Lucent technology supply chain summary Essay Example for Free

Lucent technology supply chain summary Essay Lucent Technologies is a multinational telecommunication company which was spun off from ATT in 1996. Before restructure, as an integrated telecommunications services and equipment company, ATT had been primarily U. S. -centric market and more than half of income was generated by services in U. S. However, the restructure made Lucent focused on communications equipment globally. When Lucent expand into global market, its flagship product, the5ESS ® digital switch, was a market leader in worldwide telecommunication infrastructure equipment. While the 5ESS ® digital switch provided the company’s more competitive edge in global market. This custom configured, engineered-to-order product made only a portion of its assemblies could be built to stock. Moreover, 5ESS ® digital switch orders from Asian market had continued to grow rapidly, and Asia became an important part of Lucent’s business. U. S. -centric Supply Model Before Lucent’s independence from ATT, it established some joint ventures in four Asian countries to meet the increasing telecommunication equipment demand in Asian market. But this marketing entry mode just provided access to these markets. Most manufacturing continued to be done in Oklahoma City. The Asian joint ventures only performed final assembly and testing. It was believed that Lucent would benefit from the cost saving from economies of scale in manufacturing in US. However, as tremendous demand growth and intense competition arose from these countries, the delivery costs and lead time became two critical issues in this industry. The long distance inhibited the instant response. Delay means market losing. What’s more, increasing local content by having locally purchased parts would lower the costs and made product more locally attractive. Asian-centric Supply Model After 1996, asset management, product lead time and supply chain efficiency became more and more important for this new independent manufacturing firm. The primary market shifted from U. S to Asian market required a redesign of the Asian supply chain. First of all, it took a â€Å"hub-and spoke† model. Taiwan was the hub of the Asian supply chain. Custom engineering and manufacturing of Asian orders would be manufactured in Taiwan rather than Oklahoma City, and Asian orders were placed with Taiwan rather than U. S. Low volume assemblies remained in U. S. Secondly, different supply modes (inshore or outsource) were decided by different product volumes. And then it used local components (direct procurement) and local suppliers (local procurement). Last but not least, it insisted a strict quality control. Products manufactured by Asian joint ventures had the same quality standards. There were also some barriers for the redesign of supply chain. For example, the new manufacturing center in Asian mean losing job in U. S. The transfer of production to joint venture may reduce Lucent’s profits. And also the sales organization worried about the sales decreased because of losing â€Å"Made in USA† label. All of these barriers were addressed when the benefits of redesigning outweighed the costs. The redesign decreased the lead time, and customer satisfactions had improved a lot. Meanwhile, Taiwan joint venture reengineered its factory to improve the productivity. The increasing productivity and decreasing costs means the firm became more profitable. Also, support of Asian joint ventures helped Lucent win more business in Asia, and the huge capacity of Asian joint ventures can support Lucent’ global customer demand. So the all improvement by redesigning the supply chain made Lucent more competitive in global market. Summary and Recommendations Despite its success in the later 1990s, new challenges have arisen. How to response the changing demand in this complex business environment and how to expand its capacity in other emerging markets? The internet and IT tools caused fundamental changes in business models and traditional customer-supplier relationships. Contract manufacturing company in Asian provides new opportunity for the firm to outsourcing its manufacturing and logistics responsibility. In my view, outsourcing its assembly and component is a better way for Lucent to cope with new challenge. Because 5ESS ® digital switch was reaching its mature period in the product life cycle, and the intensive competition and changing environment forced telecommunication industry to devoted more time to new product research and marketing strategy. In its initial stage, the core product is the key to success and the supply chain redesign facilitate its further success. But nowadays, the product life cycle is shortening and the industry is changing at ever-increasing rate. Lucent has to improve researching, marketing strategy and supply chain management at the same rate to cope with the changing market. In addition, Lucent can use merging and acquisition strategy to integrate available resources to expand its business. Questions for group As Lucent shift its main supply chain from U. S to Asian market, how to compete with domestic rivalry Cisco? As more and more local telecommunication company grew up, how to cope with fierce industry competition with local firms, and some multinational telecommunication firms now target at Asian market, how to compete with them in global market? Should Lucent insist its in-source strategy or use outsourcing for the future supply chain management? Because its flagship products had reached its mature period, is it necessary for Lucent to build a main RD center in the emerging market like Cisco did?

Sundowing And Alzheimers Disease Essay -- Alzheimers Disease Essays

SUNDOWNING AND ALZHEIMER'S DISEASE Sundowning, or sundown syndrome are terms that have been used for over 20 years to describe the reversal of day and night which often occurs in Alzheimer's and other dementing illnesses. (2) Those who are impacted are often called Sundowners and they act as if their biological clocks have reversed their day and night cycles. Some are able to function on little sleep throughout their 24-hour day cycle. Some individuals stay up all night and will then continually doze off during the day. This alteration in the sleep-wake cycle is not necessarily permanent and they may revert to earlier patterns of sleep, or may sleep for increasing periods of time. (1) Those suffering from acute or chronic confusion increasingly become highly agitated, confused, suspicious, active and restless, combative and disoriented late in the day, especially after dark. (2,3) They may see, hear and believe things that are not real. Patients become more impulsive and respond to their own ideas of reality, often in ways that can that get them in trouble. The confusion is often worse after a move or change in routine and can happen in any setting, whether they are living at home or in a facility. The behavior may be totally out of character for the person. And, the change is drastic. You may see them in the morning and the person seems mentally competent and alert. The same individual may not recognize you or other family members, seem lethargic, become easily agitated, confused, or disoriented late in the afternoon or evening. (1) There is currently no conclusive evidence about the reasons for these changes in the sleep-wake cycle. (2) However, in the online articles "Sundowning and Sleeping" and "The Sundown Syndrome" there are some theories identified about the cause. 1) The decreasing levels of light may be disorienting. The lower light provides fewer clues as to the person's surroundings and shadows may be frightening. 2) The person may feel they are supposed to "go home" around this time. 3) The person may be fatigu... ...dence regarding the reasons for these changes, some theories have been identified about the cause. This syndrome can be exhausting for the caregiver. Some measures have been identified that may lessen the effects. It is important to realize with sundown syndrome, as in any behavior related to Alzheimer's Disease, that the person does not have control over their behavior and that it is a result of the brain tryng to sort out a confusing environment. REFERENCES 1. Alzheimers.com. Sundown Syndrome and the Elderly. Alzheimers.com feature story. [On-Line] Avaialble: http://www.alzheimers.com/L3TABLES/L3T-428.HTM. 2. Crystal, H. (1998). Sundowning and Sleeping. Northern Virginia Chapter of Alzheimer's Association. [On-Line]. Available: http://www.alz-nova.org/sundown.htm. 3. Davis, M. (1997). Light in the Darkess. Perspectives Magazine. [On-line]. Available: http://www.siu.edu/worda/persp/sp97/alz.html. 4. Nitram, R. (1997). The Sundown Syndrome. The Arizona Daily Star Online. Availabnle: http://www.azstarnet.com/~rnitram/sundown.html

Gossip Girls

How many times a day do you gossip . . . .Either as a sender or receiver? Although you may think gossip is harmless, it can have some pretty serious consequences. It did for four former employees of the town of Hooksett, Mew Hampshire, who were fired by the city council for gossiping about their boss. They learned the hard way that the gossip can cost you your job. The longtime employees were fired because one of the woman had used derogatory terms to describe the town administrator and because all of them had discussed a rumor that he was having an affair with a female subordinate.All four of the woman acknowledged feeling resentment toward the woman. Who worked in a specially created position and was paid more than two of the employees, despite having less experience and seniority. Despite an appeal of their dismissal by the four employees, the Hooksett council didn’t budge and stated. â€Å"These employees do not represent the best of the town of Hooksett and the false rum ors, gossip and derogatory statement have contributed to a negative working environment and malcontent among their fellow employees.† Despite national media attention and a petition signed by 419 residents, asking for the woman to be reinstated, the city council hasn’t wavered on its decision. An attorney for the four women said that his clients were, â€Å"legitimately questioning the conduct of their supervisor, and whether the female subordinate was getting preferential treatment. It almost cheapens it to call it gossip. It might have been idle, not particularly thoughtful, talk. But there was no harm intended.

VANCL Analysis - 2159 Words

VANCL: Problem Within the period of 2007 to 2009, two major retail companies emerged in China: PPG Apparel (Shanghai) Co., Ltd. and VANCL Technology (Beijing) Co., Ltd. Though both had similar business models, VANCL was able to excel and profit in places where PPG Apparel suffered tremendously. These included creating a successful supply chain with effective quality control, adopting a variety of improvement measures to ensure a positive customer experience, and shifting most of VANCL’s advertising dollars towards internet marketing. Though successful when first established, PPG eventually collapsed in late 2009 due to their inefficiencies in such areas. Owner of VANCL, Chen Nian stated that VANCL has passed its most risky period†¦show more content†¦Market Analysis: VANCL is a leading Chinese internet-based apparel retailer that has successfully established dominance in the e-tailing world. Their approach to elevating the customer experience includes improvement measures such as online commenting threads and try-on activities. VANCL’s services have helped them diminish any skepticisms the Chinese market had in regards to shopping online. Known for its â€Å"fast fashion†, they have expanded their market range to include most kinds of men’s and women’s apparel, specifically casual-wear such as canvas shoes and graphic tees. In China alone they have captured over 25% of market share in the apparel market and are the 6th largest B2C company in China in terms of revenue. VANCL’s channels of distribution are exclusively their online website as well as their small call-center. Because they are only an online retailer, VANCL uses their own logistics company, Rufengda, and other third party companies to ensure speedy delivery of their products. Their apparel is made from top fabric manufacturers such as Luthai Textile and go through countless quality checks to ensure the best apparel for their customers. In China alone th e market for apparel including clothing, shoes, hats, and textiles has grown by a staggering 18.8% in 2009 according to the