Essay on “Logistics management systems”

Essay on â€Å"Logistics management systems† In the contemporary business environment, management logistics has become very much machine based. This can be attributed to the introduction of computers in business where these machines come with programs which ease office keeping and management. Some of the ICT programs developed deal with warehouse management, supply management, cash book management and records management (spe.org/spe-site/spe/spe/jpt/2009/04/12Management.pdf). In logistics management, the main task is to control the supply of products to the final consumer. The business unit acts at the source while the consumer acts as the destination of the products. Supply chain management (logistics management) helps keep in track all activities that occur to the products from time of dispatch to time of consumption. The number of times that the products change hands is also accounted for in the logistics management and plays a very vital role in the whole process (spe.org/spe-site/spe/spe/jpt/2009/04/12Management.pdf). This ICT system is mainly in a class of information systems known as management information systems. These systems help organize run and effectively carry out managerial functions with minimal human effort. These systems heavily depend on the people, technology used and type of information handled (Russo, 2007). Looking back at the history of information systems and its influence on business, as business transactions became difficult to keep a close eye on, there cropped a need to develop a computer program that would effectively handle the bulk of information in the business entity and uphold data integrity. The main categories of information systems used in the world are decision making and management support systems (Russo, 2007). Logistics management is in the category of marketing information systems where the software is used to help ease marketing transactions. This software helps keep in track on all marketing channels and transactions. It helps organize all supply chain chains and organize supply to ensure effective forward and reverse flow of products (Robert, 2005). Narrowing down to the specific field of logistics management, the main tasks are to plan, implement and control the forward and reverse flow of products in the supply channel. It also covers the storage and disposal of products that prove to be substandard. For a better understanding of this management system, let us look into the functions themselves (Robert, 2005). From the basic architecture of the information systems, the system must interact with people. To ensure the system does this effectively, it has an interactive interface which enables the system to acquire data and then give an output (feedback or information). The output of the system depends on the second part of the information system. This part deals with processing the input according to a set of rules. This is the technology section of the system thus the output depends on the technology. Briefly looking at the technology itself, this part deals with a bit of programming. The programs developed depend on the intended task of the information system. With this task in mind, the programmer breaks down the whole process into smaller sub processes which can be developed independently. These sub processes lead to development of subprograms called either a procedure or function. The difference between a procedure and a function is only on the output part. Procedures mostl y give a non-numerical output thus can be said to have a void output while a function must return an output. In information systems, procedures are used to call function (activate functions). The functions are the actual parts of the supply chain management that helps make decision on the best output depending on the input and the conditions attached to the transaction. The functions mostly make use of iteration thus mostly employ the use of case statements. These statements help reduce repetitive use of ‘if’ and ‘while’ statements. The graphical user interface is developed to enable the management to interact with the program much simply and also to make the system much friendly compared to letting a person who does not understand programming to meet a large code which does not make any sense to the user (Robert, 2005). One of the main functions of logistics management is planning. This occurs according to the conditions attached to a specific scenario. For example, consider the sale of a vehicle. From the word go, all the costs must be considered before setting the selling price of the product. The conditions to consider may include buying price, shipping costs, profit margin and insurance. For the best selling price and discounts on these products, these conditions must be attached to the product. When feeding data to the logistics system, all these conditions must be fed. The system then come up with a plan of marketing the product at the minimum cost, the anticipated profit, the depreciation rates and even the shelf life of the product. The system also gives a set of rules under which the products may be returned to the source, ways of dealing with the returned goods and how to dispose the already useless products to the dealer (Rangel, 2002). In this component of the logistics system, the main ICT components are a case based program which accepts the set of conditions and then makes the best decision. This program must have an input and output window which helps in accepting the input and displaying the output. The program has also to incorporate mathematical expressions which help n computations of profit margins, discount rates and the anticipated profit (Rangel, 2002). Moving on to the next function of the system, analysis is vital. This process is the most crucial thus requires a careful planning. This component must have the ability to accept data and then process the whole bulk of data according to a set of rules making it possible for the transaction to occur. The analysis component is closely related to the planning since it receives data from the planning component for further processing. This component of the system does not interact with human beings thus is entirely dependent on the technology part of the information system (Rangel, 2002). Back to our illustration, the data about the car is fed to the system from the input window. For the planning to occur, the received data in the system is analyzed according to the set conditions and the best suited option in the case statements provoked. The data is then processed according to the rules and the output is done. However, this is also done for other alternative case statements in the whole program after the case analysis, the outcomes are displayed and the management chooses the best option. This option is then used to analyze the rest of the data pertaining to the product. (tefen.com/uploads/media/Case_Study.pdf). Lastly, let us move to control component of the system. This component is very important since it is the one that allows only valid information to be entered to the machine. Any data outside the accepted bracket of data is rejected and a message is displayed simultaneously. This part of the system is usually incorporated in programs as exceptional handling strings which help keep the system robust and free from any crashing. Deeper in the control aspect, the system ensures that the stock moves as anticipated. If excess stock flows out, it prompts the people using it input more stock. By this, it controls the movement of stock and produces a report to that effect. This part of the system is the only component in the whole system that prints a report to a peripheral device like a printer. The control aspect deals with the input and output, compares them and uses a part of the master program in the analysis component to come up with a report (Hawks, 2006). From the actual operation of the logistics management, there exist two logistic management subsystems. These subsystems can be attributed to the fact that supply chain can have products moving in either of the directions. In the forward movement of products, forward logistics management system is evoked. This subsystem helps in computation of the required discounts, anticipated profits and the other facts like shelf life of the products. When a product has been returned to the business unit due to some defects, it has to be considered by the system for the best record updating. This calls for reverse logistics management subsystem which is part of the main logistics system. This subsystem helps keep record of the defective products as well as help in making decision s regarding the best way to repair or deal with the returned products. These two subsystems work in opposition to each other and they are stored on the same main system. They are evoked as one of the very i nitial steps thus they use almost the same subprograms but call the functions differently or in different orders (Hawks, 2006). With this technology, management is becoming easier with time and record keeping is becoming much easier than in the past. Many advantages in this sector can be associated with technology use I supply management. Some of the advantages are: Fast data manipulation. The main cause of use of technology in business can be said to be speed. The rate at which a compute manipulates data is very fast compared to human manipulation. As business firms became larger, the amount of data that required to be handled increased almost exponentially. Considering sales department under which supply falls, the growth was almost exponential thus a new mechanism had to be developed so as to keep in pace with the increasing business transaction. This is what led to development of logistics management systems which help in all matters pertaining to sales. The number f records that require to be reviewed and data extracted from even in a small firm may take a lot of time to peruse and get the required data. A computer system may only require a single click or a few clicks to help retrieve the same amount of data. In report preparation, it is very easy to use data contained in a system to prepare a report compared to data which has to be extrac ted from paper records. Thus, the system also helps reduce the time required to prepare and print a report (Baron, 1996). Reduced manpower. Looking at the actual function of the logistics system, many people may be required to carry out the required planning, implementation and control of sales. These people would have a lot of work load on their shoulders thus the required manpower may be too much for the business unit to hire. By using this system, only a few employees may be required since most of the sales decisions are made by the system. With this reduced manpower required, the business unit has the ability to hire highly qualified personnel and increase the profit margin since the expenses are reduced (Baron, 1996). Better decision making process. A computer system always gives a number of options as output. The management then has a starting pointing their discussion thus the decisions they make are much more precise. The alternatives are listed from the most appropriate to the least appropriate thus the management can easily make the best choice. If the choice is incompatible with the system, then the system gives a number of suggestions thus in the very end, the best decision is arrived. Time saving. In any business department, a lot of time is wasted holding meetings which at time do not produce the best results. Instead of holding meetings without any clue of the matter at hand, the logistics department may serve a purpose of giving some information about the point of discussion in the meeting saving time to find preliminary information on the subject of discussion. The decision support ability also enables the system to save time when making sales decisions and profit margins or discount computation. Ease of expansion. Critically analyzing any decision making system it can be easily expanded to cover any number of related chores. For example, if the company may have to make a decision on supply of the raw materials, the same logistics system may be used instead of relying on physical manpower or buying a new system (Baron, 1996). Any technological advancement comes at some expense. These expenses may appear to the people as disadvantages thus many people may remain opposed to the adoption of the new technology. Some of these disadvantages include: Capital intensive business unit. In many parts of the world, business units are started with an aim of creating employment. In the process of adopting new technology, the labor intensive structure that the business proprietors had in mind is washed away making the whole investment to be capital intensive. This may result in death of the original dream that the proprietor had. Also, running a capital intensive business unit may be quite more expensive than labor intensive businesses. Specialized skills. All these technological advancements require period update of the user skills. Most of the system users might find this quite tasking thus may remain reluctant to adopting the new technology in business. The technology might also require special handling equipment which may be expensive to use and maintain. Lack of personal touch in the business. Many of the people who oppose use of technology in business do it mostly due to loss of personal touch in the sales department. This may result in many customers losing trust in the business unit thus the actual says may decline. (Baron, 1996). These systems can be divided into three categories where each deals with a specific part in the supply chain. These categories are briefly discussed below. Conventional department management system. This system deals with the actual office work and mainly deals with records. This system is the one responsible for all record transactions ranging from updating, querying of data to report compilation and printing. It can be claimed as the main system on which the other entire logistics systems crop. This system extends to control activities where it monitors the forward logistics and reverse logistics. It serves as the main sales decision support mechanism thus acts as the control of sales department (Hugh, 2002). Warehousing management system. This system deals with monitoring the rates at which the products are fed into and fetched from the warehouse. It is part of the conventional department system which precisely deals with warehouse activities and then gives a feedback to the main system for report compilation. However, this system still has capability of report compilation (Hugh, 2002). Transport management system. This system may appear as only tracking system that is not part of the sales department but due to the transport of sales, it is part of the department. This system uses GPRS tracking systems which help locate the products on transit and help keep them secure. If the products are tampered with while on transit, the sales department can easily use this system to know how to sabotage took place (Hugh, 2002). Critically analyzing the use of technology in business sales department, there has been a reported success in the field. In fact more than 75% of business units that use logistics management systems have reported to be happy with the systems since once the required skills are acquired; the rest of the work is very simple. From a personal perspective, use of logistics systems is very important to a business unit. The function of monitoring can be very complicated and tasking but with the systems control component, the work is very simple. This section may require very many people but with the technology in place, a single person may carry out many tasks per unit time (Keller, 2006). The use also suffers some drawbacks which can be said to be rooted in the technological constraints. Many of the people using computers may know very little about them thus using a system to keep their business alive and give them a competitive advantage may be a dream almost out of hand. On personal opinion, this constraint makes people feel alienated thus makes people detached (Keller, 2006). A personal statement on this issue would be to support the use of technology in business enterprises. As much as businesses should avoid being capital intensive, people must also change with the change or if they remain reluctant, the change will change them. In conclusion, technology use in business has been on the rise in the recent with the rapid widespread use†¦

Comparing McCarthyism and The Crucible by Arthur Miller Essay

Authors used their literary work to get a point across to the public in the story The Crucible; Arthur Miller used events and characters to show the similarities to McCarthyism which was prevalent in the 1950s. McCarthyism was associated with the period in the United Sates also known as the Second Red Scare. McCarthyism is very similar in the way that Joe McCarthy accused Americans of being communist and in The Crucible people were being accused of being witches. It is known that Arthur Miller wrote this story as a reaction to a tragic time in our history. In both situations people were accused and were found guilty with not much proof. You would think that the judges would dismiss a case when there wasn’t much proof. In The Crucible†¦show more content†¦People lost their jobs and careers went bad and even imprisonment occurred. McCarthy held hearings called the Hollywood Blacklist, which had to do with The House Committee on Un-American Activities and anti- communist activities with the FBI. McCarthyism had great effects on different levels of society, involving conflict and many arguments. This relates to The Crucible in the sense that the way people were acting changed dramatically, different and weird because they knew or thought that witches were around. It destroyed people’s relationships, caused chaos in church and separation between people. People supported Abigail and Rev.Parris in different types of ways. For example when Abigail would say something and even when it was not true the girls would all follow her moves and lie for her. McCarthyism was supported by many different groups, including a lot of anti- communist organizations, there was no solid number for the victims of McCarthyism, and people who were imprisoned were around the hundreds and ten to twelve thousand lost their jobs. In The Crucible some were hung and many were being imprisoned nonstop and everyone was being called a witch, even with no proof. They searched for perverts and ended up i n thousands being harassed and denied employment. In The Crucible John Proctor and Abigail had a quiet affair andShow MoreRelatedThe Crucible By Arthur Miller Essay1646 Words   |  7 Pagesplays that came from the 1950s was Arthur Miller’s The Crucible. During a time when the U.S. was worried of communism taking over, Miller released The Crucible, which helped to capture the hysteria that was occurring. The play presents itself as a metaphor for the House of Un-American Activities Committee that was created during the Cold War when communism was spreading, but Miller never actually referenced it in the play. Although Arthur Miller’s The Crucible is set in the late 1600s, it offersRead MoreThe Crucible By Comparing The Salem Witch Trials1431 Words   |  6 Pagesnation, and Arthur Miller became a victim of McCarthyism. Miller suffered through accusations of possibly believing in communism; as a result, he wrote a play called The Crucible, in which he used the Salem W itch Trials of 1692 to explain the communist hysteria during the 1950s. Arthur Miller develops an allegory in The Crucible by comparing the Salem Witch Trials to McCarthyism by using ringleaders, persecuted couples, and hypocrisy in the government or legal system. Certainly, Miller creates aRead MoreThe Hands Of An Angry God1627 Words   |  7 Pagesand The Crucible Essay Two coarse yet uniquely fragile societies, three hundred years apart, devoured by individual ideologies that permeated belief systems, that blinded, deafened, and muted citizens, and that ultimately led to gruesome hysteria. â€Å"Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God†, written by Jonathan Edwards in the mid-1700’s, is a sermon directed to a Puritan congregation urging with orthodox fervor for transgressors to repent. Arthur Miller wrote the allegorical play The Crucible in 1953Read MoreThe Crucible By Arthur Miller1355 Words   |  6 Pagesmodern day, or is history merely an outlet to express one’s ideas by using past examples? History is both, and history is a powerful tool, such as when comparing two events to prove a point. Proving a point was a necessity for Arthur Miller during the 1950’s, and he proves his point through The Crucible, a play about the Salem Witch Trials. Miller attacks the red scare, which was a time of fear of communism growing in America, and proves the how similar the two events were, and how they are importantRead MorePuritan Intolerance In Arthur Millers The Crucible808 Words   |  4 PagesMcCarthyism is well-known and embraced by Arthur Miller. His 1953 play on the Salem witch trials act as an allegory to Joseph McCarthy’s scandal, comparing them to a â€Å"witch hunt†, thus an allusion to the Salem tragedies. Miller uses his characters in a strict way to develop his allegory of the Puritan intolerance. Strongly implanted by Miller, his theme of intolerance demonstrates what thoughts spring to life and what he is trying to put forth. In Arthur Miller’s The Crucible, Miller uses his charactersRead More Analyze how Arthur Miller creates dramatic tension at the end of Act 31300 Words   |  6 PagesAnalyze how Arthur Miller creates dramatic tension at the end of Act 3 of The Crucible. During this essay, I will be explaining how Arthur Miller creates dramatic tension at thee end of Act 3 of his novel, The Crucible. I will be organizing this essay in paragraphs by points. Here are the main points I will be analyzing: - Setting - Stage Directions - Characters and Language - Comparing thee witch trials to the McCarthyism Proctor brings Mary to court and tells Judge DanforthRead MoreThe Human Lust For Power By Arthur Miller1689 Words   |  7 Pagesand philosophers alike constantly analyze its corrupting influence and recursive nature. Arthur Miller’s The Crucible, however, highlights a different facet of power: the means by which individuals strive to obtain it. In particular, he focuses on social power and the use of accusatory labels, such as â€Å"witch,† to obtain this power. The story is also a clear extended analogy for American McCarthyism, comparing the absurdity of the Salem witch trials to the equally ridiculous accusations of â€Å"communistRead MoreThe Lord of the Flies by William Golding776 Words   |  3 Pagesnegative feature throughout the novel, similar to the play The Crucible. William Golding uses Lord of the Flies as an allegory to present evil and sin through different symbols within the novel, with boys being trapped on an island. Arthur Miller presents evil and sin through a contextual, Puritan society within various characters. Even though both writers present these themes, Golding presents it in the lack of female presence and Miller presents it mainly from a female perspective. If one is to commitRead MoreEssay on Joseph McCarthy and the Red Scare1134 Words   |  5 Pagescommunists. The cold war had a large affect on this, because it is when America became afraid of communists or Russians. McCarthyism affected everyone in America Most citizens were afraid of the reds, some were former or current reds, some were accused and persecuted for being an assumed red. It’s clear that McCarthyism played a big role in the development of America. McCarthyism became a household term, not only associated with the red scare. It is now a term used for any accusation without any evidenceRead MoreThe Cold War And The Cuban Missile Crisis2976 Words   |  12 Pagesannihilation at any moment in time. Many can even name important events in the Cold War, such as ‘The Berlin Wall Collapsing’ or ‘The Cuban Missile Crisis’, however there is one major part of the Cold War that most tend to forget and glance over: McCarthyism, or the Red Scare. Senator Joseph McCarthy stressed an importance on ending communism in America, and during the 1950s, many accused to be affiliated with communists were sent to court and sometimes to prison when, in fact, most were innocent. Those

Events and Entertainment Planning and Project Management

Question: Discuss about the Events and Entertainment Planning and Project Management . Answer: Introduction: Event management is defined as that domain of management that utilizes project management concepts, tools and techniques so as to plan and materialize large scale events like that of formal parties, convocation, festival, conferences and so on and so forth (Rojek, 2014). The students of the University of Plymouth have arranged for an event, with the aim of raising funds that would be donated to one of the most renowned NGOs of the United Kingdom, the WDC or the Whales and Dolphin Conservation. The details of this event have been provided in the report. The event: the entertainment aspects of it The students of the University of Plymouth (in cooperation of the administrative authorities of the organization) have decided to conduct the Save the Dolphins Weekend at the University premises. The said festival would include the following events for the students of the institute, the alumni and their families: Stage Performances: Performances confirmed so far: AQ Flying Orchestra, Beat Breakers, Blue Spots, Co Op Big Band, Fanfara,Haunt the Woods, Kouatchou, Reggasjas, RSVP, The Turbans and Yaaba Funk. Traditional Thai dance performances presented by the Plymouth Thai Association iii. Traditional Indian dance performances presented by the Plymouth Indian Association Performances by the song writer-singer students of the Plymouth University The Plymouth Film Program: a screening of short movies developed by the students of the Plymouth University. Workshops Zumba lessons by the students of the Plymouth University Salsa lessons by the students of the Plymouth University (Turner, 2016). iii.Spanish Guitar lessons by the students of the Plymouth University Activities for the alumni and their families Campus tours for the alumni and their family members. Reunion for the alumni iii. A harbor cruise trip Health checkups The total revenue generated from the festival would essentially be donated to the Whales and Dolphin Conservation, so as to assist them in their worldwide activities. Background of the event: The scope of the project The scope of the project includes the following: Making arrangements for all the performances, activities, workshops and programs that have been mentioned in section 2 of the report. Develop and conduct the programs in a manner that creates awareness regarding the conservation of dolphins and whales among the audience. Making lodging arrangements for the alumni and the other spectators who visit the University during the festival. The objectives of the project The project being described in this report has the following objectives: To organize and conduct a festival that would entertain the spectators. To create awareness among the spectators regarding the need for conserving the underwater ecosystem and the activities being conducted by the Whales and Dolphin Conservation. iii. To raise significant amount of funds that would be contributed to the WDC. Budget for the Project The budgetary estimation of the project is being provided below: Table 1: The budgetary estimation of the project Activity Cost Payments to be made for the stage performances $ 200,000.00 Making arrangements for the dance performances $ 100.00 Making arrangements for the performances by the students of the University $ 100.00 Making arrangements for 'The Plymouth Film Program' $ 5,000.00 Making arrangements for the workshops to be conducted by the students of Plymouth University $ 500.00 Campus tours for the alumni and their family members $ 100.00 Reunion for the alumni $ 5,000.00 Harbor cruise trip $ 10,000.00 Making arrangements for the Health checkups $ 500.00 Venue $ - Designing and constructing the stage $ 3,000.00 Power consumption $ 12,000.00 Accommodation for spectators $ 5,000.00 Promotional activities $ 1,000.00 Permission from local authorities $ 150.00 Permission from law and order departments $ 150.00 Making arrangements for evacuation facilities in case of any emergency $ 1,000.00 Making arrangements for emergency healthcare facilities $ 500.00 Making arrangements for fire prevention $ 1,200.00 Miscellaneous costs $ 10,000.00 Estimated Budget: $ 255,300.00 (Source: Developed by author) The target audience for the event The target audience for the event can be divided into the following classes: The students enrolled to the Plymouth University: The under-graduate and post-graduate students, along with the research scholars who are currently enrolled to the Plymouth University are being considered as the primary target audience of the festival ((Turner, 2016). The alumni of the Plymouth University: The alumni of the Plymouth University (as well as the members of their families) are expected to participate in the festival. The faculties and administrative personnel associated with the Plymouth University are also expected to be presented at the festival along with their families (Kerzner, 2013). Project Management tools and techniques In the following sections of the report, discussions have been made on the schedule of the entire project, along with the expected outcomes and deliverables of the project. The schedule of the project The schedule of the project has been provided in the table below: Table 2: The schedule of the project Task Name Duration Start Finish Predecessors Save the Dolphins Weekend Project 43 days Fri 20-05-16 Tue 19-07-16 Project starts 0 days Fri 20-05-16 Fri 20-05-16 Stage 1: The Planning stage 18 days Fri 20-05-16 Tue 14-06-16 Developing student committees who would oversee the entire project 5 days Fri 20-05-16 Thu 26-05-16 1 Developing an initial plan for the entire event 5 days Fri 27-05-16 Thu 02-06-16 3 Allocating responsibilities to the members of the festival committees 2 days Fri 03-06-16 Mon 06-06-16 4 Developing the project schedule 3 days Tue 07-06-16 Thu 09-06-16 5 Developing the budget 3 days Tue 07-06-16 Thu 09-06-16 5 Communicating with sponsors 2 days Fri 10-06-16 Mon 13-06-16 7 Collecting funds from sponsors 1 day Tue 14-06-16 Tue 14-06-16 8 Collecting permissions from all government authorities 2 days Tue 07-06-16 Wed 08-06-16 5 End of planning stage 0 days Tue 14-06-16 Tue 14-06-16 6,9,10 Stage 2: Making arrangements 22 days Wed 15-06-16 Thu 14-07-16 Making arrangements for the stage performances 17 days Wed 15-06-16 Thu 07-07-16 Developing a list of performers who the project team can approach 5 days Wed 15-06-16 Tue 21-06-16 11 Communicating with the performers 5 days Wed 22-06-16 Tue 28-06-16 14 Collecting quotations from the performers 2 days Wed 29-06-16 Thu 30-06-16 15 Negotiating with the performers 2 days Fri 01-07-16 Mon 04-07-16 16 Booking the performers 3 days Tue 05-07-16 Thu 07-07-16 17 Communicating with the Plymouth Thai Association 2 days Wed 15-06-16 Thu 16-06-16 11 Finalizing the performances to be made by the Plymouth Thai Association 1 day Fri 17-06-16 Fri 17-06-16 19 Performances by the Plymouth Thai Association finalized 0 days Fri 17-06-16 Fri 17-06-16 20 Communicating with the Plymouth Indian Association 2 days Wed 15-06-16 Thu 16-06-16 11 Finalizing the performances to be made by the Plymouth Indian Association 1 day Fri 17-06-16 Fri 17-06-16 22 Performances by the Plymouth Indian Association finalized 0 days Fri 17-06-16 Fri 17-06-16 23 All stage performances finalized 0 days Thu 07-07-16 Thu 07-07-16 18,24,21 Making arrangements for the workshops 7 days Wed 15-06-16 Thu 23-06-16 Selecting student committees for conducting and overlooking the Zumba lessons 7 days Wed 15-06-16 Thu 23-06-16 11 Selecting student committees for conducting and overlooking the Salsa lessons 7 days Wed 15-06-16 Thu 23-06-16 11 Selecting student committees for conducting and overlooking the Spanish Guitar lessons 7 days Wed 15-06-16 Thu 23-06-16 11 Arrangements for the workshops co completed 0 days Thu 23-06-16 Thu 23-06-16 27,28,29 Making arrangements for the alumni activities 17 days Wed 15-06-16 Thu 07-07-16 Selecting student committees who would participate in the campus tours 7 days Wed 15-06-16 Thu 23-06-16 11 Training the students who would provide campus tours to the alumni and their family members 10 days Fri 24-06-16 Thu 07-07-16 32 Communicating with healthcare institutes for providing healthcare facilities to the alumni 5 days Wed 15-06-16 Tue 21-06-16 11 Finalizing the healthcare facilities that would be provided to the alumni 5 days Wed 22-06-16 Tue 28-06-16 34 Booking the cruise trip 3 days Wed 15-06-16 Fri 17-06-16 11 Booking the said healthcare facilities 2 days Wed 29-06-16 Thu 30-06-16 35 Arrangements for the alumni activities completed 0 days Thu 07-07-16 Thu 07-07-16 33,36,37 Making arrangements for fire prevention 5 days Fri 08-07-16 Thu 14-07-16 38 Making arrangements for emergency medical services 5 days Fri 08-07-16 Thu 14-07-16 38 Making arrangements for security 5 days Fri 08-07-16 Thu 14-07-16 38 All arrangements completed 0 days Thu 14-07-16 Thu 14-07-16 25,30,38,39,40,41 Stage 3: The event 3 days Fri 15-07-16 Tue 19-07-16 The event 3 days Fri 15-07-16 Tue 19-07-16 42 Event completed successfully 0 days Tue 19-07-16 Tue 19-07-16 44 End of project 0 days Tue 19-07-16 Tue 19-07-16 45 (Source: Developed by author) The figure below depicts the Gantt chart of the project. Figure 1: The Gantt chart of the project (Source: Developed by author) The outcomes of the project The following outcomes are being expected from the project: The successful conduction of the Save the Dolphins Weekend Festival. Awareness regarding the conservation of the underwater ecosystem (Kerzner, 2013). Significant amount of funds for supporting the activities of Whale and Dolphin Conservation. The deliverable of the project The deliverables of the project are: All project reports including the budget and schedule estimations, the contracts being made with the performers, the permissions granted by the government authorities, the expenses being made, etc (Hill, 2013). The progress reports of the project, submitted on a weekly basis. The final events to be held on 15th, 18th and 19th of July, 2016. Project Team Management and Structure The structure of the project management team has been depicted in the figure below: Figure 2: The structure of the project team (Source: Developed by author) Project Communication and Stakeholder management The following section of the report emphasizes on the stakeholders associated with the project and the methods that would be utilized for communicating with them as and when the project commences. The stakeholders of the project The stakeholders associated with the project under consideration have been enlisted below: The administrative authorities of the University of Plymouth: The event in consideration is not only being supported by the administrative authorities of the University, but the said authorities are making active participations in making arrangements for the festival (Hill, 2013). The festival committee: The festival committee (consisting of students and faculty members of the University) are responsible for making all the arrangements necessary for conducting the festival. The sponsors of the festival: The sponsors of the project are facilitating the financial activities of the project. Thus, the sponsors are being considered as one of the primary stakeholders of the project (Crawford, 2014). The target audience of the festival: The students presently studying at the University of Plymouth, the faculty members of the University and the alumni ( along with their family member) are being considered as the target audience, as well as one of the key stakeholders of the festival. The Whale and Dolphin Conservation: The Whale and Dolphin Conservation or the WDC would be highly benefitted from the festival (the revenue generated from the festival would be donated to this very organization) and thus should be considered as one of the stakeholders of the project (Heldman, 2013). The performers: The success of the entire festival depends on the performances of the performers, thus the performers are being included in the list of stakeholders of the project under consideration. The stakeholder analysis matrix of the project under consideration is being provided below: Table 3: The stakeholder matrix of the project Importance of stakeholder Un-known Little or no importance Some importance Significant importance Influence of stakeholder Significant importance The sponsors of the festival i. The administrative authorities of the University of Plymouth ii. The festival committee Some importance Little or no importance Whale and Dolphin Conservation i. The target audience of the festival ii. The performers Un-known (Source: Developed by author) Communication with the stakeholders The following table depicts the methods to be utilized for communicating with the stakeholders of the project: Table 4: The communication management plan Sl. No Stakeholder Information to be communicated Mode of communication Frequency of communication 1 The sponsors of the festival 1. The budgetary requirements of the project. 2. The utilization of the budgetary resources of the project 1. Official Mails 2. Presentations Once in a fortnight 2 The administrative authorities of the University of Plymouth The progress made by the festival committee 1. Official Mails 2. Presentations Once in a week 3 The festival committee Any changes deemed necessary by the administrative authorities of the University of Plymouth or the other stakeholders of the project. 1. Official Mails 2. Official meetings As and when required 5 Whale and Dolphin Conservation The outcomes of the project 1. Official Mails 2. Official meetings 3. Presentations After the project ends 6 The target audience of the festival The list of events of the festival 1. Official Mails 2. Other promotional activities After the activities have been finalized, up till the event starts 7 The performers Any changes deemed necessary by the administrative authorities of the University of Plymouth or the other stakeholders of the project. 1. Official Mails 2. Official meetings As and when required (Source: Developed by author) The Risk Management Plan of the project The following risks, associated with the project, have been identified: Table 5: The Risk Management Plan of the project Sl. No Risk description Management Plan 1 Enough funds might not be available from the sponsors. The organizers should reconsider their budgetary requirements 2 One or more performers might not be present ( or be late) at the performance The organizations must develop backup plans for such scenarios 3 The task of gaining permissions from the government authorities might be time consuming Enough time must be allotted for this task while scheduling the project. (Source: Developed by author) The evaluation and control of the project The following techniques would be utilized for evaluating and controlling the project under consideration: Project control: Tools like Tracking Gantt charts, control charts and baseline Gantt charts help in comparing the progress made by the project (on a particular date) with the expected progress of the of project on that particular date, which in turn can be used for controlling the project (Heagney, 2012). Project evaluation: The earned value analysis method is widely utilized for evaluating the progress made by the project (terms of completion of activities and utilization of budgetary resources) and would be utilize while evaluating this project (Kerzner, 2013). Conclusion: The entertainment aspects of the Save the Dolphins Weekend, along with its aims and objectives have been discussed in section 2 and 3 of the report, while an estimation of the budget required for conducting the event has been provided in section 4. The other aspects of the project, like that of the structure of the project team, the tools and techniques being utilize for managing the resources, the project communication and risk management plans and the control techniques to be utilized by the project manager has also been discussed in the report. In the light of the discussions made in the report, it can be concluded that the said event can be successfully conducted, thus meeting the aims and objectives of the project. Bibliography Burke, R., (2013). Project management: planning and control techniques.New Jersey, USA. Chia, R., (2013). Paradigms and perspectives in organizational project management research: implications for knowledge creation.Novel Approaches to Organizational Project Management Research: Translational and Transformational. Copenhagen Business School Press, Copenhagen, pp.33-55. Crawford, J.K., (2014).Project management maturity model. CRC Press. Diego, B.J., Cdrick, B.E.L.E.R. and Daniel, N.O.Y.E.S., (2013). Risk analysis in project early phase taking into account the product lifecycle: Towards a generic risk typology for bidding process.IFAC Proceedings Volumes,46(9), pp.495-500. Flyvbjerg, B., (2013). Quality control and due diligence in project management: Getting decisions right by taking the outside view.International Journal of Project Management,31(5), pp.760-774. Garel, G., (2013). A history of project management models: From pre-models to the standard models.International Journal of Project Management,31(5), pp.663-669. Grefen, P., Pernici, B. and Snchez, G. eds., (2012).Database support for workflow management: the WIDE project(Vol. 491). Springer Science Business Media. Heagney, J., (2012).Fundamentals of project management. AMACOM Div American Mgmt Assn. Heldman, K., (2013).PMP: project management professional exam study guide. John Wiley Sons. Hill, G.M., (2013).The complete project management office handbook. CRC Press. Hornstein, H.A., (2015). The integration of project management and organizational change management is now a necessity.International Journal of Project Management,33(2), pp.291-298. Kerzner, H.R., (2013).Project management: a systems approach to planning, scheduling, and controlling. John Wiley Sons. Marchewka, J.T., (2014).Information technology project management. John Wiley Sons. Martinsuo, M., (2013). Project portfolio management in practice and in context.International Journal of Project Management,31(6), pp.794-803. Meng, X., (2012). The effect of relationship management on project performance in construction.International journal of project management,30(2), pp.188-198. Mller, R., Glckler, J., Aubry, M. and Shao, J., (2013). Project management knowledge flows in networks of project managers and project management offices: A case study in the pharmaceutical industry.Project Management Journal,44(2), pp.4-19. Rojek, C., (2014). Global event management: A critique.Leisure Studies,33(1), pp.32-47. Sharbatoghlie, A. and Sepehri, M., (2015). An Integrated Continuous Auditing Project Management Model (CAPM). In4th International Project Management Conference. Turner, R., (2016).Gower handbook of project management. Routledge. Verzuh, E., (2015).The fast forward MBA in project management. John Wiley Sons. Walker, A., (2015).Project management in construction. John Wiley Sons.

Nitendo Case Essay Example

Nitendo Case Essay ORAL TEAM PRESENTATION 1 Case No. 2 (text page C-17): Competition in energy drinks, sports drinks, and vitaminenhanced beverages. Suggested Questions: 1) What are the strategically relevant components of the global and U. S. beverage industry macro-environment? How do the economic characteristics of the alternative beverage segment of the industry differ from that of other beverage categories? Explain. 2) What is competition like in the alternative beverage industry? Which of the five competitive forces is strongest? Which is weakest? We will write a custom essay sample on Nitendo Case specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now We will write a custom essay sample on Nitendo Case specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer We will write a custom essay sample on Nitendo Case specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer What competitive forces seem o have the greatest effect on industry attractiveness and the potential profitability of new entrants? 3) How is the market for energy drinks, sports drinks and vitamin-enhanced beverages changing? What are the underlying drivers of change and how might those forces individually or collectively make the industry more or less attractive? What key factors determine the success of alternative beverage producers? 4) What does your strategic group map of the energy drink, sports drink, and vitaminenhanced beverage industry look like? Which strategic groups do you think are in the best positions? The worst positions? 5) What key factors determine the success of alternative beverage producers? 6) What recommendations would you make to Coca-Cola to improve its competitiveness in the global alternative beverage industry? to PepsiCo? to Red Bull GmbH? ORAL TEAM PRESENTATION 2 Case No. 6 (text page C-95): Nintendos strategy in 2009 The ongoing battle with Microsoft and Sony. Suggested Questions: 1) What is competition like in the video game console industry? Do a five-force analysis to support your answer. Which of the five competitive forces is strongest? Which is weakest? Would you characterize the overall strength of competition in ideo game consoles as fierce, strong, moderate to normal or weak? Why? 2) What forces are driving changes in the video game console industry? Are these driving forces acting to make the industry more or less competitively intense? Are the driving forces acting to make the industry more or less profitable in future years? 3) What 3-5 key factors determine the success of video game console developers like Nintendo? 4) What is Nintendos strategy? Which of the five generic strategies discussed in Chapter 5 is Nintendo using? What are some of the recent offensive and/or defensive strategies that Nintendo has employed? Have these tactics been successful? 5) Is it fair to characterize Nintendos introduction of the Wii as a blue ocean strategy? Why or why not? 6) How well is Nintendos strategy working in terms of the financial performance it is delivering? Should shareholders be pleased? Why or why not? What 2-3 weaknesses? 7) What does a SWOT analysis reveal about the attractiveness of Nintendos overall situation? Is the companys competitive position as solid as top management seems to believe? Does the company have a competitive advantage? If so, what is the basis for this competitive advantage and is the advantage sustainable? 8) What does a competitive strength assessment (as per the methodology in Table 4. 2 of Chapter 4) reveal about whether Nintendo has a competitive advantage? 9) What recommendations would you make to Nintendo to improve its competitiveness in the video game console industry and to maintain its favorable positioning vis-? ¤-vis Microsoft and Sony? ORAL TEAM PRESENTATION 3 Case No. 10 (text page C-1 56): Research in Motion Managing explosive growth. 1) What are the dominant economic characteristics of the wireless communications industry? What are the distinguishing features of the market for smart phones? 2) What is competition like in the wireless phone industry? Which of the five competitive forces is strongest? Which is weakest? What competitive forces seem to have the greatest effect on industry attractiveness? 3) How is the wireless phone industry changing? What are the underlying drivers of change and how might those driving forces change the industry? 4) What strategic approach has Research in Motion chosen to employ in international markets? Would you characterize its strategy as a global strategy or a localized multicountry strategy? How has it utilized location to build competitive advantage? 5) How important is it for Research in Motion to increase the size of its pool of software developers? What are the different options for substantially increasing its R staff? 6) Which option for increasing the number of software developers should Research in Motion pursue? Explain how your recommended course of action is consistent with Research in Motions resources, organizational capabilities, and management preferences. ORAL TEAM PRESENTATION 4 CASE 17 (PAGE C-270): Adidas in 2009 Has corporate restructuring increased shareholder value? 1 . What is adidas corporate strategy? Was there a common strategic approach utilized in managing the companys lineup of sporting goods businesses prior to its 2005-2006 restructuring? Has the corporate strategy changed with restructuring? 2. What is your evaluation of adidas line-up of businesses in 2009? What does a 9-cell industry attractiveness/business strength matrix displaying adidas business units look like? 3. Does adidas business line-up exhibit good strategic fit? What value-chain match- evident? Prior to its divestiture, what kind of strategic fl ts existed between adidas core business and its Salomon business unit? 4. Has adidas business line-up exhibited good resource fit between 1998 and 2008? What have been the financial characteristics of its major business segments during that time period? Which businesses might have been considered cash hogs and cash cows? 5. Based on your analysis of adidas businesses, did the restructuring undertaken in 2005 and 2006 make sense? Does it appear the acquisition of Reebok International will produce higher returns for shareholders? What strategic actions should adidas top management initiate to improve the companys financial and market performance now that restructuring is complete?