Summary of Continuous and Stage CMMI

The history of CMMI is based on CMM that originated from a study by the Air Force, which was meant for software subcontractors (Kasse 12). The primary intention was to measure the development of software applied in the maturity of the process.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Summary of Continuous and Stage CMMI specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More The CMMI model identifies the levels of the process maturity of the organization (Land and Walz 12). These levels include the initial level which entails the starting use of the process, repeatable where the process is repeated, defined and involve the definition of the process and the confirmation of the standard business process, managed which entails the management and the measurement and optimizing level which includes the deliberate process improvement. CMMI as process-improvement model is meant to provide the best practices that address the issue of productivity, perf ormance, and cost besides ensuring that stakeholders are satisfied. What is CMMI CMMI is an acronym for Capability Maturity Model, which is a process development approach whose aim is to assist organizations advance their performance. As a process, it provides organizations with basic elements of efficient processes that are aimed at improving their performance. CMMI helps incorporate traditionally detached organizational roles as it helps improve the targets besides providing direction in quality processes (Kasse 47). The CMMI project was developed with an aim of improving the use of maturity models by way of integrating diverse model framework (diagram 9). Currently, there are two representations; that is, the continuous and the stage, and the deference.Advertising Looking for essay on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Between the two representations, the continuous representation allows users to focus the specific course, which is considered critical for the organizations immediate objectives as well as those objectives that the organization considers being at a higher risk (Land and Walz 32). On the other hand, the staged representation allows straightforward movement from the SW-SMM to CMMI. Therefore, CMMI model varies depending on the area of interest. Usually, there are three major areas of interest, including Acquisition, Services and Development. A Brief Critical Summary of the Continuous and Staged CMMI The critical summary of staged and Continuous Representation requires a proper understanding of each of these representations and being in a position to clearly point out the advantages and the disadvantage of each representation. The stage and the continuous representation are the same in terms of the content. However, they are organized differently (Chrissis and Shrum13). The representation permits the individual organization to practice different development objectives, th erefore, presenting model components differently (Dogru and Bicar 39). The capability levels apply to an organization’s process improvement achievement in every Process Area (P.A). The improvement areas are characterized relative to the Process Area Individual (Kasse 67). It is worth noting that in both representations, the substance is nearly identical. This raises the question of why there are two different representations yet the representation of each model was different. The CMM software is staged while the SE-CMM, SECM is continuous (Land and Walz 78). The continuous representation has a maximum flexibility for prioritizing process improvements and aligning them with the business objectives (Siviy and Stoddard 47). The Staged representation on the other hand proves the path and uses the case study and ROI Data, thus, it reduces the guesswork (Dogru and Bicar 27).Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Summary of Continuous and Stage CMMI specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More This is explained by the mechanism of having the Quick Wins being easily defined to increase Buy-In. It also increases the focus on risks specific for each process area. The Staged representation on its part focuses on the organizational improvement (Ahern and Turner 14). The Continuous representation is also known for improving the process area at different rates, which in circumstances may require less upfront investment (Dogru and Bicar 12). The staged representation on its part summarizes the overall results in a maturity level and also provides the familiar benchmarking capability where it uses qualified bidders. The continuous representation on its part upgrades from SE-CMM and SECM, while the staged representation upgrades from SW-CMM. In both cases, the upgrading process is usually easier (Catlin and Jana 20). A Discussion of Criteria of Choice There are values that one should consider while adopting either a continuous or staged system. The formal appraisal should give an organization an idea of the maturity of the processes and help to create a roadmap for improvement. The organization should, therefore, adapt a model that suits their needs and the objectives of the organization. A good model should, therefore, help improve the efforts of the organization and should also creation and achievement of development objectives (Ahern and Turner 45). In addition, it helps the company create a common idiom that facilitates cross-organization operation and communication. Thus, one should consider a model that best integrates the framework of the organization (Land and Walz 89). The model can also help the organization understand the specific performance practices and, therefore, improve its capability and the future practices. How an Organization Might Best Select an Appropriate Model for its Use Both the staged and continuous representations provide the same content. However, each is shown in its unique way. For this reason, an organization should choose a representation is best fit for its business objectives, cultural practices and heritage (Catlin and Jana 35).Advertising Looking for essay on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More In certain cases, it may be necessary for a company to adopt a mix and match. Usually it comes with a continuous implementation of the staged process, staged implementation and continuous appraisal. The staged representation represents an excellent path for companies that are transitioning from SW-CMM to CMMI, also an organization that is doing business with government organizations that require maturity level for procurements (Ahern and Turner 72). An organization is not familiar with the dependencies among process areas, which means that the guess-work in the process improvement is reduced by the predefined set of the process area at every maturity level (Catlin and Jana 41). The equivalence staging is meant to allow comparison of the results from both representations. Small companies should also embrace the CMMI and focus on improving their areas of known business analysis. Implementation of the specific process area without overriding aim level makes the use of the model more me aningful for the small business. Therefore, CMMI can be used in areas of an organization that adds much value to the organization and its products by improving activity of services where they are needed most (Land and Walz 21). The Role of System Integration in the CMMI System integration of the CMMI is useful to the organization as it helps the company understands how the CMMI address the Business Objectives. The integration also helps the organization to identify the specific areas of the company that needs improvement. The CMMI integration also helps a company that may have limited budget as it does not require much for the improvement of the CMMI process. The CMMI is also critical as it helps the organization to appreciate the process area relationships. The organization also stands to benefit from quick wins as the procurement process favors an organization with CMMI (Catlin and Jana 52). How Integration Issues are Dealt With at The Selection Level, Product Level, Process Level , and at The System Management Level Affecting Organizations and Humans. At the product level, product integration assembles the product mechanism and ensures that the same performs and delivers the product (Mutafelija and Strongberg 15). The process management takes place at level 3. It has organized training that develops the skills and knowledge of the human beings so that they can perform their individual roles effectively (Chrissis and Shrum71). The project control gives a clear understanding of the progress. This informs the appropriation of the right actions that should be affected should the performance of the project deviate from the path. Process management areas quantitatively manage the project and ensure that it performs its objectives as specified. The project management requires the product and product components to be aligned with the requirements of the project plan (Catlin and Jana 67). Speculation on what a Lead Systems Integrator that CMMI Might look like The que stion of what a lead system integrator on how CMMI might look like is a difficult one as the issue of determining how deeply the CMMI adoption within an organization is still not clear. However, with the increasing usage, the degree of visibility within the social subsystem increases. With time, the members of the organization should engage in the activities of CMMI. Works Cited Ahern, Dennis and Richards Turne. CMMI Distilled: A Practical Introduction to Integrated Process Improvement. New York: Addison-Wesley Professional, 2008. Print. Catlin, Katherine and Mathews Jana. Leading at the Speed of Growth: Journey from Entrepreneur to CEO. New York: Wiley Publishers, 2001. Print. Chrissis, Mary and Sanday Shrum. CMMI: Guidelines for process integration and product improvement. California: Addison-Wesley Professional, 2003. Print Dogru, Ali and Veli Bicar. Modern Software Engineering Concepts and Practices: Advance Approaches. Washington, GI Global, 2001. Print. Kasse, Tim. Practical I nsight into CMMI. New York: Artech House, 2008. Print. Land, Susan and John Walz. Practical Support for CMMI-SW Software Project Documentation uses IEEE Software Engineering. New York: Wily-IEEE Publishers, 2005. Print. Mutafelija, Boris and Harvey Strongberg. Systematic Process Improvement Using ISO 9001:2000 and CMMI. New York: Artech House, 2003. Print. Siviy, Joe and Robert Stoddard. CMMI and Six Sigma: Partners in Process Improvement. New York: Addison-Wesley, 2008. Print. This essay on Summary of Continuous and Stage CMMI was written and submitted by user Kinsey Q. to help you with your own studies. You are free to use it for research and reference purposes in order to write your own paper; however, you must cite it accordingly. You can donate your paper here.

Companies in south africa that produce fertilizers Essay Example

Companies in south africa that produce fertilizers Essay Example Companies in south africa that produce fertilizers Essay Companies in south africa that produce fertilizers Essay FOSKOR Foskor Richards Bay is one of the biggest manufacturers of fertilisers in South Africa. It was founded in 1951 as a individual phosphate excavation operation in order to forestall us organize depending on imports of phosphate stones, which are one of the most indispensable natural stuffs needed in the production of fertilizers. It has now expanded to holding three chief excavation and production sites in Richards Bay and Phalaborwa. The installations in Richards Bay are more focussed on bring forthing phosphorous acid and phosphate-based fertilizers and besides locally administer some sulfuric acid. Foskor Phalaborwa is a part celebrated for the sum of Cu and phosphates available at that place and hence concentrate more on the excavation and mineral extraction of these substances. Foskor is nowadays one of the premier international bargainers of phosphorous acid with a 12 % portion in the market, importing to states such as India, Japan and Brazil. It does non merely bring forth phosphorous acid, but besides magnetite, fused zirconium oxide, sulfuric acid and fertilizer granules. YARA/KYNOCH Fertilizers Kynoch fertilizer was founded in 1919 at Umbogintwini. It started out an explosives manufacturer but shortly began bring forthing chemical fertilizers as a consequence of the byproduct of explosives, sulfuric acid. In 1924 it combined with Capex to organize AE A ; CI ( African Explosives and Chemical Industries ) , and was more late taken over by Yara Norsk Hydro. The purpose of Yara is to turn and prolong the fertilizer industry by working their prima place in the markets of ammonium hydroxide, nitrates fertilizers. Yara purposes to germinate from being a taking participant into the maker of the nitrogen-based chemical industry , quoted from the Yara web site ( hypertext transfer protocol: //www.yara.com/about/vision/index.aspx ) OMNIA FERTILISERS Omnia is considered one of the most environmentally witting fertilizer bring forthing companies in South Africa ; it has won the 2008 Mail A ; Guardian/Department of Environmental Affairs and Tourism Greening the hereafter award for Envinox works. Its slogan Turning nutrient security, Turning profitableness clearly illustrates the company s purpose, which is to promote husbandmans to utilize fertilizers as to give more harvests while continuing the Earth s natural or enriched province as non to harm it. Omnia produces farinaceous, liquid and forte fertilizers which are manufactured at different workss throughout the state. Its biggest research lab, Chemtech Agri, is situated at Sasolburg, which supplies the merchandise straight to husbandmans and jobbers. Other than providing locally, it besides exports from its Johannesburg division to Omnia concern in Zimbabwe, Zambia, Malawi and Angola, and to jobbers in east and southern Africa, Australia and New Zealand. They are besides exporting more and more forte merchandises to Europe, South America and Asia. SASOL NITRO Sasol started fabricating fertilizers and providing to other companies in the early 1950 s. They finally decided to supply straight to husbandmans in 1984 by making Sasol Fertilisers, now known as Sasol Nitro, which is one of the leaders in the South African fertilizer industry. It chiefly manufactures LAN ( Limestone Ammonium Sulphate ) and ammonium sulfate, and azotic in Secunda where some of its installations are located. It besides produces farinaceous fertilizer blends in Durbanville and Bellville, and liquid fertilizers in Potchefstroom, Kimberley and Endicott. These fertilizers are either sold for retail and on a sweeping footing, and are besides exported to a few selected parts. Sasol besides offers a particular agronomical back-up system through its agronomists and agents throughout the state, with the purpose to assist and fulfill its clients. THE FERTILISER INDUSTRY IN SOUTH AFRICA AND ITS IMPACT ON THE ECONOMY Africa is utilizing the least sum of fertilizer in the universe harmonizing to John Pender, a senior research worker at the International Food Policy Research Institute In South Africa the fertilizer industry is indispensable as much of population relies on farming in order to prolong themselves. If the harvests have small output, the husbandmans will non be able to bring forth much nutrient to eat and sell, which will in bend average small income and finally less money to pass on seeds and fertilizer which would heighten the growing of their harvests. Therefore, conveying down the cost of fertilizers is the key to increasing its entree to rural communities ; and with South Africa being conspicuously hapless, approximately 40 % of the population, this cost decrease is indispensable, whether it is the monetary value of the merchandises used to fabricate the fertilizer or the existent retail monetary value. Africa s rich dirt has been one of its biggest beginnings of wealth throughout the old ages as it contains diamonds, U and crude oil every bit good as coal sedimentations, oil and natural gas which are all beginnings of energy used to bring forth Ns based fertilizers. Therefore, there is ample chance for international investings to be made to the South African fertilizer industry which would finally heighten our economic system. However, it is of import to hold a balance between the private and public investings to guarantee that the chase of net income does non overshadow the continent s demand to feed itself as said by Jomo Kwame Sundaram, the United Nations Assistant Secretary-General for Economic Development. The estimated gross value of South Africa s agricultural end product in 2003/04 is of R72 000 million. The demand of fertilizers comes from the demand for nutrient, which is rather important in South Africa. This demand is expected to lift in the foreseeable hereafter, which implies that there will be a more intensive nutrient production which will increase the demand for fertilizers. The monetary value of fertilizers is largely affected by the international monetary values, the currency exchange rate and cargo costs. In 2004 the monetary values were as follow: Urea R2 464/tonne MAP R2 075/tonne MOP R2 110/tonne CAN R1 691/tonne The fertiliser industry of today is to the full exposed to the universe market forces and operates in a wholly deregulated environment with no import duties or authorities sponsored support steps harmonizing to fertusouthafrica.pdf ( see mention page ) . South Africa, holding no local K salt sedimentations has to trust on imports. This affects the remainder of the fertiliser industry as K is an indispensable component in the fabrication of chemical fertilisers, and the cost of imports are higher than if it had been found locally. We do import quite a batch of phosphorous acid from Foskor ( about 725 000 metric tons every twelvemonth ) every bit good as approximately 400 000 metric tons of farinaceous NPK to the Sub-Saharan Africa.

TV Programs (or Magazines) -Marketing Behavior Class- Essay

TV Programs (or Magazines) -Marketing Behavior Class- - Essay Example This allowed one to analyze their specific behaviors and relationships to others within society. The two magazines which I was familiar with were compared to Entertainment Weekly and Life and Style. I wasn’t familiar with these two particular magazines and had rarely identified with them. When reading both magazines, it could be seen that they were based on the â€Å"Yuppie† lifestyle, as well as one which was interested in being an experiencer. This was from an individual who was looking at concepts that were created from self – expression and the ability to identify with the fashions and latest trends as a form of the expression. The belief with the experience is created from the fashions and trends also leading to the latest growth in society and holding a specific social status (Linquist, Sirgy, 2003: p. 133). It could also be noted that these two magazines targeted women that were younger, living in cosmopolitan areas and which were interested in the enterta inment and leisure which were a part of both of these areas. The extreme differences between both of the magazines are one which is important to note, specifically because it shows how the attitudes and behaviors constitute the main demographics which one has.

Analyze formation of Canada's trade policy or environmental policies Essay

Analyze formation of Canada's trade policy or environmental policies with respect to domestic political and economic forces. Discuss the advantages and disadvantages - Essay Example The main advantage of environment regulation through command-and-control intervention is political support despite its inefficient features. It has high symbolic value for public that identifies prohibition with higher efficiency than taxing pollution discharge. It favors existing industries with political leverage and acts a barrier for new firms. Most importantly it identifies it as cost effective measures that would not pose charges directly to the public. It gives discretionary powers to the bureaucracy which is politically motivated. The exemptions from strict laws are used as tools for negotiation for political gains. The major disadvantage of the command-and-control measure is that it promotes inequality and inefficiency in the garb of perceived costs. It is also a short term policy that deters new firms to be innovative in effluent discharge. From the economists’ perspectives, effluent charges would remove disparity and would act as discouragement for high discharge of pollutants by industries at large. Its results could only be seen on long term basis, hence, it is not favored by political forces. (words:

BangChak and Esso Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

BangChak and Esso - Essay Example Both companies have prepared their financial statements in accordance with Thai Financial Reporting Standards (Bangchak Annual Report 2013, 2014; Esso Annual Report 2013, 2014). Furthermore, the company’s disclosures are prepared using guidelines provided by the Federation of Accounting Professions and the Thai Securities Exchange Commission. Both companies prepare its financial statements on a consolidated basis. The company adopted changes in TFRS related to Income taxes, Foreign Currency Translation and Operating Segments for preparing its financial statements for the year 2013 (Bangchak Annual Report 2013, 2014; Esso Annual Report 2013, 2014). The company uses historical cost accounting method for recording values of its assets, and transactions. Interest bearing liabilities are recorded at their fair value. For assets/liabilities classes, where it is not possible to ascertain historical values the company uses judgments. The company calculated depreciation of its assets u sing a straight-line method over the useful lives of assets based on their costs less residual value, which are subject to scrutiny every year. In some asset classes, both companies recognize impairment in their value on the basis of their recoverable amounts. It also amortized capital leasehold rights on a straight-line method and recognized operating lease payments in the income statement. The accounting strategy of both companies seemed to be appropriate that is to provide true and fair financial information and supporting data.

Balance Scorecard for Air India

Balance Scorecard for Air India Introduction Air India is the prime and oldest Airline of India. It is the State carrier which currently connects to rest of the world such as the Americas, Asia, Europe, etc. It is headquartered at Nariman Point, Mumbai in the Air India Building. It is the 16th largest Airline in Asia serves out of two major Domestic hubs in India at the Indira Gandhi International Airport, Delhi CST Terminal, Mumbai. The airline started its journey with the Maiden flight from Karachi Airport to Mumbai Airport via Ahmedabad in July 1932. It was founded by JRD Tata and later on acquired by the State. Air India has two subsidiaries and two affiliated carries. Together Air India, Air India Cargo, Air India Express, Indian and Air India Regional form the National Aviation Company of India Limited. It currently serves 11 countries across the globe apart from the various domestic destinations. Air India Cargo It serves as the cargo operator for the airline serving in conjunction with on ground truck-transportation systems and achieving synergies to increase returns. The carrier also is allowed to carry dangerous (hazardous cargo) animals under IATA rules. Air India Regional The airline previously known as alliance air serves the interior small airports domestically to serve the needs of such regions with smaller aircrafts. The hub for this is at the IGI airport in Delhi. Indian It focuses on the domestic touch points for the airline. It serves various destinations in the country with two major hubs at Delhi Mumbai. Air India Express The airline subsidiary was formed in 2005 to serve the low cost space in the South east Asia and the Gulf region. This is a no frills airline which focuses on the low cost travel mind space for its consumers. Tangible Assets Fleet and Material Resources Air India has continuously being trying to improve its Aircraft fleets. It has recently added 17 new aircrafts which include B777s- Long range aircrafts and it has also procured some 15 new airbus aircrafts to serve its domestic destinations. Currently the Air India fleet stands at a strong 136 aircrafts. Air India serves various international destinations such as in the USA which includes Newark, JFK Chicago with its non-stop Boeing Long range aircrafts. The detailed aircraft distribution is as given in the table below: Network Air India operates from various cities across India like Ahmedabad, Amritsar, Bangalore, Chennai, Delhi, Goa, Hyderabad, Kochi, Kolkata, Kozhikode, Lucknow, Jaipur, Varanasi, Tiruchirapalli, Gaya and Thiruvananthapuram in totality 16 cities for its international location flights. The need of boarding flights from metros for international locations has thus ceased thus providing better opportunities to other cities to develop economically and aid in the countrys growth story. The various requirements in terms of customs, etc. are directly done in these cities. Air India also has code sharing agreements with various airlines across the world providing better accessibility to other locations. International Hub: Air India has established its international hub at Frankfurt for better transfers and code shares across the world. It has forged partnerships with Lufthansa and is currently vying for being a part of the Star Alliance. These alliances has strengthened AIs network in the US and Europe to a large extent. Indian Hub: Air India has its domestic hubs in Delhi IGI Airport and Mumbai CST Airport. The firm services 64 Indian cities domestically from these locations. Out of these locations seventeen service to International flights too thereby providing seamless connectivity. The domestic locations are service by Airbus A321 aircrafts with all world class services. Star Alliance Air India is currently in the process for vying to become a part of the International Alliance which will connect it to 916 cities in the world and have code share agreements with 17000 daily routes across the world. Air India club members can enjoy the benefits of International lounges, code shares, loyalty programmes, etc across all the 21 top airlines across the world increasing the service levels to a new height. The alliance is pending at March, 2011. Human Resources Air India has a large base of human resources which makes it one of the poorest in terms of the Human resources quality and performance. The airline pays around 17 per cent of its expenditures as salaries which is much higher than the global average of around 10 per cent. There are around 31000 employees which are serviced by around 14 unions in Air India which creates a huge scope of non-improvement of its current strength of employees. Post the merger the unions have introduced their intent of cooperating with NACIL towards achieving a better way ahead for the airline however issues pertaining to retrenchment and privatization are still serious concerns which the unions take very seriously and are averse to compromise on. The SBU structure which has been brought about in the organization further increases the woes of the Airline as well as the management. The organization has been split into smaller units which are responsible for better management of resources. However the reporting structure is a big catch. A Mumbai Airport Manager is reviewed by the ED of west zone but reports to his SBU head which is in no way related to his performance appraisals. The award of International postings is carried out by a third party who in no way is related to the current chain of reporting and is a commercial director who sits in the HO at Mumbai. Such an organizational structure calls for low performance and lack of accountability from the employees which will lead to non-performance from the organization in the long term. IT Technology resources IT is one of the most critical resources for the success of organizations in the modern times. The merger synergies would have IT as a critical input. One of the major exercises is to have a common airline code which would also help in the eligibility to the Star Alliance. As a measure the airline has contracted the IT serviceability to SITA (Society International Telecommunications Aeronautics) which has had more than 50 years of experience with the airline systems in Air India. The deal worth 845 crores is for a period of 10 years and is aimed at establishing network connectivity at all domestic and international locations for Air India, fare management, baggage tracing and reconciliation system, online booking engines, automated boarding control systems, check-in, air to ground communications, etc. SITA will also provide its horizontal passenger service system. Currently SITA provides its facilities to 140 airlines all over the world serving over 120 million passengers across the world to provide seamless connectivity to Air India to International routes and carriers. It would help to strengthen strategic partnerships for AI across the globe. Air India has also been invited to participate in the SITAs horizon board in India which is a partnership between SITA and airlines to develop the next generation passenger service systems across the globe. All these developments would help AI to establish itself as a brand in the PSS system delivery across the globe. SITA in India works with its strategic partners Mindtree NIIT to implement its technological systems and has a workforce of more than one lac employees. Low Cost Resources Livery The new livery which was launched after the merger has characteristics of both the descendants namely AI and IA both. The livery consists of the flying swan and the Konark chakra placed inside it. The Air India brand is mentioned on the tail of the Aircraft in hindi proudly depicting Indias national language. The aircraft colour is ivory with streaks of red retaining Air Indias colour. Also the red and orange streaks presence on doors signifies the merger of the two giants into one single entity. Maharajah Maharaja is the most reminiscent figure which is associated with the airline. It was designed by the duo of Bobby Kooka, AIs Commercial Director and Umesh Rao, J.Walter Thompson Ltd. Way back in 1946 primarily as a memo symbol; however it has translated into much more than that over the years. The maharajah has won various awards around the globe for its uniqueness and antics. The first word customers associate with AI is the puns and antics of the Maharajah. The maharajah is a unique brand proposition created by the Airline which has served it as a brand ambassador across the world. In- Flight Entertainment Air India has a variety of channels which cater to both the audio and video entertainment of its passengers. The customers have a variety of Indian channels such as popular music, ghazals, bhajans, etc. There is also a variety of English music channels having various genres like rock, pop, jazz, alternative rock , classical , etc. There are also a variety of regional channels available in Indian regional languages such as Malayalam, Tamil, etc. and also movies in similar languages are available for flights connecting the South Indian regions to the Gulf and South East Asia. On Ground Facilities Air India has its own exclusive lounges at Delhi, London, Hong Kong and New York in addition to the one in Mumbai. At other international airports, Air India has tie-ups with other international airlines or local Airports Authorities for lounge facility. There is a lounge for unaccompanied minors as well. Online Booking The quick, easy and convenient way to book AI tickets online through the Air India website. An e ticket will be generated and the details with the e ticket link will be emailed to the passenger. Air India has extensive facilities for Web check in and Tele check in for its passengers to provide ease of facilities. Dining Air India has a variety of menus to cater to a variety of tastes for its passengers. There is a choice of Indian, Continental, Western and Asian cuisines. There are certain special cuisines available on some routes like Japanese cuisine on the Tokyo route, etc. The special requirements of certain passengers also met with a variety of more than twenty six dishes available. There is a large assortment of wines and drinks to choose from giving the passenger a world class dining experience. Balance Scorecard at Air India The balanced scorecard is a holistic design of looking at an organization. It helps align the activities of the business to the vision, mission and the strategy of the organization. It helps improve communication, both internally and externally as well as measure the performance against said goals using proper metrics. Balanced Scorecard concept was started by Dr. Kaplan and David Norton as a means of measuring performances of organization. It was a measurement framework, which for the first time added non-financial metrics along with the traditional metrics that gave managers a better view of the performance of the organization. Over the years, balanced scorecards were refined to become a complete planning and management system for strategy. It helps operationalize vision and mission documents; progress on which can be monitored daily. The airline industry is cyclical in nature. Demand fluctuates seasonally; while planning for capacity and investments have to be done long term. This means that airlines usually go through sessions when they are operating in the red financially. Hence, it makes perfect sense to use a Balanced Scorecard to evaluate the performance of the organization. It gives a better indication of the health of the organization as well as helps create proper milestones for evaluating the progress towards strategic goals. Air India has been facing turbulent times recently. A lot of reorganization, restructuring with regards to the organization, finances and fleet have taken place. The company is deep in the red and there have been calls to divest this white elephant. As Air India struggles through this mess, using a balanced scorecard will give clarity to their goals and help them focus their efforts in achieving the said goals. Balanced scorecard has been implemented in several airlines, the most documented one being the Balanced scorecard implementation at Southwest Airlines. Southwest Airline is a USA based low-cost airline company and is also the worlds largest no-frills airline. It is headquartered in Dallas, Texas. Southwest has among the largest fleet of passenger aircraft among all of the worlds commercial airlines, operating more than 3200 flights daily. Southwest is also a very profitable airline, having posted profits for 37 consecutive years. The balanced scorecard implementation at Southwest airlines has gone through a series of iterations and they are currently in their 3rd generation. We suggest a similar balanced scorecard for Air India. For the balanced scorecard we must have: Vision Mission Core Goal Activities and Outcomes Vision statement is the picture of your company in the future. It forms the lynchpin around which strategy formation takes place. Mission statement is the fundamental purpose of the existence of the company. It clarifies Why do we exist? Core Goal is the goal that is to be achieved by the balanced scorecard. Activities refer to processes that take place inside the organization, that lead to desired outcomes. Activities consists of Internal Processes Learning and Development Outcomes consists of Financial Performance Customer Satisfaction Activities are internal to the organization, while the outcomes in terms of financial outcomes and customer outcomes are visible outside the organization. Also internal processes, Learning and Development are long-term goals while financial and customer outcomes are more short-term goals. However they act as leading indicators of the changes happening in internal processes and Learning and Development. These show that the activities that were internal to the organization has reached a point of maturity that they have started impacting the customer and financial outcomes. As shown in the balanced scorecard given below, activities and outcomes interact with other activities and outcomes and hence no item can be looked at in isolation. The interactions between the strategic goals in each of these four divisions (2 activities and 2 outcomes) have been identified and dwelled upon in the balanced scorecard. The internal processes which must be measured for the scorecard that we identified were: Faster Turnaround of flights Increased Utilization of fleet Adherence to Schedule These will help rationalize workforce, fleets and bring in incremental improvements in operational efficiencies, bringing down costs and making Air India more competitive vis-Ã  -vis low cost carriers. Adherence to Schedule will help Air India rebuild customer confidence in the ability of the Airline to perform. The Learning and Development initiatives that need to be taken up and measured are: Alignment of employees with company goals Cross Functional Training Team work Cross functional Training and teams will increase the efficiency of the organization allowing it to make decisions faster and hence respond more quickly to changes. This is very important for Air-India as the general perception is that the company is slow to change and lethargic in decision making. The financial outcomes from these activities are: Profitability Lower Costs Increased Revenue Fewer Planes The customer outcomes are: Lower Prices On-Time flights Frequent flights Friendly Service Given below is the pictorial depiction of the balanced scorecard for Air India. Resource Based Turnaround Strategy for Air India This part of the report deals with understanding the reasons for the near collapse of Air India and proposing a turnaround strategy for the airline. Since its establishment by the Tata Group and the subsequent takeover by the Indian Government, Air India has seen a lot of issues emerging and changes in the competitive environment in which it operates. These issues and changes have been intensified by uncertain economic conditions, various crises and subsequent recoveries in the European and Asian economies, and a general lack of confidence in professional fields. This has led to a general reduction in the average time available to the organization which seeks to affect a successful turnaround. Also, the rising competition in the field it operates has compounded the problems by making Air India fight for limited resources with players which quite often have people with greater conviction at the top and therefore can allocate a greater part of important resources to the firms operation s. This challenge is primarily faced by organizations which operate in industries that have high technology orientation and companies which typically have high gestation periods where an investment made in any particular area or domain impacts the companys bottom line for a long period. Airlines business being one that is fairly high technology is characterized by factors that include product and/or process sophistication, research and development (RD) intensity, and a large population of technical employees. High-tech firms often encounter rapid changes in technology, demand, and a competition which is overlaid by sharp and unpredictable change. Thus, the AI management must be equipped for change management in line with the changes in the airlines industry environment. Unless this happens it will continue to struggle to remain profitable. This is precisely what has been encountered in the case of Air India. Within this high-velocity context, any turnaround strategy is faced with unique challenges. These have been depicted in the figure below. Business Decline The framework that the group uses in analysing the reasons for Air Indias failure and proposing the turnaround takes a new view of turnarounds by integrating constructs drawn from existing turnaround literature with others from the resource-based view of the firm. It proposes that efficient business operations are based on a combination of factors like key resource availability, germane strategy, and appropriate implementation of that strategy through adequate resource leveraging. In this case the financial and human resource would be the resources AI must look to leverage. Important resources within an enterprise can also act as the base for a turnaround strategy which would foster sustainable competitive advantage. Such resources are often the products of historical strategy and environmental action and are invariably capable to withstand rigorous tests of quality. A list of the key attributes of these resources is provided below: (Refer High-Velocity Environment Trims Time to Act Creating a Framework for High-Tech Turnarounds by Rolph N.S. Balgobin, Naresh Pandit; Nov 1, 2002) Turnaround Strategy Turnaround attempts are often the result of existence-threatening decline, there exists a lot of uncertainty with the origin of the points of change intervention and the role of the new top management. Frequently, a turnaround attempt is initiated after pressure from a significant stakeholder, such as a parent company or strong shareholder group. Air India has witnessed this quite a few times as with the ascent of every new government at the center of Power in New Delhi, the attitude towards the airline has changed. Hence pressure often came from the private players whose bids to take over the airline provided the fillip to the management of the airline to change the scheme of things at Air India. In most cases, the need for the change happens internally, usually started by the management who sees the signals of an impending decline. Also in new age high-technology firms, turnaround need not always be a management driven effort. However, the attitude of managers is just as necessary as having new leadership in getting the turnaround efforts going. The success of turnaround recovery plans are different from the unsuccessful ones in many ways (refer to the points mentioned below). In the cases of turnarounds that are successful, analysis-led understanding of the dynamics of the business is done using a diagnostic review. This provides a clear indication of the turnaround opportunities that are available. These opportunities have to be pursued with the goal of creating a sustainable competitive position in the market. Successful turnaround Plan characteristics Result from a diagnostic review (inductive rather than prescriptive) Profitability is explicitly set as an objective A single turnaround plan rather than competing initiatives or no plan at all Communication with stakeholders to ensure alignment A turnaround team develops and implements the plan Causes of decline are appropriately addressed The Process of Turnaround The frameworks used to portray turnaround are often depicted as a sequential process, which starts with the management initiating the attempt, then retrenchment, consolidating and then returning to a growth stage. But in high tech turnaround process there are four distinct stages crisis development, management change, transformation and stabilization, and return to growth. In the case of Air India, the Crisis Development phase started in the year 2008-2009 when the airline reported financial losses of 5000 crores. Due to this, the airline couldnt pay the salaries of its employees leading to a massive announced by the employees in the summer of 2009. This was one of the biggest human resource crises in the history of Indian business with nearly 30000 Air India employees going on strike. Immediately following this, the disastrous incident of the crash of Air India Express Flight 812 leading to the death of 158 people, happened. The change phase, unlike in the more traditional sectors, change happens not at the top as turnaround starts happening. There is often a change of problematic management, mostly purporting the point of view that a CEOs knowledge and relationships are crucial to a successful recovery. The same happened in the case of Air India. The entire top management of Air India was recast in a period of 30 days by the then aviation minister Mr. Praful Patel. As part of the shakeup, several old time directors were asked to leave and a Professional Chief Operating Officer was appointed under the CMD, Mr. Arvind Jadhav. In the third phase, a lot of actions happen simultaneously; these include cost rationalization, asset rationalization, revenue creation and product and market reorganization. In turnarounds that are successful, organizations should be careful not to lose resources that may be useful to recovery. This happens when they concentrate on surviving rather than on competitive leadership. Reflex cutbacks should not result in loss of key resources in firms successful in turning around their organizations. Instead, the focus should be on reducing costs. Also Air India disinvested some of the less efficient parts of its operations, while retaining the more important and useful ones. After an early emphasis on cost reduction, the focus of Air India then shifted to Structural alterations, joint-venture participation, investment, and the introduction of new products. There is a significant deviation in the experience of firms operations in more stable industries, which suggests that it is the high-competitive environment that demand that the changes occur simultaneously rather than sequentially. But as the transformation takes place, the turnaround of the firm goes through an inflection point that causes a shift in focus from cost and asset reduction to growth of the firm. In the case of Air India this has been characterized by the commitment of the top management to the growth of top line and sales and a conscious effort on the part of the airline to drive up volumes and occupancies of the airlines. The airline plans to reduce its price up to 23% by the end of this year. Industry experts see this as a clear sign of conscious effort on the part of the airline to drive up its volumes and occupancy rates. The last phase of the turnaround is punctuated by the assumption that for survival the focus has to be on growth and acquisition. In high competitive industries, this phase does not usually require that the CEO change or that the management change. Our group expects the same to happen by the end of the nest fiscal year when the economy would have recovered and new opportunities would arrive at the horizon for the troubled airline. Influencing Factors Literature study says that significant differences exist between successful and not so successful cases when they are compared in terms of their contextual and situational factors of turnaround attempts. Factors related to macroeconomic improvement and market growth appear to be assisting turnaround attempts. Though, it also has been seen that these environmental changes are not deterministic. With each organization being a unique collection of resources, external events do not seem to be having a uniform impact. Thus, a rising tide seems to lift only the seaworthy boats. External influencing factors include: Macroeconomic Improvement Market Growth Stakeholders attitude. Interaction of an organization with stakeholders such buyers, employees, suppliers, unions, bankers, the government and the community play a major role in determining the success of the turnaround efforts. When important stakeholders hold an active interest in the business viability of the firm, the chances of success appear to be greater. Internal Influencing factors include: Mission institutionalization Availability of financial resources Power concentration, and Perception of the permanence and controllability of decline. Mission institutionalization, primarily driven by the internal and external expectations of the businesses the firm should be in, can be a major abettor or inhibitor of positive change demanded by an intended turnaround. In cases where the changes required put the firm in a new strategic domain (say that of the low cost carriers), mission institutionalization can often hinder efforts of a swift shift in strategy if a firms constituents instinctively negate or refute out courses of action that are seen to be inconsistent with the vision and mission of the firm or its founders. This in Air Indias case can be explained by the reluctance of the airlines part to move into low cost carriers strategic domain. While this remains a possible strategic domain for the future, the airline showed remarkable reluctance in adopting this as a possible strategy. Maybe the Maharaja cant fly cheap after all. Available financial resources are one of the important requirements for a turnaround attempt, especially if the firm has considerable cash demands. Even then, availability of funds has still not been found to be one of the deciding factors in the outcome of a full-fledged turnaround effort. This is a significant finding as it often is suggested that firms in stress require only a steady input of cash until their products or services regain market acceptance. Also in the case of Air India with the airline being heavily government funded, the opportunity to save money and possible publicize it makes a great political success story and a PR opportunity. Of greater impact on the success of a turnaround attempt is the concentration of power within the organization. Firms with higher levels of power concentration are a lot freer to strategize, develop and also implement successful turnaround plans, while the cases that fail are often constrained or reined in by parent companies, powerful stakeholders like political parties, or internal politics. In non-turnaround cases, the management appears to have far less power relative to that owned by the stakeholders. In the case of Air India, with the creation of a new position of power of CEO, can potentially dilute the power vested in the top management. Yet considerations of operational efficiencies far outweigh the concern for power dilution. Similarly, with the entire airline industry showing signs of recovery with the economy firmly on the path of recovery, the perception of the permanence and controllability of decline is that of impermanent and one that can be managed by suitable strategy implementation. Strategy Implementation Successful firms reduce their resource base in those areas which are no longer core activities. Failed firms are more far likely to dispose or sell off on otherwise lose valuable resources than those that might support a recovery attempt. In the successful cases, the remaining resources are often realigned and augmented with the resources which are borrowed through joint ventures, development agreements, or outright acquisitions. This is depicted in the diagram as shown below. Resource Leveraging diagram As a rule, the successful turnaround cases concentrate a majority of their critical resources on a single and consistent turnaround plan, emphasize on a few improvement areas at a time, and focus on a few critical performance levers. They have a strong feedback mechanism to instill new learning deep into the organization. In the case of Air India it would be taking the voice of customers very seriously and trying to create a culture which cares for the people the firm serves. Firms which go through very successful turnarounds are also in a position to blend and balance resources to bring in products and services into the market, while unsuccessful firms often have seem to have an imbalance of skills, which neutralizes capabilities that exist elsewhere in the organization. Finally, parsimonious and frugal resource use and the useful ability to implement turnaround plans quickly also form one of the chief characteristics of successful recoveries. Thus, this is the comprehensive resource based turnaround strategy that we propose for Air India.

Mending Wall by Robert Frost Essay -- Mending Wall Robert Frost Poem E

â€Å"Mending Wall† by Robert Frost   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã¢â‚¬Å"Mending Wall† by Robert Frost is a poem in which the characteristics of vocabulary, rhythm and other aspects of poetic technique combine in a fashion that articulates, in detail, the experience and the opposing convictions that the poem describes and discusses. The ordinariness of the rural activity is presented in specific description, and as so often is found in Frost’s poems, the unprepossessing undertaking has much larger implications. Yet his consideration of these does not disturb the qualities of accessible language and technique, which give the poem its unique flavor and persuasiveness. The poem works on two levels of realism and metaphor, with a balance as poised as the act of mending the all itself.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  (themes) Perhaps one of the reasons that Frost remains one the best known and best loved American poets is that his themes are universal and attractive. They offer the reader affirmative resolutions for the conflicts dramatized in his life and his poetry. Readers, whether young or old, waging their own struggles against the constant threat of chaos in their life, find comfort and encouragement in many of Frost’s lines which are so cherished that they have become familiar quotations: â€Å"Good fences make good neighbors†, â€Å"Miles to go before I sleep.†   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  (theme) â€Å"Mending Wall† is about boundaries. Frost, in a personal evaluation of this poem stated, â€Å"Nationality is something I couldn’t live without. I played exactly fair in it. Twice I say ‘Good fences’, twice I say ‘Something there is—‘. While giving a reading of his poetry in Santa Fe, Frost called the â€Å"Mending Wall† ‘too New Englandish’ and that mending wall is an occupation he used to follow. The neighbor in the poem is not a Yankee as represented, but is actually A French-Canadian who was very particular every spring about setting up the wall.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  (theme/subject) Frost often stated that he felt ‘spoken to’ by nature. He called these incidents ‘nature favors’ and these favors served as inceptors of his poems. Many people refer to him as a nature poet, however there is always a person, a character in his nature poetry.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  (subject/setting) Frost always claimed he wasn’t a nature poet and that there is almost always a person in the poem and that the poem is about the person, not about nature, which is usually beautifully described. Nature se... ...ngs). Something refers to a big, unknown unspeakable force – God? (expand on this). Or it could refer to the fact that in New England the frost heaves the ground in the winter, much as ice cubes swell up. Anything made of stone or brick suffers because of the upward pressure. Also: In actuality, stone walls were never built between properties. As farmers would plow their fields the stone were unearthed and carried to the property line and dumped. I’m sure Frost was aware of these facts but didn’t really care about how the physical wall came about, for he uses this wall only in the metaphoric sense to describe the way we wall ourselves in, while not knowing what we might be walling out. In Mending Wall Frost has recognized the existence of a force that sends a powerful emotion, a groundswell under the barriers that human beings create around themselves in an attempt to break these barriers down.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Mending Wall has a man who both builds and repairs the wall, as well as works to topple the wall. He makes boundaries while at the same time trying to break them. That’s part of what makes this poem universally acceptable and enjoyable. Frost has described all of mankind.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚