller as compared to that of United State. In 2008, there were 12,071 stores in Japan where as the stores were nearly half the number in U.S that is 6,262. The density of stores in Japan was hence greater as the area of Japan is much smaller as compared to that of the U.S. and therefore, in Japan the company had a greater customer reach as 7–Eleven stores are easily accessible throughout Japan. The ecommerce company itself could probably be a greater success in U.S. however; it would be a better idea if the orders are directly sent home rather than have them delivered to the nearest 7-Eleven store. In this way, the company can tap in to a bigger market that is the U.S. market but get the goods delivered to the customer’s doorstep would be a better idea. Also, the stores in the U.S. were replenished using direct store delivery (DSD) by some manufacturers, with the remaining products delivered by wholesalers. DSD accounted for about half the total volume, with the rest coming from the wholesalers. This meant that direct delivery is a more popular concept in the U.S. Keeping into consideration the current strategy of the 7dream concept, it is more likely to be successful in Japan than in the United States. However, if the strategy is molded according to the U.S. market, it can become a greater success. Question 6: 7-Eleven is attempting to duplicate the supply chain structure that has succeeded in Japan in the United States with the introduction of CDC’s. What are the pros and cons of this approach? Keep in mind that stores are also replenished by wholesalers and DSD by manufacturers. After 7 Eleven acquired Southland Corporation they tried to improve their operations in America. The main improvement was an introduction of a new component in the supply chain completely novel to the US market. This component, the Combined Distribution Centers (CDCs), was however used in Japan at that time. Initially the stores in US used the Direct Store Delivery (DSD) in which stores were replenished by manufacturers accounting for half of the goods volume and the rest half was done by whole sellers. CDC delivered perishable products like bread, sandwiches and the rest of the bakery products. Pros Using CDC all perishable -food items would be delivered by a single distributor which would increase overall efficiency. Having fresh-food items at 7-Eleven convenience stores helped in users getting variety of fresh food from convenient locations. Uncertainty of delivery times was minimized by systematic delivery system. The inventory costs were low as fresh food items cannot be inventoried. With daily replenishment of fresh-food items, the stock would be fresh and it reduced consumer concerns of stale items to a large extent. Centralization gave a greater control to the management and more processes were now under the supervision of the company hence improving efficiency. Cons There could have been a difference in quality delivered through CDC and DSD. DSD was a tested system so company might be unwilling to shift to the new system as there is always a reluctance to change. In US stores fresh products may not sell very well. Training would be required for all the supply chain members as the new system tends to be more time sensitive. Manufacturers might not be willing to go with the idea of CDC’s as they might lose on their relative dollar revenues and with the loss in revenues they might also reduce control. As the new system would be very time specific, the supply chain might not be very responsive and if updates are required the company might lose on its sales. Question 7: The United States has food service distributors that also replenish convenience stores. What are the pros and cons to having a distributor replenish convenience stores versus a company like 7-Eleven managing its own distribution function? With the outsourcing decision in mind an organization always tries to outsource activities that lie beyond their core competencies and their scarce resources are wasted in performing tasks that they are not specialized at. With outsourcing the organization tries to focus on activities that they can do best. The advantage is that managing the distribution is the sole headache of the distributor and with his specialized expertise it might be more cost effective. However outsourcing does have its repercussions as well. The control over the quality of items and the replenishment time might not be as effective as doing the distribution yourself. With the outsourcing of distribution the communication gap can affect the replenishment distribution. However taking the advancements in communication and technology this statement may be rendered void. Convenience stores are successfully communicating with their distributors and make uninterrupted storage of data and information transmission from 3PL WMS to internal systems for real-time visibility of stock in hand and customer service. Moreover outsourcing decisions affect both the efficiency and responsiveness of the supply chain. A retail store can achieve improved efficiency by having a distributor replenish its stock, but he does not put his heart and effect they can have on their long term aims.

McDonald’s Corporation

McDonald's Corporation is the world's leading food service organization. The corporation started out as a small drive-through in 1948 by two brothers, Dick and Mac McDonald. Raymond Albert Kroc, a salesman, saw a great opportunity in this market and advised Dick and Mac to expand their operation and open new restaurants. In 1961 Kroc bought out the McDonald brothers. By 1967 McDonalds expanded its operations to countries outside the U.S.A. This unyielding expansion led the Corporation to open 23,000 McDonald's restaurants in 110 countries in 1994, producing $3.4 bn in annual revenues. In addition, McDonald's opens a new restaurant every three hours. Also, McDonald's has twice the market share of its closest U.S. competitor, Burger King, representing 7% of total U.S. eating-out sales. Similarly, McDonald's serves about 1% of the world's population on any given day through its 23,000 restaurants internationally. â€Å"Big Mac†, the world's most sold hamburger was developed by Jim Delligutti in 1967 to feed construction workers. ‘Big Mac' is the biggest attraction and backbone of the corporation. Moreover, McDonald's maintains its competitive advantage by constantly creating new items to add onto its menu. This shows us that McDonald's practices an analyzer type of strategy, introducing new items and defending its existing ones. â€Å"We serve people with good quality food, fast and at low cost.† McDonald's vision is to dominate the global food-service industry. Global dominance means setting the performance standard for customer satisfaction and increases market share and profitability through successfully implementing our convenience, value and execution strategies. To have a clear picture of McDonald's corporation we need to look at its Task Environment, which includes its: We shall also explore McDonald's Workforce Diversity and its Total Quality Management. Customers are those who pay money to acquire an organization's goods or services. For many years McDonald's mostly targeted the young people, however this has changed in this decade; McDonald's has turned towards a more general market. By doing this McDonald's concentrates on the family, targeting a diverse market which includes consumers ranging from children to elderly people, using products such as the â€Å"happy Meal† for children and â€Å"Egg McMuffin† for the elderly. McDonald's also realized the changing world we live in and the need for healthier food, since there is an ever changing demographic group, who demand fast, top quality food that is low in calories. McDonald's responded to this opportunity and introduced a new and innovative product. This new product was a regular hamburger that tasted like the real thing but was made of plant material like Soya beans. This same product also targets another demographic group, vegetarians. McDonald's mostly uses psychographic segmentation targeting the working and middle classes. These are the people that are more susceptible to enter a fast food restaurant, since these are the people that lead a fast moving life and thus require a fast meal. In brief McDonald's customers are of all classes, but largely working and middle classes, and people of all ages. A competitor is an organization that competes with other organizations for resources. In our findings, McDonald's has two types of competitors in the Lebanese market: Indirect refers to firms producing one or two products that compete with McDonald's products and therefore be a threat to the company. We have identified four indirect competitors: Henry J. Beans, T.G.I. Friday, K. F. C. and Popeye's. Henry J. Beans offers hamburgers and fries on its menu, therefore competing with McDonalds for customers of these products. However, Henry J. Beans also known as Hank's is a more of a bar restaurant and therefore a hang out place, as a result charging more money for its products. Hank's targets middle to upper class customers, so where most of these customers overlap are in the middle class. T.G.I Friday is another indirect competitor reflecting the same characteristics as Henry J. Beans. Other indirect competitors are K. F. C. and Popeye's, both competing for the chicken nuggets and fries customers. In brief, Hank's and T.G.I. Friday's competes with McDonald's by offering hamburgers and fries, whereas K. F. C. and Popeye's compete with McDonald's by offering chicken nuggets and fries. Direct competitors refers to firms producing the same products or services as McDonald's does. Here we found that McDonald's has three direct competitors: Burger King, Wendy's and Hardee's. McDonald's closest rival is Burger King, which operates a total of 9644 restaurants in 110 countries. Wendy's is McDonald's second largest rival, which is also in the fast food business, where Wendy's operates 6776 restaurants in 32 countries. Hardee's, McDonald's third largest rival is also in the fast food business and is the only direct competitor apart from Juicy Burger in the Lebanese market. Hardee's operates 3080 restaurants in 20 countries. As we have illustrated McDonald's faces stiff competition from three major competitors, Burger King, Wendy's and Hardee's. Suppliers is an organization that provides resources for other organizations. McDonald's has practiced a backward vertical integration, by replacing most of its suppliers. It has done so for two reasons, 2) To ensure that its products are of top quality. These supplies include beef and milk to be used in its products, which it gets from its farms. Other suppliers include local grocery stores that supply McDonald's with fresh vegetables. Soft drinks are supplied exclusively by Coca-Cola, which is also its ally. McDonald's supplies also include raw material such as flour, sugar, yeast, etc.,. A strategic ally is an organization working together with one or more other organizations is a joint venture or a similar arrangement. McDonald's has formed a strategic alliance with: Walmart, Chevron, Amoco, Disney and Coca-Cola. Walmart, which is a large shopping mall chain in the U..S. and several neighboring countries, is allied with McDonald's, which offers great opportunities for both companies. McDonald's has restaurants in each Walmart, offering its customers conveniences and excellent fast food at a low cost ease of accessibility. McDonald's corporation describes it best in this scenario: â€Å"Imagine a busy shopping day at your local Walmart and having the ability to sit down with the kids and enjoy many of our McDonald's favorites, like ‘Big Mac' sandwiches, world famous fries and kids favorite ‘Happy Meal'. McDonald's understands your busy lifestyles and the demands on your time. That's why we are making it easier for you to do more things in less time.† McDonald's is engaged in an alliance with two petrol companies, Chevron and Amoco. This alliance represents the ultimate in convenience. At these locations, one finds a full-menu McDonald's restaurant with dining room service. Nothing can be more convenient, because one can fill up the car with gas and get a meal all in one stop. Another important alliance that McDonald's has is with Disney. Here McDonald's has the sole right to sell fast food in Disney's theme parks around the U..S. and other Disney operations in the world. Under the terms of the agreement, McDonald's will operate restaurants and Disney will promote its films through McDonald's. Regulators are groups or governmental agencies that can control and influence the organization's policies and practices. An example is Lebanon a few years ago when the U..S. government banned all U..S. citizens and organizations to come or operate in Lebanon. Another good example would be the embargo imposed on Iran where U..S. organizations were banned to operate in this country. Another group of regulators called interest groups can and have influenced McDonald's to treat its animals (cow and chickens) in a much more humane manner, which resulted in the restructuring of McDonalds' farms throughout its operations around the world. The summary of the task environment which is by definition a specific organizations or groups that affect the organization, which includes competitors, suppliers, customers, strategic allies and regulators. Here we described the task environment's importance to McDonald's, where McDonald's faces both opportunities and has threats in its environment. Diversity exists in a group or organization when its members differ from one another along one or more important dimensions such as age, gender, and ethnicity. Diversity is very important for McDonald's. Here millions of teens start out by working at McDonald's. Here some of the teenagers move on to get various jobs such as movie stars, skilled workers, famous athletes, management positions and other educated positions in society. At McDonald's two thirds of middle and upper management started out as crewmembers in a McDonald's restaurant. There are opportunities for everybody in McDonald's from teenagers to elderly workers, and from people just entering or reentering the job market. Moreover, McDonald's offers special jobs for people who have disabilities, such as people who are in wheel chairs and those who must use crutches permanently. Furthermore, McDonald's offers their workers flexible working hours. For example, hours for people seeking just a few hours of work per week and those who seek full time positions. The work force at McDonald's also have some say in their working hours, such as if they prefer the morning, mid-day, or evening shifts in the restaurant. So, McDonald's uses diversity to create a good atmosphere in their work places among workers and management. Here they offer work to all kinds of people without discrimination and the workers have flexible hours that provides customer satisfaction. Quality is the totality of features and characteristics of a product or service that bear on its ability to satisfy stated or implied needs. For McDonald's, total quality management (TQM) involves that the employees are at work on time, are neatly dressed, and are clean. The employees must make sure that the customers constantly receive safe food, which implies that the employees must wash their hands often to remain clean. Moreover, the employees must follow certain Standard Operational Procedures, so the customers always receive exceptional quality and service. This includes the employees using plastic gloves when they prepare the food, that the meat and fries are properly fried, and that the vegetables are thoroughly washed when used in the food. Another TQM is that the employees rely on teamwork and high energy to get the job done, so that the customers do not have to wait long for their food. Furthermore, McDonald's management emphasizes that their restaurants should be clean. This involves that the restaurants are tidy, sparkling and spotlessly clean. As McDonald's illustrates the quality is that the employees delivers fast, accurate and friendly service with a smile.

Assignment Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words - 9

Assignment - Essay Example alued and measured and as such how organizations will effectively communicate the contents of their business plan to key stakeholders such as the relevant investors and employees. Lastly this paper will provide my opinion on which of the three businesses is the most likely to succeed and which of the three businesses is most likely to fail. The format that this paper will take is to first present the business case, present a little background information on the company and follow up with the relevant analysis by conducting a marketing plan, operational plan, financial plan, an a human resources plan for each business. The first sample business plan that this paper will address will be Singapore Airlines proposed all business class service. According to the Company Website (2010) Singapore Airlines has introduced a daily air service to New York (Newark) and to Los Angeles on their new A340-500 which would be fitted with 100 seats configured in a 1-2-1 floor pattern. According to BTN Online (2008) it was the case that the airline had first proposed the idea a few years ago and had proposed a price at approximately $8,200 per person for the Newark flight. While this seems like a dramatic change for the airline it was the case that the company had been moving this direction for quite some time, as many of the same planes in operation have a two class system and feature only a total of 181 seats. Singapore airlines have long been known as the flagship carrier of Singapore, and operate a fleet known to be one of the larges air carriers in Asia. It is the case that the company according to their website has been in operation since 1947 when the company was founded as Malaysian airways. The company has long tried to differentiate itself from a number of its competitors as offering one of the more premium flying experiences in the world and as of 2010 it ranks among the top air carriers globally in terms of revenue earned from passenger kilometers. As the company is