Premium Essay

Case Study U.S. Strollers

In:

Submitted By charlesgrant365
Words 815
Pages 4
Introduction As the leader producer and seller of baby strollers, U.S. Stroller has been known for carrying a very high-quality baby stroller. The company is known for innovation designs and its good distribution system. The President of U.S. Stroller Judy Hawkins is the sister of the director of manufacturing Clem Hawkins. Judy has suggested to Clem that a Just-in-time system is what the company needs to reduce the high inventory cost, cycle time, improve quality and eventually cost the company is carrying. Clem decided he would solicit the help of Joan Hankins who had recently graduated from UCLA with an M.B.A; she was a whiz at analyzing.
Below is a list of the facts about the company: 1. 2000 different sites in the United States distributing the company’s product 2. U.S. Stroller has been on the market for 50 years 3. The company has 20% of the market share 4. Business started in 1934 with a regular model for $49.00 5. Deluxe model was introduced in 1955 and sells for $99.00 6. Shopping center stroller was introduced in 1974, which sells at $149 7. U.S. Stroller is currently selling 106,000 units per year of the three types of strollers 8. There are approximate $4.5 million per year in sales 9. 25% of sales is gross profit and 2% net profit for the fiscal year 10. Inventory turnover is at 2.4 times per year 11. The company has earned a 3% on net assets on an after-tax basis and 8% on owner's equity 12. 50% of parts for the stroller is purchased from outside suppliers
Clem has two options before him to consider in Just-in-time strategy, there are, a pull system, or manufacturing cells. Just in time is a fundamental building block for modern approaches to manufacturing planning and control (MPC), and is both a philosophy and a set of techniques. Moreover, the methods go beyond traditional manufacturing

Similar Documents

Premium Essay

Diabetes Case Study

...Diabetes Case Study Diana Gallardo, Karen Joy, Brianna Herrera, Svetlana Knyazeva NUR/427 5/6/2013 Sara Gerrie RN, MSN, CPNP Diabetes Mellitus is a chronic illness affecting the metabolic and endocrine function of the body. Type 1 diabetes affects 5% to 10% of people with the disease, whereas type 2 diabetes affects nearly 90% to 95% of people with the disease (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention [CDC], 2008). An overview of the incidence of diabetes in the United States, signs and symptoms, and effects of diabetes as a chronic disease will be provided. The case study of Angelo Reyes, a 40-year-old White male living with type 1 diabetes will be used to implement teaching requirements with measurable learning objectives from Bloom’s taxonomy of learning domains. The psychosocial challenges that Angelo Reyes encounters will also be discussed. According to Smeltzer, Bare, Hinkle, and Cheever (2010), the number of people with diabetes in the United States is 23 million with increasing rates of 1 million new diagnosed cases per year. This number is expected to exceed 30 million by 2030 (CDC, 2008). People older than 65 years old seem to have more intolerance to glucose and 40% of them account for the population with diabetes. Minority groups such as African Americans, Native Americans, Hispanics, Asian Americans, and Pacific Islanders are at higher risk for diabetes, complications associated with the disease, and high rates of disease related death (CDC, 2008)...

Words: 1295 - Pages: 6

Free Essay

Toyota Case Study

...strategies, as it is a “green” vehicle and becoming very popular. The Toyota Prius provides a concrete case study of this truth. While the biggest product differentiation of the Prius is a fuel efficient, hybrid engine, most people do not buy it because it is eco-friendly. We assert that Toyota succeeded by marketing the Prius on multiple factors including the potential for gas savings, appeal to those who desire the latest technology, crossing into multiple market segments, and keeping the car practical, attractive, and functional. If they had appealed solely on impact to the environment, they would have failed to generate significant market penetration. Toyota did not set out to create a hybrid car. Rather, the Chairman Eiji Toyoda was concerned about the increasing popularity of larger cars and of the effect it would have on pollution levels in increasingly congested cities. He was concerned about the threat of peak oil looming and believed that the traditional internal combustion engine would not successfully carry Toyota into the next century. It was a year into that effort that Toyota decided to adapt a hybrid approach to creating a car with a lower impact on the environment. Toyota was cautious in entering the American market (Itazaki, 1999). Toyota's first step was to ship the original Prius that had been sold in the Japanese market beginning in 1997 to the U.S. These Prius' were right hand driving models as no left hand models had yet been produced. The car was...

Words: 1989 - Pages: 8

Premium Essay

Market Plan for Rock-a-Baby Accessory

...Market Plan for Rock-a-Baby Accessory Devry – Keller Graduate School of Management 2/7/2010 Executive Summary Rock-a-Baby is a direct market company that sells accessories that complement infant care products to the public exclusively through the internet. The company develops and distributes to the customer while manufacturing is facilitated through a partner. Rock-a-Baby is a start up company entering the infant product market. The first product is an infant car carrier rocker accessory. The goal for the first year with the infant car carrier rocker accessory is to gain market share and to build brand recognition. The sales goal is to capture 5% of the target market by selling 67,000 units with a gross revenue forecast at $4,153,330. The sales goal for the year after will be doubled to 10%. Consumers spend $5,790 (babycenter, 2010) in the first year on basic infant needs. With 1,726,523 first born in the US for 2007 that is a $9.9 billion dollar industry. This number will increase as birth rates are projected to increase. One of the must have item is an infant car carrier which is required by law to bring home an infant. Rock-a-Baby will focus on equipping parents with accessories for the infant car seat carrier that will benefit them and their children. After establishing a brand name Rock-a-Baby will branch out and introduce other accessories to other essential baby products. The majority of infant soothing accessories require parents to remove...

Words: 4952 - Pages: 20

Premium Essay

Case Study

...Instructors Manual Case Studies Table of Contents Introduction Shipper Manufacturing Company ………………………………............ C-2 FHE, Inc. ……………………………………………………………….. C-5 Early Supplier Integration in the Design of the Skid-Steer Loader……... C-9 Process Design Eastern Gear, Inc. ………………………………………………………. C-17 Southwest Airlines: Singin’ the (Jet) Blues …………………………….. C-21 The Field Service Division of DMI ……………………………………. C-29 Pharmacy Service Improvement at CVS (A) …………………………… C-36 U.S. Stroller …………………………………………………………….. C-37 Quality Customer-Driven Learning at Radisson Hotels Worldwide ……………. C-41 Quality at Gillette Argentina …………………………………………… C-46 Bayfield Mud Company ………………………………………………… C-47 Six Sigma at 3M, Inc. …………………………………………………... C-53 Capacity and Scheduling Crocs: Revolutionizing an Industry’s Supply Chain Model for Competitive Advantage …………………………………….. C-58 Unifine Richardson …………………………………………………….. C-59 eBags: Managing Growth ……………………………………………… C-60 Merriwell Bag Company ……………………………………………….. C-69 Lawn King, Inc. ………………………………………………………… C-74 World Industrial Abrasives ……………………………………………... C-84 Inventory Consolidated Electric …………………………………………………... C-88 Southern Toro Distributor, Inc. ………………………………………… C-93 ToysPlus, Inc. …………………………………………………………... C-99 SHIPPER MANUFACTURING COMPANY Teaching Notes Synopsis and Purpose Shipper Manufacturing Company is a manufacturer of electrical products, laminated materials...

Words: 33168 - Pages: 133

Premium Essay

Tort Reform

...Tort Reform All humans on this earth, whether they live in a crowded city, a sparsely populated farming community, a developed or developing nation or a small tribe in the rainforests of the Amazon, have some way by which their civilization is led and regulated for the safety and comfort of its inhabitants. People living together in near proximity need some sort of social control to regulate conduct and relations be it by laws or morals or both. Ivan Nuy, an author who developed the Social Control Theory in 1958, proposed that there are four types of social control: Internal, Indirect, Control with Needs Satisfaction and Direct. Social Control Theory proposes that people's relationships, commitments, values, norms, and moral beliefs encourage them not to break the law. Thus, if moral codes are internalized and individuals are tied into, (their) community, they will voluntarily limit their propensity to commit deviant acts. [ (Nuy, 1958) ] Law is needed for when comfort, morals and disapproval fail to prevent undesirable acts against people in a society. In our country’s system, we have two main types of classifications for justice, civil law and criminal law. Criminal law, under public law, covers laws and regulations that aim to protect all members of the society. Its emphasis is on punishment. Criminal offenders are prosecuted by government officials, who must provide “the burden of proof” to prove the guilt of the defendant beyond a reasonable, doubt, usually a district...

Words: 1694 - Pages: 7

Free Essay

Nursing

...of their splendid views of natural scenery. But a city vista seen from the Metropolitan Branch Trail (MBT) in Washington, D.C.—crowned by the stately dome of the U.S. Capitol— is pretty darned breathtaking, too. With a planned length of about eight miles, the MBT is a work long in progress. When complete, it will close a loop that circumnavigates metro D.C., connecting with the other city trails and integrating into the East Coast Greenway. The trail uses the corridor of the Metropolitan Branch Line of the B&O Railroad, traversing dynamic neighborhoods, passing historical sites and flowing to the National Mall. While parts of the MBT run on 16 rails to trails u spring/summer.10 RTC’s Stephen Miller helps clip on a new helmet during a bicycle giveaway along part of the Met Branch. For the October 2009 event, RTC partnered with the Beacon House—a tutoring and mentoring organization in the Edgewood neighborhood of Washington, D.C.—to give bicycles (pictured below), locks, helmets and safety instruction to 40 students. A completed section of the Met Branch that runs parallel to Takoma Avenue near Silver Spring, Md. busy streets today, the goal is to create a trail that’s completely off-road. In many ways, the creation process of the MBT and its integration with the surrounding community serves as a case study for urban trail development. As Rails-to-Trails Conservancy (RTC) looks to promote the MBT and revitalize underused trails in numerous metropolitan areas, it is...

Words: 2030 - Pages: 9

Premium Essay

Alpha

...Jones: Introduction To Business: How Companies III. A Functional Approach to Business 12. Operations and Materials Management: © The McGraw-Hill Companies, 2007 Create Value for People Managing the Production and Flow of Goods and CHAPTER 12 Operations and Materials Management: Managing the Production and Flow of Goods and Services Learning Objectives After studying this chapter, you should be able to: 1. Describe the nature of the operations and materials management process and explain how it can create a competitive advantage for a company. 2. Identify the five main components of operations and materials management costs and the methods companies use to reduce them. 3. Differentiate between the three major kinds of operating systems companies use to produce goods and services. 4. Understand the way total quality management can significantly improve both quality and productivity. WHY IS THIS IMPORTANT Flour, eggs, sugar, baking powder, chocolate, and shortening don’t create much excitement when they are in the kitchen cupboard. They create a lot more excitement when someone transforms them into a cake. Whether it’s a cake, a computer, or a legal docu- ment, operations and materials management processes create value in a household or a company. A company’s operations require inputs such as raw materials or parts and the skilled people and equip- ment to transform them into useful products...

Words: 16610 - Pages: 67

Free Essay

Toys R Us Profile

...Toys "R" Us, Inc. ___________________________________________________________________________________________ Toys "R" Us, Inc. Recent Developments Jan 31, 2011 : Toys "R" Us offers to pay staffers $1m in back pay Fast Facts Headquarters Address One Geoffrey Way, Wayne, 07470, United States of America Telephone + 1 973 6173500 Fax + 1 973 6174006 Website www.toysrus.com Ticker Symbol, Stock Exchange N/A Number of Employees 70,000 Fiscal Year End February Revenue (in US$ million) 13,543.00 SWOT Analysis Strengths Weaknesses Efficient distribution capabilities Dependence on selected vendors Industry recognition Seasonal nature of the business Multiple channel selling strategy Wide geographic presence Opportunities Threats Growth of web-based store concept Increase in counterfeit products Increase in consumer spending in the US Increase in organized retail crime Strategic collaborations Jan 31, 2011 : Toys "R" Us offers to pay staffers $1m in back pay Jan 31, 2011 : Toys "R" Us offers to pay staffers $1m in back pay Toys "R" Us, Inc. - Company Overview Toys "R" Us, Inc. (Toys"R"Us) is a specialty retailer of toy and baby products. The company’s product portfolio includes children’s apparel, juvenile, learning, entertainment, core toy, parenting and seasonal products. These products are sold under various private labels such as Fast Lane, Imaginarium, Dream Dazzlers...

Words: 8636 - Pages: 35

Premium Essay

Child Rearing

...CHAPTER I THE PROBLEM AND ITS BACKGROUND As presented, this chapter discusses the problem and its background. This will help the reader to have an overview of the study specifically on the introduction, statement of the problem, significance of the study, and scope and delimitation. I. INTRODUCTION Teenage pregnancy is formally defined as a pregnancy in a young woman who has not reached her 20th birthday when the pregnancy ends, regardless of whether the woman is married or is legally an adult (age 14 to 21, depending on the country). In everyday speech, the speaker is usually referring to unmarried minors who become pregnant unintentionally. The average age of menarche (first menstrual period) is 12 years old, though this figure varies by ethnicity, and ovulation occurs only irregularly before this. Whether fertility leads to early pregnancy depends on a number of factors, both societal and personal. Worldwide, rates of teenage pregnancy range from 143 per 1000 in some sub-Saharan African countries to 2.9 per 1000 in South Korea. Pregnant teenagers face many of the same obstetrics issues as women in their 20s and 30s. However, there are additional medical concerns for younger mothers, particularly those under fifteen and those living in developing countries. For mothers between 15 and 19, age in itself is not a risk factor, but additional risks may be associated with socioeconomic factors. In developed countries, teenage pregnancies are associated with many social...

Words: 6534 - Pages: 27

Premium Essay

Ikea Analysis

...9-504-094 REV: SEPTEMBER 14, 2004 YOUNGME MOON IKEA Invades America In 2002, the IKEA Group was the world’s top furniture retailer. With sales approaching $12 billion, IKEA operated 154 stores in 22 countries and serviced 286 million customers a year. (See Exhibits 1 through 4.) In the United States, IKEA had 14 stores, with plans to open as many as nine more in 2003. There were a number of factors that distinguished IKEA from other furniture retailers—its stores were strictly self-service and featured such amenities as playrooms for children and Swedish cafés, and all of its furniture came unassembled (customers were expected to put together the furniture on their own)—yet there was no question about the company’s success; when a new store opened, it was not unusual for thousands of shoppers to line up on the first day. Company Background IKEA was founded in 1943 when 17-year-old Ingvar Kamprad decided to start a local catalog company using some money his father had given him.1 Initially, the company sold basic household goods at discount prices; in 1947, however, Kamprad began selling home furnishings. Six years later, Kamprad opened his first furniture showroom, and two years after that, IKEA began designing its own low-priced furniture. In 1958, IKEA opened its inaugural store, in Almhult, Sweden; at 6,700 square meters, it was the largest furniture display in Scandinavia at the time. By the time IKEA opened its flagship store in Stockholm in 1965...

Words: 5457 - Pages: 22

Premium Essay

The Importance Of Foreign Language Learning

...interactions with the language at the proper level of difficulty and cause implicit knowledge. The Input Hypothesis is based on the noninterference theory. This states that implicit knowledge cannot be learned through explicit instruction. The second fundamental component is that learning a language, whether you are an adult learning a foreign language or a child learning a first language, is through the “i + l” interactions in the language. Accordingly, adults with all their first language knowledge still must learn their second language through ever increasingly difficult encounters with the new language. Based on these two fundamental components there have been many criticisms of the Input Hypothesis. Higgs (1985) made a strong case against the Input Hypothesis by comparing the hours of instruction in Spanish at universities in the United States and their language proficiency levels graduating with a major in Spanish. He found that most Spanish majors would graduate with 31.62 total days of classroom exposure. However, Spanish majors graduate with a mean proficiency in speaking of ILR 2/2+, a far more advanced level than would be possible in such a short exposure time (Carroll 1967). This implies there is something other than just acquisition through comprehensible input. De Graaff (1997) also criticized the Input Hypothesis showing that explicit learning of grammar elicited better posttest outcomes than implicitly learning grammar. While there are some critics...

Words: 5653 - Pages: 23

Free Essay

Lord

...Journal of Behavioral Studies in Business Marketing to the Generations, Page 1 Marketing to the Generations Kaylene C. Williams California State University, Stanislaus Robert A. Page Southern Connecticut State University ABSTRACT Each generation has unique expectations, experiences, generational history, lifestyles, values, and demographics that influence their buying behaviors. Accordingly, many companies are reaching out to multi-generational consumers and trying to understand and gain the attention of these diverse buyers. Multi-generational marketing is the practice of appealing to the unique needs and behaviors of individuals within more than one specific generational group, with a generation being a group of individuals born and living about the same time [1]. This means that marketers need to understand the six U.S. generations: Pre-Depression Generation, Depression Generation, Baby Boomers, Generation X, Generation Y, and Generation Z. When a marketer factors in the different characteristics and behaviors of the generations, it should be easier to build relationships, gain trust, and close business. [2, 3] As such, an understanding of multigenerational marketing is very important to the marketer. The purpose of this paper is to describe briefly the U.S. generations in terms of the times in which they grew up as well as the characteristics, lifestyles, and attitudes of the group. However, the primary focus of the paper is to describe various marketing...

Words: 8975 - Pages: 36

Free Essay

Mattel Cases Study

...Outsourcing, and Consumer Relations [ABSTRACT] In August 2007, America's largest toy manufacturer announced the first of what would become five recalls involving 21 million toys—most of which were manufactured in China. This case study and teaching note examine a corporate response to a global crisis and consider the unique communications challenges facing a corporation that operates in an international, crosscultural arena. The teaching note critiques the response’s suitability to the level and impact of the crisis and recommends alternatives. It illustrates that communicators should be cognizant of their international stakeholders and should proactively manage global issues of public concern such as outsourcing and product safety. An example would be that to avert future recalls, Mattel should work closely with its Chinese suppliers and government agencies to implement realistic quality control solutions for which it can be held accountable. The company must reassure stakeholders that outsourcing to China does not mean sacrificing quality. Regaining consumer confidence and controlling the dissemination of product safety information requires strong corporate communicators who can delicately and deliberately balance complex relationships. Table of Contents I. Case Study 1. Overview 2. Company History 2.1 Beginnings 2.2 Reorganization as Mattel, Inc. 2.3 Products 2.4 Accolades for Ethics 2.5 Financial Performance and Annual Report (2006) 3. Toy Safety in the United States 3.1 Consumer...

Words: 11242 - Pages: 45

Premium Essay

Regional Case Study

...2007 Deloitte Tax Case Study Competition Regional Case Study This is the story of the Vitalité health and fitness phenomenon created by three American heroes. You’ve worked out in their gyms, bought their nutrition books, and devoured their frozen entrees – and you’ve seen them a hundred times on The Ophira Show! You even spent months wearing their “Cal Pal” to find out how many calories you burned. Here’s the story of how they rocketed to the top and the fallout of their success. Macy. When she was in her mid-20s, Macy Vitale was the picture of confidence and, in keeping with her name, Vitality, with a capital V! She graduated from college with a degree in journalism, and, by the time she was 32, her gorgeous face, perky attitude, and deep understanding of current affairs landed her the position of anchor for the Channel 8 evening news. Macy never took anything too seriously. She was such a natural on camera that it couldn’t count as “work.” Her carefree attitude ended one morning when she overheard the director tell the camera man to shoot Macy only when she was seated behind the desk. He whispered, “She’s starting to look a bit wide in the hips.” As soon as they were off the air Macy, picked up the phone and called Mark Newcomb from “Mad Mark’s Gym.” Mark. Mark isn’t your typical trainer. He is serious! He served in the Special Forces in Kuwait in the early 90s, has Masters Degrees in Health Sciences and Nutrition, and a Ph.D. in Kinesiology and Physiology. He has spent the...

Words: 8175 - Pages: 33

Free Essay

Feasibility Study

...Child Care Center Feasibility Study Mariposa County November 2009 Prepared by Chevon Kothari, Jill Harry, and Megan Rogers, Consultants, for the Mariposa County Local Child Care Planning Council "Promoting and supporting a community-wide effort that results in a child care system that meets the needs of our children." Table of Contents LCP Mission and Goals -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------iv Age Ranges Defined ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- v Local Child Care Planning Council Member List -----------------------------------------------------vi Introduction ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------1 Section I: Community Information ----------------------------------------------------------------------- 3 Mariposa County Profile ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 3 Nature of the Child Care Industry ------------------------------------------------------------------- 4 Existing Child Care Options in Mariposa County ------------------------------------------------ 6 Section II: Survey Data -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 9 Summary of the 2009 Child Care Needs Assessment --------------------------------------------- 9 Child Care Needs Survey Results -------------------------------------------------------------------...

Words: 38786 - Pages: 156