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Workplace Health Safety

Workplace Health Safety Introduction The purpose of this paper is to examine the ethical dilemmas of business in the area of workplace health and safety. In order to do so, this report concentrates on workplace environment of the United Arab Emirates, and compares the position of the workplace health and safety issues of this region with European countries, Asian countries like China, India, and Malaysia, and other GCC countries.Advertising We will write a custom term paper sample on Workplace Health Safety specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More In addition, this paper focuses on the theoretical framework of the ethical dilemmas of the employers about workplace environment, and the activities of Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA). Literature review on ethical dilemmas in the area of workplace health safety Workplace ethics and dilemmas Strasheim (2010) has defined workplace ethics as a corporate agenda that has required to representing constitu tional values such as human dignity. Alternatively, workplace ethics is a framework or road map for ensuring both employee and product/service efficiency. In the area of HRM,[1] ethics has reflected through the scope of equal opportunity, code of conduct, health and hygiene, both direct and fringe benefits, performance appraisal and so on. In simpler form, workplace ethics has referred appropriate compliance practice by HR department of an organization. From the viewpoint of professionalism, ethics within the workplace has assign to execute organizational behavior derived from social norms and values, awareness of moral duties, responsibilities, and sense to diversify right or wrong where trade-off between ER[2] and IR has supervised by the labor union of an organization. Any violence of ethical issues would generate ethical dilemmas during daily work life. Following are the major and common five types of workplace dilemmas that is consistent with this paper to analyze the workplace health and safety issues are as -Human resource management attributes (2) Employee health and safety concern (3) Conflicts of interest (4) Consumer’s loyalty and (5) Utilization of the corporate or business resources (Gan, 2010). Ethical dilemmas in workplace Andrews (2007) identified the ethical business dilemmas those the employees possibly will encounter at job is as and the employer have no interest to comply that the employee has the rights to avoid any pressure that forcefully adopted on him and in case of such pressure the employee would be tempted to violate conscience. Snapshot of ethical dilemmas in workplace has accounted where other than health and safety issues supplementary influences have taken place belonging towards unofficial aspects has significantly enlarged costs of the organization and in this case, most of the time more than one staff has involved magnifying company has cost burden.Advertising Looking for term paper on business economics? Let' s see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More False statement is another violence of company law as well as workplace ethics though which an organization can lose their valued consumers and hence current market position connecting the creation of fake company images has fabricated intra-official conflicts as well as long-term market loss. Therefore, employees have to be taken in mind that technically true impression of an organization could be treated as fake advertisement. The Influence to buy as well as involved into a conflict of common specified interest have greatly influenced consumers’ choice and hence company’s market image. Consequently, official ethics dilemmas have spread out like a disease during entire atmosphere of an organization. Divulging information about new product or service has raised question about the hygiene and safety of that product. From viewpoint of workplace dilemma, hiding information about harmful ness of a product has directly violent ethical act. The practice of taking unfair advantages would hamper health and safety regulations of government as well as consumers have misguided to take harmful products and arrange events outside the organization have significantly enlarged company’s social networks, but at the same time, it has a threat to increase individual decadence/corruption tendency as well as drug and alcohol incidents. Several ethical issues[3] have destroyed company reputation as well as both individual and group perpetuation while the MNCs[4] in the international market have frequently involved in ethical misconducts[5], which is another major reason to abuse company image and OHS Act 1970. To support condone immoral tasks during teamwork of an organization would create a wrong outcome during turmoil situation that balance the ethical issues and such business operation will generate ethical dilemmas. OSHA[6] profile: Entire workforce of an organization has right to get healthy working atmosphere where supervisors of the organization have to be committed on safety rationale. In order to fulfill safe working attributes OSHA has created and has a vision to ensure workplace health and safety[7]. According to OSHA, it has prohibited to force any employee to do unethical or illegitimate job. Additionally, it has also prohibited carrying out an employee in an unhealthy, unsafe, and unhygienic working place. To prevent these working dilemmas OSHA has appointed around 2100 inspectors[8] to provide necessary proactive support for both of the employer and employee. As described by OSHA, in the USA they have more than 200 support center for the business area of mining, construction sites, transportation, public organization’s employees, small and medium business organization. SST[9], LEPs[10], NEPs[11] and EEP[12] are the major device of the OSHA where diverse professionals[13] from both public and private have consult to resolve workplace dilemmas. Organizations those have frequently contravene OSH Act has lawfully treated by the EEP device. (Gan 2010)Advertising We will write a custom term paper sample on Workplace Health Safety specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More For more clarification, fundamental issues of workplace ethics has listed in following table and antagonism of these aspects has cause of daily workplace dilemmas as well as unhealthy and unsafe working atmosphere (Baeyer, 1999). Table 2: Fundamental issues of workplace ethics Source: Baeyer (1999) OHSA[14] Act 1970 OSHA Act 1970 had introduced and administered by the United States Labor Department with the aim of assuring safe and healthy working atmosphere for the entire HR of an organization. Every employer who has occupied through trade as well as also involved in agriculture OSHA Acts can be applied. However, following are three major areas where OSHA has not been applicable and for illumination, major HR health and safety policies have included in the subsequent part. The area where the legislation may not be applied are as- self-employed or freelancers, firms constructed by the employer’s family members and workplaces protected and controlled by the Federal agencies as well as consistent with Federal constitutions, but in absent in absent of appropriate health and safety concern OSHA principles might be applied in this case (Erven Barrett, 1987). HR policies in the area of workplace health safety Role of HR policies have a significant influence on reducing workplace ethical dilemmas. Following are the most suitable facts to be behaving ethically and keep apart from erroneous functions while the salary and wages structure have to be in proportion to the duties and responsibilities of an employee.Advertising Looking for term paper on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Disciplinary offence should be enquired fairly; consequently, penalty would be fair for an employee while the employees leave for illness or disability have to enquire fairly to proper compensate the labor and his family. In case of labor dispute, an HR representative should not be call as a key witness in Court and recruitment policies have to be enquiring confidential health issues[15] of an employee for fair recruitment. Meanwhile the company has committed to appoint a medical practitioner for regular examination of intoxication during working atmosphere where an organization has to supply of pure water at proper atmosphere, sufficient number of toilets[16] and hand washing equipment during working hours. Subsequently apart from workplace intoxication HR manager should have a doctor 24/7 working hour for injured labor as well as other fitness difficulties, all of the HR tasks have to be consistent with sound commercial and labor Act and annual performance appraisal has to be exec uted (Strasheim 2010). Workplace health and safety in the United Arab Emirates Over the Middle East, UAE is one of the most developed countries and their one of chief occupational source is construction business. Considering this point, in practice construction labors of the UAE have suffered a great threat of site accidents. This part of the paper has focused on current scenario of UAE workplace health safety highlighting construction sites. Most of the UAE construction firms have tried hard and sole to undertake adequate initiatives to save their valuable life, reduce and control of accidental costs moreover, have tried to reduce time between accident and restart of the project and OSHA fines. This part has analyzed a comprehensive safety program during construction. However, the alarming news is that in most of the construction accident cases companies have ignored to keep accident records. UAE has developed their Federal Labor Law during 1980 and make efficient in practice this Law has needed several amendments. The Labor Law No.8 has clear vision during workplace health and safety; here also have regulation for the worker, code of conduct and regulation after injure, wages and salary, treatment for the women employees, leave, penalties, layoff, separation, working hours, meals, overtime framework, and relevant accessories have described. About accident during construction has analyzed (including both proactive and reactive issues) in the Section-5 of the Labor Law. More specifically, these sections have declared that employer of a construction industry has to ensure following attributes (Al-Kabbi, 2001) The employers have strictly prohibited recruiting sick labors and should concern on to protect their labors from injury as well as occupational diseases where the supply of pure drinking water and toilet utilizes in the construction site and must contain 24/7 hours fire protection equipment as well as proper ventilation[17] and lighting accessories There should have an appointed medical practitioner on fixed term basis to check up labors every six months to confirm whether they have suffered from occupational diseases where in the job alcohol drinking is strictly prohibited. This rule has ordered employees to maintain proper safety precautions before start working and a clear account of employee disability or on job death where regular inspection of duties stand on responsibilities as well as training attributes. Workplace Environment Safety Yes No Safe electrical connection 84.70% 15.30% Warning signs next to machinery 39.80% 60.2% Special attention to electrical connection 81.60% 18.40% Regular examination on cranes and other equipment 61.70% 28.30% Covering hazards with protective covers 78.30% 21.70% Workplace Environment Safety Yes No Appropriate clothes 60.40% 39.60% First aid kit provision 75.90% 24.10% Sufficient number of fire extinguisher 70.60% 27.40% Trained employees on using fire extinguishe r 62.90% 37.10% Provide and maintain PPE 57.30% 42.70% Table 1: Workplace safety and proactive equipment Source: Self generated Al-Kabbi (2001, p.52-53) Ethical issues Other than construction sector UAE has also involved in oil and petroleum supply. In doing so oil companies of UAE have required to concern on both working atmosphere and environmental aspects like air, water, and sound. Considering geographical view UAE is a creation of seven emirates from this view workplace ethical issues in UAE has required to include common community issues[18], physical[19] and environmental dynamics[20], educational capacity[21], legislation framework[22], international trade-offs[23], gap between needs and demand[24], environmental threats[25] (WHO, 2007). Ethical dilemmas in UAE HRW[26] has published a comprising report between UAE and other countries where ethical issues as well as current human rights scenario[27] of UAE have analyzed. In the area of labor issues/workplace atmosphere, recent global economic turmoil has significantly influenced UAE and here radically unpaid vacation have increased for which UAE government has harshly criticized by domestic organizations. During May 2009, HRW in UAE has focused following issues (Buttle, 2010). Firstly, UAE regulations of visa sponsorship have constrained labour movements Secondly, there have no legal provision of collective bargaining and that limitation has impeded the labor right to strike during injustice Thirdly, in case of worker/employee recruitment, there have no legal boundaries for the recruitment agencies and hence they have unlawfully charged fees from the employees and enjoyed criminally advantages fully in absent of law. Finally, another criticizing factor of the government is that they have scope to take legal application to punish labors to strike against employers. Whilst this report has published, Government of the UAE has faced extreme disappointment as well as criticism. However, consequence of t his UAE government has not yet either urged apology or taken adequate legal initiatives to prevent these dilemmas. Moreover, the UAE Ministry of Foreign Affairs has denoted this report as unbalanced and factually untrue. Additionally, this report has claimed that violation human right in UAE was not occurred through 2009, but it has happening for the last several years. In response to the report, UAE government has claimed that HRW have denied to endorsing minor and disable people inconsistent with the UN protocol where three new Federal HRW institutes[28] have proposed to launch in Dubai in order to make shelter for helpless women as well as children. Inn accordance with the UAE Federal provision, HRW has argued that this initiative has diffidently noble, but there have no clear direction about employee wages and salary scheme. There abundant scope for the migrant labor/employees in UAE and recent report by the HRW has significantly weakened UAE’s labour market globally thou gh high profile Federal initiatives. Finally, HRW has kept question on the transparency and accountability of UAE government. Considering all of these facts, overall response of UAE government was quite upsetting since they have left a careless speech as nothing could be absolute perfect and that might be a county’s workplace ethical issues profile†¦! Comparison of ethical dilemmas in workplace between UAE GCC Countries After learning about the current workplace ethical circumstances in UAE this part has presented a comparative, scrutinize on GCC[29]. Before a brief account of ethical issues about workplace health and safety, it is necessary to introduce GCC background. During 1981, in Saudi Arabia GCC was formed together with six members[30] to strengthen economical resources[31] of the Arabian countries in Middle East. GCC workplace health and safety scenario Common attributes of the GCC have sequentially pointed below- Firstly, all of the GCC members have adequate wo rkplace rules, regulation, and legislation in accordance with OSHA Act 1970. Among these, a number of Laws have illustrated briefly as well as have clear direction during practice and few have not. However, the similarity of the legislation procedure among GCC members is that there has sufficient scope to amendment to reach a merged form. Secondly, during trial of any immoral fact, amendment/review of the available legislation of OHS has required greater compliance. Moreover, it has enough tough for the legislation authority to proper solution and reach in the right conclusion. This circumstance has mostly faced in Kuwait among other GCC countries; Thirdly, during obligatory application of the current labor Act, it has still confused that to what extent the labor market of the GCC members would be benefited for any injury as well as injustice. Additionally, there has not also clear direction on labor injury, leave, and health benefits scheme. Finally, Common limitations of the GCC m embers have a tendency hamper to facilitate OHS benefits to the injured labors at root to upper level of an origination Consequence of the above scenario in GCC members, they have major legislation obstacles inconsistent with OHS, such as, GCC members have insufficient resources to enable legislation affairs towards the common labors, surprisingly scarcity of moral standards/principles, scarcity of expertise lawyers to handle labor injury cases, and poor coordination between injurer and employers. Labors have not yet enough concern on their individual rights at all types of organization, poor government initiatives to develop workforce, uneducated person, lack of coordination along with absent of accountability on OSH, restriction on reporting on job injury, occupational diseases as well as morality standards, imperfect policies are the main problems in this region. GCC OHS committee and evaluation forces At the first week of April 2008, GCC members have arranged a meeting in Kuwait to construct proper solution to resolve occupational accident and better workplace aids. Consequence of this meeting following are the two OHS evaluation factors. Firstly, members of the GCC individually should have a specific legislation solution during occupational accidents as well as labor health and safety. Secondly, regular inspection and performance evaluation has also been actively executed to be continued workplace ethical attributes, health, and safety. Additionally, should have scope of regular amendment. Figure 1: Proposed GCC occupational health services Source: Al-Shatti (2008, p.33) Compare the position between UAE Western Countries Workplace atmosphere in Western countries Study of the comparative workplace atmosphere between UAE and western countries[32] have evaluated several significant fundamental diverse attributes[33] in the area of workplace health and safety. Western countries have primarily focused on competitive employment. Under this comparison, western countries have a clear illustrated outline on workers mental health and it has obligatory to define various attributes of workplace mental health issues. However, there have significant differences among five countries labor market structure as well as labor market needs and demand during occupation. For example, due to global economic downturn both the UK and the USA has suffered from high unemployment ratio though over the Europe unemployment is a crucial dilemma. On the other hand, during occupation labor union structure has also primary difference among these five countries. Common factor of the five western countries have focused that over the past decade workplace mental diseases/stress has severely increased because of open global economy, tight competitive market, threat of recession and increasing living costs. Other than Germany and Finland, rest of three countries workplace health problem have recently reached at alarming stage and it has around 20%. In addition, 50%-emp loyed people of Finland have now suffered occupational diseases[34]. To overcome such dilemma, Poland and Germany have begun to study on identifying workplace dilemmas as well as reduce unemployment ratios. Currently, the UK and the USA have also under processed to examine workplace health and safety dilemmas. In this inspection, it has appraised that 40% US employees have suffered from workplace health and safety dilemmas. Finally, common scenario of these five countries have focused that most of their occupational diseases have generated by extreme workload and stress (Gabriel and Liimatainen, 2000). The Health Safety Act 2008 (UK) The new Act of workplace health and safety has an amendment form of HSWA Act 1974[35], where provisions of penalty and trial modes have revised for the primary stage of HSW and applicable only in the UK[36]. This Act has also included common people who have under threat of workplace accidents. Establishment of this Act has enlarged the scopes to resolve and reduce occupational health, safety, and diseases. Application of the Act 2008 during construction accident should require following Construction Regulations 2007 including design and management. There have three major impact of the Act 2008 those have illustrated in below (Ashurst London, 2009). According to the Act 2008, privileges of the court has included maximum two years prison for most common OHS accidents, but before amendment custodial sentence was applicable only for the serious occupational accidents. Current amendment of the HSW Act has enlarged authoritative power of the Crown as well as Magistrates Courts through compel higher fine along with custodial sentences at the end of trial for serious occupational accidents as well as most common occupational accidents. Whilst employers deny/disobey HSWA legislation, the Magistrates Courts has the authoritative power to impose maximum fine  £(5,000-20,000); As stead by the HSWA 2008 (Section-33), occurrence of diverse fo rm of offences over the UK has obligatory, to face current amended trials, and at the end activist of the offence should punish through maximum penalties in the course of either custodial sentences or fines or both. Compare the workplace environment between the UAE Asian Countries Business Ethics- Perspective of China A significant percentage of labor force of China involved with mining and minerals industry as the prime mineral resources of China is coal and iron ore, which are adequate for meeting the demand of industrial mineral. Other than these, China is the world’s fifth largest gold producer, and it has abundant resources of energy and 934.2 million tons of oil had produced by China. Considering food crisis and large population, Chinese government concentrates more on agricultural production and 46.9% of total national workforce involve in agriculture, (include forestry and fishing). However, the ethical dilemmas for business in the area of workplace health and safet y is one of the most important factors for the employees of the Chinese coal mining industry as the employers of this sector always violate the administrative rules and regulations. In addition, the employers infringe the rule of safety, but the labor has to suffer injury for their activities, the burden of proof injury is on the worker, as a result, employers become more irresponsible though they owe duty health and safety of labor and ordinary staff bare unlimited hazard to get compensation while they injured or any accident occurred. This dilemma also exist in other industrial sector in China, as a result, protection at the workplace turn into an important concern to the citizens of China, as the researchers identified that each week an average of two employees die in industrial accidents and unfortunately over 200 labors lose a limb in southern China. In 2004, there were more than 16, 497 fatalities at the workplace among them 24.8% employees worked in coal-industry, which indic ates that China has experienced huge financial growth by depending on the low cost labor force, but China failed to provide adequate protection of the employees though the workplace safety issues get importance only on theoretical perspective. Employees of Malaysian Industry The position of the workers of Malaysian Industry is much better, as OSH[37] reported that the rights of employees has protected by the Occupational Safety and Health Act 1994, which was passed due to development of public consciousness or awareness about workplace safety issues. However, OHS has collected data from 304 companies of different sectors and pointed out that Malaysian labors still suffer some familiar workplace health troubles like silicosis and pesticide poisoning, job linked upper limb disorders because of assembly line labor, unexpected deaths among immigrant employees, and some other mental strain. According to the report of Rahim, Abdullah, and Mahat (2010), OSH identified that more than 94.5% of the companies disclosed workplace safety information, 42% companies have control on industrial accidents, and 15.6% companies do not adopt safety standards. The Ethical Dilemmas in Workplace- Perspective of India It is interesting that India has been incorporated occupational safety and health laws for fifty years, but the government has failed to implement the objective of this law due to lack of officials and number of other barriers, for instance, there are only 1400 safety officials, about 1154 factory inspectors, and only 27 medical inspectors to cover entire India. Pandita (2010, p.1) reported that there are more than twenty six million workers who work in the industrial sector with completely no safeguards, as a result, they suffered lungs problem for silica dust, poverty epitomizes, and so on. He further addressed that the affected or injured workers know they can die any time, but they have no alternative option of livelihood though the constitution of India protected th e employees who involved in hazardous occupations by safety rules. From the above discussion, it can be said that the employees of UAE get more facilities than Indian employees get, as India has regulation, but have no practical implementation that particular law, so accidents become a regular consequence as the employers have no accountability and employees have no security in workplace. Recommendation Ethics in business is required as there is abundance of evidences of unethical corporate practices in the area of workplace health safety all over the world including the UAE; therefore, this paper would recommend some suggestions to solve these dilemmas, such as, the government should pass effective health and safety legislation especially for mining, metals, and energy sectors. However, the employers of the UAE should implement these laws in the workplace to ensure health and safely of employees, and more research on this sector would help the government to find out proper solutio n for resolving ethical dilemmas. Conclusion During this concluding phase, overall analysis of the paper has evaluated that globally, ethical dilemmas and workplace health and safety has now a considerable issue. In case of UAE, they have adequate Labor Laws, but lack of awareness due to poor educational attributes labor market of UAE have not yet enjoy proper benefits of their workplace legislation. On the other side, the western countries have under course of regular amendment of their labor and workplace legislation. However, their workplace dilemmas have mostly generated from competitive atmosphere along with severe workload and stress. Scenario of the GCC has almost similar to the UAE and have several common obstacles and complexity. At this concluding part, it has to be included that MNCs have consciously violated workplace ethics in third world countries to design high profit margin. Continuous development and proper inspection of workplace legislation would have improved cur rent dilemmas in UAE as well as GCC members. Reference List Al-Kabbi, N. S. (2001). Improving Safety Performance in Construction Site Operations in the United Arab Emirates. Retrieved from http://etd.ohiolink.edu/send-pdf.cgi/AlKaabi%20Noura.pdf?osu1170790080 Al-Shatti, A. K. (2008). GCC Healthy Workplace initiatives. Retrieved from http://gis.emro.who.int/HealthSystemObservatory/Workshops/QatarConference/PPt%20converted%20to%20PDF/Day%203/PHC%20Emerging%20Priorities/Dr%20Ahmed%20Al%20Shatti%20-%20Healthy%20workplace%20intiatives.pdf Ashurst London (2009). Workplace health and safety: new law gets tough on offenders. Retrieved from ashurst.com/doc.aspx?id_Content=4157 Baeyer, C. V. (1999). What’s Workplace Ethics? Retrieved from workplaceethics.ca/work.html Andrews, W. A. (2007). Identifying, Resolving, And Managing Common Ethical Dilemmas In The Workplace: An Experiential Approach. Retrieved from http://sbaweb.wayne.edu/~absel/bkl/vol27/27ao.pdf Buttle, M. (2010). Human Righ ts Watch targets Human Rights in the UAE. Retrieved from impacttlimited.com/2010/02/01/human-rights-watch-targets-human-rights-in-the-uae/ Erven, B. L. Barrett, E. E. (1987). The Occupational Safety and Health Act Of 1970. Retrieved from http://aede.osu.edu/resources/docs/pdf/9828c8e3-735e-469e-b2d53911364864b6.pdf Gabriel, P. Liimatainen M. R. (2000). Mental health in the workplace. International Labour Organization. Retrieved from ilo.org/wcmsp5/groups/public/dgreports/dcomm/documents/publication/dwcms_080618.pdf Gan, J. (2010). Ethical Dilemma 2 Employee Safety Issues. Retrieved from succezz.com/Articles/business-ethics-dilemma2.html Pandita, S. (2010) Status of occupational safety and health in India. Retrieved from http://infochangeindia.org/Agenda/Occupational-safety-and-health/Status-of-occupational-safety-and-health-in-India.html Rahim, A. Abdullah, Z. Mahat, Z. (2010) A Study of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) on Occupational Safety and Health in Malaysia. Retrieve d from scribd.com/doc/22109381/A-Study-of-Corporate-Social-Reporting-CSR-on-Occupational-Safety-and-Health-in-Malaysia Strasheim, P. (2010). HR, ethics, compliance risks fair labor practices: ethical dilemmas, an ethical safety algorithm and recommendations for a way forward. Retrieved from workinfo.com/free/downloads/169.htm WHO (2007). National Strategy for Environment and Health United Arab Emirates (UAE). Retrieved from sph.unc.edu/images/stories/units/uae/documents/uae_rfp.pdf Footnotes Human Resource Management Employee Relations Sexual harassment, verbal lashing or public humiliation Multi-National Companies Anti-social culture acts, child labor appointment, demeaning work environments or excessive working hours Occupational Safety and Health Administration Setting and enforcing standards; providing training, outreach, and education; establishing partnerships; and encouraging continual improvement complaint discrimination investigators, engineers, physicians, educators, sta ndards writers, and other technical and personnel support Site Specific Targeting Local Emphasis Programs National Emphasis Programs Enhanced Enforcement Program Occupational safety and health professionals, the academic community, lawyers, journalists, and personnel of other government entities Occupational Health and Safety Administration HIV/AIDS Separate for male and female Free from harmful air and gases Age, sex, occupation, educational status, socioeconomic status, cultural characteristics, living standards, lifestyle, services available, number of cars owned Type and number of industries, location of industries, road network, physical terrain, plantations Awareness level in the government agencies/departments, public, NGOs, media, schools Universities, research centers, agencies, departments, ministries, organizations, clubs Laws, standards, rules and regulations, policies treaties and protocols Human resources, technical capabilities and capacities, environmental burden of disease estimates, environmental risk assessment and management Risks related to air pollution (indoors and ambient); water resources, and quality; wastes (solid, hazardous, healthcare etc); rodents; radiation hazards; chemicals; recreational and marine water pollution; food quality safety; built environment including housing quality Human Rights Watch Press freedom, human trafficking, the rights of detained persons and torture The Human Rights Department (Ministry of Interior), Dubai Community Development Authority and a permanent taskforce of specialists to tackle human trafficking in Dubai Gulf Cooperation Council/Gulf Countries Council Bahrain, Kuwait, Quatar, Oman, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates Agriculture, industry, investment, security and trade Finland, Germany, Poland, UK, and USA Legislative, political, social and economic Stress related symptoms, such as anxiety, depressive feelings, physical pain, social exclusion and sleep disorders Health and Safety at Wo rk England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland Occupational Safety and Health

In what ways has the fashion blog changed fashion journalism Essay

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Nurses Benefits On Quality Improvement Teams Nursing Essay As part of a randomized control trial to improve the delivery of preventive services, the authors studied the effect on clinic nurses in the roles of team leaders or facilitators of multidisciplinary, continuous quality improvement (CQI) teams. Our goal was to learn how these nurses felt about their experience with this project, specifically their satisfaction with process improvement, acquired knowledge and skills, and the impact on their nursing role. Overall, the nurses involved in this study reported significant gains in all three areas. This study suggests that CQI can be a valuable vehicle for improving and expanding the nursing role for clinic nurses. QUALITY improvement (QI), also referred to as Continuous QI (CQI), Total Quality Management (TQM), and other terms, has undergone an explosive growth in health care over the last 10 years.1,2 This growth has been accompanied by the publication of a steadily increasing number of articles. However, review of these articles would lead one to believe that nearly all of this QI activity has occurred in hospitals and large medical organizations and, until recently, most has involved administrative processes rather than clinical ones.3-6 Very few articles have addressed smaller ambulatory care settings and almost none have described the QI role of clinic nurses or the impact of these activities on nurses. Is involvement on QI teams helpful to nurses and do the changes in care processes produced by these teams improve the ability of nurses to provide better patient care? What is the potential for QI to affect the often-restricted role of nurses in ambulatory care? Our involvement in a large scientific trial of QI as a way to create more systematic delivery of preventive services in private medical clinics has provided us with an opportunity to begin answering these questions. This involvement brought us into frequent contact with all types of clinic personnel, but particularly with the nurses who often served in leadership roles on the clinics QI teams. As we provided training or consulting with these nurses, we noted that many of them seemed to enjoy the opportunity and reported anecdotes about how it had expanded their abilities. We conducted a systematic series of interviews and a survey with the clinic nurses who were involved in the trial as leaders or facilitators of the QI teams established in these clinics for preventive services. This studys goal was to learn how these nurses felt about their experience in three areas: 1. satisfaction with the process and its results for them 2. acquisition of specific knowledge and skills 3. impact on the nursing role Back to Top BACKGROUND The trial was called IMPROVE (IMproving PRevention through Organization, Vision, and Empowerment) and it was funded by the Agency for Health Care Policy and Research as a randomized controlled trial.7,8 Sponsored by two normally competing managed care plans (Blue Plus and HealthPartners), it was designed to test the hypothesis that such plans could improve the delivery of specific adult preventive services in contracted clinics by using CQI methods to develop prevention systems. Forty-four individual primary care medical clinics in the Twin Cities region of Minnesota were recruited for the trial from 33 of the 71 medical groups eligible to participate by reason of a contract with one or both plans and location within 50 miles. No financial incentives were provided to the clinics to participate other than reimbursement for the research evaluation efforts (eg, pulling charts for audits, providing patient appointment lists for sampling, etc.). The clinics ranged in size from 2 to 15 primary care clinicians (except for one residency-training clinic with 28), with an average of 8. At the time of recruitment, only an average of 19 percent of their patients were members of the two sponsoring plans. Thus, they were fairly typical of this regions clinics except perhaps in having a particularly strong interest in working on improvement of their preventive services and in learning how to use CQI. At the start of the trial in September 1994 each of the 22 clinics randomized to the intervention arm was asked to form a multidisciplinary QI team with a management sponsor and a leader and facilitator for the team. We suggested that they name a physician as leader and a nurse as facilitator but in this, as in all aspects of the trial, all decisions were up to the clinic. The IMPROVE team provided just-in-time group training to the leaders and facilitators in six sessions over seven months for a total of 26 hours. The training was focused on the specific knowledge and skills needed to use a seven-step CQI process to improve preventive services. During and after the training, IMPROVE project nurses provided periodic telephone and on-site consultation. After an 11-month training period, additional periodic opportunities were provided to network with other clinic leaders and facilitators and to obtain additional group consultations about areas of particular concern. Back to Top METHODS In June of 1996 (22 months after starting the intervention), two of the authors obtained written surveys and conducted individual interviews with each of the nurses who had served as leader or facilitator for one of the clinic teams. One nurse practitioner and two nurses who became facilitators after the completion of the training were excluded in order to provide a more homogeneous group and experience. This left 13 nurses to participate in the study, 9 of whom had served as facilitators and 4 as leaders for their teams. All agreed and signed consents, although one nurse could not find time for the interview and only completed the questionnaire. Other nurses participated as members of some teams, but we felt that the views of those with more project training and experience were especially valuable. The questionnaire was designed to assess the respondents attitudes and beliefs in each of the areas of focus for this study as well as to obtain relevant demographic information. It contained 55 close-ended questions that were developed from learning objectives for the training and a literature review of previous research on the nursing role in ambulatory care settings.9-12 Questions about skills and activities asked for a six-point Likert-scale response from none to very much choices and those asking about satisfaction and nursing roles asked for a five-point scale response from strongly agree to strongly disagree. After pretesting and revision, the questionnaire was mailed to the nurses to complete before the interview. The questionnaire is included in the Appendix. The interviews were structured to obtain qualitative data to expand on the questions in the survey. Eleven interviews were conducted in person at the clinical site and one was conducted over the telephone. Each was tape-recorded and transcribed later. Survey responses were simply summarized and reported directly for the small numbers involved. Questions that were stated negatively in order to improve response validity have been reworded for ease of comparing the answers. The interviews were analyzed for themes and for examples to illustrate questionnaire responses. Back to Top RESULTS Most of the nurses studied had already been involved in some degree of management in their clinics prior to the study. Only four were clinic nurses while two each were clinic manager, patient care manager, and nursing coordinator. The other three nurses were vice president of information services, medical services director, and health educator. Eight held positions that involved supervision of others, and an overlapping eight worked in direct patient care at least part time. As might be expected from such a group, 12 had been nurses more than 10 years and 10 had worked at their present clinics for at least 5 years. Educationally, seven nurses were registered nurses (RNs) (2 with bachelors of science in nursing, two with diplomas, and three with associate degrees) and six were licensed practical nurses (LPNs). All were female. Only four nurses reported that they had received previous formal training in CQI, although another four reported informal on-the-job training as part of a process improvement team. However, only the latter four and one additional other reported previous participation in QI. Three of these had been team leaders, one had been a facilitator, and one was a member of a team. Back to Top Satisfaction with the IMPROVE process improvement experience Table 1 suggests that, even after working on this process for 22 months, most nurses reported high levels of satisfaction associated with this experience of process improvement. That is particularly true for questions about obtaining personal value and improving patient care. Positive recognition from their clinics and greater job security are much less strongly supported. Table 1 From the interviews, several comments reinforced the written survey results concerning the opportunity to learn and grow: I was looking for the experience of a CQI project. I had done some reading on Dr. Deming on my own. I knew he was very successful and I didnt know how. This was just very fascinating to me. Learning something new was probably one of the greatest things that attracted me to this. My mind is just constantly going all the time and I really like getting involved in new things. The nurses also reported high scores in task significance. Questions included, The time spent on this process improvement has been worth it, I feel like what I am doing with my team is worthwhile, and I believe that our process improvement activities have resulted in our patients receiving better care. Comments around task significance centered largely on the perceived benefit to their clinics patients. One nurse responded to the question, What are the three most positive benefits of your involvement in process improvement? by answering: Number one is that we actually focused on those eight preventive services and that when you take a look at them they are actually going to improve somebodys life. And thats going to continue here even after were formally finished. Another repeated theme focused on participation-the opportunity provided to interact in a positive way, not only within each clinic site, but with other clinics involved in the project: Youre not in this alone, youre working with a lot of good people, and not just health professionals. We have good people like _____ who is not a health professional. She works in the business part, but I cant imagine doing this without her because they have the skills of getting the word out when youre busy with patients. So we need each other. It has been fun to be involved with other people. This has given me an awareness of not only my own clinic site, but awareness of the broader picture of health care within the Twin Cities. Back to Top Acquisition of specific knowledge and skills Overall, these nurses reported increasing a wide variety of knowledge and skills relevant to process improvement and working with people as a result of this experience. Table 2 summarizes these reported changes between self-perceived skills before and after the 22-month project. The largest improvements involved learning how to make use of data, managing change, and managing meetings. Even the eight respondents with previous training in QI reported gains, even though they had rated their previous overall QI knowledge and skills as average (3 nurses) to above average (5 nurses). Table 2 From the interviews, several themes emerged as to what the nurses perceived as skills gained from participating in process improvement. The most frequently mentioned skill was the ability to apply a model for problem solving (the seven-step model): I think really learning how to problem solve was very beneficial because we had tried to solve some situational process problems in our clinic before and it gets to a certain point where everyone complains about something and they decide to do something about it and we would set up some basic rules or policies and three or four months later no one was doing it anymore because it didnt work. There never was a lot of follow through, so I think this really gave us a good role model on how to go about problem solving in the clinic. Another frequently cited skill was the ability to effectively conduct meetings: One of the major things I learned was how to run a meeting. It is so effective and we use it so much in other meetings now. People come out of those meetings and say, This is a great way to do a meeting we get out of here on time and we get something done. Other themes cited were around skills gained in interpersonal relationships, specifically the ability to directly deal with coworkers or others on solving problems: I now am being more direct and am looking at things more from a process point of view rather than a personal point of view. Another nurse reported: Overall, now if someone is not following the standard, I approach them now by going over what the protocol is or what the process is, rather than honing in on the fact that the person may not be a good nurse. Back to Top Impact on the nursing role As illustrated in Table 3, these nurses reported that they believe QI is important for nurses and that nurses have a crucial contribution to make to QI. With a few exceptions, they believe that QI will improve the ability of nurses to control their work and many of them feel that their work on process improvement has helped them to be better nurses. However, when asked about each of nine specific areas of nursing activities (room preparation, technical activities, nursing process, telephone communications, patient advocacy, patient education, care coordination, expert practice, and quality improvement), only in QI did more than 3 of the 13 nurses report that they had experienced a significant change in the frequency with which they performed that type of activity after working on this project. Table 3 During the interviews, the nurses were asked whether they saw a role for process improvement in the nursing profession. The majority of the responses revolved around the value they perceived in being able to approach problems in a systematic way: I dont think nurses training ever gave us the skills to deliberately study something and improve it. Yet we get out and we become head nurses. It has helped the role of the nursing supervisors in dealing with their staff. It has helped them work through problems and problem solve rather than just coming to me for an answer. Many of the nurses reported that their environment was changing and that their role had changed. Because of this changing environment, they reported needing new skills and a new way of thinking: Everything is changing. We need to improve for our patients. I think the scope of nursing has changed and that the nurses need to look at the whole system, you know what goes on with the patient besides just with the hands-on things. I think it (process improvement) is a blend of how you clinically take care of somebody, but I think it kind of helps you to critically look at other things. Youre dealing with so many systems with the patient and how they move through these systems. We were never trained to deal with the system, we were only trained to deal with each patient. In the clinic setting, we need to be aware of what we are doing and why we are doing it. There is a lot of time and wasted effort. Back to Top DISCUSSION Although the sample is small, this study helps to document the generally positive feelings of ambulatory practice nurses involved in leading or facilitating their local clinic QI effort to improve the process of providing preventive services. Both their questionnaire responses and their interview comments and anecdotes suggest that they feel they benefited from their involvement with this project, despite the fact that it required a great deal of time and energy from them. Overall, they report that they were very satisfied with the experience and that it provided them with increased knowledge and skills as well as enhancements for their nursing role. In light of the reported knowledge, skill, and role enhancements, it is not surprising that these nurses would feel satisfied with their experience. Even though most of these nurses were already working at higher-level positions, nursing in ambulatory practice has traditionally been viewed as less prestigious and challenging than hospital nursing, both by nurses and by the public generally. Hackbarths study showed that ambulatory nurses reported more frequent performance of lower-level work dimensions and less frequent performance of dimensions requiring disciplinary knowledge and critical thinking, despite the growing complexity of care in ambulatory settings.12 Capell and Leggats comment that the traditional view of the nurse as one only involved in the accomplishment of tasks prescribed by others is no longer fitting in todays health care environment, does not mean that traditional role is disappearing.13(p39) Thus, anything that promises improvement in the nursing role is likely to find appeal. Counte has shown that in the hospital setting, personal participation in a TQM program was associated with higher job satisfaction.14 McLaughlin and Kaluzny feel that the new set of decision-making skills required by TQM includes not only technical skills like data management and statistical analysis, but also the ability to work well in multidisciplinary teams.15 Despite previous QI training and/or experience, all of the nurses in this project reported gains in skills, and most of these skills were gained in the areas noted above, along with change management. Another aspect of the current health care environment that lends both importance and urgency to acquiring new skills is the extreme degree of turmoil in health care, especially in the Twin Cities. As Magnan has documented for these clinics involved in the IMPROVE trial, enormous change is going on.16 Within a one-year time period during the process improvement efforts described here, 64 percent of the clinics were purchased, merged, or underwent a major shift in affiliations; 77 percent of the clinics changed at least one major internal system; and 45 percent of the clinics changed their medical director and/or their clinic manager. This turmoil may explain why so few respondents reported that the experience provided them with more job security in their current clinic (question 12 in Table 1), even though it gave them more job opportunities for the future (question 9). Clearly QI is very important to health care improvement and reform. Phoon et al.17 believe that the success of health care delivery depends on the successful integration and coexistence of QI and managed care. Moreover, they believe that nurses play a key role in this integration, although they tend to emphasize primarily nurse managers and practitioners. Spoon et al., on the other hand, use their experience with 45 CQI process improvement teams in a community hospital to highlight the potential for this experience to empower typical hospital nurses.18 They also point out the many ways nurses are essential to most of the steps in the improvement process. Corbett and Pennypacker go on to describe a process improvement effort that took place entirely within a hospital nursing department,19 although that is not particularly consistent with the interdisciplinary needs for most QI efforts. It is worth highlighting that the training in this project was very action oriented. It focused not on theory, but on the application of process improvement and team skills. For example, the trainees learned to flow chart their own clinics prevention process and to collect and analyze their own data in order to learn the root causes for the problems with that process. Role plays of meeting management skills and audits of dummy charts prepared them for applying those skills with their own clinic teams. A basic assumption governing the intervention with these trainees and their teams was that they could act their way into a new way of thinking by applying specific skills in a structured way. These new ways of thinking derive from a real understanding of work as process and include recognizing that problems are generally due to systems deficiencies rather than to individual workers. In other words, we were teaching systems thinking-what Peter Senge describes in The Fifth Discipline as the discipline for seeing wholes.20(p68) We believe that we saw this type of fundamental change in thinking in these nurses and others involved in this improvement process. Over time, the language of the group began to change and to include terms and statements that reflected systems thinking. For example, one rather taciturn physician remarked after the third training session that I never realized how many people were involved in getting the patient ready to be seen by me Aside from the knowledge and skills acquired from the training and the task, it was clear that most of these participants highly valued the opportunity to talk with others in similar environments. They liked to share frustrations as well as to learn from the efforts of peers in other situations. Most clinic personnel are surprisingly isolated, with few opportunities to attend broadening learning experiences, much less to learn first-hand how their way of doing things compares with that of others. We believe that this study and our experience with providing training and consulting for 60 clinics show that there is a great deal about the concepts and techniques of QI that appeals to nurses and other health care professionals. It appeals to both their scientific orientation and their desire to help improve things, in particular their customers-each patient. The acquisition and the application of these concepts and techniques appear to be both satisfying and broadens their views of how they can contribute to health care. Finally, it is worth noting that besides enhancing the skills and satisfaction of nurses, the QI projects in which they work are often likely to lead to role enhancements for nurses, especially those in ambulatory care settings. QI teams interested in improving prevention or other clinical areas of focus, like those we had the privilege to work with, will find that they cannot do this without expanding the role of nurses. McCarthy et al.,21 among others, have demonstrated the power of empowering clinic nurses to offer and arrange for mammography as patients are seen. The Oxford Project in England has carried this even further by creating a new profession for facilitators to help primary care practices improve their prevention activities by training practice nurses to fill an expanded role in performing health checks and facilitating practice system changes.22 Most of these external facilitators are also nurses and it is recommended that all of them have that background.23 Astrops des cription of the facilitators activities within a practice sound very similar to those of the nurses involved in this project and paper. Both this project and the literature suggest that QI concepts and techniques can be important vehicles for improvements in both patient care and in the skills, roles, and job satisfaction of nurses. This can be stimulated and assisted by managed care plans and others external to individual practice settings, but ultimately its success will depend on individual nurses, like those in this study, using their creativity and energy to make it happen. Back to Top REFERENCES 1. Berwick, D.M. Continuous Improvement as an Ideal in Health Care. New England Journal of Medicine 320, no. 1 (1989): 53-56. UvaLinker Bibliographic Links [Context Link] 2. Laffel, G., and Blumenthal, D. The Case for Using Industrial Quality Management Science in Health Care Organizations. Journal of the American Medical Association 262, no. 20 (1989): 2869-2873. [Context Link] 3. Barsness, Z.I., Shortell, S.M., and Gillies, R.R. National Survey of Hospital Quality Improvement Activities. Hospitals and Health Networks 67, no. 23 (1993): 52-55. UvaLinker [Context Link] 4. Shortell, S.M., OBrien, J.L., Carman, J.M., et al. Assessing the Impact of Continuous Quality Improvement/Total Quality Management: Concept versus Implementation. Health Services Research 30, no. 2 (1995): 377-401. [Context Link] 5. Shortell, S.M., Levin, D.Z., OBrien, J.L., and Hughes, E.F. Assessing the Evidence on CQI: Is the Glass Half Empty or Half Full? Hospital and Health Services Administration 40, no. 1 (1995): 4-24. [Context Link] 6. Carman, J.M., Shortell, S.M., Foster, R.W., Hughes, E.F., et al. Keys for Successful Implementation of Total Quality Management in Hospitals. Health Care Management Review 21, no. 1 (1996): 48-60. Ovid Full Text UvaLinker Request Permissions Bibliographic Links [Context Link] 7. Solberg, L.I., Isham G., Kottke, T.E., et al. Competing HMOs Collaborate to Improve Preventive Services. The Joint Commission Journal on Quality Improvement 21, no. 11(1995): 600-610. [Context Link] 8. Solberg, L.I., Kottke, T.E., Brekke, M.L., et al. Using CQI to Increase Preventive Services in Clinical Practice-Going Beyond Guidelines. Preventive Medicine 25, no. 3 (1996): 259-267. [Context Link] 9. Solberg, L.I., and Johnson, J.M. The Office Nurse: A Neglected but Valuable Ally. Family Practice Research Journal 2, no. 2 (1982): 132-141. UvaLinker [Context Link] 10. Flarcy, D.L. Redesigning Management Roles, The Executive Challenge. Journal of Nursing Administration 21, no. 2 (1991): 40-45. UvaLinker Request Permissions Bibliographic Links [Context Link] 11. Haas, S.A., Hackbarth, D.P., Kavanagh, J.A., and Vlasses, F. Dimensions of the Staff Nurse Role in Ambulatory Care: Part II-Comparison of Role Dimensions in Four Ambulatory Settings. Nursing Economics 13, no. 3 (1995): 152-165. [Context Link] 12. Hackbarth, D.P., Haas, S.A., Kavanagh, J.A., and Vlasses, F. Dimensions of the Staff Nurse Role in Ambulatory Care: Part I-Methodology and Analysis of Data on Current Staff Nurse Practice. Nursing Economics 13, no. 2 (1995): 89-97. [Context Link] 13. Capell, E., and Leggat, S. The Implementation of Theory-Based Nursing Practice: Laying the Groundwork for Total Quality Management Within A Nursing Department. Canadian Journal of Nursing Administration 7, no. 1 (1994): 31-41. UvaLinker Bibliographic Links [Context Link] 14. Counte, M.A., Glandon, G.L., Oleske, D.M., and Hill, J.P. Total Quality Management in a Health Care Organization: How are Employees Affected? Hospital and Health Services Administration 37, No. 4 (1992): 503-518. UvaLinker [Context Link] 15. McLaughlin, C.P., and Kaluzny, A.D. Total Quality Management in Health: Making it Work. Health Care Management Review 15, no. 3 (1990): 7-14. [Context Link] 16. Magnan, S., Solberg, L.I., Giles, K., et al. Primary Care, Process Improvement, and Turmoil. Journal of Ambulatory Care Management 20, no. 4 (1997): 32-38. Ovid Full Text UvaLinker Request Permissions Bibliographic Links [Context Link] 17. Phoon, J., Corder, K., and Barte, M. Managed Care and Total Quality Management: A Necessary Integration. Journal of Nursing Care Quality 10, no. 2 (1998): 25-32. Ovid Full Text UvaLinker Request Permissions Bibliographic Links [Context Link] 18. Spoon, B.D., Reimels, E., Johnson, C.C., and Sale, W. The CQI Paradigm: A Pathway to Nurse Empowerment in a Community Hospital. Health Care Supervisor 14, no. 2 (1995): 11-18. Ovid Full Text UvaLinker Request Permissions Bibliographic Links [Context Link] 19. Corbett, C., and Pennypacker, B. Using a Quality Improvement Team to Reduce Patient Falls. Journal of Healthcare Quality 14, no. 5 (1992): 38-54. [Context Link] 20. Senge, P.M. The Fifth Discipline: The Art and Practice of the Learning Organization, New York: Doubleday, 1990. [Context Link] 21. McCarthy, B.D., Yood, M.U., Bolton, M.B., et al. Redesigning Primary Care Processes to Improve the Offering of Mammography. The Use of Clinic Protocols by Nonphysicians. Journal of General Internal Medicine 12, no. 6 (1997): 357-363. [Context Link] 22. Fullard, E., Fowler, G., and Gray, M. Promoting Prevention in Primary Care: Controlled Trial of Low Technology, Low Cost Approach. British Medical Journal 294, no. 6579 (1987): 1080-2. UvaLinker Bibliographic Links [Context Link] 23. Astrop, P. Facilitator-The Birth of a New Profession. Health Visitor 61, no. 10 (1988): 311-312. [Context Link] The authors would like to thank the 46 clinics that participated in the IMPROVE project. These included the two demonstration clinic sites; Kasson Mayo Family Practice Clinic and HealthPartners St. Paul Clinic. Intervention Clinics Apple Valley Medical Center Aspen Medical Group, W. St. Paul Aspen Medical Group, W. Suburban Chanhassen Medical Center Chisago Medical Center Creekside Family Practice Douglas Drive Family Physicians Eagle Medical Fridley Medical Center Hastings Family Practice Hopkins Family Practice Interstate Medical Center Metropolitan Internists Mork Clinic, Anoka North St. Paul Medical Center Ramsey Clinic, Amery Ramsey Clinic, Baldwin River Valley Clinic, Farmington River Valley Clinic, Northfield Southdale Family Practice Stillwater Clinic United Family Medical Center Comparative Clinics Aspen Medical Group, Bloomington East Main Physicians

A Critical Review of a Senco

A critical review on the role of the SENCO and dyslexia: how this role has been affected and impacted upon by recent legislation Introduction The BDA Dyslexia Friendly Schools Pack for Teachers (2009) provides an overall guide of what dyslexia is and how a dyslexia friendly school should be delivering education to the dyslexic learner. The writers begin with a definition of dyslexia stating that â€Å"dyslexia is a learning difference, a combination of strengths and weaknesses†.This is an informative definition as opposed to the recommendation of Norwich et al (2005) that exemplary schools should promote an inclusive school system whereby dyslexia is considered but not in isolation. The BDA (2009) state that importance ought to be placed on acknowledging dyslexia as â€Å" a specific learning difficulty† as a specific learning difference† so that teaching is inclusive and focuses on all learners rather than just the dyslexic learner who may already feel something is wrong with them.However, I stress that this general definition is simplistic and I agree with Reid that there should be a working/operational definition. Reid’s definition of dyslexia is more informative: There may be visual and phonological difficulties and there is usually some discrepancy in performances in different areas of learning. It is important that the individual differences and learning styles are acknowledged since these will affect outcomes of assessment and learning. (p. 4-5, Reid, 2003).The BDA (2009) conclude to achieve BDA Quality Mark status, LEAs and their associated schools must encourage and identify outstanding practice in following and improving access to education for all learners. I feel that planning a dyslexia friendly school has the effect of improving the learning of not just the dyslexic learner but other pupils as well. According to Snowling et al (2011), dyslexia is seen to be a â€Å"deficit in phonological skills which, in turn, compromi ses the ability to learn the grapheme–phoneme mappings that underpin competence in an alphabetic system†.Snowling et al’s (2011) research underpins the classic definition of dyslexia that it is a specific reading difficulty whereby literacy under achievement is apparent and falls below the accepted level given the intelligence of the learner. This study is important: it goes beyond recounting dyslexia at the behavioural level (i. e. incorrect spelling and reading) to taking into consideration weaknesses at the cognitive level that explicate the practical problems (Morton & Frith, 1995).Dyslexic learners have deficits in three linked but dissimilar areas of phonological processing: â€Å"phonological awareness (the ability to attend to and manipulate sounds in words); phonological memory (memory for speech-based information – also referred to as verbal memory); and naming (providing the spoken label for a visual referent)†. (Vellutino et al. , 2004). Consequently, recent definitions of dyslexia have discarded the need for literacy to be appreciably below general aptitude, and have taken a widely accepted view of dyslexia with â€Å"phonological processing as a core deficit† (Lyon, Shaywitz & Shaywitz, 2003). ContextThe context in which I am employed is a small mainstream one-form entry Church of England voluntary aided primary school. The school is situated in a deprived inner city area in the London borough of Lewisham where 25% of the 225 children on roll from Nursery through to Year 6 are eligible for Free School Meals. This is significantly higher than 2006 national figures of 16% of all primary school children receiving Free School Meals (FSM). The number of children currently identified as having a Special Educational Need is 47, or 20. 8% of the total school population which is slightly higher than 2005 national figures of 18%.The figure of 1. 7% is the number of SEND (Special Educational Needs and Disabilities) c hildren who have a Statement of Special Educational Need – lower than national figures of 3% – and the remainder of the SEND population comprises overwhelmingly of children on School Action Plus (78% – 67. 5% represented by boys and 32. 5% represented by girls) and approximately 8% of SEND children on School Action. The largest identified area of special need in the school falls under SLCN ( Speech, Language and Communication Need ) as set out in the SEN Code of Practice 2001 where 61% of SEND children have a medical diagnosis of receptive and/or xpressive language difficulty, followed by 21% of SEND children with a medical diagnosis of and Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). Other types of need are Down’s Syndrome ( 2%), Apert’s Syndrome (2%), Social, Emotional and Behavioural Difficulties SEBD (6%), Dyslexia (2%) and more generally literacy difficulties which are under investigation for potential specific causes (6%). These needs are justifiable as t hey have been recognised and identified as such by relevantly qualified and external agencies or are in the process of being more specifically identified .A critical review of the role of the SENCO The role of the SENCo has developed through government policy and undergone significant changes in the past decade with the introduction of the statutory SEN Code of Practice 2001 which states that the role of the SENCo includes identifying and placing pupils in need of special educational provision on a graduated system, liaising with parents and other professionals in regards to children with SEND and advising and supporting other practitioners in the field amongst other responsibilities.This was largely interpreted as a co-ordinating role whereby Teaching Assistants ( in at least 36% of schools ) were employed in this capacity and contributed to disparities in provision nationally as well as a divergence of roles. In 2009 new government regulations and amendments to the SEN Code of Pra ctice 2001 required SENCos to be qualified teachers and for those teachers new to the role to undergo compulsory training in the form of the National Award of SEN Coordination.The 2006 House of Commons Education and Skills Select Committee Report on SEN clearly defines the role of the SENCo as a strategic leader, and recommended that SENCos â€Å"should in all cases be qualified teachers and in a senior management position in the school as recommended in the SEN Code of Practice†. (Recommendation 84) Statutory and regulatory frameworks and relevant developments at national and local level The SEN Code of Practice 2001 remains the statutory legislation governing SEN practice and provision.The 2001 Code of Practice replaces the 1994 Code of Practice, although it retains much of the original guidance, but takes into account developments in education since 1994 and includes new obligations introduced by the SEN and Disability Act 2001. The 2001 Code of Practice promotes a more co nsistent approach to meeting the needs of children with SEN and focuses on preventative work and early identification as well as developing strong partnerships between parents, schools, local authorities, health and social services and voluntary organisations.The school Special Educational Needs and Disability policy is largely based on the SEN Code of Practice 2001 and incorporates elements of the statutory Disability Discrimination Act 2005, as well as local authority guidance of national policy, such as the Lewisham school action & school action plus guidance 2010. The school policy clearly states: â€Å"A child is deemed to have special educational needs when they are seen to have significantly greater difficulty in learning than the majority of their age group, or have a disability which significantly hinders their use of educational facilities.When such difficulties or disabilities persistently demand the planning of educational provision different from that of the rest of th e class, the child is placed on the Special Needs and Disabilities Profile. This is a confidential list of children for whom extra support may be necessary and whose progress will be monitored by the class teacher and Inclusion Manager. † ( Rose & Lyle, 2011, p1) Some elements of the SEN Code of Practice 2001 framework are guidance, whilst others must be observed.This includes ensuring liaison with parents and other professional in respect to children with SEN, ensuring that Individual Education Plans (IEPs) are in place and that relevant information about individual children with SEN is collated, recorded and updated. The Code ensures that schools and local authorities must examine their practice and provision for children with SEN and that they are accountable by law – e. g. offering full access to a broad, balanced and relevant education.The Code of Practice emphasises the right of a child with SEN to access mainstream education through the development of provision i n such settings to meet â€Å"a wide spectrum of SEN† (COP 2001, 7:52-7:63) that may overlap in the categories of communication and interaction, cognition and learning, behaviour, emotional and social development and sensory and/or physical needs. The provision provided may involve well-differentiated Quality First teaching (Edwards 2010), intervention programmes including withdrawal from lass, specialist teaching or therapy or attendance ( full or part time ) at a specialist setting. Children are to be identified as early as possible and their needs met through a graduated approach within the school’s own resources ( School Action), additional support from external agencies ( School Action Plus ), or if progress is inadequate and further support from the Local authority is required, a Statement of Special Educational Needs may be issued.As I prepared this essay, I have identified a number of key tensions in my particular school: Whilst class teachers in my school acce pt, in accordance with the National Curriculum Inclusion Statement 1999, that they must respond to children’s diverse learning needs and overcome potential barriers to learning and assessment for individuals and groups of pupils, including those with SEND, there has been a lack of clarity over the meaning of the term â€Å"inclusion† and with whom the overall responsibility of children on the SEND register lies.This is hardly surprising as there is little consensus on the precise meaning of ‘inclusion’ at national levels – OFSTED tend to view inclusion as minimising inequalities for groups of children – eg. including those with SEND, on FSM, gender, race or attainment – whilst teachers primarily regard inclusion chiefly in terms of individuals with SEND ( NASUWT Report 2008, p. 17 ) and their â€Å"right† to be included in a mainstream classroom and how to best achieve this.Increasingly, I favour a model which allows individual children – whether SEND, English as an Additional Language (EAL) or non-SEND – to access an education which best meets their needs based as much as possible within the mainstream classroom but through withdrawing children for specialist 1:1 or small group teaching depending on their needs and the gaps in their knowledge relative to their peers and age-related expectations.The non-statutory Removing Barriers for Achievement (2004) highlights that all teachers – not just the SENCO or Inclusion Manager – are responsible for teaching children with SEND. This also includes communicating the message to class teachers that they are often best placed to initially notice difficulties a child may be having and by making certain referral forms available to them, thereby actively engaging them in jointly taking responsibility for SEND or potential SEND children in their classes.The Every Child Matters (2004) agenda is currently not statutory and is now being re-draft ed as Every Child Achieves in a new White Paper, although the five original outcomes remain. The 5 outcomes are: to stay safe, to be healthy, to enjoy and achieve, to make a positive contribution and achieve economic well-being. The focus for schools not only has to be upon ensuring that all staff are aware of the 5 outcomes, but also on the impact and progress made towards the 5 outcomes by all pupils and individuals within vulnerable groups, such as children with Special Educational Needs.Such agendas which sit alongside other requirements on class teachers to also focus on group outcomes such as groups of children attaining age –related expectations hence creates pulls in opposing directions as to the levels of attainment a child is achieving and the best outcome for that child – or â€Å"competing rather than complementary agendas. There is a lack of clarity as to whether educational policy is concerned with ‘normalisation’ and conformity, or genuinel y values diversity and difference (NASUWT Report 2008, p. 18 ). This tension is a theme which continues in the form of ‘narrowing the gaps’ between groups and ‘accelerated progress’.In the case of children with Speech and Language difficulties or dyslexic tendencies, these terms appear contradictory and oxymoronic – as typically such children need reinforcement and over learning compared to their peers operating at age-related expectations. It is hard to see how such children can make the requisite amount of progress as measured by national age-related attainment standards ( and making a minimum of 2 sub levels progress a year ) as opposed to progress as measured against their individual areas of weakness and specific difficulties.Measured this latter way, their progress may well be excellent although a system of levels and sub-levels may fail to be sensitive enough to chart this progress. I am therefore examining ways such as building in pre- and po st intervention screening for relevant children and considering using Assessing Pupils’ Progress (APP) Speaking and Listening levels in addition to National Curriculum levels in Reading, Writing and Maths to more sensitively measure progress.The contribution of extended services, such as Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS), Educational Psychology, Family Services, and Early Intervention Services to improve outcomes for children as set out in ECM(2004) is welcomed, although it is hard to measure the impact and the progress that this may have for a number of reasons: in changing times, it is at times difficult to keep abreast of developments and changes to services offered and their accessibility; various services may have a varying level of impact on different children and their families; not all parents are receptive – and some positively resistant – to accepting referrals to certain services; there can be a diffusion of responsibility once vario us agencies are involved. As a SENCo, one would encounter all of these barriers and find that developing good working, collaborative and supportive relationships with all representatives of extended services that a SENCo works closely with as well as parents is the best way forward and ensuring that communication channels are maintained.This has to be carefully weighed against issues of data protection and confidentiality by ensuring for example that Common Assessment Frameworks (CAFs) are raised before information is shared between agencies and that all sensitive information is stored in a safe location to which only a SENCo and the Headteacher have access. However, to enable class teachers to better understand the needs of children that a SENCo teaches on a daily basis, the SENCo would ensure that all class teachers are provided with relevant reports from external agencies and that these are used appropriately to inform planning and provision for a child within both a classroom an d wider school setting.High incidence of SEN and dyslexia – how they can affect pupils’ participation and learning and strategies to remove barriers to learning Baroness Warnock is quoted: â€Å"SEN has come to be the name of a single category, and the government uses it as if it is the same problem to include a child in a wheelchair and a child with Asperger’s, and that is conspicuously untrue† (The Guardian, Tuesday January 31, 2006). Indeed, the 2006 House of Commons Select Committee Report on Special Educational Needs acknowledges that â€Å"children exist on a broad continuum of needs and learning styles but do not fit into neat categories of different sorts of children – those with and without SEN.The category of â€Å"SEN† is an arbitrary distinction that leads to false classifications and, it can be argued that, this is what is causing the high levels of conflict and frustration with all those involved. † (p. 36) This has ofte n been my experience when discussing the progress of various pupils on the SEND register with senior leadership who frequently use the terminology â€Å"SEND† and â€Å"non-SEND†. I am of the opinion that this is a blanket term which does little to understand the true nature of individual children’s difficulties and how best to address these. OFSTED comparison of groups engenders such an approach and is not sensitive enough to the variation between individuals.In the case of my school, it appears that the group most at risk of underachieving is higher ability girls – with no SEN! With an emphasis on the social context of special educational needs, Removing Barriers to Achievement (2004, p. 8,) states: â€Å"Difficulties in learning often arise from an unsuitable environment – inappropriate grouping of pupils, inflexible teaching styles, or inaccessible curriculum – as much from individual children’s physical, sensory or cognitive imp airments. Children’ emotional and mental health needs may also have a significant impact on their ability to make the most of the opportunities in school, as may family circumstances. †These considerations, combined with evidence that there is a link between social deprivation and SEN nationally – as well as underachievement nationally and social deprivation, can make identification of SEN problematic in my school, especially at School Action Level – for example, is a child making poor progress in reading and writing because of difficulties such as potential dyslexia, or through poor parenting and a lack of exposure to books at home? Or both? Should the child be on the SEND register and is he/she underachieving? In such cases, assessment and targeted intervention at the specific area of weakness can help differentiate between a range of possible factors, but it may not always be so clear cut. What is clear is that these difficulties need to be addressed to minimise the longer term effects on such a child’s development and to help them succeed in the future.This can involve working very closely, and in partnership with parents in order to create a sustainable and longer term solution. The OFSTED Special Educational Needs and Disability Review 2010 found that the term ‘Special Educational Needs’ was too widely used with up 50% of schools visited using low attainment and slow progress as the key indicators of a special educational need, with in some cases, very little further assessment. According to the report, 50% of all pupils identified for School Action would not be identified as such if, â€Å"schools focussed on improving teaching and learning for all, with individual goals for improvement† (p. 3). This suggested a culture of underachievement due to low pupil expectations and poor mainstream teaching provision.It also found that pupils identified as having special educational needs were disproportionate ly from disadvantaged backgrounds and achieved less well than their peers in terms of attainment and progress over time. Parents were keen to have their children formally recognised as having special educational needs in order to ensure additional support for their child. The quality of the additional support from within or outside the school was not found to be good by inspectors. Provision was often not appropriate or of good enough quality and did not lead to better outcomes for the child. The review found that no one model or setting of special needs provision worked better than another.The key findings included improving the quality of assessment, improving teaching at an early stage to avoid additional provision at a later stage, ensuring that schools do not over-identify children as having special educational needs when better Quality First Teaching was required, ensuring that additional support was effective and developing specialist provision and services. A result of such findings and the implications for my school have been: 1. A reduction in the number of children placed on School Action – either by not being placed on the SEND register, or by being removed from it. In many cases, identified labels were â€Å"behavioural†.There is evidence that good class teacher behaviour management, combined with weekly visits from a pupil referral unit outreach worker, as well as a Learning Mentor, has helped to remove some emotional barriers to some children’s learning. However, definitions of ‘behavioural difficulty’ can still remain unclear as this can be a fluid and relative term dependent on the setting of a class and the nature and frequency of behavioural challenge – and hence vary nationally as well as within a school. Children remaining on school action are largely children with ongoing literacy difficulties, whose difficulties are being examined more specifically as suspected dyslexia. 2.Improved training for Te aching Assistants who are often the staff working closely with children identified with SEND. This has included in-house training and attendance on specific courses as well as reaching a minimum standard in Maths and English. Time factors and competing demands on Teaching Assistants’ time however are considerable constraints and hinder the impact that this training may have. The school now employs a NumbersCounts maths specialist. The impact of this specialist teaching needs greater time to develop to measure its effectiveness – although I do not feel that curriculum sub-levels may necessarily be the best way to measure this impact for certain children. 3.A focus on Quality First teaching so that all staff educate, share and promote practical and achievable ways for every class teacher to adopt strategies as a matter of daily routine that are inclusive to children with Speech and Language difficulties and dyslexic tendencies – to embed this in a culture of good general practice and reduce the potential for children to be classified as ‘SEN’ when underachievement is the issue and provide a good learning environment for all children – including those with SEN. The Code of Practice (2001) outlines four main areas of need – cognition and learning, behaviour, emotional and social development needs, communication and interaction and sensory and/or physical needs. Compared to national 2006 figures ( DfES Special Educational Needs in England, January 2006. SFR23/2006), our school has a far higher incidence of Speech and Language difficulties including dyslexia ( 61% of the SEND egister ) ASD ( 21%) than the national figures ( 14. 3% and 2. 4% respectively ) but a much lower incidence of BESD ( 6% to 26. 5% nationally ). Part of the reason may be recent school investment in enhanced Speech and Language Service from the NHS, where the school together with 4 other local schools, funds weekly Speech and Language therapist ti me. This has lead to a high rate of referrals, which has led to a higher rate of detection. This picture is not evenly spread however – the investment in Speech and Language, although justifiable as such difficulties impede access to many parts of the curriculum, comes at a cost to other categories of SEND as identified by the Code of Practice.Other children’s need are not always met quickly ( sometimes more than 2 terms ) despite early identification due to lengthy waiting times for assessments with ‘low level, high incidence’ learning difficulties such as dyslexia having low priority in the hierarchy of urgency . There are only 2 Specialist Teachers qualified to formally diagnose dyslexia provided by the Lewisham Inclusion Service to support the needs of children in mainstream settings whose time is shared between 92 schools in the borough. This means that specialist provision increasingly needs to be provided within the school setting and is dependent o f current staff levels of expertise.This can create variability in the quality of provision for children with SEN across schools in the same locality. In accordance with the Equalities Act 2010 and Special Educational Needs and Disability Act (2001), schools must make reasonable adjustments for children with SEN and disabilities to access testing that does not discriminate against them on the basis of their disability or special need. A learner with a Statement of Special Educational Needs automatically qualifies for up to 25% additional time in order to complete testing in Reading, Writing and Mathematics at the end of KS2 – however changes in the criteria for awarding Statements of SEN in Lewisham have amounted to fewer statements being issued and financial savings for the authority.A diagnosis of dyslexia would not however result in additional time if the learner does not have a Statement unless considerable additional documentation is provided. The use of a scribe, transc ript, technology such as a laptop or reader however for a dyslexic learner is discretionary upon a school’s assessment of the learner’s need in order to access the tests and can be easily arranged. It is at least reasonable for Qualifications and Curriculum Development Agency (QCDA) guidelines to permit such measures as scribes or laptops to remove potential barriers to performance for children with certain types of need under formal examination conditions to access the knowledge held by children who may not best be able to demonstrate in written form.In conclusion, whilst various governmental policies have aimed to improve the outcomes for children with SEND, there are difficulties – some unforeseen – between the principles set out and the translation of these into practice, with gaps and variations on local and national levels. We await the forthcoming new legislation around SEND and the implications that this will have on the ever-developing role of th e SENCo forging a strategic path to best meet the needs – Special Educational and otherwise – of families and children within a tighter resource framework. References Special Educational Needs Code of Practice. DfEE 581/2001 November 2001 QCA Curriculum guidelines for learners with learning difficulty and special arrangements during Key Stage 2 tests – 2012Special Educational Needs and Disabilty Act 2001 What Equality law means for you as an education provider: schools. Equality and Human Rights Commission, 2010 Removing Barriers to Achievement: The Government’s Strategy for SEN. DfES/0118/2004. 2004 National Inclusion Statement, 1999 Every Child Matters: Change for children (2004) Special Educational Needs and Inclusion: Reflection and Renewal, NASUWT Report, 2008 House of Commons Select Committee Report on Special Educational Needs, HMSO, 2006 Inclusion Development Programme:Teaching and supporting pupils with dyslexia. www. nasentraining. org. uk/resou rces/dyslexia-idp-materials/ The Special Educational Needs and Disability Review.Ofsted, 2010 The SENCO survival guide: the nuts and bolts of everything you need to know Edwards, Sylvia; National Association for Special Educational Needs (Great Britain) E-boo, Routledge, 2010, 1st edition Inclusion: Does it matter where pupils are taught? Ofsted, 2006 Lewisham Local Education Authority publications: School Action/School Action Plus guidance criteria (2010) Inclusion debate treads new ground, The Guardian, Tuesday 31, 2006 Hallett, F & Hallett, G (2010). Transforming the Role of the SENCO: Achieving the National Award for SEN Coordination; Open University Press Special Educational Needs and Disability Policy, Rose and Lyle, 2011

Marketing Research on Parle Agro

A RESEARCH REPORT ON â€Å"SUPPLY CHAIN MANAGEMENT OF LG ELECTRONICS† A report submitted to UP Technical University for the partial fulfillment the degree of Master of Business Administration Submitted to: Submitted by: Mrs. Shweta Singh SUNNY KHAIRA Director of C-MAT MBA 4th semester Roll no. 0714970051 CENTER FOR MANAGEMENT TECHNOLOGY Pot No. 25,27,28,Phase 1, Knowledge Park-1 Greater Noida(U. P. )  ¬Ã‚ ¬Ã‚ ¬Ã‚ ¬Ã‚ ¬Ã‚ ¬Ã‚ ¬Ã‚ ¬Ã‚ ¬Ã‚ ¬Ã‚ ¬Ã‚ ¬Ã‚ ¬Ã‚ ¬Ã‚ ¬Ã‚ ¬Ã‚ ¬Ã‚ ¬Ã‚ ¬Ã‚ ¬CERTIFICATE This is to certify that this project entitled to â€Å"SUPPLY CHAIN MANAGEMENT OF LG ELECTRONICS† submitted by SUNNY KHAIRA, for the fulfillment of the degree of M. B. A. assigned project report is a independent work done by his under my guidance and supervision.. Signature Mr. Kirti Sinha HOD (M. B. A. ) C-MAT DECLARATION I, SUNNY KHAIRA ,do declare that the Research Project Report entitled â€Å"SUPPLY CHAIN MANAGEMENT OF LG ELECTRONICS† being submitted to the U. P. Technical University for the partial fulfillment of the requirement for the degree of Master of Business Administration is my own endeavors and it has not been submitted earlier to any institute for any degree Place: Greater Noida SUNNY KHAIRA Date: MBA,C-MAT P R E F A C E Management education talks of synchronizing the theoretical studies with practical application in the most effective way. The training figure prominently in the course curriculum as it imparts practical knowledge to the student aspiring to accomplish professional insight. It actually gives a feel about what is happening in life and industry around. It grooms an individual to find himself fit in the corporate world. Students eventually come out with much confidence, knowledge and matured attitude and outlook. In today’s competitive world, Marketing Research forms a key player. To me, it is an orderly and insightful process of thinking about and planning for the market. This process is applicable to more than just goods and services. I think that anything can be researched – ideas, events, organization, place, personalities etc. nd that motivated me to choose this as a specialized subject. This particular process starts with entering deep inside the relevant market place to understand its dynamics and to identify opportunities to meet the felt or infelt needs. SUNNY KHAIRA M. B. A. 4TH SEMESTER ACKNOWLEDGMENT Any work of this magnitude requires input, effort and encouragement of people from all sides. I am quite fortunate to have had acti ve co-operation of many people at different stages of the project. Without their invaluable cooperation, I would have not been able to do justice to this report. Although it would be difficult to thank all those who contributed towards successful completion of report yet, it would be unfair on my part if I don’t thank a selected few. First of all I am thankful to God, for all the blessings he has bestowed upon me, without which it would have been impossible to complete this project. The Faculty members at C-MAT continue to have an impact on my thinking, which helped me to complete this project. I would like to extend my thanks to all my friends for their co -operation airing data collection. Respondents equally deserve thanks as their sincere co-operation led to worthy results. Lastly, I would like to thank my parents for being the guiding force through all the phases of my life. Doing my project on this topic was a wonderful opportunity for me, for it instilled in me a great deal of confidence and ability to work hard and thereby face challenges. SUNNY KHAIRA M. B. A. 4TH SEMESTER TABLE OF CONTENTS CHAPTER ONE INTRODUCTION †¦. †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ CHAPTER TWO OBJECTIVE OF THE STUDY†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ CHAPTER THREE STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ CHAPTER FOUR HYPOTHESIS†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦. CHAPTER FIVE LIMITATION OF THE STUDY†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ CHAPTER SIX†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦. †¢Study of brand. †¢Information enabled supply chain management†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ †¢Supply chain management in LG Electronics†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ †¢Brand image, brand value. Brand equity concept. †¢Online brand audit. †¢Brand audit with reference to a specific product. †¢Supply chain management with other departments†¦. Customer focus supply chain management†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ CHAPTER SEVEN RESEARCH METHODOLOGY†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ CHAPTER EIGHT DATA ANALYSIS AND DICUSSION†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ CHAPTER NINE GENERAL OBSERVATION†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚ ¬ ¦.. CHAPTER TEN CONCLUSION†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦. CHAPTER ELEVEN RECOMMENDATION FOR FURTHER STUDY†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.. BIBLIOGRAPHY†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦. ANNEXURE†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦. CHAPTER ONE INTRODUCTION INTRODUCTION Welcome to the exciting world of supply chain management. It is a buzzword probably used for the first time by the consultants in the 1980’s and later analysed by the business community. In simple terms supply chain management link all the supply interacting organization in an integrated two way communication system to manage high quality inventory in the most effective and efficient manner. As such supply chain management is a network of facilities and distribution options that perform the function of procurement of material transformation of these materials into intermediate and finished good and finally the distribution of these goods to the end user. The supply chain exists both in the service and manufacturing sector, although the complexity of chain may vary greatly from industry to industry and from firm to firm. As such it include internal and external function along with suppliers, involved in the identification and fulfillment of needs for material , equipment , services in an optimized fashion. It basically comprise of four principle phase: (1). Generation of requirement, (2). Sourcing, (3). Pricing, (4). Post – award activities LG supports successful execution of supply chain management through the exchange of technology and strategic alliance by incorporating strategic collaboration with professional consulting companies and core technology vendors. LG has the capability to be a collaborative partner for the entire supply chain management. On the whole LG proposes solution that best suits the need of the customer with the past experience in executing projects in various industries. LG help to generate practical business value of supply chain management, a strategic management activity to dramatically reduce the cost and maximize the sales revenue by integrating internal a well external value chain for providing products and services to customer, and as such it focus its attention on strategic activities. CHAPTER TWO OBJECTIVE OF THE STUDY In this project report of mine I would be focusing my attention on some of the important objective that would also be the part of my study. The following are the objectives: ?To understand the concept of brand. ?To understand the concept of brand image, brand value, brand equity. ?To study the emerging concept of online brand audit. ?To study the brand audit with reference to a specific product. ?To study inventory Turnover Ratio; ?To study channel of distribution of LG Electronics; ?To study application of Information Technology in Supply Chain Management; To find out satisfaction level of supply chain management planning; ? To find out the coordination among different departments through supply chain management; ?To know the factors effecting the decision regarding supply chain management. CHAPTER THREE STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM ?To know the application of supply chain management in LG Electronics; ?To find out the purchasing procedure of LG electronics; ?To f ind out the inventory turnover ratio; ?To find out the channels of distribution or the complexity involved in the supply chain management; ?To know the present trend of information technology in the supply chain management. CHAPTER FOUR HYPOTHESIS A hypothesis may be defined as a proposition or a setoff propositions set forth as an explanation for the occurrence of some specified group of phenomena either asserted merely as a provisional conjecture to guide some investigation or accepted as highly probable in the light of established facts. Quite often a research hypothesis is a predictive statement, capable of being tested by scientific methods, that relates an independent variable to some dependent variable. A hypothesis is a statement capable of being objectively verified and tested with the help of statistical tools. The hypothesis which I have set is â€Å"To study the trend of Supply Chain Management in the light of Information Technology of LG Electronics†. Further this not the end of the study and as such some more hypothesis will be developed during the research work. CHAPTER FIVE LIMITATION OF THE STUDY A study is usually done with the intention to explore something new or to add a few new things to the already exiting study or research. As such when the study is done various difficulties are to be faced in collecting information and other things which ultimately leads to its own advantages and drawbacks. My research work was a great exposure to me because I have to undergo stress and at the same time experience the actual hardship that it needs to collect information. Some of the hardship which I faced is as follows: ?Owing to the limitation of time factor research was not been done extensively as required; ?Respondents at times were hesitant in giving information as they feel it is leakage of companies information; ?The sample size was taken small, because of time and cost factor involved in it; ?Most of the information collected is from the secondary data; ? The primary data is collected only through the middle management without the contribution of the lower management due to their hectic schedule. ?The respondents may be biased on influenced by some other factors. ?Time and money were the greatest limitation in carrying out the survey. Study Of Brand INTRODUCTION 1. Established in 1997, LG Electronics India Pvt. Ltd. (LGEIL), is a wholly owned subsidiary of LG Electronics, South Korea. It is South Korea’s second largest electronics maker and the world’s third largest appliance maker. With headquarters in the LG Twin Towers on Yeouido, Seoul, LG Electronics is the flagship company of LG Group, one of the largest chaebols. The company has 75 subsidiaries worldwide that design and manufacture televisions, home appliances, and telecommunications devices. LG Electronics owns Zenith Electronics and controls LG Displays, a joint venture with Philips Electronics. In India for a decade now, LG is the market leader in consumer durables and recognised as a leading technology innovator in the information technology and mobile communications business . LG is the acknowledged trendsetter for he consumer durable industry in India with the fastest ever nationwide reach, latest global technology and product innovation. LG Electronics was originally established in 1958 as GoldStar, producing radios, TVs, refrigerators,washing machines, and air conditioners. The LG Group was a merger of two Korean companies, Lucky and GoldStar, from which the abbreviation of LG was derived. The cur rent â€Å"Life’s Good† slogan is a backronym. Before the corporate name change to LG, household products were sold under the brand name of Lucky, while electronic products were sold under the brand name of GoldStar. The GoldStar brand is still perceived as a discount brand. One of the most formidable brands, LGEIL has an impressive portfolio of Consumer Electronics, Home Appliances, GSM mobile phones and IT products. LG Electronics India Pvt. Ltd. , a wholly owned subsidiary of LG Electronics, South Korea was established in January, 1997 after clearance from the Foreign Investment Promotion Board (FIPB). The trend of beating industry norms started with the fastest ever-nationwide launch by LG in a period of 4 and 1/2 months with the commencement of operations in May 1997. LG set up a state-of-the art manufacturing facility at Greater Noida, near Delhi, in 1998, with an investment of Rs 500 Crores. This facility manufactured Colour Televisions, Washing Machines, Air-Conditioners and Microwave Ovens. In the year 2000, LG Information & Communications merged the world’s first Internet-enabled refrigerator resulting in Global sales of refrigerators reaching the number one position. During the year 2001, LG also commenced the home production for its eco-friendly Refrigerators and established its assembly line for its PC Monitors at its Greater Noida manufacturing unit. The beginning of 2003 saw the roll out of the first locally manufactured Direct Cool Refrigerator from the plant at Greater Noida. In 2004, LGEIL also up its second Greenfield manufacturing unit in Pune, Maharashtra that commences operations in October 2004. Covering over 50 acres, the facility manufactures LCD TV, GSM Phones, Color Televisions, Air Conditioners, Refrigerators, Microwave Ovens Color Monitors. Information Enabled Supply Chain Management in LG Electronics INFORMATION ENABLED SUPPLY CHAIN MANAGEMENT IN LG ELECTRONICS 2. INTRODUCTION The focus of management has changed over the time. The business thinking of 70’s and 80’s related to strategic planning and portfolio approach has dramatically changed. Flexibility and responsiveness has become key business drivers for the 21st century, forcing business to orient themselves along process instead of functions. Managing complex situation effectively on a real time basis for business information has become critica l. Information technology has helped in making the supply chain faster, flexible and responsive. As such LG needs to invest in information technology to make its supply chain more result oriented and challenging. Various flows in supply chain such as material, information and money can be effectively managed through information technology. It is this aspect of management that the use of information technology has assumed greater significance. Further in LG supply chain management enabled by advance technology aims at developing a technical infrastructure, linking technology and people in an effort to align advantageous information technology with the capability of organizing and facilitating customer satisfaction. LG also aim at leveraging information tool to address the business concern relating to flexibility, quality, responsiveness and edging towards agility. Typical model of supply chain management 2. 2 ELECTRONIC COMMERCE (E – COMMERCE) The internet era has revolutionized commerce, making e- commerce a reality. The factors that have contributed to the success of e – commerce, are lower purchasing cost, reduction of inventories, effective customer service, marketing and sales etc. know time has come for the paper based business to give away to electronic business when supplier and customer will transact electronically. This would help in reducing cost, price, and increasing savings. LG has tried to make an effective use of e – commerce. With the help of it, it is able to display variety of its product produced on the internet for the convience of the customer. This would be advantageous in two ways – ?Firstly the customer would be able to know about the product; ? Secondly it can transact purchase without actually going to the market place for its purchasing; As such LG has tried to use three important dimension of e – commerce in his day to day activities. These are as follows: ? Reach is about access and connection. It simply means as to how many customer a business can access or how many products it can offer; 2. 3 Application of E – Commerce in supply chain management in LG Electronics Marketing and Sales Procurement/Logistics On line product information Electronic bidding Electronic selling Low cost transportation Product offerings/e-supermarkets Point to point selling Point to point warehousing Customer service Inventory Management Repair/return/replacement High visibility On site fixing Removal of obsolete items Technical support Online status information on inventory 2. 4 ELECTRONIC DATA INTERCHANGE (EDI) EDI is interring organizational exchange of business documentation in a structured machine process able form. It consists of standardized electronic message formats for common business documents such as request for quotation, purchase orders etc. These electronic transactions set the computer in one company /organization to communicate with the computer in the other organization without actually producing paper documents. Use of EDI in LG Electronics’ helps in providing various functions. The basic function is to provide compatibility between different systems that is easy and direct exchange of information. The second function is of store and forward. This means that orders will be sent but it will be received by the supplier as per the agreement which can be weekly or monthly. The third and the final function performed by EDI in LG id that of Application support As such we can say if LG Electronics implement EDI properly and utilized it efficiently it can add speed and efficiency to business process enabling the organization to maximize resources and minimize waste and increase customer satisfaction. 2. 5 Benefits of various Information Technology Elements IT ElementOperationsResults in EDI (Exchange Data Interchange)†¢Inter organizational exchange of business documentation †¢Reduced transaction cost and time †¢Optimized Inventory †¢Improved decision making Increased accuracy †¢Improved customer service Intranet†¢Distribution of information within an organization†¢Common process for multiple functions †¢Two way communication between different parts of the plant Extranet†¢Information transaction among the clients, partners and customer†¢Eliminate user interface proliferation †¢Enhance overall performanc e †¢Real time feedback E – Commerce†¢Create new revenue streams and grow †¢Trim both transactional and overhead costs †¢Improve customer service 2. 6 INTRANET/EXTRANET Competitive pressures are ever increasing in global manufacturing environment. Intranet is a means of distributing information. It allows real time feedback to flow from the manufacturing area to design and engineering groups. An intranet allows internal users to access data from external sources, while restricting access to it from those outside. The benefits that intranet provide to LG Electronics are as follows: ?It facilitates two way communication between the manufacturing floor and the areas of the plant; ? It allows distribution of many categories of information. These can be presented with a common look and feel , eliminating user friendly proliferation; ? It ensures a common process for multiple function and enhance overall performance. 2. 7 CONCLUSION Information technology has played an important role in making the supply chain faster, reliable and responsive. At the same time it is also important to make effective investment in the field of information technology, otherwise it may not bear fruitful results. Thus on the whole it can be said that: ?Strategic decision on the supply chain design can increase customer satisfaction and save money through information technology; ? By sharing information, supply chain partners are able to respond more rapidly to know demands at a lower cost; ? Information technology helps in reducing the operating cost by proper coordination of planning of various stages of supply chain; ? Rapid introduction of a new or modified product is possible through information technology; ? Effective inventory management, product customization, is possible through information technology; ? Detailed analysis of performance level, reporting and handling can facilitate with the help of information technology. Supply Chain Management in LG Electronics SUPPLY CHAIN MANAGEMENT IN LG ELECTRONICS 3. 1 OVERVIEW OF LG ELECTRONICS The Foundation of LG LG was established in 1947 as Korea's first chemical company, and also becoming the nation's first electronics company with its expansion into home appliances in 1958. The new Corporate Identity was launched including the change of the group name from Lucky-Gold star to LG in 1995. Business Fields The wide arrays of activities that LG conducts are coordinated within three highly focused business sectors: Chemicals & Energy, Electronics and Telecommunications & Services. Each sector has undergone systematic changes, with improved financial compositions, restructured business portfolios and realigned equity investment structures. 3. 2 LG – AN INTRODUCTION HISTORY OF LG ELECTRONICS The internationally famed company LG started off as Lucky Goldstar, a small company manufacturing cosmetics. In 1947 businessman Ku-in Hwe in Pusan in South Korea launched the company. LG entered in to the electronic business under the Gold star brand name in 1958. In the same year LG manufactured Korea’s first telephone, refrigerator and black & white television. In the succeeding years it diversified into oil refining, construction, semiconductor and finance. LG adopted the new name and corporate identity in 1995 from the company’s two foremost brands Lucky and Gold star. Various Stages in LG’s Growth Path LG –THE COMPANY LG Electronics India Ltd. is a subsidiary of LG Group, which is a 53-year-old business group of South Korea. LG is a US $80 billion business group with 1, 30,000 employees. It is the third largest Korean Company and it started its operation in India just six years back. LG has established its corporate office at Noida along with the production facilities there. It has a network of 17 branches in major cities spread all over India. LG is a company where they believe that people are the most important resource. It was rated as the 6th best employer to work for in India by Business Today in a survey conducted across a range of corporate all over India. â€Å"At LG we always put people first. † this is the slogan with which the company is running its HR policy. LG believes itself to be global company with presence over 175 countries across the globe with a champion spirit. LG LAYOUT LG Electronics, Greater Noida is located on the outskirts of the city having very little habitation. It has two main buildings- Building A and B. Building A has the corporate office, R&D Center, Washing Machine, A/C Assembly line, ELT room, Ware house, Stores etc. Building B has the CTV, Monitor line, PCB Line. On the first floor, an office with Production, Production Engineering, Materials, Quality Assurance and E-Source Department is situated. LG –PHILOSOPHY The management philosophy is ‘To create value for customers through management based on esteem of human dignity ’. LG’s vision is to bring a smiling face to every home across the globe. The logo of LG is in harmony with their vision. The smiling face logo symbolizes five key concepts – World, Future, Youth, and Human and Technology. LG believes that an effective combination of these elements would make better future a reality for the organization. LG has been exploring ways to develop, combine and apply technologies that would customize products and services to meet customer needs and exceed their expectations. LG aims at creating a healthy and better life for every family. LG – PRODUCT IDENTITY PI (Product Identity) means to embody and to sustain the brand image through product design. CIPD is the process to make products identity & uniqueness gradually for customers’ recognition of brand and its value. LG – CORPORATE IMAGE AND PI As an essential factor in connection between customers and company, product conveys the image of company to its customers. CIPD, Corporate Identity through Product Design, aims at propagation of sustaining LG's identity as well as its establishment through consistent design activities, which will help us to gain the trust from customers. LG – THE STRATEGY AND POLICY LG group has laid its foundation on three core values, which are central to the company in each and every respect of its business and working. The three core values are Innovation, Openness and Partnership. Innovation: Creating new and unique values. Openness: Responding to changing environment with an open mind and flexible behavior. Partnership: Establishing cooperative relationships to ensure the best performance as we enter fully. LG believes its core competencies to be Design, Technology, Marketing and Networking. Marketing: The ability to clearly understand and analyze customer needs and then link them to business, continuously controlling the brand image Technology: The ability to develop unique product concepts with new proprietary technology ahead of others and then commercialize them. Design: The ability to plan projects and business effectively to maximize results. Networking: The ability to create win-win relationship opportunities based on one's strengths in specific sectors and make them into assets. It is the integration of its value with its competencies that LG has been able to achieve the success at such a fast rate. The company claims itself to be the most e-mail friendly company and service with a smile is the motto of the company. 3. 3 VISION OF LG ELECTRONICS 3. 4 STRATEGIC SUPPLY CHAIN MANAGEMENT IN LG ELECTRONICS The term strategy has been derived from the word ‘strategos’ which means â€Å"generalship†. In olden days it was more used in wars but with passage of time it know been implemented in all spheres whether it is management, planning etc. Without a well thought strategy an organization can not think of making big because of the growing competition and improved and better ways of production. As such the strategy used by LG is Shorter product life cycle, improved quality, faster delivery lower price, which have define its success. It is based on the formula: Competitiveness = competitive assets x competitive process Beside this some of the important imperatives for the supply chain strategy are as follows: ? Emergence of global sourcing as a viable strategy; ?Global network of manufacturing and marketing; ?Global business process revolution and global process transfer; ? Shifting patterns of competitive advantage; ?Emergence of integrated enterprise of management system architecture; ? General trend towards integrated solutions. . 5 MAJOR TRENDS IN SUPPLY CHAIN MANAGEMENT CO- MAKERSHIP It is defined as the development of a long term relationship with limited number of suppliers on the basis of mutual confidence. The main benefits of co makership is shorter delivery lead times, reliable delivery promises, faster implementation of deign changes etc. The basic philosophy und erline co makership is that the suppliers are treated as an extension of the customer’s factory with emphasis on continuity and end to end pipeline. USE OF THIRD PARTY LOGISTICS A decision to use third party logistic should be based on the organization needs, service provider capabilities etc. Outsourcing operations like storage, transportation, improve service levels, enhance flexibility and reduce cost. It also helps in reducing investment in assets and enables organization to access to newer technology. PRINCIPLE OF PROCUREMENT Activities that are done up to the last moment like packaging, labeling, etc is known as principle of procurement. The main aim of this principle is to minimize the risk of carrying finished product inventory at various points in the supply chain by delaying product differentiations to the latest possible moment before customer purchase. However it should be noted that postponement should not lead to compromise on the desired service level. 3. 6 APPLICATION IN LG ELECTRONICS Supply chain management has in recent years has played an important role in all the industries concerned. It has not only paved way for the induction of information technology but has also helped the manufactures in easy procurement of material and transferring the same to the ultimate consumer. Without going further in detail we try to see the application of supply chain in the following areas: RETAILERS Retailers are the second last chain in the distribution of the product to the ultimate consumer. Since they are at constant touch with the customer they are in a better position to understand their needs and wants. As such they send request to the distributors and to the manufactures for goods which are in demand. The manufactures through a well defined supply chain are able to send goods to the retailers. In the absence of this chain the manufactures can lose the customer. Thus supply chain at as an important tool in maintaining customer satisfaction and loyalty. SUPPLIERS In today’s scenario companies are not required to stock commodities in bulk owing to fluctuation in the market related to product preference. As such manufactures do not store raw material but place orders as and when the need arise. Here the role of supply chain comes into picture as it helps the supplier in providing material to the manufacture at an appropriate time. MARKET SEGMENTATION Supply chain helps in the segmentation of customers based on the service needs of distinct groups and adaptation to serve these segments profitability. This kind of segmentation can result in better prediction of the demand from the individual customers. Further segmentation also leads to know the demand of the products among the customer and also to know the future customer preference. 3. 7 CONCLUSION It has been seen from the past that when ever something innovative is been introduced in the business arena it has created a platform for something to happen. The introduction of supply chain has immensely benefited the manufactures as know they have a well defined line of procurement of material and transferring the finished product to the ultimate customer. Further it creates an essence which focuses on the creation of value. It is a network of business process used to deliver products and service. Supply chain also sees the organizational relationship in order to get the information necessary to run the business and to generate profits. This concept not only includes relationship with the internal business function but also those with all trading partners outside the firm. Brand image Brand value Brand equity 4. 1 Brand image The importance of brand differentiation based on quality, design and technological innovation was a key topic at the sixth LG Electronics PR Forum held in Beirut. Titled ‘Shaping the Future of Excellence', the two-day meet discussed strategy and best practice and explored the importance of PR to brand building. More than 45 delegates from LG's regional headquarters, Seoul head office, and Middle East and Africa PR agencies attended the forum. Markets represented included the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Jordan, Lebanon, Morocco, Tunisia, Algeria, Turkey, Kenya, Nigeria, South Africa, Iran and Pakistan. LG's new global management strategy, Blue Ocean, aims to establish LG as a top-three consumer electronics company by 2010, doubling sales volumes, profits and shareholder benefits. Flagship or ‘Blue Ocean' products that demonstrate market leadership, high sales and profit performance will accelerate brand growth, and LG hopes that 30 per cent of sales and 50 per cent of profits will come from Blue Ocean products by 2010. ‘Well planned communication and PR campaigns play a critical role in achieving ambitious business goals and establishing LG as a premium brand,' said K. W Kim, President, LG Electronics Middle East and Africa. ‘As we move away from conventional business practices, Blue Ocean demands that we deliver a genuine point of difference for LG products. PR will bring the new strategy to life in multiple cultures and markets. ‘ ‘The sixth LG PR Forum in the Middle East and Africa has helped strengthen systems and share valuable new thinking. ‘ The forum received presentations on word of mouth marketing, e-PR, and photography. LG also invited representatives of leading print and TV media to share important industry perspectives. An issues and crisis management workshop was held on the last day of the forum. 4. 2 Brand value LG Electronics India Pvt. Ltd has 0 positive reviews and 0 negative reviews. Established in 1997, LG Electronics India Pvt. Ltd. (LGEIL), is a wholly owned subsidiary of LG Electronics, South Korea. It is South Korea’s second largest electronics maker and the world’s third largest appliance maker. With headquarters in the LG Twin Towers on Yeouido, Seoul, LG Electronics is the flagship company of LG Group, one of the largest chaebols. The company has 75 subsidiaries worldwide that design and manufacture televisions, home appliances, and telecommunications devices. LG Electronics owns Zenith Electronics and controls LG Displays, a joint venture with Philips Electronics. In India for a decade now, LG is the market leader in consumer durables and recognised as a leading technology innovator in the information technology and mobile communications business . LG is the acknowledged trendsetter for the consumer durable industry in India with the fastest ever nationwide reach, latest global technology and product innovation. LG Electronics was originally established in 1958 as GoldStar, producing radios, TVs, refrigerators,washing machines, and air conditioners. The LG Group was a merger of two Korean companies, Lucky and GoldStar, from which the abbreviation of LG was derived. The current â€Å"Life’s Good† slogan is a backronym. Before the corporate name change to LG, household products were sold under the brand name of Lucky, while electronic products were sold under the brand name of GoldStar. The GoldStar brand is still perceived as a discount brand. One of the most formidable brands, LGEIL has an impressive portfolio of Consumer Electronics, Home Appliances, GSM mobile phones and IT products. LG Electronics India Pvt. Ltd. , a wholly owned subsidiary of LG Electronics, South Korea was established in January, 1997 after clearance from the Foreign Investment Promotion Board (FIPB). The trend of beating industry norms started with the fastest ever-nationwide launch by LG in a period of 4 and 1/2 months with the commencement of operations in May 1997. LG set up a state-of-the art manufacturing facility at Greater Noida, near Delhi, in 1998, with an investment of Rs 500 Crores. This facility manufactured Colour Televisions, Washing Machines, Air-Conditioners and Microwave Ovens. In the year 2000, LG Information & Communications merged the world’s first Internet-enabled refrigerator resulting in Global sales of refrigerators reaching the number one position. During the year 2001, LG also commenced the home production for its eco-friendly Refrigerators and established its assembly line for its PC Monitors at its Greater Noida manufacturing unit. The beginning of 2003 saw the roll out of the first locally manufactured Direct Cool Refrigerator from the plant at Greater Noida. In 2004, LGEIL also up its second Greenfield manufacturing unit in Pune, Maharashtra that commences operations in October 2004. Covering over 50 acres, the facility manufactures LCD TV, GSM Phones, Color Televisions, Air Conditioners, Refrigerators, Microwave Ovens Color Monitors. Both the Indian manufacturing units has been designed with the latest technologies at par with international standards at South Korea and are one of the most Eco-friendly units amongst all LG manufacturing plants in the world. LG has been able to craft out in ten years, a premium brand positioning in the Indian market and is today the most preferred brand in the segment. Business Domains of LGEIL: Mobile Communications LG is a global leader in mobile communications, specializing in UMTS, CDMA, and GSM handsets. Thanks to its wide range of wired and wireless options, the company is becoming a force to be reckoned with on the international market. In India LG is targeting GSM handset business in premium trend setter segment, Camera & music segment & color screen segment. Digital Appliances LG changing homes in many ways, offering customers exceptional value and convenience. Innovative digital appliances range from 100% washer dryer with direct drive technology, built-in LCD TV refrigerator, Lightwave cooking oven (solardom) to artcool split air conditioner. Digital Display LG offers a wide range of digital display products, equipped with customer-oriented designs and technologies. With its LCD TVs, Full HD Plasma TVs, Ultra-slim Color TVs, LCD monitors LG is pulling out all the stops to remain the front-runner in today’s digital display industry. Digital Media LG has a great interest in digital media and is continually developing and producing digital convergence products that promise to enrich the lives of its customers. The company produces Laptops, Personal Computers, LCD monitors, CRT monitors & Optical Storage Devices. 4. 3 Brand equity LG Electronics India Ltd (LGEIL), consumer durables leader with 27% market share, is planning a brand new image. To attract aspirational and young consumers across India, company will roll out a new marketing strategy. The exercise will cost the company Rs 360 crore. V Ramchandran, Director – Sales and marketing, LGEIL says, â€Å"In the last ten years since the parent company launched India operation under LG Electronics India, we assumed leadership position in home appliances and consumer durable items. Company was focused on the segment as per consumer demand. However, the scenario is different now. † Besides reliability and affordability, there's an aspirational value attached to electronic appliances, a sea change from the past. And hence the image makeover. The first step, to communicate LG's quality and brand equity, has been the launch of Brand Shoppes, dedicated outlets of LG products in metros. † Ramchandran says. He explained, †Young consumer is a ware about new designs and advanced technology. Top class consumers spend more and don't mind spending more to fulfill their aspiration. In India 50-60 % consumer are young and willing to purchase new, different, attractive and exciting items. † In a bid to meet the challenges of an increasingly mature retail environment in the country and redefining the standards for digital lifestyle retailing, it is necessary to focus on brand image. LG Brand Shoppe goes beyond the concept of a normal exclusive store by having a more interactive environment and additional lifestyle orientation on display so that the customer can actually experience the LG products in his or her own home settings. †Company is setting up a chain of exclusive premium showrooms. LG plans to launch 60 premium Brand Shoppes by the end of the first quarter of this year,† he said. At present, LG has a total of 83 LG stores across the country, of which 45 are shoppes and 38 are exclusive stores. Brand shoppes will be placed in the premium segment and the target audience will comprise buyers interested in premium and high end products. Online Brand Audit 5. 1 Online Brand Audit Every day at Friends of the Earth Scotland we receive calls asking us about environmentally friendly products: whether it is really worth recycling and how to go about greening the office. Our Online Audit is designed to answer these questions. It is aimed at those putting green office policy into practice and those who want to protect the environment but may not have the time or the money to immediately overhaul the workplace. To work towards a greener office environment we all have to look at the resources we use and reduce the waste and pollution that is created each working day. We hope that this audit will provide solutions and guidance in creating that greener office. Greening the Office Online Audit The audit includes basic information on identifying environmental impacts and finding solutions. The majority of the questions will apply to all offices. Supporting Information The fact sheets provide practical information on the main topics. There are also directories of web based links to sources of further information, green office suppliers, environmental calculators. Green Office Action Plan For even more information on Greening the Office, we have produced a comprehensive easy-to-use guide, the Green Office Action Plan (GOAP). It has additional background information on all the topics (and more) included in our Online Audit. The GOAP includes practical â€Å"blow-up† pages, audit templates, facts and figures, green suppliers and additional sources of information. All information contained in the Green Office Online Audit, including details of companies, organisations, their products and services is believed to be correct at the time of initial launch in June 2003. Friends of the Earth Scotland cannot be held responsible for any services or goods offered by the companies contained in the Directory, nor do we endorse any environmental claims made by the said companies. Supply Chain Management with other Departments SUPPLY CHAIN MANAGEMENT WITH OTHER DEPARTMENTS 7. 1 INTRODUCTION A supply chain management is the hub of a large part of a company’s business activity. By its very nature, it has tried to maintain cordial relationship with all other departments in the firm, as well with the supplier’s. The reason been as it has to operate in accordance and in line with all other departments. I have tried to learn the role of supply chain with some of the departments in LG Electronics, to which a brief description I am giving below: . 2 SUPPLY CHAIN AND MANUFACTURING Supply chain plays an important role in the manufacturing, because it aims at procurement of material at the right time and through the right channels. Maintaining coordination between the two pays off in many ways. It assists in the efforts by obtaining faster responses from the supplier, working with suppliers to improve their capabilities etc, which is generally not seen in t he common scenario. Other important issue noticed is that of the information technology which have greatly simplified the relationship between the two. Use of computers and other sophisticated software allow the firm material resources planning system to communicate seamlessly with the counterpart system at the firm suppliers. All these factors contribute a lot in reducing the direct cost and offsetting the increase in the material coast, besides adding added benefits like of skilled machinists and expensive machine tools and other high priority work. 7. 3 SUPPLY CHAIN AND MARKETING Supply chain should be marketing best friend as it directly or indirectly affects the sales process of LG Electronics. Further in case the product is not demanded or the sale is less than in that case the supply management department can be intimated and they can further reduce the procurement of the material from the supplier. Beside this supply chain also provides immediate information regarding increase in the material price. This helps the marketing department to evaluate the effects of rises in price estimates given for the future sales quotations, on current selling price and on plans for the future product lines. As such LG Electronics emphasis that the supply chain and marketing department must wisely blend their interest in the area of customer. There should be a correlation between the two so that what ever has been advertised by the marketing department is been produced and delivered to the customer. This is only possible when the supply chain of the organization is efficient and effective in the procurement and maintaining a regular flow of material in the organization. 7. 4 SUPPLY CHAIN MANAGEMENT AND FINANCE The finance department of LG Electronics is charged with two principle responsibility – obtaining funds and overseeing their use. Supply chain of LG is responsible for as much as 80 percentage of firm’s financial resources. As such the chief financial officer has a vested interest in cost efficient supply chain management. This department has some very important role to play in supply chain as it determines the amount of resources that the firm needs to procure, when to procure, what to procure etc. If this department of LG is not efficient it will not be able to make an impact on the supply chain as everything is depended upon the financial resources. Further it helps in effective investment so that the company does not have to pay higher price for the same material at the later stages. Further it make prompt reimbursement to supplier which ultimately helps in maintaining goodwill in the minds of the supplier and also obtaining good quality of material at lower cost. As such supply chain and the finance department should coordinate on expenditure that has significant impact on the firm’s cash position. . 5 SUPPLY CHAIN MANAGEMENT AND QUALITY In LG Electronics major emphasis is been given to quality both in terms of raw material procurement and finished goods. As such quality professionals are involved not only in maintaining quality but also undertaking the development of new products, sourcing and minimizing quality problem throughout the supply chain. 7. 6 FOUR PHASES OF SUPPLY CHAIN MANAGEMENT IN LG ELECTRONICS The four phases of supply management require many perspective and inputs best obtained through a cross – functional approach. The four phases of supply management are as follows: 1. GENERATION OF REQUIREMENT – the generation of requirement is a critical activity that results in the identification of material to be purchased, along with the development of specification and statement of work describing the requirements. This is an important phase since most of the designing is done relating to purchasing material, service and equipment. It also takes into account the commercial issues like cost, availability, substitute and alike. 2. SOURCING- the main aim is relating to the identification and selection of the supplier whose cost, quality, technology, dependability and service best suits the need’s of the firm. Thus it not only aims at identification but also in maintaining cordial relationship with them. 3. POST- AWARD ACTIVITIES- this activity ensures that the firm receives what was ordered on time and at the price and quality specified. The activities that are been included are supplier development, technical assistance, troubleshooting, and the management of contract and the resultant relationship. 4. SUPPLY MANAGEMENT SYSTEMS- it is very important for a firm to have a management system. A cross functional approach to supply management allows each functional area affected by the procurement of material, equipment, and service to be involved at a point where it may contribute to the lowest total cost. For instance we take the case of ‘operation has it in the productivity implication of different material’. Although such activities do not participate early enough to voice their concern and needs. Customer Focus in Supply Chain Management CUSTOMER FOCUS IN SUPPLY CHAIN MANAGEMENT . 1 INRODUCTION Supply chain management has in recent years has acquired immense attention in the industry circle. The growing interest can be attributed to he rapid changes in the global business scenario. It has know been looked upon as an expanded responsibility to attain value optimization, and to compete on a variety of dimension such as cost, quality, and flexibility. As such when we focus our study towards customer we basically try to identify: ? The significance of customer in the supply chain; ?The importance of customer-driven strategies; The various strategies of customer satisfaction; ?The imperatives for supply chain management; ?The rationale of supply chain management towards customer. 8. 2 FOCUS ON CUSTOMER SERVICE Effective customer service has become a competitive requirement and a way to attract and retain customer. A focus logistics and customer service strategy is still a dream of various companies, to which LG is responding positively. The reason been the company articulated and consistent customer service goals and the logistic function within the supply chain management has dominantly remained focused. Despite all these efforts it is still trying to accomplish a complete customer service by taking into account the following: ? To provide a quantitative understanding of the customer requirement for each element of customer service, like delivery, reliability, availability etc; ? To measure the relative importance of each element of customer service; ? To asses the performance of the company and of its major competitors for each element of customer service; ? To provide an understanding of the relative significance of customer service issues related like price, product and quality. These above mentioned service can be of great benefit if properly conceived and implemented. Beside this, survey can provide a clear direction to the logistic function allowing it to focus energies on creating and managing a system that most efficiently achieve the consensus. 8. 3 CUSTOMER SEGMENTATION A useful and very powerful tool for understanding the customer requirement is to segment them on the basis of some common characteristics. This helps the company to have a bird’s view about its customer. Especially in case of onsumer durable industry like LG Electronics whose focus is on understanding customer requirement and organizing activities to serve the customer. But in the era of cut throat competition LG is trying to device new ways of grouping customer. One of these approaches is account segmentation which organizes customer into common groups based upon their common attributes. Through this approach LG is trying to identify market segment that is well positioned to se rve and than organize its product and service offering to serve them in a distinctively superior way. Another way is the creative account segment which allows them to think new ways about the customer requirements. 8. 4 CUSTOMER – CENTRIC SUPPLY CHAIN In the context of present scenario ‘customer satisfaction’ is something that keeps on revolving in the minds of the competitors with reference to as how they could capture the market and have their dominance in terms of their product in the market. As such the focus has know shifted from product centered to customer centered because customer is considered as the king and unless they do not consume the products the company cannot be successful At times we do hear that companies are not able to mark their presence in the market in terms of their product, and if we go for the reasoning we find that there are two attributes or reasons-not keeping in mind customer requirement, and because of not having a clear statement of vision and mission. When we talk in terms of LG Electronics we find that LG because of its sound policy and practical approach is able to provide the best service in the industry besides keeping lower cost than that of its competitors. This has being possible because it has prepared a clear written statement of his mission of the supply chain which is in consistent with key corporate strategic thrust. This helps LG in attaining its target and remaining its loyalty towards its customer. These targets further acts as guidelines for designing and fine tuning the supply chain system and to track actual performance against the target that has been set. Know we take into consideration the various important aspects of customer service on which LG Electronics has emphasized and because of which it has mastered its success at the global level. These important aspects are: ? Ability to fill the complete order ?Accurate documentation ?After- sales service ?Assistance with design changes ?Availability of spare parts ?Competence and availability of technical representatives 8. 5 ENVIRONMENTAL FACTORS Environmental factors also do have a strong bearing on the manufactures to produce goods which are acceptable to the society and are appreciated. If the factors are not taken into consideration then it would be very difficult for the company to sell its products in the market. Based upon these LG Electronics always take into consideration these factors. As such I have tried to identify these factors, which are been divided into two parts: 1). External Economy 2). Internal Management External Economy: ?Recessionary economy ?Rising/falling prime interest rate and condition of equity markets ? Increasing international regulations involving – 1) Product Related 2) Environmental (ISO 14000/Euro II) 3) Safety ?Increasing transportation cost Internal management ?Repositioning supply chain management ?Integration and upgrading of customer order processing function using IT ? Computer modeling of large scale distribution system ?Pressure on inventory reductions from top management Better use of data processing capability using IT ?Experience gained from period of product shortage with lower customer shortage service levels specially in developing economies As such LG Electronics focus its attention on serving their customer the way their customer wants to be served for that it must address five important areas: ? Understanding custome r service needs ?Value added capabilities ?Redesign the logistic network structure and operating policies ? Identifying the performance level or the level of acceptance along with a comparison with key competitors CHAPTER SEVEN RESEARCH METHODOLOGY It is a conclusive research which is based on operational procedure of LG Electronics. The finding of this project is based on qualitative data rather than quantitative data. Therefore the major finding would be dynamic in nature. The analysis of this project is presented through graphical presentation based on data collected. Some of the quantitative and qualitative method will be used as per requirement of the research work. SOURCES OF DATA COLLECTION In this study of mine I would be collecting the data through two sources, which has been as follows: Primary Data: . Personal interview 2. Questionnaire Secondary Data: 1. Journals 2. Magazine 3. Company Bulletin 4. Search Engine – Google CHAPTER EIGHT DATA ANALYSIS AND DICUSSION An Overview This chapter focus its attention on the data analysis of the responses received as a part of the questionnaire that was been filled by them. The graphical representation would also help me in proving my hypothesis which I have set in my study. Along with that I would be focusing my attention on some others aspect but they will be correlated to supply chain in some form or the other. The graphical representation would be self explanatory; beside this some data in form of theory would also be written to help the reader or the evaluator to understand it completely. 8. 1 Use of information technology while implementing supply chain management Information technology has always played an important role in the diversified field. When we specifically talk in terms of supply chain of LG we found that employees are willing to accept it, as responded by them in the questionnaire since it indirectly benefit them. The following diagram 1 represents the same Note N represents sample size . 2 Results delivered by supply chain This diagram 2 includes the response of basically of the middle management who are in a better position to say about the whether supply chain has delivered results to LG Electronics or not. Note N= Sample size 8. 3 Purchasing of additional software for supply chain Note: N = sample size 8. 4 Application of Information Technology in supply chain Here the m ain reason for asking such a question is to know the application of IT with special reference to satisfaction level. Note N = sample size 8. 5 Reason for implementing supply chain When organizations introduce something new there is some purpose or logic behind it. In case of supply chain we have tried to figure out the context in which the concepts is implemented and the area of its greats impact. The diagram 5 represents the logic or purpose Note N= sample size 8. 6 Training to employees about supply chain In this diagram 6 we our trying to figure out the complexity involved in supply chain training or that it a simple way process. In this question I got a mixed response from the employees, because a different kind of training was provided to different employees. As such a standard training is not given to all the employees. Note N = sample size 8. 7 Performance response of supply chain working Note N = sample size 8. 8 Preference for the procurement of material Supply chain of LG Electronics is depended on the procurement of material. Since the material is required on a continuous basis the management of the company needs to identify the preference sources from where to procure material. Diagram 8 represents the source from where the material is taken along with percentage quantity. Note N = sample size 8. Supply chain management effect on decision making LG Electronics as researched has tried to offset a negative impact of decision on the flow of supply chain. Due emphasis is paid to see that there is no delayed action that directly or indirectly affect the supply chain. Note N = sample size CHAPTER NINE GENERAL OBSERVATION FINDING OF THE STUDY ?Supply chain management is a relatively a new subject of study, therefore should be cautiously b e used in order to be effective; ? The primary data collected revealed that employees show enthusiasm towards the new concept introduced; ? The research reveals that supply chain is most effective in the procurement and distribution of goods; ? The future prospects of supply chain are challenging and competitive; ? The research reveals that the objective of supply chain is to achieve operational excellence; ? Supply chain facilitate executives in formulating a comprehensive strategy and control framework; ? Supply chain is an effective tool for increasing profitability, market share, and responsiveness; SWOT Analysis of LG Electronics Strengths: ?Young and Dynamic management; Strong desire among the employees to improve the existing system and procedure; ? Broader frame of mind of employees reflected by their acceptance of changes in their working patterns; ? Company’s name and its goodwill in the market. Weakness: ?To much paper work is involved in the procurement of material; ? Not a healthy information storage leading to delays in passing orders; ? Too many vendors; ?No specific standard for the procurement of material. Opportunities: ?Growing market for consumer durables which makes an effective supply chain use; ? Information technology can be effectively explored; ?A field of study with lot of growth opportunities; ?Increased market share due to quick flow of finished products. Threats: ?Not easy flow of material as desired due to increased competition; ? Technological advancement is a major threat ; ?Numbers of competitors. CHAPTER TEN CONCLUSION Managing faster supply chain has become imperative to gain and sustain competitive advantage. The challenge of the modern manufacturing company is to keep a holistic approach towards the management for remaining competitive on an international basis. The focus is on the increasing importance of the supply chain function to corporate competitiveness As such a study of 100 random samples of LG employees in supply department was conducted in order to understand the effective use of supply chain management and its application in the light of information technology. Research was conducted accordingly and a favorable response was seen among the employees towards the adoption of supply chain management which can be seen from the graphical representation. The conclusion drawn is that most of the employees feel that use of information technology in supply chain would definitely going to enefit the organization in the long run. Thus the hypothesis set by me is accepted since LG do believe that information technology has important role to play in the supply chain management. Further they should form a strong customer and supplier database and underline some strategies in order to promote the supply chain and make employees aware about it. C HAPTER ELEVEN RECOMMENDATION FOR FURTHER STUDY Supply chain management is an integrated document useful for understanding the most essential business process of an enterprise and useful in confronting emerging challenges posed by the external environment. In my study of supply chain management in LG Electronics, I have tried to depict, supply chain in the light of information technology. That is how information technology can be a useful tool in the implementation and successful operating of supply chain. As such following are the recommendation for further study in relation to the points that needs to be focused: ? To study the benefits of an integrated framework for a coordinated system working and its effective use relating to supply chain; ? To study the recent developments in the field of Information Technology and its use in supply chain; ? To understand the implication of various technologies on the supply chain; ? To understand the significance of an environment friendly supply chain; ? To understand the basic trade off involved in the selection of supply chain; ? To study the benefits of being competitive through the elements of supply chain management strategy as used by. BIBLIOGRAPHY 1. Essential of supply chain management By Dr. R. P. Mohanty and Dr. S. G. Deshmukh 2. World class supply chain management By Burt. Dobler. Starling 3. Journal on Industrial technology 4. Journal on supply chain management 5. Company Bulletin, Magazine, newspaper 6. www. google. co. in . www. lg. com REVIEW OF LITERATURE The first view of purchasing was the material management concept. Undoubtedly this movement was accelerated by the Second World War – the rapid growth of aerospace firm and the influence of military logistic. But by the end of mid 1950’s, material management concept gain significance with the introduction of supply chain management. The manager of the organization felt that production control and in plant material movement was their function. As such material requirement planning was forced in the organization, to look at the entire flow of both incoming material and outgoing finished goods as a system. In between them the purchasing was caught with constant changing delivery dates, order and quantity etc. As such a book written by â€Å"D. N. Burt† represents a major bridge from material management to supply chain management. He develops cross functional team approach which is build on synergy advantage of material management but expanded it to include suppliers. Here the major ownership is being on ownership cost. As such supply chain management is the upstream of the organization value chain and is responsible for ensuring that the right material service and echnology are purchased from the right source, at the right time and is directed towards the end or the ultimate user. Questionnaire 1. Which Supply Chain Management software/Method do you use? ?Please specify. .. .. . . 2. Did you make use of Information Technology when implementing your supply chain management software? ?Yes ?No 3. Did your supply chain software deliver the result expected or promised by the company? ?Yes ?No 4. Did your supply chain software require additional expenditure to customize the program to your company operation? ?Yes ?No 5. How often do you need to purchase upgrades for your supply chain software? ?Often ?Sometimes ?Rarely ?Do not purchase 6. Would you like to purchase additional software for the company? ?Yes ?No 7. How satisfied were you with the application of Information Technology in supply chain management? ?Satisfied ?Somewhat Satisfied ?Undecided ?Dissatisfied 8. What was the main reason you to implement the supply chain management? ?Planning ?Map out supply chain function ?Solve conflicting objective within supply chain