Featured Post

Profitability analysis of mergers and acquisitions

Monday, December 30, 2019

Biography of Fidel Castro, Cuban President for 50 Years

Fidel Castro (August 13, 1926–November 25, 2016) took control of Cuba by force in 1959 and remained its dictatorial leader for nearly five decades. As the leader of the only communist country in the Western Hemisphere, Castro was long the focus of international controversy. Fast Facts: Fidel Castro Known For: President of Cuba, 1959–2008  Born: August 13, 1926 in the province of Orient, CubaParents: à ngel Maria Bautista Castro y Argiz and Lina Ruz Gonzà ¡lezDied: November 25, 2016 in Havana, Cuba  Education: Colegio de Dolores in Santiago de Cuba, Colegio de Belà ©n, University of HavanaSpouse(s): Mirta Diaz-Balart (m. 1948–1955), Dalia Soto del Valle (1980–2016); Partners: Naty Revuelta (1955–1956), Celia Sà ¡nchez, others.  Children: One son Fidel Castro Diaz-Balart (known as Fidelito, 1949–2018) with Diaz-Balart; five sons (Alexis, Alexander, Alejandro, Antonio, and à ngel) with Soto del Valle; one daughter (Alina Fernandez) with Naty Revuelta Early Life Fidel Castro was born Fidel Alejandro Castro Ruz on August 13, 1926 (some sources say 1927) near his fathers farm, Birà ¡n, in southeast Cuba in what was then the Oriente Province. Castros father à ngel Maria Bautista Castro y Argiz came to Cuba from Spain to fight in the Spanish American War and stayed. à ngel Castro prospered as a sugarcane farmer, eventually owning 26,000 acres. Fidel was the third of seven children born to Lina Ruz Gonzà ¡lez, who worked for à ngel Castro as a maid and cook. At the time, the elder Castro was married to Maria Luisa Argota, but that marriage eventually ended and then à ngel and Lina married. Fidels full siblings were Ramon, Raà ºl, Angela, Juanita, Emma, and Agustina. Fidel spent his youngest years on his fathers farm, and at the age of 6 he began school at Colegio de Dolores in Santiago de Cuba, transferring to the Colegio de Belà ©n, an exclusive Jesuit high school in Havana. Becoming a Revolutionary In 1945, Fidel Castro started work on a law degree at the University of Havana, where he excelled at oratory and quickly became involved in politics. In 1947, Castro joined the Caribbean Legion, a group of political exiles from Caribbean countries who planned to rid the Caribbean of dictator-led governments. When Castro joined, the Legion was planning to overthrow Generalissimo Rafael Trujillo of the Dominican Republic, but the plan was later canceled because of international pressure. In 1948, Castro traveled to Bogotà ¡, Colombia with plans to disrupt the Pan-American Union Conference, when country-wide riots broke out in response to the assassination of Jorge Eliecer Gaità ¡n. Castro grabbed a rifle and joined the rioters. While handing out anti-U.S. pamphlets to the crowds, Castro gained first-hand experience of popular uprisings. After returning to Cuba, Castro married fellow student Mirta Diaz-Balart in October 1948. Castro and Mirta had one child together, Fidel Castro Diaz-Balart (known as Fidelito, 1949–2018). Castro vs. Batista In 1950, Castro graduated from law school and began practicing law. Retaining a strong interest in politics, Castro became a candidate for a seat in Cubas House of Representatives during the election of June 1952. However, before the elections could be held, a successful coup led by General Fulgencio Batista toppled the previous Cuban government, canceling the elections. From the beginning of Batistas rule, Castro fought against him. At first, Castro took to the courts to try legal means to oust Batista. However, when that failed, Castro began to organize an underground group of rebels. Castro Attacks the Moncada Barracks On the morning of July 26, 1953, Castro, his brother Raà ºl, and a group of about 160 armed men attacked the second-largest military base in Cuba—the Moncada Barracks in Santiago de Cuba. Confronted with hundreds of trained soldiers at the base, there was little chance that the attack could have succeeded. Sixty of Castros rebels were killed; Castro and Raà ºl were captured and then given a trial. After delivering a speech at his trial which ended with, Condemn me. It does not matter. History will absolve me, Castro was sentenced to 15 years in prison. He was released two years later, in May 1955. The 26th of July Movement Upon his release, Castro went to Mexico where he spent the next year organizing the 26th of July Movement (based on the date of the failed Moncada Barracks attack). There he became involved with Naty Revuelta, a Cuban fellow fighter against Batista. Although the affair did not last, Naty and Fidel had a daughter, Alina Fernandez. The affair also ended Fidels first marriage: Mirta and Fidel were divorced in 1955. On December 2, 1956, Castro and the rest of the 26th of July Movement rebels landed on Cuban soil with the intention of starting a revolution. Met by heavy Batista defenses, nearly everyone in the Movement was killed, with merely a handful escaping, including Castro, Raà ºl, and Che Guevara. For the next two years, Castro continued guerrilla attacks and succeeded in gaining large numbers of volunteers. Using guerrilla warfare tactics, Castro and his supporters attacked Batistas forces, overtaking town after town. Batista quickly lost popular support and suffered numerous defeats. On January 1, 1959, Batista fled Cuba. Castro Becomes Cubas Leader In January, Manuel Urrutia was selected as president of the new government and Castro was placed in charge of the military. However, by July 1959, Castro had effectively taken over as leader of Cuba, which he remained for the next five decades. During 1959 and 1960, Castro made radical changes in Cuba, including nationalizing industry, collectivizing agriculture, and seizing American-owned businesses and farms. Also during these two years, Castro alienated the United States and established strong ties with the Soviet Union. Castro transformed Cuba into a communist country. The United States wanted Castro out of power. In one attempt to overthrow Castro, the U.S. sponsored the failed incursion of Cuban-exiles into Cuba in April 1961 (the Bay of Pigs Invasion). Over the years, the U.S. has made hundreds of attempts to assassinate Castro, all with no success. Fidel was rumored to have had many partners and illegitimate children over his lifetime. In the 1950s, Fidel began a relationship with the Cuban revolutionary Celia Sà ¡nchez Manduley (1920–1980) which lasted until her death. In 1961, Castro met Cuban teacher Dalia Soto del Valle. Castro and Dalia had five children together (Alexis, Alexander, Alejandro, Antonio, and à ngel) and married in 1980, after Sà ¡nchezs death. During his presidency, Vilma Espà ­n de Castro, a fellow revolutionary and the wife of Raà ºl Castro, acted as First Lady. Cuban Missile Crisis In 1962, Cuba was the center of world focus when the U.S. discovered the construction sites of Soviet nuclear missiles. The struggle that ensued between the U.S. and the Soviet Union, the Cuban Missile Crisis, brought the world the closest it has ever come to nuclear war. Over the next four decades, Castro ruled Cuba as a dictator. While some Cubans benefited from Castros educational and land reforms, others suffered from the food shortages and lack of personal freedoms. Hundreds of thousands of Cubans fled Cuba to live in the United States. Having relied heavily on Soviet aid and trade, Castro found himself suddenly alone after the downfall of the Soviet Union in 1991; many speculated that Castro would fall as well. Even though the U.S. embargo against Cuba was still in effect and damaging Cubas economic situation throughout the 1990s, Castro remained in power. Retirement In July 2006, Castro announced that he was temporarily handing over power to his brother Raà ºl while he underwent gastrointestinal surgery. Complications with the surgery caused infections for which Castro underwent several additional surgeries. Rumors of his death appeared frequently in news reports for the next decade, but they were all proven false until 2016. Still in ill health, Castro announced on February 19, 2008, that he would not seek nor accept another term as president of Cuba, effectively resigning as its leader. The handover of power to Raà ºl raised more anger among  United States officials, who characterized the transfer as the prolonging of a dictatorship. In 2014, President Barack Obama used his executive powers to attempt to normalize diplomatic relations and exchange prisoners with Cuba. But after Obamas visit, Castro publicly denigrated his offer and insisted that Cuba needed nothing from the U.S. Death and Legacy Fidel Castro was in power through 10 U.S. presidential administrations, from Eisenhower to Obama, and he sustained personal relationships in Latin America with political leaders such as Hugo Chavez of Venezuela and literary leaders such as the Colombian writer Gabriel Garcia Marquez, whose novel The Autumn of the Patriarch is in part based on Fidel. Castro made his final public appearance to a congress of the Cuban Communist Party in April 2016. He died of undisclosed causes in Havana on November 25, 2016. Sources Archibold, Randal C. et al. Decades in the Making: Fidel Castros Obituary. The New York Times, November 29, 2016.  Arsenault, Chris. Obituary: Fidel Castro. Al Jazeera, November 26, 2018.  DePalma, Anthony. Fidel Castro, Cuban Revolutionary Who Defied U.S., Dies at 90, The New York Times, November 26, 2016.  Meet Fidel Castros family: torn by bitterness, rows and dysfunction. The Telegraph, November 26, 2016.Sullivan, Kevin and J.Y. Smith. Fidel Castro, revolutionary leader who remade Cuba as a socialist state, dies at 90. The Washington Post, November 26, 2016.

Sunday, December 22, 2019

Stan Musial Essay - 1684 Words

Name: Stan Musial Bith Date: December 21, 1920 Death Date: Place of Birth: Donora, Pennsylvania, United States of America Nationality: American Gender: Male Occupations: baseball player Stan Musial Stan Musial (born 1920), one of baseballs greatest hitters, enjoyed an extraordinary career with the St. Louis Cardinals from 1941 through 1963. Called Stan the Man because of his intimidating presence at the plate, Musial won seven batting championships and three Most Valuable Player awards. Accommodating to fans and the media both during and after his playing career, Musial was considered one of the games most gentlemanly and down-to-earth ambassadors. He came from rural Pennsylvania, never graduated from high school, and†¦show more content†¦They horsed around more, cut up with hillbilly songs and musical instruments. ... I never had the courage to try my harmonica outside my hotel room, but I could make my share of noise with that slide whistle and coat hanger. I always thought it helped to laugh it up before a game, not to become too tense. Led by Musials hot bat, the loose, inexperienced Cardinals surprised everyone by winning 106 games, including 43 of their last 52, to claim the National League pennant. Then St. Louis beat the favored Yankees in the World Series, and Musial was on a world championship team in his first full season. Musial was disliked by Brooklyn Dodgers fans, who bestowed his nickname. Groaning when he came up to bat in key situations, they would yell: Oh no. Here comes that Man again. From then on, he was always Stan the Man. Musial didnt find out till after he retired that Dodgers shortstop, Pee Wee Reese, often used to steal his bat before games. Musial had an unorthodox batting stance. He crouched down to make the strike zone smaller, held his hands back until the last possible instant, and punched many of his hits the opposite way. A lot of guys saw my hitting style and said Id never hit in the big leagues, Musial recalled. In fact, Musial feasted on all types of pitching. I learned early to hit the curveball, Musial wrote in hisShow MoreRelatedPaytons Babe Ruth1006 Words   |  4 Pagescompetitive, exciting and full of memorable moments. Baseball is one of Americas most popular sports. It takes skilled players to make the game entertaining and fun. Some skilled players include: Jackie Robinson, Ty Cobb, Willie Mays, Lou Gehrig and Stan Musial. But none of these players are as good as Babe Ruth. George Herman Ruth was born on February 6, 1895 in a small house in Baltimore, Maryland. George grew up a bum, living on the streets of the Baltimore waterfront. George was a disrespectful kidRead MoreAmerica s Favorite Pastime And Jackie Robinson Essay1661 Words   |  7 Pagescivil rights movements. The game has seen it all. There have been great players who have put their career’s on hold to fight for their country. â€Å"More than 500 major league baseball players during World War II, including stars like Ted Williams, Stan Musial and Joe DiMaggio†. There is one player that didn’t have to put his career on hold to fight for his country. He fought for his country simply by playing baseball. His name is Jackie Robinson the first African American player in Major League BaseballRead MorePersonal Narrative : My Sister, Kampbell1819 Words   |  8 PagesBP, in Hermann, and get something to drink. After a while on Interstate 70, we decided to stop and get something to eat at Chick-fil-A in Warrenton, MO. Once we hit the road again, we didn’t see much, but I will never forget when we crossed the Stan Musial Veterans Memorial Bridge, over the Mississippi River, into Illinois because i t was the first time we have ever driven a car over the Mississippi River. About the time when we got to Mt Vernon, Illinois, I asked my mom if we could go to the Louisville

Saturday, December 14, 2019

Zara Free Essays

string(137) " monitor the progress ensures the timely report and communication between the productions and operations sections for the data analysis\." Title Warehouse Inventory Management A Case Study in Retail Fashion Industry Company Name Ezra International Objective for a warehouse management Is fully utilize the space, Improved the productivity of operations flow and reduce the Inventory carrying cost. From the case of Ezra, I found that they arranging the cross- dock rather then typical storage function. Because they have the commitment about the order fulfillment time from warehouse to stores, for examples 24 hours to European countries, 48 hours to American and within 72 hours to Japan. We will write a custom essay sample on Zara or any similar topic only for you Order Now So Sara warehouse needs to have efficient operations arrangement with the automatic middling equipment to achieve the fast fashion goal. (90 words) 1. 1 Functional Design The typical warehouse functions have five main processes receiving, pathway, storage, pick pack and dispatch. If we need to understand and well planning the warehouse design and layout. Primarily we must understanding the industry business strategy, trend and consumer behavior. Nowadays the warehouse functions are not only for storage and also need to provide the added value service to fulfill the business needed. First of all, we need to learn the product nature and understand business Intention. For the retail fashion Industry, the raw materials appliers from Fabric Company mainly. The cloths have difference color, pattern and natural of fabric (wool, cotton, leather etc. ), the suppliers must have sufficient raw materials to provide to the industry for further processing. Second, we need to understand the nature of products, for example packaging (cartons, boxes, pallets, hangers etc), size, stock keeping unit (SKIS) and stock layout. Third, we need to know the production, work in process for example suppliers order, shipment order, size of markets served, material handling system used, throughput rate, production lead time, aisle requirement etc. If we need to provide the fast and accuracy operations flow, all parties within the supply chain also need to provide the co-operation thoroughly, Including fabric supplier, accessories supplier, garment manufacturer, garment processor, designer, distribution centre, warehouse, customer service levels etc. 218 words) Basic warehouse operation process for retails fashion Industry (Figure 1)- Irrespectively of deliveries from suppliers (raw materials) Involve the processing of relevant business documents Capture and entry of the actual physical details of each delivery Quality checking products to ensure compliance with the arches radiotherapy Pathway involves allocating a storage location Physically moving the item to the location Ensure correct information is entered in the inventory control reclassification’s involves keeping products in their allocated location. Moving items to picking locations as required and waiting for production. Prognostication’s in factory Produce the finished geodesics biophysically selecting each items and quantity from stock to fill the order Packing the order for transportation to avoid damage or electrocardiographs the necessary documentation for the transport operator Planning the loading of delivery remonstration and delivery routes Physically loaded the vehicles / containers to maximize cube utilization and minimize damage. (167 words) 1. Warehouse layout and design According to the captioned operations flow, I designed the typical Hong Kong, according to the website information, Established apparel retails in the Asia Pacific region, and over 1700 stores operating in 31 territories worldwide. The warehouse to arrange the Just In Time TOT) operations and 95 of productions lines outsource to Asia factories and still have 5 arranging the in-house production and after the production all finished goods will send to central warehouse to arrange the distribution function. The inbound area including the inspection function to ensure the receiving goods have good quality, if the cargo for raw materials will pass to temporary storage area to waiting the processes for the manufacturing and assembly storage. If the cargo for finished goods will pass to outbound are for storage and waiting for distribution to the town stores. From the figure 2, difference storage area to arrange the difference style of cargoes, for examples block stacking storage area or small accessories. Finished goods warehouse for set of processes and capabilities that enhance the company ability to serve the physical distribution. The hanger area for the finished fashion, 2 level racking areas for the box garment cargoes, the block stacking area for the picking area and ready to release for the shipment. Because to fulfill the maximum height of the building will using the double stack design combined with racking system and hanger system. Also using the U-shaped layout to arrange the operation flow, to improve the utilization of dock resources and facilities he cross-docking for outsource finished goods to saving the time and avoid the inefficiency. (276 words) 751 words 2. Facilities planning and materials handling After the warehouse layout and design, the other most important decisions for a warehouse operations management to arrange facility planning and how to increasing the effective capacity and minimize aisle space. Because the planning aim for reduce number of time products handled and develop effective working conditions to reduce movement involving manual labor and the main thinking to reduce cost. Warehouse management system (WHIMS) to operating processes and speed up all warehousing functions. It can be operate all documents and information flow, including receiving order, delivery order, inventory record, location allocation, releasing order etc. It is usually investigation with larger and more complex distribution operations. The WHIMS development to optimal capacity of warehouse operation for the industry to deliver the right goods at the right time, in the right place and do the right thing at the right cost, to increasing distribution efficiency by shorten lead time and reduce the uncertainty. So for the target at technology related savings, productivity benefits and business process enhancements enabling the great return on investment. The captioned graphic (Figure 3) showing WHIMS operated functions in the warehouse and helping the logistics process. It is including the warehouse layout design, storage data information, operations flows and stock record section, through the information transaction in WHIMS with other additional tools (RFC, barricading, resource management etc. , the objective for WHIMS to provide systematic and computerized procedures to handling the logistics flow. It also helping to monitor the progress ensures the timely report and communication between the productions and operations sections for the data analysis. You read "Zara" in category "Papers" Besides the WHIMS for a retails fashion warehouse, there should have some equipments and tools to handling the cargo movement in the warehouse, for ensure the products handle at faster and smooth for the flow to assist the operational efficiency. (307 Words) 2. Full automation advantage On the other hand, some warehouse are using fully automatic mechanism to help the workflow, the products are moved from/to the locations with a automated conveyors, using the audio frequency (RFC) to arrange the sorting arrangement also with logistics automation software to tracking the cargo information to arrange pathway function and ensure the warehouse fully utilize the space. The WHIMS databases also helping to improve the efficiency of the warehouse and ensure the inventory levels have real time control and accurate view the inventory information. The full automation to help the workflow to save time, labor and space, because the mechanization can be operate 24 hours and more accuracy, after that to gain the time efficiency and reduce mistakes (double handling) to improve the productivity. Because in a fashion industry is definitely a fast moving operation model, since they requested to keep accurate, vast SKU and fast marketing sense, so the quickly operations response will helping them to develop the business promotion and catch the consumer demand. According to the captioned requirement for an industry, the state-of-the-art automatic system will help them to ensuring accuracy, efficiency and controlled cost. For example automatic serration system – Garment on hanger (GOGH) sorter is a practical system for fashion industries together with automated conveyor it is very helpful for the pick pack arrangement. Ezra using the auto labeling system to ensure the shipping mark on the carton and through the WHIMS information to optimizing to arrange the loading operations. The automatic hanger system and location system to guarantee the cargo move to/from right locations and also with Radio frequency identification (RIFF) is one of the powerful mechanization and technologies for the supply chain management. From year 2004, Marks Spencer (MS) was trial run the RIFF system to track clothing from distribution centre to retails store and year 2006 have 53 stores used, to track menswear and inventory control with bile RIFF readers. Year 2010 news from twitched. Com, MS used at least 800 million of tag for the RIFF system. The RIFF tags to help to achieve the 100 stock accuracy by ensuring the right goods at the right size in the right store to meet the customer demand. Mr.. James Stafford, head of clothing RIFF at MS said that the RIFF is a good examples to prove that the new technology how to increased the business efficiency and customer services. (399 words) 706 words 3. 1 Information Technology (IT) in Sara warehouse Ezra is the leader of fast fashion in the world. She is holding by Inedited Group from Spain. The annual report 2009 mentioned Ezra represented approximately two thirds of Inedited sales. Ezra have 1,723 stores in 77 countries around the world at year 2010. Ezra located four distribution centers in Spain at cities (Figure 4) Artesia, Leon, Madrid Saratoga. The factories will send the finished cargoes to difference logistics center in shortest transaction time. They have over 20 factories for production in Spain and deliver with own railway track move all finished cargoes to Artesia as a central logistical center to provide the distribution and cross docking functions (Figure 5). So the warehouse manger needed to achieve the fast fashion process, and shorter order fulfillment time, to avoid the uncertainty and mishandling for the operations flow (Katz Abjure, 2005). According to Shannon action for inbound arrangement, the cargo direct transact to loading docks for outbound shipment, without inventory cost added. It is create more flexible optimization criteria, reduce the handling, and increase the operation efficiency for the warehouse management. Cross-Dock Direct Ship in warehouse management, Figure 5 information from Oracle IT system can help the manager to achieve the fast, deed value and no mistake objective in the cross-dock function. The manager controlling the automatic equipments (for examples serration system, auto hanger system automatic conveyors) and WHIMS to help the order processing arrangement to speed up and managed the operations needed to squeeze the processing time in the warehouse, with Sara electronic integration the manager can catch up more data to planning the operation flows, flow the captioned IT system to achieve the objection for Ezra. The Ezra concept to simply and easier the management, so the IT communicate information flow through the wholes supply chain parties (Figure 6) to improve the workflow and narrow down the operating time and reduce the human error. Figure 6 Ideal Operation Flow about the Ezra IT Sara store manager will place the new orders twice a week through personal digital assistant (PDA) and each delivery must have new models. Because they own central warehouse, factories and designer team, so more flexibility and reacted to arrange the time schedules quickly and better manageable of whole supply chain arrangement. After received the information from Stores will through internet and electronic data interchange (DEED’) service to place the order to head quarter in Spain and at the same time Sara arouse will receive the pre-advice notice then they will proactively to arrange the distribution planning before the finished cargoes arrival logistics center. (424 words) 3. 2 Electronic Data Interchange (DEED’) EDI advantage to catch up the data immediately to sharing the information to improve the supply chain performance, reduce the cycle time and lowest set up cost. Because Sara warehouses need to achieve the operational efficiency so the EDI can be provide the greater flexibility and accuracy information for fine tuning for the operations flow. Ezra understands better operations planning through information transparency with the network linkage help to smooth distribution arrangement. The company culture with quick responses system with real time information as well as tailor-made Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) system, to control and managed the business flow. The updated information all the way through EDI to track trace the orders processing and customer feedback with all stores worldwide. 121 words) 3. 3 Radio Frequency Identification (RIFF) For sure that, the technology of RIFF with barded support to bring more benefit for the business needed nowadays, so they using RIFF and arcade for the warehouse operations. The RIFF also called smart tags it is very useful for track trace the cargoes from manufacture to warehouse to store to end use r. Every check points can be provided the real time information and return the information into the system to ensure the inventory control or material requirements planning (MR.). In addition, RIFF can be capturing all information in a lot of cargoes a second of time. To speed up the receiving and shipping functions in the distribution productivity, it can found out the lost, missing items at the same time, if he warehouse need to arrange the stock take arrangement then can be faster the also can be using for security threats for the retails store. The RIFF tags can be writing more data in the tags including the color, size, location, inventory etc. They through the reader will get all information from the handheld machines. All up-to- date and accuracy information will automatically scan the data and help to reduce the cycle time. (205 words) 750 words 4. 1 Inventory Management for Ezra Other information about the Fabric Company – The garment manufacture will place the sizeable POP to Raw materials Company every year- To commit will place a retain quantities and materials (for example Rudyard cotton per month or physics Zip for 3 months or physics button per month), will let the raw material factory to prepare the raw materials first. Once receive the manufacture order will produce the difference pattern and color, normally they can provide the finished materials around 1 week. 5. Operations The main operational risks the Group has to face up to arise out of a potential difficulty in recognizing and taking in the ongoing changes in fashion trends, manufacturing, supplying and putting on the market new models meeting customers expectation. The Group reduces the exposure to this risk through a manu facturing and procurement system that ensures a reasonable flexibility to answer to the unforeseen changes in the demand by our customers. Stores are permanently in touch with the designer team, through the Product Management Department, and this allows perceiving the changes of taste of the customers. Meanwhile, the vertical integration of the transactions allows cutting the manufacturing and delivery terms as well as reducing the stock volume, while the reaction capacity that allows the introduction of new products throughout the season, is kept. Given the relevance that an efficient logistics management has on the appearance of such risks, the Group conducts a review of all the factors which may have a negative impact on the target of achieving the maximum efficiency of the logistics management, to actively monitor such factors under the supervision of the Logistics Committee. 4. 3 KIT Objective Multi-pronged approach High quality, quick response, flexibility Attacks waste Anything not adding value to product (customer view) Exposes problems and bottlenecks caused by variability Deviation from optimum Achieves streamlined production (pull system) Reduced inventory Simplified Execution Push system material is pushed into downstream workstations regardless of whether resources are available Pull system material is pulled to a workstation Just as it is needed KIT Characteristics A Fixed, Steady Rate of Production Uniform flow/communicated to vendors Mixed model, linear production Low Inventories Less space, investment Uncover defects Small Lot Sizes Less WHIP Flexibility/Velocity Fast feedback Quick, Low Cost Setups Flexibility/Velocity Small lot sizes Layout U-shaped Cellular/flexible Preventive Maintenance Repair Worker pride/ownership Empowered Workers Multifunctional/Cooperative (Guerilla squad) Flexible capacity High Quality Levels On-going production Small/frequent deliveries Product simplification Standardization Fewer part numbers/drawings Reliable Suppliers Dock-to-stock Much fewer in number Long-term relationships A Pull System of Moving Goods Request-based Kanata signal Commitment to Problem Solving/ Continuous Improvement KIT Advantage Use KIT to eliminate virtually all inventory Build systems to help employees produce a perfect part every time suppliers Eliminate all but value-added activities Develop the workforce Make jobs more challenging Reduce the number of Job classes and build worker flexibility Reduce downtime by reducing changeover time Use preventive maintenance to reduce breakdowns Cross-train workers to help clear bottlenecks Reserve capacity for important customers Conventionalism Wisdom Strategic Attainability vs. costliest cost with acceptable quality, consistent quality zero defectlnventoriesLarge inventories from Quality purchasing discounts Manufacturing economies of scale Safety stock protection inventories with reliable continuous flow deliveryFlexibilityLong minimum lead times minimum flexibility’s lead times customer-service driven, much flexibilityTransportationLeast cost within acceptable arrive elaborately reliable service lavenders/charactering adversarial relationship’s venture partnerships of Vendors [careerism avoid sole sourcing and dependency exposure long-term open relationshipCommunicationsMinimal many secrets tightly controlled sharing of info Joint problem solvingGeneralBusiness is cost derivativeness is service driven 3. 2 3. 5 Orde r Management System Order-management system principal means buyers and sellers communicate information relating to individual orders of product. Effective order management enhances operational efficiency and customer satisfaction. Firms that lid order-management systems around full understanding of customer need can out-compete others. Firms tend to place corporate order-management function within the logistics area so as to achieve timely and accurate information of individual customer orders. Order management has become an innovator in exploiting new technological advances. How to cite Zara, Papers Zara Free Essays Threats – ZARA Some threats that affect ZARA include international expansion, geographic scope, and intense competition. Zara recognizes that the company needs to have a competitive advantage in order to survive, so they are constructing a second distribution centre in Zaragoza. Also the company is still looking to expand internationally. We will write a custom essay sample on Zara or any similar topic only for you Order Now Expanding in Spain is difficult for the company because of past experience in Sweden. Zara is considering expansion in North America, but is concerned that it is already suffering from retail saturation, less fashion-forward sense, the demand for plus sizes, lots of competition, and not enough demand for the clothing. Zara’s vertically integrated model is a threat to Zara in long run. The model will not work once Zara scales its operation. Currently, Zara’s designing, production, distribution and retails stores are tightly coupled together and operate very closely. Expanding operations in different regions such as American or Asian requires addressing different fashion trends at a time. Also, given different sizes and trends in different regions, it would not be easy to pull a new fashion cloth or apparel from one region and put it in other region. Plus, scaling its operation may require joint-ventures and acquiring some smaller chains also. In a 50:50 joint venture, it is very difficult for Zara to impose its business model to the other partner. In this case, we have already seen Zara’s joint ventures dissolving on a couple of occasions. While Zara may find it difficult to manage the vertically integrated model for its large scales of operation, local retailers may follow Zara’s formula to success and can emerge as big threat to its success. It is not easy to beat the local retailers in their home market. For example, the Local apparel market in Italy is still owned 61% by the independent stores, 45% in Spain (Note that this is Zara’s local market too) and 15-30% in other three major European markets. Specially, in a country with very cheap labour (mostly in Asia), it will be very difficult for Zara to keep up its production in Spain. Zara’s business model is based on ever changing fashion. For countries like US, where people are less fashion forward, it may be a challenge for Zara to sustain its presence. With changing time, Advertisement is becoming an important part of the business and it reflects directly to the sales. Zara’s in-store advertisement model may not work going forward. Most serious threat to Zara is to sustain its success. Another most serious threat to Zara is its growth. The company could not acquire large market shares in the domestic market. Even in Europe, the company does not have a reasonable presence. American and Asian markets have different types of challenges, which Zara may be facing in future. American market is less fashion forward, which questions Zara’s basic business model itself. Asia, on the other hand, is known for its cheap labour. Competing with these challenges at a time in different markets, while keeping its vertically integrated business model intact is the most serious challenge for Zara. Zara cannot address different requirements and challenges working from its home location only. It can have multiple vertically integrated productions for each region. For Asia, having cheap labour will definitely add a lot to the operating cost. While it’s engineering team can continue giving fast response to new designs. How to cite Zara, Papers Zara Free Essays Zara’s size is at 1.3% of Singapore apparel industry, 6th place after other brands like Mango, Guess, Esprit, Raoul and Giordano. Vision â€Å"ZARA is committed to satisfying the desires of our customers. We will write a custom essay sample on Zara or any similar topic only for you Order Now As a result we pledge to continuously innovate our business to improve your experience. We promise to provide new designs made from quality materials that are affordable† Mission Statement â€Å"Through Zara’s business model, we aim to contribute to the sustainable development of society and that of the environment with which we interacts.† Target Market Price Zara sells apparel, footwear and accessories for women, men and children. Product lines were segmented into these three categories, with further segmentation within the women’s line as it was considered the strongest out of the three, with an overwhelming majority of women in the target market (78%). Zara’s consumers are young, value conscious and highly sensitive to the latest fashion trends in the industry. An advantage that the brand has over conventional retailers is that they do not define and segment their target market by ages resulting in designs and styles that can reach a broader market. Zara offers cutting edge fashion at affordable prices by following the most up-to-date fashion trends and identifying consumers’ demand, and quickly getting the latest designs into stores. BACKGROUND About ZARA Zara is a flagship brand of the Spanish retail group, Inditex group. Inditex is the world’s largest fashion group, which owns other fashion brands such as Pull Bear, Massimo Dutti, Bershka, Stradivarius, Oysho, Zara Home,  Lefties and Uterqà ¼e. It was founded in 1975 by Amancio Ortega, when he decided to expand his factory in Arteixo by opening a store in La Coruà ±a. Zara has expanded since and currently operates a total of 1,671 stores in continents such as Europe, America, Africa, Asia and Oceania, of which 333 of them are in Spain. In the Beginning Founded by Amancio Ortega in 1975, Zara opened its first store in downtown La Coruà ±a, Galicia, Spain. Its first store carried low-priced lookalike products of popular, higher-end fashion brands. The store proved to be a success in the early 1980s, and Ortega began opening more Zara stores throughout Spain. Global Expansion It was only in 1988, Zara decided to venture into the international market. This was spurred by Portuguese youths crossing the border into Spain to shop in Zara. Hence, Zara responded by opening its first store in Oporto, Portugal. The expansion strategy proved to be a success. Subsequently, new stores popped up in New York (1989) and Paris (1990), the fashion capitals of the world. Since then, more stores have opened globally to a standing of 1,671 stores. Zara Company has become an icon for Spanish fashion. Financials The Inditex group currently boasts revenue of 13.79 billion euros (2012), with profits standing strong at 1.932 billion Zara swot analysis How to cite Zara, Papers

Friday, December 6, 2019

Communication Barriers in an Ornanization-Free-Samples-Myassignment

Question: Briefly describe a situation in which you have felt misunderstood or people failed to act on your Communication as directed. What, in your opinion, went wrong? Answer: The Situation A few days back I went the grocer and bought some items. I had to deliver some items to my mother`s place which is on the other side of the town. Therefore, I purchased the grocery items and took a single bill. However, I requested the shopkeeper to deliver certain items in the list to my mother`s house and some items to mine. I wrote both the addresses and went to attend my classes. When I reached home I saw the that the items to be delivered at my place were not all I wanted and those delivered at my mother`s place were also not as per my instructions Hence, the shopkeeper failed to take an action as per my communication. Issues in the situation with respect to communication: Using Berlo`s Model (Eunson 2012), I will identify the problems in my communication with the shopkeeper. When I visited the shopkeeper, it was during the evening on a weekday where the crowd of customers is large. I informed him about the delivery and left the bill under the packets in the cart. I personally believe that he must have faced a problem looking for the bill and this might be a reason why he delivered the wrong items. Using the model as developed by Berlo, the sender has some parameters to cross while communicating; he edits the message, encodes it and then transmits it to the opposite party. In the same manner due to some confusion, I scratched some of the items and ticked them again. Therefore making the message unclear. When I transferred the message to the shopkeeper, he did not consider asking for clarifications to help him decode it properly. Due to the noise and rush in the store, there was some miscommunication between the shopkeeper and me due to which the wrong items were delivered at the wrong places. Therefore the channel of communication was incorrect too as I did not make it clear for him what items had to be delivered. The shopkeeper belonged to a different culture from mine and thus there was a difference in our accents, which might have also leaded to the miscommunication Major issues Noise- As there was a rush at the store, it is possible that during the noise barrier, my message did not get conveyed clearly to the shopkeeper Channel- The channel of communication which is the list I prepared for the shopkeeper, marking the items which had to be delivered at two different places was not clear and thus the channel via which we communicated was not transparent Encoding- I failed to encode the message and help the transfer of information. Had I encoded my message clearly for the user (Bovee, Thill and Raina 2016); I would have been able to transmit a clear message. Decoding- The shopkeeper is also at fault in this communication as he could not decode the message clearly. If he needed and clarifications, he should have provided with some feedback so that the message that was transmitted was clear. (Refer to Figure.1 in the appendix.) Barriers to Communication The use of jargon terms, which means the use of over-complicated and unfamiliar terms. Emotional barriers- Many people very often face certain difficulties to express their emotions, certain topics may often be off-limits, and therefore they cannot express themselves very clearly (Bovee and Thill 2012). These `off-limits` topics may include sexuality, sex, religion and politics. Lack of interest or distractions may also result as a barrier to the communication. Many a times they viewpoint or the perception of people may differ from one another which then tends to create communication barriers (Brink and Costigan 2015). Physical disabilities also play a role in becoming a barrier to communication. These disabilities may include hearing problems and difficulties in speech. Physical barriers to non-verbal communication include barriers like not being able to view the gestures, posture and general body language, which tends to make a communication difficult and less effective. Relying on technology like phone calls, text messages and other communication methods are often not effective (Guffey and Loewy 2012). Very often language and unfamiliar accent also play the barrier`s role. Cultural differences also tend to play a major role in becoming a barrier to communication. Strategies to overcome communication barriers To deal with communication barriers and issues there are certain strategies that can be adopted to result in an effective communication. These strategies are as follows: Listening properly- It is very important to be a listener in a conversation. One needs to understand what the other says and should be able to listen what is not said at all. Very often people just listen to answer; however, the aim should be to listen to understand (McQuail and Windahl 2015). Hence, the first strategy for improving communication skills includes listening properly. Avoiding the use of complicated terms also known as jargon. Communication must be kept as simple as possible. Not everyone understands the abbreviations and short forms. Everyone is not equally learned and thus one should not use complicated technical terms in his or her conversation. However, in my situation, this was not the case, my handwriting or the use of abbreviations must have lead to the misunderstanding. Keeping an open mind and speaking in clear terms- One should not be judgmental and draw conclusions immediately (Alberts, Nakayama and Martin 2015). A person should get into the other`s show and understand their side of the story thereby make the communication a success. One needs to keep in mind the background of the other person before agreeing or disagreeing. One should also be clear when communicating. They should not pass ambiguous comments or speak in a tone or a voice level that others may find it difficult to understand. Awareness about cultural differences-People belongs from difficult backgrounds and cultures therefore a person must consider one another and be sensitive so that the communication is clear and not misunderstood (Hutchinson 2013). Conclusion Therefore, from the discussion it can be stated that communication is an exchange between two people, which needs to be clear, fast and honest. The parties, which are involved in a communication process, are both equally responsible for the success of the communication. References Alberts, J.K., Nakayama, T.K. and Martin, J.N., 2015,Human communication in society. Pearson. Bovee, C.L. and Thill, J.V., 2012,Excellence in business communication. Pearson Higher Ed. Bovee, C.L., Thill, J.V. and Raina, R.L., 2016,Business communication today. Pearson Education India. Brink, K.E. and Costigan, R.D., 2015. Oral communication skills: Are the priorities of the workplace and AACSB-accredited business programs aligned?Academy of Management Learning Education,Vol. 14 No. 2, pp.205-221. Chaney, L. and Martin, J., 2013,Intercultural business communication. Pearson Higher Ed. Eunson, B., 2012,Communicating in the 21st Century, Google eBook. John Wiley Sons. Guffey, M.E. and Loewy, D., 2012,Essentials of business communication. Cengage Learning. Hutchinson, J., 2013, Communication models of institutional online communities: the role of the ABC cultural intermediary.Platform,Vol. 5 No. 1, pp.75-85. McQuail, D. and Windahl, S., 2015,Communication models for the study of mass communications. Routledge.