Ubiquity: Explain what ubiquity means in terms of electronic commerce, commenting on the difficulty or ease with which different types of customers (nationality, age, education level, occupation, English proficiency, with kids or grandkids or with tech-savvy friends, and many other factors that YOU the MIS students will think of) ……will adopt to e-commerce as part of their natural behaviours (also including mobile commerce) and….

For buying what types of products or services will they adopt e-commerce more ubiquitously ? Banking or bakery, travel or toothpaste, cars or cosmetics.

What is the best strategy for a firm ? Do you be the first to sell something over the internet (in which case you spend a lot of energy but get all the market to yourself (no competition), or do you prefer someone else to go into the murky crocodile-infested waters before you decide whether to go in or not ?

What factors determine the effectiveness of flexible work schedules?

Granite Housing Association Granite Housing Association (GHA), a charitable organisation, is a Registered Social Landlord (RSL). Its operations are part funded by the Government. GHA is based in the South East of England and manages 30,000 properties. It was created from 7 other RSLs with portfolios ranging from 1,800 to 14,600 properties. Five of the original RSLs had their own maintenance workforce while the other two used external contractors. 30% of the inhouse workforces are also tenants. Each workforce has remained on its own terms and conditions of employment and operates independently of each other. Activities associated with the workforce fell into three main areas: 1. Reactive maintenance 2. Void management and refurbishment 3. Programmed capital works Reactive maintenance requests are initiated by the tenant requesting repairs for damage to property, broken locks, leaking windows, etc. Void management is triggered when a tenant leaves. Typically, the property needs to be made secure, which may involve boarding windows and doors and/or installation of alarms. While the property is vacant prior to a new tenant arriving and dependent upon the condition of the premises, they may need full or partial refurbishment which may include central heating upgrades, kitchen and bathroom replacements. Programmed capital works includes the significant upgrading of a number of properties in a locality which may, for example, include replacement double-glazed windows. Two years remain on the framework agreements for the supply only of plumbing materials and supply only of building supplies, and four years remain on framework contracts for the supply and fitting of alarms, the supply only of kitchen units and the supply only of glazing products. The accountant, James Andrews, has undertaken an analysis of a new government scheme to encourage renewable forms of energy and has proposed that a major capital programme can be undertaken to install solar panels on properties with a south facing roof. For 8,000 properties the scheme is financially viable, for a further 7,000 properties the cases further work would require additional investigation to determine economic viability. The programme will be beneficial both to the tenant and to Granite. However, the in-house workforce does not have the capacity to undertake this activity.

Tasks

You are the Procurement Manager for GSA and you have been asked to consider:

(a) Initiating the procurement of an externally managed programme of installation of solar panels

(b) Outsourcing the three categories of activities undertaken by the in-house workforce.

1. What would you need to consider in relation to both the above initiatives?

2. What contractual matters would need consideration in the relation to the outsourcing initiative and the existing frameworks?

What options are available for altering the capacity of (a) an elementary school, (b) a prison, and (c) an airline, or (d) some other organization with which you are familiar?

SCENARIO: Your company was awarded a tender to collect and return a construction team of 15 workers from King Shaka airport (Durban) to Lesotho and back to King Shaka airport (Durban). The GPS location in Lesotho is -29.362339, 28.503741 near the Katse Dam wall. You will be able to cut, copy and paste the location into google which will take you to the location. The construction will have a duration of 2 weeks.

SCOPE PLANNING (30)

 Define the scope for the project.

 Determine the human resources needed for the project.

 Assign responsibility.

SCHEDULE PLANNING (30)

 Design a basic activity sequence which include a network diagram.

 Develop a Gantt chart.

CLOSING PHASE (10)

 Closing Phase. - Close the project with a final one-page document with the final close off and acceptance signature

Target and Walmart. Which store do you want to work for? Why?

1. The purchasing manager of a distillery company is considering three sources of supply for oak barrels. The first supplier offers any quantity of barrels at `150 each. The second supplier offers barrels in lots of 150 or more at `125 per barrel. The third supplier offers barrels in lots of 250 or more at `100 each. The distillery uses 1,500 barrels a year at constant rate. Carrying costs are 40 percent of purchase price, and it costs the purchasing agent `400 to place an order. Calculate the total annual cost for the orders placed to the probable suppliers, and find out the supplier to whom the orders should be placed.
2. A company uses 8,000 units of a product as a raw material, costing `10 per unit. The administrative cost per purchase is `40. The holding costs are 28% of the average inventory. The company is following an optimal purchase policy and places orders according to the EOQ. It has been offered a quantity discount of 1% if it purchases its entire requirement only four times a year. Should the company accept the offer of quantity discount of one percent? If not what minimum discount should the company demand?
3. Chris Sandvig Irrigation has summarized the price list from four potential suppliers of an underground valve given in the table below. Annual usage is 2400 valve, order cost is `10 per order and annual inventory holding cost are `3.33 per unit. Which vendor should be selected and what order quantity is best if Sandvig Irrigation wants to minimize total cost?

4. MP VanOyen Manufacturing has gone out on bid for a regular component. Expected demand is 700 units per month. The item can be purchased from either Allen Manufacturing or Baker Manufacturing. Their price lists are shown in the table. Ordering cost is `50 and the annual holding cost per unit is`5.

1. What is the economic order quantity?
2. Which supplier should be used and why?
3. What is optimal order quantity and total annual cost of ordering, purchasing and holding the component?
   5. Radovilsky Manufacturing Company in Hayward, California, makes flashing lights for toys. The company operates its production facility 300 days per year. It has orders for about 12000 flashing lights per year and has the capability of producing 100 per day. Setting up the light production costs `50. The cost of each light is `1. The holding costs is `0.10 per light per year.
      1. What is the optimal size of the production run?
      2. What is the average holding cost per year?
      3. What is the average set up cost per year?
      4. What is the total cost per year including the cost of the lights?

Indian Railways is a name synonymous to an operational activity at a large scale. Give your views on the following aspects of Indian railways

a. There have been several instances & reports of problems faced by customers during booking of tickets through its online portal. What should Indian railways do to make this system world class?

b. Discuss the concept of inventory management with reference to any one aspect (Food served/ hospitality/ safety, etc.) of Indian Railway.

What are the key factors that firms consider while designing a facility layout? List five major factors. What kind of layout is best suited for a Pharmaceuticals manufacturing firm?

Explain how the operations strategies are different when applied to a service company such as “Tata Sky” versus a manufacturing company such as “Tata Steel".

A. Allowances and reimbursements for international assignments are costly. Should companies avoid international business activities? Explain your answer. If you answer no, what can companies to do minimize cost? B. Would you like to have a foreign assignment? If so what part of the world would you find acceptable? In what part of the world would you not want to receive an assignment? What do you think would be the most difficult adaptation issue involved in a foreign assignment? C. China is in the news every day now. Given recent news stories about trade wars and competition between China and the U.S., how big a threat is China to our economy?

Granite Housing Association Granite Housing Association (GHA), a charitable organisation, is a Registered Social Landlord (RSL). Its operations are part funded by the Government. GHA is based in the South East of England and manages 30,000 properties. It was created from 7 other RSLs with portfolios ranging from 1,800 to 14,600 properties. Five of the original RSLs had their own maintenance workforce while the other two used external contractors. 30% of the inhouse workforces are also tenants. Each workforce has remained on its own terms and conditions of employment and operates independently of each other. Activities associated with the workforce fell into three main areas: 1. Reactive maintenance 2. Void management and refurbishment 3. Programmed capital works Reactive maintenance requests are initiated by the tenant requesting repairs for damage to property, broken locks, leaking windows, etc. Void management is triggered when a tenant leaves. Typically, the property needs to be made secure, which may involve boarding windows and doors and/or installation of alarms. While the property is vacant prior to a new tenant arriving and dependent upon the condition of the premises, they may need full or partial refurbishment which may include central heating upgrades, kitchen and bathroom replacements. Programmed capital works includes the significant upgrading of a number of properties in a locality which may, for example, include replacement double-glazed windows. Two years remain on the framework agreements for the supply only of plumbing materials and supply only of building supplies, and four years remain on framework contracts for the supply and fitting of alarms, the supply only of kitchen units and the supply only of glazing products. The accountant, James Andrews, has undertaken an analysis of a new government scheme to encourage renewable forms of energy and has proposed that a major capital programme can be undertaken to install solar panels on properties with a south facing roof. For 8,000 properties the scheme is financially viable, for a further 7,000 properties the cases further work would require additional investigation to determine economic viability. The programme will be beneficial both to the tenant and to Granite. However, the in-house workforce does not have the capacity to undertake this activity.

Tasks

You are the Procurement Manager for GSA and you have been asked to consider:

(a) Initiating the procurement of an externally managed programme of installation of solar panels

(b) Outsourcing the three categories of activities undertaken by the in-house workforce.

1. What would you need to consider in relation to both the above initiatives?

2. What contractual matters would need consideration in the relation to the outsourcing initiative and the existing frameworks?