The Lemon Tree Dilemma Essay Example for Free

The Lemon Tree Dilemma Essay The website EEOC.gov should be a bookmarked site for any individual who is working as or plans to work as a manager in a business with more than one (i.e., the owner) employee. This website contains the information that the federal government expects companies and businesses to use and follow with respect to hiring, firing, and disciplining its employees. It explains disabilities, how to handle them, and when to use them in making hiring decisions. It also provides information about protected classes, in which people must be a member before they can claim discrimination. You should plan to visit the EEOC website during this week to help work through this ethical dilemma faced by Paul and Mary, two managers in the company in The Lemon Tree. Read through the fictional dilemma, and then choose the subject of discrimination discussed therein, planning to debate the ramifications of that with your classmates and your instructor. Some of this seems obvious, but others aren’t as easy to determine as they seem. Your instructor will bring in new and different â€Å"twists and turns† as we go along. Read the dilemma, and then lets discuss. (The dilemma is found on the left tree, entitled The Lemon Tree Dilemma. ) 1. What is one aspect of Title VII that has been violated by the company? 2. Which actions by the two employees that call their credibility into question are you allowed, as an employer, to consider? Or, what types of actions are you not allowed to use and why? Are there any you wish you could use? Remember to support your answers to the questions above with a law or business reason. 1. Be sure to cover the different types of discrimination in this thread – all categories are possible areas for assessment on the Final Exam. 2. Next week, while the espionage case is under investigation, Paul opens hiring for Peter Puffs position and Mary opens hiring for Jackies position. Paul hires the first qualified white male who applies.

Literature Review About IPS And IDS Computer Science Essay

Literature Review About IPS And IDS Computer Science Essay In this chapter is to provide the study and review about Intrusion Detection System and Intrusion Prevention System which have done by expert and professor. According to (Tony Bradley, 2004), intrusion detection system (IDS) is to monitor traffic and monitor for suspicious activity. And it will give alerts to network administrator and the system. And IDS also will respond to malicious traffic by taking action to block the user or the IP address from accessing to the network. According to (Ameya Talwalkar, Symantec Manager of Intrusion Prevention Systems), Intrusion Prevention System (IPS) is a protection technology to provide security of the network. It is the front line to defence against malware, Trojans, Dos attacks, malicious code transmission, backdoor activity and blended threats. The next section will present the details of Intrusion Prevention System (IPS). Figure 1.1 is the flowchart of the key points in literature review about IPS and IDS. What is IPS What is IDS Literature review What is HIDS What is HIPS What is NIPS What is NIDS Identify Pros Cons Which are better to prevent threats Figure 1.1: Classifying the literature review 2.2 Intrusion Prevention System (IPS) There are some benefits have been justified Intrusion Prevention System as a breakthrough in the computer security. According to (Neil Desai, 2003), the main supporting idea on technical side of Intrusion Prevention System is inline network-based system. Besides that, there also have another variation of IPS which is called Layer 7 switches that have include detection and migration of Distributed Denial-if-Service attack (DDoS) and Denial-of-Service attack (DoS) based on awareness of the traffic. Every Intrusion Prevention System will generate alert based on policy or signature and they also will initiate a response which have been programmed into the system. These aleart will happen as a result for a signature match or violation of uniqueness. Secondly, according to (Benjamin Tomhave, 2004) there have a reports have identifies most of the Intrusion Detection System also have been include Intrusion Prevention System capabilities. It given a good defines set of signature or policies. So it makes sense for Intrusion Detection System work with Intrusion Prevention System capabilities. At the end, a successful deployment and the return on the investment will directly relate to how well to manage the solution and how well the network has been design. Thirdly, according to (Joel Esler, Andrew R.Baker, 2007) stated that Intrusion Prevention System are more in defence. It has been design to detect malicious packets inside the normal traffic and stop intrusions dead. And automatically block all the unwanted traffic before it bring any damage to the system rather than giving alert before or after the malicious packets have been delivered. Fourthly, Intrusion Prevention System has been added to existing firewall and antivirus solution. According to (Karen Scarfone, Peter Mell, 2007) Intrusion Prevention System is to monitor traffic and automatically drop the packets which has included malicious, scrutinizing suspicious sessions or taking other actions in immediate real time response to an attack. A good Intrusion Prevention device will check all inbound and outbound traffic. It can check on all types of packets and performs many type of detection analysis, which is a not only individual packet. It also needs to check on traffic pattern, view each of the transaction in the context of the packets come before and after. Lastly, Intrusion Prevention System product should take the advantages and implement some new detection technique and offer other type of intervention method. According to (Joel Esler, Andrew R.Baker, 2007) Intrusion Prevention System products should provide multiple modes of operation for user to choose, so they can become more confident in the product or change their network security policies. There are two types of ISP which are HIPS and NIPS. Host-based Intrusion Prevention (HIPS) is an application which monitors a single host for suspicious activity. Network-based Intrusion Prevention (NIPS) is to analyze protocol activity on the entire network. The next section will discusses about HIPS and NIPS. 2.2.1 Host-based Intrusion Prevention System (HIPS) According to (Dinesh Sequeira, 2002), Host-based Intrusion Prevention System is a software program install on individual system such as laptop, workstations or servers. When it detected an attack, the Host-based Intrusion Prevention System will block the attack at network interface level or tell the application or operating system to prevent the attack. Secondly, according to (NSS Group, 2004) Host-based Intrusion Prevention Systems relies on agents installed directly on the system being protected. Host-based Intrusion Detection Systems are binds closely with the operating system kernel and services, monitoring and intercepting system calls to the kernel or APIs in order to prevent attacks as well as records them. It may also monitor data streams and the environment specific to a particular application (file locations and Registry settings for a Web server) in order to protect these applications from generic attacks which signature has not yet exists in the database. Lastly, according to (Neil Desai, 2003) Host-based Intrusion Prevention Systems are used to protect both servers and workstations through software that runs between the systems applications and OS kernel. The software can be reconfigured to determine the protection rules based on intrusion and attack signatures. The Host-based Intrusion Prevention Systems will catch suspicious activity on the system and then, depending on the predefined rules, it will either block or allow the event to happen. At the next section, we will discuss about Network-based Intrusion Prevention (NIPS) and intrusion detection system (IDS). 2.2.2 Network-based Intrusion Prevention System (NIPS) Network Intrusion Prevention Systems (NIPS) are totally operating on a different concept which serves the purpose to build hardware or software platforms that are designed to analyze, detect, and report on security related events. Network Intrusion Prevention Systems are designed to inspect traffic and based on their configuration or security policy, they can drop malicious traffic as well as prevent the network from being contaminated with malicious data such as virus and worms. Network-based Intrusion Protection System able to detect malicious packets which are design to overlook by firewall filtering rules. Intrusion Prevent System is not a replacement for firewall but it is one part in the intelligent firewall. It is used to increase system specific or network wide security. The advantages of Network-based Intrusion Prevention System discussed as follows: NIPS reduce Constant Monitoring NIPS is an inline network device NIPS perform deep packet inspection NIPS as a tool to prevent attacks Tony Bradley, (2004), [Online] http://netsecurity.about.com/cs/hackertools/a/aa030504.htm [Accessed 5th March 2004] Jonathan Hassell, (2005), [Online] http://searchenterprisedesktop.techtarget.com/news/column/0,294698,sid192_gci1089830,00.html [Accessed 19th May 2005] Neil Desai, (2003), [Online] http://www.symantec.com/connect/articles/intrusion-prevention-systems-next-step-evolution-ids [Accessed 27th February 2003] Benjamin Tomhave, (2004), [Online] http://docs.google.com/viewer?a=vq=cache:ZlxT5m72JZwJ:falcon.secureconsulting.net/papers/218-Research-Paper-FINAL.pdf+Benjamin+Tomhave+2004+IPS+articlehl=engl=mypid=blsrcid=ADGEEShEwpU07d-WvGPhlP3rIASlIyrH0CbGBjGBseUptTNHYRFqaApljgqESo9QEftMQHf3CApOji91saq_gEj-ZlLMXx3aPBS6SckaoJrzVwPiZBwTQ6gcpoHaH0ER-l4_ygilLw9asig=AHIEtbS-NuLUg635h_DHoKW8qafXwRwJUw [Accessed 10th November 2004] Joel Esler, Andrew R.Baker, (2007), Snort IDS and IPS Toolkit, [Online] http://books.google.com.my/books?id=M9plZZxJB_UCpg=PR3dq=Snort+IDS+and+IPS+Toolkit:+IDS+and+IPS+toolkithl=enei=_yDETK7iDM34cYK6la4Fsa=Xoi=book_resultct=book-preview-linkresnum=2ved=0CDYQuwUwAQ#v=onepageq=Snort%20IDS%20and%20IPS%20Toolkit%3A%20IDS%20and%20IPS%20toolkitf=false [Accessed 1st February 2007) Karen Scarfone, Peter Mell, (2007), Guide to Intrusion Detection and Prevention Systems (IDPS) , [Online] http://csrc.nist.gov/publications/nistpubs/800-94/SP800-94.pdf [Accessed February 2007] NSS Group, (2004), Intrusion Prevention Systems (IPS), [Online] http://hosteddocs.ittoolbox.com/BW013004.pdf [Accessed January 2004] Dinesh Sequeira (2002), Intrusion Prevention System à ¢Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬ Securityà ¢Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¾Ã‚ ¢s Silver Bullet?, [Online] http://docs.google.com/viewer?a=vq=cache:OK14t-hsmQAJ:www.sans.org/reading_room/papers/%3Fid%3D366+Intrusion+Prevention+Systems:+Security%27s+Silver+Bullet%3Fhl=engl=mypid=blsrcid=ADGEEShhB2J1ArllgI1mGNhp91RCpNpSf0t7BGUQtWPwmISpe3xmaTI0ym-Bh0Thlq2Gmoq9K6vRKN7xBKphn_fwCgUFaPej_NetBAPccgZXY0wSVyFAlLzsNkMwZjqSdn4XEdxAybctsig=AHIEtbQqUFej4tL8ln14oplPfky7GGstMA [Accessed 2002]

Supplier Relationship Importance And Supply Chain Management

Supplier Relationship Importance And Supply Chain Management In todays increasing economic environment, organisations are looking for new techniques to improve their competitive advantage. The focus of my research is in the area of purchasing which have now become a strategic function and a key reason in positioning competitively among all other competitors. The paper discusses that in recent years, the relationships between buyers and suppliers have been continuously receiving a considerable attention for effective operations within organisations. Traditionally, supplier-buyer relationships were regarded as adversarial, arms length transactions. However, the approach towards managing this relationship is changing and moving towards a more collaborative approach due to the fact that now suppliers are important sources to gain competitive advantage to operate in global markets in terms of their expertise, knowledge and ability of sharing risks. [Research paper Journal] The research aims to provide an understanding of supplier relationship management, factors of supplier evaluation and selection process, and the elements that contribute to the establishment of a productive customer/vendor relationships. Such a study is important for buyers to build and maintain effective relationships with their suppliers for consistent cost reductions while working together to mutually create revenues and other benefits. The paper recommends that this information may work as a reference guideline for buyers when initiating cooperative relationships with their supply sources resulting in advanced purchasing and strategic supply chain management in their organisation. The research method adopted in this dissertation is secondary exploring various business journals, business websites, textbooks and articles. Due to continuous new product developments, product innovations and increase in costs, managing supplier relationships will further become crucial in the near future. Due to this reason, therefore, this paper discusses the requirement of supplier relationships and how this shift in organisational strategy towards building relations has and will going to change the employees role, companys processes and organisational goals. The findings from this research provides an evidence of how companies have improved their supply chain operations through understanding the importance to develop effective supplier relationships as part of their core business activity for not only to achieve success within procurement department but also to successfully complete other supply chain cycle such as maintaining production flow at all times, planning accurately, inventory handling, logistical issues and achieving financial benefits. Examples included findings from large organisations of Hong Kong, Rolls Royce, GE, and Japanese firm Toyota. The main conclusion that can be drawn from this research is that every organisation must emphasise the need to actually develop world class suppliers that helps in building long-term relationships, reduction in costs, improved QCDS (quality, cost, delivery and service) criteria, improved customer service, mutual information sharing, reducing the NPI (new product inspection) costs and becoming world class organisation in the market. Introduction Nowadays, the majority of Organisations believe that their companys real assets are embedded in the quality of the relationships shared between the business and their stakeholders such as clients or customers, employees and suppliers. Developing and managing supplier relationship will be the main subject throughout this project. The objective of this research is to investigate the importance of the need to focus more on building collaborative relationships with their strategic suppliers by large manufacturing companies. With increase in globalisation and restructuring of several organisations, procurements role has changed focusing more towards costs, quality, flexibility and technology. [Herbig and OHara, 1995; Goh and Lau, 1999] In the previous years (traditionally), purchasing was considered as a secretarial function in which the buyer-supplier relationships were viewed as being adversarial and unsurprisingly results in a win/lose outcome. Before, business operations from manufacturing to assembling the finished goods were prepared in-house but now many organisations have moved towards a more combined approach where manufacturing firms have started concentrating more on their core competencies only and rest outsourcing nationally and internationally to satisfy their customer expectations. Organisations are going lean i.e. working towards continuous improvement, adopting just-in time and total quality management and eliminating wastes. This highlighted the requirement for most of the lean organisations to grow cooperative supplier-buyer relationships to achieve real productivity, improved design and quality that are unattainable unless the supplying partners assist in product innovation. Hence, several manufacturers have recognized their ability to become world class competitors based on establishing high levels of trust and cooperation among their suppliers. [They and Briggs (1994)] For example, highlighting the case of Rolls Royce, the engine manufacturer, that outsources 70% of their material from external supply chain and thats the reason Rolls Royce try to encourage their suppliers to work openly and jointly contributing to their performance. Rolls Royce belief in building good supplier relationships assures quality and competitiveness to their product offerings and helps to achieve customer standards. The growing face of domestic and global competition has led to understand the manufacturing companies to practise global sourcing which is a strategy to improve companies competitiveness in the international market through reducing costs, improving quality, increased exposure to universal technology, and improving delivery and reliability. A connection or association is known as a relationship. Relationships are said to be when individuals, organisations and internal or external groups to an enterprise interact. At recent times, relationship marketing describes long-term marketing strategy that emphasise on building and maintaining long-term relationships with customers rather than just focusing on one-time sale approach. At business level, relationship marketing is applied to variety of purchasing supplier relationships in the context of a broader network of interconnected purchasing, supplier and competitor organisations. Supplier relationship is defined as a systematic approach to supplier evaluation, selection and ongoing relationship management with the goal of cutting the costs of goods and services boosting profits? Supplier relationship management is a proactive approach of an ongoing business links to secure a competitive advantage within the organisation, focusing more on overall relationships between the supplier and the customer (buying organisation) rather than focusing on specific contracts. The idea is to develop trust and understanding of each others requirements and interests while providing assistance to each other. For example, Rolls Royce sends their experts to their sub-contract suppliers to improve their technology and performance standards. Such relationships bring profit and provide competitive advantage. [http://www.ogc.gov.uk/process_supplier_performance_and_contract_management_6368.asp] Today, most of the companies have realised that doing business jointly with their strategic suppliers will enhance their organisational ability to respond quickly to demand changes, focus on core business only and hence, results in implementing best practises. For example, Rolls Royce believes their supplier make very essential contribution to their business performance as over 70% of their manufacturing costs comes from external supply sources. focus more on their core competencies such as encouraging suppliers to work with transparency, openly and together to enhance continuous improvements. rather than Small to Medium size Enterprises and many local businesses use Transactional Purchasing whereas Large Enterprises use Relationship Purchasing to compete strongly in this economic climate. Transactional Purchasing Relationship purchasing Focus on short, discrete purchasing Focus on supplier retention Short-term orientation Long-term orientation Arms length Closeness Simple buyer-seller relationship Complicated, including internal relationships Emphasis on price, quality and delivery in the offered product No Innovation Emphasis on price, quality, delivery other factors, like innovative design as a collaborative exercise b/w purchaser and supplier Moderate supplier contacts High level of supplier contact with each contact being used to gain information strengthen the relationship Little sharing of information Significant sharing of information, including cost information and transparency Introducing Supply chain management The project is focused on process for choosing world class suppliers, importance of building supplier relationships, various supplier development approaches and process of negotiation required in purchasing that plays a vital role in todays supply chain management. Explaining what is supply chain management and its various elements that are necessary for the movement of goods and services within the business. Supply chain management consists of the intra and inter-organisational co-ordination of business functions that act as both transformative and support functions. This emphasises managing supply chain effectively must be a key activity within the businesses. [Mentzer et al. (2001)] Supply chain combines flow of materials, goods, and information (includes money) that floats within and between organisations linking with a variety of tangible and intangible facilitators, e.g. relationships, processes, activities and integrated information systems. Different views of supply chains are implemented in terms of a process when operations are emphasised, a logistical channel when emphasises marketing, a value chain whey looking at value added activities, and a demand chain when considering customer satisfaction. [Peck H. (2006)] Key elements of supply chain The key elements of supply chain are that links with each other by the movement of products. The following explains that supply chain starts and ends with the customer: [http://logistics.about.com/od/supplychainintroduction/a/into_scm.htm] Customer This is the customer that starts the value chain by deciding to make a purchase of a particular product for example, in an aviation industry procuring turbine blades or a fan shaft which is offered for sale by an organisation. At this stage, the customer contacts the sales team and places purchase order with a right quantity and delivered on a right date. If in case, this product needs manufacturing then the purchase order includes a requirement that must be fulfilling by the production facility. Planning The requirement for planning occurs when customers purchase order is received and processed with other existing orders. Production plans are created by the planning department to generate products to accomplish the customers order. If manufacturing requires, then raw materials are purchased to complete the process. Purchasing The list of materials e.g. raw materials and services is obtained which is required by the production department to complete the purchase order. Then purchasing team issues purchase orders to procure raw material from selected suppliers on their manufacturing site on a requisite date. Inventory The raw materials that are received from suppliers are checked for quality and moved into the warehouse. The invoice is received for the parts that are delivered by the supplier and then materials are stored until there is a demand from a production area. Production According to the production plan, the raw materials from the inventory are moved into the production area where product manufacturing takes place and creates the finished product. Once the parts are completed, they are again sent back to the warehouse and stored prior to delivery to the ultimate customer. Transportation Logistics department then finds the most efficient shipping method in order to achieve on-time delivery at the right date mentioned by the customer. After goods are received by the customer, an invoice is sent by the organisation (supplier) for delivered products. Outlining Case study: GE-Aviation In this project, there will be discussion on relationship purchasing within aviation industry considering GE Aviation as a case study. Suggesting methods of procurement and ways of maintaining GEs existing and new relationships with suppliers. On-line procurement is one of the major processes that I will be focusing in my project which GE adopts within their business that not only reduces the cost and saves time but also provides the right amount of communication with its suppliers at the right time. For example, GE-Aviation has its own department for RB211 jumbo jet engine where there are teams responsible for engineering, operations, purchasing and billing. The engine gets repaired and maintained on site. For RB211 engine type, GEs biggest supplier is Rolls Royce who is the OEMs and can provide material many times. Using SAP software within the whole organisation saves a huge amount of time for purchasing transactions and also makes easy for GE purchasing team to analyse demand raised and provide forecasting to their suppliers for each product by just looking into the system and working through its historical past. GE uses Relationship Purchasing in which they believe to maximise their revenue it is very important to have good supplier relationships. Some of the key approaches/strategies required before working towards building relationships are as follows: Selecting a world class supplier Companies that outsources internationally their materials opens the opportunity to identify potential suppliers, evaluate and reasonably short list them that result with the best supplier. This is considered as one of the most important process to perform by the procurement team that aims to choose the best supplier that ensures reliable supplies with low risk involved and maximises the overall value to the buyer. The following are the seven key steps involved in supplier evaluation and selection process: (Fig 7.5 Supplier evaluation and selection process [pg 163]) Recognise the need for supplier selection The first step is to recognise the actual need for selection of supplier. Purchasing team must work with new product development department in order to recognise future buying behaviours. Purchasing groups proactively select suppliers and anticipate demands rather than wait until a demand rises. The process to start this evaluation arises due to the following scenarios: Through new product development Poor performance received from existing internal and external suppliers Closure of the contract Procuring new tools and equipments Thinking to expand business into new markets or products Due to inadequate capacity of existing suppliers Throughout outsourcing and re-engineering analyses Deciding to reduce the size of the supply base Identifying the main sourcing requirements All the way through evaluation process, procurement team must keep an eye on what they are intended to do. Acquiring materials is not just important but also focus to meet specific requirements set by the other internal customer and indirectly by other supply chain members. For example, an aviation company like GE that makes engines has to buy all the machinery and spare parts along with buyers taking care to ensure a perfect quality products are delivered on time. Establishing sourcing strategy Developing purchasing strategies results in long term alliances that buyers look each time to compete in todays growing competition. Several vital strategic decisions that affect the selection of suppliers are: Picking single or multiple suppliers Creating short-term or long-term contracts Suppliers wish to develop working partnerships rather than arms length relations Working with suppliers that can provide support with product designs rather than those who cannot modify designs Having choice of local, domestic, foreign or global suppliers Therefore, sourcing strategies and policies must be carefully re-evaluated during supplier selection as requirements changes frequently in shorter times because of changing market conditions, changing consumer preferences and accustomed corporate goals. Identifying potential suppliers This stage identifies a list of suppliers that can actually have the capability to deliver of what is required by the customer. Buyers can use various numbers of sources to develop the preliminary list of supply sources by a quick search of company websites as well as long and detailed search for companies that can support with design and make specialised products. A rule of thumb must take place to determine the effort to be used into supplier selection by comparing the existing suppliers efficiency and strategic importance of an item because too much effort and expensive resources are wasted; too little effort and potential suppliers might be missed in this initial search criteria. Following are the sources of information widely-used to identify potential suppliers: Current suppliers Using existing suppliers who are already on the preferred list which are consistently meeting buyers requirements that reduces the purchasers time and effort in evaluation of supplier capabilities. But at the same time, existing supplier may not always provide the world class long term results and that is the reason why organisations scan information continuously to recognize potential new sources. Sales representatives and agents Marketing information received from these individuals can become a valuable source of information for new product offerings. Buyers keep this information in their file for future reference even if there is no urgent requirement for a supplier service. Internet searches Nowadays suppliers launch customer websites as part of their marketing approach and help the buyers with detailed information from a simple search of possible suppliers. Various other websites can also help in discovering and assessing important information like reviews, comparisons, comments, analyses and case studies of potential suppliers. Experience Experienced individuals working within purchasing team generally carries a wide knowledge about various capable suppliers as experienced buyers have already worked in a particular industry for many years and familiar with the main suppliers and their features. Internal sources Operating different business units within large organisations, each may have their own procurement department. Therefore, other units in the same organisation becomes a valuable source of information exchange to buyers through informal meetings, formal team sessions, an internal database, purchasing newsletters, etc. Limit suppliers in the selection pool At this stage, the procurement team must consolidate and analyse the information gathered on potential supply sources that helps them to make informed decisions. Getting a long list of suppliers is just the initial task but buyers then have to eliminate the weakest suppliers until they attain the strong shortlist. Therefore, the final supplier is then selected from this list. The following are the entry qualifiers features that influence buyers final decision [Howard (1998)]: Financial strength Appropriate business strategy Strong supportive management Proven manufacturing capability Design capability There are also many reasons that influence buyers decision to procure material on the following basis: Buying directly from the original manufacturer or distributor Original equipment manufacturers mostly offer lower prices that avoid the costs of wholesalers and retailers along with profit margins. The final choice must be considered on the basis of four factors including the size of the purchase, the manufacturers policies of direct sales, availability of storage at buyers facility, and the required additional services. Local, national, international and global suppliers Choosing international suppliers are more favourable as they usually offers the best price along with technical support but these have to be balanced by higher shipping costs, stocks, communication problems and common risks involved. Also, choosing local suppliers are considered more responsive to fluctuating demands, small deliveries and regular changes in purchase orders using Just-in-time method that not only supports local suppliers and allows the buyers to enhance local economy but also helps in building community goodwill. Large or small suppliers Usually buyers focus on suppliers capability to do the work rather than selecting on the basis of its size. But a buyer must keep in mind the unexpected increase in demands that can only be dealt by larger firms providing extra capacity to overcome these fluctuations. At the same time, in order to create a diversified supply base, buyers intentionally deal with smaller suppliers. Multiple or single sourcing When there are numerous different suppliers available then it becomes very difficult to make a decision of how many to use? Most of the organisations have chosen a trend to reduce the supply base that will benefit them accordingly. Determining method to select supplier This is the last stage where buyers are left with four to five suppliers in their shortlist and decide to evaluate these remaining organisations by looking at the alternatives in more detail for example, using supplier-provided information, supplier/customer visits, preferred list of suppliers and third-party information. Supplier-provided information Detailed information can be acquired through requesting price quotations. Information received from quotations are then used to understand the product description and supply which is then followed by another requests of a detailed cost breakdown of the price quoted by suppliers initially that must include the costs of labour, materials, overheads and profit as buyers also require operational details to finally evaluate them. Supplier visits One of the most efficient ways of getting an overall view of suppliers capabilities and performance is to visit suppliers facilities by a cross-functional team. Generally, these visits are expensive and time consuming so a buyer must balance their desire to gather as much information as possible confidentially. The following table shows important information points that a buyer must collect during its visit: Management capability Quality management Technology levels Planning and scheduling effectiveness Financial strength Personnel relations E-business capabilities Sophistication and efficiency of operations ISO certifications Skills, knowledge and experience of workforce Evidence of good management and housekeeping Types of inventory Nature of the goods inwards, stores and outwards areas Environmental practices Employee employment contracts Any significant changes planned or expected Contact details of key decision makers Use of preferred suppliers This is a list of suppliers created by the purchasers to reward their best suppliers that consistently meets their strict performance criteria. The list can also be used as an incentive to improve the existing suppliers performance and assessed accordingly. External or third-party information This consists of all the other information available about a potential supplier. For example, Total quality management is a system that insists suppliers to meet the quality standards as similar to buyers and generates a flow of related information throughout the supply chain. Selecting supplier and signing agreement This is the final step to choose the supplier followed by signing a contract. This includes different purchasing orders required for routine and major items, i.e. using standard purchase orders for routine items whereas, detailed negotiation is required to agree on specific details for major items that increases the complexity in the purchase order. Supplier evaluation criteria After considering various steps in selecting suppliers, the buying organisation must analyse the following questions with the supply organisation in order to progress outside their traditional purchasing relationships and possibilities for long term relationships with them: [Spekman (1988)] Has the supplier signified a dedication or willingness for a longer term relationship? Is the supplier enthusiastic to perform resources to develop this relationship? Is the supplier willing or able to participate at the early stage or throughout the stage of product design? Has supplier brought any unique service to the business? Is the supplier showed their interests or commitment towards customers problems and effectively solving them together? Is the supplier is interested in improvements and innovations in the operations? Is there any openness of sharing and exchanging information between both companies? How much knowledgeable is the supplier about the customers industry and business? Is the need for confidentially exchanged information taken seriously? Supplier management and development In todays time, the need to improve supplier performance is open in large or small organisations and for this reason; the purchasing teams must introduce a supplier relationship management (SRM) approach to achieve their organisational goals and success in global purchases of technology. Therefore, this calls for managing resources efficiently throughout supply chain collaborations, dedication required from supply managers, creating standardised best practices effectively and tools required for tracking and evaluating the results. The process must begin with effective supplier performance measures required to undertake strategic supply or procurement decisions for the organisation. [Minahan T. And Vigorose M. (2002)] Effective supplier performance measurements What to measure The factors important to assess the performance includes: Delivery performance The purchase orders that are sent to suppliers involves all the appropriate information on deliveries, with quantities, lead times and due dates. Therefore, it is buyers responsibility to check regularly that how well a supplier actually meets their expected conditions. Cost performance There are many ways that can measure cost performances for example, monitoring real price delivered by the supplier after adjusting increase in the prices (inflation). Quality performance In order to measure quality, the best criteria for buyers is to check that products are delivered in 100% perfect condition with no defects. This also includes comparing previous performances, latest performance with mutually agreed standards and various other figures. Other qualitative factors in supplier performance Factor Explanation Problem solving Suppliers attention to provide solutions to the problem Technical skills Comparing suppliers manufacturing capacity with other business suppliers Reporting progress Suppliers incomplete reporting of existing problems and identifying and communicating other potential problems Corrective action Suppliers timely response to requests for corrective actions and requests for changes Cost-reduction plans Suppliers enthusiasm to find techniques that helps to reduce the total purchase cost New-product development support Suppliers capability to reduce time and cost required for new product development Buyer/seller compatibility Rating subjectively how well a purchasing firm and a supplier work together Therefore, the above are various other factors that help the buyers to measure the suppliers technical ability and closeness of both parties relationships. Reporting frequency This includes preparing reports to provide a clear feedback to supplier on their performance. Purchasing management must communicate with their buyers to send these reports by reviewing them weekly, monthly, quarterly or annually which is then followed with more face-to-face team meeting that reviews their actual performance, discussion on targets, identify potential improvements, examine changes, and so on. Any problems (for example, supplier fails to meet the required standard) occurred during crucial time must be addressed with special reports and meetings to avoid any financial and operational problems. Use of measurement data Procurement staff can make use of data collected from its measurement systems in many ways including: Identifying suppliers which are not meeting the performance goals and highlighting areas that calls for improvements, followed by corrective actions taken to raise the performance to acceptable levels or else finding new suppliers. It helps in discovering excellent performances achieved from supplier which then helps identify preferred suppliers that qualify for long term alliances. It also recognises the worst performing suppliers that are continuously not improving and needs to be removed from supply base whereas offering more work to superior suppliers. Supplier measurement techniques There are three techniques discussed for evaluating performance of suppliers, each differs in their use, level of subjectivity, resources required and implementing cost. Categorical techniques These techniques considers a particular aspect of performance, for example lead time and classifies a set of categories for performance rating as excellent, good, fair or poor and therefore, helps buyers in deciding which supplier is good or bad. This is an easiest system of measurement, easy to use, comparatively inexpensive and also the most subjective. There are some drawbacks of using this technique as they do not provide a clear analysis of performance, slower than automated systems and regarded as the lowest of the three techniques in terms of reliability. Scoring model This method overcomes the subjectivity of categorical technique by calculating a weighted score for different performance categories. This is more reliable and requires reasonable implementation cost providing flexibility for buyers to change the categories included as well as weights allocated to each. Cost-based techniques -This technique is the most comprehensive that can help the buying organisation to look for the total cost required for doing business with a particular supplier by identifying the lowest purchase price is not always the lowest cost of acquisition. Hence, this technique works through collecting data from the purchasing firms information system, analysing the total cost including the additional occurring costs whenever a supplier fails to perform as per expected by the buyer. This can be calculated using formula of supplier performance index (SPI) SPI = Total pur Supplier Relationship Importance And Supply Chain Management Supplier Relationship Importance And Supply Chain Management In todays increasing economic environment, organisations are looking for new techniques to improve their competitive advantage. The focus of my research is in the area of purchasing which have now become a strategic function and a key reason in positioning competitively among all other competitors. The paper discusses that in recent years, the relationships between buyers and suppliers have been continuously receiving a considerable attention for effective operations within organisations. Traditionally, supplier-buyer relationships were regarded as adversarial, arms length transactions. However, the approach towards managing this relationship is changing and moving towards a more collaborative approach due to the fact that now suppliers are important sources to gain competitive advantage to operate in global markets in terms of their expertise, knowledge and ability of sharing risks. [Research paper Journal] The research aims to provide an understanding of supplier relationship management, factors of supplier evaluation and selection process, and the elements that contribute to the establishment of a productive customer/vendor relationships. Such a study is important for buyers to build and maintain effective relationships with their suppliers for consistent cost reductions while working together to mutually create revenues and other benefits. The paper recommends that this information may work as a reference guideline for buyers when initiating cooperative relationships with their supply sources resulting in advanced purchasing and strategic supply chain management in their organisation. The research method adopted in this dissertation is secondary exploring various business journals, business websites, textbooks and articles. Due to continuous new product developments, product innovations and increase in costs, managing supplier relationships will further become crucial in the near future. Due to this reason, therefore, this paper discusses the requirement of supplier relationships and how this shift in organisational strategy towards building relations has and will going to change the employees role, companys processes and organisational goals. The findings from this research provides an evidence of how companies have improved their supply chain operations through understanding the importance to develop effective supplier relationships as part of their core business activity for not only to achieve success within procurement department but also to successfully complete other supply chain cycle such as maintaining production flow at all times, planning accurately, inventory handling, logistical issues and achieving financial benefits. Examples included findings from large organisations of Hong Kong, Rolls Royce, GE, and Japanese firm Toyota. The main conclusion that can be drawn from this research is that every organisation must emphasise the need to actually develop world class suppliers that helps in building long-term relationships, reduction in costs, improved QCDS (quality, cost, delivery and service) criteria, improved customer service, mutual information sharing, reducing the NPI (new product inspection) costs and becoming world class organisation in the market. Introduction Nowadays, the majority of Organisations believe that their companys real assets are embedded in the quality of the relationships shared between the business and their stakeholders such as clients or customers, employees and suppliers. Developing and managing supplier relationship will be the main subject throughout this project. The objective of this research is to investigate the importance of the need to focus more on building collaborative relationships with their strategic suppliers by large manufacturing companies. With increase in globalisation and restructuring of several organisations, procurements role has changed focusing more towards costs, quality, flexibility and technology. [Herbig and OHara, 1995; Goh and Lau, 1999] In the previous years (traditionally), purchasing was considered as a secretarial function in which the buyer-supplier relationships were viewed as being adversarial and unsurprisingly results in a win/lose outcome. Before, business operations from manufacturing to assembling the finished goods were prepared in-house but now many organisations have moved towards a more combined approach where manufacturing firms have started concentrating more on their core competencies only and rest outsourcing nationally and internationally to satisfy their customer expectations. Organisations are going lean i.e. working towards continuous improvement, adopting just-in time and total quality management and eliminating wastes. This highlighted the requirement for most of the lean organisations to grow cooperative supplier-buyer relationships to achieve real productivity, improved design and quality that are unattainable unless the supplying partners assist in product innovation. Hence, several manufacturers have recognized their ability to become world class competitors based on establishing high levels of trust and cooperation among their suppliers. [They and Briggs (1994)] For example, highlighting the case of Rolls Royce, the engine manufacturer, that outsources 70% of their material from external supply chain and thats the reason Rolls Royce try to encourage their suppliers to work openly and jointly contributing to their performance. Rolls Royce belief in building good supplier relationships assures quality and competitiveness to their product offerings and helps to achieve customer standards. The growing face of domestic and global competition has led to understand the manufacturing companies to practise global sourcing which is a strategy to improve companies competitiveness in the international market through reducing costs, improving quality, increased exposure to universal technology, and improving delivery and reliability. A connection or association is known as a relationship. Relationships are said to be when individuals, organisations and internal or external groups to an enterprise interact. At recent times, relationship marketing describes long-term marketing strategy that emphasise on building and maintaining long-term relationships with customers rather than just focusing on one-time sale approach. At business level, relationship marketing is applied to variety of purchasing supplier relationships in the context of a broader network of interconnected purchasing, supplier and competitor organisations. Supplier relationship is defined as a systematic approach to supplier evaluation, selection and ongoing relationship management with the goal of cutting the costs of goods and services boosting profits? Supplier relationship management is a proactive approach of an ongoing business links to secure a competitive advantage within the organisation, focusing more on overall relationships between the supplier and the customer (buying organisation) rather than focusing on specific contracts. The idea is to develop trust and understanding of each others requirements and interests while providing assistance to each other. For example, Rolls Royce sends their experts to their sub-contract suppliers to improve their technology and performance standards. Such relationships bring profit and provide competitive advantage. [http://www.ogc.gov.uk/process_supplier_performance_and_contract_management_6368.asp] Today, most of the companies have realised that doing business jointly with their strategic suppliers will enhance their organisational ability to respond quickly to demand changes, focus on core business only and hence, results in implementing best practises. For example, Rolls Royce believes their supplier make very essential contribution to their business performance as over 70% of their manufacturing costs comes from external supply sources. focus more on their core competencies such as encouraging suppliers to work with transparency, openly and together to enhance continuous improvements. rather than Small to Medium size Enterprises and many local businesses use Transactional Purchasing whereas Large Enterprises use Relationship Purchasing to compete strongly in this economic climate. Transactional Purchasing Relationship purchasing Focus on short, discrete purchasing Focus on supplier retention Short-term orientation Long-term orientation Arms length Closeness Simple buyer-seller relationship Complicated, including internal relationships Emphasis on price, quality and delivery in the offered product No Innovation Emphasis on price, quality, delivery other factors, like innovative design as a collaborative exercise b/w purchaser and supplier Moderate supplier contacts High level of supplier contact with each contact being used to gain information strengthen the relationship Little sharing of information Significant sharing of information, including cost information and transparency Introducing Supply chain management The project is focused on process for choosing world class suppliers, importance of building supplier relationships, various supplier development approaches and process of negotiation required in purchasing that plays a vital role in todays supply chain management. Explaining what is supply chain management and its various elements that are necessary for the movement of goods and services within the business. Supply chain management consists of the intra and inter-organisational co-ordination of business functions that act as both transformative and support functions. This emphasises managing supply chain effectively must be a key activity within the businesses. [Mentzer et al. (2001)] Supply chain combines flow of materials, goods, and information (includes money) that floats within and between organisations linking with a variety of tangible and intangible facilitators, e.g. relationships, processes, activities and integrated information systems. Different views of supply chains are implemented in terms of a process when operations are emphasised, a logistical channel when emphasises marketing, a value chain whey looking at value added activities, and a demand chain when considering customer satisfaction. [Peck H. (2006)] Key elements of supply chain The key elements of supply chain are that links with each other by the movement of products. The following explains that supply chain starts and ends with the customer: [http://logistics.about.com/od/supplychainintroduction/a/into_scm.htm] Customer This is the customer that starts the value chain by deciding to make a purchase of a particular product for example, in an aviation industry procuring turbine blades or a fan shaft which is offered for sale by an organisation. At this stage, the customer contacts the sales team and places purchase order with a right quantity and delivered on a right date. If in case, this product needs manufacturing then the purchase order includes a requirement that must be fulfilling by the production facility. Planning The requirement for planning occurs when customers purchase order is received and processed with other existing orders. Production plans are created by the planning department to generate products to accomplish the customers order. If manufacturing requires, then raw materials are purchased to complete the process. Purchasing The list of materials e.g. raw materials and services is obtained which is required by the production department to complete the purchase order. Then purchasing team issues purchase orders to procure raw material from selected suppliers on their manufacturing site on a requisite date. Inventory The raw materials that are received from suppliers are checked for quality and moved into the warehouse. The invoice is received for the parts that are delivered by the supplier and then materials are stored until there is a demand from a production area. Production According to the production plan, the raw materials from the inventory are moved into the production area where product manufacturing takes place and creates the finished product. Once the parts are completed, they are again sent back to the warehouse and stored prior to delivery to the ultimate customer. Transportation Logistics department then finds the most efficient shipping method in order to achieve on-time delivery at the right date mentioned by the customer. After goods are received by the customer, an invoice is sent by the organisation (supplier) for delivered products. Outlining Case study: GE-Aviation In this project, there will be discussion on relationship purchasing within aviation industry considering GE Aviation as a case study. Suggesting methods of procurement and ways of maintaining GEs existing and new relationships with suppliers. On-line procurement is one of the major processes that I will be focusing in my project which GE adopts within their business that not only reduces the cost and saves time but also provides the right amount of communication with its suppliers at the right time. For example, GE-Aviation has its own department for RB211 jumbo jet engine where there are teams responsible for engineering, operations, purchasing and billing. The engine gets repaired and maintained on site. For RB211 engine type, GEs biggest supplier is Rolls Royce who is the OEMs and can provide material many times. Using SAP software within the whole organisation saves a huge amount of time for purchasing transactions and also makes easy for GE purchasing team to analyse demand raised and provide forecasting to their suppliers for each product by just looking into the system and working through its historical past. GE uses Relationship Purchasing in which they believe to maximise their revenue it is very important to have good supplier relationships. Some of the key approaches/strategies required before working towards building relationships are as follows: Selecting a world class supplier Companies that outsources internationally their materials opens the opportunity to identify potential suppliers, evaluate and reasonably short list them that result with the best supplier. This is considered as one of the most important process to perform by the procurement team that aims to choose the best supplier that ensures reliable supplies with low risk involved and maximises the overall value to the buyer. The following are the seven key steps involved in supplier evaluation and selection process: (Fig 7.5 Supplier evaluation and selection process [pg 163]) Recognise the need for supplier selection The first step is to recognise the actual need for selection of supplier. Purchasing team must work with new product development department in order to recognise future buying behaviours. Purchasing groups proactively select suppliers and anticipate demands rather than wait until a demand rises. The process to start this evaluation arises due to the following scenarios: Through new product development Poor performance received from existing internal and external suppliers Closure of the contract Procuring new tools and equipments Thinking to expand business into new markets or products Due to inadequate capacity of existing suppliers Throughout outsourcing and re-engineering analyses Deciding to reduce the size of the supply base Identifying the main sourcing requirements All the way through evaluation process, procurement team must keep an eye on what they are intended to do. Acquiring materials is not just important but also focus to meet specific requirements set by the other internal customer and indirectly by other supply chain members. For example, an aviation company like GE that makes engines has to buy all the machinery and spare parts along with buyers taking care to ensure a perfect quality products are delivered on time. Establishing sourcing strategy Developing purchasing strategies results in long term alliances that buyers look each time to compete in todays growing competition. Several vital strategic decisions that affect the selection of suppliers are: Picking single or multiple suppliers Creating short-term or long-term contracts Suppliers wish to develop working partnerships rather than arms length relations Working with suppliers that can provide support with product designs rather than those who cannot modify designs Having choice of local, domestic, foreign or global suppliers Therefore, sourcing strategies and policies must be carefully re-evaluated during supplier selection as requirements changes frequently in shorter times because of changing market conditions, changing consumer preferences and accustomed corporate goals. Identifying potential suppliers This stage identifies a list of suppliers that can actually have the capability to deliver of what is required by the customer. Buyers can use various numbers of sources to develop the preliminary list of supply sources by a quick search of company websites as well as long and detailed search for companies that can support with design and make specialised products. A rule of thumb must take place to determine the effort to be used into supplier selection by comparing the existing suppliers efficiency and strategic importance of an item because too much effort and expensive resources are wasted; too little effort and potential suppliers might be missed in this initial search criteria. Following are the sources of information widely-used to identify potential suppliers: Current suppliers Using existing suppliers who are already on the preferred list which are consistently meeting buyers requirements that reduces the purchasers time and effort in evaluation of supplier capabilities. But at the same time, existing supplier may not always provide the world class long term results and that is the reason why organisations scan information continuously to recognize potential new sources. Sales representatives and agents Marketing information received from these individuals can become a valuable source of information for new product offerings. Buyers keep this information in their file for future reference even if there is no urgent requirement for a supplier service. Internet searches Nowadays suppliers launch customer websites as part of their marketing approach and help the buyers with detailed information from a simple search of possible suppliers. Various other websites can also help in discovering and assessing important information like reviews, comparisons, comments, analyses and case studies of potential suppliers. Experience Experienced individuals working within purchasing team generally carries a wide knowledge about various capable suppliers as experienced buyers have already worked in a particular industry for many years and familiar with the main suppliers and their features. Internal sources Operating different business units within large organisations, each may have their own procurement department. Therefore, other units in the same organisation becomes a valuable source of information exchange to buyers through informal meetings, formal team sessions, an internal database, purchasing newsletters, etc. Limit suppliers in the selection pool At this stage, the procurement team must consolidate and analyse the information gathered on potential supply sources that helps them to make informed decisions. Getting a long list of suppliers is just the initial task but buyers then have to eliminate the weakest suppliers until they attain the strong shortlist. Therefore, the final supplier is then selected from this list. The following are the entry qualifiers features that influence buyers final decision [Howard (1998)]: Financial strength Appropriate business strategy Strong supportive management Proven manufacturing capability Design capability There are also many reasons that influence buyers decision to procure material on the following basis: Buying directly from the original manufacturer or distributor Original equipment manufacturers mostly offer lower prices that avoid the costs of wholesalers and retailers along with profit margins. The final choice must be considered on the basis of four factors including the size of the purchase, the manufacturers policies of direct sales, availability of storage at buyers facility, and the required additional services. Local, national, international and global suppliers Choosing international suppliers are more favourable as they usually offers the best price along with technical support but these have to be balanced by higher shipping costs, stocks, communication problems and common risks involved. Also, choosing local suppliers are considered more responsive to fluctuating demands, small deliveries and regular changes in purchase orders using Just-in-time method that not only supports local suppliers and allows the buyers to enhance local economy but also helps in building community goodwill. Large or small suppliers Usually buyers focus on suppliers capability to do the work rather than selecting on the basis of its size. But a buyer must keep in mind the unexpected increase in demands that can only be dealt by larger firms providing extra capacity to overcome these fluctuations. At the same time, in order to create a diversified supply base, buyers intentionally deal with smaller suppliers. Multiple or single sourcing When there are numerous different suppliers available then it becomes very difficult to make a decision of how many to use? Most of the organisations have chosen a trend to reduce the supply base that will benefit them accordingly. Determining method to select supplier This is the last stage where buyers are left with four to five suppliers in their shortlist and decide to evaluate these remaining organisations by looking at the alternatives in more detail for example, using supplier-provided information, supplier/customer visits, preferred list of suppliers and third-party information. Supplier-provided information Detailed information can be acquired through requesting price quotations. Information received from quotations are then used to understand the product description and supply which is then followed by another requests of a detailed cost breakdown of the price quoted by suppliers initially that must include the costs of labour, materials, overheads and profit as buyers also require operational details to finally evaluate them. Supplier visits One of the most efficient ways of getting an overall view of suppliers capabilities and performance is to visit suppliers facilities by a cross-functional team. Generally, these visits are expensive and time consuming so a buyer must balance their desire to gather as much information as possible confidentially. The following table shows important information points that a buyer must collect during its visit: Management capability Quality management Technology levels Planning and scheduling effectiveness Financial strength Personnel relations E-business capabilities Sophistication and efficiency of operations ISO certifications Skills, knowledge and experience of workforce Evidence of good management and housekeeping Types of inventory Nature of the goods inwards, stores and outwards areas Environmental practices Employee employment contracts Any significant changes planned or expected Contact details of key decision makers Use of preferred suppliers This is a list of suppliers created by the purchasers to reward their best suppliers that consistently meets their strict performance criteria. The list can also be used as an incentive to improve the existing suppliers performance and assessed accordingly. External or third-party information This consists of all the other information available about a potential supplier. For example, Total quality management is a system that insists suppliers to meet the quality standards as similar to buyers and generates a flow of related information throughout the supply chain. Selecting supplier and signing agreement This is the final step to choose the supplier followed by signing a contract. This includes different purchasing orders required for routine and major items, i.e. using standard purchase orders for routine items whereas, detailed negotiation is required to agree on specific details for major items that increases the complexity in the purchase order. Supplier evaluation criteria After considering various steps in selecting suppliers, the buying organisation must analyse the following questions with the supply organisation in order to progress outside their traditional purchasing relationships and possibilities for long term relationships with them: [Spekman (1988)] Has the supplier signified a dedication or willingness for a longer term relationship? Is the supplier enthusiastic to perform resources to develop this relationship? Is the supplier willing or able to participate at the early stage or throughout the stage of product design? Has supplier brought any unique service to the business? Is the supplier showed their interests or commitment towards customers problems and effectively solving them together? Is the supplier is interested in improvements and innovations in the operations? Is there any openness of sharing and exchanging information between both companies? How much knowledgeable is the supplier about the customers industry and business? Is the need for confidentially exchanged information taken seriously? Supplier management and development In todays time, the need to improve supplier performance is open in large or small organisations and for this reason; the purchasing teams must introduce a supplier relationship management (SRM) approach to achieve their organisational goals and success in global purchases of technology. Therefore, this calls for managing resources efficiently throughout supply chain collaborations, dedication required from supply managers, creating standardised best practices effectively and tools required for tracking and evaluating the results. The process must begin with effective supplier performance measures required to undertake strategic supply or procurement decisions for the organisation. [Minahan T. And Vigorose M. (2002)] Effective supplier performance measurements What to measure The factors important to assess the performance includes: Delivery performance The purchase orders that are sent to suppliers involves all the appropriate information on deliveries, with quantities, lead times and due dates. Therefore, it is buyers responsibility to check regularly that how well a supplier actually meets their expected conditions. Cost performance There are many ways that can measure cost performances for example, monitoring real price delivered by the supplier after adjusting increase in the prices (inflation). Quality performance In order to measure quality, the best criteria for buyers is to check that products are delivered in 100% perfect condition with no defects. This also includes comparing previous performances, latest performance with mutually agreed standards and various other figures. Other qualitative factors in supplier performance Factor Explanation Problem solving Suppliers attention to provide solutions to the problem Technical skills Comparing suppliers manufacturing capacity with other business suppliers Reporting progress Suppliers incomplete reporting of existing problems and identifying and communicating other potential problems Corrective action Suppliers timely response to requests for corrective actions and requests for changes Cost-reduction plans Suppliers enthusiasm to find techniques that helps to reduce the total purchase cost New-product development support Suppliers capability to reduce time and cost required for new product development Buyer/seller compatibility Rating subjectively how well a purchasing firm and a supplier work together Therefore, the above are various other factors that help the buyers to measure the suppliers technical ability and closeness of both parties relationships. Reporting frequency This includes preparing reports to provide a clear feedback to supplier on their performance. Purchasing management must communicate with their buyers to send these reports by reviewing them weekly, monthly, quarterly or annually which is then followed with more face-to-face team meeting that reviews their actual performance, discussion on targets, identify potential improvements, examine changes, and so on. Any problems (for example, supplier fails to meet the required standard) occurred during crucial time must be addressed with special reports and meetings to avoid any financial and operational problems. Use of measurement data Procurement staff can make use of data collected from its measurement systems in many ways including: Identifying suppliers which are not meeting the performance goals and highlighting areas that calls for improvements, followed by corrective actions taken to raise the performance to acceptable levels or else finding new suppliers. It helps in discovering excellent performances achieved from supplier which then helps identify preferred suppliers that qualify for long term alliances. It also recognises the worst performing suppliers that are continuously not improving and needs to be removed from supply base whereas offering more work to superior suppliers. Supplier measurement techniques There are three techniques discussed for evaluating performance of suppliers, each differs in their use, level of subjectivity, resources required and implementing cost. Categorical techniques These techniques considers a particular aspect of performance, for example lead time and classifies a set of categories for performance rating as excellent, good, fair or poor and therefore, helps buyers in deciding which supplier is good or bad. This is an easiest system of measurement, easy to use, comparatively inexpensive and also the most subjective. There are some drawbacks of using this technique as they do not provide a clear analysis of performance, slower than automated systems and regarded as the lowest of the three techniques in terms of reliability. Scoring model This method overcomes the subjectivity of categorical technique by calculating a weighted score for different performance categories. This is more reliable and requires reasonable implementation cost providing flexibility for buyers to change the categories included as well as weights allocated to each. Cost-based techniques -This technique is the most comprehensive that can help the buying organisation to look for the total cost required for doing business with a particular supplier by identifying the lowest purchase price is not always the lowest cost of acquisition. Hence, this technique works through collecting data from the purchasing firms information system, analysing the total cost including the additional occurring costs whenever a supplier fails to perform as per expected by the buyer. This can be calculated using formula of supplier performance index (SPI) SPI = Total pur

The Pill Essay -- Birth Control Pregnancy Papers

Missing Works Cited "Should women alone bear the burden of contraception and its side effects  ­ including its failure  ­ while men enjoy the pleasures of sexual freedom and fatherhood? Must the word wait for the "perfect" male contraceptive to be created by researchers and manufacturers while women continue to experience actual and potential side effects? Can the world afford to wait while unwanted pregnancy and abortion abound in this country and populations continue to soar in developing lands? Might a less than perfect method be acceptable, in order to achieve better population stabilization?" - Diller et al. The above statement comes from an article in Fertility and Sterility written in 1977 appealing for greater funding for research in the field of male contraceptives. Due to the time in which it was written, and consequently, the research conducted up until then, the pill as a carcinogen had yet to be established. Instead, and coincidentally with the "sign of the times", the article took the high moral ground, extolling the importance of mutual responsibility between men and women towards reproductive behavior. However, the major dangers of the pill have extended beyond those of water retention, depression and/or loss of libido in 1977 to breast cancer risk in 2000. As a result of sufficient funding in breast cancer research this valuable information is now available to the general public. Similar information concerning equivalent male contraception and/or alternative female contraception and long term side effects might have been available, as well, had funding been allocated accordin gly some 50 years ago when the pill was invented by John Rock . Hopefully, with the advent of research in male contraceptives, men and w... ...much as simply to find a new contraceptive method, which subscribed to the teachings of the Catholic Church . This idea that a pill-induced regulation of the menstrual cycle is a necessary element in a woman’s life is falsely perpetuated time and again. There are exceptions, of course. "In obese women the failure to menstruate can signal an increased risk of uterine cancer and in female athletes, a failure to menstruate can signal an increased risk of osteoporosis". However, aside from that subset of women, younger women, especially, up the odds of developing breast cancer when they subject themselves to excessive hormones which 1. Are not necessitated in the least by any health condition and 2. Can be readily substituted with alternatives. Pregnancy is not a "disease", the pill is not a supplemental multi-vitamin and the dangers of the pill should not be belittled.

Charles Rennie Mackintosh Essay -- Essays Papers

Charles Rennie Mackintosh. Charles Rennie Mackintosh was born in Glasgow on 7 June 1868. He trained as an architect in a local firm and studied art & design at evening classes at the Glasgow School of Art. For 20 years he worked as an architect/designer in Glasgow where all his best known work was created. Much of it is still there today. At art school Mackintosh and his friend and colleague Herbert MacNair met the artist sisters Margaret and Frances Macdonald. These four artists collaborated on designs for furniture, metalwork and illustration, developing a distinctive imagery of weird, abstracted female figures and metamorphic lines reminiscent of Aubrey Beardsley. Their style earned them the nickname of the 'Spook School' and their work, particularly in England, was treated with suspicion because of its decadent influence of Continental art nouveau. At this time Continental Art Nouveau was frowned upon by art critics. The majority of Mackintosh's work was created, with the help of a small number of patrons, within a short period of intense activity betwe...

Care Support

Assisting skills The role of the heath care assistant in maintaining a safe and hygienic environment for client. Comprehensive description of clients needs. My client is 77 year old man with diabetes. He lives with his wife. My client is weak and depressed. He smokes cigarretes knowing that he is not allowed, he dont go out and the man is always grumpy. I dont know to much about him cause he never really talks but watch TV. He doesn't have a children but his wife looks after him.My task is to assist him with the shower, get ready all his toiletries beforehand, help him to leave his walker outside the door, make sure his feet is looked after well, make sure he wears a fresh, clean clothes every time after his shower. Accurate identification of assistance required. As my client has reduced vision and weakness I help him with his morning shower. My task is to make sure he is safely washed, I observe everything corectly and report everything in the book for the nurse.My client use elderl y walker with seat so everywhere he walks he is safe to sit down and rest for while even if it's only short distance in the house. In the bathroom he sits on the chair and there is non slip bathroom mat as well. He has a very tick glasses because of his reduced vision. Gentleman has to take injections every day which gives him his wife. When I visit my client I make sure my hands are washed and I wear disposable apron and glows. I take my client to the bathroom which is nice and warm.He walks with his walker till there. I make sure all things out of his way so he don't bump into something hard cause he might not feel the pain that can worn him to a serious injury. In the bathroom my client first brush his teeth. For man hygiene I check if his toothbrush is changed every three months and he has a soft one cause hard one toothbrush can tear gum tissue which might bring to infection. For the man safety I make sure that shower is warm not hot cause that could dry out his skin which is n ot safe for diabetic. I use mild hower gel If there is any scratches on my client's skin I use soft soap and water to wash it off not alcohol or antiseptic hygiene creams. After his shower I put moisturising cream on my client's skin. â€Å"People with diabetes are more susceptible to foot problem but spending some time carying of their feet on regular basis can help keep them healthy (G. Gardner, Dolores 2011)†. I keep my client's feet clean every day. I wash it daily with soft flannel and mild soap. I dont leave the man in shower too long cause too long soaking in the water only causes skin dry out more.I use soft towel to completely dry his feet remembering to dry between each and everyone of his toes. I never use moisturiser between his toes. I put lotion only on the tops and bottoms of his feet. For my clients hygiene he wears every day clean socks, mostly 80% catton or wool which helps to absorb sweat and feet can breath. I always talk true everything I do so my client is in understanding about everything. The client has been complaining about asthma so I have forwarded this to the nurse and she has arranged doctor appointment for my client.Clear recommendations on effective course of action to better meet client's needs. My client is very grumpy man and he always say he dont want to do anything and he dont need anything. In the mean time he tries to do as much as he can himself. In the shower I wash his back and I look after his feet cause he cant lean down. All I can respect his with to do everything as quick as I can and get him out from shower as soon as I can. I always listen the gentleman cough as he is smoker and its unaccepted for a diabetic. I remind him that he should stop smoking.When he brush his teeth I have a look in the sink in case he has been spitting out blood to make sure his mouth hygiene is right. I observe his skin while shower is there any red spots, swolling, scratches. I pay big attention on my clients feet, I look for bli sters, cuts, scratches, calluses, corns, ingrowing toe nails or signs of infection. Also I look for white, moist, wrinkly skin especially between toes. If there is any hot spots it could be underlying infection or inflamation. I would report this to the nurse strait away. I always cover my client with clothes as soon as he is out his shower respecting his ignity. I'm glad when my client tries to do as much as he can himself and always courage him to stay that way cause that keeps his self esteem. I always repect his privacy closing all blinds before shower. As my client is shy in front to me I respect his privacy and wash him quick but properly in the mean time. I always ask him does he has noticed any changes in his body since we last met. Evidence as reflection as a result on work experience. After my research I discovered that very important is to look after my clients feet if he is diabetic.Cant miss out one bit. I learned that diabetics has much more than only low sugar levels and there is few types of diabetes. After my discovery about this illness I care about client with much more attention on smaller details which I would not know before. Trying to be a better healthcare assistant I have to develop my ability to let my client to make decisions and choice because its too easy to take care too much and take control not noticing that I take away my clients independence and self-woth. I have to promote independence as much as I can.Other quality is smile. It's so important to dont get sad face just looking at the client. If client is grumpy carer need strenght to dont get the same. Sometimes its difficult cause I know I go to my client with best intention but seems client doesn't appriciate. That's where is need to learn to be strong and still smile and hope that my smile will make my client positive. References. Shoback edited by David G. Gardner, Dolores 2011, Greensparks basics ; clinical endocrinology (9th ed). New York McGrawhill Medical ppChapter 17 .

Colonialist Criticism by Chinua Achebe Essay

Summary The essay ‘Colonialist Criticism’ is an attack on a lingering colonialism in the criticism of African literature by non-Africans. The African writer writes the text or ‘they produce literature, their literature goes to Europeans for analysis. Every African literature has to get thought the grids of European writers. They have to meet the criteria said by the European writer, African writer wrote the text for the African people but European people analyzed it. It means they are the jury’s bench, or they judge the text. [One question raised that How do they judge] while judging, they always keep on the concept that is big brother consciousness. They always make the binaries. These binaries are like white and black or the European or African. They think that Europeans are superior and big brothers, whereas Africans are inferior and small brothers. Europeans are teacher and Africans are learners. Therefore, Europeans are at the center and Africans are at the margin. Therefore Africans have to learn many more things from the Europeans. They tend to feel that burden of teaching to the Africans. Therefore, Europeans feel that they know more about African literature, art and culture than African themselves. Achebe sees the faults of colonialist criticism in the assumption that the African writer is â€Å"Somewhat unfinished European and that somehow outsiders can know Africa better than the native writers. Achebe opposes, the European colonial prejudice, habit of ruling and discriminating other and comparing African people their literature, art and culture etc. He argues that African literature should not be judged with the canonical literature since it has its own particularity and peculiarity. The mask of European civilization does not know the history of African people. So Achebe’s claim is that blacks (colonized) should write their own history neglecting what has been already universalized. He argues that â€Å"If the text is judged from European perspective a text doesn’t get right evaluation and the essence of the text is killed.† Attacks on Universalism The term ‘Universalism’ is exclusive, it includes the whole world. The term  Universalism refers to European parochialism, European writers always emphasized universality in the writing. They believe that the writer has to cover all the issues in general or the writer has to speak for all. They judge African text form this angle; they argued that the African text is not universal because it does not speak about universal issue. It speaks only African voice, therefore their text is invalid. They are not able to write about the whole universe. The two problems with Universalism, according to Achebe are, first that the presumed universality that critics find, is merely a synonym for the â€Å"narrow self-serving parochialism of Europe† and second, that every literature must â€Å"speak of a particular place; evolve out of the necessities of its history, past and current and the  aspirations and destiny of its people.† It means that every text comes out of specific time space and the people. Therefore, every text is related to space-specific and people-specific. African people have experience about racism. Therefore, they can write about racism deliberately. African might have made many mistakes, but they didn’t bring racism in the world. Therefore, they would, write about it, which is African-specific situation which is pervaded in African. Achebe sustained the idea that â€Å"the term universalism must be vanished.† Attacks on Language African writers writing in English don’t mean that they are following European model. Language is not the property or possession of any group country or continent. Language is common property as well as de-ethicized. English language is not the property of British or American. It doesn’t belong to anyone. African writers are writing in English to make themselves heard. If they write in African language nobody will come to know about them. They have the problem of communication. African writers writing in English wanted to win the attention of the world. Language is the common heritage for all the people. Towards the end of the essay he criticizes the native writers. All the time European writers cannot be slammed deplorable. He says the even native writers have not done anything to uplift the condition of African literature. They are not responsible for their own people. He embodies the  idea and says that only through the earnestness or â€Å"Eager-enough† is most important to uplift the condition of African literature. Only then African literature will get the prestigious status otherwise they will be dominated. For the domination of Europeans Achebe calls ‘seduction’. The native poets and critics are equally responsible for this seduction because they never attempt to break this barricade of this European canon rather they enjoy to be in appendage of it.