Sompack a Turkish Manufacturer Essay Example

Sompack a Turkish Manufacturer Essay SomPack which is a Turkish manufacturer, had to make a hard decision about its substantial corporate strategy, because in the mid-1990s SomPack realized that China was a threat. China had been making inroads into U. S. Market. The main issue was the labor cost differentials, so SomPack tried to set some ways to reduce labor costs and increase the capacity. The company took a step to product assembly that is the lipstick mechanism and the mechanism was high volume component that has multistep process. They had a machine custom-designed, but the machine was so sensitive to operate and defects occurred. Then, they decided to redesign the parts of assembly to decrease material cost, but it also did not work well. If they would have the workers assemble the parts manually, it would have more cheaply than the machine. SomPack customers used to order large demand and the company was on the top, but the Chinese suppliers started to get those demands. Based on all past experience, company decided to go for low-cost Chinese moulding machines. For SomPack industry, they still found cost differentials of more than fifty percent relative to Turkey. Thus, they were trading a good line to decrease their costs based on cheaper equipment and selective outsourcing, while not decreasing the quality and service of the final product they ensure their customers to any reasonable extent. INTRODUCTION Since the mid-1990, SomPack, a Turkish manufacturer of cosmetics packaging products, had been having rough days because of the Chinese suppliers who produce lower-cost and lower-quality goods, as a competitor. SomPack started the job by making injection moulds for plastics products. We will write a custom essay sample on Sompack a Turkish Manufacturer specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now We will write a custom essay sample on Sompack a Turkish Manufacturer specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer We will write a custom essay sample on Sompack a Turkish Manufacturer specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer The company entered the business with mould making for electronics, home products and automotive industries. In 1980`s SomPack started to packaging cosmetics stuffs. SomPack was famous with their production quality and good customer relations. It was a family-owned group. To make a decision between choosing low-cost and low quality products strategy, I recommend SomPack to no to change their substantial strategy based on high quality of the product, according to the customer`s satisfaction. The question is; should Turkish manufacturer of osmetics packaging called SomPack, change their strategy through reducing the quality of either process or products in order to compete with low-cost products from China, or, should SomPack try to resist Chinese low-cost products and try to keep their product quality same? The case is dealing with the research through the decision of joining them, instead of beating them. BODY OF PAPER OPTIONS It is a decision case that company has two options. The f irst option is changing corporate strategy that means decreasing the quality of a product or still having same corporate strategy that means high-cost, but also high quality. CRITERIA As for criteria, SOMPACK believed that if they increase the quality, they would not compete with its international and local competitors. That is, they are facing with low-cost competition in the international and local market. Moreover, low quality and low cost products were increasing in market share. SomPack could not adjust ERP system. Productions were based on estimates and for large sizes that sought to minimize set up times utilize any spare capacity. However, with orders varying substantially, often the company produced too many parts of one type and had store them, while at other times there were not enough parts for a new order. The other criterion is SomPack had some strategic faults about choosing mould machines. For example, they told that the expensive machine is the best and it would decrease the labor costs, but they could not use the machines that they need to use. Thus, it causes some problems about the moulds and to fix they had to pay much more for labor costs. Another criterion is SomPack`s customers` demand cheap products. Moreover, SomPack loss their suppliers and the customers due to the Chinese affects in cosmetic market. Lastly, large customers who could control suppliers in China increasingly preferred to deal with them directly. Customers increasingly approached SomPack for smaller order quantities, and when they needed to change their product mix often, so SomPack could not have depended on Chinese suppliers for such products either. FACTS Facts are related to criteria. There are some economic and also social facts that are connected to economic ones. Economic facts are that the company was trying to reduce labor costs, product quality by the use of cheaper raw material, use of cheaper costs and machines. Also, the social facts occurred due to loss of customers. Those customers started to look for new countries to find a new company. That is, SOMPACK was famous with its quality products and good customer relations, but they had to decrease costs because of the fact that global crisis and foreign competition had increased. ACTION PLAN SomPack`s goal is to be different than the other companies on the base of production`s quality and service. SHORT-TERM STEPS SomPack should reduce the costs as much as they can by the use of cheaper equipment and selective outsourcing, but at the same time they need to keep the quality and service high. Furthermore, they need to hire ERP expert to adjust the system better. LONG-TERM STEPS For the long-term steps they tried to find a better Chinese partner and try to be competitive in the market. They should play active role in expo. Through presenting their products. Also, they can train effectively their workers about the use of moulding machines. Lastly, they need to get more certificates. RISKS According to short and long terms there are some risks; first of all quality can reduce and it causes loss of the customers who value quality. Because of low-cost raw materials using products can be nondurable and those products returning costs could be much more higher for the company. CONCLUSION In conclusion, as I mentioned before it is a decision case and my decision is same with the company`s last decision which is â€Å"If you can`t beat them, join them. â€Å"That is, it was not the right time to take the risk of investing heavily in increasing quality. I preferred first option because, the first option aims reducing the cost of production. I do not prefer second option because; SomPack would go with high cost productions that decrease the profit margin. Moreover, even though they aimed to differentiate themselves based on quality and service, it was not the right time to take the risk of investing heavily in increasing quality across the board with hope they could attract much larger and better customers. References http://whatiserp. net/erp-basic-knowledge/erp-software/ Source: http://blogs. cfr. org/setser/2008/11/10/does-a-bigger-boom-imply-a-bigger-bust/#more-4021 Source: http://teknikkalipplastik. com/urunler. asp? dil=53 http://www. tradekorea. com/products/plastic_moulding. html

COmments and Answer Example

COmments and Answer Example COmments and Answer – Essay Example Comments With the increase of devices such as smart phones and tablets, people are inevitably going to feel more comfortable to participate in auctions or give to charity through using these devices. Of course, there will still be a certain percentage of people who prefer to buy goods or donate in person, but these types of people are becoming rarer. By allowing online interaction, the chances of making a sale or receiving funds increases significantly because a wider group of the population can be reached. The onus is on business owners and marketers to take advantage of this new form of spending and donating by developing an online presence. 2. When it comes to Internet shopping, convenience is number one. Online vendors want to make it as easy as possible for you to part with your money, so they will offer incentives to try and get you to do so. By selling the merchandise to a consumer by not releasing the title until the outstanding balance is paid off, the power of the contract remains with the vendor. This is clever on the part of Internet marketers because they receive money from customers who do not actually own the product. From the customer’s point of view, it allows virtually anyone to be able to make purchase online because funds upfront are not required. 3. The rise of the Internet in the 1990s resulted in a trade boom due to the ease at which to conduct international business. Where once it took quite some time to build up a list of suppliers, the Internet provides a platform that matchers buyers and suppliers alike. The one downside to this is that there is little regulation and contracts can be difficult to enforce. 4. I have never had the experience of a manufacturer not making good on a product warranty. I did, however, have a good experience with a warranty when my new Xbox 360 was constantly overheating. As it was virtually brand new, I was able to get it covered under the terms of the warranty. As far as I can remember it was an express warranty because a small leaflet was included in the box when I bought it. 5. While the company was only fulfilling its warranty agreement when sending you out the first wheel, it did not necessarily have to send out another one. That the company would do this shows that it has a strong customer focus and would stop at nothing to make its valued customers feel happy. 6. Electronic manufacturers tend to be pretty happy to replace whole products or defective parts if they aren’t working. The reason perhaps for this is because electronic goods have to be continually replaced to keep up with the change in technology. These companies realize that by keeping you happen, you are more likely to buy the updated version of that product when it is released. While these companies may appear to be nice, they are doing so for their own future benefit.

Goverment politics Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words - 1

Goverment politics - Essay Example Since the concept was relatively new, it required quite a hefty effort to convince the states to join the union, most especially that it was realized that factionalism can have a pivotal, destructive effect in breaking apart a republic – which was an unavoidable fear since the consolidation of thirteen new states appeared too ambitious and too good to even last. An advantage of the ratification of a U.S. Constitution lies in its power to effectively manage the typically adverse effects of factions. Factions, according to James Madison in Federalist No. 10, are individuals congregated by common socio-political and/or socio-economic interests. It should be noted that, whether these factions comprise the majority or the minority of the populace or whether factions are actively against each other, is gravely immaterial. Like horses running a race with blinders, these factions become exceedingly passionate in the pursuit of their vested interests that they often overlook public interests. As a result, factions, primarily because of its narrow-minded mechanisms, become disruptive to the public good. There are two typical responses to the adverse effects of faction. The first requires the annihilation of liberty that allows the actual formation and establishment of these factions. Here, the very freedom that allows the propagation of a healthy and diverse political culture is oppressed. In modern history, this is conceptually similar to the installation of a Philippine martial law regime in the 70s to prevent further dissension to the Marcos rule. In this example, the annihilation of liberty was executed through harsh policies like curfew, limited press and the abolition of the Senate. The second response, on the other hand, requires the imposition of beliefs, attitudes and opinions to those who are being governed. While this does not exercise a corporal suppression, similar to the previous example, it takes on a different form – an ideological

Corporate Communications Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2750 words

Corporate Communications - Case Study Example The UK-based international grocery chain Tesco is a world leading retail chain and its general merchandising retail chain activities stretch far beyond the European Union. By sales and profits, it is not only the largest British retail chain but also the best-known grocery store in the neighborhood. Right now according to statistics its global sales along with domestic market sales, exceed  £3 billion. Going by revenue figures it is the third biggest global retail chain based on revenue, behind Wal-Mart in the first place and Carrefour of France in the second place. However, Tesco is ahead of Carrefour in profits. Though the organization started off as a seller of food and drink, now sells almost every imaginable item required by the household, including clothes, banking and financial services, telecommunication, healthcare, insurance, electronics and electrical and much more. Corporate Communication can be defined as â€Å"The activities undertaken by an organization to communicate both internally with employees and externally with existing and prospective customers and the wider public. Corporate communication is sometimes used to refer principally to external communication and sometimes to internal communication, but strictly speaking covers both, the term implies an emphasis on promoting a sense of corporate identity and presenting a consistent and coherent corporate image† (www.dictionary.bnet.com). Thus Tesco has been using Information and Communication Technology (ICT) in its retail operations. The use of ICT at Tesco is effectively practiced in its public and customer relations strategy such as with individuals and organizations, including its employees, customers, competitors and suppliers. An effective communication strategy is an essential element at

Joyce Carol Oates' in the region of ice Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Joyce Carol Oates' in the region of ice - Essay Example The story also can be viewed as the footprints of the great changes that were taking place in the US society. Indeed Joyce Carol Oates depicts the details of the convent life of the era. This is the depiction of the era that entrepreneurs a trend to oppose any form of repression existing in any form of the society. The fact that Sister Irene, the nun of the story runs off to solve her student Alan’s problem refers to the socializing trend in the activities of the Church. This is the modern trend in the profession of religious personnel as Sister Irene in her modern outfit wearing an abbreviated veil represents the young nuns of the late 60s or 70s. Also the story puts a serious question for it readers whether the rules and regulations that apparently ignore the human instincts are validated enough. The arousal of the carnal instincts of the nun by a psychotic boy clearly indicates the failure of religion as to the repression of the human instincts. If approached from a psychoanalytic point of view the story yields an interpretation of the inner core of human mind. It seems to me that the nun is carried away with her student’s problem because of the reason that he represents her male â€Å"other† in many ways. In the story Allan appears to be impulsive, unreasonable, and rebellious. Sister Irene’s passion for the student can be viewed as her charm for her â€Å"self† that is revealed in Allan’s character. She sees herself that is proud, egoistic, rebellious, impulsive, etc, in him. On this point Allan can be viewed as the forbidden aspect of herself. I think, though the story, â€Å"In the Region of Ice† is a well thought story laden with psychoanalytical implications of human mind, it seems that the skeleton of the story is yet to be fleshed out with the details of its characters. The characters seem to be more of sketches than of full fledged

Overview of Leadership Personality Theories

Overview of Leadership Personality Theories CHAPTER I INTRODUCTION â€Å"The study of leadership rivals in age the emergence of civilization, which shaped its leaders as much as it was shaped by them. From its infancy, the study of history has been the study of leaders—what they did and why they did it† (Bass, 1990). According to Keith Davis (1967), â€Å"Leadership is the ability to persuade others to seek defined objectives enthusiastically. It is the human factor which binds a group together and motivates it towards goals†. Barnard in 1938, defined leadership as, â€Å"The ability of a superior to influence the behavior of subordinates and persuade them to follow a particular course of action†. Leadership has a range of definitions but at its simplest it is concerned with the ability to influence others to accomplish goals. The concept of leadership, and the study of the phenomenon, has its roots in the beginning of civilization. Various work-related variables such as work environment, worker motivations, leaders, managers, leadership style, have been the subject of study for almost two centuries. (Gregory Stone, Kathleen Patterson, 2005). The organizational focus of the leader emerged over this period, from organizations operating with an authoritarian style to ones that operate with a more comfortable work environment. Today, organizations are in a transit stage of empowering, encouraging and supporting personnel in their personal and professional growth throughout their careers. The focus of leaders has changed over time, which has influenced and shaped the development and progression of leadership theory (Gregory Stone, Kathleen Patterson, 2005). Researchers have examined leadership skills from a variety of perspectives. Early analyses of leadership from the 1900s to the 1950s focused on identifying the differences between the characteristics of a leader viz. a viz. a follower. Study findings suggested that no single trait or combination of traits fully explained the abilities of a leader. Later studies, examined the influence of the situation on leaders skills and behaviors. Subsequent leadership studies attempted to distinguish effective from non-effective leaders. These studies attempted to determine which leadership behaviors were exemplified by effective leaders. Leadership studies of the 1970s and 1980s once again focused on the individual characteristics of leaders which influence their effectiveness and the success of their organizations. The investigations led to the conclusion that leaders and leadership are critical but complex components of organizations. Leadership is necessary for a variety of reasons. On a supervisory level, leadership is required to complement organizational systems (Katz Kahn, 1978) and to enhance subordinate motivation, effectiveness and satisfaction (Bass, 1990). At the strategic level, leadership is necessary to ensure the coordinated functioning of the organization as it interacts with a dynamic external environment (Katz Kahn, 1978). Thus leadership is required to direct and guide organizational and human resources toward the strategic objectives of the organization and ensure that organizational functions are aligned with the external environment (Zaccaro, 2001). Research on leadership has been divided into 8 major schools (John Antonakis, Anna T. Cianciolo, Robert J. Sternberg, 2004): Trait School of Leadership (1900s) Behavioral School of Leadership (1910s) Contingency School of Leadership (1960s) Contextual School of Leadership (1960s) Skeptics (1970s) Relational (1970s) New Leadership (1970s) Information Processing (1980s) The trait movement gave way to the behavioral styles of leadership in the 1950s. This line of research focused on the behaviors that leaders enacted and how they treated followers. The well-known University of Michigan (Katz, Maccoby, Gurin, Floor, 1951) and Ohio State (Stogdill Coons, 1957) studies identified two dimensions of leadership generally referred to as consideration (i.e., employee-oriented leadership) and initiating structure (i.e., production-oriented leadership). Leader behaviors are often discussed in terms of whether the behavior is oriented toward (a) task processes, (b) relational dynamics, or (c) change. One consistent theme in the literature is that behaviors can be fit into four categories: task-oriented behaviors, relational-oriented behaviors, change-oriented behaviors, and what we refer to as passive leadership. Initiating structure represents task-oriented behaviors. It describes behaviors such as defining task roles and role relationships among group members, coordinating group members’ actions, determining standards of task performance, and ensuring group members perform up to those standards. They describe leaders as being clear about expectations and standards for performance, and using these standards to shape follower commitment, motivation, and behavior. Moreover, initiating structure discusses dealing with deviations from those standards via the use of structure and routines. Relative to initiating structure, consideration leader behaviors describe more relational-oriented behaviors. In particular, leaders high on consideration show concern and respect for individual group members, are friendly and approachable, are open to input from others, and treat all group members as equals (Bass, 1990). A common theme among relational-oriented behaviors is that the leader acts in ways that build follower respect and encourage followers to focus on the welfare of the group. It should be noted that certain aspects of transformational leader behaviors (e.g., individualized consideration) also consist of a relational orientation, which is a point that will be revisited later in the manuscript. Leader behaviors oriented toward facilitating and driving change in groups and organizations represent a third category of leader behaviors that is conceptually distinct from task and relational-oriented behaviors. According to Yukl et al. (2002), change-oriented leader behaviors encompass actions such as developing and communicating a vision for change, encouraging innovative thinking, and risk-taking The present study deals with two dimensions of Leader Behavior, Initiating Structure and Consideration Structure. â€Å"Initiating Structure reflects to the extent to which an individual is likely to define and structure his role and those of his subordinates toward goal attainment† (Fleishman Peters, 1962). It refers to the leader’s behavior in endeavoring to establish well-defined patterns of organization, channels of communication, and methods of procedure. Initiating structure refers to getting the job done. The individual who exhibits behavior highly oriented toward initiating structure is one who sees or recognizes the job to be done and more to accomplish it. This individual is task-oriented. He strives to fulfill the purposes of the organization, often at the expense of others concerned. Initiating structure reflects behavior which: Emphasizes the quality of work. Clarifies everyone’s responsibilities. Is continually planning to get everything done. Offers new approaches to problems. Is first in getting things started. Encourages the meeting of deadlines. â€Å"Consideration Structure reflects the extent to which an individual is likely to have job relationships characterized by mutual trust, respect for subordinates’ ideas, and consideration of their feelings† (Fleishman Peters, 1962). It refers to behavior indicative of friendship, mutual trust, respect and warmth in the relationship between leader and members of his staff. Consideration reflects concern for individuals in a group and their feelings. The individual exhibiting behavior highly oriented to consideration, tries to maintain close understanding between members of a group. This person is more concerned with group cohesiveness than with accomplishing specific purposes. Consideration is reflected by a person when he: Finds time to listen to others. Does little things to make it pleasant to work with him. Shows interest in others as persons. Compliments others for their work. Has an open ear. Has others share in making decisions. A combination of both initiation structure and consideration structure is the most productive type of leader behavior. A study conducted by Bruce M. Fisher and Jack E. Edwards, on ‘Consideration and Initiating Structure and their relationships with Leader Effectiveness† suggested that situations play a major role in determining the best suitable leader behavior. Leaders play a very important role in the formation and functioning of teams. Henderson and Walkinshaw (2002), defined the effectiveness of a team as, â€Å"The accomplishment of a desired result, especially as viewed after the fact† and the measure of effectiveness as â€Å"The extent to which a team meets the demands which are placed upon†. Work teams in organizations have three features. First, they are real groups – intact social systems, complete with boundaries, interdependence among members, and differentiated member roes (Alderfer, 1977). Second they have one or more group tasks to perform, producing some outcome for which members bear collective responsibility and whose acceptability potentially can be assessed. Finally such teams operate in organizational context. This means that the group, as a collective, manages its relations with other individuals or groups in the larger social system in which it operates. To perform well, a team must surmount three hurdles. It must: (1) exert sufficient effort to get the task accomplished at an acceptable level of performance; (2) bring adequate knowledge and skill to bear on the work; and (3) employ task performance strategies that are appropriate to the work and to the setting in which it is being performed (Hackman and Morris, 1975). Teams are formed for the express purpose of accomplishing critically important goals. Its formation does not automatically lead to performance. In fact, without significant and ongoing nurturing by the leadership of an organization, teams can actually make things worse. It is helpful to understand the building blocks required for a team’s success. Robbins and Judge (2012) describe a three dimensional model that articulates its foundation. Dimension 1 relates to the importance of Context. Organizations need to support the construction and sustainability of a team, and the team itself requires an environment of comfort for its members; psychological safety is essential so members can feel free to speak up and engage without ridicule. Performance feedback and motivational systems must also be in place. Dimension 2 suggests Composition is vital. In addition to knowledge, skills and abilities (KSAs) of its membership, the leader needs to focus on the peoples components as well Dimension 3 reveals Process is important. Teams must have clear purpose and specific goals. It is hard to motivate without all members having a clear idea of the direction the unit is heading. In addition, mechanisms and agreements must be in place to deal with conflicts that arise and/or the members who are not â€Å"getting it done† Since teams are a dominant feature in organizations, its effectiveness is paramount to the success of the business. To that end, leaders must understand the dimensions that make a team successful and then work diligently to make it happen. In addition, when teams derail, mechanisms must be in place to bring it back to life; it is the responsibility of the leaders’ to make it happen.

Harmful Effects of the Ornish Diet Essay -- Health Nutrition Diet Exer

Harmful Effects of the Ornish Diet The Ornish diet, a meal plan that emphasizes the consumption of carbohydrates over fats, is an unsafe plan despite its claims to being a safe and effective way to prevent heart disease1 – a claim only a balanced diet can make. Because the Ornish diet cuts out a large number of foods from a person’s meal, many beneficial nutrients are missing that would normally be in a balanced diet. In addition, recent studies have found that diets containing a larger than recommended amount of carbohydrates may actually increase a person’s chances of developing intestinal and breast cancers2. These findings show that despite any benefits the Ornish diet may provide to the heart, the complications of maintaining a high carbohydrate diet make it not nearly as safe as a balanced diet. Because the Ornish diet restricts participants to a strictly vegetarian meal plan, people who follow the diet often become deficient in beneficial nutrients such as vitamin B12, iron, and omega-3 fatty acids1. Vitamin B12 and iron are nutrients often found in animal products such as meat, while omega-3 fatty acids are most common fish – the foods present in a balanced diet, but absent in the Ornish diet. Deficiencies of these chemicals can often lead to conditions such as anemia, or prevent beneficial effects that are imparted by omega-3 fatty acids such as mood stabilization and improved cardiovascular health. Because the body needs iron to produce hemoglobin – a vital part in a red blood cell’s ability to transport oxygen to other cells, a lack of the substance would cause a large decrease in the effectiveness and number of red blood cells. In addition, due to vitamin B12’s regulation of blood cell production, a decreas... ...s incorrect. People on this diet often do not obtain enough of the essential vitamins and minerals that they need in order to maintain healthy bodies. Because of this, they run the risk of developing serious illnesses such as anemia. People on the Ornish diet also will not enjoy the possible benefits other nutrients such as the omega-3 fatty acids. Dieters who take in such large amounts of carbohydrates also increase their risk of developing cancers due to the elevated insulin responses their bodies put up to digest the food that they eat. In the end, a balanced diet is much safer than, and just as effective – if followed correctly – In maintaining a healthy body as the Ornish diet is. Sources 1. http://www.moscowfoodcoop.com/archive/ornish.html 2. http://www.scienceblog.com/community/article3530.html 3. http://www.bipolarchild.com/newsletters/0501.html