The Importance of Internal Communication

The Importance of Internal Communication Communication is often defined as an exchange of information. Exchange involves at least one sender and one receiver so true communication thus infers a two way process; a dialogue, not a monologue. Information can involve text, voice, pictures and in fact any data which the human body can pick up through its five senses including emotion. Internal communications can be defined as the direct two way communications between employers and their staff. Effective internal communication which can be said to be downward, upward and horizontal†, is a vital means of addressing organisational concerns. Effective internal communication has been shown to help improve employee engagement through; increased job satisfaction, safety and decreased absenteeism, grievances and staff turnover. Such improvements are linked to improved productivity and overall profitability. Effective internal communications is all about enabling us to do our jobs to the best of our ability and ensuring that all of us are working together towards the same organisational goals. This can mean anything from encouraging you to talk to and exchange ideas with people from other departments to explaining the direction that we are heading in as set out by the Universitys decision-making bodies. We use a series of communications channels and tools to keep you informed and give us the chance to listen to your opinions. (prof. A.P Krishnan) Why is internal communication so important? Because clear, concise, and consistent communications educate employees, enabling them to appreciate the value of their organisations vision, programs or projects and is a significant element in engaging the employees keeping them focused, productive and committed. The contribution that clear and effective channels of communication can make to an organisation is substantial, not least in enlisting employees support for business objectives, aligning everyones activities and providing some motivation to raise performance levels. Where appropriate mechanisms are in place, employees are also more likely to engage with the organisational values and objectives offering feedback and coming forward with ideas. Internal communication is more than the art and technique of effectively imparting thoughts, information, and ideas to large numbers of people. It has become the single, most important element that enables an organisation to share their vision and galvanise their work force to action that moves the organisation forward.( Lyn Smith,) Impact of Communication in organisational change Poor communication during a time of organizational change can turn a difficult situation into a crisis. In spite of this age of high technology, few organizations have channels of communication that are adequate to the demands of change. People say, But you never told me! and you begin to realise how ineffective thousands of emails, memos, websites can be Maybe a team meeting or a two-minute face-to-face conversation would have been better This sort of training will let you learn when one style is better than another Develop a written communication plan to ensure that all of the following occur within your change management process. Communicate consistently, frequently, and through multiple channels, including speaking, writing, video, training, focus groups, bulletin boards, Intranets, and more about the change. Communicate all that is known about the changes, as quickly as the information is available. (Make clear that your bias is toward instant communication, so some of the details may change at a later date. Tell people that your other choice is to hold all communication until you are positive about the decisions. This is disastrous in effective change management. Provide significant amounts of time for people to ask questions, request clarification, and provide input. If you have been part of a scenario in which a leader presented changes, on overhead transparencies, to a large group, and then fled, you know what bad news this is for change integration.( Pamela Mounter) Clearly communicate the vision, the mission, and the objectives of the change management effort. Help people to understand how these changes will affect them personally. (If you dont help with this process, people will make up their own stories, usually more negative than the truth.) Recognize that true communication is a â€Å"conversation.† It is two-way and real discussion must result. It cannot be just a presentation. The change leaders or sponsors need to spend time conversing one-on-one or in small groups with the people who are expected to make the changes. Communicate the reasons for the changes in such a way that people understand the context, the purpose, and the need. Practitioners have called this: â€Å"building a memorable, conceptual framework,† and â€Å"creating a theoretical framework to underpin the change.† Provide answers to questions only if you know the answer. Leaders destroy their credibility when they provide incorrect information or appear to stumble or back-peddle, when providing an answer. It is much better to say you dont know, and that you will try to find out. Tony Greener Leaders need to listen. Avoid defensiveness, excuse-making, and answers that are given too quickly. Act with thoughtfulness. Overcoming barriers in communication When you send a message, you intend to communicate meaning, but the message itself doesnt contain meaning. The meaning exists in your mind and in the mind of your receiver. To understand one another, you and your receiver must share similar meanings for words, gestures, tone of voice, and other symbols. 1. Differences in perception The world constantly bombards us with information: sights, sounds, scents, and so on. Our minds organize this stream of sensation into a mental map that represents our perception or reality. In no case is the perception of a certain person the same as the world itself, and no two maps are identical. As you view the world, your mind absorbs your experiences in a unique and personal way. Because your perceptions are unique, the ideas you want to express differ from other peoples Even when two people have experienced the same event, their mental images of that event will not be identical. As senders, we choose the details that seem important and focus our attention on the most relevant and general, a process known as selective perception. As receivers, we try to fit new details into our existing pattern. If a detail doesnt quite fit, we are inclined to distort the information rather than rearrange the pattern. (Peter J. Holzer) 2. Incorrect filtering Filtering is screening out before a message is passed on to someone else. In business, the filters between you and your receiver are many; secretaries, assistants, receptionists, answering machines, etc. Those same gatekeepers may also translate your receivers ideas and responses before passing them on to you. To overcome filtering barriers, try to establish more than one communication channel, eliminate as many intermediaries as possible, and decrease distortion by condensing message information to the bare essentials. 3. Language problems When you choose the words for your message, you signal that you are a member of a particular culture or subculture and that you know the code. The nature of your code imposes its own barriers on your message. Barriers also exist because words can be interpreted in more than one way. Language is an arbitrary code that depends on shared definitions, but theres a limit to how completely any of us share the same meaning for a given word. To overcome language barriers, use the most specific and accurate words possible. Always try to use words your audience will understand. Increase the accuracy of your messages by using language that describes rather than evaluates and by presenting observable facts, events, and circumstances. 4. Poor listening Perhaps the most common barrier to reception is simply a lack of attention on the receivers part. We all let our minds wander now and then, regardless of how hard we try to concentrate. People are essentially likely to drift off when they are forced to listen to information that is difficult to understand or that has little direct bearing on their own lives. Too few of us simply do not listen well! To overcome barriers, paraphrase what you have understood, try to view the situation through the eyes of other speakers and resist jumping to conclusions. Clarify meaning by asking non-threatening questions, and listen without interrupting. 5. Differing emotional states Every message contains both a content meaning, which deals with the subject of the message, and a relationship meaning, which suggests the nature of the interaction between sender and receiver. Communication can break down when the receiver reacts negatively to either of these meanings. You may have to deal with people when they are upset or when you are. An upset person tends to ignore or distort what the other person is saying and is often unable to present feelings and ideas effectively. This is not to say that you should avoid all communication when you are emotionally involved, but you should be alert to the greater potential for misunderstanding that accompanies aroused emotions. To overcome emotional barriers, be aware of the feelings that arise in your self and in others as you communicate, and attempt to control them. Most important, be alert to the greater potential for misunderstanding that accompanies emotional messages. 6. Differing backgrounds Differences in background can be one of the hardest communication barriers to overcome. Age, education, gender, social status, economic position, cultural background, temperament, health, beauty, popularity, religion, political belief, even a passing mood can all separate one person from another and make understanding difficult. To overcome the barriers associated with differing backgrounds, avoid projecting your own background or culture onto others. Clarify your own and understand the background of others, spheres of knowledge, personalities and perceptions and dont assume that certain behaviors mean the same thing to everyone. (Dana Bonbrisco Dodzik) Recommendations for managers for improving communication Research indicates that managers spend somewhere between 50% 80% of their total time communicating in one way or the other. This isnt surprising, since communication is so critical to everything that goes on in an organization. Without effective communication there can be little or no performance management, innovation, understanding of clients, coordination of effort, AND, without effective communication it is difficult to manage the expectations of those who are in a position to make decisions about your fate. (Eileen Scholes) It can also be said that many managers do not communicate well, and do not set an organizational climate where communication within the organization is managed effectively. This isnt surprising, since a manager who communicates ineffectively and does not encourage effective organizational communication is unlikely to hear about it. Poor communication is self-sustaining, because it eliminates an important feedback loop. Staff are loathe to communicate their concerns about communication because they do not perceive the manager as receptive. Both staff and management play out a little dance. In short, you may be fostering poor communication, and never know it. You may see the symptoms, but unless you are looking carefully, you may not identify your own involvement in the problem. What can you do about it? Effective organizational communication, regardless of form, requires three things. First, all players must have the appropriate skills and understanding to communicate well. Communication is not a simple process, and many people simply do not have the required depth of understanding of communication issues. (Marisa Desoiza) Second, effective organizational communication requires a climate or culture that supports effective communication. More specifically, this climate involves trust, openness, reinforcement of good communication practices, and shared responsibility for making communication effective. Third, effective communication requires attention. It doesnt just happen, but develops as a result of an intentional effort on the part of management and staff. Too often, communication, whether it is good or bad, is taken for granted. We can define your role in improving communication with respect to each of these. First, if you want to improve communication, you will need to ensure that you and staff have the skills and knowledge necessary to communicate effectively. This may mean formal training is in order, or it may mean that you coach staff and provide feedback so that they can improve. Second, you play a critical role in fostering and nurturing a climate that is characterized by open communication. Without this climate, all the skills in the world will be wasted. Finally, you must bring communication to the forefront of organization attention. If you make the effort to improve communication, your staff will recognize that it is important. If you ignore it, so will staff. Conclusion It is very clear that internal communication is an integral part of management of an organisation. The effectiveness of management depends upon the efficient internal communication system. The communication operates as the nerve system of group activity. References Prof. KP Krishnan-business communication Lyn Smith, Pamela Mounter-Business Economics- Tony Greener- Internal communication: a practical guide to effective employee communication Eileen Scholes-handbook of internal communication Bonnie Ellison, National School Public Relations Association -Communication in education Marisa Desoiza Internal communication: its influence on the staff and the organization Dana Bonbrisco Dodzik -Communication in organizations Peter J. Holzer-Improving internal communications to creating a building a learning organization http://www.idea.gov.uk/idk/core/page.do?pageId=7816302 http://www.opcuk.com/downloads/defining_internal_communications.pdf www.sheffield.ac.uk//Internal_Communication_Audit_FindingsEXECSUMMARY.doc Bibiliography http://www.communicology.org/content/definition-communicology http://books.google.co.uk/books?q=internal+communicationlr=sa=Nstart=10 http://managementhelp.org/mrktng/org_cmm.htm http://books.google.co.uk/books?id=IC48OAAACAAJdq=internal+communications+in+an+organisationlr=cd=20 Prof. KP Krishnan-business communication Lyn Smith,Pamela Mounter-Business Economics- Tony Greener- Internal communication: a practical guide to effective employee communication Eileen Scholes-handbook of internal communication Bonnie Ellison, National School Public Relations Association -Communication in education Marisa Desoiza Internal communication: its influence on the staff and the organization Dana Bonbrisco Dodzik -Communication in organizations Peter J. Holzer-Improving internal communications to creating a building a learning organization http://www.idea.gov.uk/idk/core/page.do?pageId=7816302 http://www.opcuk.com/downloads/defining_internal_communications.pdf www.sheffield.ac.uk//Internal_Communication_Audit_FindingsEXECSUMMARY.doc

Thunderwith Essay -- essays research papers

Thunderwith Essay Everyone goes through a grieving stage in their lives. Lose of a loved one like a mother or just personal problems can cause a person to be upset and grieving. In the novel Thunderwith by Libby Hathorn, the main character Lara gives an example of the stages of grieving. And how she learnt to overcome her mother's death.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  In the beginning of the novel, Lara is faced with the death of her beloved mother. She is sent to live with her father that she has not seen since she was a child. Lara is also going to live with her father's new family that she has never met. Larry her father has a new wife. 'Lara has the impression that the Man will care for and look after her, saving her from his wife and kids.'; When Lara eventually meets her new stepmother, her half-brother and half-sisters, she immediately knows that she is not wanted and that they hate her. So Lara thinks that the Man will look after her and save her from his family. This is further denial of the pain and loneliness she feels. Thunderwith the novel expresses a young girl grieving over her mother's death.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Soon afterwards Lara meets a dog. She decides to call it Thunderwith because she thinks that it is a gift sent down by her mother. Lara is so happy that she can have one moment of happiness. 'She had just met Thunderwith and somehow by caring about him meant she didn't care about being by herself. She 'was not really alone at all-Thunderwi...

The Theme of Self Esteem in Othello Essay -- Essays Papers

The Theme of Self Esteem in Othello For the theater-going people of the Elizabethan age, there were many hardships. Many of them experienced poor living conditions and treatment. All of them faced the dangers of a comparatively underdeveloped medical knowledge which often left the young and elderly to die of common diseases. The magic of Shakespeare is not only that historians can learn of otherwise undocumented details of the 1500's, but also that all readers can discover the many similarities between Shakespeare's day and now. These similarities reside heavily not only in speech, but also the human condition. When compared with the people we know today, Shakespeare's characters exhibit only skin-deep differences. Some identical language expressions may owe their modern existance to Shakespeare's presence in literary education, but identical emotional reactions surely cannot stem solely from the lecture hall. The English inhabitants of the 16th century, as seen through William Shakespeare's eyes, experienced the same love, hate, and jealousy that we do today. Just as our modern films and music often include implied moral lessons, so too does Shakespeare's The Tragedy of Othello the Moor of Venice. All its primary characters and themes of unstable love and exploitation culminate into one simple message about the key importance of loving oneself. Iago, the villian of the tale, is responsible for initiating most of the turbulence found in the plot. Essentially, Iago chooses two insecure individuals on which to work his exploitation: Roderigo and Othello. Othello, arguably the main character of the play, is Iago's primary pawn. Roderigo becomes a secondary card in Iago's deck, as well as his source of money. Blinded by his lo... ...ny sort of hardships such as financial difficulties or emotional manipulation just like that exercised against Othello and Desdemona. Even today, similar messages about self empowerment are widely seen in popular novels, films, and television programs. Contemporary examples include Harry Potter, "28 Days", "Sesame Street", and many others. One can almost imagine an unwealthy villager emerging from lengthy stay in a packed theatre making a firm resolve to finally regain the strength to sever ties to an untrustworthy and treacherous acquaintance. Works Cited Myers, David G. Psychology, 6th Edition. Holland, Michigan: Worth Publishers, 2001. Dolezal, Timothy William. Moor Impotency: Othello's Powerlessness in Sexual and Social Relationships. 14 Dec. 1998. University of Notre Dame. 23 June 2003 <http://www.nd.edu/~frswrite/mcpartlin/1999/Dolezal.shtml>. The Theme of Self Esteem in Othello Essay -- Essays Papers The Theme of Self Esteem in Othello For the theater-going people of the Elizabethan age, there were many hardships. Many of them experienced poor living conditions and treatment. All of them faced the dangers of a comparatively underdeveloped medical knowledge which often left the young and elderly to die of common diseases. The magic of Shakespeare is not only that historians can learn of otherwise undocumented details of the 1500's, but also that all readers can discover the many similarities between Shakespeare's day and now. These similarities reside heavily not only in speech, but also the human condition. When compared with the people we know today, Shakespeare's characters exhibit only skin-deep differences. Some identical language expressions may owe their modern existance to Shakespeare's presence in literary education, but identical emotional reactions surely cannot stem solely from the lecture hall. The English inhabitants of the 16th century, as seen through William Shakespeare's eyes, experienced the same love, hate, and jealousy that we do today. Just as our modern films and music often include implied moral lessons, so too does Shakespeare's The Tragedy of Othello the Moor of Venice. All its primary characters and themes of unstable love and exploitation culminate into one simple message about the key importance of loving oneself. Iago, the villian of the tale, is responsible for initiating most of the turbulence found in the plot. Essentially, Iago chooses two insecure individuals on which to work his exploitation: Roderigo and Othello. Othello, arguably the main character of the play, is Iago's primary pawn. Roderigo becomes a secondary card in Iago's deck, as well as his source of money. Blinded by his lo... ...ny sort of hardships such as financial difficulties or emotional manipulation just like that exercised against Othello and Desdemona. Even today, similar messages about self empowerment are widely seen in popular novels, films, and television programs. Contemporary examples include Harry Potter, "28 Days", "Sesame Street", and many others. One can almost imagine an unwealthy villager emerging from lengthy stay in a packed theatre making a firm resolve to finally regain the strength to sever ties to an untrustworthy and treacherous acquaintance. Works Cited Myers, David G. Psychology, 6th Edition. Holland, Michigan: Worth Publishers, 2001. Dolezal, Timothy William. Moor Impotency: Othello's Powerlessness in Sexual and Social Relationships. 14 Dec. 1998. University of Notre Dame. 23 June 2003 <http://www.nd.edu/~frswrite/mcpartlin/1999/Dolezal.shtml>.

A Comparison of Moods in Beowulf and Samuel Becketts Waiting for Godot :: comparison compare contrast essays

Moods in Beowulf and Samuel Beckett's Waiting for Godot  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚     Ã‚  Ã‚   Reading a work of literature often makes a reader experience certain feelings.   These feeling differ with the content of the work, and are usually needed to perceive the author's ideas in the work.   For example, Samuel Beckett augments a reader's understanding of Waiting For Godot by conveying a mood, (one which the characters in the play experience), to the reader. Similarly, a dominant mood is thrust upon a reader in Beowulf.   These moods which are conveyed aid the author in conveying ideas to a reader.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   In Waiting for Godot, Beckett uses many pauses, silences, and ellipses (three dots (...) used to create a break in speech) to express a feeling of waiting and unsureness.   There is a twofold purpose behind this technique. For one, it shows that Vladimir and Estragon, the two main characters who are waiting for Godot,   are unsure of why they are waiting for him.   This also foreshadows that they will be waiting a very long time.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   In some cases in literature, an idea can only be conveyed properly if those on the receiving end of the idea   are able to experience the feelings that a character is experiencing in the work.   For example, in order for a reader to feel how and understand why Vladimir and Estragon feel as though they do while they wait, it is essential for that reader to either understand or experience the same feelings that Vladimir and Estragon are experiencing.   Vladimir and Estragon are waiting;   waiting for Godot, to be exact; and Beckett wants the reader to feel as if he or she were waiting also.   Along with the feeling of waiting that a reader may experience, he or she might also understand how Vladimir and Estragon feel at times: Unsure, not very anxious to move on, and constantly having to wait.   A feeling of timelessness is even evoked, allowing almost anyone from nearly any time to understand Vladimir and Estragon's predicament.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Many times people may feel overwhelmed by a higher force unalterable to them.   This force may control something such as their fate.   In the Anglo-Saxon culture, a popular belief was that of fate.   The writers of Beowulf may have known that not all people believe in the power of fate. Therefore, to properly convey such an idea as the inevitability of fate in the epic, the writers included events which, when read, are also "experienced" by the reader.

Reasons for selection Essay

Goals and objectives are the starting point for any planning effort because they provide a clear direction. With respect to the transportation system, goals and objective act as a barometer of the quality of life expected by a community and are also used to measure the success or failure of implementing a proposed plan. This is a summary of the goals and objectives of the Regional 2030 Transportation Plan derived from a series of public forums in the early 1990s and reviewed by the Capital Area Regional Transportation System Study (CARTS) Long Range Plan Task Force. For the first time, a number of interest groups, communities and non-traditional partners had been involved in the planning process in order to ensure that the goals and objectives were consistent with the adopted â€Å"Wise Growth† land use alternative and included a cross section of needs and perspectives. The adopted goals and objectives of the Regional Transportation 2030 Plan are as follows: †¢ Accessibility – to provide accessibility to all persons and goods. Objectives include providing reasonable access through planning capacity and routing, giving priority to multi-modal projects, maximize accessibility to all persons regardless of their economic, physical and social status and assure compliance with the Disabilities Act. †¢ Mobility Options – to provide multi-modal transportation choices for all people and goods. Objectives include inter and intra regional routing and modal options, giving priority to projects that enhance all modes and provide balance, to stage programs and projects in priority corridors, minimize disruptions and provide alternative routes and modes, reduce congestion, promote Transportation Demand Management strategies, encourage events, businesses and facilities managers to advertise alternative travel modes and services, undertake pre-emptive measures, use the guidebook â€Å"Evaluating Traffic Impact Studies in local and intergovernmental reviews and to consider and expand public transit in rural areas. †¢ Safety – to design, manage and maintain transportation systems consistent with accepted multi-modal safety standards, goals and the regional plan. Objectives include reduction of number, severity and resultant casualties of traffic crashes, encourage traffic control measures and Intelligent Transportation Systems applications, minimize conflicts between transportation modes and implement programs to improve traffic calming measures, sidewalks, pedestrian crossings, railroad crossings, paved shoulders, bicycle facilities, safety education, enforcement programs, multi-use paths, paths to accommodate horse drawn carriages and access management, to encourage installation and improvement of sidewalks where missing or substandard and to provide adequate safety lighting in pedestrian areas or transit stops. †¢ System Efficiency – to maximize efficiencies in utilization and performance of the multi-modal transportation systems. Objectives include using the transportation system management techniques to maximize operating efficiency including ridesharing, public bus transit, walking, biking, traffic sign and signal improvements, intersection improvements and way-finding; to develop policies and incentives to increase vehicle occupancies, coordinate movement of both people and goods, guide transportation expenditures in line with the seven mandatory planning factors listed in federal law (SAFETEA-LU), social, economic development and land use goals, travel time, operating cost, accident risk and performance standards and provide alternative forms of travel connecting services. †¢ Environmental Impacts – to develop a transportation system compatible with federal, state and local environmental standards. Objectives include reducing air pollutant emissions, reducing energy consumption, promoting use of alternative fuels and technologies, minimize transportation-generated noise, minimize disruptions to open space and natural areas, encourage alternate modes of transportation and encourage environmentally friendly design standards and practices. †¢ Land Use – to develop a system which maximizes positive impact and minimizes conflict. Objectives include encouraging local governments to adopt and implement land use plans, strengthen the regional metropolitan center, develop transformation services consistent with regional growth plan, preservation of land and open space, promotion of regional greenways, existing public utilities, local land use plans, regional non-motorized transportation plan, growth centers; prioritize development of sidewalks, provide non-motorized links within the community, encourage non-motorized connectivity, encourage transit oriented development and consider transit access and appropriate standards. †¢ Financial Considerations – to seek financial resources to preserve, maintain and improve the transportation system. Objectives include preserving and enhancing the existing system, seeking maximum state and federal funds, seeking local governmental funding, seeking alternative sources of funding, encouraging economic development, maintain and modernize existing system, coordinate and negotiate concurrent public and private infrastructure investments, use surface transportation systems, demonstrate wise and efficient operations and consider life cycle costs. †¢ Economic Development – to develop a system that fosters economic development at reduced cost and better opportunities. Objectives include improved services, intermodal connectivity, enhanced travel and freight services, regional cooperation, non-motorized enhancements, flexible and timely response and transit access. †¢ Public Involvement – to involve the public in planning and development. Objectives include public participation throughout the plan, continued feedback, involvement of interest groups and an active process of public information and education. †¢ Transit – to develop, maintain and expand public bus transit system. Objectives include decreasing auto dependency and demands on the roadway system, increasing public transit’s hare, reduce congestion, reduce need for highway improvements, serve the transit dependent, develop cost-effective system, increase intermodal transportation linkages, direct resources and efforts to increase ridership, accommodate passenger rail service, make transit an attractive alternative, connect employment centers and public services, provide safety comfort and aesthetic improvements. †¢ Parking/Parking Management – to provide for parking needs and minimize urban congestion. Objectives include finding alternatives to parking, evaluate removal or restriction on street parking, support land use that is conducive to transit, reduce overall parking demand, increase parking facilities for bicycles, promote construction of parking facilities, improve pedestrian access and develop parking facilities in line with standards. †¢ Community Impact – to design systems compatible with community character and environmental standards. Objectives include minimizing disruptions through transportation projects, enhancing community goals, enhance community character, provide non-motorized enhancements, consider community goals, prioritize aesthetic enhancement projects. †¢ Intermodal – to increase opportunities for intermodal and freight connections. Objectives include providing services that provide multimodal connections, incorporate rail, truck and air transport, improve access to intermodal facilities, complete alternative analysis, consider transit oriented park and ride facilities and encourage use of rail freight where available. †¢ Non-motorized – to encourage pedestrian and bicycle modes. Objectives include improved bicycle facilities, utilizing the natural character of the landscape, bike parking and storage facilities, bike parking, consider privacy of adjoining properties, complete regional River Trail system, encourage multi-use pathways, improve bicycle parking standards, provide improved bicycle transportation system, improve safety, provide close to home and regional activities and encourage use of non-motorized transportation system, safe pedestrian access, non-motorized connectivity, regional greenway system and complete route location and design studies, installation of sidewalks, non-motorized facilities, acquisition of raid corridors and projects within rail and utility corridors. †¢ Management Systems – to evaluate alternate transportation investments and strategies. Objectives include using the Congestion Management System, the Safety Management System, the Intermodal Management System, Pavement Management System, Bridge Management System and Public Transportation Management System. †¢ Airport Issues – to promote region’s air facilities. Objectives include supporting local policies, maintain region’s air facilities, evaluate alternative routing access to airport, pursue balancing funding for airport, encourage gateway and way-finding improvements, consider emissions and noise pollution, encourage airport partnerships with local governments and incorporate intermodal connections. †¢ Intelligent Transportation System – to better manage existing resources and enhance efficiency. Objectives include improved safety of regional transportation system, improved management during special events or system disruptions, minimize community and land use impact, manage parking demand and supply, enhance level of service and reduce environmental impact. The new transportation planning process is intended to clearly relate programs and projects to state and local transportation goals and objectives, make the process more strategic, focused and flexible and improve performance measures. For an effective 20-25 year regional plan it is important to apply a temporal component to achieve regional goals and objectives and to regularly measure progress generally after every four year period. Types and characteristics of projects may also change over time to better fit with goals and objectives. The Long Range Plan Task Force has also identified short term and long term strategies, projects and performances measures for this plan. There are several reasons why I have selected the flute over the others. First of all, almost all the people in my life either play or have played the flute at one point of their lives; my mother and all her brothers play the flute; my brothers and sisters have the same passion for it as well; my cousins play for their respective schools too; and most importantly, the love of my life is busy with the development of the skills and talents that would make her career flourish. Second, I have played other instruments in the past. I have developed my skills in playing the piano and practiced that for over seven years. I have also played the violin for quite sometime. However, for some reasons that no words can articulate, I keep on going back to my real love – the flute. Finally, it is the only sound that de-stresses me when I extremely feel tired, that makes me happy when I am so frustrated, and that makes me feel complete. Qualities and Features of the Flute that Interests Me The sound that comes from the flute’s hole is always dominant because of its clearness. It is really â€Å"music† to my ears because it is so graceful, elegant, and exceedingly sweet. That is the major reason why it makes me feel better all the time. Also I have observed that it is not very effective in a rather large venue but is extremely soothing if played in smaller setting. Role of the Flute in the Orchestra The flute plays a large role in the orchestra because there are times when it has to be in the front position, sometimes, it is up to it to carry the whole performance altogether. Its dominance is the main reason for this, because of its power, it stands out, and so it has to sound outstanding to be able to carry the whole performance altogether. References Debost, M. (2001). The Simple Flute. NY: Oxford University Press. Leonard, H. (2000). Essential Elements 2000 Flute Book. n. p. p. : n. p.

Kashmir facing a natural disaster Essay

In nature’s biggest fury in six decades in the valley, more than 170 people have already lost their lives in the recent flood that struck the indian state of Jammu and Kashmir. Witnessing human terror since ages, the valley is under the threat of floods due to a week long incessant rain which is affecting the rescue operations as well. The Prime Minister of India Narendra Modi on Sunday declared the situation a â€Å"national-level disaster†, and announced a special assistance of Rs 1,000 crores for the flood-hit state, from PM’s relief fund. River Jhelum flowing 14 feet above the danger mark. Homes, military bases and hospitals inundated in the region’s main city Srinagar as the Jhelum river overflowed its banks. Landslides triggered by heavy rainfall have damaged roads, dozens of bridges, buildings and crops. Land route has been stopped on the Jammu-Pathankot highway. The state government has closed all schools till September 7. Some 2,500 villages have been partially or completely submerged across the area, while thousands of people are stranded on rooftops waiting to be rescued. A temple being washed away by the force of the flood. While the National Disaster Response Force teams have evacuated over 2700 victims to safer places, the Indian Air Force has also mounted massive relief efforts. Flood waters rose sharply overnight in Srinagar, a city of 900,000, catching many people living in low-lying areas unaware. This picture speaks volume about the prevailing flood conditions in the valley. The Prime Minister of India Narendra Modi taking an aerial survey of the flood affected region in the valley. Five days of incessant rains in Jammu and Kashmir have left at least 170 people dead in the region’s worst flooding in more than six decades. Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday declared the situation a â€Å"national-level disaster† and announced a special assistance of Rs 1,000 crores for the flood-hit state besides Rs 2 lakhs compensation from the Prime Minister’s Relief Fund for the kin of the dead and Rs 50,000 for those seriously injured. Flood alert has been sounded in Srinagar , and all emergency services have been pressed into service to meet the eventuality of a flood. Two youths rescuing livestock from a flood hit area in Srinagar.

CASE Analysis: Seven-Eleven Japan Co. Essay

The case describes how seven eleven has successfully established an innovative business model. Toshifumi Suzuki, CEO of Seven eleven Japan (SEJ), described Seven Eleven Stores as: â€Å"Stores where you can find a solution for any of your daily life’s problems. We always try to plan and design a store in such a way that our store neighbours, in particular, can get whatever they need at any time they want† SEJ, headquartered in Japan, leads the world wide seven Eleven chain, which had 24,912 stores in 18 countries in March 2003.In 2003 ranking of retailers by market value, SEJ was number one in Japan. Since its establishment in 1974, SEJ has never experienced a fall in income or profits. With 9,757 stores as of May, 2003, SEJ is the largest CVS chain in Japan. Its stores feature the same basic designs: large, highly visible sign in green, red and orange, a large store window, much brighter than average lightning and a spotlessly clean store. SEJ identifies their customer orientation, offering not only a rich assortment of products but total comfort to customers, as the source of SEJ’s rise to the top of the Japanese retail industry. Industry Background The Japanese Distribution System Prior to 1974: Traditional Japanese retailing consists of a conservative, multi-tiered system that combines large numbers of small wholesalers and retailers into complex exclusive networks. These networks are not based solely on economic efficiency but also on tight human relationships. The wholesale to retail level ratios (W/R) is measure of layers within distribution system. W/R ratio 1992 1998 US 0.98 – Japan – 2.3 Although the development of information technology in the industry has gradually improved the efficiency of the distribution system, small-to-medium-sized retailers owe their existence mainly to the multi-tiered and vertically integrated structure. Retail Business Environment The Japanese retail sector is still dominated by small retailers. Firms with one to four employees make up about 70% of the total number of stores. In these small shops, CVS still accounts for only 3.2% of all stores and only 5% of total sales Because of Japan’s small land area, most Japanese retail stores have too little space to maintain a wide assortment of products in either the store or inventory. These small, local â€Å"mom-and-pop† stores typically lack both managerial know-how and planning skills. In addition, given their limited size, they are often unable to bear large inventory risks and thus have to rely on manufacturers and wholesalers to bear part of that burden. Legal perspective Japanese government enforced in 1974 the Large-scale Retail Store (LRS) Law which regulated the business hours of larger outlets. Initially applied to stores over 1,500 m2, it was later extended in 1979 to stores with an area of over 500 m2. The law mandated that stores close by 7 P.M. each day and remained closed at least 30 shop days per year. Fueled by heavy pressure from abroad, the deregulation trend caused the LRS law to be changed in 1990 and practically abolished in 2001. While operating its large stores under the LRS law, Ito- Yokado, a parent company of SEJ, launched a new retail business based on small regional stores, which can effectively co-exist with large stores. As a result, CVS chains prove that small stores can compete against larger retailers by improving the efficiency and productivity of their franchise and continual striving to meet customer needs. Because of the density of the store network, CVS chains are not only places to sell products, but are also becoming an important part of the social infrastructure. Seven-Eleven Japan Ito-Yokado, a parent company of SEJ, was founded by Masatoshi Ito in 1964 as a 66-square-foot family clothing store in Tokyo. After starting a new chain of super stores offering a range of food and clothing products, he expanded his business into other distribution areas such as restaurants, department, discount and convenience stores. By 2002, the Ito- Yokado group was one of the largest retail groups in Japan with  ¥5,574 billion ($41.6 billion) in sales and 114,600 employees. Toshifumi Suzuki negotiated directly with Southland, then owner of Seven-Eleven, to bring the convenience store concept to Japan. Japanese consumers were generally more sensitive to product and service quality, more fickle and less price-sensitive. Therefore products had to be fresh, and the turnover rate very high. To meet such customer requirements within the constraint of limited shelf and storage capacity, it was necessary to forecast customers’ demand by the time of purchase, the store location and the weather. Providing the customer with well-targeted, differentiated products 24-hours a day, 7-days-a week was critical. As of 2003, SEJ is the largest convenience store chain with  ¥2,213 billion ($17.5 billion) revenue and 5,061 employees. Its market value of $21,721 million and consolidated net income of  ¥82,825 million ($690 million) are the highest in the whole of Japan’s retail industry. Strategy SEJ practice of continuous item control and well-organized delivery system, and the heavy use of information technology (IT). The basic mission of an SEJ store is to provide solutions for all the problems of everyday life. Each store offers a variety of high-quality products and services that are required daily or on an emergency basis to make life easier and more â€Å"convenient†. The two main reasons for the failure of existing retailers. They ignored: 1)  the importance of convenience to the customer and 2) the quality of the products and the service. SEJ developed some key principles to define a quality convenience store. 1. Reduction of lost opportunity: A missed opportunity to sell an item because it is out of stock is one of the most serious problems in retail business in terms of disappointing customers as well as missing the actual profit. 2. Effective Item Control and Well-Planned Product Supply Management: The American practice of keeping large inventories of a wide variety of products could not be applied in convenience stores in Japan where shelf and storage space are limited and maintaining a large inventory is prohibitive. SEJ pursued a strategy of supplying products in high demand with a rapid turnover rate and eliminating dead or slow-moving products through item-by-item analysis. The well-organized analysis and frequent replacement contributes to SEJ’s high product supply efficiency. 3. Commitment to Customer Satisfaction with Original Product Development and Friendly Service:SEJ not only sells manufacturers’ products but also researches customers’ potential needs. SEJ uses this research to provide original products at reasonable prices (such as a lunch boxes and prepared foods) Merchandising The store space available for a Seven-Eleven franchisee is, on average, only 110 m2. The items kept in stock and on the shelf are precisely selected for the targeted customers and product quality is kept high. Product turnover is high, and goods are always new and food fresh. SEJ discovered that customer loyalty was driven more by specific items than by item categories. To meet the demand and achieve such tight item-by item control, SEJ implemented the POS (Point of Sale) system in 1982, whereby storeowners could identify customer trends and enhance product differentiation. SEJ introduced its POS systems to collect sales data used to improve merchandising and the item-by-item control process. For instance, the cash register would not open  until the operator pushed the account button indicating the gender and estimated age of the customer. This information from the POS system was used for consumer trend analysis. Store Network Expansion SEJ considers its market dominating strategy of high-density, clustered store openings to be the key to efficiency and stability. The advantages of the market dominance strategy are: Improved brand awareness Increased customer visits to the stores Boosted distribution efficiency Enhanced productivity of franchisee-support services Improved advertising effectiveness Franchise Strategy Approximately 60% of SEJ stores were modified from old family owned stores (e.g., liquor or rice stores). The relationship between franchiser and franchisee is one of reciprocal obligations. The franchisee is an independent business which gives SEJ royalties and a long-term commitment, and concentrates on the tasks of selling and effectively managing inventory. The royalty that the franchisee pays to the franchiser is 43% of its gross profit. In exchange for their long-term commitment and royalties, SEJ provides franchisees with service from field representatives called Operation Field Counselors (OFC). Each of about 1,300 OFCs supervises between seven or eight stores, providing (i) advice on store operation and ordering and (ii) information on the portfolio of available items and on sales methods. This person-to-person contact with store managers is a key element of the SEJ franchise system. Each OFC visits each store at least twice a week and spends at least two hours providing adv ice and information. Such a close relationship not only motivates franchisees but also supports company-wide brand image and promotional strategies. Outsourcing Policy SEJ is known for its outsourcing policy and ability to manage supplier relationships. The rationalized distribution system crafted by SEJ created conflict within the traditional wholesale system. Over time, however, SEJ’s  system has proved highly reliable and efficient, covering everything from raw procurement to product deliveries. The collaboration between SEJ and the business partners includes shared information systems and know-how about operations management as well as quality control in the food manufacturers’ factories and delivery centres. By 2002, the company had built a network of 223 distribution centres and 195 factories dedicated to fast food production, all of them created and operated by wholesalers, suppliers and forward agents. Information Systems Strategy Daily, Seven-Eleven stores serve a total of 9.5 million customers, process five million order transactions and send 35 million sales transactions to the information systems centre where sales data is collected, integrated and analysed. The decisions have to be based on well-analysed hypothesis, order and validation. Information technology (IT) for SEJ is merely a method to support the cycle. SEJ prefers to outsource most of its information systems management to external service providers due to the speed at which the information technology market moves. This strategy allows the information systems department of SEJ to focus on developing a systems vision that fits with the business strategy, while the rest of the information systems management is outsourced. The department has evolved into a more strategic organization that links needs from stores with top management and proposes innovative system plans. SEJ regularly explores opportunities to gain first mover advantage by trying out state-of-the-art technologies: the first POS system in Japan in 1982, the first major use of Integrated Service Digital Network (ISDN) in 1991, etc. Operation Infrastructure Total Information Systems SEJ has continued to develop total information systems. In June 1999, the fifth generation total information system, in which SEJ invested  ¥60 billion ($500 million), was released in collaboration with 14 companies including NRI, NEC, Toshiba TEC, etc. High efficiency, maintainability and reliability of the total network system: The system connects 70,000 computers in stores, at headquarters and at supplier sites through satellite telecommunications, exclusive lines, ISDN and mobile networks via the most appropriate telecommunication technology. The combination of ISDN and satellite telecommunications realizes 45x faster speeds at 35x better cost performance. Terminals are constantly monitored and software and configuration can be updated remotely. The most critical systems such as online ordering and accounting systems are backed up at physically separated locations in Yokohama and Osaka. And in earthquake-prone Japan, satellite telecommunication provides an extra layer of safety. The system, now shared by 10,000 stores, is considered highly reliable due to the crisis management planning and high service levels. The store information system which encourages all store staff to participate in ordering: SEJ provides stores with multimedia information such as pictures, video, audio, text and numerical data, which is used by all employees in Seven-Eleven stores. The system platform shared with business partners: SEJ provides its business partners—vendors, distributors and manufactures—with a common infrastructure consisting of 1,800 terminals at 1,100 locations. The applications on the platform vary depending on the partner’s business: raw material ordering system, inventory management, production management, automated sorting system, for example. The broad system infrastructure facilitates collaboration among SEJ allies by improving the efficiency of delivery through the sharing of order, sales and inventory information. And finally, sophisticated analysis system which eliminates intuitive decision-making . Electronic Commerce Business SEJ categorizes its electronic commerce (EC) business into four major groups: 1) financial services, 2) Internet shopping site, 3) public and regional  services, and 4) in-store intelligent copy machines. Financial Services (settlement, finance, and card service): Launched in 1987, Seven-Eleven hasdeveloped the payment acceptance service whichprovides customers with a convenient means to paytheir bills 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. Affiliatedcompanies number about 1,500 and the types ofpayment are mainly utilities: electricity, telephone,water, rent, and mail orders. This business has beensuccessful with 144 million yearly transactions witha total value of  ¥1.15 trillion (about $12.8 billion)and a 20% annual growth rate. Internet Shopping Site: 7dream.com, a subsidiary of SEJ, provides the internet shopping site by utilizing SEJ’s existing operating infrastructure in its EC activities. SEJ also ties into other internet sites and provides payment acceptance and pick-up service at the retail stores. Goods purchased via the Internet are picked up at stores 24-hours a day or delivered to customers’ homes, raising the value of Seven-Eleven stores and enhancing convenience for customers. Public, civil and regional services: SEJ’s meals-on wheels service, named Seven Meal Service, offers prepared meals and cooking ingredients to regional customers. Order can be made via the Internet. SEJ plans to expand its public services at stores via its EC platform so that customers can obtain civil services. In-store intelligent copy machines: Multipurpose copy machines at Seven-Eleven stores are connected the Internet and enable customers to print event tickets and documents created by customers at home as well as to pay for pre-ordered airline tickets. With the capability to attract 1,000 customers per day per store, SEJ is pursuing synergy between the existing retail and EC business units to encourage potential Internet users to visit Seven-Eleven stores and become new customers. SEJ also provides its EC platform service for EC partners with functions such as authentication, database, settlement, and distribution. Temperature-Separated Combined Distribution System Since 1976, SEJ has been developing a streamlined distribution system to efficiently integrate product supplies. The company established the Combined Delivery System, whereby the same kind of products coming from different suppliers can be centralized into 223 Combined Delivery Centres (CDCs). The combined distribution system allows products from different suppliers to be loaded on the same trucks for delivery to Seven-Eleven stores. Combined distribution consolidates product shipment from manufacturers to stores at similar optimum temperatures. In 22 years, SEJ has reduced the average number of vehicles visiting each store from 70 a day in 1974 to ten a day in 1998. Delivery routes and time are also well organized to maintain high efficiency. Competitors SEJ is the largest CVS chain in Japan in terms of the number of stores, sales, and net income followed by Lawson, C&S, Familymart, and Ministop. These top-five companies dominate the market with almost 90% market share. All four competitors operate franchise businesses with store networks expanding all over Japan. Competitors are increasingly investing in EC business to compete and establish dominance in a new area. In 1997, Lawson began implementing multimedia terminals in stores to gain first mover advantage. Lawson also tries to differentiate itself in the Internet shopping site named @Lawson by launching new services such net coupons, which was rare in Japan in 1999. Future Vision The company strives to achieve the maxim â€Å"the retail business should always keep up with change of customer demands† with three principles. 1. Responsiveness to changing customer needs and continuous improvement of customer services 2. Manufacturing retailer 3. The combination of demand chain and supply chain management with the common platform. Case Questions: 1. A convenience store chain attempts to be responsive and provide customers  what they need, when they need it, where they need it. What are some different ways that a convenience store supply chain can be responsive? What are some risks in each case? As In this increasingly competitive world, the whole concept of convenience stores from the existing concept of retail outlets have emerged to improve competitive advantage of businesses by enhancing customer service and by providing him with superior quality of products and experience. However, attaining this competitive advantage comes with added costs and risks. As responsiveness towards a customer’s demands increase, a convenience store chain gets exposed to greater uncertainty and risks- the risk of not having timely supply of essential goods, system breakdowns etc. A convenience store may deal in both perishable food items like processed fast foods and non-perishable items( life of more than 1 month) like frozen foods, magazines, beverages, and other consumer items like soaps, detergents etc. It is critical for any convenience store to have a tightly linked supply chain system for perishable items that need to be supplied to the final stores on daily basis. This distribution system ought to be flexible and highly responsive to alter delivery schedules depending on customer demands. The following are some ways that shall make convenience store supply chains operating on market dominance strategies more responsive- Local capacity: The convenience store chains can provide local cooking capacity that is, live counters at the stores and assemble foods on demand. The Inventory could be stored as raw material under controlled conditions at the stores and be supplied by the distributors at regular intervals. This would eliminate the need to supply fresh and fast foods from the to the outlets thrice a day thus bringing down the transportation cost of the entire distribution system and would add certainty to the production and distribution schedules. This strategy of selling fresh foods to customers would also enhance customer confidence in the brand. This is seen at the U.S. fast food restaurant franchise Subway where dinner and lunch sandwiches are assembled on demand. The main risk with this approach is that capacity is decentralized, leading to poorer utilization. High level of integration- One way of insuring more responsiveness is by further decentralizing the entire system. This can be attained by dividing each region further into  zones and having production plants in each zone nearer to each convenience stores. This would increase the set up cost for the parent company but in the long run but would also inhance the flow of information and service among the stores, suppliers and distributors thus increasing customer responsiveness and satisfaction. Local inventory: Responsiveness to customer demands can also be attained by having inventory available at the store at all times. This allows for the centralization of cooking capacity. But the main disadvantage of this way is not delivering fresh foods to customers thus increasing customer dissatisfaction and need for extra storage space. Rapid replenishment: Another approach is to set up rapid replenishment and supply the stores what they need and when they need it. This allows for centralization of cooking capacity, low levels of inventory, but increases the cost of replenishment and receiving. 2. Seven-Eleven’s supply chain strategy in Japan can be described as attempting to micro-match supply and demand using rapid replenishment. What are some risks associated with this choice? The main risk for convenience stores to adopt a supply chain system that works on rapid replenishment strategy is the potentially high cost of transportation and receiving at stores. The suppliers and factories are centrally located but the stores are scattered all across the city. So the company’s effort to supply fresh foods multiple times a day to all the stores increases the transportation costs. This one aspect can be taken care of by probably decentralizing the authority to produce fresh foods at convenience stores itself. Also, the fact that goods get unloaded multiple times a day reduces the store efficiency and increases customer dissatisfactions due to reduced services and frequent disruptions. This tends to fade away the customer’s experience at the store. Sudden breakdown of the information system or the transportation system connecting the stores to distribution centre and suppliers would also bring the functioning of the entire system to a halt leading to customer inconvenience and the resulting loss in sales. Thus convenience stores that attempt to micro-match supply and demand using rapid replenishment must take extra precautions to ensure timely delivery of goods, proper functioning of the information and transportation system, and customer’s convenience 3. What has Seven-Eleven done in its choice of facility location, inventory management, transportation, and information infrastructure to develop capabilities that support its supply chain strategy in Japan? Seven-Eleven Japan has chosen to operate a highly responsive operation and has chosen a supply chain design that supports this strategy. Their facility location choices are to saturate an area with stores, thereby making it easy for customers to shop and their own delivery trucks to move from store to store to replenish inventory. Seven-Eleven’s inventory system is run on an information system that transmits directly to the supplier and distribution centre; goods are produced using a pull system to replace what has been sold during that delivery period. The transportation system is flexible to maximize responsiveness while also achieving efficiency. All choices made by Seven-Eleven are structured to lower its transportation and receiving costs. For example, its area dominance strategy of opening at least 50-60 stores in an area helps with marketing but also lowers the cost of replenishment. All manufacturing facilities are centralized to get the maximum benefit of capacity aggregation and also lower the inbound transportation cost from the manufacturer to the distribution centre (DC). Seven-Eleven also requires all suppliers to deliver to the DC where products are sorted by temperature. This reduces the outbound transportation cost because of aggregation of deliveries across multiple suppliers. It also lowers the receiving cost. The information infrastructure is set up to allow store managers to place orders based on analysis of consumption data. The information infrastructure also facilitates the sorting of an order at the DC and receiving of the order at the store. The key point to emphasize here is that most decisions by Seven-Eleven are structured to aggregate transportation and receiving to make both cheaper. 4. Seven-Eleven does not allow direct store delivery in Japan but has all products flow through its distribution centre. What benefit does Seven-Eleven derive from this policy? When is direct store delivery more appropriate? Direct store delivery (DSD) would lower the utilization of the outbound trucks from the Seven-Eleven DC. It would also increase the receiving costs at the stores because of the increased deliveries. Thus, Seven-Eleven forces all suppliers to come in through the DC. DSD is most appropriate when stores are large and nearly-full truck load quantities are coming from a supplier to a store. This was the case, for example, in large U.S. Home Depot stores. For smaller stores it is almost always beneficial to have an intermediate aggregation point to lower the cost of freight. In fact, Home Depot itself is setting up these intermediate facilities for its new stores that are often smaller. In case of seven eleven, the benefit of delivery through its own distribution centre is total control of the system, aggregation of demand and minimal disruption at the retail outlets. If several suppliers tried to make two or three deliveries every day, it would detract from the store manager’s abil ity to provide customer service. Each of these suppliers would likely prefer their own way of doing things, their own inventory system, truck size, etc., which would make things more difficult for the Seven-Eleven system. The demand and production data would have to be shared rather than residing on Seven-Eleven’s system from cradle to grave. For items that cannot be prepared quickly, pull production may not provide the responsiveness that Seven-Eleven desires. In this case, the DC concept allows pooling of inventory which increases their overall service level while minimizing total system inventory of those items. Direct store delivery might be more appropriate if the items being delivered do not need bulk broken at a DC, have special handling requirements (lottery tickets, newspapers, or alcoholic beverages), or the supplier has a system that is consonant with Seven-Eleven’s (perhaps a regular bread run that has an information system that integrates with Seven-Eleven’s). 5. What do you think about the 7dream concept for Seven-Eleven in Japan? From a supply chain perspective, is it likely to be more successful in Japan or the United States? Why? 7dream makes sense given that Japanese customers are happy to receive their shipments at the local convenience store. From a logistics perspective, online deliveries can piggy back on Seven-Eleven’s existing distribution  network in Japan. Deliveries from the online supplier can be brought to the DC where they are sorted along with other deliveries destined for a store. This should increase the utilization of outbound transportation allowing Seven-Eleven to offer a lower cost alternative to having a package carrier deliver the product at home. The primary negatives are that 7dream will use up storage space and require the store to be able to retrieve specific packages for customers. One can argue that the concept may be more successful in Japan given the existing distribution network of Seven-Eleven and the frequency of visits by customers. Online delivery is able to link with the existing network. The high visit frequency ensures that packages are not occupying valuable store shelf space for a long time. Also, the frequent visits ensure that the marginal cost to the customer of picking up at Japanese Seven-Eleven is small. The 7dream concept allows e-commerce sites to use Seven-Eleven stores as drop-off and collection points for Japanese e-commerce customers. It has been extremely successful; a recent survey revealed that 92 per cent of the customers of one e-commerce company preferred to have their items shipped this way. It seems likely that this concept would work only for high density urban areas; It is being established in congested, less-safe urban areas for a service like package delivery. Suburban customers in the US would likely find it incredibly inconvenient and avoid it unless home delivery was not possible and the alternative was to pick up a package (for example, one that must be signed for) at the local carrier’s office. This is less likely to be the case in the United States. 6. Seven-Eleven is attempting to duplicate the supply chain structure that has succeeded in Japan in the United States with the introduction of CDCs. What are the pros and cons of this approach? Keep in mind that stores are also replenished by wholesalers and DSD by manufacturers. The supply chain structure for the US market can be close, but it can never be exactly as it is in Japan, and will probably not operate as smoothly as in Japan. Some of this is attributable to the culture and the corporate culture. Regardless of how like-minded supply chain partners claim to be, it would be extremely difficult to duplicate the collective spirit that  permeates Seven-Eleven Japan. The disadvantages of this system is that Seven-Eleven in the U.S. would probably have to run two system depending on whether the area could be treated as a dense urban location or a suburban or rural outpost. The cost of running the Seven-Eleven Japan system in middle-America would be prohibitive. The U.S. consumer in that region has too many alternatives that have 24 hour operations and are within a short drive. The difficulty of duplicating the Japan supply chain structure in the United States follows primarily from the much lower density of U.S. Seven-Eleven stores. This is compounded by the fact that Seven-Eleven stores are getting both direct store deliveries as well as wholesaler deliveries to its stores. Setting up its own DCs does not allow Seven-Eleven to get the same level of transportation aggregation as it gets in Japan. Its own distribution system would help more if all wholesaler deliveries and direct store deliveries were stopped and routed through the DC. Even then, having its own distribution system would add much less value than in Japan given the lower density of stores and larger distance between stores. Perhaps a hybrid system can be applied in select markets to test the system’s efficacy in the U.S. 7. The United States has food service distributors that also replenish convenience stores. What are the pros and cons to having a distributor replenish convenience stores versus a company like Seven-Eleven managing its own distribution function? The advantage of someone else replenishing stores is primarily cost; less transportation, material handling, and labour costs for your own system. Depending on how supply and reordering operations are designed, it might be possible for the distributors to perform the aggregation/demand smoothing function with minimal intervention by the individual Seven-Eleven franchise. One can contend that a distributor brings much more value to the table in the United States relative to Japan. Given the lower density of stores, a distributor is able to aggregate deliveries across many competing stores. This allows a distributor to reach levels of aggregation that cannot be achieved by a single chain such as Seven-Eleven. The disadvantage of the outsourced replenishment service is an overall loss of control, an increased  number of deliveries to each store, and the difficulty of integrating information flows across disparate systems. Also, Seven-Eleven is unable to exploit having a large number of stores. In fact, it may be argued that going through the distributor has Seven-Eleven subsidize deliveries to competing smaller chains that may also be using the same distributor