Food security in Pakistan Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Food security in Pakistan - Essay Example It will also attempt to provide evaluative recommendations to shape more efforts toward human security. Pakistan Situation Hunger is a chronic malady that causes malnutrition, illness, and death. Food crisis swept across Pakistan affecting (Husain, 2009) half of its total population who can’t avail the minimum consumption needs since most of its 121 districts confront problems on malnutrition, hunger and economic depravity. As it confronts the demand of contemporary social affairs, the government is on one hand dispensing governance amid (Husain, 2009) economic instability, a condition that aggravated the condition of the hungry and those in deplorable circumstances. Sociologists expressed serious concern that tribal areas, Baluchistan and Northwest Frontier Province (NWFP), resided mostly of landless farmers, are the most vulnerable to hunger. Toor (2000; 100) posit that the crisis started when there was mis-prioritization of government’s agenda to extraction industr y instead of agricultural programs. It was perceived that the decision of debt-ridden Musharraf’s administration to undergo structural adjustment packages under the policies of World Bank-International Monetary Fund (WB-IMF) as one of the major causes of poverty. The adjustment trimmed down the budgetary subsidy for wheat production and exported produce to external markets, thus prompting farmers to divert to cash-crops farming to meet both ends (Toor, 2000: 101). Said structural adjustment directly affected social services too, such as education, health, public utilities and transportation. Worst, as subsidy for agriculture was compacted, the percentage of taxes levied to people also increased but there is less empirical evidence of outcomes that ‘augmented taxation’ contributed to vigorous delivery of social services in the country. Throughout the last decade, the Islamic Republic, with an ideation of democratic governance for an estimated population of 187 mil lion (UN, 2011 and Statistics Division Government of Pakistan, 2011) suffered fluctuating level of foreign investment, extreme poverty, slow growth rate and unemployment. Its foreign and domestic debt reached to $57.21 billion (2010 estimates). Of their human resource, 15% are unemployed, 40% were landless (Toor, 2000: 103) while the economy ailed with budget deficit as national expenditures rose to estimated $ 36.24 billion as against the revenue of $25.33 billion (WFP, 2011). Inflation of commodities coupled with agricultural devastation caused by disasters is seriously affecting them (UN, 2011). The situation is further compounded in the mid part of the millennium when the whole country suffered catastrophic destruction due to earthquakes and flood. Aside from this ecological concern, they are beset with heightening tension in Kashmir-- a region considered under territorial dispute (WFP, 2011) although the region is currently deployed with peacekeepers to diffuse tension among cl aimant countries: China (Aksai Chin), India (Jammu and Kashmir), and Pakistan (Azad Kashmir and Northern Areas) (WFP, 2011). Moreover, Pakistan is also host of Afghan refugees estimated at 1.05 million of displaced population. Due to domestic conflict, the country also suffered millions of displacement in 2010 (WFP, 2011).

Family Law Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words - 1

Family Law - Essay Example Maria and Homer are not married and in order to apply for a protective order Part IV of the FLA Maria will have to come within the definition of â€Å"associated persons† as prescribed by the FLA (A Diduck., & F Kaganas., 2006). Section 62 of the FLA defines â€Å"associated persons† and section 62(3) expressly includes cohabitants within the definition of â€Å"associated persons†. Furthermore, section 62(1) (a) of the FLA defines â€Å"cohabitants† as being â€Å"a man and woman who, although not married to each other, are living together as husband and wife†, which is ultimately a question of fact (S Gore., 2007). If we apply this by analogy to Maria’s position, although Maria theoretically had a separate bedroom and in practice financially contributed to the bills and food, she did not pay rent as a lodger. Moreover, Maria and Homer had been dating for just over a year, had a sexual relationship, frequently slept together and shared a social life as a couple. As such, the factual circumstances clearly operate in Maria’s favour to indicate that she and Homer were both â€Å"cohabitants† for the purpose of falling under the FLA definition of â€Å"associated persons,† which leads us to consider the potential protective remedies available to Maria against Homer under the FLA. It is important to note at the outset that if Maria decides to seek relief under Part IV of the FLA, she can do so in as little as two days and in emergency situations, Section 45(1) of the FLA enables courts to make a non-molestation or occupation order without notice. At this stage, Homer would have no opportunity to reply to Maria’s application, however he would have an opportunity as soon â€Å"just and convenient† at a full hearing (Section 45(3)). Such ex-parte applications are determined with regard to the circumstances of the case, including an assessment of the risk of

A Review Of Rabies Virus Biology Essay

A Review Of Rabies Virus Biology Essay Imagine a disease which had no treatment option once you felt its symptoms. Unless you had suspicion that you were potentially infected, you would get misdiagnosed and you would die in isolation, restrained, and heavily drugged (3). Unfortunately such a disease is a reality. Rabies virus results in nearly 100% fatality if not treated, and is responsible for over 55,000 human deaths every year, which is likely a conservative estimate due to under reporting and misdiagnosis (3). Rabies is caused by a Baltimore Class 5 virus in the order Mononegavirales. Rabies virus is in genus Lyssavirus, and its species designation is Lyssavirus rabies (4). Rabies virus is pathologically characteristic in its neuroinvasiveness and neurotropism, traveling up the nervous system from the wound site and into the brain where it causes severe neuropathology and death (1). This paper aims to explore the major components and mechanisms of Rabies virus, the disease caused by this virus, its treatments, and t he public health impact of the disease. Rabies virus is characterized morphologically under an electron microscope by its â€Å"bullet† shaped dimensions, densely studded with glycoprotein projections in the membrane. The virus itself is fairly simple, being composed of only five proteins and its single-stranded, antisense, RNA genome 12 kb in length. The most important protein pathogenically is the glycoprotein encoded by the virus. This glycoprotein forms roughly 400 trimeric projections on the surface of the envelope, and is a major contributor in the virus capability to spread cell-to-cell (1,4). The glycoprotein is also highly antigenic and may be responsible for the triggering of apoptosis in neural tissue. The apoptotic cells are thought to be very slowly cleared from the CNS, and result in the necrosis of the tissue in that area (1). Matrix protein is produced by Rabies virus and essentially holds the envelope containing glycoprotein to the core of the virus (3,4). It is also matrix protein that is responsi ble for bullet morphology of rabies virus and its budding capability from host cells (4,3). The core of the virus is composed of the (-) RNA genome bound by nucleoprotein which coils it into a helixed ribonucleoprotein core or RNPC. Phosphoprotein and polymerase associate with the RNPC and form the remainder of the virus core contained inside of the matrix protein capsid (4). Rabies virus has a similar life cycle to typical Baltimore class 5 enveloped viruses. Replication takes place in the cytoplasm, in specialized compartments known as Negri bodies. These areas were previously the most effective characteristic in diagnosing rabies histologically. The cycle begins with the binding of the virus envelope to the host cell, most likely through the glycoprotein trimers found on the surface. Rabies virus shows a cellular tropism for nerve cells, but can also utilize muscle cells. The virus enters the cell by pinocytosis. The virus then fuses with the endosome due to the change in pH and injects the RNPC into the cytoplasm. The RNA dependent RNA polymerase that the virus brought with it goes to work, transcribing the antisense RNA into sense RNA for use by the host cells ribosomes. The viral polymerase attaches 5 caps and poly-adenylate tails to the RNA before translation into the five viral proteins. The glycoprotein made by the host ribosomes undergoes modif ication by the Golgi complex and endoplasmic reticulum before migrating to the plasma membrane of the cell. The concentration of nucleoprotein versus the concentration of leader RNA triggers the shift from protein production to genome replication. Genome replication occurs in the same manner as other Baltimore class 5 viruses. The replicated (-) RNA genome is bound by nucleoprotein which creates the helixed ribonucleoprotein core, after which phosphoprotein and polymerase bind and complete the core of the virus. Matrix proteins then bind around the RNPC and forms the bullet shaped capsid. The M-RNPC then travels through the cytoplasm and buds from areas of the plasma membrane that have high concentrations of glycoprotein. The complete rabies virus is then capable of infection (4). Rabies is transmitted by an infected animals saliva getting into the tissues of a healthy mammal. Rabies is unable to penetrate intact skin, therefore most cases of infection occur following a bite or scratch from an infected animal (3). The virus enters the body through the wound and travels from the wound site to the brain by using the hosts nerves. Rabies virus is capable of this retrograde axonal transport because it can combine cell-to-cell spread and trans-synaptic spread, although we are unaware of how trans-synaptic spread is carried out (1). There is evidence that these methods of movement are made possible, and are controlled by, the glycoprotein that coats the Rabies virus membrane (1). The virus replicates within the nerves, slowly making its way to the brain and salivary glands at the rate of 15-100 mm per day (2). As the virus makes its way up the nerves, it causes no symptoms and is not transmissible through saliva. This period is known as the incubation period and ca n last from 3 weeks to 6 years (2,4). The rate of spread in the nervous system depends on the virus uptake rate by the nerve cells, the speed of axonal transport, the rate of replication, and the strains capacity for trans-synaptic spread (1). Rabies virus typically has a low replication rate, and experimentally this has been seen to have an inverse relationship with pathogenicity, possibly due to the evasion of the immune system through low viral load. The low replication rate could also be beneficial to pathogenicity by preserving the nerves used to travel into the CNS (1). Once in the CNS, the virus can follow the facial and glossopharyngeal cranial nerves to the salivary glands, which it infects and buds virus into the acinar lumen (5,4). The virus continues to travel up into the brainstem and brain where it causes the first of the clinical symptoms. There are several theories as to how rabies virus conducts its neuropathogenesis, the first being that the virus shuts down host m aintenance genes and reduces protein production in neural tissue. The second theory proposes that the virus interferes with serotonin binding and release. The third theory is that glycoprotein pushes neurons into apoptotic pathways and the resulting dead cells do not get cleared from the CNS and cause necrosis of the surrounding cells. The remaining theories center on inactivation of voltage gated ion channels (1). The neuropathology of rabies results in quickly progressing and devastating symptoms. Upon experiencing the first clinical symptom, the individual typically has 1-7 days before death and has no chance of recovery. The first clinical symptom is neuropathic pain and tingling at the wound site after healing (4). This is caused by viral replication in the dorsal root ganglion of the afferent sensory nerve from the wound site causing action potential generation (2). The major clinical symptoms: fever, headache, fatigue, anxiety, agitation, confusion, hallucinations, and insomnia are not unique to rabies and cannot be used as a diagnostic tool. These symptoms are likely caused by an inflammation of the brain, spinal cord, and nerve roots (2,4). Clinical progression usually follows one of two routes: furious rabies in which there is extreme agitation and aggression, or dumb rabies in which there is early onset paralysis and decreased activity (3). Both eventually lead to paralysis, coma, a nd the shutdown of the respiratory system, resulting in death (3). The aggression caused by furious rabies as well as the heavily salivation, and saliva transmission all combine into a very effective transmission strategy for the virus (4). Treatment of rabies virus infection must be done early and aggressively. Immune response to rabies virus is much lower than comparable diseases, which is surprising considering that glycoprotein is highly antigenic. In addition, compromised immunity had no effect on rabies pathogenesis, which means the pathology we see in healthy humans is as bad as the disease can get (1). Treatment must be carried out before clinical symptoms set in, as the treatment only acts to stop the virus from reaching the brain. Post-exposure prophylactic treatment regimens consist of cell-cultured vaccine administration, and in dire cases, administration of immunoglobulin upstream of the wound to stop disease progression and also at the local wound site to stop infiltration (3). Preventative treatment consists of a course of vaccines and the irrigation of potential infected wounds with a povidone-iodine solution (4). With early post-exposure prophylactic treatment, recovery is nearly 100%. However, if post -exposure prophylactic treatment is started after invasion of the CNS and presentation of clinical symptoms, treatment is usually ineffective (3). If clinical symptoms begin, treatment paradigms shift to a supportive role, usually consisting of isolation to prevent transmission, heavy sedation to avoid awareness and agitation, and IV morphine to alleviate clinical symptoms (2). Rabies virus has caused disease on every continent except for Antarctica (3). The disease claims at least 55,000 human lives each year, with untold numbers of wild animals. The heaviest disease burden is in developing countries in Africa and Asia, with these two continents accounting for 95% of the total deaths recorded each year. It is therefore apparent that rabies case numbers are capable of being sizably reduced, but a lack in infrastructure will always be the biggest obstacle. There are several factors to consider when questioning why rabies is so prevalent in developing countries, the first of which is that rabies is under reported, and frequently misdiagnosed unless a post-mortem diagnosis is made, therefore the data concerning rabies health impact is lower than actual. The second cause of high rabies burden in developing countries is directly related to the last; low estimates of the disease cause a lack, or disproportionate level, of support and attention on a governmental level. The third cause is that rabies disease loads are not equally distributed across society. As we frequently see in disease of the developing world, the rural poor are most likely to get infected and die from this disease. In the case of rabies, rural children from poor families are at highest risk of the disease not only due to their lack of education about rabies and lack of money for full treatment, but also because children are more likely to play with stray dogs, the main carrier of rabies from animals to humans and seen as the source in 30-60% of rabies cases in children under 15 years old. Animal workers are also very likely to be exposed, as are those who spend a significant amount of time outdoors, whether for work or leisure (2). While dogs are the most common source of rabies transmission to humans, the main reservoirs of the disease are wild animals. Raccoons, bats, wild foxes, skunks, and wolves are the largest reservoirs of disease and their transmission to dogs accounts for the resulting human infection. Therefore, the most cost effective rabies containment program is centered on dog vaccination, although it is still a heavy financial drain on society. The estimated cost in the United States for rabies prevention and treatment each year is $300 million (2). However, cost depends on many factors including the characteristics of post-exposure prophylactic treatment (PEP). The cost for PEP can vary depending on the vaccine used, the regimen of the vaccine administration, the type of immunoglobulin used, and the route by which all of this is administered. In Asia and Africa the estimated cost of PEP treatment annually was $583 million. The bulk of the cost was incurred by Asia due to its heavy use of PEP tr eatment. On African and Asian continents the annual estimated cost of lost livestock due to rabies was $12.3 million, while a 1985 estimate by Latin American countries estimated their annual lost cattle at 100,000 head, with a total cost of $30 million per year. On the local level, a course of PEP is roughly $40 in Asia and $49 in Africa. While this may not seem like much, when annual income is only a few hundred dollars per year per person, the cost becomes roughly 30-50 days of work per adult. Many infected people do not want to go to the hospital for treatment due to the amount of missed work, and some of the more archaic vaccines still used in some developing countries can cause side effects lasting up to six months. However, even with the high cost treatment still saves tens-of-thousands of lives each year. The estimated number of deaths if PEP treatment was not used is approximately 330,000 in Asia and Africa (2). Rabies virus causes tremendous, fatal disease in the developing world and its presence is far too common for the level of effective prevention and treatment available. Rabies still claims over 55,000 lives each year, largely in developing countries in Africa and Asia. This simple Baltimore Class 5 virus packs quite lethal punch in its ironically bullet shaped capsid, and shows incredible tenacity in its host (4). Although it is unlikely due to the heavy wild animal reservoirs, ridding the world of this disease would be a tremendous removal of burden from mankind and animals. References: 1) Dietzschold, Bernhard, Jianwei Li, Milosz Faber, and Matthias Schnell. Concepts in the pathogenesis of rabies. Future virology. 3.5 (2008): 481-490. Print. 2) United Nations. WHO Expert Consultation on Rabies. Geneva: World Health Organization, 2005. Web. 30 March 2010. 3) United Nations. Human and Animal Rabies. Geneva: World Health Organization, 2010. Web. 31 March 2010. . 4) United States. Rabies. Atlanta: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2010. Web. 31 March 2010. . 5) Waxman, Stephen. Clinical Neuroanatomy. 25th ed. New York: Lange Medical Books/McGraw-Hill, 2003. 113,119. Print.

Floating Point Coprocessors :: essays research papers

Floating Point Coprocessors   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The designer of any microprocessor would like to extend its instruction set almost infinitely but is limited by the quantity of silicon available (not to mention the problems of testability and complexity). Consequently, a real microprocessor represents a compromise between what is desirable and what is acceptable to the majority of the chip's users. For example, the 68020 microprocessor is not optimized for calculations that require a large volume of scientific (i.e. floating point) calculations. One method to significantly enhance the performance of such a microprocessor is to add a coprocessor. To increase the power of a microprocessor, it does not suffice to add a few more instructions to the instruction set, but it involves adding an auxiliary processor that works in parallel to the MPU (Micro Processing Unit). A system involving concurrently operating processors can be very complex, since there need to be dedicated communication paths between the processors, as well as software to divide the tasks among them. A practical multiprocessing system should be as simple as possible and require a minimum overhead in terms of both hardware and software. There are various techniques of arranging a coprocessor alongside a microprocessor. One technique is to provide the coprocessor with an instruction interpreter and program counter. Each instruction fetched from memory is examined by both the MPU and the coprocessor. If it is a MPU instruction, the MPU executes it; otherwise the coprocessor executes it. It can be seen that this solution is feasible, but by no means simple, as it would be difficult to keep the MPU and coprocessor in step. Another technique is to equip the microprocessor with a special bus to communicate with the external coprocessor. Whenever the microprocessor encounters an operation that requires the intervention of the coprocessor, the special bus provides a dedicated high- speed communication between the MPU and the coprocessor. Once again, this solution is not simple. There are more methods of connecting two (or more) concurrently operating processors, which will be covered in more detail during the specific discussions of the Intel and Motorola floating point coprocessors.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Motorola Floating Point Coprocessor (FPC) 68882   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The designers of the 68000-family coprocessors decided to implement coprocessors that could work with existing and future generations of microprocessors with minimal hardware and software overhead. The actual approach taken by the Motorola engineers was to tightly couple the coprocessor to the host microprocessor and to treat the coprocessor as a memory-mapped peripheral lying inside the CPU address space. In effect, the MPU fetches instructions from memory, and, if an instruction is a coprocessor instruction, the MPU passes it

Organizational and Management Theories Essay

Abstract The purpose of this paper is to explain why reframing can be so important to a business. In today’s world, businesses must stay on top of the competition and in touch with the ever-changing world of technology. Over time, a business can become stagnant, may be running on cruise-control or run out of new ideas. Sales may even start to slip with new competition affecting the bottom line. Initially a business is organized and it begins to function on a structural level that works for the business. In time, minds can become hard-wired to continue to function within that initial frame; however, framing is simply a concept. It can be changed by altering the conceptual and emotional setting or viewpoint of the business. Reframing allows a business to break free from the limits of the original frame. The business first assesses its operations via multiple outlooks and frames. There are four common frames used to analyze operations and those include the Structural Frame, the Human Reso urce Frame, Political Frame, and the Symbolic Frame. Each frame has its own emphasis and key concepts and each will be further explained in this paper. Vision 2011 Organizations are complex entities. There are many factors that make organizational life complicated, ambiguous, and unpredictable. â€Å"The biggest challenge for managers and leaders is to find the right way to frame our organizations in a world that has become more global, competitive, and turbulent (Stadtlander, n.d.) Organizational framing is a theory in which the management of a business assesses its operation via multiple outlooks. The ability for a leader to make sense of the complex and ambiguous work world depends on the mental models or â€Å"frames† applied to the task (DeGrosky, 2011). A frame â€Å"is a mental model-a set of ideas and assumptions-that you carry in your head to help you understand and negotiate a particular â€Å"territory† (Bolman & Deal, 2008, p. 11). It helps managers understand the situation at hand so they are able to make decisions. There are different angles for managers to consider while making decisions in their organizations. Each angle gives the manager a different view of the situation and helps them capture what is actually going on. The Four Frames Bolman and Deal (2008) developed an organizational theory that consists of four frames. The organizational theory â€Å"prescribes a multi-dimensional or multi-frame approach in understanding the attributes and situational contexts of organizational behavior† (Thompson, n.d.). The four frames are: Structural, Human Resource, Political, and Symbolic. Structural Frame â€Å"The structural frame is the view that an organization is a â€Å"factory† or a â€Å"machine†. â€Å"The structural frame depicts a rational world and emphasizes organizational architecture, including goals, structure, technology, specialized roles, coordination, and formal relationships† (Bolman & Deal, 2008). It defines the responsibilities of each position and the relationships between them. Six assumptions undergird the structural frame: 1. Organizations exist to achieve established goals and objectives. 2. Organizations increase efficiency and enhance performance through specialization and appropriate division of labor. 3. Suitable forms of coordination and control ensure that diverse efforts of individuals and units mesh. 4. Organizations work best when rationality prevails over personal agendas and extraneous pressures. 5. Structures must be designed to fit an organization’s current circumstances (including its goals, technology, workforce, and environment). 6. Problems arise and performance suffers from structural deficiencies, which can be remedied through analysis and restructuring. Human Resource Frame â€Å"The human resource frame centers on what organizations and people do to and  for one another† (Bolman & Deal, 2008, p. 117). It focuses on the individuals that work in an organization and their skills, attitudes, energy, and commitment. The human resource frame is built on core assumptions that highlight the following linkages: * Organizations exist to serve human needs rather than the converse. * People and organizations need each other. Organizations need ideas, energy, and talent; people need careers, salaries, and opportunities. * When the fit between individual and system is poor, one or both suffer. Individuals are exploited or exploit the organization-or both become victims. * A good fit benefits both. Individuals find meaningful and satisfying work, and organizations get the talent and energy they need to succeed. (Bolman & Deal, 2008, p. 122). Political Frame â€Å"The political frame views organizations as roiling arenas hosting ongoing contests of individual and group interests† (Bolman & Deal, 2008, p. 194). Politics occurs because employees are trying to obtain power. The individuals with the most power will be the individuals that will get want they want. There are five propositions to summarize this frame: 1. Organizations are coalitions of assorted individuals and interest groups. 2. Coalition members have enduring differences in values, beliefs, information, interests, and perceptions of reality. 3. Most important decisions involve allocating scarce resources-who gets what. 4. Scarce resources and enduring differences put conflict at the center of day-to day dynamics and make power the most important asset. 5. Goals and decisions emerge from bargaining and negotiation among competing stakeholders jockeying for their own interests. (Bolman & Deal, 2008, p. 194-195). Symbolic Frame The symbolic frame â€Å"views an organization as a tribe or nation† (Henderson, 2011). It helps to give employees a meaning to their work. There is a traditional way of completing tasks. It is the way that an organization forms its culture. The organizational culture shows the internal (employees) and external (customers & stakeholders) how the company wants to be perceived. The symbolic frame distills ideas from diverse sources into five suppositions: * What is most important is not what happens but what it  means. * Activity and meaning are loosely coupled; events and actions have multiple interpretations as people experience life differently. * Facing uncertainty and ambiguity, people create symbols to resolve confusion, find direction, and anchor hope and faith. * Events and processes are often more important for what is expressed than for what is produced. Their emblematic form weaves a tapestry of secular myths, heroes and heroines, rituals, ceremonies, and stories to help people find purpose and passion. * Culture forms the superglue that bonds an organization, unites people, and helps an enterprise accomplish desired ends. (Bolman & Deal, 2008, p. 253). Background Steve Jacobs worked as an engineer in the US Army. After serving for 15 years he retired and he started a small workshop that manufactured parts for industrial boilers. The company was called Steve Jacobs Engineering however with the growth he changed it to Steve Jacobs Engineering LLC. From the start hard work and luck seem to have paid off and over the years the company continued to grow in capital and production. By the time his great grandson Martin Jacobs took over the company in 2007 as the CEO the company had 2200 employees and an annual turnover of $3.2 billion. An engineering graduate with an MBA, he had worked in the company during his student days and was concerned about the company and its tread based on the changing business environment. Despite the growth in capital, labor force, market and profits the company had outdated management systems that made it venerable to a crisis in a changing business environment. Martin Jacobs spent his first year as CEO identifying the challenges being faced by the organization. He figures he need to change the * Structure of the organization to make it more decentralized and open where employees can share ideas within divisions and ranks. The old system was based on a top down system that he believes cannot be sustained. * Groupings in the organization based on position, skills, age and department * Training, motivation and compensation of the workforce is not in sync with current economy * Technology which is outdated * â€Å"Way things are being done now† Martin Jacobs ponders on these changes and as he contemplates on how to  roll them out the United States Congress, in their infinite wisdom and pressures of the global economy has elected to change the formal U.S. weights and measures standards to the metric system, effective by 2010. Changing into metric system will be good for the company and the country as all the exported goods have to be labeled in metric system or they will not sell. For the CEO Steve Jacobs Engineering has to change the way it operates or it will not survive. This provides an opportunity for him not only to change the metrics system but the entire operations of the company. Analysis of Theories being used Maslow’s hierarchy of need-people are motivated by a variety of wants, some more fundamental than others. (Human Resource Frame). * Basic needs for physical well-being and safety are â€Å"prepotent; they have to be satisfied first. Once lower needs are fulfilled, individuals are motivated by social needs and ego needs. At the top of the hierarchy is self-actualization. * When changes occur in organizations, people become fearful of the new changes and the unknown of the future. * Managers need to decrease this fear by providing employees with psychological support and training to help them overcome this fear. When this fear is overcome; they can move up in the hierarchy of needs and take a step closer to reaching self-actualization-developing to one’s fullest and actualizing one’s ultimate potential. *Andrew will be writing the analysis once everyone has provided their root theories. Academic Literature Review Needs to include at least 5 peer-reviewed journal sources. 1. de Jager, P. (2001). Resistance to change: A new view of an old problem. The Futurist, 35 (3), 24-27. Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com/docview/218565953?accountid=40635 2. Tan, N. (2005). Maximising Human Resource Potential in the Midst of Organizational Change. SingaporeManagement Review, 27(2), 25-35. Retrieved from: http://search.proquest.com/docview/226853640?accountid=40635 3. Sigler, K. J. (1999). Challenges of employee retention. Management Research Review, 22(10), 1-5. Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com/docview/223553576?accountid=40635. Comprehensive Business Literature Review 1. Case Studies 2. News Reports 3. Service Offerings. Predictions of Major Challenges Structural Frame The Structural Frame emphasizes goals, specialized roles, and formal relationships; this frame can be used to organize and structure groups and teams to get results and fit an organization’s environment and technology. The process of organization design matches people, information, and technology to the purpose, vision, and strategy of the organization. Structure is designed to enhance communication and information flow among people. Systems are designed to encourage individual responsibility and decision making. Technology is used to enhance human capabilities to accomplish meaningful work. The end product is an integrated system of people and resources, tailored to the specific direction of the organization. Good organizational design helps communications, productivity, and innovation. It creates an environment where people can work effectively. The fundamental responsibility of managers and leaders is to clarify organizational goals, to attend to the relationship between structure and environment, and to develop a structure that is clear and appropriate to the goals, the task, and the environment. Without such a structure, people become unsure about what they are supposed to be doing. The result is confusion, frustration, and conflict. In an effective organization, individuals are clear about their responsibilities and their contribution. Policies, linkages, and lines of authority are well-defined. When an organization has the right structure and people understand it, the organization can achieve its goals and individuals can be effective in their roles. Major challenges: * Lack of structural design to enhance communication and information flow among people. * Outdated technology to enhance human capabilities to accomplish meaningful work. Human Resource Frame The human resource frame â€Å"highlights the relationship between people and organizations† (Bolman & Deal, 2008, p. 137). â€Å"It includes people’s skills, attitudes, energy, commitment and relationships as fundamental resources of organizations† (DeGrosky, 2011). During times of change, managers need to consider the effects the changes will have on the workforce. If the changes that occur do not align with the employee’s needs and wants; it could cause negative impacts on the organization. Managers need to understand that whenever changes occur; resistance will happen. â€Å"Resistance is simply a very effective, very powerful, very useful survival mechanism (de Jager, 2001). Employees question the reasons things need to change when they have worked in the past or are currently working. Losing employees that resist the change process is one of the biggest risks in managing business change. The employees that make the greatest contribution to your business are usually heavily invested in their role and your business operations. Often these employees are the most challenged by change process. â€Å"Research has shown organizational change to be a primary cause of stress. Because of the feelings of uncertainty, insecurity, and threat that it invokes† (Tan, 2005). Organizations that have employees that are overly stressed or burned out have more cases of absenteeism, lower productivity, lower job satisfaction, and low morale. Major challenges: * Resistance to change due to not being involved in the change decisions and/or implementation process; and fear of having to learn something new * Retaining employees through the changes * Increased stress on employees Political Frame Bowman and Deal (B & D) describe organizations as â€Å"living, screaming political arenas that host a complex web of individual and group interests.† (2008, p. 194). Organizations comprise groups of people from diverse background with different beliefs, preferences, experiences and ideals. Organizations have goals to achieve and they hire people from diverse backgrounds to help them achieve them. On the other hand people come into organizations with their own expectations and desires which they expect to be fulfilled within the organization. Individuals in the  organization join groups that will advance their agendas or that share their ideas and desires. Due to scarce resources and differences in the organization conflicts erupts among different groups. To access more resources each group tries to use its power and skills to influence decisions that work to their advantage. However, the goal of the leaders is to bring different groups of people together and ensure they work together as a team in order to achieve organization goals. Leaders are the guardians of the organizations and its goals. Therefore they result to negotiations, bargaining and discussions with different groups to ensure despite their differences they are able to work together. Major Challenges * Divisions among groups that may affect productivity * Union resistance to changes arising from new metrics systems for fear of job loss * Inability of leaders to negotiate, bargain and jockey with different groups * Retraining of employees on the new metrics system may further divide the old and younger employees Symbolic Frame The Symbolic Frame describes the organizational culture, the rituals, the ceremonies; all the symbols and heroes that help us make meaning of organizational events and activities (Bolman & Deal 2008). In the symbolic frame, people judge organizations primarily by their appearance. It is in this frame that organizations create the image that is expected of them, reassure their constituencies, and generate support for their missions. The symbolic frame can offer insight into fundamental issues of meaning and belief within an organization and bring employees together if the leader is effective. Symbolic leaders are able to interpret experience and in that interpretation, they can bring meaning and purpose. Leaders of this type need to look for something visible and dramatic to signal that change is on the way. A key function of symbolic leadership is to offer plausible and hopeful interpretations of experience. An effective leader is able to do this is by painting a vision, a hopeful image of the future. The vision addresses both the challenges and the hopes and values of its followers. When employees are confused or uncertain in times of change, they seek hope  and direction – this is where a symbolic leader can bring people together and succeed. Symbolic leaders can create the vision – and then they can persuade others to follow it. Symbolic leaders tell stories. A successful way to do this is to embed their vision in a mythical story. A story that tells where the company has been, where it is, and where it is going in the future or looking back at the history of the company and the employees and what has brought you this far already. These types of stories will succeed because people want to believe them and it makes it personal. Even a flawed story will work if the leader is persuasive in the values and hopes of the listeners. Good stories and a genuine personal touch reflect the power and the danger of symbolic leadership. Power is positive in the right hands but power in the wrong hands, can create devastation (2004). Major challenges include: * Afraid of the changes and the impact it will have on their jobs * Can I learn the new ways-what if I can’t?  * The symbolic leader may fail to find symbols, rituals or hero’s that can bring the listeners together * The symbolic leader may fail at finding and incorporating humor and play at work to ease tensions during the times of change * The organization’s culture is not well aligned with the challenges the organization faces or the organizations symbols and customs lose meaning Assessments on How to Resolve Challenges Structural Frame Lack of structural design to enhance communication and information flow among people. The job of managers and leaders is to focus on task, facts, and logic, not personality and emotions. Most â€Å"people† problems really stem from structural flaws rather than from flaws in individuals. Structural managers and leaders are not necessarily authoritarian and do not necessarily solve every problem by issuing orders. Instead, they try to design and implement a process or structure appropriate to the problem and the circumstances. A structural scenario casts managers and leaders in fundamental roles of clarifying goals, attending to the relationship between structure and environment, and developing a structure that is clear to  everyone and appropriate to what needs to be done. This is a structural design to enhance communication and information flow among people. Without a workable structure, people become unsure about what they are supposed to be doing. The result is confusion, frustration, and conflict. In an effective organization, individuals are relatively clear about their responsibilities and their contribution to the mission. Policies, linkages, and lines of authority are straightforward and widely accepted. When you have the right structure, one that people understand, organizations can achieve goals and individuals can see their role in the big picture. Outdated technology to enhance human capabilities to accomplish meaningful work. Technology is about improving how we put our knowledge to work and increase our ability to produce valued results. Performance improvement continues to shape the future of many individuals and organizations around the world through learning, sharing, working together, and networking. If recent assertions are to be believed, the pace of implementation of Information Technology (IT) within organizations would appear to be relentless and its scope pervasive, with extravagant claims made in terms of IT’s organizational benefits such as increased efficiency and higher levels of customer service. IT has also been said to facilitate the way in which information is processed, with the potential to change the way in which decision making is undertaken, and even to effect a shift in the nature and scope of activities undertaken by the business. For example, IT at least promises dramatic repercussions for the form and content of inter-organizational relationships as well as intra-organizational communication; the bases on which organizations compete; the means of production; the process of distribution and service support; indeed for almost every aspect of accepted organizational activity. Human Resource Frame Resistance to change. The first challenge in the human resource frame that Martin Jacobs will need to face is resistance to change. Resistance to change can happen due to many reasons. Employees resist because they feel uninvolved and ignored. It is important to get employees involved either by letting them explore and provide some options in the decision-making process. When people are  involved in the decision-making and/or implementation of changes, they feel more committed to it. (de Jager, 2001). Another reason employees resist change is they fear having to learn something new. â€Å"It’s not that they disagree with the benefits of some new process; rather, they simply fear the unknown future and doubt their ability to adapt to it† (de Jager, 2001). This type of resistance can be overcome by creating an environment where learning is the norm. In this learning environment, â€Å"early failures of any learning endeavor are not frowned upon or punished, but are rewarded because failure is honored as evidence of effort (de Jager, 2001). Retaining employees through the changes The loss of talented employees may be very detrimental to the company’s future success. During times of change, outstanding employees may leave an organization because they become dissatisfied and/or feel unmotivated. Management can help keep employees by offering incentive pay, such as: cash bonuses and stock ownership. Another way that this company can help retain employees during times of change is through increase job satisfaction. â€Å"Management can insure talented employees are given autonomy in their job functions and are given meaning meaningful assignments, allowing them to be involved in the decision making for their area of expertise† (Sigler, 1999). Other ways that can help increase job satisfaction are making sure that the working conditions are pleasant and offering employees training to ensure they know how to use the new metric system within their job positions. Increased stress on employees When employees are overly stressed, it could cause more cases of absenteeism, lower productivity, lower job satisfaction, and low morale. Managers can help relieve the stress employees feel during the change and maximize their human resource through the following: 1. Increase communication and disseminate adequate information about the change. 2. Create a supportive environment at the workplace. 3. Empower their employees to play a more active role in the implementation of change. (Tan, 2005). Political Frame Changing the company to metric system may elicit different opinions from different groups in the organization. New alliances will be formed between those who support the changes and those resistant to them. This will call for new bargaining and negotiations that may affect the morale and production. Union within the organization will seek assurances that the changes will not lead to layoffs and changes in benefits. Management assurance of availability of expanded market due changes may motivate the unions to negotiate. In their bargaining management must educate employees the benefit of being proactive in a changing economic environment. The younger groups of employees who are more technologically advanced and curious may immediately embrace the changes. On the other hand older employees with more experience and dedication to the organization may feel threatened. This can strain relations between the groups. Careful planning will need to be implemented to ensure both groups embrace the change within workable differences. Managers will spend more time communicating changes and answering questions. This is important to prevent grapevine and rumors that may undermine the changes. Managers will be called upon to hold meetings with different groups to discuss progress and updates. Symbolic Frame Resolving the changes in the symbolic frame include finding a way to bring employees together using stories, symbols, rituals or finding hero’s that unite the group. The group is looking for hope, a role model, a history that shows they will get through this change. Simple actions can unite. Things such as sharing stories, talking to the group or individuals about positive attributes of the companies history, being positive yourself, recognizing the fears and concerns and reassuring, celebrating the things you can to bring the group together. A good visual that unites by telling a story without actually even being present is to put up bulletin boards, photos, birthday or anniversary lists†¦the pictures from last years Christmas party or picnic will bring the group together and offer support and reassurance for the coming year. It’s all about being able to inspire and create a vision. The symbolic frame relates to the human needs theory but goes even beyond that by asserting that organizations are populated by people who strive for self-actualization through cooperative efforts. Forecast of the Future Impact of the Recommended Changes Structural Frame *Waiting for Joe to provide his information. Human Resource Frame (Topics discussing) * Employees may need to be dismissed if their role becomes redundant after the change occurs. * Attitudes may change in the workplace; this could cause a negative/positive work environment; low employee morale * Decrease of productivity; costing the company money. * Relationships grow stronger or weaken between management and the employees. * Loss of talented employees Political Frame (Topics discussing) * New groups and alliances will emerge and some groups may be formed or eliminated * Union and management will have to compromise and failure to agree may result to strained relations or strikes * There will be intensive negotiations, bargaining and jockeying within the first one year until a balance is reached among different groups * There could emerge strained relationships between some technologically challenged and technologically savvy workers Symbolic Frame Changing from the formal U.S. weights and measures standards to the metric system will impact everyone at our company. The symbolic frame leads us to find a unifying them that will bond everyone together, a common ground to rally around. For this change in our company, we are going to go back to the beginning, what brought everyone to this company and the longevity of the company. * Afraid of the changes and the impact it will have on their jobs Each employee has their own concerns and worries about this change. Am I too old to learn this is one concern along with what was wrong with the â€Å"old†Ã‚  way of doing things† This is where the symbolic leader must assure employees that there will be a learning curve for sure but everyone will be worked with to help them understand the new changes. * Can I learn the new ways-what if I can’t? It will not be an overnight change and everyone will learn at their own pace. The organization is committed to the employees and their jobs are not on the line. * The symbolic leader may fail to find symbols, rituals or hero’s that can bring the listeners together The symbolic leader will focus on the companies founder and how the company was able to make it to this point. All the years of commitment from the employees rallying around the company. The company will not turn their backs on the employees over this change but this will just be another challenge for us to all ALL overcome. And we will. * The symbolic leader may fail at finding and incorporating humor and play at work to ease tensions during the times of change This is where the symbolic leader must find that unifying symbol. The founder of this company and his vision. The company was founded by the great-grandfather of the current CEO, back in the days when Henry Taylor and Scientific Management was all the rage. Today the company needs to keep up with the global economy and this is one way of assuring we are staying current and up-to-date. This will unify us with the world and allow us to go forward with our vision. Focus on the grandfather, father etc. – a family owned company and each employee is part of that family. * The organization’s culture is not well aligned with the challenges the organization faces or the organizations symbols and customs lose meaning In this case with changing to the metric system, most employees will only fear the change as far as learning it and how it will affect their job. As long as the symbolic leader keeps this change in perspective as one small piece of the changes that have occurred over the history of the company, he will put this change into perspective for them. The symbols and customs will have meaning using the family company angle and how they are part of that family. Conclusion *Completed by Andrew once paper has been fully written. References. Bolman, L.G. & Deal, T.E. (2008). Reframing organizations artistry, choice, and leadership. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass Critical leadership skill: Multi-frame thinking. (2004, November). Wildfire Magazine, Retrieved from http://www.guidancegroup.org/k2news/Uploads/WTL-11-2004.pdf DeGrosky, M. Wildfire. (2011). What Does This Viewpoint Suggest? Retrieved on December 3 2011 from: http://wildfiremag.com/command/viewpoint_suggest/ de Jager, P. (2001). Resistance to change: A new view of an old problem. The Futurist, 35 (3), 24-27. Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com/docview/218565953?accountid=40635 Henderson, KJ. chron.com. (2011). Strategies on Reframing Change in Your Organization. Retrieved on November 3, 2011 from: http://smallbusiness.chron.com/strategies- reframing-change-organization-3113.html. Morgan, G. (1986). Images of organization. Beverly Hills, CA: Sage Publications, Inc. Sigler, K. J. (1999). Challenges of employee retention. Management Research Review, 22(10), 1-5. Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com/docview/223553576?accountid=40635. Stadtlander, C.T.K.-H. (2007). Reframing Organizations: Artistry, Choice, and Leadership Book Review. Electronic Journal of Business Ethics and Organization Studies, 12(1). Retrieved from: http://ejbo.jyu.fi/pdf/ejbo_vol12_no1_pages_48-49.pdf http://guweb2.gonzaga.edu/orgl/orgl500/Module2/Mod2pg26.htm Tan, N. (2005). Maximising Human Resource Potential in the Midst of Organizational Change. Singapore Management Review, 27(2), 25-35. Retrieved from: http://search.proquest.com/docview/226853640?accountid=40635

Ops Presentation

BGMT 20010 Operations and Supply Chain Management Report December 2011 ————————————————- ————————————————- ————————————————- DANKERS FUNITUTE LTD ————————————————- ————————————————- THE NEW BUSINESS PLANNING CASE ————————————————- ——————————— Ã¢â‚¬â€Ã¢â‚¬â€Ã¢â‚¬â€Ã¢â‚¬â€- â€Å"If You Are Not Measuring, You Are Not Managing† CONTENTS 1. Executive Summary 2. Overview of the Organisation 3.Description of the main issues raised in the case 4. Problem One; Breakdown in Organisational Relationships * Main issue raised in the case * Steps management adopted to address the issue raised * Analysis of the effectiveness of the existing approach * Recommendations on how it could be addressed more effectively 5. Problem Two; Short-term actions regarding the new product development process * Main issue raised in the case * Steps management adopted to address the issue raised * Analysis of the effectiveness of the existing approach * Recommendations on how it could be addressed more effectively . Problem Three; Long-term developments regarding the new product development process * Main issue raised in the case * Steps management adopted to address the issue raised * Analysis of the effectiveness of the existing approach * Recommendations on how it could be addressed more effectively 7. Conclusion 8. References 1. Executive Summary The purpose of this report is to provide Rolf Danker and Danker’s Furniture Ltd with some short-term and long-term suggestions on how to successfully implement their new business venture into timber framed conservatories.This report offers advice on how to successfully incorporate this new venture into the existing processes within the company as well as recommendations on short-term establishment and long-term expansion. Some of the problems that were encountered at the onset of the venture included communication breakdowns between company departments, quality concerns in the two existing Strategic Business Units, and resource constraints. This report suggests that Danker’s adopt a swim lane process map to help with the communications failures as well as improvements in the internal and external supply chains. 2.Overview of the organisation During the 1800â⠂¬â„¢s, a Danker family from Norway moved to County Meath, Ireland. The family was associated with a tradition of high quality furniture design, and high-class customary made furniture. The Danker family discovered that there was a market for their furniture in Meath, enclosed by rich middle class estates. During the next few generations, the Danker’s family continued the family tradition of making furniture and at the end of the 20th Century, ‘Danker’ was renowned for its ability to produce customised hardwood design based on clients specific requirements and specifications.The company became known as Danker’s Furniture Ltd and was well established in the manufacturing markets. The company had been very profitable and had obtained a great reputation. But in the late 1990’s the company experienced problems and the newly appointed Managing Director Rolf Danker appointed me as operations manager, which quickly resolved the underlying difficulties in t he business at the time. Currently under the management of newly appointed Managing Director Rolf Danker, the business’ strategic focus is to grow and expand through the production of new goods and services.The massive economic growth in the 1990’s resulted in a huge development in the construction area, Rolf Danker, successfully discovered an opportunity to enter into the standard cabinetry market. The company started making kitchen cabinets and wardrobes to exploit the rapid increase in the number of houses being built which required reasonable priced furniture. Danker’s believed that their established reputation in the customised furniture making industry accompanying the standard cabinets would increase their market share.Rolf believed that this would be a quick way to increase profits instead of continuing exclusively with the previous business model. But by the 2000’s Rolf’s new initiative caused problems in the company’s business foun dations. Fortunately, Rolf appointed me as Operations Manager at Danker’s, which helped to quickly resolve the underlying difficulties in the business at the time. Now in 2002, the company has two independently operated strategic business unites (SBUs), the craft purpose-made and the standard cabinet, the business is performing well again and enjoying good profit margins. 3.Description of the main issues in the case The division was completely financed from the company’s reserves, and in 2002, the company’s balance sheet was very strong with no long-term loans or debt equity. Bankers to the company were very willing towards them and the company were constantly being encouraged by the bankers to take up the finance being offered to them and further expand their business. Following a new product concept generation process involving external consultants, a gap has been identified in the market and the Danker’s Board has agreed to enter the timber conservator y market.The Irish market for conservatories is constantly growing but there is not a huge demand in the home market for hardwood timber framed. But it has been recognised that the UK market is around 20 times the size of the Irish one with a 50% share being for timber framed conservatories. It has been explained that due to the foregoing and rising interest in ‘sustainable construction’, which has been evident in the growth of timber-framed windows, due to improvements in technology and conveniently meets revised Irish Building Regulations.There is no dedicated manufacturer for timber conservatory in the Irish market and this is where Danker’s have seen the opportunity, coupled with the attraction of the large, growing UK market. Rolf feels before focusing on the export opportunity, the company should focus on the home market first and gain experience, amend any defects in their product and then look to expand into the huge UK market. This will be Danker’ s third SBU. Rolf has asked me as Operations manager to plan this new business venture for the company.Duty as operation manager is the planning, scheduling and control of the activities that transform inputs into finished goods and services. For the new venture to succeed it is important that there is close co-operation between marketing, operations and engineering. * The company already has got expertise knowledge and skills in the marketing and operations areas; was short on engineering skills. * Production Engineer, John Brady was appointed by Danker’s. * He is appointed to provide the initial engineering aspects for the conservatory line and then also provide production-engineering support to all the SBU’s. The sales manager drew up a report on the market characteristics for hardwood conservatories to begin the process of conservatory design and to decide on product specifications for the new product line. * The engineering manager drew up a Technical Specificatio n Report (TSR) to develop a bill of materials (BOM) with a detailed analysis of dimensions and specifications for all the items on the BOM. * TSR contained a great deal of * Development costs * Product costs * Schedules * Materials technical specifications. * New product development planning schedule was also developed This plan was presented to the management team meeting and was approved. * The plan approved is to have the third SBU first production lot produced in 11/12 months time. * In order for the development plan to be a success, need to strictly adhere to the planning schedule, as any delay will result in extra costs. * This is when some problems began to arise. * Jack, the sales manager, did not see the need to have weekly product design meetings with John because he felt that the marketing and production teams already had enough to worry about with their existing products. In this report, we address this breakdown in communication as well as potential problems that will a rise within the short-term and long-term operations and supply chains of the company from implementing their new timber conservatory SBU. 4. The first problem identified was what could be done to clarify the organizational relationships between marketing, production, and engineering. The issue that arose with the introduction of the third SBU was the smooth functioning of the interdepartmental relationships within the company.To create a successful new product it involved more work than the primary sourcing of materials and construction of the conservatories. There needs to be a cohesive and common effort made by all departments to achieve success for this new product. We see this problem arising with Jack, sales manager who was slow to hand in the report on the market characteristics of hardwood conservatoires and declined to attend the weekly product design meetings, claiming the marketing department had too much on its plate.A problem is created in the intrinsic makeup of the pro duct, as now market research is not being contributed to the production of the new product. This could be a fatal flaw for Danker’s as they could be producing something that is not exactly what the customer wants. This increases the riskiness of this new venture. As well as this problem the breakdown in the relationships can result in delays and process breakdown as well as distracting from the two other S. B. U’s of the business.The approach management took to address the issues raised was to focus on improving the relationship between the departments. This was done with a focus being placed on department approval. This system was going to be implemented at the weekly product meetings. Here the department heads could input on resources available, capacity and ability of their department to input on the production process. Jack would be able to have an input into important feedback in relation to aiming and promoting the product to the right customers.A recommendation that could effectively deal with the issue is to implement swim lane process maps. The implementation of swim-lane process maps by the management at Danker’s will help to clarify the organisational relationships between marketing, production and engineering and combat the breakdown in their relationships. The swim lane process maps allowed each department to determine exactly what was required of them throughout the new product design process and prevented situations occurring where marketing refused to attend weekly product design meetings because they felt they were being overworked.Each department was required to attend the weekly product design meetings; this was the first stage of the swim-lane process maps, the second stage involved finalising the product design and this was successfully carried out by the three departments and the third strategic business unit is now ready for launch into the Irish market. There was no ambiguity in relation to what was required from ea ch department and if they were unsure of their role in the development process they re-analysed the swim-lane process map and took corrective action. 5.The second problem that we focused on was to look at what short-term actions could be done to improve the new product development process. For the new venture to succeed it is important that there is close cooperation between marketing, operations and engineering. * The company already has got expertise knowledge and skills in the marketing and operations areas; was short on engineering skills. * Production Engineer, John Brady was appointed by Danker’s. * He is appointed to provide the initial engineering aspects for the conservatory line and then also provide production-engineering support to all SBU’s. The sales manager drew up a report on the market characteristics for hardwood conservatories to begin the process of conservatory design and to decide on product specifications for the new product line. * The engineeri ng manager drew up a Technical Specification Report (TSR) to develop a bill of materials (BOM) with a detailed analysis of dimensions and specifications for all the items on the BOM. * TSR contained a great deal of * Development costs * Product costs New product development planning schedule was also developed New Product Development Planning Schedule – 2003| Jan| Feb| Mar| Apr| May| Jun| Jul| Aug| Sep| Oct| Nov| Dec| Jan| Establish Project Team|   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   | Define Marketing Need|   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   | Concept Cost Estimate|   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   | Technical Specs Complete|   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   | First Model Complete|   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   | First Model Testing|   |   |   |   |   |    |   |   |   |   |   |   |   | Design Review Meeting|   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   | Hazard Analysis|   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   | Field Test Model Tests|   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   | Production cost Estimate| | | | | | | | | | | | | | Tooling / Process Design| | | | | | | | | | | | | | Release to Production| | | | | | | | | | | | | | Order Parts| | | | | | | | | | | | | | Production of Lot 1| | | | | | | | | | | | | | This plan was presented to the management team meeting and was approved. The plan approved is to have the third SBU first production lot produced in 11/12 months time.This approach adopted by management could be successful, but they need to strictly adhere to the planning schedule, as any delay will result in extra costs. The hiring of an engineering production manager was very valuable as he created a TSR which would aid the BOM ensuring the correct materials would be ordered, avoiding a potential loss of earnings. Recommendations which could provide additional help to Danker’s would be for each individual sector to improve their own areas which would impact on the overall development process in the short term. For engineering department important aspects they could focus on would be concept development and design. In the marketing area, it is critical that planning improves as well as commercial preparation.By encouraging Jack attendance at the weekly meetings, he will have detailed knowledge of the other two departments, which will aid him in designing the marketing strategy for the SBU. In the production sector, it is vital that process for the supply chain is efficient. By implementing a detailed process map, this will ensure that there is an efficient process layout selected. The layout can then be measured using takt time, theoretical minimum and line balancing so that the amo unt of time idle at the workstation is minimised and the Danker’s can maximise their capacity. This process can then be evaluated at the end of the first year to identify any areas for improvement and opportunity to improve efficiency. The operations manager also needs to ensure that there is good, quality control.All products produced need to adhere to the ISO 9000 and ensure that all products are inspected before they leave the production’s premises. In order to gain a competitive share of the Irish timber conservatory market, Danker’s must develop a competitive strategy. A business strategy can be defined as the identification of the market(s) in which the business will participate and how the business will gain a competitive advantage in those markets. A strategy is a pattern that integrates an organisation’s major goals, policies and actions into a cohesive goal in order to gain a competitive advantage. There are two main types of strategy; 1) Cost L eadership FocusThis strategy involves company managing their costs better than their competitors, so that they can offer a lower cost to their consumers. 2) Differentiation focus The product produced is unique. Customers are willing to pay premium price for it. Having seen already by the work done by the operations manager, Danker’s imposes two different strategies for its two SBU’s; 1) Cost leadership focus implemented for the standard cabinet 2) Differentiate focus for the custom made furniture. Now that Danker’s are producing their third SBU, it is important they distinguish what strategy they are going to implement with it. As operations manager, we recommend that we implement a cost leadership strategy with the production of timber conservatory market.If we succeed in managing our costs better than other competitors in the fragmented home industry, this will enable us to offer a lower price to our consumers and enable us to gain a competitive advantage in t he market and contribute towards the goal of becoming the market leader in the Irish Market. As operations Manager, my job is to make sure that * The business strategy gets translated into operational terms. * Assure the co-ordination with marketing and engineering. * Provide direction and guidance for operation decisions. The operations strategy is a pattern of structural and infrastructural operations decisions that configure the shape and design of the operations function and constitutes the operations strategy.Currently Danker’s had two production lines, one for craft purpose-made and one for the standard cabinetry. We propose as operations manager that Danker’s changes its operations to three production lines, which would incorporate its new business products production process. In the short-term, we would advise Danker’s to use its retained earnings to fund the creation of the third product, as unknown whether its going to be a success, so should start out small to minimise costs. If Danker’s were having difficulties with three production processes or were struggling to fulfil capacity requirement, we recommend that Danker’s could subcontract out the work.There would be no production costs involved. They would have to pay the company but if successful they could expand and develop the company. We propose that Danker’s outsource their distribution costs which are not close to their production premises and engage in distribution contracts with company’s in the North, South, West and deliver to companies in the East of Ireland. 6. The third point recognised was the long-term developments of the new product development at Danker’s. Apart from this new product development opportunity on the home market, Rolf and the Danker’s Board were also attracted towards the larger, growing market for timber framed conservatories in the UK.However Rolf felt that before focusing on this export opportunity, the company should first gain experience in the market / industry sector on the home market first, modify any shortcomings in the product-offer, and then look at how he might make in-roads in the UK. Rolf reckoned that the introduction phase of timber conservatories in the Irish market would need to have 2/3 years experience in Ireland to confirm its viability, before entering the UK market. The UK market is 20 times the size of the home market and up until now it has been described as a fragmented joinery industry. There is great potential to break into the UK market and establish as a leader in the market. This would generate huge profits for Danker’s. It is important to note that Danker’s Balance Sheet has been very strong, with no debt equity, long-term loans, or overdraft.Bankers to the company were very favourably disposed towards them. Rolf Danker and his accountant brother Erik were constantly being encouraged by their bankers to take up the finance being offered t o them and expand their business further. This approach taken by management to gain experience in the Irish market first, evaluate the product, and adjust any shortcomings they may experience before attempting to break into the UK market is crucial. 2-3 year’s experience in the home market would be essential before expanding. Before expansion of the product it is vital that our strategy in the short term is achieved and we successfully become a market leader in the home market first.This will enable us to establish a reputation while creating a loyal customer base giving us a competitive advantage against competitors in the market. Furthermore, this would provide Danker’s with experience of the market before attempting to make in-roads in the UK. Provided we are successful in the home market, there are a number of tasks that would need to be in place for expanding our product. We would need to expand the business by purchasing a larger warehouse to produce the goods in order to facilitate production in the wider UK market as well as maintaining production in the home market and our other SBU’s. To aid expansion, we recommend on taking up on the Bank’s offer providing us with a loan.By increasing capacity this will enable Danker’s to avail of a number of capacity considerations. There include economies of scale, technology/labour mix, and learning curves. With economies of scale the average unit cost decreases as output increases. It is essential that Danker’s are able to obtain lower costs by expanding their business. The technology/labour mix means that Danker’s can improve capacity by introducing new technologies, which will increase fixed costs but reduce their variable labour costs. The phenomenon of learning curves results in increasing output overtime, without an increase in resources. The external supply chain would also need to be developed to penetrate the UK market.The existing supply chain used in the home market would be a template and then extend and adopt it to make it suitable for the UK market. An effective recommendation could be to design a detailed process map. This would allow all staff to ascertain what was required at each stage and the time constraints that would need to be adhered to. As operation manager, it is in imperative to ensure that the process is efficient. However, if Danker’s are finding it difficult to break into the UK market, they could create Strategic Alliance with suppliers from the UK. Distribution costs and warehouse costs will be a major contribution to costs as the firm breaks into the UK market. There needs to be smart decisions made by the operations manager in regards to logistics management.This involves the planning, implementation, and control of the effective flow and storage of goods from the point of origin to the point of consumption. An effective recommendation for Danker’s would be to outsource their transport requireme nts, this will provide more control, improve customer service, and would be less expensive for the business. With the money from the loan, Danker’s could look to develop a production center in the UK to cut costs. They should then set up distribution centers close to the market in the UK, which would reduce transportation costs. Danker’s then should evaluate their performance on their third SBU to ensure that they are achieving their goals. A method of performance, which could be used is benchmarking.This involves comparing the business to others in the industry to gauge where they stand and steps they may need to identify in order to become more successful. 7. Conclusion Once Danker’s have their third SBU up and running, they will be able to develop sales and operations plans and forecast for the business by looking at previous sales, which will help them to determine the levels of capacity required, both strategically and tactically. They will also be able to plan for future materials required and gauge what inventory levels are required for their business. This will facilitate them to be able to develop a master production schedule. This will drive the supply chain and set precise production levels.We believe that once Danker’s follows the short-term objectives and implements our recommendations, they will generate profits from their new product development and facilitate them in becoming a market leader in the home market. As a result, this will enable them to penetrate the wider UK market in the long run and alongside our advice compete with their product on a large scale. By expanding their business and creating a third SBU we believe that they can generate massive profits and become a leader in the timber conservatory market. 8. References We got our information for our report from the following; * Introduction to Operations & Supply Chain Management; Bozarth & Handfield, 2nd Edition (2008); Pearson International Edition. * B GMT 20010 Operational and Supply Chain Management 2011 Lecture Material, University College Dublin. Ops Presentation BGMT 20010 Operations and Supply Chain Management Report December 2011 ————————————————- ————————————————- ————————————————- DANKERS FUNITUTE LTD ————————————————- ————————————————- THE NEW BUSINESS PLANNING CASE ————————————————- ——————————— Ã¢â‚¬â€Ã¢â‚¬â€Ã¢â‚¬â€Ã¢â‚¬â€- â€Å"If You Are Not Measuring, You Are Not Managing† CONTENTS 1. Executive Summary 2. Overview of the Organisation 3.Description of the main issues raised in the case 4. Problem One; Breakdown in Organisational Relationships * Main issue raised in the case * Steps management adopted to address the issue raised * Analysis of the effectiveness of the existing approach * Recommendations on how it could be addressed more effectively 5. Problem Two; Short-term actions regarding the new product development process * Main issue raised in the case * Steps management adopted to address the issue raised * Analysis of the effectiveness of the existing approach * Recommendations on how it could be addressed more effectively . Problem Three; Long-term developments regarding the new product development process * Main issue raised in the case * Steps management adopted to address the issue raised * Analysis of the effectiveness of the existing approach * Recommendations on how it could be addressed more effectively 7. Conclusion 8. References 1. Executive Summary The purpose of this report is to provide Rolf Danker and Danker’s Furniture Ltd with some short-term and long-term suggestions on how to successfully implement their new business venture into timber framed conservatories.This report offers advice on how to successfully incorporate this new venture into the existing processes within the company as well as recommendations on short-term establishment and long-term expansion. Some of the problems that were encountered at the onset of the venture included communication breakdowns between company departments, quality concerns in the two existing Strategic Business Units, and resource constraints. This report suggests that Danker’s adopt a swim lane process map to help with the communications failures as well as improvements in the internal and external supply chains. 2.Overview of the organisation During the 1800â⠂¬â„¢s, a Danker family from Norway moved to County Meath, Ireland. The family was associated with a tradition of high quality furniture design, and high-class customary made furniture. The Danker family discovered that there was a market for their furniture in Meath, enclosed by rich middle class estates. During the next few generations, the Danker’s family continued the family tradition of making furniture and at the end of the 20th Century, ‘Danker’ was renowned for its ability to produce customised hardwood design based on clients specific requirements and specifications.The company became known as Danker’s Furniture Ltd and was well established in the manufacturing markets. The company had been very profitable and had obtained a great reputation. But in the late 1990’s the company experienced problems and the newly appointed Managing Director Rolf Danker appointed me as operations manager, which quickly resolved the underlying difficulties in t he business at the time. Currently under the management of newly appointed Managing Director Rolf Danker, the business’ strategic focus is to grow and expand through the production of new goods and services.The massive economic growth in the 1990’s resulted in a huge development in the construction area, Rolf Danker, successfully discovered an opportunity to enter into the standard cabinetry market. The company started making kitchen cabinets and wardrobes to exploit the rapid increase in the number of houses being built which required reasonable priced furniture. Danker’s believed that their established reputation in the customised furniture making industry accompanying the standard cabinets would increase their market share.Rolf believed that this would be a quick way to increase profits instead of continuing exclusively with the previous business model. But by the 2000’s Rolf’s new initiative caused problems in the company’s business foun dations. Fortunately, Rolf appointed me as Operations Manager at Danker’s, which helped to quickly resolve the underlying difficulties in the business at the time. Now in 2002, the company has two independently operated strategic business unites (SBUs), the craft purpose-made and the standard cabinet, the business is performing well again and enjoying good profit margins. 3.Description of the main issues in the case The division was completely financed from the company’s reserves, and in 2002, the company’s balance sheet was very strong with no long-term loans or debt equity. Bankers to the company were very willing towards them and the company were constantly being encouraged by the bankers to take up the finance being offered to them and further expand their business. Following a new product concept generation process involving external consultants, a gap has been identified in the market and the Danker’s Board has agreed to enter the timber conservator y market.The Irish market for conservatories is constantly growing but there is not a huge demand in the home market for hardwood timber framed. But it has been recognised that the UK market is around 20 times the size of the Irish one with a 50% share being for timber framed conservatories. It has been explained that due to the foregoing and rising interest in ‘sustainable construction’, which has been evident in the growth of timber-framed windows, due to improvements in technology and conveniently meets revised Irish Building Regulations.There is no dedicated manufacturer for timber conservatory in the Irish market and this is where Danker’s have seen the opportunity, coupled with the attraction of the large, growing UK market. Rolf feels before focusing on the export opportunity, the company should focus on the home market first and gain experience, amend any defects in their product and then look to expand into the huge UK market. This will be Danker’ s third SBU. Rolf has asked me as Operations manager to plan this new business venture for the company.Duty as operation manager is the planning, scheduling and control of the activities that transform inputs into finished goods and services. For the new venture to succeed it is important that there is close co-operation between marketing, operations and engineering. * The company already has got expertise knowledge and skills in the marketing and operations areas; was short on engineering skills. * Production Engineer, John Brady was appointed by Danker’s. * He is appointed to provide the initial engineering aspects for the conservatory line and then also provide production-engineering support to all the SBU’s. The sales manager drew up a report on the market characteristics for hardwood conservatories to begin the process of conservatory design and to decide on product specifications for the new product line. * The engineering manager drew up a Technical Specificatio n Report (TSR) to develop a bill of materials (BOM) with a detailed analysis of dimensions and specifications for all the items on the BOM. * TSR contained a great deal of * Development costs * Product costs * Schedules * Materials technical specifications. * New product development planning schedule was also developed This plan was presented to the management team meeting and was approved. * The plan approved is to have the third SBU first production lot produced in 11/12 months time. * In order for the development plan to be a success, need to strictly adhere to the planning schedule, as any delay will result in extra costs. * This is when some problems began to arise. * Jack, the sales manager, did not see the need to have weekly product design meetings with John because he felt that the marketing and production teams already had enough to worry about with their existing products. In this report, we address this breakdown in communication as well as potential problems that will a rise within the short-term and long-term operations and supply chains of the company from implementing their new timber conservatory SBU. 4. The first problem identified was what could be done to clarify the organizational relationships between marketing, production, and engineering. The issue that arose with the introduction of the third SBU was the smooth functioning of the interdepartmental relationships within the company.To create a successful new product it involved more work than the primary sourcing of materials and construction of the conservatories. There needs to be a cohesive and common effort made by all departments to achieve success for this new product. We see this problem arising with Jack, sales manager who was slow to hand in the report on the market characteristics of hardwood conservatoires and declined to attend the weekly product design meetings, claiming the marketing department had too much on its plate.A problem is created in the intrinsic makeup of the pro duct, as now market research is not being contributed to the production of the new product. This could be a fatal flaw for Danker’s as they could be producing something that is not exactly what the customer wants. This increases the riskiness of this new venture. As well as this problem the breakdown in the relationships can result in delays and process breakdown as well as distracting from the two other S. B. U’s of the business.The approach management took to address the issues raised was to focus on improving the relationship between the departments. This was done with a focus being placed on department approval. This system was going to be implemented at the weekly product meetings. Here the department heads could input on resources available, capacity and ability of their department to input on the production process. Jack would be able to have an input into important feedback in relation to aiming and promoting the product to the right customers.A recommendation that could effectively deal with the issue is to implement swim lane process maps. The implementation of swim-lane process maps by the management at Danker’s will help to clarify the organisational relationships between marketing, production and engineering and combat the breakdown in their relationships. The swim lane process maps allowed each department to determine exactly what was required of them throughout the new product design process and prevented situations occurring where marketing refused to attend weekly product design meetings because they felt they were being overworked.Each department was required to attend the weekly product design meetings; this was the first stage of the swim-lane process maps, the second stage involved finalising the product design and this was successfully carried out by the three departments and the third strategic business unit is now ready for launch into the Irish market. There was no ambiguity in relation to what was required from ea ch department and if they were unsure of their role in the development process they re-analysed the swim-lane process map and took corrective action. 5.The second problem that we focused on was to look at what short-term actions could be done to improve the new product development process. For the new venture to succeed it is important that there is close cooperation between marketing, operations and engineering. * The company already has got expertise knowledge and skills in the marketing and operations areas; was short on engineering skills. * Production Engineer, John Brady was appointed by Danker’s. * He is appointed to provide the initial engineering aspects for the conservatory line and then also provide production-engineering support to all SBU’s. The sales manager drew up a report on the market characteristics for hardwood conservatories to begin the process of conservatory design and to decide on product specifications for the new product line. * The engineeri ng manager drew up a Technical Specification Report (TSR) to develop a bill of materials (BOM) with a detailed analysis of dimensions and specifications for all the items on the BOM. * TSR contained a great deal of * Development costs * Product costs New product development planning schedule was also developed New Product Development Planning Schedule – 2003| Jan| Feb| Mar| Apr| May| Jun| Jul| Aug| Sep| Oct| Nov| Dec| Jan| Establish Project Team|   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   | Define Marketing Need|   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   | Concept Cost Estimate|   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   | Technical Specs Complete|   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   | First Model Complete|   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   | First Model Testing|   |   |   |   |   |    |   |   |   |   |   |   |   | Design Review Meeting|   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   | Hazard Analysis|   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   | Field Test Model Tests|   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   | Production cost Estimate| | | | | | | | | | | | | | Tooling / Process Design| | | | | | | | | | | | | | Release to Production| | | | | | | | | | | | | | Order Parts| | | | | | | | | | | | | | Production of Lot 1| | | | | | | | | | | | | | This plan was presented to the management team meeting and was approved. The plan approved is to have the third SBU first production lot produced in 11/12 months time.This approach adopted by management could be successful, but they need to strictly adhere to the planning schedule, as any delay will result in extra costs. The hiring of an engineering production manager was very valuable as he created a TSR which would aid the BOM ensuring the correct materials would be ordered, avoiding a potential loss of earnings. Recommendations which could provide additional help to Danker’s would be for each individual sector to improve their own areas which would impact on the overall development process in the short term. For engineering department important aspects they could focus on would be concept development and design. In the marketing area, it is critical that planning improves as well as commercial preparation.By encouraging Jack attendance at the weekly meetings, he will have detailed knowledge of the other two departments, which will aid him in designing the marketing strategy for the SBU. In the production sector, it is vital that process for the supply chain is efficient. By implementing a detailed process map, this will ensure that there is an efficient process layout selected. The layout can then be measured using takt time, theoretical minimum and line balancing so that the amo unt of time idle at the workstation is minimised and the Danker’s can maximise their capacity. This process can then be evaluated at the end of the first year to identify any areas for improvement and opportunity to improve efficiency. The operations manager also needs to ensure that there is good, quality control.All products produced need to adhere to the ISO 9000 and ensure that all products are inspected before they leave the production’s premises. In order to gain a competitive share of the Irish timber conservatory market, Danker’s must develop a competitive strategy. A business strategy can be defined as the identification of the market(s) in which the business will participate and how the business will gain a competitive advantage in those markets. A strategy is a pattern that integrates an organisation’s major goals, policies and actions into a cohesive goal in order to gain a competitive advantage. There are two main types of strategy; 1) Cost L eadership FocusThis strategy involves company managing their costs better than their competitors, so that they can offer a lower cost to their consumers. 2) Differentiation focus The product produced is unique. Customers are willing to pay premium price for it. Having seen already by the work done by the operations manager, Danker’s imposes two different strategies for its two SBU’s; 1) Cost leadership focus implemented for the standard cabinet 2) Differentiate focus for the custom made furniture. Now that Danker’s are producing their third SBU, it is important they distinguish what strategy they are going to implement with it. As operations manager, we recommend that we implement a cost leadership strategy with the production of timber conservatory market.If we succeed in managing our costs better than other competitors in the fragmented home industry, this will enable us to offer a lower price to our consumers and enable us to gain a competitive advantage in t he market and contribute towards the goal of becoming the market leader in the Irish Market. As operations Manager, my job is to make sure that * The business strategy gets translated into operational terms. * Assure the co-ordination with marketing and engineering. * Provide direction and guidance for operation decisions. The operations strategy is a pattern of structural and infrastructural operations decisions that configure the shape and design of the operations function and constitutes the operations strategy.Currently Danker’s had two production lines, one for craft purpose-made and one for the standard cabinetry. We propose as operations manager that Danker’s changes its operations to three production lines, which would incorporate its new business products production process. In the short-term, we would advise Danker’s to use its retained earnings to fund the creation of the third product, as unknown whether its going to be a success, so should start out small to minimise costs. If Danker’s were having difficulties with three production processes or were struggling to fulfil capacity requirement, we recommend that Danker’s could subcontract out the work.There would be no production costs involved. They would have to pay the company but if successful they could expand and develop the company. We propose that Danker’s outsource their distribution costs which are not close to their production premises and engage in distribution contracts with company’s in the North, South, West and deliver to companies in the East of Ireland. 6. The third point recognised was the long-term developments of the new product development at Danker’s. Apart from this new product development opportunity on the home market, Rolf and the Danker’s Board were also attracted towards the larger, growing market for timber framed conservatories in the UK.However Rolf felt that before focusing on this export opportunity, the company should first gain experience in the market / industry sector on the home market first, modify any shortcomings in the product-offer, and then look at how he might make in-roads in the UK. Rolf reckoned that the introduction phase of timber conservatories in the Irish market would need to have 2/3 years experience in Ireland to confirm its viability, before entering the UK market. The UK market is 20 times the size of the home market and up until now it has been described as a fragmented joinery industry. There is great potential to break into the UK market and establish as a leader in the market. This would generate huge profits for Danker’s. It is important to note that Danker’s Balance Sheet has been very strong, with no debt equity, long-term loans, or overdraft.Bankers to the company were very favourably disposed towards them. Rolf Danker and his accountant brother Erik were constantly being encouraged by their bankers to take up the finance being offered t o them and expand their business further. This approach taken by management to gain experience in the Irish market first, evaluate the product, and adjust any shortcomings they may experience before attempting to break into the UK market is crucial. 2-3 year’s experience in the home market would be essential before expanding. Before expansion of the product it is vital that our strategy in the short term is achieved and we successfully become a market leader in the home market first.This will enable us to establish a reputation while creating a loyal customer base giving us a competitive advantage against competitors in the market. Furthermore, this would provide Danker’s with experience of the market before attempting to make in-roads in the UK. Provided we are successful in the home market, there are a number of tasks that would need to be in place for expanding our product. We would need to expand the business by purchasing a larger warehouse to produce the goods in order to facilitate production in the wider UK market as well as maintaining production in the home market and our other SBU’s. To aid expansion, we recommend on taking up on the Bank’s offer providing us with a loan.By increasing capacity this will enable Danker’s to avail of a number of capacity considerations. There include economies of scale, technology/labour mix, and learning curves. With economies of scale the average unit cost decreases as output increases. It is essential that Danker’s are able to obtain lower costs by expanding their business. The technology/labour mix means that Danker’s can improve capacity by introducing new technologies, which will increase fixed costs but reduce their variable labour costs. The phenomenon of learning curves results in increasing output overtime, without an increase in resources. The external supply chain would also need to be developed to penetrate the UK market.The existing supply chain used in the home market would be a template and then extend and adopt it to make it suitable for the UK market. An effective recommendation could be to design a detailed process map. This would allow all staff to ascertain what was required at each stage and the time constraints that would need to be adhered to. As operation manager, it is in imperative to ensure that the process is efficient. However, if Danker’s are finding it difficult to break into the UK market, they could create Strategic Alliance with suppliers from the UK. Distribution costs and warehouse costs will be a major contribution to costs as the firm breaks into the UK market. There needs to be smart decisions made by the operations manager in regards to logistics management.This involves the planning, implementation, and control of the effective flow and storage of goods from the point of origin to the point of consumption. An effective recommendation for Danker’s would be to outsource their transport requireme nts, this will provide more control, improve customer service, and would be less expensive for the business. With the money from the loan, Danker’s could look to develop a production center in the UK to cut costs. They should then set up distribution centers close to the market in the UK, which would reduce transportation costs. Danker’s then should evaluate their performance on their third SBU to ensure that they are achieving their goals. A method of performance, which could be used is benchmarking.This involves comparing the business to others in the industry to gauge where they stand and steps they may need to identify in order to become more successful. 7. Conclusion Once Danker’s have their third SBU up and running, they will be able to develop sales and operations plans and forecast for the business by looking at previous sales, which will help them to determine the levels of capacity required, both strategically and tactically. They will also be able to plan for future materials required and gauge what inventory levels are required for their business. This will facilitate them to be able to develop a master production schedule. This will drive the supply chain and set precise production levels.We believe that once Danker’s follows the short-term objectives and implements our recommendations, they will generate profits from their new product development and facilitate them in becoming a market leader in the home market. As a result, this will enable them to penetrate the wider UK market in the long run and alongside our advice compete with their product on a large scale. By expanding their business and creating a third SBU we believe that they can generate massive profits and become a leader in the timber conservatory market. 8. References We got our information for our report from the following; * Introduction to Operations & Supply Chain Management; Bozarth & Handfield, 2nd Edition (2008); Pearson International Edition. * B GMT 20010 Operational and Supply Chain Management 2011 Lecture Material, University College Dublin.