...WEEK 7 - ASSIGNMENT Read Chapter 9 of the Text and Complete Chapter 9 – Discussion Question 1 (End of Chapter) 1.Supply chain management is less about managing the physical movement of goods and more about managing information. Discuss the implications of this statement. Information is at the heart of what every company does. This is especially true when several companies are coordinating logistics processes. These companies must share and coordinate their information, in order to turn raw materials into final products that are delivered to customers. Before a company can physically move its goods, it must have accurate information. Inaccurate information causes part shortages, underutilized plant capacity, excessive finished goods inventory, and excessive transportation costs. A supply chain management system enables its members to adjust sourcing, manufacturing, and distribution plans based on changing inventory levels, schedules, forecasts, and shipments. At Chapter 9 – Review Question 1 – All Bullets (End of Chapter) How do enterprise systems help businesses achieve operational excellence? Define an enterprise system and explain how enterprise Software Works. Enterprise software consists of a set of interdependent software modules that support basic internal business processes. The software allows data to be used by multiple functions and business processes for precise organizational coordination and control. Organizations implementing this software would have...
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...contribution to society. CSR is the practice of managing the social, environmental and economic impacts of the company, being responsive to 'stakeholders' (those who are affected by a business operation) and behaving according to a set of values which are not codified in law. In practice the term can refer to a wide range of actions that companies may take, from donating to charity to reducing carbon emissions. By CSR here we refer to the practice of major companies, rather than 'ethical pioneers': smaller companies which are set up with social and environmental concerns as their primary motivation in doing business. Companies engage in CSR because, for a number of reasons, they think it will be good for their profit margins. The business case for CSR emphasises the benefits to reputation, staff and consumer loyalty plus maintaining public goodwill. CSR is supposed to be win-win. The...
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...Case Study Write Up: GE’s Two Decade Transformation: Jack Welch’s Leadership Teri Raven, EMBA 709 “GE’s Two-Decade Transformation” analyzes the leadership of Jack Welch, CEO of General Electric. When he took over GE as CEO in 1981, Jack Welch had big shoes to fill. His predecessor, Reg Jones, had been referred to as a “management legend” and been voted “CEO of the Year” and “CEO of the Decade” 3 and 1 times, respectively. Jones had led the company for 8 years and had done well both professionally and politically. Upon his initiation as CEO in 1981, the Wall Street Journal had already likened Welch’s replacing Jones to replacing a legend with a “live wire.” The business climate was shaky when Welch took over in April 1981, with the economy in recession. Welch had only one option: success. And to achieve success in the current climate, he would need his team to be “better than the best.” In fact, the choices were to be #1, #2, or nothing at all. He soon used this philosophy in his categorization of businesses into core, high-technology, and services. Welch’s 10 year vision was to lead GE to a state in which it would be viewed as “the most profitable, highly diversified company on earth, with world quality leadership in every one of its product lines” (Bartlett/Wozny); he sought to achieve this via a massive restructuring of the business. His philosophy of “fix, sell, or close” businesses was born, yet the reality was often that in the economic state of that time,...
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...Global warming has become perhaps the most complicated issue facing world leaders. On the one hand, warnings from the scientific community are becoming louder, as an increasing body of science points to rising dangers from the ongoing buildup of human-related greenhouse gases — produced mainly by the burning of fossil fuels and forests. On the other, the technological, economic and political issues that have to be resolved before a concerted worldwide effort to reduce emissions can begin have gotten no simpler, particularly in the face of a global economic slowdown. After years of preparation for climate talks taking place in Copenhagen through Dec. 18, 2009, President Obama and other leaders announced on Nov. 15 what had already become evident — that no formal treaty could be produced anytime soon. Instead, the leaders pledged to reach a placeholder accord that would call for reductions in emissions and increased aid to help developing nations adapt to a changing climate and get access to non-polluting energy options. This would in theory give the nations more time to work out the all-important details. Negotiators would then seek a binding global agreement in 2010, complete with firm emission targets, enforcement mechanisms and specific dollar amounts to aid poorer nations. At the heart of the debate is a momentous tussle between rich and poor countries over who steps up first and who pays most for changed energy menus. Read More... Within the United States...
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...SUVs, the Environment, Safety, and Stakeholders The Evolution and Devolution of the SUV Market In 1990, the SUV/Light truck market consisted of approximately 4 million units sold out of 14 million total vehicle sales in the United States. By 1999, the percentage of the total market had increased and total sales were higher. SUVs/light truck sales were 8.2 million of 16.4 million units sold.21 47.6 percent of Ford Motor Company's sales are of SUVs, primarily its Ford Explorer and larger Expedition, but also of its even larger Excursion. These vehicles took the place of the truck-like Bronco and smaller Bronco II. The largest players in the SUV market (with the number of units sold in 2000) are as follows: 22 [pic] In 1997, most auto manufacturers expanded their SUV offerings and entered the luxury SUV market. These SUVs, with prices around $50,000, featured in-vehicle televisions and VCRs, leather interiors, and all the amenities of luxury cars. The new market entrants are listed below: [pic] By 2000, the U.S. segment of the luxury SUV market was 80.5 percent.23 At that time, SUV purchases constituted one of every five auto sales in the United States and were the highest-margin products in all the automakers' lineups .24 Profits per SUV averaged $ 10,000 per unit. Profits on the Ford Excursion were at the top of the field at $18,000 per unit. At that time, SUVs comprised 20 percent of all of Ford's vehicle sales and accounted for the majority of Ford's...
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...Abstract Businesses today face heightened expectations around their role in society and the world, with turning a profit only one of many criteria by which performance is measured. Rising in importance is the impact a company has on its stakeholders, society, and even the planet. Integrated reporting, which encompasses elements of traditional financial reporting, sustainability reporting, and governance reporting within a single presentation, represents a growing trend that reflects these new expectations. The core concept underlying the term “integrated reporting” is providing one report that fully integrates a company’s financial and non-financial (including environmental, social, governance and intangibles) information. Integrated reporting offers the opportunity to centre business reporting on strategy and value creation, to demonstrate how the business uses capital and the extent to which they should continue to be invested in business. Integrated reporting is a journey. Organizations are unlikely to achieve perfection in the first year. In the absence of a generally accepted framework, companies that wish to move toward integrated reporting may encounter several dilemmas around relevance, scope, assurance and other issues. However, as reporting processes for the production of the supporting information are designed and improved and as the executive team begins to benefit from a more informed implementation of the governing structures’ decision, reporting will improve...
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... INFORMATION ABOUT THE PROFESSOR Dr. D P Goyal is Professor at Management Development Institute, Gurgaon, New Delhi, India (www.mdi.ac.in/faculty/detail/28-d-p-goyal/). • • • • • • • • Post Graduate in Business Management; Doctorate in MIS Over 29 years of experience in teaching, research, consulting & executive training Published more than hundred research papers in national / international journals of repute Published 18 books including three well acclaimed text books one each on MIS from Macmillan; ERP from McGraw-Hill; and IT project Management from Macmillan Have supervised 13 Ph.D. research scholars Completed many sponsored research projects On the Board of Governors; Advisory Board; Academic Council; Board of Studies of many business Schools/Universities Member of editorial board and review panel of several referred journals OBJECTIVES OF THE COURSE The main objectives of the course are to provide the management student a broad understanding of: • • • • • Information Systems (such as Transaction Processing Systems, Management Information Systems, Decision Support systems, etc) from a Business Perspective Information Systems Planning Key IT Technologies, and the implications of these technologies for managers Identifying Information Requirements and Systems Analysis Issues & Challenges in managing ISs/IT such as Enterprise Resources Planning (ERP), Supply Chain Management (SCM), Customer Relationship Management (CRM), Business Intelligence...
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...machines, material and human resources. • Continuous improvement of customer satisfaction and resource management. iv Table of conTenTs Company Information Corporate Directories Notice of the 14th AGM Chairman’s Speech Introducing the Directors Success Milestones Statement of Corporate Governance Financial Highlights Directors’ Report to the Shareholders Compliance Report on SEC’s Notification Shareholding Information Management Commitee Management Team Senior Executives Introduction of the Senior Executives Memorable Events for 2010 Report of Audit Committee Auditors Report & Financial Statements Proxy form 02 04 06 08 12 18 20 22 24 42 44 45 46 48 50 52 54 57 Annexed 1 Company 2 Information Summit Power Limited (SPL), sponsored by Summit Group, is the first Bangladeshi Independent Power Producer (IPP) in Bangladesh in private sector providing power to national grid. SPL was incorporated in Bangladesh on March 30, 1997 as a Private Limited Company. On June...
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...Climate Change and Corporate Environmental Responsibility Dewan Mahboob Hossain (1) Jahangir Alam Chowdhury (2) (1) Dewan Mahboob Hossain Assistant Professor Department of Accounting & Information Systems University of Dhaka, Dhaka, Bangladesh Email: dewanmahboob@univdhaka.edu (2) M. Jahangir Alam Chowdhury, PhD (Stirling, UK) Professor, Department of Finance, and Executive Director Center for Microfinance and Development University of Dhaka Dhaka - 1000, Bangladesh. Email: mjac_dubd@yahoo.com Introduction Abstract Climate change, as an international environmental issue, is getting a lot of attention. The negative effects of climate change have become one of the most talked about issues among Governments, scientists, environmentalists and others. It is said that business activities are affecting the climate negatively. In order to minimize the negative effects of climate change, the activities of the businesses should be controlled and encouraged to perform in a socially responsible manner. The article focuses on the responsibilities and the responses of businesses on climate change issues. The article first highlights on two prominent issues: Corporate Social Responsibility and Corporate Environmental Responsibility. Then the article introduces climate change as an international environmental concern. Then, by going through several published literature, the article highlights various responsibilities of business towards climate...
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...Spectroscopy and Electron Spin Resonance Spectroscopy) Spectroscopy is the study of the absorption and emission of light and other radiation by matter, as related to the dependence of these processes on the wavelength of the radiation. More recently, the definition has been expanded to include the study of the interactions between particles such as electrons, protons, and ions, as well as their interaction with other particles as a function of their collision energy. Spectroscopic analysis has been crucial in the development of the most fundamental theories in physics, including quantum mechanics, the special and general theories of relativity, and quantum electrodynamics. Spectroscopy, as applied to high-energy collisions, has been a key tool in developing scientific understanding not only of the electromagnetic force but also of the strong and weak nuclear forces. The basic principle shared by all spectroscopic techniques is to shine a beam of electromagnetic radiation onto a sample, and observe how it responds to such a stimulus. The response is usually recorded as a function of radiation wavelength. A plot of the response as a function of wavelength is referred to as a spectrum. Electromagnetic radiation consists of discrete packets of energy, which call photons. A photon consists of an oscillating electric field component, E, and an oscillating magnetic field component, M. The electric and magnetic fields are...
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...Grameen Bank: Taking Capitalism to the Poor Evaristus Mainsah* MBA ’04 Schuyler R. Heuer MBA ’04 Aprajita Kalra MBA/MIA ’04 Columbia Business School Columbia University School of International and Public Affairs Qiulin Zhang MPA ’04 Columbia University School of International and Public Affairs This paper was written as part of the course Emerging Financial Markets taught by David O. Beim, professor of professional practice, at Columbia Business School in fall 2003. The authors are grateful for his invaluable feedback. © 2004 by The Trustees of Columbia University in the City of New York. All rights reserved. CHAZEN WEB JOURNAL OF INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS SPRING 2004 www.gsb.columbia.edu/chazenjournal * Corresponding author (EMainsah04@gsb.columbia.edu). Executive Summary In the early 1970s, Professor Muhammad Yunus envisioned a means of alleviating poverty by circumventing the major impediment to lending to the poorest in society—the need for collateral. He tested this instinct in an experiment in 1976, when he lent about $27 to 42 women in an ordinary Bangladeshi village. Just 30 years later, Grameen Bank has more than 3.2 million borrowers (95 percent of whom are women), 1,178 branches, services in 41,000 villages and assets of more than $3 billion. This paper explores Grameen Bank’s origins, structure, culture, performance and efforts to expand and broaden the microfinance agenda. The authors evaluate Grameen’s success in implementing Yunus’s vision...
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...2 Operations Strategy Defining how firms compete Chapter Objectives • Introduce the concept of operations strategy and its various components, and show how it relates to the overall business strategy of the firm. Illustrate how operations strategy pertains to adding value for the customer. Identify the different ways in which operations strategy can provide an organization with a competitive advantage. Introduce the concept of trade-offs between different strategies and the need for a firm to align its operations strategy to meet the needs of the particular markets it is serving. Explain the difference between order-qualifiers and order-winners as they pertain to operations strategy. Describe how firms are integrating manufacturing and services to provide an overall “bundle of benefits” to their customers. • • • • • STEELMAKER DOFASCO DOES A TURNAROUND THROUGH STRATEGIC REFOCUSING It is no secret that Canadian steelmakers are under pressure. The industry is increasingly facing competition from steelmakers in developing countries such as Brazil, China, and India where labour costs are low. While some other Canadian steel makers struggle, Hamiltonbased Dofasco, in business since 1912, has turned around its losses from a decade ago through a revised strategy. The company also owns or has partial ownership in facilities in the United States and Mexico. Until the late 1980s, the company competed on price by producing as much steel as possible at the lowest possible...
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...analyse aggregated site usage. Keep cookies enabled to enjoy the full site experience. By browsing our site with cookies enabled, you are agreeing to their use. Review our cookies information for more details. Sex and advertising Comment (28) E-mail Print Reprints & permissions Retail therapy How Ernest Dichter, an acolyte of Sigmund Freud, revolutionised marketing Dec 17th 2011 | from the print edition Like 1.7k Tweet 874 Advertisement THESE are thrilling days for behavioural research. Every week seems to yield a new discovery about how bad people are at making decisions. Humans, it turns out, are impressionable, emotional and irrational. We buy things we don't need, often at arbitrary prices and for silly reasons. Studies show that when a store plays soothing music, shoppers will linger for longer and often spend more. If customers are in a good mood, they are more susceptible to persuasion. We believe price tends to indicate the value of things, not the other way around. And many people will squander valuable time to get something free. The sudden ubiquity of this research has rendered Homo economicus a straw man. Yet such observations are not new. Analysts have been studying modern man's dumb instincts for ages. Sigmund Freud argued that people are governed by irrational, unconscious urges over a century ago. And in America in the 1930s another Viennese psychologist named Ernest Dichter spun this...
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...Experience with Promotion of Renewable Energy: Successes and Lessons Learned Parliamentarian Forum on Energy Legislation and Sustainable Development Cape Town, South Africa 5-7 October, 2005 Richard L. Ottinger[?] Abstract: Renewable energy is becoming economic in all markets as its rapid growth results in more competitive prices. It is particularly appropriate and increasingly being adopted for providing electric power services to rural areas in developing countries unlikely to be served by grid electricity. Policies needed to implement renewable energy systems in rural areas are discussed in this paper. Most prominent are removal of subsidies to traditional energy primarily benefiting the wealthiest; involving the local populace in decision making; educating financial institutions about the economics of investing in renewable energy systems and creating investment vehicles appropriate to financing them in poor localities; training personnel on management, maintenance and drafting contracts; requiring vendor provision of maintenance and parts; and effective regulation and oversight of system management and financing. I. Introduction The recent sharp increases in the prices of oil, natural gas, uranium and coal underline the importance for all countries to focus on development of alternative energy resources. For developing countries, these price increases can have ruinous economic consequences; for many countries already plagued by poverty this means...
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...LEADERSHIP Exam questions: 1. “Leaders are born, not made” – Discuss this statement in a cross cultural context 2009/2010 2. What is the meaning of leadership? Are western theories of leadership relevant to non-Western cultural settings? Illustrate with examples.2009/2010 3. Are Western theories of leadership relevant in Non-Western cultural settings? Illustrate with examples. 2008/2009 4. Leadership is critical for the success or failure of international operations, and what is effective in one country might be considered as ineffective in another culture. Select two leaders from two different cultures and compare and contrast their leadership styles. Explain why they are different or similar.2007/2008 5. “Leadership is fundamentally the same irrespective of culture.” Do you agree/disagree? 2007/2008 6. How does culture influence the practice of leadership? 2006/2007 Objectives: 1. Describe the basic philosophic foundation and styles of managerial leadership 2. Examine the attitudes of European managers toward leadership practices 3. Compare and Contrast leadership styles in Japan with those in the US 4. Review leadership approaches in China, the Middle East, and developing countries 5. Examine recent research and findings regarding leadership across cultures 6. Discuss the relationship of culture clusters and leader behaviour to effective leadership practices, including increasing calls for more...
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