Procurement Logistics And Supply Chain Management Commerce Essay

Procurement Logistics And Supply Chain Management Commerce Essay Traditional purchasing and logistics functions have evolved into a broader strategic approach to materials and distribution management known as supply chain management (Tan, 2001). Successful supply chain management requires cross functional integration and marketing plays a critical role (Lambert and Cooper, 2000). Procurement is extension of supply chain management allows the smooth functioning of departments engaged in the management process. Cooper et al (1997) mentioned that practitioners and educators have variously addressed the concept of supply chain management as an extension of logistics, or as an all-encompassing approach to business integration. BCAM is headed by James Irvine, Managing Director holding 40% of the shares while Tom Irvine is the Production Director with 25% shares in the company. The company was established 100 years ago by the Irvine family which came into existence during mass industrialization of UK agricultural sector manufacturing tractors and wide ra nge of associated agricultural equipments like harvesters, balers, mowers and sprayers. Over these years, BCAM was able to build good reputation in the market but lacked innovation and neglected both product and market development failing which the company was not able to react to the demand and had to face stiff competition, mainly from Europe, USA and Far East. As supply chain management and procurement logistics are important in efficient, smooth and continuous functioning of the company, this paper critically analyses the supply chain management process of British Consolidated Agricultural Machinery (BCAM), its consequences on the operation and management of the company and evaluating different approaches of supply chain management to benefit the company in terms of improved procurement and supply chain management. A) Supply Chain Management Process BCAM According to Mentzer (2001) supply chain management is the systematic, strategic coordination of the traditional business functions within a particular company and across businesses within the supply chain for the purposes of improving the long term performance of the individual companies and supply chain as a whole. Further Hugos (2006) states that supply chain management is the coordination of production, inventory, location and transportation among the participants in a supply chain to achieve the best mix of responsiveness and efficiency for the market being served Various definitions from different authors concentrate mainly on flow of goods and materials within the company for timely production, cost effective operations and better customer service which is not evident or persistent in the supply chain process of BCAM. The supply chain process at BCAM did not meet any of the essential criterions as suggested by several authors in Mentzer (2001). BCAM lacked strategic planning i n its supplied chain process as purchasing officer would make a reorder for the goods and materials only after the low stock level and stock issue made by the warehouse. Warehouse officials manually carried the inventory and issued reorder report to the purchase department after which purchase department would require three days to forward purchaser order to the supplier, which may extend to week further if the individual product lines are batched up into one large order with a single supplier. It may be noted that logistics play a major role in supply chain management process which is not limited to single organization but refers to a network that work together and coordinate their actions to deliver a product to the market (Hugos, 2006). Delivering product to customers requires implementation of the strategic process within the firm to integrate the firm with other members of the supply chain and other operational activities at day to day level (Lambart, 2008). Procurement of mate rials, which is the primary task of purchase department lacked decision making power as it did not vested with any individual and dispersed across different units making it a tedious job for purchasing unit. Organizations give the power to purchasing department to take the decisions and send purchase order to the suppliers, but at BCAM, production staff and engineers made most of the decision that doesnt apply in supply chain process. Moreover, the purchase order is placed in bulk in order to secure maximum discounts but out of the items purchased, only few are used for the production while the rest are maintained in the warehouse which is a serious problem concerning the high operational costs and low profits of the company. The company lacked the basic tenets of supply chain management like integrated behavior, mutual sharing of information, mutual sharing channel risks and rewards, cooperation, similar goal and focus of serving customers, integration of processes and partners to build and maintain long term relationships (Mentzer, 2001). The instance of purchasing materials in bulk shows that the company lacks partnerships with small suppliers as it has to purchase items in bulk to minimize the logistics cost. Moreover, the deliveries of goods by the suppliers were often late, as it is evident that they were not interested in doing business with BCAM due to late payments. Mutual sharing of information is not evident at BCAM as the company was not able to meet the market demand. The instance of new products being launched and irregular notice to the purchasing department makes it clear that there is no cooperation and coordination in the internal business units at BCAM. Market demand could not be meted due to inefficient managing practices because fulfillment of market demand is the process of measuring the process and communicating the results throughout the firm and to key members of supply chain (Lambart, 2008). Marketing department needs to provide neces sary information to the production and purchasing departments about the new product, the market demand and requirements so as to meet the demand on time. Supply chain management at BCAM is not integrated with most of the departments not sharing information which is essential for production and meeting the market demands. BCAMs supply chain management lacks integral relationship with similar goals and objectives and works on its own while decisions are taken at all levels. Lack of basic characteristics of supply chain management has resulted in various challenges to BCAM in form of competitors in the industry, high operating cost, low profit, inability to meet the market demand, inability in procurement of materials, low level of coordination in the management, and the situation where the management is thinking of merger with French firm, Eiffel Mecanisme which is lower than its size but makes more profit than BCAM, thanks to its low operational cost, effective marketing strategy and management. The ineffective supply chain management has very drastic consequences which is evident in case of BCAM which is at the verge of merging with a French company and on condition that all the senior management positions should be French while production operations being transferred to the French factories. In order to avoid the major setbacks and merger with French company, BCAM will have to restructure its organization and reformulate its strategy matching the technology of its competitors and producing innovative products meeting the expectations and demand of the market. B) Supply Chain Management Approaches for BCAM Kale (n.d.) mentioned that the supply chain management within the organization includes all the functions involved in fulfilling a customer demand like new product development, marketing, operations, distributions, finance and customer service and any break in the chain of functioning between these departments will have an adverse effect on the organization (Basu and Wright, 2007). Operating successfully in any business environment today requires companies to become much more involved in how their supplies and customer do business. As global markets expands and competition increases, making products and services that customers want to buy means that businesses must pay closer attention to where materials come from, how their suppliers products are designed and produced, how they are assembled, transported and stored, etc. Steve Darendinger, Vice President of advanced sourcing and supply chain strategy for Cisco Systems, California stated that the key to developing effective supply ch ain management programs is keeping the customer in mind and if the customer is skipped during decision making process, then these decisions transfer risks costs and additional waiting time along the supply chain leading to higher operational costs and lower end customer demands (Wisner et al, 2008). Supply chain is a holistic approach that stretches forward across the organization and customer and backwards through various suppliers and to their suppliers. There can be substantial benefits for all stakeholders by having integration across company boundaries which was missing in BCAMs supply chain management process (Basu and Wright, 2007). Regarding suppliers too, BCAM didnt had much to choose among the suppliers as most of them were not satisfied by the payment terms of the company which resulted in less priority in delivering the goods. The ultimate objective of supply chain management is to achieve strategic fit between the companys competitive strategy and supply chain strategy (Kale, n.d). Cutting et al (2006) states that the main objective of supply chain management is to have the right products in the right quantities at the right time at minimal cost in a situation that would guarantee optimal service levels for the customer and optimal performance for the organization ( Basher, 2010). This is the main problem with BCAM as the departments within were not able to coordinate with each other and the basic objective of supply chain management was not fulfilled. According to supply chain management philosophy (Markland et al 1995) inventory should be the last resort in solving supply and requirement imbalances between the tiers but at BCAM, inventory was carried out manually and 80% of the man hours would be spend on matching the documents of suppliers sent during the delivery of goods. Companies, nowadays, formulate their strategies devising supply chain management that suits their organization. Leo and Bart (n.d.) recognized three basic forms of supply chain namely internal supply chain. which is an integrated flow of material and information within the business unit, from supplier and towards the customer; external supply chain, an integrated flow of material and information within the business unit, across the direct suppliers and customers; and tota l supply chain, an integrated flow of material and information within the business unit, across multiple trading suppliers and customers. According to Harrison et al (2005) supply chain management is a set of approaches utilized to efficiently integrate suppliers, manufacturers, warehouses and stores, so that merchandise is produced and distributed at the right quantities, to right places and at right time so as to reduce operational costs while giving optimum customer satisfaction. It is important to note that logistics plays an important role in successful implementation of supply chain management. The supply chain management approach differs from the logistics functions like optimization of the transportation and distribution structure. Two different approaches have been identified namely make to stock and make to order. The difference between the two approach lies in production strategy wherein if a product is created according to specific customer demand, it follows make to order approach while production on any other criteria is due to make to stock, as the products are produced to stock in advance to meet the ev er increasing market demand. The supply chain approach benefit the organizations in maintaining low operating costs, flexibility and responsiveness and delivery performance (Dickersbach, 2009). BCAM should reinvent its supply chain management by focusing on internal processes. Internal supply chain would be efficient so as to integrate the departments and initiate systematic coordination, cooperation and mutual sharing of information among the departments in the company. Moreover, the company should focus on make to order approach of supply chain management in the current situation so as to avoid unnecessary costs of extra items being purchased from the suppliers. BCAM should apply modern approach of supply chain management which encourages facing challenges across organizations, different lines of business, and across consumers and eliminate the traditional approach, which is being presently practiced in the organization (Altekar, 2005). In conclusion, Tom Irvine, Production Direct ors strategy should be implemented to improve the procurement and supply chain process which aims to use make to order approach, reduce the excessive inventory and aggressive marketing of the products. Conclusion BCAM should focus on restructuring its supply chain processes so as to improve its performance in the market and withstand stiff competition from its rivals. Toms strategy to revive the companys performance in the market should be implemented as it focuses on reducing the overall operational expenditure and low cost production mechanism.

Rainbows and Rain :: Personal Narrative Sports Frisbee Essays

Rainbows and Rain I sit on my bed taking off my cleats as I hang the Frisbee over the huge torn chunk of wall, caused my removal of the corkboard and the wonders of â€Å"wall tape.† I finish my dinner and realize that the great idea of placing my plate into my â€Å"Frisbee tray" is not such a great idea when the plate is permanently stuck inside the Frisbee for a whole three minutes as struggle to pull it out. I scale the roof of my grandmother’s cabin in order to save my Frisbee from beating rains, intolerable sun, and absolute loneliness. I scale the steep weeds and ivy groves in order to save my Frisbee from the treacherous rivers which roars below. I pull and huck the Frisbee. I toss and pass the Frisbee. My hands turn red and chapped in the cold and fast and sweet in the heat. The Frisbee sails in the sky meeting the sunset horizons before a swift catch and speedy throw sends it again, through a similar cycle, of something I call magic. To sprint, and just believe that if I reach out far enough I will perfectly meet the disc and it will meet my hand as one total motion has been completed. The power of running as the Frisbee flies over your head, as you lose all sense of gravity to make the final grasp at spinning disc, is the beginning of the high. Just before you meet the ground, whether it a be serious layout or you end up tasting grass, dirt, fertilizer, it’s a worth it, just as long as you have caught the Frisbee. And the high sinks into the spirituality of it all; victory is possible in that mighty catch. Truly we are Heroins. This, my friends, is the sport the absolute addiction, of one single disc, cleats (or no shoes if you prefer), some grudging comfy clothing, H2O, and a heroin teammate. But it's not just throwing and catching, which I cannot resist. And I mean I really cannot accept the idea of people throwing out in the quad without me. If players of old, and players of new are throwing the Frisbee all I can do is join. Even in HI, at Kona beach, people were throwing---no one I knew---I knew that I just had to play and they were totally cool about it all.

Darkness Falls in Stantana - Original Writing :: Papers

Darkness Falls in Stantana - Original Writing In a village called Santana lived a young woman called Mary archer. Everyone hated her because she use to go to little children and offer them into her house, and she feeds them with poisonous food because when Mary was a little girl her mum was preparing dinner but she accidentally added washing up liquid with her knowing. When she put dinner on the table Marry came home from school with her father. While Mary was upstairs in the toilet, Mary's mum and dad helped their selves to the sweet and tasty paste. When Mary came downstairs she saw her mom and dad lying down on the ground perfectly still. Mary walked slowly to her mum repeatedly saying "mum, mum get up mum", but there was no reply. Mary knew something was wrong so she quickly and ran out of the house to her neighbors and told them what happened. Since then Mary wasn't the same. One day the mayor's son went missing, so all of the villagers set off hunting for Mary because they had a feeling that it was her that kidnapped the mayor's son Alex. When they reached Mary's house they saw Alex's bicycle lying on the floor outside the doorstep of Mary's house. The villagers kicked the door down and saw Mary with a butcher's knife in her right hand and blood was dripping off the knife. The mayor was in shock when he stepped into the kitchen and saw his son lying perfectly still and red blood surrounding him. The next day the mayor and the villagers all decided to burn the face of Mary and hang her. When they burned Mary's face, Mary put a curse on the village that 20 years later she will return and when darkness falls and children are asleep Mary will kill the child if the child or any other person in Santana looks at her face. After she made that curse she was hanged at the top of tall a wooded stick. 20 years later a young boy named James Patel 11 years old that lived

Philosophy of love Essay -- essays research papers

Some people believe that there is no such thing as â€Å"true love† they believe that love is nothing but an illusion designed by social expectations. These people believe that love ultimately turns into pain and despair. This idea in some ways is true. Love is not eternal it will come to an end one way or another, but the aspect that separates true love from illusion, is the way love ends. â€Å"True Love† is much too powerful to be destroyed by Human imperfection; it may only be destroyed by a force equal to the power of love. Diotima believed that â€Å"Love is wanting to posses the good forever† In other words love is the desire to be immortal and the only way that we are able to obtain immortality is through reproduction, and since the act of reproduction is a form of sexual love, then sexual love is in fact a vital part of â€Å"True love†. Sexual love is not eternal. This lust for pleasure will soon fade, but the part of love that is immortal, is a plutonic love. You can relate this theory to the birth of love that Diotima talks about. She says that love was born by a mortal mother and immortal father. The mother represents the sexual love, the lust for pleasure. The father represents the plutonic love that is immortal. Plutonic love is defined as a true friendship, the purest of all relationships. A true plutonic love will never die; it transcends time, space, and even death. Platonic love is in my opinion, the most important and vital aspect of love. Without platonic love people are ...

Letter of Persuasion

I hope this letter reaches you in good health and good graces. I am writing this letter to tell you about this persistent issue Eve had with my teeth. It all started when I was told that along with my four wisdom teeth I had to get an extra tooth which was growing on the bottom right row, extracted as well. After the first grueling month of post wisdom tooth extraction pain, came more problems. Now I have a hole in my mouth on that bottom right row and, I can't go one meal still to this day without it bleeding, and let me remind you that my teeth were extracted about six to eight months ago and the hole still bleeds after a meal, snack etc.Which also makes it hard when you want to get food out of that hole. Because the gap is wide enough after every meal something gets stuck in there and if the hole is punctured with a straw, fork, toothpick, dental floss in efforts to get the food out, it will not only cause more pain but more bleeding as well. This explains why the gap is swollen, because its been stabbed multiple times in efforts to get the food out, so now its become sore. The days you do not have a straw, fork, toothpick or dental floss readily available, the food stays there making the pain more unbearable, and making it more possible for infections.Imagine having to deal with this everyday, and your a sixteen year old boy with a Job which requires a lot of talking, and with every time you move your mouth, you feel a pain from this throbbing hole, which the doctors who took your wisdom teeth and your extra tooth out said would be handled by braces, all that would be needed was the insurance company to say yes. So after breakfast, lunch and dinner, I have to take a Ethylene or David to reduce the pain, swelling and bleeding, and each day that I take one, the drowsier I become, which makes It a lot harder for me to do my Job when Im extremely groggy.On top of all this my breathing has gotten heavier from after the extraction of the tooth, especially when I lay down, my heart rate increases, and my breathing becomes loud. I first noticed that I truly had a breathing issue when I was having a conversation with a friend, and he asked me had I been inning and I said â€Å"no', and he said â€Å"l can hear you breathing† Before the operation my breathing was fine, I never had any Issues, I never even had asthma. Now when I'm standing perfectly still or trying to go to bed, my constant deep breathing Is always there.So I am writing this letter today not plead for braces because of a minor overbite or cross-bite, but I truly hope that from my narrative and Orthodontics narrative that my very serious oral condition will be taken Into deep consideration a second time around. Ever since my teeth were taken out I was assured that the pain loud only be temporary and once the Insurance approved for braces the hole would be closed up and the Issues would be gone but since that surgery date I have had more problems then ever before, which ha s Interfered with my schooling, work and everyday activities.I hope you take pity In the fact that I suffer everyday with this Issue and would Like nothing more then the Insurance company to help finally see what I go through day to day. I would Just Like to say thank you for taking the time to read my letter, and hope you can get back to me soon. Letter of Persuasion By phantom day that I take one, the drowsier I become, which makes it a lot harder for me to do from after the extraction of the tooth, especially when I lay down, my heart rate running and I said â€Å"no†, and he said â€Å"I can hear you breathing† Before the operation my breathing was fine, I never had any issues, I never even had asthma.Now when I'm standing perfectly still or trying to go to bed, my constant deep breathing is narrative that my very serious oral condition will be taken into deep consideration a loud only be temporary and once the insurance approved for braces the hole would be closed up and the issues would be gone but since that surgery date I have had more problems then ever before, which has interfered with my schooling, work and everyday activities.

Percy Jackson book report Essay

The book is funny and witty, effortlessly matching old mythology and tradition with modern culture in a way that makes the book engrossing and unpredictable. There is talk of gods having affairs with mortals, and quite a bit of married gods having affairs with other gods. In the following book report, I will first introduce the plot of the story. Then, I will talk about the writing of the author and the strengths and weaknesses of the books. After that, I will talk about the main character and other major character in the books and talk about what I have learnt after reading. At the end, I will share my overall response to the book and my recommendation. Percy Jackson, the main character, is 12 years old. He is a kid who lives with his single mother and is unsure of his dad’s identity. He has ADHD. He has a rep for getting in trouble. With help from his best friend Grover and his favourite teacher Mr. Brunner, he finds out that there is a perfectly good explanation for all of it, that he’s not a bad kid, and that he comes by everything quite naturally. He is actually a half-blood of a demigod. His father is Posiedon, God of the Seas, and Percy has some control over water. After a creepy math teacher transforms into a monster and tries to eat him, Percy’s friend Grover takes him to Camp Half-Blood. Soon after, he must go on a quest with Grover and Annabeth, daughter of Athena, to take back Zeus’s stolen lightning bolt and prevent a catastrophic war between the gods. On the basis of this short description, you can see that there are a lot of superficial similarities to the Potter books. â€Å"The Lightning Thief† is all a little Harry Potter in concept – an orphan, with supernatural powers, who has two friends (one brainy girl and one geeky sidekick), several envious rival students. He goes to a special school and he is highly skilled at the school’s favorite sport, chariot racing. He is personally charged with a quest that, should he fail, will result in the ruin of the world. The author, Rick Riordan, spends the first half of the book exploring the nature of Camp Half-blood and the various demi-god kids, as well as dropping hints about Percy’s parentage. Although, given the number of times he makes water misbehave, you would think someone would have guessed. Fortunately the plot picks up about halfway through, when the whole matter of the bolt and thieving gods comes into play. I think the author has done a great job. Rick Riordan almost seems to be teasing the audience with these similarities to Harry Potter. But he’s having fun with it, and his style and humor are refreshing, humorous, and quite different from Rowling’s. He gets to the point much faster. The action starts on page 1 and never stops! Riordan has a snappy fast-moving style, and he peppers the story with plenty of plot twists and monstrous action. And he has quite a sharp-edged sense of humor. The snarkiness is a bit annoying in the first chapter, but after that, he has produced some fun dialogue. Also, he does a good job with the concept of gods and monster surviving over the center of the western world, as well as spooking some fun at the gods’ behavior. For example, Dionysius whining â€Å"Father loves to punish me. The first time, Prohibition. Ghastly! † Besides, I found Percy rather annoying in the first couple chapters, but Riordan slowly evolves him from a rather bratty, rebellious kid to a reluctant hero. Annabeth is an excellent counterpart to Percy, smart and measured if rather haughty in attitude, while Grover is a likable little sidekick who is chewing his nails over the possibility of losing his job. And the supporting cast of gods and demigods is pretty well-drawn, especially the paternal Chiron and embittered Luke. After reading this book, I appreciate to Percy’s courage. Although he is only twelve, he is powerful and strong. Percy Jackson has to protect himself and also his friends from the many monsters that dared to attack him. He tries his best to prevent a war between the gods and take back Zeus’s stolen lightning bolt. It reminds me that we always suppose that we are too young to make some great accomplishments, but, actually, we can do it if we believe we can! Even though the book doesn’t express its message obviously, through reading the story, I learn that we have to know about our weakness and strength. Also, we can’t finish something if there are only you. Just like the book, Percy defeats all the Greek monsters and prevents the war successfully with the help and support from his friends, Grover and Annabeth. We need our friend’s pleased help to overcome difficulties. All in all, I was amazed at how much I enjoyed this book. The book is full of magic, and mystery, and adventure. At first, I only began to read the stories because I had watched this book’s movie version at the cinema. The movie is marvelous. And to me, a book must be worth-seeing as it has to be good enough to put into a film. As I went farther along in the book, it became more exciting. I was constantly desired to read this book more and I found it hard to put down. It has so much going on. You could revolve your entire curriculum around for quite some time. I would immerse myself in completely. In fact, I was in tears at the end of the book not because the ending was depressing which went deep into my heart. It leaves the door open for more adventures from Percy Jackson. Anyway, I like this book as it has a little bit of everything: danger, heroes, villains, action, mystery, and adventure. It’s funny sometimes, and scary sometimes, and powerful sometimes, and even sad sometimes, but it’s a story that will keep you turning the pages as fast as your eyes can read the words. It is a whole new and fun way of looking at the Greek myths. I highly recommend this book to all of you!

Limit on Sale of Second Homes

Today the South West is seen as a hotspot or retreat for all age groups. Its beautiful landscapes and popular coastline mean that many people are regularly visiting Cornwall, leading into them buying second homes. However these outsiders are pushing locals away and this is why I propose councils enforce a limit on the sale of second home properties in popular areas. With so many people interested in second homes the property market is booming and prices are continuing to increase, between 2001 and 2004 in the town of Padstow property prices rose by 144% (from Halifax survey). With this in mind locals are trying to invest in property before it becomes too expensive, yet so are outsiders who are willing and more able to pay more as they still have 10% discount on council tax. Second home owners used to only have to pay 50% of council tax yet this was then raised to 90% in order to help support local projects. This situation is having a terrible effect on local people. Higher prices and higher taxes have to be paid which some cannot afford, resulting in people having to move away from their local area in order to stay financially stable. This then leaves another home on the market that is more likely to become a second home. In the small fishing village of Port Isaac, now well known as the setting for television show Doc Martin, ITV, staggeringly 75% of the properties are second homes. This causes a number of seasonal problems. During the summer roads become busy and dangerous, beaches full, environment damaged†¦what can only be described as a mere hell for locals. â€Å"I had to pay à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½4 to park in Polzeath† complained a local surfer. Also during the evenings tourist children have been a persistent problem in Polzeath. Students coming down for the summer to stay in their family or friends second homes are found congregated on the road and beach drinking, shouting and vandalising property, and this is on a nightly basis. To solve the problem nine police officers were stationed at Polzeath to patrol the evenings yet this was a waste of money and very annoying for local youths â€Å"When we wanted to hang out we would have to stand in a spotlighted area that the police had allocated, just because others were causing trouble† said a teenager from Polzeath. However when winter settles in they all return north leaving towns like Port Isaac and Polzeath to appear as ‘ghost towns' . This then leaves local businesses with no option but to close up for the winter which also leaves locals unemployed and it can be very hard to find a job for the winter. As soon as winter comes the local teens are left with the town to themselves and not much to do. Most travel to Wadebridge, which is about fifteen minutes away, to work and to meet up with friends in town. Recently â€Å"Tube Station† was built in Polzeath, a half pipe for skaters of Polzeath and the surrounding area to use and also for other teens to just hang out. This is why I think a limit on the sale of second homes in popular areas should be enforced. It would help by; firstly less second homes means more local homes at affordable prices, also larger population numbers would be maintained throughout the year and furthermore businesses would be able to have a longer season and provide jobs through the winter†¦ And with all this gained we still don't loose our biggest input from tourism that helps keep our economy going. I'm not saying we stop the sale of second homes as we then would have a major fall in our economy but if we limit the number of second homes available locals will have a better lifestyle which they are entitled to and outsiders will still have the option to move here. Limiting second homes in popular areas also gives the chance to then develop housing in small areas for permanent residents but also second home owners and overall improve the economy of the South West.