Management and Steel Industry Essay Example for Free

Management and Steel Industry Essay 1. List and elaborate some strategic issues facing NUCOR. Key strategic issues challenging NUCOR include legislation related to climate change, fluctuating cost and supply of iron ore and scrap steel, increasing amount of steel imports, production technology improvements and economic weakness. Changes in legislation could have severe impacts on the firm’s numerous production facilities and could be costly to become compliant. The fluctuations in both the cost and supply of iron ore and scrap steel directly impact the firm’s profitability because it is difficult to pass those costs on to the customers due to the price-driven level of competition in the steel industry. The rise of low cost steel imports increases the domestic U.S. supply which puts pressure on NUCOR. The firm must stay at the front of technological advances for the production and processing of steel in order to stay competitive. Common for many firms and industries, economic weakness is an issue that challenges NUCOR’s strategy because it can impact the demand for its reputable high quality steel products. 2. What are the key elements of NUCOR’s low cost strategy? What factors have helped NUCOR achieve a low cost position? Key strategy elements for NUCOR: Conservative financial strength Team-based culture and decentralized operations Vertical integration Diversification Innovation – information technology, speed of design process Close proximity to important customers Financially stable employees – higher than average wages and non-discretionary incentive programs Employee empowerment Honesty and openness within the company No employee lay-offs Factors that have contributed to NUCOR’s low cost position: Strong, long-term relationships with outside parties for services such as research and development, purchasing recommendations, advertising, public relations, and  legal or environmental regulation compliance Stepping away from the steel industry’s tradition of equalized freight and offering all customers the sales terms of price plus actual shipping costs Not offering customers volume discounts Fleet of nearly 150 trucks for product delivery Vertical integration from joist manufacturing into steel production Steel production utilizing mini-mill technology Holding workstations responsible for identifying bottlenecks to increase efficiency Sophisticated computer program is used to compute accurate bids Improvements in the melting and casting processes for steel production including â€Å"continuous casters† Flat organizational hierarchy 3. Please apply Porter’s Five Forces model to the steel industry. While doing so, clearly identify who is behind each force and what the impact is of each force on the profitability of the industry (high/medium/low). At the end, also provide a summary of all the five forces and propose whether you think the steel industry is attractive or not. The bargaining power of buyers is high due to minimal product differentiation, low switching costs, excess capacity of steel production and large volume purchases. The threat of substitutes is medium because substitutes such as aluminum and plastic would not provide equivalent strength and durability but could still serve the same purpose as steel. The bargaining power of suppliers is low primarily due to the product being a commodity, high ratio of imported raw materials, and low switching costs. The threat of new entrants is low due to the trend toward consolidation and high amount of capital required to establish production/processing facilities capable of achieving economies of scale. Rivalry is intense because the steel industry is mature with little differentiation among products and mergers both in the U.S. and across the globe creating giant companies with deep pockets. Generally speaking, I think the steel industry is unattractive primarily due to its maturity, significant capital requirements and intense price-based competition that ultimately lead to low profitability. 4. What are NUCOR’s resources and capabilities? Resources: Team-based organizational culture Alliances with outside parties for support services Joint ventures with Physical locations of plants in proximity to key customers Loyal employees comprised of production workers, department heads, support and administrative staff, and senior management Innovative mini-mill technology Own fleet of nearly 150 trucks for distribution Computer program to generate bids Plants, mills, equipment, and machinery Reputation Financial capital Capabilities: Management’s philosophy and leadership skills Successful quality control process Flat organizational hierarchy and incentive program that keeps the workforce cooperative and productive Acquisition management Multidivisional coordination Speed of design process 5. Elaborate on some of the key lessons you have learnt from the case analysis. The most significant lesson I learned from this case analysis is that management style and culture can be key to being competitive. These really are the two things that will give NUCOR sustainable competitive advantage  because they are the most difficult to find and imitate. Building such an impressive employee loyalty takes time and cannot be replicated easily. In addition, the minimization of the corporate bureaucracy is something that makes employees at all levels feel comfortable and as if they are part of a family. I think there are many companies, including the one I work for that could really benefit from adopting this management style.

The Lord of the Flies as Social Commentary Essay -- Lord Flies Essays

The Lord of the Flies as Social Commentary    The Lord of the Flies is an ultimately pessimistic novel.   In the midst of the cold war and communism scares, this disquieting aura acts as a backdrop to the island.   The Lord of the Flies addresses questions like how do dictators come to power, do democracies always work, and what is the natural state and fate of humanity and society, getting at the heart of human nature in a very male-dominated, conflict-driven way.   The war, the plane shot down, and the boys' concern that the "Reds" will find them before the British, shows Golding's intention of treating the boys' isolated existence as a microcosm of the adult military world. I am plunged into Golding's imagined island world from the first sentence.   He uses lush description to build a setting that will contrast and reflect the boys' primitive descent.   The word "scar" describes the natural feature of the land, conjuring images of redness and blood from the first paragraph. The beautiful, yet often odd, descriptions help serve as a contrast between humans and nature.   The use of words like "scar" and "blood" foreshadows the future interaction between the boys and nature - the pigs, the hunt, the storm.   At the same time, the beauty and the order of the natural surroundings contrast with the decline of society developed throughout the book.   Integral to this setting is the fair-haired boy climbing the rocks, Ralph.   When Ralph meets Piggy, we notice the obvious differences between the two - the attractive and the fat, the daydreamer and the thinker. There is a moment when Piggy looks up at Ralph and sees the shadows on his face reversed.à ‚   This reverse of shadows seems to signify the missed initial connection between Piggy an... ...but ultimately signals a Navy cruiser. The fire, once signifying rescue and later used for destruction, becomes both. The novel ends in the adult perspective.   The officer is uncomfortable thinking about the savagery of the boys, and looks off to his cruiser in the distance while Ralph weeps for "the end of innocence, and the darkness of man's heart."   Golding is making a point about the hypocrisy of the civilization.   In reality, the world is just a larger version of the island.   The officer's comment on "the Coral Island" is also ironically significant in elevating The Lord of the Flies from a book about a group of lost boys on an island to a beautifully symbolic work of social commentary.   The view presented is dark and pessimistic, making its readers look deep inside their own human nature and at the structure of society in a frighteningly different light.

Procurement and Supply Chain Management Essay

Executive Summary Boeing Australia Limited (BAL) is relatively new company and a global extension of the US firm, the Boeing Company. The BAL developed capabilities in the areas of space and communication, site management and the upgrade and maintenance of military aircraft and equipment. As BAL grew, it had developed various systems to support the procurement operations at four key divisions and 12 sites that made up the organization. However there is no interface of these systems and they operated autonomously, resulting in a lot of administrative redundancies, low productivity, and high processing time for the procurement processes. The dilemma exists in whether to continue to sit on the fence and seek a long-term improvement tools for integration with the current systems, or to invest in a new system that would simplify the procurement processes across the different divisions and support complex interfaces with suppliers? As Russell Menere, National Procurement Manager, I recommend to pursue a cost effective e-Procurement system, which would integrate with the various legacy information technology systems currently in place. The e-Procurement tool should simplify the  processes across the different divisions and support the multiple suppliers. Issue Identification: Immediate Issue: The immediate issue BAL facing is the necessity to find an e-Procurement system that would link the BAL, the Australian Defense Force (ADF) and the major suppliers. Following are the requirements to the e-Procurement system: High process efficiency (to help reduce the manual processes, which create errors); Decreased lead times; Cost savings; Compliance with ADF standards for procurement, which support the provision of services for the ADF. Systemic Issues: 1. Central administration with decentralized procurement processes BAL had made a strategic move to establish in the organization’s head office the following departments: Central Administration Finance Purchasing Engineering Logistics Technical Publishing Management Information Systems Project Management These departments supported 4 key divisions: 1. The Military Aerospace 2. The Commercial Aviation 3. The Knowledge System 4. The Space and Communications By relocating 4 divisions under one roof BAL achieved synergies through more centralized and standardized operations. Although, the 4 divisions were still autonomous – they executed their own work, reported the same measuring  criteria in financial dollars, project performance and product quality terms, as well as range of other measures for the BAL balanced scorecard. 2. Systems Architecture Issues The information systems architecture encompassed 12 different BAL sites, which were strategically located close to major BAL customers. And at multiple sites the numerous programs and application were used by employees to meet their operational objectives. The following applications were used: 1. ProPricer – bidding for projects; 2. OPP – project scheduling, planning and labour hours; 3. COBRA – cost performance; 4. eMatrix – data management The work packages form the above systems were fed into the ERP system, and then became KPI’s for the balanced scorecard. The main problem associated with the above systems architecture was that these were buy-in off-the –shelf applications, and were not developed in –house to meet the specific needs of the BAL various sites, and did not always interfaced with the other applications. Environmental and Root Cause Analysis Qualitative Analysis: 1. BAL is relatively new company with multiple divisions and sites that do not use one integrated procurement system; 2. Redundancy in processes for staff through using multiple system applications; 3. Slow manual processes for data management (manually entering data); 4. Deficient operations due to strict requirements to suppliers; 5. High cost of systems available on the market, which would provide systems integration solution; 6. Unknowns: not enough analysis done to guarantee that the new purchased system would meet all the functional requirements for the integration of system application already in place; 7. Staff resistance to change in case new procurement system will be implemented. Key Assumptions: Budget available for the setup, implementation, and training and interface and service of e-Procurement system and BAL legacy system. BAL suppliers are flexible with changing their existing procurement processes. E-Procurement system of choice is compliant with the ADF standards. Alternatives and Options: A1. BAL implements a sophisticated e-Procurement system, which integrates all parts of the current BAL legacy system already in place. Pros: There are average expenses associated with purchasing e-Procurement solution. Future lower costs, and cost savings long-term. Integrates with current legacy system. Based on the integration of current systems, which staff is already using – no steep learning curve and less resistance to change. Cons: Adding another system to the legacy system provides temporary problem fix until more budget available to purchase an ERP system. Major suppliers may not all meet the requirements of the new e-Procurement system. A2. Upgrading and redeveloping the existing ERP platform, and building new ERP system, which would include e-Procurement system to serve the needs of suppliers and end-users. Pros: Provides visibility and transparency of all the steps of the full cycle procurement process. Cons: High cost, long implementation time. A3. Continue with the existing system, and wait until affordable e-Procurement system is available to be purchased off-shelf (should be compatible with the BAL legacy system). Pros: This will save money short term. Cons: the risk of waiting for the low- cost solution will involve losing current suppliers and not having correct data available for current state analysis and reporting. The low-cost e-procurement tool may not be sophisticated enough to provide the necessary technical advantage and solve the current issues. Recommendations: 1. Gap analysis on what will be needed to implement the e-Procurement system  organization wide. 2. Identify mandatory, technical and functional requirements for the e-Procurement system. 3. Research of e-Procurement systems on the market.  4. E-Procurement system purchase and implementation.  5. Develop Processes internally (staff/end-users) and externally (suppliers) to sustain e-Procurement system. Implementation: Implementation Plan Recommendation: Activity: Who – Primary BAL Admin, Finance, Purchasing, Engineering, IS, Logistics, ADF, major suppliers Who – Support and Input BAL Admin, Finance, Purchasing, Engineering IS, Logistics, ADF, major suppliers When Immediate (I) Short run (S) Medium (M) Long run (L) Duration/weeks Monitor and Control There are two aspects to the monitor and control functions of the above recommended BAL procurement process improvements. The first aspect is the successful implementation of recommendations listed above. This process can be completed by continuous monitoring of what had been completed, developing project plan with all the dependencies and timelines indicated, assigning resources to tasks, and verifying the project deliverables. The second aspect is the controlling process, which measures and monitors progress after all the recommendations are implemented. This process identifies variances from plan and highlights when corrective action is required.  Following is the list of inclusions that may be used to measure the performance e-Procurement system: 1. Operational staff efficiency manual entry /error decrease 2. Cost Savings 3. Decreased lead time 4. Increase in suppliers cooperation Conclusion: The alternative solution for BAL is to purchase the cost efficient new e-Procurement system, with would be ADF compliant and will have the technical capacity to interface with the existing legacy system. The anticipated results of implementing new e-Procurement system will be cost savings, decreased lead times, operational efficiency and enhanced relationship with major suppliers and main customer (ADF). References: 1. Boeing Australia Limited: Assessing the Merits of Implementing a Sophisticated e-Procurement System Case. #HKU271. Centre for Asian Business Cases.

Zeami Motokiyo An Art Form - 1643 Words

Zeami Motokiyo was a Japanese actor, playwright, and theorist of the Noh theatre. Today, he is widely acclaimed as one of the most innovative thinkers in the history of the stage. According to Shelley Fenno Quinn and her book Developing Zeami, Noh theatre is â€Å"an art form that depicts the life of the emotions in a synthesis of dramatic, musical, and choreographed elements† (1). While known for his acting and plays, Zeami is also known for his use of images in nature as a continuous metaphor. For example, the hana or flower is both an aesthetic principle and the soul of the actor of the character or play. It is also beyond that, a spiritual quest. This metaphor is used to evoke a sense of the spiritual and special qualities found in Noh theatre. According to Quinn’s book, â€Å"an actor who possesses the flower is one who has cultivated both the sensibility and the technical virility to read his audience to adjust his performance accordingly† (3). While the fl ower is used to symbolize the soul which every actor should take on, it also important to realize the physical and psychological cross-bordering. In Noh theatre, the physical and psychological cross-bordering is important and allows the audience’s emotional involvement. Although Zeami mainly focused on the actor and the flower, I believe the flower can also relate to the audience. Through this aesthetic movement, the audience can also be perceived as a flower. In the medieval Noh theatre, the word â€Å"body† goes beyond theShow MoreRelatedZeami Motokiyo : An Art Form1401 Words   |  6 Pages Zeami Motokiyo was a Japanese actor, playwright, and theorist of the Noh theatre. Today, he is widely acclaimed as one of the most innovative thinkers in the history of the stage. According to Shelley Fenno Quinn and her book Developing Zeami, Noh theatre is â€Å"an art form that depicts the life of the emotions in a synthesis of dramatic, musical, and choreographed elementsâ €  (1). While known for his acting and plays, Zeami is also known for his use of images in nature as a continuous metaphor. ForRead MoreModern World s Longest Lasting Forms Of Theatre1577 Words   |  7 Pagessitting in your seat, patiently for a play to begin. The lights have not been dimmed and nor will they be. Everyone is quite and takes in the set. The play you are about to watch is a Noh play, so unique to Japan and one of the world’s longest lasting forms of theatre. It could even be said that this type of theatre is an important link between the classic plays of Greece and the poetic drama of modern Europe. Noh plays on performed on a square platform supported on pillars, covered with a temple-like