HP deskjet Essay

Case: Hewlett-Packard-Supplying the Deskjet Printer in Europe The DeskJet printer was introduced in 1988 and has become one of Hewlett-Packard’s (HP’s) most successful products. Sales have grown steadily, reaching a level of over 600,000 units in 1990. Unfortunately, inventory growth has tracked sales growth closely. HP’s distribution centers are filled with pallets of the DeskJet printer. Worse yet, the organization in Europe claims that inventory levels there need to be raised even further to maintain satisfactory product availability. THE DESKJET SUPPLY CHAIN The network of suppliers, manufacturing sites, distribution centers (DCs), dealers, and customers for the DeskJet product make up the DeskJet supply chain (see Exhibit 17.14). HP in Vancouver does manufacturing. There are two key stages in the manufacturing process: (1) printed circuit assembly and test (PCAT) and (2) final assembly and test (FAT). PCAT involves the assembly and testing of electronic components (like integrated circuits, read-only memories, and raw printed circuit boards) to make logic boards used in the printer. FAT involves the assembly of other subassemblies (like motors, cables, keypads, plastic chassis, gears, and the printed circuit assemblies from PCAT) to produce a working printer, as well as the final testing of the printer. The components needed for PCAT and FAT are sourced from other HP divisions as well as from external suppliers worldwide. Exhibit 17.14 HP DeskJet Supply Chain Selling the DeskJet in Europe requires customizing the printer to meet the language and power supply requirements of the local countries, a process known as â€Å"localization.† Specifically, the localization of the DeskJet of different countries involves assembling the appropriate power supply module, which reflects the correct voltage requirements (110 or 220) and power cord plug, and packaging it with the working printer and a manual written in the appropriate language. Currently, the final test is done with the actual power supply module included with the printer. Hence, the finished products of the factory are â€Å"localized† versions of the printer destined for all the different countries. For the European Market six different versions are currently produced. These are designated A, AA, AB, AQ, AU, and AY as indicated in the Bills of Materials shown in Exhibit 17.15. Exhibit 17.15 HP DeskJet Bill of Materials The total factory throughput time through the PCAT and FAT stages is about one week. The transportation time from Vancouver to the European DC is five weeks. The long shipment time to Europe is due to ocean transit and the time to clear customs and duties at port of entry. The plant sends a weekly shipment of printers to the DC in Europe. The printer industry is highly competitive. Resellers want to carry as little inventory as possible. Consequently, there has been increasing pressure for HP as a manufacturer to provide high levels of availability at the DC. In response, management has decided to stock the DCs so that a high level of availability is maintained. THE INVENTORY SERVICE CRISIS To limit the amount of inventory throughout the DeskJet supply chain and at the same time provide the high level of service needed has been quite a challenge to Vancouver’s management. The manufacturing group has been very successful in reducing the uncertainties caused by delivery to the European DC. Forecasting demand in Europe, though, is a significant problem. It has become common to have product shortages for model demands from some countries, while inventory of other models keeps piling up. In the past, the target inventory levels at the DCs were based on safety stocks that were a result of some judgmental rule of thumb. Specifically, target inventory levels, equal to one-month average sales, were set for each model carried in the DC. Now, however, it seems that the increasing difficulty of getting accurate forecasts means the safety stock rules should be revisited. HP has put together a team of employees to help implement a scientifically based safety stock system that will be responsive to forecast errors and replenishment lead times. They are to recommend a method for calculating appropriate safety stock levels for the various DeskJet models carried in  the European DC. The team has a good sample of demand data that can be used for developing the safety stock methodology (see Exhibit 17.16). HP hopes this new methodology will solve the inventory and service problem.

Asian people taking on non-typical or roles they are not characterized Essay

Asian people taking on non-typical or roles they are not characterized to in British cinema - Essay Example And that is what is the Asian Artists in England are aiming for; to craft their story and the performance in such a way that it entertains and touches the heart of the English community as much as it does of the Asian people. Asian directors are doing their best to bid for the mainstream. The year was 1986. A movie called ‘My beautiful Laundrette’ was released. Scripted by writer from Asian origin, Hanif Kureishi, the movie tells a story of the Asian community living in London [1]. It proved to be a commercially successful movie and gave inspiration to the upcoming Asian artists in England a hope to confidently launch their career move thinking that ‘mainstream’ is not out of their reach ((Korte and Sternber ,2004. pg. 49). help of his school friend Johnny, turns around the business of laundry. The story has all the issues that try to portray the Asian community like homosexuality , rebellious women, religious pressure, and an effort to adjust with the different culture. ((Korte and Sternber ,2004. pg..pg84). It talked about what was happening at that time with Asian origin people and how they were trying to break from the barriers of tradition by choosing to live the life of their own and taking their own decisions. ((Korte and Sternber ,2004. pg. 85). The film got a mixed response. Although it was received well by the audience, it was also criticized by some Asian audience and the critics saying that it misrepresented the Asian community and has given a negative shade to the Asian people ((Korte and Sternber ,2004. pg..85). But one thing was certain, the film of Asian origin got the entry in the ‘mainstream’. However, for the Asian artists, there was still long way to go and many

Reward Systems and Performance Management Term Paper

Reward Systems and Performance Management - Term Paper Example The basic aim of reward system and performance management is to increase the overall productivity and efficiency of the organization. And to do so the organization should be ready to value its workers. In this paper all those methods will be focused which can be used to reward the employees to make them feel valuable so that they work for the organization with all their dedication and devotion (Grote, 1996). Performance Management & Reward System An effective reward system can be made by using a very simple method based on the following five steps, namely: (1) Specific, (2) Meaningful, (3) Achievable, (4) Reliable and (5) Timely. To be â€Å"specific† means that action and the rewards should be maintained perfectly in accordance with each other. The reward should be meaningful and should be beneficial for both, the employ and the organization. The targets given to the employees should be achievable and practical. The entire program should be reliable and should be operated in accordance with the rules and regulations. Last but not the least, the entire program should be managed properly and timely (Lebas, 1995). There are several methods to reward the employees based on their performances. Some of them I have discussed in this paper. Employee Empowerment The empowerment of people refers to giving authority to the employees in particular. There are two major points to be understood. First is you should know that how you could utilize your work force to get the maximum possible financial results. And the second is that you should know and search for different techniques to raise productivity, lower the costs and maximize the revenues (Dransfield, 2000). Productivity refers to the outcome and efficiency of a firm. It is actually the outcome of your work. Empowerment has a vital role to play in things related to productivity. The productivity that is being induced and provoked by stress can be regarded as a path to burning out. The development of a work envi ronment that is positive and friendly can surely help in decreasing and diffusing the stress that increases due to the demands and pressure of raising the performance. It is a universal truth that not all people are similar. They have their own diversity. Hence it is also true that their all have different working styles. It is therefore necessary that the needs and requirements of an employee should be understood, like what motivates them, so that they could give their best performance. Flexibility in working hours, a walk after lunch, may be little refreshment or sport can help employees get rid of the drowsiness and increase the metabolic rates. It is necessary to understand that employees are not school going children (Dransfield, 2000). Give Respect to the Employees It is noted that if an environment is such that it gives respect and enough space to its employees for working according to their own working styles, then the employees can easily give their best to the company. The support from the management is a must. If the sales team is given enough resources to raise the sales, then it is obvious that by the end of year your sales would have increased. Access to resources like, market data, conduction of workshops and seminars, etc all help in raising the performance graphs of your employees (Armstrong, 2002). People from every level in an organization should have good communication among them. It is no doubt true that if a person enjoys what he do then they surely give their best which

Research and Discussion Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

And Discussion - Research Paper Example 86 (95.6%) of these attended class on campus, and 4 (4.4%) studied off campus. 67 (74.4%) students travelled to the campus using a personal vehicle while 23 (25.6%) used public transport. Of the students recruited to the study, 32 (35.5%) belonged to the Christian faith, 23 (25.5%) were Atheists, 20 (22.2%) were Agnostic, 3(3.3%) followed Hinduism, 2 (2.2%) followed Buddhism, 1 (1.1%) was Wiccan and 9 (10%) chose not to respond. 82 (91.1%) students responded that they did enjoy being at the University; while 7 (7.8%) said that they did not. 1 (1.1%) chose not to respond. When asked to respond to how much they enjoyed University, 32 (35.6%) said that they only enjoyed it somewhat; 48 (53.3%) said Quite a lot, and 10 (11.1%) responded that they enjoyed it totally. When asked how important they found having a sense of community 4 (4.4%) found it not important at all, 3 (3.3%) found it not very important; 31 (34.4%) found it somewhat important, 37 (41.1%) found it important, 12 (13.3%) f ound it very important and 3 (3.3%) chose not to respond. The subjects ranged in age from 19 to 57 years, with a mean age of 27.58 years and an SD of 9.3 years. The SES ranking ranged from a minimum of 3 to a maximum of 98; the mean ranking was 64.93 with an SD of 24.37. The subjects were found to spend from 3 to 40 hours on campus; the mean time spent on campus being 13.43 hours with an SD of 8.06 hours. The students were found to have a minimum of 0 and a maximum of 50 friends on campus; the mean being 9.16 with an SD of 8.17. Statistical tests were conducted to understand the relationships between these variables. A correlation conducted to test the relationship between the number of friends a person had and the importance they attached to having a sense of community was found to be significant at the 0.01 level [ r (85) = 0.348; p < 0.01 two-tailed]. The relationship between the age of the participants and the extent to which they enjoyed University was also found to be signific ant [p (88) = 0.289; p < 0.01 two tailed]. The correlation computed to test the relationship between the primary location of study and the importance associated with a sense of community was not significant [p (85) = 0.041; NS]. The relationship between the number of friends and the extent to which the subject enjoyed University was also not significant [p (88) = -0.031; NS]. The relationship between the time spent in Australia and the extent to which the subject enjoyed University was also not significant [p (88) = 0.173; NS]. The independent t – test conducted to test if gender did affect the extent to which students enjoyed University was found to be not significant [t (88) = 1.548; NS]. On the other hand, the independent t-test that checked if gender did affect the extent of importance attached to the sense of community was slightly significant, missing the 0.05 level of significance marginally [t (85) = - 1.785; p < 0.07 two tailed]. The t-test conducted to verify if loc ation of study affected the sense of importance of community were insignificant [t (85) = -0.382; NS]; as was the t-test to verify if the location of study affected the extent to which the student enjoyed University [t (88) = 0.018; NS]. The data collected from the focus group interviews was recorded verbatim and then analysed using the Leximancer profile; and the data thus gleaned was interpreted according to the context in which the verbatim reports were collected –

Homeland Security Analysis Speech or Presentation

Homeland Security Analysis - Speech or Presentation Example   The second amendment advocates for a well regulated Militia. It further declares that the right of the militia to own fire arms should not be infringed. It may be indisputable that gun ownership makes a nation safe.   However, the access of the fire arms by criminals may however be uncontrollable.   It is also questionable if the presence of a gun may cause unnecessary harm such as an ordinary argument escalating into a shooting. There are legal issues legal issues/laws that highly conflict with the policy. ii). Background Currently, the Homeland Security is one of the largest federal agencies in the United States of America. The second amendment in the US constitution states that a well regulated militia, is necessary for the security of a free nation and that the citizens have the right to own firearms. Quite often, conflict arises about how the second amendment should be interpreted. Other issues also emerge from a possibility that fire arm ownership causes increased. Ther e is difficulty in establishing a balance between ethical issues, individual's right of self-defense and national security. Each State in the US has fire arm laws clearly stated in their constitution. Most of the States have provisions for the right of an individual to own a firearm. The right to own firearms has been derived directly from the second amendment of the Unites States of America Constitution (William 1994). Most of the State constitutions give reasons for why an individual should be allowed to own firearms. Some these reasons are: a) Self-defense. Twenty four states give this as a valid reason for the use of arms b) State-defense Twenty eight states give this a proper purpose for gun use by individuals. c) Home/Property defense Ten states cite home/property defense as a reason for gun ownership. d) Family defense Five states advocate for this as a reason for gun ownership. e) Hunting and Recreation. Six states give this as another reason for fire arm ownership. The stat e constitutions do not permit confiscation of fire arms except for those used in crimes. iii). Discussion/analysis There is now written limit as to how many guns an individual can own. How many fire arms an individual can own is therefore an individual’s own business. For the sake of security, it is best that every home has access to a gun. Conflict arises from the need to have the public free of guns and the need to allow the public own guns. One can justify each position with the same point. Having guns with the people increases violent crimes and cases of murders by gunshots. On the other hand, ownership of guns increases safety within the public through reduced crimes as people are able to defend themselves. A number of legal issues do arise from the clause on gun/ firearm ownership cited in the second amendment of the constitution of the US. These legal issues are discussed below. a) Right to self defense All state constitutions allow gun ownership for reasons of self de fense. Other than these, recreation activities such as target shooting and hunting are also reasons for firearm ownership. Allowing gun ownership is thus a fundamental step in ensuring personal safety among the citizens. Though there are cases of death reported as a result of gun use in self defense, they are significantly lower to cases of life saving as a result of gun use for self defense. The gun ownership clause thus aids in increased safety among the

General Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

General - Research Paper Example rom past years has resulted to several models, assumptions and principles as well as explanations that fully support adult learning and act as a base for improvement, it’s certain that none of these theories is bound to have significant help on all adult students. Understanding this fact in addition to knowledge on the adult learning theories helps adult educators effect their practice. Several theories have been put forward and they include: andragogy, self-directed learning, active learning, transformational learning, problem solving and problem based learning, multiple intelligences, theory of learning conditions among many others. The principle of andragogy was established by Malcolm Knows (1980) in an effort to differentiate the means by which adults learn from those of young ones. This was the basis of all other theories as it tends to emphasize that adults are self directed and are anxious of being involved in decision making. . Malcolm contrasted this principle with the art of teaching a child referred to as pedagogy. His contrast was based on several assumptions about adult learners that in addition to them knowing the reason to study something, the content has to have immediate value. Another assumption is that adult learners also approach learning as a way of solving a particular problem and thus learning should be done experientially. Malcolm also pointed out that the motivation to study is more from internal factors than any external pressure. Therefore, andragogy calls for a clear explanation as to why the student should acquire knowledge on something and any adult tutor should adhere to it. However the principle of student incentive to self decision neglects the fact that the teacher should act as the primary source of information, knowledge and to some extent direction (Brookfield 2003). This draws back the andragogy to some point. Studies have shown that a great percentage of adult learning is self-directed (Cross 1981) whereby they take full