Operations Management in Action: Kier Group Plc Analysis

Operations Management in Action: Kier Group Plc Analysis Operations Management in Action For this assignment we have been asked to research the Industry sector, choose a business within that sector, and then analyse and evaluate the business we have chosen from an operations manager point of view. First we must know what the Industry sector is. According to oxford dictionary the word industry means ‘Economic activity concerned with the processing of raw materials and manufacture of goods’ (Oxford Dictionary. 2014).This means that the industry sector have businesses within it that deal with the processing of raw materials and manufacture of goods. This is also called the secondary sector or manufacturing sector. In 2009 the UK manufacturing sector generated  £140bn in revenue this is 11% of the UK total economy. This sector also employed 2.6 million people which equals out to be 8% of the UK workforce. The whole sector itself is spilt up into 14 different industries by the government which include textiles and chemicals (BIS. 2010). The business I have chosen is Kier Group plc. The reason that Kier Group plc fit within the Industry sector/secondary sector is because this is a construction firm that deals with turning raw materials in a finished products i.e. turning bricks into buildings. Kier Group plc offers their services to the public and private sectors, these services include ‘civil engineering, mining, mechanical electrical design and installation†¦ and 3D modeling’ (Kier Construction. 2014). An example of public sector customer would be the Northampton Borough Council in creating their new  £7 million North Gate Bus Station (Northampton Chronicle Echo. 2014). An example of a private sector customer would be Network Rail Infrastructure Ltd, as Kier Group plc did the King’s Cross Station roof refurbishment (Kier Group. 2013). Kier Group plc’s clients are often other business or large public bodies such as Councils due to their ability and proven track record with multi-million pound contracts that they are asked to do or win the contracts against other competitors such as Balfour Beatty PLC. Kier Group plc operate on a global scale however some parts within Kier Group plc work within the U.K. Any organisation can be shown as multiple of input/output diagrams in a hierarchy format. At the bottom of this hierarchy would be the customer’s needs being transformed into consumer satisfaction (Muhlemann, A. Oakland, J. Lockyer, K. 1993). As every business is made with the customer in mind even if the businesses overall goal could be to maximise profits they still need the customer. However other input/output diagrams in the hierarchy differ from business to business. As a car mechanic shop wouldn’t use the same ways to satisfy consumers as a bridal dress shop would. As Kier Group plc deals with construction it has a specific inputs and outputs. Five inputs of Kier Group plc would be skilled labour, high quality equipment, energy, building materials, and basic project designs. Three outputs of the company would be buildings, infrastructure, and recycled materials. Skilled labour is an input for Kier Group plc because to be able operate as a building business they would need skilled labour. This is because the jobs that the business could be doing may have a high risk of doing lots of damage not just money’s terms but in personnel terms as well. This would also be beneficial to the business as it could lead to being more productive due to the skilled labour however it would be costly hiring someone that’s highly skilled or even over skilled for the job rather than someone who could just about do the job. But in the company’s overview they want to offer clients ‘world-class solutions’ (Kier Group. 2014)which suggests that the highly skilled labour would be used. High quality equipment is would be a specific input for Kier Group plc due to the nature of the job that the business gets inquired about. These can be very complex jobs such as the Kings Cross Station roof refurbishment. Not only did they refurbish an iconic building roof, the station had to stay open with thousands of people walking underneath the building work. This shows the high quality equipment would be needed as an input. The reason that energy is needed as an input as the business would be using computers to design projects and also it would be needed to power equipment on site. It is a needed input in this business. Building materials are a vital input to the business as they are needed to get to the final product. Without these, the business would not be able to run as a construction business. Kier Group plc need to start from a basic project design to be able to make what the customer want like the business to make. That’s is why basic project designs is a needed input for the business. As Kier Group plc have architects that would design the final product from these basic project designs whether it would be a finish building or a new part for railways. A specific output for Kier Group plc would be buildings as this is the main product/good that the business produces. They way in which this would be produced from inputs would be via project process. Project production is a type of production that has low volume of products but high variety between each one. This means that each new project would be different from the last using different materials with different quantities. They also have to be made in a fix location which is one of the classifications of a project production. During the production of each building uses a mixed process technology it uses manual and mechanised. This means that during the production of each building there are parts which are done via hand with no machinery and there are parts where machinery is utilised but under the control of humans (Evens, J. 1993). Infrastructure in another output of Kier Group plc as it doesn’t only make buildings it also builds roads, railway parts and much more which is a vital part in the UK’s infrastructure. These would also be produced in a project production as each part of infrastructure they make would be different from another part. One other output the Kier Group plc produces are recycled materials. Kier Group plc has a recycling service which is used in many counties. Recycled materials go through many processes. It is made via continuous flow production as it has a high product volume, there’s some although not much product variety. During the processes the recycled material goes though there are a high number of automated and specialised equipment that does a large amount of the work. There is also labour that take out any rubbish that can’t be recycled or shouldn’t be in that particular recycling line this doesn’t require high skills. The reason that it is not a Mass production is that there isn’t any variety between each product at the end (Evens, J. 1993). The demand for the products and services the Kier Group plc produce usually depend on the economic state of the country but there are also other factors the affect the demand for the business. These factors include: globalisation, demand for more sustainable construction, demographic changes and increasing importance for technology use in construction. The demand for the products and services that Kier Group plc produce usually depend on the economic state of the country but there are also other factors the affect the demand for the business. These factors include: globalisation, demand for more sustainable construction, demographic changes and increasing importance for technology use in construction. The reason that the state of the economy affects the demand for Kier Group plc’s products and services is because buildings and infrastructure is capital which helps boost long term growth. These are the first things that are cut if the economy was to go into decline. When the recession hit in 2008 according to House of Commons there was a fall by 6.2% in gross value added for the construction industry, followed by a 7.9% fall in GVA, then an increase by 1.1% in 2011, and then followed by a 6.0% drop in GVA during the double dip recession (Rhodes, C. 2013). This data shows there is a correlation between the construction industry including Kier Group plc and the state of the economy. The demand for more sustainable construction also impacts the stability of the demand of Kier Group plc’s products and services because if the business doesn’t offer the right amount of sustainable construction or by offering ‘green’ alternatives they may lose customers and clients. As new legislation is soon to be coming into action due to the UK’s recent air pollution issues this would mean a possible overhaul of more carbon producing processes. However to overcome this Kier Group plc currently generates 10% of its revenue by using recycled material, low energy alternatives and more sustainable materials (Fry, C. 2014) Every business needs demand to be able to sell its good and/or services however you need to be able to have enough capacity to meet this demand. Capacity planning is vital in operations strategies. Capacity is best when it around 75-90% utilised. Having capacity between these levels means that you should still be able to cope with new clients without having to turn larger clients down and also you won’t be running with excess capacity. Excess capacity is a large cost on businesses and may lead to layoffs and department closures (Hill, T. 1991) There are 3 different strategies that a business can use to plan capacity to meet demand. These policies are: Matching Capacity with Demand, Excess Capacity, and Capacity Shortage Policy. Matching capacity with demand means that the business tries to keep as close to demand as they possibly can. This policy means that it sometimes has excess capacity in which it has the ability to get more clients or customers. However it also means there is a shortage of capacity. During these times a business would have to subcontract out work to get a short term increased capacity or they would lose sales this could come from poor quality of work from being rushed to compete work. A Capacity Shortage Policy is when there is a gap between the demand and the capacity where demand is always higher than capacity. As there is a high capacity utilisation this means there is a strong return on investment. This type of policy is usually best for goods or services that usually relate to status or are in fashion. This would mean that there is a high capacity utilisation which in turn leads to a strong return on investment. For example the iPhone 4 White. When it came out it was being sold quicker than it was being made. The way that Kier Group plc plan their capacity is by a strategy called Excess Capacity Policy (Fry, Colin. 2014). This policy means that the business has a goal of maintaining enough capacity to be able to meet with demand or to reduce the chance of not meeting demand. Although this policy can lead to higher costs than the other two polices it is the best policy for this business. This is because the business does not know if they are going to win a bid for a client so there needs to be spare capacity in case they do win the bid. As large construction businesses get invited to present their bid on large projects so the business always need to be prepared for these invites. Kier Group plc could better utilise operations management to counter some of the challenges that it has in the ever changing market place. It could utilise Lean Operations more this is because there is going to be more legislation regarding reducing waste and carbon footprint. It’s better to be proactive to changes in legislation than to be reactive as it shows the business has a strong CSR which customers and clients look for. Lean Operations is minimising the amount of waste there is in order to operate quicker, produce higher quality work and also to operate at low costs. The reason that lean operation is suited for Kier Group plc is because in the lean approach there is a focus on producing only when there is a need to produce, this does mean there is a lower capacity utilisation however this fits in well with the Excess Capacity Policy has the business already is implementing. Some of the techniques that could be used in lean operations for the business could be JIT supply and Total Involvement. JIT supply means just in time supply. This means that you wouldn’t receive materials until you need those materials (Hill, T. 1987). This would be useful in the business because it means there wouldn’t been material they don’t need wasting space in a construction site. For example the wouldn’t need a road tarmaer when the drainage is still 3 days away from being completed not only could it be wasting space it could be in the way of workers increasing the distance from the materials they’re using to the place where they need to use them. If 10 workers had to go an extra 20 seconds out of their way whilst this tarmacer was 3 days early and each worker had to do this trip 40 times a day that adds an extra 400 minutes on their travel overall on the 3 days the tarmacer was there. With JIT supply the tarmacer would arrive on the day it was needed saving the 400 minutes which could have been wasted. Total involvement is when everyone within the business is aware of the lean approach of the business. If everyone is doing it, it would become second nature to abide by the 5S’s of lean operations. These are sort, straighten, shine, standardise and sustain (Muhlemann, A. Oakland, J. Lockyer, K. 1993) Sort means to eliminate what is not needed and to keep whatever is needed in the production of goods. Straighten means to place tools and equipment is such a way that is it easily accessible as lots of time is spent looking for tools that have been misplaced. Shine is to keep things clean and tidy. This could lead to less injuries due to slipping over dirt or waste packaging. Standardise means to keep to a certain level of cleanliness and sustain is to keep to this standardisation throughout each product life cycle. These methods of lean operations keep Kier Group plc near the top of the construction market as they would be less wasteful, operate with lower costs and also could lead to a better workforce from total involvement as everyone would feel they are impacting the businesses performance. References – BIS. (2010). Manufacturing in the UK.An economic analysis of the sector. 1 (1), p11. Evens, James (1993).Applied Production and Operations Management. 4th ed. Eagan, Minnesota: West Publishing Company. p126-127. Fry, Colin., 2014. Interview. 25 March. 18:00 Hill, Terry (1987).Small Business Production/Opertations management. Basingstoke, Hampshire: Macmillan education ltd. 147-148. Hill, Terry (1991).Production/Operations Management. 2nd ed. Hemel Hempstead, Hertfordshire: Prentice Hall Internation (UK) Ltd. p47-49. Kier Construction. (2014).GROUP STRUCTURE.Available: http://www.kier.co.uk/about/group-structure.aspx. Last accessed 22/03/2014. Kier Group. (2013).KINGS CROSS STATION ROOF REFURBISHMENT.Available: http://www.kier.co.uk/case-study/view-all/kings-cross-roof/case-study.aspx. Last accessed 24/03/2014. Kier Group. (2014).COMPANY OVERVIEW.Available: http://www.kier.co.uk/about/company-overview.aspx. Last accessed 20/03/2014. Muhlemann, A. Oakland, J. Lockyer, K (1993).Production and Operations Management. 6th ed. London: Pitman Publishing. p3-395. Northampton Chronicle Echo. (2014).Your questions answered about the new North Gate bus station.Available: http://www.northamptonchron.co.uk/news/business/business-news/your-questions-answered-about-the-new-north-gate-bus-station-1-5888441#. Last accessed 23/03/2014. Oxford Dictionary. (2014).industry.Available: http://www.oxforddictionaries.com/definition/english/industry?q=Industry. Last accessed 25/03/2014. Rhodes, Chris. (2013). Construction Industry.Economic Policy and Statistics. 1 (1), p1-3. By Chris FryBUS2010-STD

The Catcher in the Rye Essay examples -- J. D. Salinger

The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger is a controversial book from many aspects. There was a public uproar when it was primarily released in 1951, mainly due to the profanity and sexual exploitation within. Salinger was able to construct the text in a unique manner, writing from the perspective of a highly critical, lonely and depressed 17 year old boy, Holden Caulfield, who recounts an incident which occurred one year ago. Holden was expelled from Pencey Prep, a rich and well known prep school with a good reputation. He dropped out due to academic failure but claimed that â€Å"he could’ve done the work, he just chose not to apply himself.† Holden decided to give his parents time to digest the news so they wouldn’t be overwhelmingly furious with him, and the few days which he had to squander resulted in some of the most life-changing experiences of his life as he realized many things he hadn’t been aware of previously. The narrative perspective is a critical component of the text. It explores the protagonist’s (Holden’s) many narrow-minded views on the world around him. He frequently affirms that the world is filled with hypocrisy and â€Å"phoninessâ€Å". Holden narrates in a cynical and skeptical manner and could almost be described as narcissistic at times, despite the fact that he may be perceived as intelligent and sensitive in some ways. His attitude remains contemptuous and derisive throughout the progress of the book, suggesting that although he has had many significant experiences, his views on insincerity in society have not altered. Holden is often quick to judge and stereotype when labeling hypocrites and phonies. For example, he professes to despise cinema for its representation of phoniness, but at times makes thoughtful... ...om the depression and loneliness he feels at times. Following his expulsion, Holden primarily visits his history teacher, Mr. Spencer. He talks with old acquaintances at school and then leaves for New York, where he regularly relocates. He travels to bars and nightclubs where he befriends some people, including three tourists from Seattle for whom he buys drinks. It is implied that Holden eventually returns home and was psychoanalyzed. The variation of settings encapsulates Holden’s impetuosity which is a vital part of his personality. In conclusion, J.D. Salinger was able to develop the novel using many techniques which further add to the enthralling plot. The Catcher in the Rye is an exceptional book, but not simply because of the content of the text, it is the manner in which it is conveyed that makes it distinguishable from many other controversial texts.

Large Scale Manufacturing in Pakistan

Compiled by: Mirza Rohail B http://economicpakistan. wordpress. com/2008/01/27/large-scale-manufacturing/ The manufacturing sector grew at an average rate of 8 percent from the sixties to the eighties, but fell to 3. 9 percent during the nineties. This was mainly caused by reduction in investment levels due to lack of continuity and consistency in policies. Political instability law and order position in the major industrial centers, transport bottlenecks, as well as unreliability and inadequate availability of power supply at affordable rates were additional factors pulling down the sector. The sector has shown impressive recovery recently and has grown at a compound rate of 10. 9 percent per annum during 2001 – 05, with Large Scale Manufacturing (LSM) growing even faster, becoming 19. 9% in 2005. The contribution of Large-Scale Manufacturing at basic prices stand at Rs 844 billion as compared with Rs 264 billion in 2000-01, figures from the Census of Large-Scale Manufacturing Industries (CMI) 2005-06 show. LSM contribution to GDP also called as Gross Value Added (GVA) at producers’ prices has been estimated at Rs 912 billion as compared with the previous Census 2000-01 amount of Rs 280 billion. Political and macroeconomic stability, rationalization of tariffs, increase in investments, improved utilization of productive capacity, and growth in demand for manufactured products, resulting from higher exports and consumer financing have been the major factors leading to this growth. Large Scale Manufacturing 1999 and 2000 – 1. 5% 2000 and 2001 – 11% 2001 and 2002 – 3. 5% 2002 and 2003 – 7. 2% 2003 and 2004 – 18. 1% 2004 and 2005 – 19. 9% 2005 and 2006 – 8. 7% 2006 and 2007 – 8. 6% 2007 and 2008 – 5% Census of Large-Scale Manufacturing Industries The contribution of Large-Scale Manufacturing at basic prices stand at Rs 844 billion as compared with Rs 264 billion in 2000-01, figures from the Census of Large-Scale Manufacturing Industries (CMI) 2005-06 show. The CMI is conducted after every five years using the frame of Provincial Labour Departments . It is conducted by Federal Bureau of Statistics (FBS) in collaboration with Provincial Directorates of Industries and Bureaus of Statistics (BoS) under the Industrial Statistics Act 1942. The basic price is the amount receivable by the producer from the purchaser for a unit of a good or service produced as output minus any tax payable, and plus any subsidy receivable. Census of manufacturing industries 2005-06 shows value of production at Rs 2929 billion depicting an increase of 165 percent over Rs 1104 billion in CMI 2000-01. LSM contribution to GDP also called as Gross Value Added (GVA) at producers’ prices has been estimated at Rs 912 billion as compared with the previous Census 2000-01 amount of Rs 280 billion. Capital stock or value of fixed assets amounted to Rs 1147 billion at the end of fiscal year 2005-06 as compared with Rs 428 billion at the end of fiscal year 2000-01. CMI 2005-06 frame was enhanced using industrial directories provided by provincial directorates of industries as well as results of Economic Census 2001 conducted by FBS. The total number of industries surveyed in CMI 2005-06 was 13,146 establishments. Out of these 6417 establishments supplied requisite data (compared to 4528 units in CMI 2000-01). 2364 establishments were found closed and 3213 establishments gave no response. The results of CMI would be cornerstone for the forthcoming revision of Pakistan’s National Accounts. Pakistan Manufacturing Industry Pakistan’s manufacturing industry is heavily dominated by food, textiles and apparel, and leather industries to the JF-17 Thunder extent of over 50 percent. The share of textiles and its derivatives in exports was as large as 67 percent in 2003-04. Other major segments in manufacturing include chemicals and pharmaceuticals (15. 2 percent), basic metal industry (7. 7 percent), nonmetallic mineral products (5. 1 percent), machinery (4. 6 percent), cement (4. percent), automobiles (4. 4 percent). Automobiles, electronics, cement, fertilizers and textiles have all showed cumulative double digit growth during the last three years. An important feature of the engineering sector is the level of competence reflected in local design and local content, (with deletion levels of 80 – 100 percent in electrical goods, 56-89 percent in automobile s and motor cycles, and 75-100 percent in domestic appliances). Manufacturing Statistics Progressive Year Initial data for Jul-Sep FY08 suggested a deceleration in the growth of LSM production to only 6. percent. Further, Large Scale Manufacturing (LSM) growth has declined to 5. 57 per cent during the first five months (July-November) of the current financial year due to economic slow-down and high interest rates and poor law and order situation. Similarly, improved prospects in transportation & storage sub-sectors on the back of relatively better production in major crops, strong contribution by finance and insurance sector and augmented administrative and defence related spending will provide support to adequate level of growth in the services sector. These prospects of the services sector would be neutralized to some extent by negative growth in the LSM, imports contraction, shrinking profits in the telecommunication sector. Leading indicators pertaining to the major sector wholesale and retail trade points towards a reasonable growth in this sub-sector. The targeted growth of 4. 1 percent is already almost half of last year’s actual 8. 2 percent. (c) ECONOMIC PAKISTAN

Compare And Contrast Langston Hughes And I Hear America...

America Singing Slavery was a time of despair and great pain for many African Americans. Americans today hold a much different view on slavery than all of their ancestors. Slavery is not only suggested but it is illegal completely and very immoral. Back then, blacks and some whites fought to end slavery. The 246 years of black enslavement finally came to an end on December 6, 1865. Many people used art, writing, and music as a way to express themselves during this hard time. Walt Whitman, an American poet, used idealism to show his feelings during this period of time. Another poet by the name of Langston Hughes, who was a black man, who invented a new form of jazz poetry that incorporated both his own style of poetry and gave him a chance†¦show more content†¦He believes that black men and white men will be brothers and they will be equal. Obviously, race is an issue discussed in both of the poems but in different ways. The last way the poems are different is the audience they are speaking to. They are both speaking to America but they do it in different ways. Whitman is addressing America as a whole when he states, Each singing what belongs to him or her and to none else,The day what belongs to the day—at night the party of young fellows, robust, friendly, Singing with open mouths their strong melodious songs. He wants America to be great as a whole and he sees the heart of the issue relies deep within America together and hot a specific group of people. On the contrast, Hughes digs deeper and builds off of Whitmans idea by speaking to the prejudice. He obviously sees a real problem with race. He talks to those who discriminate against him and his people by speaking to them directly and showing he believes they are the real heart of the issue. He says, Besides, Theyll see how beautiful I am And be ashamed—I, too, am America. He suggests that these people are ashamed of him even thoug h he is beautiful on the inside. Whitman and Hughes are obviously both speaking to America but in different ways. The poems of Whitman and Hughes are among many others thatShow MoreRelatedThe Genesis Of The Mid Twentieth Century America3651 Words   |  15 Pagesand its people came its â€Å"poet laureate† Langston Hughes (Davis 276). One cannot conduct any scholarly investigation of Harlem without encountering a barrage of information regarding Langston Hughes. Likewise, one cannot study Langston Hughes without encountering Harlem. When Langston Hughes first experienced Harlem, he had a reaction that would profoundly impact his writing for the rest of his life: â€Å"I can never put into words the underground ride to Harlem. I went up the stairs and out into the brightRead MoreTheme For History B 12 Years A Slave2487 Words   |  10 PagesSolomon said, â€Å"He could not compare to nothing else than the burning agonies of hell† (45). We talk about slavery and how cruel it was, but I would not know unless I actually had to experience it myself. I’m not a voyeur of slavery , but I am a spectator through reading and watching. I do not enjoy reading a novel or observing a film that involves anything with black suffering, but in contrast I believe that by engaging in this type of theatre you can become a witness. I use this source of entertainmentRead MoreLangston Hughes Research Paper25309 Words   |  102 PagesIn 1919, when Langston Hughes was seventeen years old, he spent the summer with his father, Jim Hughes, in Toluca, Mexico. Langston had not seen his father since he was a small child, and he was excited about making the trip. However, during this visit, no affectionate bond would develop between Langston and Jim. Jim Hughes was a cold, difficult man, who was driven by ambition to make money and achieve respect. He had moved to Mexico to avoid segregation and racial injustice in the United States