Solution To Hanjin Problems Information Technology Essay

Solution To Hanjin Problems Information Technology Essay Shipping by its nature is a very competitive and a very complex industry. Martin Stopford, 1997 Shipping companies have to operate on a global scale and manage offices all around the world and work with a diverse work force. Merchant shipping is one of the most highly regulated industries in the world. Hence information systems play a very important role in the management of the shipping company. In this essay we will analyse a case study of how Hanjin shipping used information systems grow as a leading shipping company. Hanjin is a global transportation and Logistics Company. (Hanjin shipping, 2010).The company operates around 200 ships, mainly container vessels, gas tankers and bulk carriers. Hanjin ships are trading worldwide. Hanjin transport cargo to more than 100million tons a year to 6000 destinations worldwide. (Hanjin shipping, 2010) Companys sales network includes 200 international branch offices and 30 corporations. Over all the company is expanding rapidly on a global sca le and is also venturing into new shipping related business. Business problems Hanjin was increasing its global operations by opening new container terminals, buying new large ships, going in alliance with container lines. Hanjin lacked the logistics required to be competent in the container industry. Its 10 year old ERP systems lacked functionality and flexibility required to operate such a complex and big organisation (Oracle 2008). Hanjin understood that without end to end logistics solutions they cannot compete in container business. Hanjin also faced problems controlling procurement costs and to meet the global regulatory requirements (Oracle 2008). The data collection system was done manually and hence it was time consuming and prone to errors. Hanjin have a work force of around 4000 which are employed all around the world. It was increasing difficult for Hanjin to manage such a large and diverse work force. Solution to Hanjin problems As a solution to the problems Hanjin was facing due to its global expansion it decided to launch Process innovation project. The process innovation purpose was to establish advanced management structure and strengthening its organisational capabilities. (Sustainability report, 2006). The project applied to business process and organization structure as well as the corporate cultures based on adopting the advanced IT infrastructure. (Sustainability report, 2006, p.27). Hanjin decided to re-engineer their business process using best practice models for their ERP systems so as to gain global competitiveness. This system was going to be a long term solution, it will not directly show on balance sheet but it will be platform for launching new business projects (Business report 2006). Hanjin also decided to shift to customer based business by ensuring good service and increased customer satisfaction. Process Innovation Project The process innovation project team was assembled in October 2004 and then they spent 5 months for mapping the new systems and the process. The project will be implemented gradually on a step by step basis. The process innovation project was to be implemented during a period of 3 years. Source: (Hanjin Sustainability report, 2008, pg.27) The main aim of process innovation was to be customer centred and a profitability oriented management company. The information system used to re-in force the organisational capabilities and will prepare the management to be more customers focused. The information system development contracts were given to companies which were best in the business (Oracle, 2008). ERP was given to ORACLE while others were given to Siebel and Hyperion. During the process of project Oracle acquired Siebel and Hyperion which resulted in seamless integration and customer support. (Oracle, 2008). Information Systems (ERP) Enterprise Resource planning: Enterprise system integrates the key business processes into single system. In this system the flow of information is seamless throughout the organisation (Laudon laudon, 2007). Hanjins Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) Internal system Internal system Source: Author generated Hanjin integrated business process such as finance and accounting, capital asset planning, human resource, procurement process. They used these for smooth flow of information in their internal system. The companys senior management was involved in the projects implementation. The Managing director and CIO of Hanjin Shipping said that To improve our global competitiveness, we needed an IT solution that supported extensive process reengineering (Oracle, 2008, pg.1). Hanjin decided to invest about 57.7 million USD on this project. They standardised the management and data collections methods, restructured the flow of data between their business systems and prepared a dictionary so as to make it easier for the staff to follow new system. As the system was implemented on a step by step basis, gradually the staff could see the benefits of the system and they were not resilient to changes, but they were will to share information in between different divisions. Company also adopted other bes t practice guidelines such as training and educating the staff, use of software support and maintenance. Benefits of Information system Source: (Hanjin Sustainability report, 2008, pg.27) The above diagram is explained using the generic model of 6Cs for explaining business benefits. Lower Cost: The e-sourcing system assisted them to procure products from a list of suppliers and they were benefited from competitive pricing which resulted in procurement costs. Cost saving per customer was increased due to increased efficiency (Oracle, 2008). Improved Communication: As the data was consolidated into a single system, hence staff gained an integrated view of operations (Oracle, 2008). Improved Management Control: New ERP systems and re-engineering process helped in improved business management. This gave the managers a complete view of the companys operations and also equipped the staff with detailed information they required to plan, execute and evaluate complex initiatives. The managers were also able to make decisions and ensure problems were addressed immediately. Performance evaluation was easier and could be easily done on a global basis and medium and long term strategy planning could be done due to data availability. (Oracle, 2008) New Capability: HR platform helped in improving the efficiency of the department. The new system helped the managers to view complete history of the staff and also discard applications. This resulted in increased efficiency of HR staff which could focus more on attracting and retaining skilled employees and also train them. (Oracle, 2008) Improved Customer Service: Due to its service network it could respond faster to customers demands. Detailed sales and marketing plans could be developed. (Oracle, 2008) Competitive Advantage: Hanjin got the recognition of a reliable logistics partner. (Sustainability report, 2008). In April 2008 Hanjin got the highest awards in logistics in Korea. (Sustainability report, 2008). Future business plans The project improved the overall performance of the company process. In future company aims to invest more in their IT systems which aims to complement their management systems as well as front office work. (Business report 2007). As the internal system implementation was completed the company now is ready to develop shipping/logistics related business which will become the companys next driving forces. Banking on their internal system they are stepping closer to become a Global logistics company. They are also planning to expand its 3PL (3rd party logistics) business by extending its global network (Hanjin Shipping, 2008). In line with their Process Innovation project they have also launched another project Knowledge management. (Sustainability report, 2008) Conclusion: The project taken by Hanjin to rebuild its business process by the use of information systems was strategically very important. Hanjin is a global organisation with different functions, organisational levels and many business processes; hence ERP system was the correct choice of information system. This project became the base to implement advance business process which complement their information systems and also increase the efficiency of the company. It helped the company to be more customers focused which is a key strategy in current times. They could venture into new aspects of business such as logistics. The selection of Oracle and Siebel was also correct because they were the best in the business. Hanjin made correct decision by integrating all systems together. The acquisition of Siebel and Hyperion by Oracle ensured that the systems have seamless integration and continuous support. The information systems which they used were in line with their business strategies which res ulted in success of the project.

An Argument Against Breed-Specific Legislation Essay -- Argumentative,

The term â€Å"breed-specific legislation† is not one that comes up often in day-to-day discussion for most people. Breed-specific legislation refers to all laws that seek to restrict or eliminate ownership of certain animal breeds, most often dog breeds. It was first conceived as a method of controlling and reducing animal cruelty, as well as mitigating the occurrence of dog-related human injuries and the illegal activities of dog-fighting and related crimes. Breed-specific legislation is distinct from animal control laws that restrict ownership of wild or demonstrably dangerous (those with a past history of unacceptable, aggressive behavior) animals, because breed-specific legislation makes a blanket restriction on all animals of a certain breed regardless of individual history. This means that breed-specific legislation is often promulgated on the basis of breed reputation. In recent years it is the pit bull which has come under the scrutiny of legislative bodies, as their reputation becomes more and more sullied by street crime. To say â€Å"pit bull,† however, is a vague reference to several pit bull types, which are considered separate breeds by registries like the American Kennel Club (AKC). Each type has a slightly different breeding history; many began with the breeding of bulldogs with terriers to produce a loyal, compact and tenacious breed (â€Å"American Pit Bull Terrier†). The standard three pit bull types most often mentioned by name in breed-specific legislation include the American Pit Bull Terrier, the American Staffordshire Terrier, and the Staffordshire Bull Terrier. That is not the extent of the legislation, however, which also includes dogs that â€Å"substantially conform to the breed standards established by the American Ken... ...e 2010. Web. 22 Nov. 2010. Cohen, Judy, and John Richardson. â€Å"Pit Bull Panic.† Journal of Popular Culture 36.2 (2002): 297. Academic Search Premier. Web. 21 Nov. 2010. â€Å"Dog Bite: Fact Sheet.† Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. CDC, 1 Apr. 2008. Web. 13 Nov. 2010. â€Å"Dogfighting Fact Sheet.† The Humane Society of the United States. 2 Nov. 2009. Web. 23 Nov. 2010. Melvindale, Mich., Municipal Code art. II,  § 4-137 (1990). Perry, April M. â€Å"Guilt by Saturation: Media Liability for Third-party Violence and the Availability Heuristic.† Northwestern University Law Review 97.2 (2003): 1045. Academic Search Premier. Web. 20 Nov. 2010. â€Å"The Truth About Pit Bulls.† ASPCA. American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, n.d. Web. 22 Nov. 2010. â€Å"U.S. Dog Bite Fatalities January 2006 to December 2008.† DogsBite. 20 Apr. 2009. Web. 22 Nov. 2010.

Article Review Essay

Conducting their study as the transitional funding attached to the peace process in Northern Ireland is reaching its end, the authors examine the role of aid in conflict resolution particularly with regards to intangible outcomes such as identity formation. The idea behind this funding is that it reduces economic disparities between the conflicting groups and that the economic growth started by this funding will continue into the future. These funds come from the International Fund for Ireland (IFI), which addressed unemployment and poverty in Republican / Loyalist communities; the Peace I funds, which promoted social inclusion, cross-community contact, and economic development; and the Peace II funds (ended in 2006), which had similar goals to Peace I but targeted local, grassroots (nongovernmental) organizations. The authors also consider the role of external agencies as they intervene in ethnopolitical conflict and the importance of community development in the peace process. The authors are careful to note that economic aid is not a magic cure for conflict as this aid, if improperly administered, can at times heighten underlying conflicts. Indeed, in Northern Ireland, the approach has had mixed results. In designing their study, the authors took both a qualitative and quantitative approach. For the qualitative portion, the authors interviewed 98 community leaders, civil servants, and development officers from Belfast, Londonderry/Derry, and the Border region (Northern Ireland). These interviews consisted of semi-structured questions, including those attached to the Cantril Self-Anchoring Striving Scale: â€Å"What are your best wishes and hopes for your personal future? What are your worst fears and worries about your personal future? What are your best wishes and hopes for the future of your country? What are your worst fears and worries about the future of your country? † (page 166). The quantitative data was drawn from the summer 2006 Northern Ireland Public Opining Survey. The sample consisted of 1,023 adults representative of Northern Ireland’s adult population. The study as a whole was designed to look at the respondents hopes and fears about Northern Ireland’s future. Through the inclusion of qualitative data, the authors hoped to demarginalize voices that are often not heard in the official discourses of the peace process. This study yielded numerous tantalizing findings. First, the authors found that more Nationalists than Unionists imagine a future where conflicting groups are able to perceive a sense of shared community. Second, the authors found differences based on gender: more females than males saw the opportunity for building new relationships amongst communities in the future. Third, the authors found two common fears / concerns that extend across religions, genders, and ages: the fear that violence in changing the social fabric of Northern Ireland and the belief that politicians are disingenuous and not interested in serving the needs of their constituency. Fourth, the authors found that more Nationalists than Unionists saw the modernization of the economy and the political structure as means by which to support the peace process. Finally, the authors found that younger adults were more concerned about the potential failure of the peace process and the economy than older adults The authors consider numerous theories about identity formation. In designing their study, they took into consideration geographic differences in identity formation: i. e. Londonderry/Derry vs. Belfast and urban vs. rural locations. They also consider how the Irish view immigration and the infiltration of outside values. In general, this article is not convincing. Its primary strength is the detailed background to the conflicts in Northern Ireland, with a focus on the economic causes and effects of this conflict. This strength does not mitigate the effects of the article’s numerous weaknesses. First, the authors do not explicitly state their hypothesis. While exploratory studies such as this one can potentially reveal valuable information, the authors nowhere state the reasons behind the study. When questions such as identity formation are being explored, the readers need to know the authors’ relationship to the issue. For example, are the authors somehow involved in this ethnopolitical conflict? Or, are they looking at it from the perspective of an outsider? If they are outsiders, does their perspective have a bearing on how the respondents answer their questions? Second, the authors explicitly state that they wish to demarginalize those voices that are not typically heard in the official peace process discourse. However, in selecting the respondents for the qualitative portion of the study, the authors chose community leaders, civil servants, and development officers. It would seem that these are precisely the voices that are heard in the official discourse. Readers are left to wonder why the authors did not include a more representative sample of the population of Northern Ireland for this portion of the study. Third, this does not seem to be a study that was designed specifically to answer certain questions. As noted, the authors nowhere state a hypothesis. For the reader, it appears that the quantitative and qualitative data seems to have been mixed together ad hoc. In other words, the study does not seem to be designed to fit a specific question. Rather, the authors appear to have attempted to answer questions based on the information they had at hand. Fourth, as the basis for this study was largely to examine economic role of the peace process, it seems like a gross oversight that the authors did not provide data on their respondents’ demographics. In the discussion section, the authors indicate that they collected background demographic information (political party, religious views, age, gender, socioeconomic status) on the respondents, but this information was not included in the results section and does not appear to have been considered in any significant way. Finally, the analysis of the qualitative data seems a bit lacking. It would perhaps have been stronger to indentify the common themes and subthemes of the responses, rather than using the responses as illustrative examples. Because of these specific weakness as well as the authors’ failure to mention the limitations of their study and to provide specific recommendations for how their results can be used to generate future studies and/or to impact the peace process, this article is not convincing.

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Help Other essays I in my oppions Larry Smith is a hero to me. I picked him to interview because he was the first person to give the confidence to do well in school. Before the ninth grade I received straight Ds on my report card. Then my dad sent me to him so he could touter me. The first thing he sad to me is, You can do well in school, you might not believe it now but you can do well in school.. At first, I didnt think that one man could all of the sudden turn somebody from a GPA of a 1.0 to someone with a GPA of a 2.9. After seeing Mr. Smith everyday after school turned my academic GPA around and because of this I was able to be a MAC scholar. Mr. Smith is my hero and role model because he was the first person to put confidence in me to do well in not only in school but in everything and thats why I choose him to interview. Larry Smith is an instructor that is able to give instruction on college level chemistry, physics, physical science, High School math, and computer programming. Also he is a volunteer in tutoring for primary grade students lacking in English language and math skills and adult male role models. The reason why Mr. Smith began to torture was because its something he could relate to he said. When he was a little boy he lived in Alabama until he was nine when he moved to Cleveland. Before he moved to Cleveland he was told to work out in the fields and to pick cotton. Then when he moved here he got a wake up call. The school board put him in the third grade even though he was illiterate. After spending some time in the third grade he ended dropping down to the first grade, where his teacher found out that he couldnt read so she taught him. He said that he will never forget that. Then ever since then he was always into sharing information with people. Larry Smith started his ...

Essay on Cold War

Essay on Cold War Essay on Cold War Essay on Cold WarThe Cold War started because of the possible threat of the expansion of Communism across the world. Actually, the Cold War could be defined as an international conflict. The imperialistic circles were against the success of the Soviet power caused by Communist ideology.   In other words, the imperialistic states joined their forces to fight against Soviet ideology (Hawksworth et al., 2010). The Cold War developed over its first three decades, influencing various international-related issues, including the economic, social and cultural issues. For example, the War Powers Act allowed the President to use military force for up to ninety days without seeking congressional power and authority (United States Congress, 1973). It changed the institution of the presidency, influencing foreign policy making. Different presidential administrations, from Truman to Nixon effectively handled Cold War affairs. Truman developed the proper policies to handle various domestic issues , such as the control over prices, housing problems, the control over nuclear weapons, etc. Actually, Truman managed to change the U.S. strategy toward the expansion of the Soviet ideology through the use of atomic blackmail and his decision to confront Stalinism. Nixon made a decision to change foreign policy reestablishing social relations with PRC. He said, â€Å"Here in America, we are fortunate that most of our people have not only the blessings of liberty but also the means to live full and good and, by the worlds standards, even abundant lives† (Nixon, 1974). These approaches affected foreign policy in different ways. The presidents began to exercise greater level of control over foreign policy. The war and treaty making powers of the presidents were growing. The Cold War led to changes within American society and culture, creating positive environment for developing national identity, considerable changes in demographics, the spread of anticommunist ideology, etc.

Set up a limited firms about sports Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Set up a limited firms about sports - Essay Example However, some business manages to enter the market successfully because they conduct research before venturing into the market. Market research is imperative because it helps the business overcome some challenges towards a acquiring a competitive advantage. Market research is vital because it helps an entrepreneur to establish and identify new business opportunities such as areas where there are fewer ventures (Wilkie, Johnson & White 2015). The aim of business is to make a profit with minimum input, and new opportunities are critical to achieving the goal. Similarly, market research helps businesses to design a marketing campaign that meets the interest of the target consumers, and business needs to increase revenues from sales (Wilkie, Johnson & White 2015). It provides valuable information about the targeted market and its segment as well as real-time information regarding the intended market (Wilkie, Johnson & White 2015). For this reason, it is very crucial because it assists business in reaching the intended consumers through a marketing campaign. New and existing business use market research to know the performances of their organizations and that of the competitors (Outsource 2015). Similarly, it is vital in comparing the organization with others through tracking the progress made as well as the competitors. Through this, the business can devise a competitive strategy that makes it gain advantage over the rest. In many occasions, new business fails because they do not know and understand the operation of the market as well as the strategies employed by competitors in the market (Outsource 2015). This makes new business to use old methods, which are not working to expand their market share. For this reason, conducting market research is important because it helps in monitoring the progress made as well as strategies used by the competitors towards gaining market share. Market research is

Business Environment Demand and Supply Assignment

Business Environment Demand and Supply - Assignment Example 2. If the price of Snickers increases, then the substitute for the Mars bar has become more expensive. As a result at each price, people will buy more Mars bars. Therefore, at each price there will be a higher quantity demanded of Mars bars. So the demand for Mars bars will increase. In figure 2 suppose the initial demand curve at the old price of Snicker bars is D0. This curve shows at price ?0.6 per unit of Mars bars, Q1 units are demanded. Now if the price of Snickers bars goes up, at the same price of Mars bars, more units are demanded. So, the demand curve shifts up to D1. In this new situation, at the old price of Mars bars Q2 units are demanded. Figure 2: Effect of increase in the price of substitutes 3. In figure 3, D0 is the initial demand line for Strawberries. If the price of cream fell, then a unit of Strawberries and cream together is less expensive. Since Strawberries and cream is consumed together, the quantity demanded of strawberries and cream together rises. As a re sult, at each price, the quantity demanded of Strawberries is now higher. So, the demand curve for Strawberries shifts out to the right to D1. Figure 3: Effect of fall in price in cream on demand for Strawberries 4. If the interest rate increases, then people have to pay more to repay the same amounts of loans. As a result, the income falls. If income falls, given the same price of cars, people can afford to buy fewer cars. Therefore, at every price, the quantity demanded of cars falls. As a result, there is a decline in the demand of cars. This is shown in figure 4. The demand for cars drops from D0 to D1. Figure 4: Effect of rise in interest rates on demand for cars 5. If the cost of production of Mars bars falls, then every unit of Mars bars can be supplied at lower price. Therefore, at each price the quantity supplied increases. This leads to an outward shift in the supply on the Mars bars. The effect is shown in figure 5 below. The initial demand and supply curves are D0 and S0 respectively. The equilibrium occurs at point A where these two curves intersect one another. Note from the vertical axis that at the initial equilibrium the price is 0.6p. Now, suppose the production cost falls. As a result, the supply curve shifts out to the right to S1. The new equilibrium is point B. Note from the vertical axis, the new equilibrium price of Mars bars is lower than the initial equilibrium price. Figure 5: Effect of reduction in producing costs 6. In figure 6, the effect of a reduction in a tax on the sales of the product is shown. Suppose initially, the tax is ‘t’. The relevant supply curve is S0+t. If the tax is taken off, the cost of the firm goes down, as a consequence the firm can supply more at each price. The supply curve without the tax is S0. Observe, if a tax is charged, then to supply an output of Q1 the firm has to charge a price of P0+t. But if there is no tax, the firm can supply the same output at a lower price of P0. Therefore, the ef fect of a reduction in tax is to shift the supply curve out to the right. Figure 6: Effect of a reduction in tax on the supply 7. If there is an increase in technology, the inputs become more productive. As a result, at the same per unit cost, the firm can now produce more. Therefore, at each price, the firm now is able to offer a higher quantity supplied. Therefore, due to the improvement in technology, the