Information Technology and the Way in Which It Has Changed Peoples Daily Lives

Living in the era of the informational society is not easy. Because of the reassessment of the economic, political and cultural values within the globalized environment of the XXI century, it has become necessary to adapting towards a completely new set of principles that rule the economics, business, finances and even culture.Advertising We will write a custom research paper sample on Information Technology and the Way in Which It Has Changed People’s Daily Lives specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More As a result, the need to study information as a phenomenon and come up with the concept of information management emerges. By using the skills acquired and trained in the process of studying the ISys 100 course, one can not only learn the specifics of information acquisition, distribution and management in the XXI century, but be able to use these skills of information management to their personal advantage, as well as to the advan tage of the present-day economy and business sphere. Before going any further, it is necessary to define the key concepts that the course has to offer. To start with, one must mention that the ISys 100 course is traditionally represented as the unit that introduces people to the opportunities that technology of the XXI century has to offer. Allowing students to embrace the role that technology plays in the lives of the XXI century people, the given course teaches the basics of information and technology and provides comprehensive data regarding the modern methods of knowledge management and information processing, mainly the computer assisted ones. Thus, the role of technology in people’s daily lives is explained thoroughly in the given course, thus, allowing for using technological advances to their full potential. When it comes to defining the positive effects that the information technology can have on the people attending it, one must mention the fact that it has redefine d the pace of lives of modern people.Advertising Looking for research paper on it? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More In addition, seeing how the latest technological innovations are exposed to vast discussions and help people sneak a peek at how the [present-day media actually works, one might argue that IT helps people get rid of the fear that technology makes them dependent on computer assisted communication. For example, the recent research regarding the use of Internet among tourists has shown that most people prefer to spend their vacation in the places where they can have an Internet access – and, in fact, they do, therefore, turning the entire idea of a vacation into surfing the Net: â€Å"The finding of the higher incidence of Internet access for VFR trips versus pure leisure trips could suggest a more likely setting for retained behaviors than more unfamiliar environments† (MacKay Vogt 2012, p. 1397). The re is no secret that in the present-day world, new forms of media, especially social networks, have changed the landscape of communication impressively. As a result, a number of people are afraid that technology will oust traditional communication. Offering a fairly simple and understandable user interface, Information Technology, in its turn, shows that these fears have little to do with reality once modern media is used responsively, and, more to the point, shows how to be responsible in using it. Another effect that the Information Technology has on the people using it, the possibility of acquiring information literacy should be mentioned. Defined traditionally as the skills of acquiring, distributing, processing, analyzing and utilizing information for specific purpose, as well as using different types of media, including both traditional and new ones, for attaining data, information literacy has become a necessary part of being a valuable professional in practically any field, from IT sphere and business down to industry and trade.Advertising We will write a custom research paper sample on Information Technology and the Way in Which It Has Changed People’s Daily Lives specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More According to the list of options that the Information Technology provides to its users, the latter will be capable of locating, assessing and using the available sources of information to their advantage. The given skill is of special significance in the era of globalism, when the oversaturation of markets with various products will lead to tangible complexities in making the right choice. By defining the most credible information sources with the help of the information literacy skills acquired in the course of learning to use the Information Technology of the XXI century, one will be able to choose the right product. The significance of information literacy, however, comes into the open not only i n the field of economy, but also in business, finances, culture, and other aspects of people’s lives where the abundance of information makes the choice making procedure complicated. Though definitely being of huge importance for an average citizen, information literacy is not the only set of skills that the economics course offers students to attain in order to make not only their professional life, but also their everyday existence more comfortable and pleasant. Basic computer literacy, which is also an important constituent of the economics course, defines people’s capability of critical thinking, which is crucial not only for their academic performance, but also for their ability to form an opinion, as well as their resistance to being manipulated by the people using and bending information to their advantage. In addition, information literacy as â€Å"the ability to find, evaluate, and use information efficiently, effectively, and ethically to answer an informati on need† (Lanning 2012, p. 2) is the skill that protects people from the politically committed information that bombards them on a daily basis in order to make them give up their own point of view in favor of particular political or economic goals. With the help of information literacy, people will be able to differentiate between the credible and less credible sources, their skill of defining the veracity of a particular information source being increased radically after cognizing the nature of Information Technology.Advertising Looking for research paper on it? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More The unbelievably large amount of education opportunities that open in front of the people using the opportunities provided by Information Technology to the full, therefore, should be touched upon. More to the point, the Information Technology of the XXI century allows for defining the link between technology and globalization, as well as the effects that both have on the lives of ordinary people. Indeed, even though the significance of globalization has been discussed amply enough to recognize its effect on the economical and financial processes within a particular state and to have the concept of globalization on everyone’s lips in both traditional and new media, the role of the given process in everyday life is still rather vague. The Information Technology, however, makes the pieces fall into places by showing that technology does affect everyday life, and acknowledges that these effects are not necessarily good. Moreover, the Information Technology teaches how to handle t he disadvantages that technology combined with the effects of globalization brings into everyday life. For instance, the communication issue, which has been mentioned above and which, probably, is by far the most controversial aspect of globalization, is explored rather well during the course. In addition, such important issue as security ion the era of globalization is also explained very well during the course. Indeed, when most of one’s personal information is stored on an external carrier, such as a flash drive, or, which is even less secure, is contained in a database, it is crucial to make sure that the data is secure enough. Seeing how globalization presupposes that information sharing becomes the guiding principle for cooperation between partners and friends, data leakage and the following identity theft becomes disturbingly plausible. Therefore, the issues regarding technology and security in the age of globalization, which have been discussed vastly over the ISys 10 0 course, have been of great help for the people attending the lectures. Needless to say, new types of media and the availability of information have led to creating new challenges and new opportunities. However, mostly because these types of media are so new, the chances that the provide people with remain head-scratchingly vague. As a result, most of these opportunities pass unnoticed in everyday life. If it was not for the introduction of Information Technology into the lives of ordinary people, these chances would have never been discovered, after all; thankfully, the course exists and outlines the major chances that every single common person can put to use in their daily life. For example, with the advent of the Information Technology it has become obvious that technology makes the routine actions that take quite a big chunk of people’s everyday life impressively less time consuming. Indeed, with the introduction of technology into people’s lives, it has become p ossible to save time for more important activities, i.e., studying, work and leisure, while such procedures as information acquisition and transfer are performed on a much faster pace. Several A-sheets of notes of lecture material, which would have taken several hours of re-writing a few years back nowadays take a few seconds of scanning and sending to a particular person or even group of people; as a result, people may have more time to spend on studying, getting ready for the test, learning new information or simply taking rest. Another impressive issue that the Information Technology sheds some light on and that it has introduced into the lives of millions of people, knowledge economy deserves a proper mentioning. While the concept of knowledge economy does not actually constitute a part of any person’s everyday life, it has had a distinct effect on the way in which people all over the world perceive knowledge in general, since it involves â€Å"learning to express ideas well in both writing and speech, knowing how to find information and synthesize ideas† (Hoffer 2012, para. 5) and, thus, demands that knowledge should be viewed as a tool and not an end in itself. Though clearly coined in order to provide more room for further studies of the impact of technology on economy, the term â€Å"knowledge economy† can also be traced in everyday life of ordinary people. While the idea of transforming knowledge and education into the subject of trade and economic relationships might seem somewhat weird, it still creates the premises for reconsidering the values within the contemporary society. Indeed, education options have never been as numerous as they are now that he Information Technology has erased boundaries between most states all over the world. It literally â€Å"brought a new dimension in the field of education† (Application of Information technologies in our daily lives 2013, para. 5). As it has been stressed in a recent articl e regarding the new challenges and chances in education, We can each type of information to stay home if we need. Famous books in the world are available and easily accessible via the Internet. Every day we are now new information and using information. It is now used in the e-banking system. We conduct our operations online banking. At this time it also has a huge impact on the area of ​​treatment. (Application of Information technologies in our daily lives 2013, para. 5) With the advent of information technology, people no longer take knowledge for granted – quite on the contrary, knowledge has finally gained a status of a valuable object that is worth acquiring. As a result, the concept of education is being fully restructured in the present-day society. By explaining the economic value of knowledge and education to an everyday person, one has made it possible to introduce the idea of lifelong learning as a viable idea to a common man. Therefore, it could be argued that information technology has given a new meaning to education. In many ways, new technology combined with the principles introduced by the globalization process has created the environment for lifelong learning, which does not necessarily concern education. With the help of new technology, people have learned how to acquire the necessary information fast and where to get it from; moreover, the necessity to train new skills was recognized after the introduction of technological innovations, which the latter should definitely be credited for. No matter how controversial some of the aspects regarding new forms of media might be, it cannot be doubted that they have breathed new life into learning in everyday environment. It would be wrong to claim that technology has had only positive impact on the lives of modern people; quite on the contrary, there is enough controversy about new media and the way in which it shapes people’s lives. According to the recent researches, due to the increasing significance of networking in people’s lives, the rates of live conversation have dropped dramatically, which mean that social networking has ousted real life interactions almost completely. Although the negative effect that modern media has on people’s communication skills has not been technically proven yet, the fact that people prefer virtual communication to real one can be interpreted as a rather disturbing sign. However, the conflict of live communication vs. social networking is not the only issue that technology.poses to the modern society; apart from losing the skills of socializing, people also face the threat of becoming too dependent on the technological advances of the XXI century; therefore, what nowadays serves as a tool for making everyday life more comfortable will most likely be turned into crutches for people of the future to walk on instead of embracing what they are capable of on their own. More to the point, some of the optio ns that present-day technological advances offer to people for everyday life are somewhat pointless in that they add little to the actual experience without providing any valuable knowledge. Taking one of the latest innovations that have been on everybody’s mind since the announcement of the project being in development, Google Glass as an element of the XXI century IT seems rather redundant. True, the idea of a wearable computer (Google, Inc. 2014, para. 1) does sound awesome, yet the given gadget does not actually differ that much from any other computer except for the fact that it can be attached to a human half of the time. Therefore, it makes people more dependent on technology rather than it eases the process of information acquisition. Information Technology is by far one of the most efficient methods of learning about the potential of knowledge management in the XXI century. It helps people realize that information is not the end in itself, but the tool that can be us ed for a variety of purpose. By displaying the plethora of purposes that data can be utilized for, as well as the methods of data acquisition, processing and distribution, the course assists the people living within the realm of the informational society in learning to use the available data to their advantage and train their skills in technology in order to process and distribute the data in question as swiftly and productively as possible. The source of the greatest challenges and at the same time the biggest store of opportunities for modern people, Information Technology helps recognize the significance of information and define its potential, which students can use not only in the process of studying, but also in any other part of their lives, including professional and personal growth. Reference List Application of Information technologies in our daily lives 2013. Web. Google, Inc. 2014, Welcome to a world through Google Glass. Web. Hoffer, B 2012, ‘Preparation for work, ’ New York Times. Web. Lanning, S 2012, Concise guide to information literacy, ABC-CLIO, Santa Barbara, CA. MacKay, K Vogt, C 2012, ‘Information technology in everyday and vacation contexts,’ Annals of Tourism Research, vol. 29, no. 3, pp. 1380–1401. This research paper on Information Technology and the Way in Which It Has Changed People’s Daily Lives was written and submitted by user Colten Holt to help you with your own studies. You are free to use it for research and reference purposes in order to write your own paper; however, you must cite it accordingly. You can donate your paper here.

10 Classification Essay Topics on Marketing Communications

10 Classification Essay Topics on Marketing Communications If you are tasked with writing about marketing communications, you have to decide whether you want to focus on a specific type of marketing, or a specific type of communication method to really reach your consumers, or even a type of leadership which is conducive to good communication or good marketing. Below are some facts to help you along the writing path. Figuring out how to manage marketing freelancers can be difficult, especially if your team is compiled of contributors from around the world. Part of the appeal of managing a freelance staff is the flexibility it affords and the cost savings pertaining to costs which would otherwise be incurred housing staff in a physical office. But this is not to say that managing freelancing staff is without its struggles. Some people utilize micromanagement, especially when they work with freelancers because the distance causes a fear regarding loss of control. Micro management causes so much attention to detail that it creates direct failure. It also leeches time otherwise devoted to responsibilities. When marketing freelancers make decisions on their own, it can cause irritation. A micro managing boss will ask for detailed reports on anything and everything that the marketing freelancers do and this will cloud overall goals and restrict the flow of information. The pathologies associated with this style include denial and narcissism, but perhaps more important is the overall doubt this management style brings. When a boss doubts their freelancers’ abilities and interferes on a regular basis, it stiffens creative abilities and inhibits working relationships. This is perhaps even more prominent in the world of freelance management because in life of a single board meeting or a face to face conversation where all project details are discussed, each detail of a project would otherwise be sent in an individual email or message, clogging up an inbox and appearing overbearing. The creation of this strict and overbearing work atmosphere causes marketing freelancers to leave. Not offering any oversight means a boss is failing to fulfill their role. They might be seen as â€Å"caring† by the marketing freelancers, someone interested in their daily lives and feelings, but this nice attitude is typically avoidant too and makes it difficult at best to carry on a legitimate conversation. By not assuming the responsibilities and roles of a boss, it threatens the success of the remote staff. This level of poor management causes simple errors, unintentional mistakes, which go unnoticed. When bosses attempt to manage their freelancers in this fashion, they avoid all confrontation or difficult discussions and never properly lead. Marketing communications are best done in the way of the transformational business leader who can adequately lead a group of freelance employees. This is a leader who is strict, but not too extreme, and who is also lenient and caring but not to the point that it interferes with productivity. This is a boss who inspires freelancers with the company vision of development and has clear goals established to meet all business ends. This form of management encourages and motivates all remote freelancers without inhibiting them or being overbearing. Managing a staff remotely can be made easier with the proper tools. For example: rather than emailing freelancers every hour and requiring detailed reports that amount to micromanagement, project management tools make it easy to add or assign tasks to freelance team members as those tasks arise. These tools convert traditional business settings into virtual ones which allow conversations, documents, and tags to be maintained individually for each project/project heading. This alleviates the need for micromanagement as it offers clear updates as soon as each person logs in. Other beneficial tools for the transformational leader include features that generate progress reports as necessary and alleviate the need for time wasting meetings. They also allow for automatic reminders to be sent to all freelancers. Transactional Leadership involves the idea of an exchange between manager and his subordinates: the employee is paid commiserate amounts of money in exchange for his co-operation and compliance. This would mean that communications with marketing staff would empower the manager to discipline his subordinates for failing to comply or underperforming. While at the outset, this style of leadership sounds excessively control oriented, the benefits to this style stem from the fact that it clarifies everyones purpose, providing a certain unity of vision. In addition, since it evaluates primarily on the basis of performance, ambitious over performing employees, it can be rewarded extra compensation, thus reinforcing that behavior. Downsides to this leadership are that it can stifle employees leading to low staff retention rates. It is focused on short-term tasks and can stifle creativity. While counter-productive in creative or knowledge-based industries, it may come handy in other situation s. Bureaucratic Leadership is characterized by managers who work by the book, rigorously following rules, while also encouraging their marketing subordinates to do the same in all professional communication. This style of leadership is effective, even mandatory in high safety risk environments (such as chemical and manufacturing plants) and where financial transactions involving large sums of money may be involved. Its downside however, is that it can be very constrictive in environments that seek to foster creativity and enterprise, since people are rewarded for their conformance rather than their talents or expertise. Proponents of the servant leadership marketing communication model suggest that servant leadership is a good way to get ahead, considering how ethics and values play an increasingly important role in businesses. It leads to a healthy corporate culture and highly motivated employees. However, servant leaders may get overshadowed by leaders who employ more aggressive leadership schemes. This form of leadership is also suited to environments that require quick responses to contingencies. This type of leadership is most effective in scenarios that involve elected leadership, such as teams, committees and community organizations. Autocratic leadership and communication is effective in low skilled industries, where a large number of unskilled laborers perform an allotted task, supervised by an autocratic management. It is also effective in the military, where the generals have to make a series of complex strategic decisions letting the soldiers focus on carrying out the tasks allotted to them. We hope that these facts will become a solid foundation for your marketing communications classification essay. Don’t forget to see our 20 varied topics list and sample essay below along with the guide on how to write one. Are you ready to hire an essay writer to have your classification paper written from scratch? Try our writing service now! References: Kotler, F. Keller K, L. Framework for Marketing Management 5th Edition    by Prentice Hall March 14th 2011 Belch, George E, and Michael A Belch.  Advertising And Promotion. Boston, Mass.: Irwin/McGraw-Hill, 2001. Print. Blythe, Jim.  Marketing Communications. Harlow, England: Financial Times/Prentice Hall, 2000. Print. Pelsmacker, Patrick de, Maggie Geuens, and Joeri van den Bergh.  Marketing Communications. New York: Financial Times/Prentice Hall, 2001. Print. Schultz, Don E, Stanley I Tannenbaum, and Robert F Lauterborn.  Integrated Marketing Communications. Lincolnwood, Ill., USA: NTC Business Books, 1993. Print. Smith, P. R, and Ze Zook.  Marketing Communications. London: Kogan Page, 2011. Print. Wood, Gill.  Marketing Communications. Oxford: Elsevier, 2004. Print.

All Hail the Weirdos

The places the make me content are the endless rows of books at a library, a whimsical town in a Sarah Addison Allen novel, and a multitude of other places. There is not just one place that makes me content, the world is filled with amazing places from the Parthenon to Buckingham Palace. How could I choose just one? In these places I experience a rush of happiness that keeps my soul warm for a moment of bliss. The only thing that can keep that warmth and content pulsing through my veins are my friends. Wherever they are I will always be. Half the time, my hands begin to twitch with anger and annoyance when my friends come around, ready at a moments notice to slap them silly. But that annoyance easily gives away to laughter and smiles. Its because we CAN annoy and poke fun at each other that we are close friends. After all, its when my friends are not making fun of me that I need to worry. However, there is a second layer to my group of lovable morons which makes me want keep them in my arms for eternity. My friends were raised in chaotic households that could even make the most hardened criminal grimace. We often laugh and joke about the peculiar experiences weve had because of the deranged families we were born into. But, sometimes those laughs turn to faces stained with tears and heartache, this is when the meaning behind my friendships clearly emerges. We have been brought together through hell and high water to pick up the pieces of each others lives when we fall apart, we are the sticky glue that holds each other together. That and loads of inappropriate jokes fueled by plenty of Swedish Fish. I am perfectly content in any place as long as my friends are there as well. We always help each other through every strange problem and we always make each other laugh until our sides hurt at every strange joke. None of our lives are even close to perfect, and I would nev er want it any other way.

Analysis of the costs and benefits of China`s economic reforms in last Essay

Analysis of the costs and benefits of China`s economic reforms in last decades - Essay Example The early reforms were more definite since they were responses to definite problems and crisis of that period. In the second phase, the reforms were adapted to new set of challenges and opportunities (Naughton, p.107). China has shown a remarkable economic progress after centuries of oppression by the Westerners. Recently the China Daily newspaper has conferred that the nation is an example to all nations who are struggling to stand on their own feet (Callick, 13). In 1991, General Secretary Jiang Zemin that temporary difficulties cannot prevent the Chinese from continuing to develop (Saich, 75). This paper is the best example of analysis of the pros and cons of China’s economic reforms in recent decades. In the early 1990s, China’s approach towards economy resembled any other transitional economies with emphasis on sustaining balanced and efficient financial policies. The principles objectives were to eradicate corruption, promote a developed market economy and maintain fair competition in the domestic market. China’s fiscal policies are mostly complex and have yield varying resulting in different phases of reform. The early reforms were more definite since they were responses to definite problems and crisis of that period. In the second phase, the reforms were adapted to new set of challenges and opportunities. China has shown a remarkable economic progress after centuries of oppression by the Westerners. Recently the China Daily newspaper has conferred that the nation is an example to all nations who are struggling to stand on their own feet. It has been rightly assumed that the conversion of China from state socialism to market economy has generated pervasive corruption. With constant changing of reforms, public official took the opportunity to fulfill their personal ambitions. The factors encouraging corruption became more apparent from the pre-reform era with officials submerged in informal relationships. Market reforms in China have paved the way for growing disparity among different sectors of the society. Since policies now are mostly market based, the former strong relationship between the Communist Party and the Labor has deteriorated. Chinese economy today focuses mainly on urban regions. The transformation phase of China can be educative but only from the perspective of the overall transition

Evaluating Websites Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Evaluating Websites - Essay Example It is a very motivating website for the kids of grade 1 and grade 2 and it is sure to intrigue them. There are several mathematical concepts that have been described very well on this website and the same can be incorporated from this website. It will simply things for the young students. This website is ideal for grade 2 and grade 3 students and it is little advanced than the first website, it talks about noble prize, flags of different countries, various animals and a host of other stuff. The special feature about this website is its trivia; it is intriguing and makes learning very easy. It can teach the students a lot and hence it should be shown to the students in order to ensure that the students learn a lot of new concepts. This is a very advanced level website and it can even be shown to the 5th grade students, it offers a lot of help on subjects like math, science, social studies. It also provides a lot of information on computers, this adds to the utility of this website. The other websites mentioned above don't offer much help on computers but this website is different and hence it should be shown to the students. This website is very useful when it comes to learning English, it offers a variety of stories to choose from. All the stories have intriguing pictures on them and this is a good way of luring the students to read these stories. This website can of good use to the students, this will surely make their language skills sharper and better than never before. This is why this website must be used in the class. Grade5: Kids.Yahoo Link: http://kids.yahoo.com/science Subject: Science This is another very interesting website and certainly the most matured of all the other websites. This website throws light upon concepts like the movement of planets and other related material. It should be shown in the class in order to explain abstruse concepts and in order to make the students understand those abstruse concepts easily. This website has a lot to offer and it must be shown to the students in order to ensure that they learn new concepts with interest.

Impacts of National Healthcare Reform Essay example -- health care, A

Healthcare in the United States has become one of the biggest, most debated issues in today’s society and people express concerns over quality, accessibility, choice, cost and dozens of other factors. Politicians on both sides of the aisle have tried to use healthcare issues to their advantage, Democrats talking about the right that all Americans should have to quality healthcare while Republicans hammer on the tremendous cost and its impact on the government’s deficit and on business. With the passage of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA) on March 23, 2010, the debate has intensified. The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, the US governmental agency that administers Medicare and Medicaid, found that the legislation would do little to stem the rise in healthcare expenditures which are expected to increase to more than twenty percent of gross domestic product in the next decade. However, at the same time, President Obama stated that †Å"The Health Care Reform Bill we passed last year will slow these rising costs, which is part of the reason that nonpartisan economists have said that repealing the health care law would add a quarter of a trillion dollars to our deficit. My Administration projects significant savings from the health care reform.† This paper will not attempt to tackle the issue of whether the overall impact of the bill will be more positive or negative to the US economy. The goal of this paper is to outline why addressing healthcare is so important economically and then to explore some specific aspects of the PPACA legislation, such as the mandate for coverage, the elimination of pre-existing conditions and coverage rescissions, allowing dependent coverage until age 26, and the additio... ...s provisions does not guarantee any degree of understanding of the overall impact this legislation will have. However it is possible to look at various aspects of the legislation and forecast the implications of those changes. Certain protections that the bill provides, like expansion of dependent coverage, elimination of pre-existing conditions and prohibition of rescissions of coverage, will positively impact some people but will generally cause higher health care costs. Other aspects of the bill, like the medical loss ratio requirements and the coverage mandates, will impact businesses differentially. I believe in its totality, smaller employers will get some benefit out of the legislation while larger employers are likely harmed. However, it will be years after this law is enacted, and likely modified, that the true impacts of the legislation are known.

Process Design & Analysis

A Process can be defined as a collection of equipment, methods, people, and systems used together to produce the products/ services required. A Process Strategy in an organization’s approach is to transform resources into goods and services. The objective of the process strategy is to build a process that meets customer requirements and product specifications within cost and other managerial constraint. The process selected will have a long term effect on efficiency and flexibility of production, as well as on cost and quality of goods produced. Therefore much of the company’s operations strategy is provided at the time of process decision. Within a given facility, several strategies may be used. These strategies are often classified as: Fig. 1 Process-Focused Repetitive-Focused Product focused Process-Focused Strategy The characteristics: facilities are organized by process, similar processes are together (example: all drill presses are together), low volume, high variety products, ‘Jumbled’ flow. Products follow many different paths. Other names for process focused strategy are intermittent process or Job shop. Process-Focused Strategy Examples: Machine Shop, Hospital, and Bank. Custom Woodworking shop Advantages: 1. Greater product flexibility 2. More general purpose equipment 3. Lower initial capital investment Disadvantages: 1. High variable costs 2. More highly trained personnel 3. More difficult production planning & control 4. Low equipment utilization (5% to 25%) Repetitive Focused Strategy Characteristics: Facilities often organized by assembly lines, Characterized by modules, Parts & assemblies are made previously; Modules are combined for many output options. Other names are Assembly line, Production line E. g. auto-manufacturing, personal computers, house-hold appliances, etc. Assembly line example Product focused strategy Characteristics: Facilities are organized by product which require High volume and low variety ; Conversion or further processing of undifferentiated materials such as petroleum, chemicals, or beer; Follows a predetermined sequence of steps, but flow is continuous rather than discrete – highly standardized. Also known as line flow production or continuous production. Examples include paper making, light bulbs, soft drinks, etc. Advantages 1. Lower production cost per unit 2. Lower but more specialized labour skills 3. Easier production planning and control 4. Higher equipment utilization (70% to 90%) Disadvantages 1. Lower product flexibility 2. More specialized equipment Types of flow system Continuous flow It is characterized by a streamlined flow of products in the operating system. The Conversion process begins with input of raw material at one end, progresses through the system in an orderly fashion to finally become finished goods at the final stage. Production process is sequential and the required resources are organized in stages. Examples are several chemical processing industries such as manufacture of Petrochemicals, steel, pharmaceutical, cement and glass. It ia also used in a discrete manufacturing industry high volume production of very few varieties (such as electrical bulbs or spark plugs) Intermittent flow It is characterized by mid-volume, mid-variety products/services. It increases the flow complexities. The flow and capacity balancing are difficult but important in intermittent type of flow system. Process industries use batch production methods while discrete industries use alternative methods of designing layout issues. The capacity estimation is hard and production planning & control is complex. Process design for intermittent flow in Discreet Manufacturing Jumbled Flow System It occurs on account of non-standard and complex flow patterns characteristic in certain systems. Items are highly customized here and customer orders for one or a few products. Operational complexity arising out of jumbled flow is high. Discrete manufacturing with Jumbled flow uses a Job Shop structure Examples are turnkey project executor such as BHEL or L&T, customized manufacturing systems such as PCB fabricators, sheet metal fabricators, tool room operators and printing and publishing. Process flow in job shops Complex issue is capacity management of jumbled flows 1. Considerable time is lost due to repeated setup of processes 2. Due to jumbled flow, crisscrossing of jobs in the system results in poor visibility. 3. Problems are often hidden and build up of work in process inventory takes place 4. Cost accounting and estimation systems are crucial as there is a constant need to quote for specific customer orders Process analysis and design Organizations have realized that the first step in achieving success is to analyse and define their operations processes. An operations process is a set of related activities that combine to deliver something of value to a customer or to the organization. There are a number of methods of analysing process designs. Some of them that are discussed here are Flow diagrams, Time-Process-Function mapping, Value stream mapping, process charts and service blue printing. Process flow chart A process flow chart is an instrument that visualises and analyses the various systems and procedures (e. g. delivery of services, decision-making, funds allocation, accountingand monitoring) within an organisation. What can you do with it? The flow chart analysis helps to identify the bottlenecks in the different processes within the organisation. It identifies unnecessary involvement of people, loopholes in decision making or unnecessary delays in the process. It assists to make the organisation more efficient in its operations. The process flow chart helps to design new processes for the primary process, support processes and supervisory processes, and helps to analyse the bottlenecks in existing procedures. It is very useful to help participants understand the interrelation of the work activities and to realise how the work of one person influences the others. Steps in making a process flow chart 0. Formulate the (sub-) question that you want to answer by making a process flowchart. Aims for which a process flow chart is suitable are: ? ? ? To decide how to optimise core processes (operational planning and strategic decision making) To prepare strategic choices, identifying strengths and weaknesses (step to strategic decision making) To judge organisation suitability and performance (to make funding and programme positioning decisions) 0. Define the field of analysis. Decide whether you depict: ? ? ? ? ? Current practice (daily practice; the informal reality) Current design (how it should happen according to ‘the books’) Redesign (establishing the desired process) Clearly distinguish current practice from current design and/or redesign Analyse the redesign (and even current design) only after the current practice 1. Choose the process. ? ? ? ? Which process are you going to analyse? Unique or standard Define the starting point Specify the outcome/result of the process 2. Describe the process as indicated below, using the indicated symbolism: ? ? ? State the start and end point (outcome/result) Divide the process in 5-10 activities of the same level of analysis. If you have more than 10 steps: Cluster them or Make more than one flow chart Identify decision moments. Describe these decision moments inyes/no questions. Check that both the â€Å"Yes†-side and the â€Å"No†-side have a follow-up activity (arrow that leads somewhere), ifthat is reality. For example: Proposal approved? Yes: Proceed + Send confirmation to client No: File the proposal + Inform client with reasons ? Identify the responsible person/unit for each activity (this may not be the same as the implementing person). All activities/decision moments that follow the symbol are the responsibility of the person/unit indicated. Therefore, if the responsible person/unit stays the same, you need not repeat the in-charge. ? Identify the information coming into the process and all information going out of the process. The arrows of the connecting lines indicate whether the information is going in or out ? Connect the symbols with arrows that indicate the flow of the process. Include loops to show that an earlier activity should be repeated 3. Add key information and write it next to the activities/decisions or arrows ? ? Volume: The quantity of the product or service you process in a certain period of time. This indicates the magnitude of the subject Time/Cost: The average or annual time/cost (expenditure) involved in each activity (write next to step). This indicates the organisation efficiency Duration: The (average) time that passes between two steps (write next to arrow). This indicates the responsive ness to clients 4. Identify possible bottlenecks. Ask questions like: ? ? ? Why does the activity/decision take place? Why does the activity/decision take place at this point in the sequence? Why does the activity/decision (or the time between them) take the time it takes? ? ? ? ? ? (Why) is the activity/decision difficult to carry out? Why is this person responsible for this activity/decision? Who co-ordinates and supervises at different moments? What is the effect of external (information, input, and means) dependencies? What are the risks (what can go wrong) in the activity/decision? 5. Assess options for improvements. Check each option considering: ? ? ? ? Can you leave out activities, decision points or information? Can you combine/change activities, decision points or information? Can you simplify activities, decision points or information? Can you change the responsible person? 6. Evaluate improvements, considering whether the options result in: ? ? ? ? ? Less effort (better methods, upgraded staff, better means and inputs) needed Less time (better sequence or screening, less rejection) needed Better quality service/product (better guidelines, control) Less resources (optimising expenses and quality) needed Better working conditions (more safety, fulfilment, less stress) 7. Draw conclusions, in relation to your (sub-) question. Write strengths and weaknesses (judged from the point of view of your question) on green and red cards respectively. Figure below shows a process flow chart for electrical fittings manufacturing. Time based process mapping (TBPM) Process mapping allows the identification of business processes, organisational roles and financial accountabilities, and how these inter-relate between functions, with a view to their subsequent re-engineering and improvement. However, conventional process mapping techniques do not focus on the important metric of time. Time Based Process Mapping is a tool for visually representing and analysing the key interconnecting processes which collectively constitute the supply and manufacturing chain in relation to the consumption of time. It must be emphasised that TBPM is quite different from the traditional ‘Time and Motion' studies as practised by generations of Industrial Engineers. TBPM concentrates on the speed of progression of specific components through the production cycle, whilst time and motion studies are only concerned with the labour output and utilisation rates of employees. Time Based Competition Time-based companies reduce cost indirectly through compressing time. When a company attacks time directly, the first benefits to show up are usually shorter cycle time and faster inventory turns. So when a company goes after time reduction in the right way, it tends to get both time and cost out. The reverse is not always so. Successful companies have shifted the focus of their source of manufacturing compete over the past few decades. Time Based Competitive Advantage The increased emphasis over the past few years on, the Order Winning Criteria of delivery time can be considered to be a new competitive paradigm. The subject of ever shortening product lifecycles and rapid market obsolescence has received considerable academic attention and a wealth of literature has been published. The compression of time provides organisations with a distinct competitive cost advantage. Companies discover that costs do not increase when lead times are reduced – they decline. Costs do not increase with greater investment in quality-they decrease and also costs do not go up as product variety increases and response times reduce – they go down. Key features of organisations that compress time are that they place high emphasis on: customer focus, responsiveness, R&D and innovation. Objectives of TBPM The three main objectives of TBPM are to: i) ii) iii) Fully define and simplify the production route, Compress the production cycle time, and Reduce the non value adding activities & Increase the value adding proportions of the process. What data is necessary? Key questions that need to be asked to gather the required data are: i) ii) iii) iv) v) vi) vii) What is the process? Where does it start and finish? How long does it actually take from the first input to the last output? Does the process require a decision, how long does it take? How long should it take? How much time is spent on queuing prior to being processed? How much time is spent on rework? The figure below shows the service blueprint for Overnight Hotel Stay Service Process Charts The charting of work flows, working processes, systems and procedures is a useful way of recording the essential features of a work situation for subsequent analysis. Process Charts are one of the simpler forms of workflow charting and are still in regular usage but are less common than they once were. A variety of process charts have been designed to meet the needs of a particular level or stage of analysis; they can be used at a detailed level (recording activity at a specific work station or workplace), but also at the wider system, process or procedure level. The different kinds of process chart share a common core set of symbols, though some have additional symbols for specific and specialised process steps. The common symbols (of hich there are only five) were first promulgated by the American Society of Mechanical Engineers and have become known as the ASME symbols. OPERATION: a main step, where the part, material or product is usually modified or changed INSPECTION: indicates a check for quality or quantity TRANSPORT: the movement of workers, materials or equipment STORAGE: controlled storage in which material is received into or issued fr om a store, or an item is reference purposes DELAY or TEMPORARY STORAGE: indicates a delay in the process, or an object laid aside until required These symbols are simply linked together in a vertical chart representing the key stages in a process; it is usual to place a commentary in an adjoining column recording contextual/environmental information. e. g. against a Transport symbol would be recorded, start of journey, end of journey, distance and mode of transport. The simplest form of process chart is known as an outline process chart and records an overview or outline of a process. Only those steps of a process that can be represented by the ASME symbols of operation and inspection are recorded. An outline process chart is often a useful first step to identify key areas of concern before recording (part of) the process in more detail. In a â€Å"full† process chart, where all symbols are used, it is common to chart the process from the â€Å"viewpoint† of the material being processed, the worker carrying out the work or, less commonly, a piece of equipment. Thus, the same symbols can be used in different ways. As a simple example, a piece of equipment can be represented on an equipment-type flow process chart as a delay because it is not in use; while a material-type flow process chart of he same process would show the material being transported to the next work station, and a man-type chart could show the operator involved in another operation on another machine. The chart to be used may be determined by the purpose of the investigation or by the relative costs involved in the process – a highly capital-intensive process may focus more attention on the equipment being used. Process charts may also be used at a more micro level of analysis. An example is the two-handed process chart which records the motions performed by both hands during a task. The sequence of motion of each hand is charted using the same symbols as before. There are slight changes to the meaning of the symbols, however. The delay symbol is used to indicate that the hand is waiting to carry out its next task. The storage symbol is used to indicate that the hand is holding on to a piece of material or a document. Two-handed process charts are usually drawn on a pre-formatted diagram. Their use has generally been superseded by the analyses involved in the use of low level pre-determined motion time systems. The figure below shows the process chart for Requisition of Petty Cash Value Stream Mapping Value Stream Mapping is a method of creating a â€Å"One page picture† of all the processes that occur in a company, from the time a customer places an order for a product, until the customer has received that product in their facility. The goal is to depict material and information flows across and throughout all Value-Adding Processes required to produce and ship the product to the customer. Value Stream Maps document all of the processes used to produce and ship a product, both Value-Adding and Non-Value-Adding (Waste) processes. Why Value Stream Map? During the team creation of a Value Stream Mapping, business and manufacturing waste that occur in the processes can be easily identified. Once the Current State Value Stream Mapping is created, it becomes the baseline for improvement and for the creation of a Future State Value Stream Mapping. The FSVSM can then be used as a World Class Manufacturing implementation road map. The steps to implement value stream mapping are: Step 1 – Determine the product or service to be analyzed. Step 2 – Author a value stream map that depicts the process steps, information flows, and timelines that are required to create the product or service being analyzed. The mapping can either be a design, production, or service flow and may use standardized value mapping process symbols. Step 3 – Examine the process streams on the value stream map to determine if there are any redundancies or wasteful steps and mark them for modification or deletion. Step 4 – Redraw the mapping as a future state value stream map with the wasteful steps removed. Step 5 – Implement process changes in the organization to work towards the new value stream mapping. The figure below shows value stream map of a typical manufacturing firm Service Blue Printing The service blueprint is a technique used for service innovation. The blueprint shows processes within the company, divided into different components which are separated by lines. Service blueprints are maps or pictures that precisely portray how a service process is built up. It is used to provide individuals, which are involved in the process, help to understand and to deal sober with certain circumstances. Blueprints are especially useful, when it comes to developing and designing new services. It visualizes the service simultaneously depicting the visible components of the service, the roles of employees and customers, the intersections of customer contact, and the process of service delivery. The blueprint provides a way to divide a service into logical elements and to picture the tasks or steps in the process, the guideline how customer experience a service, and the instruments by which the tasks are accomplished. Blueprinting is already used in different techniques and fields, including computer systems analysis. The service blueprint consists of 5 components: 1. Customer Actions 2. Onstage / Visible Contact Employee Actions 3. Backstage / Invisible Contact Employee Actions 4. Support Processes 5. Physical Evidence 1. Customer Actions This component contains all of the steps that customers take as part of the service delivery process. This element is always on top of the service blueprint. 2. Onstage / Visible Contact Employee Actions This element is separated from the customer actions by a ‘line of interaction’. These actions are face-to-face actions between employees and customers. . Backstage / Invisible Contact Employee Actions The ‘line of visibility’ separates the Onstage from the Backstage actions. Everything that appears above the line of visibility can be seen by the customers, while everything under the line of visibility is invisible for the customers. A very good example of an action in this element, is a telephone call; these is an action between an empl oyee and a customer, but they don’t see each other. 4. Support Processes The ‘internal line of interaction’ separates the contact employees from the support processes. These are all the activities carried out by individuals and units within the company who are not contact employees. These activities need to happen in order for the service to be delivered. 5. Physical Evidence For each customer action, and every moment of truth, the physical evidence that customers come in contact with is described at the very top of the service blueprint. These are all the tangibles that customers are exposed to that can influence their quality perceptions. Building a blueprint The process of structuring a blueprint involves six steps: 1. The identification of the service process, that is supposed to be blueprinted 2. The identification of the customer segment or the customers that are suppose to experience the service 3. Picturing the service from the customer’s perspective 4. Picturing the actions of the contact employee (onstage and backstage), and/or technology actions 5. Linking the contact activities to the needed support functions 6. Adding the evidence of service for every customer action step The figure below shows the service blueprint for Overnight Hotel Stay Service Service processes What is a Service? A Service is the value provided to the customer through a set of interactions and impacts on the input from the customer. The service process is implemented and executed by the service provider. The input to the service process from the customer may be in form of information, belongings or even the person of the customer itself. The service and service process are designed to reach a goal which has been defined by the stakeholders, especially the customer and the service provider. The service, its goal, the service process, the customer, the service provider and the resources are embedded into an environment which is source of legal compliance requirements etc. All together they constitute a service system. Service processes and their properties There are a number of crucial differences between service and business processes. 1. There are intense interactions with the customer: For example, it may be necessary that the customer provides some information to allow the further proceeding of the process. It is important to emphasize that a service process must describe the interaction between customer and service provider. 2. Service processes differentiate two areas, front stage and back stage. The front stage contains the activities of the customer and the service provider’s activities that are visible to the customer. The back stage contains the activities not visible to the customer. 3. Service processes need to represent the handover of resources and information from the customer to the service provider and the restitution vice versa. Furthermore, service processes are often cross-organizational. A top-level service process that is responsible for providing the service to the customer coordinates a number of sub processes. Fig. 2 Product Process Design (top) v/s Service Process Design (bottom) Characteristics of services ? Services are tangible ? Service output is variable ? Services have higher customer contact ? Services are perishable ? Services are inseparable from delivery ? Services tend to be decentralized and dispersed ? Services are consumed more often than products ? Services can be easily emulated Many services come as part of a larger package of bundle of things. The service-product bundle consists of 1) The physical goods or facilitating goods, 2) The tangible service provided or explicit service, and 3) The psychological service or implicit service For example, at a winter ski resort. The facilitating goods are the chair lifts, buildings and mountain itself at the resort. ? The explicit service is primarily the skiing experience, but you also have the interaction with employees and the visual experience in the shops and sleeping quarters. ? The implicit service pertains to the fun generated, the sense of security you have and the excitement of the skiing. It is important to pay attention to all these experiences . Service recovery is the ability to quickly compensate for the failure of service delivery and restore, if possible, the service required by the customer. Obviously, service failure should be held to a minimum, but the recovery can also mean the difference between success and failure of the company service Guarantees help the company in clearly defining the process of service delivery and specify the extent of service recovery, if needed. Thus a process can be designed to provide consistent service. Service Process Design Service process design refers to the arrangement of service facilities where the service is provided and the processes through which the service operations are structured and delivered. Lovelock classified service process by the extent of demand fluctuations and the extent to which supply capacity is constrained. When demand is highly fluctuated and peak demand regularly exceeds capacity, managers must consider altering either demand pattern or supply capacity so that service can be delivered without incurring long customer waiting time. In case demand pattern cannot be altered, managers could consider operations-oriented strategies to control the level of service supply, such as scheduling parttime workers and cross training service personnel. The way in which the service process is designed determines, to a large extent, the wait that customers experience. Any reductions in customer waiting time by better management of process design can certainly help lower both customer dissatisfaction and defection. Often, managers have a number of alternatives to choose from when shaping the design of their service delivery process. Fig. 3 Service Design Process The Service Matrix As the popularity of Service Learning grows, the need to have a common language for discussion is critical. Currently there are a tremendous amount of resources on Service Learning, but often these resources are complex and abstract, leading to difficulties in describing and defining quality service learning experiences. In order to address this problem, The Service Matrix was created. The Service Matrix was designed to plot individual contributions to a particular service effort but is not intended to plot an entire service effort. With these parameters in mind, the X axis measures the value of a service effort to the community, while the Y axis measures he formal learning that occurred during the service effort. These axes intersect and provide the framework for the four quadrants of The Service Matrix. The following examples best describes these four quadrants of The Service Matrix. Quadrant One: Basic Volunteerism (Lower Formal Learning, Lower Value to the Community) Anthony attends a blood drive and gives a pint of blood. This example is considered basic volunteerism because Anthony l earned very little (lower formal learning) and the individual pint of blood is small when compared to the overall need for blood in the community (lower value). Quadrant Two: Community Service (Lower Formal Learning, Higher Value to the Community) In this example, Chloe brings 10 of her friends to the blood drive. Although, Chloe’s formal learning has not increased (Lower Formal Learning) with this example, due to her efforts she has now increased her value to the community (Higher Value to the Community) by meeting the need with greater impact. Chloe’s contribution is considered community service; however, her friends remain in the basic volunteerism quadrant. Quadrant Three: Community-Based Learning (Higher Formal Learning, Lower Value to the Community) Carlos is a high school senior enrolled in a Certified Nursing Assistance (CNA) class. As part of his coursework, he is assigned to attend a blood drive and observe nurses drawing blood. As a result, Carlos saw firsthand how his course work applied to real life situations (Higher Formal Learning), although his individual contribution to the community was insignificant (Lower Value to the Community) because there was no service performed on his behalf. Quadrant Four: Service Learning (Higher Formal Learning, Higher Value to the Community) Pauline is in a marketing class at her high school. After learning basic marketing principles, her assignment is to apply her knowledge in a way that would benefit the community. Pauline reads in the local paper that there is a need for blood in the local blood banks and hospitals. Responding to this need and using her marketing knowledge, Pauline organizes a blood drive at her high school. Putting theories into ractice, Pauline was able to internalize and reinforce her marketing knowledge (Higher Formal Learning). At the same time, because of Pauline’s efforts, 100 pints of blood were collected. (Higher Value to the Community) Objectives 1. By using The Service Matrix, individuals will gain a clear framework for understanding the different levels of service, including service learning. 2. Individuals using The Service Matrix as a reflection tool will be able to evaluate the quality and imp act of their individual contribution(s) to a particular service effort. Customer Waiting Time The total elapsed time between issuance of a customer order and satisfaction of that order. Ideally, CWT will include all customer orders, regardless of commodity or source, immediate issues, and backorders (and) include issues from wholesale and retail stocks as well as various other arrangements. Consumers today are more constrained by time than ever before. In an intensely competitive world the pressure, expectation and need to accomplish more in less time is unlikely to diminish. Service providers understand the premium that consumers place on time they view as wasted while waiting for the delivery of services. A customer waiting in line for service is potentially a lost customer. As such, managers of service operations constantly strive to shorten customer waiting time during service delivery. Firms across a variety of industries have introduced numerous peripheral service elements to the service package experience of their customers, in an attempt to shorten customer waiting times. Such efforts are best illustrated by retail stores that have check-out registers which automatically print the date, amount and name of payee on the cheques customers use when making payment. More recently, new technology offers even more opportunities to improve service process and thus customer service in various industries. For instance, the practice of â€Å"e-ticketing† in the airline business has definitely made a huge impact on ticket purchasing as well as airport check-in processes. Productivity Productivity is the ratio of outputs (goods and services) divided by the inputs (resources such as labor and capital). It differs from Production in that production is a measure of the output and not the efficiency. Productivity = Units produced / Input used ? Measure of process improvement ? Represents output relative to input ? Only through productivity increases can our standard of living improve Example: Improving Productivity at Starbucks A team of 10 analysts continually look for ways to shave time. Some improvements: 1. Stop requiring signatures on credit card purchases under $25- Saved 8 seconds per transaction 2. Change the size of the ice scoop- Saved 14 seconds per drink 3. New espresso machines- Saved 12 seconds per shot Operations improvements have helped Starbucks increase yearly revenue per outlet by $200,000 to $940,000 in six years. Productivity has improved by 27%, or about 4. 5% per year. Multi-Factor Productivity Productivity = Output / Labor + Material + Energy + Capital + Miscellaneous ? Also known as total factor productivity ? Output and inputs are often expressed in dollars Labor Productivity Productivity = Units Produced / Labour hours used Service Productivity ? Typically labor intensive ? Frequently focused on unique individual attributes or desires ? Often an intellectual task performed by professionals ? Often difficult to mechanize ? Often difficult to evaluate for quality Work Measurement Work Measurement refers to determining the output in quantitative terms. It implies measuring the volume of work completed and the time spent in completing it. It involves the study of the time required for performing each element of an office operation. Thus, work measurement includes the analysis of each operation, identifying its elements of parts and measuring the time taken by an employee in performing each element of the operation. This technique used for work measurement is known as â€Å"Time Study†. Besides determining the actual time taken in performing any operation, time study also enables time standards to be set for performing the operation. Although the main objective of office work measurement is to aid management n planning and controlling office operations, yet some of the other objectives of work measurement are: a) Decide the number of employees in each department b) Determine the standard work-load for each employee c ) Measure the performance of individual employees d) Help decide appropriate methods of motivation e) Simplify work systems f) Increase individual efficiency g) Reduce the cost of office services St eps in Work Measurement The following steps should be taken by the office manager before work measurement is undertaken in an office: a) Planning b) Work improvement c) Standardisation of office work measurement and standardisation of activities d) Listing of tasks to be measured e ) Defining unit of measurement and methods of measurement f) Securing subordinates' willing co-operation g) Executing the programme. vQuick Check Mark True or False 1. One of the objectives of work measurement is to evaluate the year-on-year output produced. (ANS:F) 2. Labour Productivity is defined as Output per unit of Labour. (ANS:F) 3. Service Productivity is difficult to mechanise and evaluate. (ANS:T) 4. Simplifying work systems is an objective of work measurement. (ANS:T) Importance of Office Work Measurement 1. Planning and Scheduling Work 2. Appraisal of Employee Performance 3. Estimation of Manpower Requirement 4. Cost Calculations 5. Improved employee motivation and morale Techniques of Work Measurement in Office 1. Past Performance Basis 2. Time Study 3. Work Sampling Time Study Time Study is the most widely used and best known technique of work measurement. Time study method helps in setting time standards for work. This method is also known as a ‘stop watch study' method to measure work. Time study or ‘stop watch study' is the process of recording and analysing systematically the time required to perform office operations by an average employee working at average speed under standard conditions, using standard methods. Essential requirements for time study are: 1. Skilled analyst 2. Standardisation of work methods 3. Standard conditions under which work has to be performed 4. Selection of well-trained employees who are acquainted with the purpose of the study 5. Determining the duration of the study The following steps are to be taken for conducting a time study programme: i) Identify the job to be studied and break down the relevant tasks into basic elements. For example, the task of mail opening nvolves five elements, that is, picking up envelope, cutting the edge of envelope, removing the contents of the envelope, connecting the cover with papers contained in the envelope and placing the letter in the tray. ii) Determine the number of work cycles to be obser ved and design the time date sheet for recording time elements for each time cycle. iii) Record the time taken for each element of the work process on the designed time date sheet. A stop-watch is generally used for determining the time taken. This process has to be repeated as per (ii). iv) Calculate the average time for each element from the work cycle readings (iii). v) Add allowances for delays, fatigue, etc. i) On the basis of above steps (iv& v) work standards can be determined and report drafted/ This method is simple and can be adopted without much additional cost. But the data collected are subject to the nature of conditions and the competence of employees; hence, the standards set so may not be much reliable. However, scope of improvement in this method is not ruled out. Summary A process strategy is used by organizations to build a production process that meets customer requirements and adheres to product specifications within cost and other constraints. An efficient pro cess strategy helps the organization to develop a competitive advantage over other organizations. Various process strategies can be classified under one of the four broad process strategies: namely process focus, repetitive focus, product focus and mass customization. The choice of process strategy depends upon the type of product to be produced. In order to determine which process is most suited to transform resources into goods and services, operations managers compare various aspects of the process such as maximization of customer value, competitive advantage etc. There are a number of tools which can be used to understand the complexities of process design and redesign. Some of these tools are flow diagrams, time-process-function mapping, value-stream mapping, process charts and service blueprinting. Each of these five process analysis tools has its strengths and variations. Service processes, unlike production processes, are heavily dependent on customer interaction and customization according to customer needs. Although customer interaction often affects process performance adversely, it can’t be done away with in case of service processes. The effectiveness of a service process depends upon the level to which the manager can accommodate the special requirements of a customer. Service processes having high labour intensity can be improved by focussing on human resources whereas services involving low labour intensity benefit from innovations in process technology and scheduling. Equipment and technology are other important factors that need to be considered during process design or redesign. These decisions can be complex because of availability of large amount of alternatives in both production and service processes. Some of the production technologies that are widely used today are machine technology, automatic identification systems (AISs), process control, vision systems, robots, automated storage and retrieval systems (ASRSs), automated guided vehicles (AGVs), flexible manufacturing systems (FMSs) and computer integrated manufacturing (CIMs). The choice of technology depends upon the type of product and the budget constraints. Technology advancement has taken place in service design as well. Industries such as hospitality, airlines and even food & beverages have seen a rapid change in technology which has resulted in more efficient and therefore better quality of services. Consumer demands are dynamic and therefore keep changing with time. Consequently, business processes also need to be redesigned from time to time in order to cope up with changing demands. Effective redesign depends upon questioning both purpose and underlying assumptions of a process and addressing the issues. Process redesign can also address issues of expanding a business, improving the quality or efficiency of a process, or adding variety to the type of products manufactured. Redesigning of a process casts aside all notions of how a process is currently being done and focuses on improvements in customer value, cost, and time. Another important aspect of process design which has caught attention is the ethics and environmental friendliness of a process. As businesses are becoming more and more socially responsible, ethical and environment friendly processes are the need of the hour. Some of these actions are legally required, such as pollution control, while others are done by businesses as part of their corporate responsibility towards society. In future, the main focus of businesses will be to make their processes socially responsible, i. . helping in the welfare of the society along with making profits for the business. Short-Answer Questions 1) What is a process strategy? Why is it useful for an organization? 2) Name different kinds of process strategies. Write short notes on each explaining the types of products for which they can be used. 3) Mention three differences between product focused and process focused strategies. 4) What are the factors that need to be considered while analyzing and designing processes? 5) How is time-function mapping different from value-stream mapping? 6) Briefly explain the difference between production process design and service process design. ) Write short notes on Flexible Manufacturing Systems and Computer-Integrated Manufacturing Systems. Point out the difference between them. 8) Give two examples of technology improvements in service sector. 9) What is process redesign? When is it required in an organization? 10) Demonstrate the importance of ethical and environmental factors to businesses with at least two examples. Long-Answer Questions 1) Briefly describe mass customization process indicating the instances where it can be used. What are the requirements to make mass customization work in an organization? 2) Describe an instance where product focus can be used. Draw flow diagram for the exa mple given. ) What are crossover charts? Briefly explain how they can be used to compare various process strategies. 4) Write brief notes on: a) Flow Diagrams. b) Time-Function Mapping. c) Value-Stream Mapping. d) Process charts. e) Service Blueprinting. 5) What are different production technology tools available to businesses today? Write a short note on each of them. Also, give examples of products where each of the production technology tools can be used. Multiple choice Questions 1) Process focused strategy is used for a; Low volume, low variety products b; Low volume, high variety products c; High volume, low variety products d; High volume, high variety products ) Product focused strategy is used for a; Low volume, low variety products b; Low volume, high variety products c; High volume, low variety products d; High volume, high variety products 3) Mass customization strategy is used for a; Low volume, low variety products b; Low volume, high variety products c; High volume, l ow variety products d; High volume, high variety products 4) Crossover charts are used for a; Comparison of process choices b; Design of process choices c; Both comparison and design of process choices d; None of the above 5) Which among these is not a focus point while designing process strategies? a; Customers ; Products c; Suppliers d; Technology 6) Product focussed facility is a a; Low fixed cost and low variable cost facility b; Low fixed cost while high variable cost facility c; High fixed cost while low variable cost facility d; High fixed cost and high variable cost facility 7) Which of these is not a process analysis and design tool? a; Time-function mapping b; Human-resource mapping c; Vale-stream mapping d; Service Blueprinting 8) Which of the following is not a production technology area? a; Automatic Identification Systems b; Flexible Management Systems c; Layout Management Systems d; Computer Integrated Manufacturing 9) Service Blueprinting focuses on a; Time taken to complete individual processes b; The processes which result in adding value to the product c; Customer and the provider’s interaction with the customer d; Symbols which are used to differentiate between activities 10) Which among these is not a process strategy? ; Product focus b; Process focus c;Mass customization d;Process control 11) The decision to be kept in mind while analyzing and designing processes are a; whether the process minimizes total cost b; whether the process saves time c;whether the process adds value as perceived by the customer d;All of the above 12) Equipment utilization in case of a process-focused facility is in the range of a; 5%-25% b; 25%-45% c; 50%-70% d; 75%-95% Numerical-Problems 1) XYZ ltd. has 3 alternatives to produce 30000 units of a certain product X. The total fixed and variable costs related to each alternative are mentioned in the table below: Alternative 1 Total Fixed Cost Total variable Cost/ Unit 40000 18 Alternative 2 90000 16 Alterna tive 3 130000 15 On the basis of the data given above, answer the following questions: a) Draw a cross-over chart reflecting each alternative. ) Which alternative is best for producing product X? c) Which alternative will be the best one if the units to be manufactured are 45000? d) Determine the economic volume for each process. 2) An automobile repairing garage has an average of 30 cars turning in for maintenance every day. The annual fixed costs of repair & maintenance is Rs 730,000 and variable cost of maintenance per car is Rs 50. A new technology has come up in the market which will reduce the variable cost per car to Rs 40 but will increase the annual fixed costs to Rs 109500. Is it advisable for the owner of the garage to switch to new technology? Assume negligible installation costs and 365 days in a year. ) Clean-tech washing machine manufacturers have four options to produce their washing machines. The costs involved in each process have been tabulated below: Process Cont rol Annual Fixed Costs 150000 Direct Material/Unit Direct Labour/Unit Power Expense/Unit 32 56 34 51 28 49 27 47 34 Robots 180000 33 FMS 200000 35 CIM 220000 34 The number of units manufactured annually is 4500. Answer the questions below: a) Draw crossover chart reflecting each process and find out the indifference points. b) Which alternative is best for producing the washing machines? c) If the number of washing machines manufactured annually changes to 8000, which one would be the best alternative? ) Draw flow diagrams for: a) An iPod b) A Mercedes-Benz c) Johnny-walker scotch whisky 5) Prepare process charts, time-function maps and service blueprints for the processes mentioned in Q-4. Case Studies: Case Study 1: Simulation modelling for manufacturing of major Boeing components using FMS, MCM and AGVs Every Boeing commercial airplane is customized for a specific customer. Manufacturing processes of some major components are desirable to follow the FMS concepts in a customized m anufacturing environment. In the case study that follows, a wing assembly process is examined by means of discrete simulation modelling. There are more than thirty complex processes applied to more than fifteen machine classes. Most processes require a different number of labour entities from various labour classes. The overall pace of the whole system (i. e. , the system take time) is desired to be a variable that impacts the process time of all related processes, as well as the number of assigned labourers. A modular approach to MCM system design will not only benefit the overall performance of a flexible MCM system, but will also enhance simulation-modelling exercises. Discrete event simulation technology employs the same platform concept as in modelling highly flexible and rapid reconfigurable production lines. Such modelling methods reflect manufacturing processes according to the ever-changing customized demands. Many fundamental manufacturing process parameters, such as layout reconfigurations, and resource re-allocations, can be derived ahead of time from the simulation models. A high-level process flow of the simulation model is shown below in figure 1, where source 1 generates incoming parts according to the system take time with optional statistical distributions. Buffer S receives incoming parts via the only crane resource in the system. The part will then be lifted by the crane to the machine B where multiple processes will be performed by multiple resources. The part then continues to move from the machine B to the machine P, the end of the process line. Multiple processes are assigned throughout this line on each machine. An additional process is needed in the middle of the line where the part will be transferred to the buffer A followed by a couple of external processes. Figure 1: The simulation model process technique Afterwards, buffer A receives the part and calls for the overhead crane to transfer the part back to buffer T where the part will continue through the rest of the process. At the end of the line, the part goes from the machine P to the buffer A then to the sink, which is the final destination of all parts in the simulation model. Two different part-carrying platforms are involved in the system. The â€Å"high speed† dolly transfers parts to and from buffer A. The â€Å"low speed† dolly carries one part at a time from machine B all the way to machine P. Additional components are introduced to the system from source 2 and 3 at different stages of the process line. Figure 2: An aircraft major component assembly line simulation model Resource class types in this model consist of labour, machine, and Automatic Guided Vehicle (AGV) elements. The machine class stands alone for each machine, while the labour and AGV classes are managed by their respective controllers. Those thirty plus processes that are stand-alone objects can be assigned to multiple machines. Thus, each machine has from two to six assigned processes. Processes run at all times in an endless do-loop as part of the nature of this modelling environment. As soon as a condition is met for a process, it will execute its logic and its assigned time duration on the machine where it resides. After the last process sequence of the last machine class has been executed, the part is transferred to the sink class where it will be logically destroyed and removed from the modelling system. The approach of this simulation modelling successfully manages a flexible customized manufacturing system in a flexibly modulated and customized fashion. For each complicated customized scenario, it is comprehendible that traditional manual modelling modification will take much longer effort than this technique. As compared to alternative approaches to this MCM application, benefit of this innovative methodology is evident in the following points: †¢ Customizable †¢ Ease of deployment †¢ Scalable Additional detailed verification between simulation models and flexible MCM exercises on the shop floor remain to be fully performed once this conceptual process development turns into reality. Nevertheless, approaches and methodologies presented in this work illustrate unparalleled advantages in operating flexible and customized manufacturing systems. Authors: Dr. Guixiu Qiao, Computer Scientist Manufacturing Systems Integration Division National Institute of Standards and Technology 100 Bureau Drive, MS 8260 Gaithersburg, MD 20899-8260, USA [email  protected] nist. gov [email  protected] com Tel: 301-975-4735 Roberto F. Lu, PE, Associate Technical Fellow Boeing Commercial Airplanes Manufacturing R & D The Boeing Company PO Box 3707 Mail Code: 6X-TR Seattle, WA 98124-2207, USA roberto. f. [email  protected] com Tel: 425-234-4049 Charles McLean, Computer Scientist Manufacturing Systems Integration Division National Institute of Standards and Technology 100 Bureau Drive, MS 8260 Gaithersburg, MD 20899-8260, USA [email  protected] nist. gov Tel: 301-975-3511 Case Study 2: Computer Integrated Manufacturing in Small Companies Computer integrated manufacturing (CIM) technology provides companies with an excellent opportunity in order to compete in the present global context. The actual situation also favours small companies in developing and implementing CIM applications, due to many concurrent factors (de Venuto et al. 1994; Gupta and Brennan, 1995): †¢ availability of low cost hardware and software tools, with better performance and quality, makes CIM solutions accessible even to limited budget companies; †¢ technical improvement in the fields of networking and personal computers allows for reliable distributed information systems, providing the opportunity to use an affordable stepby-step approach while safeguarding integrity; †¢ Increased awareness, at management level, of the competitive potential offered by CIM solutions; †¢ actual turbulence of markets requires small companies to continuously increase performance, such as production flexibility, timely purchasing and delivery, process and product quality, in order to avoid the risk of quickly being overshadowed by more farsighted competitors. As a consequence, the introduction of CIM technologies may represent, particularly for small companies, one of the most promising strategies to acquire and maintain a competitive edge, from product development to marketing and distribution. The case study presented concerns CIM introduction in a small company (Italpneumatica Sud) working in the area of pneumatic components with the trademark SMC (one of the leading producers in the world). Like many other small medium-sized companies, Italpneumatica Sud has to solve integration problems on a limited budget. The strategic requirements to be met are as follows: †¢ Need to guarantee customer service by reducing lead times: this involves timely information, accurate delivery times and a reliable logistic system; †¢ Need to guarantee product and process quality: this requires accurate operations and process control to make quality certification possible (EN 29000); †¢ need to guarantee the setting up of a safe and timely corporate information system able to supply each user with online data required for operational and decision-making procedures. The main problems in this case study can be summarized as follows: †¢ High throughput time; †¢ Production management practically characterized by no scheduling; †¢ Excessive reliance on paper support for information exchange; †¢ Low level of process control; †¢ Scarce visibility of manufacturing process at management level; †¢ Accumulation of work in process inventory at shop floor level; †¢ Stock levels not optimized; †¢ Actual production costs not foreseeable. Prepare a detailed Computer Integrated Manufacturing System for Italpneumatica Sud. Authors: A. C. Caputo, G. Cardarelli, M. Palumbo and P. M. Pelagagge Reference: Industrial Management & Data Systems 98/3 [1998] 138–144 References i) Naughton, S. (2000) Understanding Service Learning. Wellesley, MA: National Institute on Out-of-School Time at Wellesley College Center for Research on Women. ii) http://www. uwex. uwc. edu/service-learning/documents/ideasSheet. pdf iii) MDF. 2003. 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