Systems and Operations Management Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 4500 words

Systems and Operations Management - Essay Example Competition has progressed from one that is based on specific organisational practises to one that is highly influenced by the supply chains of an organization. Supply chain management has been conceptualized into five dimensions that posses the potential to determine the competitive advantage of a business especially in the manufacturing sector. Supply chain dimension are the determinant factors that influences the excellence of a specific supply chain model adopted by a company specifically in the chemical specialty sector. These dimensions include but are not limited to alignment of the overall business strategies and the supply chain strategy and the execution of such strategies. Strategic depth of every supply chain management plan also forms an important element of supply chain dimension that a company must consider. All the steps taken in enhancing the competitiveness of a business targets the customers who must register utmost satisfaction with the supply chain performance, a n important dimension in strategic management of supply chains. Proper supply chain management also creates competitive advantage by providing the link between demand creation and demand fulfilment by improving the ability of a business to design its products based on the desires and tastes of the customers. ... Speciality chemicals include materials such as adhesives, agrichemicals, polymers, fragrances, food additives and surfactants. As products that are majorly used based on the basis of their performance and function, supply chain management plays a significant role in the development of proper products that can suit the demands of other industries and individuals. Speciality companies belong to different associations depending on their country of origin and the nature of products that they generally produce. In the United Kingdom, speciality industries belong to the British association of chemical specialties while American version is the society of chemical manufacturers and affiliates. Apex industrial chemicals is a British based company with its headquarters in Aberdeen and supplies companies and individual client’s different products for use in specific specialty industries. The products manufactured by the company include cleaners, degreasers, scale dissolvers, lubricants, corrosion preventives and hand care products. The products form Apex industrial chemicals targets players in other industries including the vehicle exterior cleaning and maintenance, electrical equipment maintenance and fabrication and engineering among others (Berning et al, 2002). Apex also manufactures products that targets offshore marine companies that are used in mining and offshore oil drilling. The widespread market presence of AIC across Europe and other parts of the world can be attributed to the sound supply management strategy that the company has employed. This has enabled the company to manufacture products that meets the demands and specifications of the clients found within different sectors of the economy. Example would be low cost

Oliver Twist: Summary :: essays research papers

Oliver Twist: Summary I Content - Characterizations Oliver Twist - A loving, innocent orphan child; the son of Edwin Leeford and Agnes Fleming. He is generally quiet and shy rather than aggressive. Oliver's affectionate nature, along with his weakness and innocence, earn him the pity and love of the good people he meets. Dicken's choice of Oliver's name is very revealing, because the boy's story is full of "twists" and turns. Dickens uses his skills at creating character to make Oliver particularly appealing. Mr. Bumble - The parish beadle; a rat man and a choleric with a great idea of his oratorical powers and his importance. He has a decided propensity for bullying. He derived no inconsiderable pressure from the exercise of petty cruelty and consequently was a coward. Halfway through the book, Bumble changes. When he marries Mrs. Corney, he loses authority. She makes all the decisions. The Artful Dodger - A talented pickpocket, recruiter, cheat and wit. Jack Dawkins, known as the artful dodger, is a charming rogue. Fagin's most esteemed pupil. A dirty snub-nosed, flat-browed, common-faced boy (short for his age). Dickens makes Dodger look more appealing by describing his outrageous clothes and uninhibited manners. Fagin - A master criminal, whose specialty is fenang (selling stolen property). He employs a gang of thieves and is always looking for new recruits. He is a man of considerable intelligence, though corrupted by his self-interest. His conscience bothers him after he is condemned to hang. He does have a wry sense of humor and an uncanny ability to understand people. He's a very old shrivelled Jew, whose villainous looking repulsive face was obscured by a quantity of matted red hair. Mr. Brownlow - A generous man, concerned for other people. A very respectable looking person with a heart large enough for any six ordinary old gentleman of humane disposition. Bill Sikes - A bully, a robber and a murderer. He is an ally of Fagin. Fagin plans the crimes and Sikes carries them out. Sike's evil is so frightening because it is so physical. He is compares to a beast. A stoutly built fellow with legs that always look like they are in an unfinished and incomplete state without a set of fetters to garnish them. Monks - Also known as Edward Leeford (son of Edwin Leeford and his legal wife).Oliver's half brother. He wants to destroy Olivers chance of inheriting their fathers estate. Monks is a stock villain, lurking in shadows and uttering curses with a sneer. He lacks family love and moral upbringing. He is a tall, dark blackguard, subject to fits of cowardice and epilepsy.

Armour Garments Company (AGC) Essay

I. Central Problem AGC should find ways on how to revitalize the company from its steady slope into worse conditions. The circumstances of AGC tumbling downhill were already stacked against them; they just weren’t aware that their strategy during good market economy would not work well against harsh conditions, such as the competition boom and the fall of the undergarment market during the Seventies, which occurred simultaneously. Their condition became so bad their equity shriveled up to half of what it used to be. II. Statement of Objectives To earn back their customers from the competitors appeal as well as earn new ones To design ways to improve the earnings of the company To broaden the target market To use state-of-the-art equipment III. Areas of Consideration Competition is stiff Selling only to one merchandiser (Divisoria) Limited target audience Was not ready for market instability Dependent on company goodwill Production was not flexible enough to effectively craft high quality items Products were limited (white undershirts) Prices were not favorable to the company IV. Alternative Courses of Action (ACA’s) 1.) Sell some old equipment of the company and buy useful modern equipment. A. Advantages Greater possibility that the company can invest more flexible equipment for improvement of production in company. B. Disadvantages They will find a hard time disposing the old equipment due to its limited functions and the fact that it’s already old. 2.) The selling of goods should not be limited only to one place. A. Advantages Reach out to potential customers who do not frequent to Divisoria. Expand your target market. B. Disadvantages Will costs more expenses towards shipping, delivery and marketing. 3.) Advertise products in media and print. A. Advantages Create demand for their products. Procure product and brand awareness to the public. Name or brand recall. B. Disadvantages Incur expenses in marketing and advertising. 4.) Introduce products designed for women. A. Advantages Wider audience More customers Greater chance for profit B. Disadvantages Additional expenditures for research and design 5.) Give benefits to middlemen (merchandisers). A. Advantages Increase loyalty from merchandiser. Create a rapport between companies. B. Disadvantages Additional costs 6.) Create products that are trending in the market. A. Advantages More sales Larger target market Variety of products to choose from B. Disadvantages Higher cost in production. Higher risk of putting capital to waste. 7.) Retain â€Å"Blossom† in production. A. Advantages Helps the company to gain back profit. Provide lower class citizens with a selection of products. B. Disadvantages Brands Armour & Marca Troca will be further overshadowed. Less profit (same quality but at a lower price). V. Final Decision The final decision is to replace the old notions and infuse the new, while still retaining the quality of the product. Despite the immense hard work put into the company, changes will continue to occur, so a new life for the company would be better suited than if it were to continue its slow downward pace. VI. Detailed Action Plans The first thing that the business needs to do is replace the machines that manufacture their product. The machines are not only inflexible for making garments other than undershirts, but assuming from context; they are old, considering the company up to the liquidation proposition was twenty years old. Although it will need much capital to purchase these machines, in the long haul, it is an investment and it will help them broaden their product lines. A large chunk in the revision of plans situates in the products. In the past AGC, they only produced white undershirts for men. The next step is the development of their product lines. It may start with research on their current and their aspirant customers and products. Expanding the brands include introducing clothing for women, designing high quality and fashionable clothing, and making them in color. The gamble is high because the company has only ever excelled in manufacturing one consistent product, and expanding the product lines need much capital. Another good call for the company is to revive Blossom. That brand, with its good quality yet cheap prices caters to those of lower income levels, which is a potential market to sell to despite numerous competitors in the price war. And although brands Armour and Marca Troca would be overlapped by the potential success of Blossom, through expanding the brands would they be able cater to a different taste and therefore cater to a different audience. This way, the brands under AGC will not be directly competing for customers to buy them. Through good marketing and well maintained production, AGC can achieve high profits from expanding their line. Further action to broaden their target audience would be to advertise AGC. Its namesake and goodwill may definitely draw in crowds, but commercializing it in media and in prints will reach those who have not heard about the company and its brands. This creates demand for the product, and in turn, high sales. An influx of the new is not always a bad thing; it’s how you respond to change that counts. AGC still has some fight left and with the proper strategy and taking the right opportunities, AGC can still be able to bounce back and regain what was lost. Case Analysis 3-2: Armour Garments Company (AGC) The Armour Garments Corp. (AGC) was established in 1954 in the Philippines as a manufacturer of high quality undershirts. It had two popular brands, namely: â€Å"Armour† and â€Å"Marca Troca†. The company started out by copying popular styles and designs from Hongkong. The first ten years was quite profitable. The company grew from 25 workers in 1954 to about 250 workers in 1967. The company sells all of its products to wholesalers in Divisoria who distribute the product all over the country. The products are manufactured in white color only and are generally of superior quality being twice more durable than other brands in the market. Undershirts are worn as a matter of habit to avoid the direct contact of users polo shirts with the body. Product sales are seasonal. Business usually peaks twice a year: in June, with the opening of classes and in December, with the Christmas rush. In the mid 60’s more and more undershirt factories opened. The company faced serious threats in its operation since the Divisoria middlemen were not loyal to brands. All along, AGC was banking on its institutional pride and goodwill being the pioneer in the industry. While sales of the company did not decrease, it also did not substantially increase with the growth of the population. However, this did not bother management since the cash flow was good. No major investments were made during the period. It was business as usual so to speak. In 1971, the market for the undershirt suddenly took a downturn. It was no longer fashionable to wear undershirts. Moreover, more and more marginal factories sprouted up and were willing to compromise on price and payment terms with the middlemen. For the first time in its history, the company was astounded. It introduced a new brand â€Å"Blossom† which was of exactly the same product quality but priced lower to match competing products. It did not take long before â€Å"Blossom† was withdrawn from the market because AGC sold more of â€Å"Blossom† and less of â€Å"Armour† and â€Å"Marca Troca†. Having failed to improve the marketability of its traditional  product lines, the company finally decided to diversify and venture into ready-to-wear business. It introduced a polo shirt line. The market response was not favorable. In 1973, the company added a couple of lines like jeans and printed shirts, these two lines also failed.

Gilgamesh Character Analysis - 759 Words

Have you ever wanted something so badly that you would quite literally go to the end of the world to retrieve it? This is an attribute that perfectly describes the character of Gilgamesh. Gilgamesh is the main character of the ancient Uruk epic that is known as the epic of Gilgamesh. He experiences a lot of hardship and tribulations throughout the story. Some of the things are the loss of his â€Å"brother† Enkidu, which makes him want to become Immortal, the death of Humbaba This changes him in many different ways, like how he changes the way he acts from acting like a god to a noble and fair king. My goal in this paper is to show you how the events of the death of Humbaba, the death of Enkidu and his quest for his immortality†¦show more content†¦So, they put him through pain for so many days until he finally dies. His death changes Gilgamesh so much that he realizes he not the immortal god he thinks he is. This is show in this quote from the story â€Å"Hear me, g reat ones of Uruk, I weep for Enkidu, my friend, Bitterly moaning like a woman mourning I weep for my brother O Enkidu, my brother, You were the axe at my side, My hands strength, the sword in my belt, The shield before me, He realizes that he is just like us a mortal mostly human being. Which lead to him searching for the one thing he now wants most in his life, Immortality. He goes on a quest to find him leads to him finding Utnapishtim. He tells Gilgamesh about the plant at the bottom of the river that will give him what he seeks, the key to immortality. When Gilgamesh retrieves it though, a snake comes up and eats the plant becoming immortal in the process. This means that he can no longer become immortal. He then comes home and becomes the good king and lives out the rest of his life until his death. This is shown in this quote from the story† The king has laid himself down and will not rise again, The Lord of Kullab will not rise again; He overcame evil, he will not com e again; Though he was strong of arm he will not rise again† The events of the death of Humbaba, the death of Enkidu and his failed search for immortality are just a couple of the events in the story that change him and turn him into the king he was meant to be. That’sShow MoreRelatedGilgamesh Character Analysis1328 Words   |  6 PagesIn many literature as we can read in the book that the heroes is always the main character in the story. Similarity, the Epic of Gilgamesh with will tell us about a heroes named Gilgamesh. In the poem we can see from aggressive, tyrannical king who doesn’t have specific purposes and goals who just only like to control and abuse people. 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In the worlds oldest text, Gilgamesh, sexuality’s role is depicted prominentlyRead MoreAnalysis Of The Epic Of Gilgamesh Essay1361 Words   |  6 PagesINSERT TITLE HERE As readers delve into the depths of The Epic of Gilgamesh, they perceive the allure to dreams which has captivated humanity for centuries. The epic poem uses dreams as a symbolic representation of the human mind and its ceaseless bounds. Given the Mesopotamian culture’s importance in regards to their religion, dreams provide the only means of one connecting with their future and deities. Furthermore, each mental fantasy referenced within the epic delineates the rationale of allRead MoreAnalysis Of The Epic Of Gilgamesh 1647 Words   |  7 PagesThe Epic of Gilgamesh is a story of heroes fighting a war not in a battlefield but within their own selves and amongst each other, struggling with their own emotions and attributions to attain the best version of themselves and to fulfill the utmost quest of life. With the use of two very different yet so similar characters: Enkidu and Gilgamesh, the epic explains two aspects of same psyche, and different imageries, one of which is d oor, have been used in the text to explain interactions between