...PV Technologies, Inc.: Were They Asleep at the Switch? Case Synopsis: There was unofficial information on the following; - wrt Barstow bids, PVT was trailing behind competitors SOMA Energy and BJ Solar - It was perceived that the above is due to Solenergy’s renewed focus on expense control and the company felt that there was wide difference in the prices quoted by PVT and the other companies. They believed an enhanced maintenance schedule along with a proactive quality control program would compensate for the inferior performance characteristics of the less costly inventers. - If the above information was true PVT would not only lose one of the biggest customer thereby having financial implications but also their leadership status in the market would be at risk ( this could turn out to be critical for PVT especially since there was a huge potential for the solar photovoltaic products which was expected to grow at 30.4% CAGR during the period 2010-2015.) Major Issues Identified - The fact that such critical information got leaked and PVT was caught unaware questioned PVT teams ‘customer management’ skills. - It also reflected the complacency of PVT team especially on two fronts (i)whereby PVT assumed that since Solenergy was their long term customer they may not look at other companies in the market (ii) That by being just ‘quality focus’ they were meeting their customer expectation - PVT was also over-dependant on the fact their best sales person (Jim Salvatori)...
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...Summary: The case started with the introduction of PV Technologies who is a Global Leader in Photovoltaic (PV) inverter industry and are suppliers to several segments of solar energy technology field including power plants (ranged from 10MW to 200 MW). In July, 2011 PVT received a RFP from their longtime customer – Solenergy Development LLC for the supply of “Utility Scale Central Inverters” for the upcoming 100MW plant. This plant was to be situated adjacent to an existing 25MW plant where PVT’s central inverters had been installed 3 years earlier and performing flawlessly. Solenergy’s Chief Electrical Engineer, Greg Morgan, has carried out extensive evaluation of selected group of companies who are invited to bid for this project. The executive at PVT were optimistic about winning this RPF due to their existing relationship with Solengergy’s senior management and existing PVT products are performing flawlessly in the facilities. However, Salvatori – Key Sales Executive got information which has unofficially revealed that PVT trailed other competitors in the evaluation and was having the concern that PVT will most likely lose the contract if not reacted immediately. The case study then reviews how executives reacted to this findings. Senior Executives of PVT met to address this concern and suggested four alternative course of action: 1. Offer to extend the original warranty at internal cost from 10 to 20 years 2. Offer a 99% uptime guarantee at no cost 3. Accelerate the introduction...
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...PV Technologies Case Study Submitted by Viswa Kumar PK Roll Number: EPGCMM-06-013 Problems / Issues faced by the PV Technologies: As per the information from Sales Manager Mr.Salvatori, PVT might lose the contract against SOMA energy and BJ Solar from the bidding, which is one of the high visibility project conducted by Solenergy Development LLC who won to construct a PV solar energy Power Plant. Mr. Greg Morgan – Chief Engineer conducted the evaluation of the bidders and the assumed outcome is that PVT will be out of the running potential supplier because of the price compared to other bidder though the quality of the product is incomparable. If PVT loses this contract then its reputation and position in the Market Place are at stake as the announcement might through a press conference. Action Plan for PVT: 1. Competitor analysis – We should never underestimate the competitor and should analyse competitor before we bid or approach for any kind of order. They should know what are their offerings, price structure, services offered, value offered and geographic location. 2. Increase Marketing Efforts: The major disadvantage of PVTs lacking in reaching or communicating their product line and service to the clients/customer. They should start PR activities to improve their reach and increase their client relationship as well as customer base. In today’s market they should not rely on only the quality, Sales people contacts and services offered to the customer, rather advertisement...
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...PV Technologies, Inc.: Were They Asleep at the Switch? Problem: • Will Solenergy’s evaluation of PV Technologies put them at risk of a poor reputation and as a result position them lower in the renewable energy market? Objectives: • Stay as an industry leader in the renewable energy industry • Keep true to company vision/mission statement • Profitability • Focus on building continuous and long-term personal relationships Alternatives: • Four alternative courses of action- 1. Propose a warranty extension. 2. Increase the uptime that’s guaranteed. 3. Incorporate a developing product with a larger capacity and efficiency. 4. Contact Solenergy’s chief electrical engineer to confirm the evaluation. Consequences of Alternatives: (See Appendix for Consequence Table.) In framing this analysis, you need to compare the merits of the competing alternatives by evaluating how well they correspond to the objectives. In this case, the alternatives the PVT has in mind correlate to better odds potentially, in terms of challenging Solenergy’s evaluation results. Alternative 1 would not only make sure that Solenergy was given a quality product, but a product that was backed by an industry leading warranty extension. By including this extension, it not only shows that PVT stands with their product standards but it also shows dependability in terms of exceeding their customer’s needs; long after a transaction is made. Alternative 2 similarly takes care of the customers in...
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...Q1: What could be the reasons for the unfavorable evaluation of PV technologies by Greg Morgan? a) The bid prices of the competitor’s products especially BJ Solar’s were significantly lower than PVT’s. b) Solenergy was committed to a renewed focus on expense control and the upfront cost differential was significant c) An enhanced maintenance schedule, coupled with a proactive quality control program designed to identify potential performances issues before they occurred, should compensate for the inferior performance characteristics of the less costly inverters. d) The enhanced oversight and expanded maintenance schedule would raise operating cost, the lower net ownership costs argued in favor of selecting the lowest cost product. Q2: Evaluate alternative course of action available to PVT to gain favorable evaluation by Solenergy for the Barstow Project: The four alternative course of action available to PVT a) Offer to extend the original warranty at internal cost from 10 to 20 years In the first scenario PVT would extend the product warranty to 20 years, Solenergy would contractually prepay the warranty premium annually at the rate of 18% of the purchase price of each inverter. PVT would perform warranty services as necessary throughout the year and submit an invoice monthly of actual internal costs for parts, labor and service calls to Solenergy for its recordkeeping purposes. At the end, PVT would true up the prepayment and issue either a refund in the...
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...Running Head: ORGANIZATIONAL TECHNOLOGY Organizational Technology Plan Overview Business today is faced with an array of workplace changes varying from downsizing to implementation of new equipment or methodologies. In the current recession Jake’s Plumbing has looked for ways to have a successful business, while still providing the customer excellent service. Jake’s Plumbing is an organization that can change and adapt to new technological advances that leads to the organization’s survival and success. This organization is going to adjust business practices and the organizational model to achieve long-term prosperity. Changes required to make Jake’s Plumbing superior to competitors may include hiring skilled workers, finding support with external and internal partners, and continuing to advance in the areas of technology, which helps them remain competitive. As this cycle of change continues and adjustments made to the organizational structure, Jake’s Plumbing will incorporate these changes into the organization so that their employees and customers benefit. Lane, (2008) stated “Organizations go through change all the time, some minor but very often major; sometimes in the name of economy and almost always in the interests of improvement – this can be in terms of service or returns (or, with any luck, both).” (Lane 2008, The Challenge of Supporting Staff, ¶2.) This organizational technology assignment will be to concentrate...
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...INNOVATION POLICY OF BRAZIL 1. Some Numbers: • Total area - 8.5 million km² • Population - 191 million • GDP (2010) - 3,7 US$ trillion • Investment in R&D - 1.25 % GDP in 2010 • Scientists and researchers - 231,000 in 2010 (headcount) • Scientific papers - 2.7 % of world scientific production • world's sixth largest by nominal GDP • eighth largest by purchasing power parity. • moderately free markets and an inward-oriented economy. • the largest in Latin American nations ere. • one of the fastest-growing major economies in the world with an average annual GDP growth rate of over 5 percent • together with Mexico, has been at the forefront of the Latin American multinationals phenomenon by which, thanks to superior technology and organization, local companies have successfully turned global. 2. Overview Brazil has many times in its history praised to be the land of the future. First, Brazil with population of 190 million, the past eight years “Bolsa Familia” social program have lifted over 40 million Brazilians out of poverty and into middle class. This creates interesting platform for creating context related innovations and scaling bottom-of-the-pyramid innovations (disruptive and reverse) globally. Second, Brazil was almost non-effected by financial crisis 2008, a signal for strong and stable macro-economic policies. This means that Brazil, first time in its history, is becoming an interesting country for long term investment and strategic cooperation...
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...mind, modern technology is a bane than a boon. It cannot be denied that the technological improvement brings forth to us some advantages. Firstly, it helps man communicate local or oversea by writing email, telephone or mobile. A student , for instance, who is studying abroad can talk to his family by chatting and web cam rather than waiting for a hand - writing letters. Secondly, the modern tools also support man in business and studying. It makes better condition to fulfill tasks faster and more convenient. For example, a student spend less time searching information and documents by clicking mouse on google rather than is stuck with many books in library. A business man can deal with his job by using laptop and internet whereas he can still enjoy holiday with his family. Nevertheless, for every solution technology provides twice as many problems are likely to cause. The modern technology is to some extent underlying causes of negative things in our society. It's Internet that provides an accessible medium for bad elements such as pornography, crimes and so on. the teenagers who are not conscious enough tend to imitate the sexual and violence clips and images on internet. A typical example of this is the massacre in an American school. A pupil killed his classmates by his father 's gun simply because he only acted as a clip he saw. Moreover, the average rate of girls who are pregnant is very soon because of sexual images 's influence. Modern technology is the key element...
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...Technology has been a boon to mankind and it is a blessing in disguise. It has made the life of humans simple and easy to live. The effects of technology have largely been positive on human life. We have reached this modern era because of technology. The various technologies around us have made this world modern. In this modern life technological innovations have become integral to our lives Technological innovations are the most important aspect of human life and it is impossible to even think of our life without them. Technology is the greatest creation of humans and it has also enabled humans to create whatever they desire. I think that technology is indispensable in our modern life and it is a great positive force in our lives. The creativity in the field of technology has always resulted in remarkable innovations. We would not have reached such heights of development without the help of technology. Technology has influenced people in a positive sense. It has instigated people to create better and better innovations. We can never think of our lives without the basic amenities which technology has provided us with. Without such technology we would still be in the pre-historic age. We should be thankful to technology for our metamorphosis from a cave man to the modern man of present age. This modernism is the result of technology and it has made our life better and better with time. It is best tool that the humans have ever invented for self help. The technological inventions...
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...Implementing Barcode Medication Administration in Hospitals Part Three Creating Change in Organizations/HCS587 April 1, 2013 Dr. Sonnia Oliva Change needs to be evaluated after implementation to determine its effectiveness. The organization and management need to continually monitor BCMA to make sure the organization is benefiting from it and to modify components if necessary. Outcome measurement strategies for BCMA are not conclusive but single studies show its positive impact on patient safety. Additionally, cost, quality, and staff satisfaction are important when determining the effectiveness of BCMA and they all support the use of BCMA as technology that increases patient safety. Effectiveness of Organizational Change Organizations evaluate the effectiveness of change after it is implemented to determine if the change is valuable or costly. Effectiveness of BCMA also needs to be determined to ascertain its ability to increase patient safety by decreasing medication errors. Empirical data on BCMA’s effectiveness is limited and data is also inconclusive. Although, data collection conducted by the Veteran Health Administration (VHA) was used to offer suggestions for improved effectiveness. From 1999 to 2003 data was collected by VHA on the barriers that was making BCMA less effective. Laboratory use, nursing informatics, and interviews were used to determine suggestions VHA would recommend to improve BCMA’s effectiveness. The data was given to the VHA’s...
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...have turned out to be. The advantageous methods of technology towards me in our daily life in regards with education have had a massive growth and an enormous impact on our daily lives. Some of the research questions that would come to mind would be: What the major influences technological advanced education had upon us or has the technological advanced education benefited students and teachers? The key finding about my issue from the sources I found as I explored my topic were very interesting. As I explored I realized that advancement in education makes the life easier for all education fields and it speed up the long process such as projects/assignments. Moreover it also enhances the education system by developed ideas. Technology is the development over time of techniques for making and doing things. According to the oxford dictionary; education is the process of training a person’s mind so that they can acquire knowledge. The combination of education and technology has been considered the main key to human progress. Education feeds technology, which in turn forms the basis for education. The acquiring of knowledge allowed man to develop technological aid to make life easier. To date this same technology has impacted on the education industry. In the current age we live in, technology has become an important component. Every day there is some new gadget or software that makes lives easier and improves on the technology and software that already exists. Making lives easier...
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...Against The Machine Author: Erik Brynjolfsson & Andrew McAfee Executive Summary “Race Against the Machine”, is an agglomeration of the mercurial amelioration in technology in the past decade. How this perturbs the inception of new jobs? Why it impinges the need for human labor? And proposition to sustain the race “with” the machines. Key Takeaways * How Technology and Innovation have affected Employment and the Economy * Impact of contemporary technology on wages, employment and economy * The receding need for human work force as technology exceeds its threshold * Divergence between skills of labor, superstars, capital and labor. * How to change track from racing against the machine, than to race with the machines Key Definitions * Complimentary Innovation: Innovations that are triggered with the development of antecedent innovations. * Skilled Based Innovation Change (SBTC): shift in the production technology that favors skilled over unskilled labor by increasing its relative productivity and, therefore, its relative demand. (Easley, 2008) * Customer Relationship Management (CRM): is a widely implemented model for managing a company’s integration with customers, clients, and sales Prospects. (Wikipedia , 2012) * General Purpose Technology (GPT): Are technologies are that can affect an entire economy, at a national or global level. (Wikipedia, 2012) * Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP): systems integrate internal and external...
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...PROBLEM AND ITS BACKGROUND Introduction This situation prompted the researcher to conduct a study on students’ attitude towards science and health in relation to their academic performance in an identified school. In today’s world, science encompasses many ways of gaining information which helps individuals know themselves and their environment better and develop and renew this information frequently. Teaching science and technology to individuals help them to learn how adopt and adapt an inclination which forces them to think objectively and make the right decision confronting different events and situations. This inclination provides a comfortable life for them as well as for their family and their environment (Akgun, 2001). If students learn science using a scientific procedure and skill they would be able to use these procedures and skills in their daily life. In this procedure, while students’ attitudes towards science increase, they develop their creativity skills. During the primary educational period, courses on science and technology achieve a great importance comparing to the other courses since these courses teach students the environment, natural events and scientific developments as well as critical thinking and problem solving. (Kaptan, 1999) An attitude is an inclination to gaining a skill and is identified as an individual characteristic that provide a background for accepting a positive subject or denying a negative one. Thus, by improving a positive...
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...Phase 5 Individual Project 2013 Information Technology Management Table of Contents Business System Planning (Week 1) Introduction 4 Identify how the following critical success factors will be addressed by case study 5 Governance 5 Business plan alignment 6 Process improvement 6 Resource optimization 6 Operating excellence 7 Identify how the following critical success factors will be addressed by case study 7 Business management issues 7 Strategic and competitive issues 7 Planning and implementation concerns 8 Operational items 8 Identify how the variables defined by Strassmann's Model will be measured 8 Efficiency 8 Effectiveness 8 Competitivness 8 Profitability 8 Strategic Information Systems Assessment (Week 2) Create an analysis of strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats for case study 9 Case study continued 9 SWOT analysis of case study 10 SWOT analysis continued 11 12 13 Create an assessment of the forces that are presently governing competition for case study 14 Using Wiseman’s Framework of Strategy Development define the strategic thrusts and advantages 15 Information Systems Business Case (Week 3) Critical success factors for IT Manager 16 Continued. 17 General stratgy for IT goals and objectives of the case study. 18 General strategy on how IT department will support the goals and objectives of the case study 19 Information Technology Strategy Statement (Week 4) Business aspects 20 ...
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...EDU 225 Instructional Technology Benchmark Assessment and Rubric Targeted Essential Learning Students study and utilize a variety of technologies such as computer software and hardware and will develop a personal technology philosophy and classroom technology plan designed to enhance and shape their teaching skills and knowledge to better utilize emerging technology. (APTS 3, INTASC 6) Assessment Tool Selected 1) Comprehensive Classroom Technology Plan 2) Reflection Essay Specific Performance/Task(s) Select and implement appropriate technology and resources. (APTS 3.11) Select and use research-based strategies to engage learners. (APTS 3.12) Relevancy of Task to Teacher Candidate Demonstrate the effective use of technology to foster active inquiry, promote collaboration, and support interaction in the classroom. Assessment: Student Prompts/Teacher Directions Comprehensive Classroom Technology Plan (e-Portfolio Assignment) In Modules 2-6 you will be drafting the component parts of a Comprehensive Classroom Technology Plan for use in a 21st century classroom. The Comprehensive Classroom Technology Plan will include the sections listed below. Drafts of these sections will be submitted throughout the course for instructor feedback and will be revised for inclusion in the Benchmark Assessment, due in Module 7. A Reflection Essay will also be prepared to accompany the plan. The plan is composed of the following components: * Section One: Mission and Vision...
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