Outsourcing Product Distribution the Right Way Essay Example for Free

Outsourcing Product Distribution the Right Way Essay Chain online magazine Aug. 2, 2000 For Internet companies that cannot afford to buy and store their inventory or hire an internal logistics staff, outsourcing the product distribution function can be either a smart business decision or a disaster. Success or failure in distribution depends on how carefully and continuously you manage this function to make sure your distribution partners are doing the job that is expected. When distribution is not a core competency for your company and you do not have the resources to make it one, outsourcing the function can help your company grow by allowing you to focus on your mission-critical activities. There are two types of outsourcing that are common among start-ups traditional distribution and drop ship fulfillment (DSF). Traditional distribution outsourcing involves hiring a third party to store and distribute your products through its national or international distribution network; this party provides the staff, warehouses, distribution center and transportation fleet. The second type of outsourcing, DSF, has grown in parallel with B2C retailing over the Internet. With DSF, a start-up company sells a product, charges the customer, generates a purchase order, and sends the PO to the manufacturer or supplier, who then fulfills the order by shipping the product directly to the customer. Since the start-up never possessed the product, the company does not incur any of the costs associated with storing or purchase the product. Many Internet start-ups have adopted this streamlined business model. Unfortunately, companies need to be careful when choosing an outsourcing partner. Outsourcing is not a panacea if your third-party distributors procedures and performance are not carefully monitored, you risk permanently alienating the customers you have worked so hard to attract. The key to a successful outsourcing relationship includes understanding the process, specifying objectives, establishing internal procedures for evaluating performance against objectives, and deploying systems that help to manage the function effectively. Watching Costs and Service If the manufacturer or distributor, which may be the same company, fulfills the customers order correctly, everyone is happy. However, in most cases, there are problems in one or more of these key areas: Â · Customer service Another company may be distributing your products, but ultimately you are responsible for the customer relationship. True, your company does not have direct control over the distribution process, but the customer only cares about receiving the product not who sent it or how it got there. If something goes wrong, you are responsible and must do what is necessary to correct the situation. Shipping costs Most manufacturers are setup to ship truckloads or pallets of products, not multiple orders of a single product. There are also manufacturers that require you to purchase more products you need, others set ridiculously high prices for the service, and some simply will not ship the orders. In some cases, start-ups are kitting a number of products, not because it adds value for the customer, but because it pushes the dollar value of their order above a threshold where the manufacturer will agree to DSF the products. Profitability Shipping costs directly affect your bottom line. Many start-ups are passing along the manufacturers shipping costs to their customers, raising the price of their products and putting themselves at a disadvantage in a competitive market. If the start-up does not pass along the entire cost, the shipping expense cuts into the profitability of every transaction. Getting Automated Help Successfully managing a third-party distributor requires establishing internal monitoring processes and requiring that specific employees are responsible for this function. These employees should also be responsible for developing and deploying computer systems to help automate the management function. Here are five critical requirements for your outsourcing relationship with your distributor: Â · Establish measurable standards for distributor performance. Â · Conduct periodic performance reviews. Â · Visit distributor sites to check security procedures (only if the start-up owns the inventory). Â · Monitor customer feedback and satisfaction levels. Â · As sales volume grows, periodically revisit the decision to outsource the distribution function. The right computer system can improve your ability to manage the distribution function in three areas: Â · Communication To allow you to automate communication with your suppliers and manufacturers, you must establish a back-end system. This means that you should not rely just on basic email, generated by an employee, to track orders. For example, you send the supplier an email to check on a backlogged product, someone then emails you back with a response, and finally you re-key the information into your system imagine a handful of employees checking 500 products. To be more efficient, you need a system that will scale this function as your volume expands and will use automated email, fax, Web portals and/or EDI to communicate order information. Â · Visibility You must know if a product is available before it is sold, and you cannot know this until you view your suppliers inventory to find out how much product you have been allocated and what is available. To do this, you need an application that provides you with visibility into your suppliers inventory tracking system. Track and Trace Customers want to know the status of their order: When was it shipped, where is it now, and when will I get it? If you want to retain customers, you need to be sure your computer system helps you manage returns, exchanges and refunds efficiently. A consulting organization that specializes in distribution and transportation can help you setup effective internal processes and, if necessary, build and deploy the computer systems you need to manage an outsourced distribution function for maximum benefit. Part of a consultants value can be in the area of knowledge transfer, educating your organization on how the distribution and transportation function works at the macro level and helping you set realistic expectations. In the final analysis, outsourcing the distribution function can make perfect sense for your small company but only if you remember not to outsource the responsibility of keeping your customers happy.

polio vaccine :: essays research papers

  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Poliomyelitis (shortened to polio) has been around for thousands of years, and there is still no cure, but at the peak of its devastation in the United States, Dr. Jonas Salk introduced a way to prevent it. Polio attacks the nerve cells and sometimes the central nervous system, causing muscle wasting, paralysis, and even death. The disease, whose symptoms are flu like, stuck mostly children, and in the first half of the 20th century the epidemics of polio were becoming more devastating. Salk, while working at the Virus Research Lab at the University of Pittsburgh, developed a polio vaccine, and the medical trials to prove its effectiveness and safety are still being analyzed.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Fifty years ago the largest medical experiment in history took place to test Salk’s poliomyelitis vaccine. Close to two million children across the United States and Canada were involved in the trial, which was administered by the National Foundation for Infantile Paralysis (NFIP), also known as the March of Dimes. The foundation, created in 1938 by President Franklin D. Roosevelt (a polio victim) and his law partner Basil O’Connor. Across the United States, 623,972 school children were injected with the vaccine or a placebo, using a double blind technique in which neither recipient nor administrator knew which one there were getting. The results, announced in 1955, showed good statistical evidence that Jonas Salk’s â€Å"killed virus† preparation was 80-90% effective in preventing paralytic poliomyelitis.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The statistical design used in the experiment was singular, prompting criticism. Eighty four test areas in eleven states used a textbook model: in a randomized, blinded design all participating children in the first three grades of school (ages 6-9) received injections of either vaccine for placebo and were observed. At the same time though, 127 test areas in 33 states used an â€Å"observed control† design: where the participating children in the second grade received injections of vaccine, no placebo was given, and children in all three grades were then observed for the duration of the polio season. The use of the dual protocol illustrates both the power and the limitations of randomized clinical trials. The control trials with the placebo were important to define the vaccine as the product of scientific medicine, while the observed trials were done to maintain public support for the vaccine.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  In 1953, Salk presented his tests of a polio vaccine to the Immunization Committee, the scientific advisory committee for the NFIP. The test results seemed promising to Basil O’Connor, as the children had shown no ill effects and the levels of polio antibodies in their blood had risen. However, several of the senior virologist on the committee questioned the relation of antibodies

Harrah’s Entertainment Essay

1. BACKGROUND 2. UPDATING 3. PEOPLE INVOLVED 3.1 Philip Satre: Philip G. Satre, Private investor since 2005. Mr. Satre was Chief Executive Officer of Harrah’s Entertainment, Inc., a provider of branded casino entertainment, from 1994 to 2003 and a director of Harrah’s from 1988 to  2005, serving as Chairman of the Board from 1997 to 2005. Mr. Satre has held various other positions of increasing responsibility with Harrah’s since 1980, when he joined the company as Vice President, General Counsel and Secretary, until his retirement in 2005. Prior to joining Harrah’s, Mr. Satre practiced law in Reno, Nevada. He has been a director of International Game Technology since January 2009 and its Chairman since December 2009, and a director of NV Energy, Inc. since 2005 and its Chairman since 2008. Mr. Satre served as a director of Rite Aid Corporation from 2005 to 2011 and Tabcorp Holdings, Ltd. (Australia) from 2000 to 2007. Phil as CEO of the company is in accordance with the strategies Harrah ´s adopted to give its customers a better service and thus to ensure and increase their loyalty, the first is the independence that the company, ie, does not depend on shops, restaurants, bars and high income has come from their own casinos and second concerns the relationship of the company with his frequent customers because this leads to an increase compared to the benefits that would bring to the company On the other hand Phil chose to invest in the and development intellectuals and technological capabilities that are needed to collect and analyze data on customers. 3.2 Gary Loveman : Gary Loveman has served as a member of Coachs Board of Directors since January 2002. Mr. Loveman is the Chairman, Chief Executive Officer and President of Caesars Entertainment Corporation (f/k/a Harrahs Entertainment, Inc.), a casino entertainment company; he has held the position of President since April 2001, Chief Executive since January 2003, and Chairman since January 2005. He held various other executive positions at Caesars Entertainment Corporation from May 1998 to April 2001. From 1989 to 1998, Mr. Loveman was Associate Professor of Business Administration, Harvard University Graduate School of Business Administration, where his responsibilities included teaching M.B.A. and executive education students, research and publishing in the field of service management, and consulting  and advising large service companies. Mr. Loveman serves as a Director of Caesars Entertainment Corporation and FedEx Corporation, and is a member of the Board of Trustees at Childrens Hospital Boston. He holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Economics from Wesleyan University and a Ph.D. in Economics from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Loveman served as Harrah’s Entertainment’s chief operating officer from 1998 until 2003. Under Loveman’s leadership Harrah’s began to focus on building loyalty and bringing more gamblers to the casino. Loveman also established a rewards program for Harrah’s employees of all levels, based on customer satisfaction. 3.3 Marilyn Winn Marilyn Winn is the President of Wynn Las Vegas, LLC, owner and operator of Wynn Las Vegas and Encore Las Vegas where she oversees the day-to-day operations of the properties. Mrs. Spiegel served in executive positions at Harrah’s Entertainment, Inc., including Senior Vice President and General Manager of Harrah’s Las Vegas and the Rio All Suite Hotel and Casino, Senior Vice President of Human Resources, Senior Vice President and General Manager of Harrah’s Shreveport Hotel & Casino in Louisiana and Vice President of Human Resources for the company’s Southern Nevada operations. Mrs. Spiegel began working for Harrah’s Entertainment, Inc. in 1988. Mrs. Spiegel is a member of the Las Vegas Visitors and Convention Bureau board of directors. Marilyn lives and breathes Harrah ´s CRM culture, she says â€Å" My job is to make money for Harrah ´s entertainment by creating a great climate for customers and employees†. 4. ORGANIZATIONS INVOLVED 5. MAIN PROBLEM According to that seen in the case, Harrah’s is a company that provides entertainment and accommodation in resorts located in the United States. It  is one of the largest companies that offer entertainment and luxurious accommodations. As we saw in the case, the company is very concerned about the management of client relationships and gathering information through customer service, they generate what they call â€Å"customer insights † which used to contribute to the experience customer on site and the service provided . But there is a problem in all this is that according to the text, are based on surveys of their best customers, those who spend more money on their facilities. This makes the experiences and new trends in customer service are made based only on the opinions that make customers more money. And behold, when the service is bad for customers who rarely attend the place, because they give preference to senior clients and there is no equal treatment to the client. According to a page (www.tripadvisor.com.uk), a website known for the various reviews that users have to say about hotels and tourism, found that Harrah’s has a considerable level of critical customer service as you can see below: Here we can see that there is a high level when the bad reviews, well then we can see that the majority is in customer service: So this is where we see the different views of users as follows: â€Å"Overpriced NO WIFI Dirty Glass in Room – Go Elsewhere!† In conclusion, we can see that the company has flaws in the customer service industry only focuses on improving customer experiences which have more money, but relates to neglect or treat with new clients of the company and this is where most of the complaints are .The company has to conduct a study and improve treatment for all the public, since the treatment for a person with so much money as a new customer who wants to know the hotel has to be the same way because the company cannot stay focused on a group of public, the company must open the focus group to be able to grow so large scale. 6. STRATEGY (SOLUTION) ANALYSIS QUESTIONS   To what extent is Harrah’s in danger of a competitor copying its system? The risk is very high because the world of market competition is always present and always we see companies that want to copy the system of Harrah’s, Harrah’s system is so good that is under scrutiny of other companies, if any competitor is filtered and copy the Harrah’s system could be a serious situation because the competitor could take Harrah customers, it is very easy for a company to be filtered so Harra must make a supervise to ensure that the information is not given to competitors for this they must train employees instilling values ​​of honesty and gives them ​​a friendly and pleasant working environment.

Qualifications to Become a Member of the Roman Senate

In historical fiction members of the Roman Senate or young men who dodge their civic responsibilities but who are senatorial material are rich. Did they have to be? Were there property or other qualifications to become a member of the Roman Senate? The answer to this question is one that I need to repeat more often: Ancient Roman history spanned two millennia and over that time, things changed. Several modern historical fiction mystery writers, like David Wishart, are dealing with the early part of the Imperial Period, known as the Principate. Property Requirements Augustus instituted a property requirement for senators. The sum he set it at was, at first, 400,000 sesterces, but then he raised the requirement to 1,200,000 sesterces. Men who needed help meeting this requirement were at this time given grants. Should they mismanage their funds, they were expected to step down. Prior to Augustus, however, the selection of senators was in the hands of the censors and before the institution of the office of censor, selection was by the people, kings, consuls, or consular tribunes. The senators selected were from the wealthy, and generally from those who had already held a position as magistrate. In the period of the Roman Republic, there were 300 senators, but then Sulla increased their number to 600. Although the tribes selected the original men to fill the added ranks, Sulla increased the magistracies so there would be ex-magistrates in the future to warm the senate benches. Number of Senators When there was a surplus, censors trimmed the excess. Under Julius Caesar and the triumvirs, the number of senators increased, but Augustus brought the number back down to Sullan levels. By the third century A.D. the number may have reached 800-900. Age Requirement Augustus appears to have changed the age at which one could become senator, reducing it from perhaps 32 to 25. Roman Senate References Seating Space in the Roman Senate and the Senatores PedariiLily Ross Taylor and Russell T. ScottTransactions and Proceedings of the American Philological Association Vol. 100, (1969), pp. 529-582A Dictionary of Greek and Roman Antiquities, by Sir William SmithA Summary of the Roman Civil Law, by Patrick Mac Chombaich de Colquhoun