Improving the Performance of a Team Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Improving the Performance of a Team - Assignment Example Technical factors include understanding the mission, spelling out goals, and developing activities critical to success of the goal. To improve the functioning of a particular team, these factors have to be addressed. The following steps go towards improving the performance of a team. A project team is subject to group dynamics because of an assembly of individuals with diverse talents and commitments. The most common problems faced by work teams arise from: Different points of view, role conflicts, implicit power struggles, and groupthink which compromises decisions in favour of unanimity. (Nurick, 2001) There are many other problems that may arise due to behavioural and skill factors. Performance measures need to be devised taking both performance factors and process factors into account. The performance measures would measure the performance/outcome factors which may be: Team cohesion; Improvement orientation like creativity, forward thinking, proactivity; and Team achievements. Team process factors, which also affect the performance of a team includes factors such as: Team relationships, team focus, approach to performance, leadership style, team discipline, team decision making, team confidence, value of contributions, decision focus, social contact, process focus, and lastly, consistency. Team performance is also related to attractiveness of performance, agreement with team goals, team goal level, and willingness to use cross-training, perceived participation, team efficacy, and team commitment. Some factors which also need to be measured are: 1. Team member dispositions - Studies have indicated that employees' need for achievement, need for affiliation, aggressiveness towards other people and the value placed on autonomy affect the team in a lot of ways. 2. Team process skills - process skills include skills like communication, leadership, goal setting, problem solving, and conflict resolution skills. 3. Employee perceptions about the team - This includes perceptions about team efficacy, and perceived participation. 4. Goals and goal commitments - this includes factors like team goal level, goal commitment, agreement with team goal, and performance expectations. 5. Attractiveness of performance and self efficacy. (Scott and Townsend, 1994) Measures that take the above factors into account can help assess how the team would fare in a task and what is to be done to improve its performance. Step 2: Making the Team and Planning Work Activities The second step to enhancing team performance involves the selection and training of the team and planning the work activities for the team. Selection: To ensure team effectiveness one criterion for selection of members of a team is interpersonal skills. Other criteria would include the member disposition, member skill sets, commitment to goals, and other such factors. This can be done by using the performance measures devised in the first step. Training: The next step would involve training the team in product knowledge, time management; interpersonal skills like listening, assertiveness, and conflict management skills; creativity; meeting deadlines; energy and determination; reporting and administration; personal appearance and image; steadiness under pressure, and such other factors. In addition to receiving training in skills they should be empowered to use

The Author of Her Book by Anne Bradstreet Essay Example for Free

The Author of Her Book by Anne Bradstreet Essay The debate starts with an argument among two people, DeSean and Sole. Sole was trying to help DeSean through a spiritual crisis and trying to answer the question in such a way that it would have been treated if it were posed before Jesus, hence focusing on what Jesus might have done when found in the same situation. The theological debate for this argument is: â€Å"How do we reconcile the fact that Jesus Christ was fully God with the fact that Jesus was fully human? Christians believe that Jesus was fully man and God at the same time, formalized by the Council of Chalcedon in AD 451. Arianism believed by the Jehovah witness is that Jesus was the first and greatest creation of God. Muslims on the other hand simply believe Jesus is just a prophet of God, but in all most people believe in Jesus Christ’s divinity and humanity at the same time. A group holds Kenotic Christology which explains God had to empty himself to become fully human, thus God laid is omniscience and became fully man. Two essays which offered defense of the classical Christological position and defense of the kenotic Christological position The Classical view where some Theologians agreed that Jesus was at and the same time omnipresent yet spatially located omnipotent but limited in power. Some evangelicals believe that Jesus was fully God and fully human, and insist that he laid aside the use of is divine attributes in order to become a human, whiles retaining his divine holiness and love temporarily whiles slowly releasing his divine attributes. While the Paradoxical concluded that Christ God was not only God and human but, but he also exercised his divine and human attributes. The Kenotic View is such that God became a human being. This view holds the point that God the father laid down his heavenly powers and made himself available hence making himself human like us. Thus, Jesus did not cease to be the Second person in the Trinity but put aside his power to be able to serve his purpose on earth. This argument was supported by (2:5-8),explaining that even though Jesus was in the Likeness of God he did not take advantage and make himself equal with him. And as such should be our mindset that even though Jesus came on earth us a human being, we should make ourselves equal with him as his spiritual attributes is still in place. Jesus did not have an idea about what was going to happen as in when he was going to return but still kept his duties on earth. As he left his riches, thus he who once rich became poor so we could become rich, the kenotic View gives believers a logical reason for Jesus being human and God as compared to Christology. It also makes believers take Jesus humanity on a more serious level. Even with tis view there were objection made about the Kenotic view such the undermining of Christ’s divinity, how Jesus did his miraculous deeds if it’s said he did not have his divine power and Paul’s interest in metaphysical.

Tourism Laws And Regulations Tourism Essay

Tourism Laws And Regulations Tourism Essay Ensure the right of the people to a balanced and healthful ecology through the promotion of activities geared towards environmental protection, conservation and restoration. An introduction to environmental law, Environmental law is a complex and interlocking body of international treaties, statutes, regulations, and common law or national legislation that operates to regulate the interaction of humanity and the natural environment, toward the purpose of reducing the impacts of human activity. The topic may be divided into two major subjects pollution control and remediation, and resource conservation and management. Laws dealing with pollution are often media-limited, pertain only to a single environmental medium, such as air, water, soil and control both emissions of pollutants into the medium, as well as liability for exceeding permitted emissions and responsibility for cleanup. Laws regarding resource conservation and management generally focus on a single resource, natural resources such as forests, mineral deposits or animal species, or more intangible resources such as especially scenic areas or sites of high archeological value, and provide guide lines for and limitations on the conservation, disturbance and use of those resources. Furthermore, many laws that are not exclusively environmental nonetheless include significant environmental components and integrate environmental policy decisions. Municipal, state and national laws regarding development, land use and infrastructure are examples. Environmental law draws from and is influenced by principles of environmentalism, including ecology, conservation, stewardship, responsibility and sustainability. Pollution control laws generally are intended to protect and preserve both the natural environment and human health. Resource conservation and management laws generally balance the benefits of preservation and economic exploitation of resources. From an economic perspective environmental laws may be understood as concerned with the prevention of present and future externalities, and preservation of common resources from individual exhaustion, the limitations and expenses that such laws may impose on commerce, and the often unquantifiable benefit of environmental p rotection, have generated and continue to generate significant controversy. The Tourism Act of 2009 the State declares tourism as an indispensable element of the national economy and an industry of national interest and importance, which must be harnessed as an engine of socio-economic growth and cultural affirmation to generate investment, foreign exchange and employment, and to continue to mold an enhanced sense of national pride for all Filipinos. First is to ensure the development of Philippine tourism that is for and by the Filipino people, conserve and promote their heritage, national identity and sense of unity, Second is to recognize sustainable tourism development as integral to the national socio- economic development efforts to improve the quality of life of the Filipino people, providing the appropriate attention and support for the growth of this industry, Third is to promote a tourism industry that is ecologically sustainable, responsible, participative, culturally sensitive, economically viable, and ethically and socially equitable for local c ommunities, Fourth is to create a favorable image of the Philippines within the international community, thereby strengthening the countrys attraction as a tourism destination and eventually paving the way for other benefits that may result from a positive global view of the country, Fifth is to develop the country as a prime tourist hub in Asia, as well as a center of world congresses and conventions, by promoting sustainable tourism anchored principal on the countrys history, culture and natural endowments, and ensuring the protection, preservation and promotion of these resources, and sixth is to encourage private sector participation and agricultural-tourism for countryside development and preservation of rural life. B. Environmental Law related to Tourism Mining in the Philippines To encourage any and all communities and local authorities adversely affected by mining impacts to continue to explore and pursue all avenues available within the law at local, national and international levels to register their concerns and aspirations and seek redress for wrongs. And to continue the support to all parties in future efforts to realize a national path to sustainable development based on justice. To reflect the other viewers, of the many people they met in the Philippines and the views of the people and organizations. CONCERNS AND CONFLICTS Mining has a very poor record in the Philippines as a result of the massive social and environmental problems it has caused historically. Some organizations reveal the Philippines to be among the worst countries in the world with regard to tailings dam failures whereby the surface impoundments containing the toxic waste from the mining process failed with disastrous consequences for local people and the environment. In spite of this the Government of the Philippines has been pursuing an aggressive policy to revitalize the mining industry, potentially opening 30 per cent of the countrys land area to mining. It has promised that mining will be carried out to full international standards and that environmental and social problems will be addressed effectively. The government has conducted mining road shows across the globe. Incentives for foreign firms make their operations effectively tax-free for the first five years. Billions of dollars in investments have been promised and a total o f 2,000 mining permit applications are pending. Mining is targeted for many upland areas where it would further reduce forest cover and leave a toxic heritage for succeeding generations. Natural hazards are common in the Philippines, with major portions of the country classified as natural disaster hotspots. Much of its mineral resources lie either in areas of rich biodiversity, in geo hazard zones or within the ancestral domain of indigenous peoples. Responsible mining, in accordance with international best practice, is simply not being observed in the country. Despite the legal frameworks and guidelines, in practice mining applications are considered for watershed areas. Mining is also pursued in conflict zones, the combination of inadequate protection measures and natural hazards can be and has been catastrophic. The countrys record of mining accidents is evidence of this. Most infamous is the Marcopper disaster of 1996, on Marinduque Island, when a mine tailings spill of more than four million metric tons of waste caused widespread flooding and damage to farm lands and property. Villages were evacuated and an estimated 20,000 people along the Boac River were affected. The river was subsequently declared biologically dead. More recently, following spills of cyanide and tailings at Rapu-Rapu Island the governments current mining showcase in Albay, Southern Luzon, an independent commission established by the Government found the company guilty of negligence and recommended that the mining operation be closed down. The government failed to do this and the mine remains open. Most of the Philippines mineral resources are located within the ancestral doma in of its indigenous peoples. Witnessed at first hand the havoc mining is wreaking on the livelihoods, health and human rights of indigenous peoples and other local communities. It also has the potential for massive environmental damage to critical water catchment areas, thousands of hectares of agricultural land and the valuable marine environment. Given the rapidly growing population, which is projected to rise from 84 million to 150 million by 2036, the destruction of these vital ecosystems will have serious implications for the food security and future sustainable development of the country. Unless the water catchment areas are protected and forests are replanted on a massive scale with native species, it is estimated that at least 50 per cent of sustainable agriculture, which require irrigation, will be lost. There are many vocal advocates for the rights of indigenous peoples, local communities and protection of the environment. The development of mining under current circumsta nces is understandably a major and controversial issue. There have been many legitimate expressions of concern and opposition. Even in Congress strong voices are calling for amendments to the mining law. Some people in government and in corporations, however, have labeled critics of these policies as anti-mining and leftist. In the context of the ongoing armed conflict in the Philippines between government and left-wing guerrilla forces, it is feared that such labeling is viewed by some in the military as an incitement to action. Hundreds of people labeled in this way, including many involved in peaceful and legitimate criticism of mining projects and policies, have been killed and targeted for execution. One human rights organization has recorded more than 70017 extra-judicial killings since 2001, with many human rights and environmental activists among the victims. For me we must consider very carefully the ways in which we can help other nations not to harm the environment. Richer nations can criticize the poorer ones for destroying their forests and ravaging their land, even though the more affluent nations contribute to that destruction. Existing international economic structures are such that nations in the third world are forced into using up their natural resources. My own conclusion from the visit was that I have never seen anything so systematically destructive as the mining programmed in the Philippines. The environmental effects are catastrophic as are the effects on peoples livelihoods. Hotel and Tourism Management is affected in the current Laws in the Philippines Sustainable tourism development refers to the management of all resources that meets the needs of tourists and host regions while protecting the opportunities for the future, in such a way that economic, social and aesthetic needs can be fulfilled while maintaining cultural integrity, essential ecological processes, biological diversity and life support systems. Philippine laws govern the rights and obligations of stakeholders in the hospitality and tourism industry. It provides for their rights, liabilities and even benefits as prescribed by law. These are various laws governing Philippine tourism, including the various government agencies involved therein. It will also provide current situation existing in the tourism, travel and hospitality industry which may be analyzed, interpreted and resolved applying existing jurisprudence and legislation. The recent bus hijacking in the Philippines certainly wasnt the finest moment for Manilas Finest, as the Philippine capitals police force likes to call itself. In a city run by a former police officer, a disgraced cop takes a busload of Chinese tourists hostage. The responding police contingent drags its feet, bungles the negotiations, flubs its first rescue attempt, and succeeds only after eight hostages have died at the hands of the hijacker, who is finally killed by a sniper shot that came far too late in the day. Days after the situations bloody resolution, tempers are high in Hong Kong and China, Filipinos ponder how their government has failed them, and the world is asking if any foreign traveler is safe when visiting Manila or the Philippines. Its a fair question; Filipinos will be the first to acknowledge that their famously congested capital city is rife with crime, and local institutions are ill-equipped to handle the caseload. Despite the authorities concerted efforts, gan gs continue to prey on naÃÆ'Â ¯ve travelers, using deception or force to rob their victims or worse. Individual attacks against foreigners hit the news stream from time to time Peace Corps volunteer Julia Campbell was killed while hiking through Ifugao Province in 2007. Tellingly, the head of the Philippines Department of Justice blamed the victim, calling Campbell a little irresponsible for walking unescorted in the mountains. More recently, expats in Angeles City were targeted by a serial killer who coveted their expensive electronics; the suspect had originally been arrested once before, but was set free by the police for unknown reasons. These cases demonstrate a chilling fact tourists in the Philippines cannot expect the same support from the authorities that she might take for granted in places like Hong Kong or Singapore. Not only is the peace-and-order situation in the Philippines far more volatile than in more developed parts of Southeast Asia, the Philippine governments response to tourist safety situations has proven to be problematic, and not even the newly-elected government looks set to solve these problems anytime soon. It only indicates that our law enforcement agencies have few capabilities to handle situations like this, says Banlaoi, noting the incidents tremendous impact on the Philippines tourism industry and the countrys ability to attract foreign investment. This situation is particularly galling considering that the government is targeting tourism as a key growth area. Just as more Filipinos are staking their economic future on a growing influx of tourists, the hijacking incident is seen to dash any hopes of a resurgence of tourism in the Philippines. The Philippines Department of Tourism had earlier projected increased tourist arrivals of 15 percent for the year 2010, up from 8.9 million arrivals last year. The increased number still pales compared to Thailands fifteen million arrivals in the same time period only time will tell if the Department of Tourism will have to revise those figures downward. The DOTs optimism seems hard to sustain in the face of systemic weakness in the Philippines tourism infrastructure. Its not for lack of trying; investors poured $1.3 billion into the Philippine tourism industry between 2000 and 2009, creating 3 million tourism-related jobs in the process, or about 10% of total jobs in the Philippines. That means one in ten jobs in the Philippines will be affected by any tourism downturn caused by news of the hijacking. In the short term, visits have already been affected by the recent news. Thousands of canceled bookings have been reported from tour operators and hotels from all around the Philippines; Boracay operators may lose between P7 million to P10 million due to over 800 cancellations from wary Chinese tourists. On the other hand, other travel groups originating from China have adopted a wait-and-see attitude, quoting Asiatravel.coms David Boh as saying: Normally people will travel from October onwards, so it is still a month away. So what some of our guests are doing is waiting to see how the situation turns out. Some of the guests, what they do is that they purchase additional travel insurance.Pessimists in the local tourism industry worry that the Philippines, never a popular destination at any rate, will remain the purview of courageous backpackers, an even bigger tourism backwater than Laos. Lacking consistent support from the government, tour operators and professionals in the Philippines have taken it on themselves to do damage control in the wake of the hijacking. The Philippines attractions notwithstanding, visitors to the country must perform a delicate calculation, weighing the fun to be had in places like El Nido against the perceived negatives. Certain factors, more than others, will likely come into play. Lack of tourist infrastructure, despite the massive investment poured into tourist destinations, much of the infrastructure that tourists take for granted in other countries still doesnt exist in the Philippines. The Philippine tourism industry is insufficiently centralized, isolating competent travel enterprises and allowing incompetent operators to keep working without sufficient oversight. Strengthen the role of tourism councils and encourage the participation of non-government organizations (NGOs), peoples organizations (POs) and the private sector in initiating programs for tourism development and environmental protection. Tourism Management can help improved the current situations in the Philippines Although often underestimated, the tourism industry can help promote peace and stability in developing countries by providing jobs, generating income, diversifying the economy, protecting the environment, and promoting cross-cultural awareness. Tourism is the fourth-largest industry in the global economy. However, key challenges must be addressed if peace-enhancing benefits from this industry are to be realized. These include investments in infrastructure and human capacity, the development of comprehensive national strategies, the adoption of robust regulatory frameworks, mechanisms to maximize in-country foreign currency earnings, and efforts to reduce crime and corruption. Tourism is a thriving global industry with the power to shape developing countries in both positive and negative ways. The tourism sector has remained robust despite the transnational challenges posed by terrorism, health pandemics, and the global financial crisis. It is up to developing nations to seize the eco nomic opportunities that foreign visitors present, and some countries have proved more adept than others at doing so. Tourism can only achieve the above goals if it respects the environment and places host communities at the center of the development process. Responsibility lies with the governments of developing nations to ensure that tourism grows in a sustainable manner. While tourism can be a force for good both in alleviating poverty and helping to cement peace much depends on the way the sector is planned and managed. Tourism, if properly planned and managed, can help to alleviate poverty and stabilize communities. For that to happen, positive action must be taken by main constituencies host communities, host governments, and foreign stakeholders. Communities should know where their comparative advantage lies whether it is in wildlife, waterfalls, or wineries and focus their development strategy around it, rather than expanding into areas that they think will attract visitors but with which they are unfamiliar. Focus on keeping themselves at the center of their development strategy. This will ensure local ownership of projects and help to keep profits in house. Community-based tourism is also more sustainable and helps to provide the type of authentic experience that most tourists are looking for. Work on enhancing capacity, in both physical infrastructure and human capital. Protect the environment and culture. Communities should remember at all times that it is the beauty of the surroundings in w hich they live the richness of their culture, and the diversity of their wildlife that attracts visitors in the first place. A percentage of the wealth that tourism generates should be spent to preserve these qualities. Establish national tourism strategies and put in place robust laws to protect tourist sites and people who work in the tourist industry. They should also ensure that these laws are enforced. National standards should be established for the tourism industry and its employees should receive periodic training and guidance. Address bottlenecks and constraints. In many developing countries, tourism is undermined because no single government branch has overall responsibility for it. A government should ensure that its tourism sector is not undermined by competing or overlapping departments, at either the national or local levels. Have a creative marketing strategy for the tourist industry. The global tourism trade is highly competitive. Developing countries need to think a bout what sets them apart from other potential destinations and focus on marketing these distinctive qualities. Having a clear focus will also make it easier to attract foreign investment and visitors. Ecotourism could provide a blueprint for managing this process, as it not only builds entrepreneurial skills at a local level but also links community members to the larger world in ways that create knowledge, understanding, and appreciation of other peoples.

The Tarantella Dance in A Dolls House :: A Dolls House Essays

The Tarantella Dance in A Doll's House In A Doll's House, Ibsen uses many symbols. One symbol that is used to symbolize Nora's character; is a dance called the Tarantella. The Tarantella is a folk dance from southern Italy. It goes from an already quick tempo to an even quicker one, while alternating between major and minor keys. It is characterized by swift movements, foot tapping, and on the women's part, exaggerated ruffling of petticoats. It involves a lot of very fast spinning and jumping until one cannot dance anymore and is so exhausted they fall to the ground. It is in constant uncertainty, like Nora's character. The tarantella has a very interesting history. Its name derives from a little southern town of Italy called Taranto. It was believed that if a spider called the tarantula bit the townspeople, the only way to survive its bite was to do a dance called the Tarantella. The locals believed this was the only cure. If the people bitten did not dance they would suffer severe pain, muscle spasms, vomiting; most eventually died. There were not any drugs that could counteract the venom. Many believed that the sweating associated with the dance flushed the venom from the dancer's bodies. They would continue dancing for hours and even days. It was so common that musicians patrolled the fields where most of the bites took place in expectation of being hired to play for the injured. Just as the dancer is trying to get rid of the venom, Nora was trying to rid herself of the deadly outside poison. The tarantella serves as her last chance to be Torvald's doll, to dance and amuse him. "HELMER: But, my dear Nora, you look so worn out. Have you been practising too much?" "NORA: No, I have not practised at all." "HELMER: But you will need to -" "NORA: Yes, indeed I shall, Torvald.

Supply Chain and Risk Management

Introduction Like economies and financial markets, as supply chains grow more global and interconnected, they get more exposed to disruptions and risks. Moreover, the supply chain speed exacerbates the problem. Even minor miscalculations can have major consequences as the impact spreads like viruses throughout the complex supply chain networks. Hence, it is vital to build smarter supply chains and address the issues that pose a challenge to this objective. These risk factors can effect productivity, economy and band image of the company so it is very important to identify and manage these problems on right time. Risk is a set of unexpected or unpredictable event that directly or indirectly affects the efficient working of an organization. † So to avoid this situation there should be a effective risk management process which can help the company to work efficiently and effectively Risk management can be defined as Risk management is an important function in business industry. It is an entrepreneurial need which caters all the solution which are needed for the efficient working of an organization to achieve is goals. It helps the management to understand the root cause of the problem and all possible ways by which it can be solved.Risk management process About The Company Cipla is one of the pioneer’s in the Indian Pharmaceutical Industry. The company was first started in 1935 and throughout its long journey of 75years has introduced many life-changing and innovative drugs to serve humanity while supporting, improving and enriching millions of lives worldwide. Cipla has 50 manufacturing plants with its headquarters situated in Mumbai, India. Its current stable has over 1200 products in current production which can cure almost every illness known to man.Cipla boasts the world’s largest range of respiratory medicines, dosage forms and devices for the management of asthma and other respiratory illnesses. The company is well known for providing co nsistently high quality of medical updates and patient education material to help patients as well as doctors in their respective environments. The company had also setup a dedicated center which carried on research and education on respiration named the Chest Research Foundation (CRF) in Pune, India. The company has also pioneered revolutionary medicines for treatment of cancer, AIDS, hepatitis A, B and C. ardiovascular disease, arthritis, diabetes, weight control, depression and many other health conditions, distributing its product to almost every country. Recently the company had researched and created a medicine called QVIR that can cure AIDS and can be used for both first and second line treatment of HIV-AIDS. Currently, 40% of the worlds HIV patients undergoing anti AIDS therapy are taking Cipla Drugs. Pain Points with QVIR Cipla is well known for is innovations in the field of pharmaceutical but not so for its supply chain and impeccable delivery.This was also the case with the recently launched QVIR which had not been effectively distributed or consumed at the right time. Every year around 5 -7 % of the patients failed their first line treatment because the dose was unavailable and wasn’t there at the stipulated treatment time. For a drug priced at a paltry sum of $ 3 and the life changing benefits of containing four drugs in one single strip, it never served its intended purpose. From our qualitative data collection method we understood that the pain points facing Cipla in the delivery of QVIR were as follows: * Inventory levels are too high and/or misplaced Spending is too high, either indirect or direct categories * Cash-to-cash cycles are too long * Lean manufacturing and quality goals are not being met – potentially accompanied by excess waste generated or scarce resources used Cipla’s Supply Chain Cipla has over 180 manufacturing plant across the world out of which 50 manufacturing plants manufacture QVIR. Cipla also manufac turing some of its own raw material in three of its own factors situated in Mumbai, Himachal Pradesh and Karnataka states of India.For some of the raw materials of QVIR, Cipla also conducts import/export trade with some of its local and international suppliers located in India, Germany, USA, UK, Italy, France, Australian, South Africa and South Korea Chine and Japan. Cipla has its export market in 180 countries of which its main customers are USA, Germany, South Africa, New-Zealand, Australia, China, Sri Lanka, Singapore and Japan. The transportation is carried out internationally via ship and air and domestically either by road or rail. Value Stream Mapping for QVIRThe Top challenges of Cipla’s Supply Chain for QVIR After conducting our initial investigation, assessment and analysis we were able to group the top challenges of Cipla’s supply chain into 3 major components: * Supply Chain Visibility * Increasing Customer Demands * Globalization Supply Chain Visibility Th ere is an inherent lack of willingness to share information and collaborate effectively. Inhibitive organization silos are widespread across Cipla where individuals are too busy to share within the organization and among supply chain networks.This leads to misaligned performance measures, ineffective integration and collaboration not viewed as important. Namita Kelwa, Partner Management director who is also a champion of change within Cipla says, â€Å"When we talk about supply chain visibility, it does not simply mean visibility into your own supply chain and your own shipments. It means visibility among partners, which enables collaborative decision making closer to the customer. This is both a science (managing the technology) and an art (using the information and metrics for competitive advantage). Partial and experimental adoption is widespread in visibility, but extensive adoption is still very low. Increasing Customer Demands Customers are almost always last on the list for synchronizing supply & demand. Cipla as an organization has forgotten to identify that customers continue to have aggressive demands for differentiated products & services, while their own product lifecycles have been shortening. According to Garima Singh, vice president of consumer products, â€Å"We must combine SCM with CRM†¦ get supply chain staff thinking in terms of a commercial customer mindset.Bringing the customer perspective into all facets of SCM will push us to further supply chain excellence† Remaining competitive in developing a new product or service also has the following challenges such as cross function cooperation, product/service innovation and proper allocation of resources. There should be a further integration of customer demands from inception to delivery – the entire Cipla global supply chain network focused on the end customer. Globalization Globalization for many businesses including Cipla is the complexities of interconnectivity.The imp act of global sourcing has led Cipla to experience delivery issues in the form of unreliable commitments especially in the case of the QVIR drugs. It has also resulted in larger than anticipated lead times and quality issues. While looking for lower cost sourcing options, Cipla should pave the way for constantly updated and differentiated business models and distribution strategies. Identifying Risk factors Supplier Risks In the supply chain management of the pharmaceutical industry the selection of supplier should be done very carefully because the raw material can directly affect the finished drug.In CIPLA API Plants the ingredient are manufactured as per Regulatory requirements like USFDA, WHO, MHRA, and TGA and but these API plants are not enough for 50 manufacturing plant so they need external suppliers to provide other ingredients such as Diluants, binding agents, colorant, lubricant and granulating agents. 1. Imports The major risk associated with the import is the availabili ty of the raw material at right time. Some of the delay includes: * Delay in movement of cargo * Custom handling * Delay in processing documents due to system error at Seaport/Airport. Continuous holidays, strike by laborers customs may delay clearances. 2. Inferior Quality of supply Quality is very important in case of any pharmaceutical manufacturing as it directly deals with the life of the people therefore it is governed by many regulations. The inferior Quality of the raw material can increases the risk of waste in the final steps of manufacturing. Some of the adverse effects would be * Breaking and rusting of tables * Short shelf life * Less potency * Side effect to patents * Batch rejection * Market complain Packaging RisksPackaging material for QVIR is one of the important concerns which can not be compromised on the terms of availability and quality, a special packing is needed for the QVIR since it is a four in one drug packing which contain a kit of Tenofovir, Emtricitabi ne, Atazanavir and Ritonavir. If the packaging material is not available in that situation * The raw material shelf life will increase ( as kept in stores) * Productivity will decrease * Unable to fulfill order on time * Holding of batch can increase the reanalysis cost Production Risks 1. Malfunctioning of MachineryIn CIPLA entire process of manufacturing is automated. So efficient working of the machines is essential in that manufacturing process any malfunctioning of machine can lead to increase the production time and cost. 2. Human error Although in the company most of the production process is automated, there is still chance of human error due to negligence of the employee who operates the machines. This can lead to serious problem not only to the company but to the employee himself some of the common human errors are: * Improver gowning * Negligence in handling of material * Improper documentation * Negligence in following SOPs Negligence in maintain personal hygiene * Negli gence in clearing the apparatuses * Negligence during handling chemicals * Negligence during operating machines The human error can led up to some serious problems such as * can cause damage to the life of others * wastage of material * wastage of time * can damage the machine * can lead to batch failure 3. Quality Risks Quality of the QVIR is an important concern for CIPLA pharmaceutical because it directly deals with the life of the customers moreover the industry is highly regulated so it is extremely necessary to produce products with high quality.The inferior quality of drug can cause * Batch rejection * Market complain * Economic lose * Lose of company reputation * As the industry is highly regulated by government law inferior quality can lead to close done of organization Storage Risks Improper storage of the drug special QVIR can lead to serious problems not only to the manufacturer but also to there customers. Some of the common storage risks are * Drug contamination * Drug deterioration * Batch rejection * Market complain * Reduce the self life of drug etc Demand Side Risks 1. Forecasting ErrorsForecasting errors can lead to serious problems related to the long lead times, over production, demand analysis, short life cycle, and order placement in the value chain which lead to bullwhip effect. Forecast error can affect the whole supply chain from the beginning till the end affecting the entire resources in inventory, facilities, transportation, sourcing, pricing and information management so there should be a proper forecast analysis. 2. Transportation Risk The main risk factors involved after the batch is moved out of factor is the transportation risk. The major problem during the transportation process is Tracking the shipment * Delay of the shipment * Product contamination * Stock clearness 3. Information Sharing Risks Information sharing is the foundation on which supply chain processes work. Without information sharing manager cannot indentify th e demand related to the product and the amount to be produced. Information systems will help the manager to know how the inventory is flowing in the supply chain and how the stocks are maintained. Moreover in the production process the flow of information help to minimize the risk and maintain the quality of the product. Risk AnalysisRoot Cause Analysis The root cause analysis can help CIPLA mangers to identify and correct the root causes which may lead to the identified risks Below Fish Bone diagram is used to perform the root cause analysis for Cipla – After conducting the root cause, we were able to establish certain glaring problems in the supply & demand of QVIR such as supplier selection, non-availability of resources, machinery problems, improper management SCM Specific Brainstorming A periodic ‘All Hands’ session has to be conducted with the entire supply chain team of QVIR at Cipla.These sessions could be either fortnightly or monthly basis. During these sessions, members of the team are encouraged to ask several sets of questions related to improvement and transformation of a SMARTER Supply Chain. Some possible questions include: * Do you have real time visibility into the cost & performance of your supply chain both inside and across organizational boundaries? * Are you able to collaborate with your upstream and downstream trading partners on changing supply and demand conditions? Have you exploited rapid ROI opportunities relating to inventory optimization, demand forecasting, network design, and procurement spend? * What are your inventory levels vs. peers, your cash-to cycle time vs. peers? * Is your business able to quickly and directly make changes to supply chain processes and policies based on identified savings opportunities? * Have you balanced your cost reduction initiatives against customer requirements and supply chain risk including those related to sustainability issues? * Would cost reduction quick wins allow inves ting in future necessary SC capabilities?By predicting the risk components while brainstorming and doing the root cause analysis, there are also other risks during production which is more human error and packaging error. As part of the analysis for this assignment, we’ve also assessed the risks during production and how that risk can be controlled Risk Mitigation Supplier Risk Mitigation To overcome all the relative problems with the supplier Cilpa management needs to:- 1. Planning 2. Supplier selection 3. Supplier evaluation 4. Performance measurement 5. Feedback and communication Production Risk MitigationMalfunctioning of the machinery Malfunctioning of machinery in the production process can be overcome by- * Regularly checking and maintaining the working of the machines. The machines should be checked after each batch production. * Special engineers should be hired for the maintenance job with deep knowledge * The checking and maintenance process should be added into th e standard operating process and proper validation process should be conducted for the clearing process for each machine. * There should be a proper training process for the employees who are operating the machines.This will not only prevent the risk in the production process but also help in maintaining the quality of the product. Human error risk The human error can be minimized by providing proper – * training to the employee * maintaining proper standard operating procedures * automating the process where possible * providing proper documentation Packaging Risk Mitigation To minimize the risk in the packing and packaging process Cipla has to move out from the traditional model to more technological side. * Photo scanning system * Ratio frequency identification system and ePedigrees technologyPhoto scanning system is a modern way of minimizing risk in the packaging line by using photo scanning system. Cipla can eliminate the risk on cross labeling, miss printing and over p rinting of the labels this will minimize the risk of batch rejection by the customer in different country Advantage of using Photo Scanner System 1. Minimize the risk cross labeling 2. Minimize the risk of miss print related with date of expire, date of manufacturing and dose to be taken 3. Minimize the waste 4. Safe time 5. Increases the efficacy of the production line.Radio Frequency identification system (RFID) and ePedigees technology is a modern way of thinking in supply chain of Pharmaceutical industry. RFID is a better solution to minimize the risk associated with packaging and delivering, inventory management forecasting, monitoring and collecting data. In this process the RFID tag is attached to the product and than it can be tracked any where in the entire supply chain. The tag transfer electronic information through radio frequency electromagnetic ways that can be read from several meters away.Unlike the traditional bar code system there is no need of aligning the product in front of the reader. There is no chance of data error with this system In this system the electronic documents know as ePedigree are generated. These E pedigee have all the historical information regarding the product movement in the supply chain which makes it easy to monitor the product and remove optical in the supply chain. Advantages of using RFID * Improve Forecasting and Planning * Reduce Out-Of-Stock Conditions * eliminate excess and missing inventory as well as reduce losses and write * Improves Decision-Making Improve Customer Experience. * Reduce Theft * Increase Efficiency of production process * Improves Asset Utilization and Visibility Quality and storage risk mitigation Quality management play most crucial role in the pharmaceutical industry so a systemic monitoring and evaluation of quality in the production process is necessary to reduce the risk associated with the quality of the product This can only be achieved by following strict quality protocols at each st age. The Quality assurance team and the Quality control term should monitor – * The quality of the raw material purchase Storage condition of the raw material and the finished product * The standard operating procedure of the production process * Proper cleaning of the machines as per validation * Quality of the packaging material * SOP for labeling and packaging * Proper storage of the finished good with correct labeling At each step of quality management data should be collected and reports should be generated to identify where the problem is occurring in the supply chain and how to mitigate those problems simultaneously. Demand Side Risk Mitigation Transportation risk mitigation To minimize the risk related to the transportation there should be a proper selection of the transporter as per GMP requirement * There should be a proper procedure to select the logistic supplier * Proper communication * Regular inspection Information flow risk Technology plays an important role t o minimize the risk factor in the information flow. Use of certain ERP tools such as SAP and ORACLE can help CIPLA minimize the risk. Moreover using RFID the electronic documents – epidgees make the flow of information quite easier and quicker.Recommendation The supply chain of the future for Cipla would be Smarter. It would be Instrumented, Interconnected & Intelligent. Flexibility will be the watchword for cost containment, Visibility will become vital, Risk would be managed systematically, and customer input would permeate the supply chain. The smart map of this new supply chain for Cipla would help in the following: * Integrated real-time transactions (ERP) with business intelligence * Multi-partner collaboration platform * Dynamic supply & demand balancing Predictive sense-and-respond event detection & resolution * Probability-based risk management * Supply chain risk analysis & mitigation models * Risk-adjusted inventory optimization * Environmental strategies & policie s with sustainability models for usage impact analysis: Carbon. Energy, Water, Waste * Customer-segmented product lifecycle management * Real-time consumption & replenishment programs * Optimized pipeline inventory * Variable cost structures that fluctuate with market demand * Outsourcing non-differentiating functions Global â€Å"centers of excellence† to optimize capability and delivery * Asset management strategy & global execution Conclusion By employing the risk mitigating factors for this supply chain and leveraging on the data collected, deep supply chain management expertise, methods and analytical tools Cipla can quickly assess current inventory situations for inventory optimization realizing 30-50% inventory reduction, significantly improve demand forecasting accuracy 10-30% and provide direction to reduce spend 5-20%.With the futuristic instrumented, interconnected and intelligent smarter supply chain, smart devices, sensors and actuators can capture real-time data including: shelf-level replenishment, forecasts and orders, pipeline inventory and shipment lifecycle status. Advanced instrumentation will â€Å"sense-and-respond† demand and supply signal notification with thresholds to determine corrective actions from disturbances and there would be more â€Å"self-correcting†, â€Å"self-actuating† transactions.With the new smarter supply chain model and future integration of sustainability principles our desire with this assignment is to have the supply chain emerge as a major business tool that can help control costs, manage risks and make profit in a fully responsible manner. Much of the opportunity to address related energy, water and waste management costs rests on the supply chain.

Integration Of Nursing Informatics Skills And Competencies Coursework

Integration Of Nursing Informatics Skills And Competencies Coursework Integration Of Nursing Informatics Skills And Competencies – Coursework Example Integration of nursing informatics skills and competencies due: Mastrian & McGonigle (2015) define nursing informatics as the mixture of nursing science, computer science, and information science and computer science and in some cases cognitive science. They also outline the components of a model of the building blocks of nursing informatics as follows: Knowledge acquisition, knowledge dissemination, knowledge generation and knowledge processing. These are the basic activities that are undertaken by a nurse on a daily basis either consciously or subconsciously (Mastrian & McGonigle, 2015). My practice is an information based profession. On a normal day, I monitor the condition and vital signs of my patients, perform procedures such as the operation of a haemodialysis machine and assess the effectiveness of the procedures, explain procedures to my patients, evaluate the effectiveness of the procedures and clean up the patients’ immediate environment. All these activities confor m to the four building blocks of nursing informatics as presented by Mastrian and McGonigle (2015). The Nursing informatics tools I use on a daily basis include knowledge acquisition, knowledge dissemination, knowledge generation and knowledge processing (American Association of Colleges of Nursing QSEN Consortium, 2012).1. Knowledge acquisition: My immediate sources of information as I attend to patients include the diagnosis procedures that I undertake by monitoring the vital signs of the patient for example blood pressure, body temperature, rate of heartbeat and the amount of oxygen in the blood. Moreover, I have knowledge from the formal education acquired in school and the internet, as well as the available hospital records and database concerning the patient in question and any other previous cases. Thus, I am able to tap into any of this information sources either consciously or subconsciously.2. Knowledge dissemination: This happens when i share out the information I have ac quired in the knowledge acquisition process with fellow nurses and other medical practitioners either in a formal setting for example forums or an informal setting such as social media. In the process, I am able to receive feedback which helps confirm the accuracy of the acquired information and any corrections and further research I need to make concerning the acquired information.3. Knowledge generation: This process mainly entails research. In the process of knowledge acquisition and dissemination, I often come across a phenomenon that requires further research. In undertaking the research, I may come across knowledge that is useful in the profession and shares it out with the other medical practitioners in both formal and informal settings.4. Knowledge processing: This process may occur subconsciously in my mind during the knowledge acquisition process, the knowledge dissemination process and the knowledge generation process. During this process, I reason out and make conclusion s based on the information at hand and previous experiences. This process could be undertaken consciously whereby the information acquired over time and stored in the database is analysed, and useful information is acquired that will ascertain better decision-making in the future practices. This process leads to the development of philosophies that guide future practitioners. All in all, the various aspects of nursing informatics happen concurrently and involve the use of nursing science, computer science and to acquire, communicate, manage and process information. This has helped improve the way teaching of nursing sciences is undertaken and better decision making for nurses when providing healthcare service due to the availability of viable information (Johnson et al., 2012). ReferencesAmerican Association of Colleges of Nursing QSEN Consortium (September 24, 2012).Graduate - Level QSEN Competencies Knowledge, Skills and Attitudes. nche.edu. Retrieved, 2014, October 28 from aacn .nche.edu/faculty/qsen/competencies.Johnson, J. E., Veneziano, T., Malast, T., Mastro, K., Moran, A., Mulligan, L., & Smith, A.L. (2012). Nursings future: Whats the message? Nursing Management, 43(7), 36–41. doi:10.1097/01.NUMA.0000415493.20578.f2 McGonigle, D. & Mastrian, K. (2015). Nursing informatics and the foundation of knowledge(3rd ed.). Burlington, MA: Jones and Bartlett.