Lewis Jeans Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Lewis Jeans - Case Study Example This calls for developing innovative designs and utilising information technology in your company to study the market. Rupert has asked me to address his findings which show several problem areas within your organisation that need to be evaluated. The first area covers the style of the product itself, and Rupert is concerned that the jeans produced by the company do not appeal to younger customers. This report will offer possible solutions to this problem by suggesting ways to establish positive brand recognition. A study of the market for jeans indicates the need to offer a unique style or marketing method that will bring younger buyers to Lewis Jeans. The next area of concern is the quality of the product. Because retailers are returning 15% of sales, it is important to test the quality of the jeans manufactured to see where the weaknesses are. By improving durability, the brand will eventually be known for its wearability in addition to style. One of the most serious problems to be addressed is the high turnover of the workforce. It would appear they might not have the incentive to commit themsel ves to the company. Because you communicate only with the managers at your different factories, you may be unaware of how your workers see the company. More interaction is needed with staff from your office to each factory to encourage employees to propose innovative ideas on how to improve sales. Finally, the cost of manufacturing your line of jeans is 25 per cent more than other clothing lines in the industry, and it is important to study the various stages of manufacture to see where savings can occur without impacting quality. The report will present suggestions on how to evaluate the company and show different methods of improving all aspects of your business by applying the SWOT Analysis and developing a balanced scorecard. As the CEO, you have the opportunity in such a small company to meet personally with all of your staff and make sure your managers are reflecting your beliefs on how the company should be run. Organization Structure and Culture In studying the structure of the company according to its diagram, it is immediately obvious that there are too many managerial positions at too many levels, and sales and marketing have no real connection to the rest of the company in any of its locations, including the main office. Restructuring after setting up a strategic plan for the future is recommended. The first step would be to apply a SWOT analysis, determining strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats (SWOT). Strengths: Although a small company faces competition from major companies such as Levi, the benefit of a small company is the opportunity for leadership to interact with all areas of the business. Another strength is that the product has been successful in the past and by establishing a different marketing method and improving quality, the company can be successful again. Weaknesses: One of the most serious weaknesses for Lewis Jeans is the dependency of leadership on the telephone in a technological society. Another weakness is the high turnover of staff and lack of connection with the leadership. Opportunities: By restructuring the company and establishing new communication equipment, the company would

Software-generated information to make decision in an oganisation Essay

Software-generated information to make decision in an oganisation - Essay Example Activity Immediate Predecessor Time (Days) Earliest Start time Earliest Finish time Latest Start Time Latest Finish Time Slack 01 None 1 0 1 0 1 0 02 01 11 01 12 1 12 0 03 01 14 12 26 38 52 26 04 03 5 26 31 52 57 26 05 02 23 12 35 29 52 17 06 05 5 35 40 52 57 17 07 02 20 12 32 37 57 25 08 02 30 12 42 12 42 0 09 08 15 42 57 42 57 0 10 08 2 42 44 50 52 8 11 02 33 12 45 14 47 2 12 11 10 45 55 47 57 2 13 10 4 44 48 52 56 8 14 13,10 1 48 49 56 57 8 15 06,07,09,14 1 57 58 57 58 0 Answer A The normal time for completing the project is expected to be 58 days. For the project to be completed on 30th November 2013 having commenced on 1st October 2013, it calls for crashing the time because the period of completion is shorter than the predicted time in the activity plan. Activities to be crashed must have the minimum cost implication for the process and usually they are those in the critical path. It is worth to note that, the Microsoft project considers work only done for five days of the week thus the time span for the project adds up to forty-five days. The Gantt chart that would be realized from the above information is as indicated in the MS Project. (See attached file) Answer B The network diagram of the project information in the above tables as follows Answer C The critical path refers to a sequence of activities in a project that form the longest chain in terms of their completion time. The set of these activities in a project network are determined by calculating the slack. Where by the slack is obtained by subtracting the earliest start time and activity duration from latest finish time. The critical path is realized in those activities whose slack is equal to zero. From the above table, the activities with a zero slack are 01, 02, 08, 09, and 15. Thus, the critical path can be concluded to be 01 – 02 – 08 – 09-15. Answer D The project duration is determined by adding up the time durations of all the activities in the critical path of the p roject network. In the above project network, the critical path was determined above and realized to be 01 – 02 – 08 – 09 - 15. To determine the least time duration would be (1 + 11 + 30 + 15 + 1) = 58 days. Answer to Task 2 Year Cash inflows Discounting factor (10%) Discounted cash inflow Cash inflows (C) Discounting factor (15%) Discounted cash inflow (Ci) 1 2500 0.9091 2272.73 2500 0.8696 2173.91 2 2750 0.8264 2272.73 2750 0.7561 2079.40 3 3025 0.7513 2272.73 3025 0.6575 1988.99 4 3327.5 0.6830 2272.73 3327.5 0.5718 1902.51 5 3660.25 0.6209 2272.73 3660.25 0.4972 1819.79 Total 11363.63 9964.60 Net Present Value (NPV) is a measure used for evaluating the value of a business by determining the present value of such investment by adding up all the discounted cash inflows received within the given period of the investment. The formula for discounting by the NVP method Where C0= Cash outflow also known as Initial Investment Ci = Cash flows for the given years r = Discount rate T = Time Where r = the discount rate, and T = time NVP the rate is at 10% NVP = 198.43 NVP when the rate is at 15% NVP = 46.19533 This method is used to determine the profitability and suitability of a project before commencing a plan to undertake the investment. A project with a positive NPV is said to be favorable, whereas one with a negative NPV is regarded as unfavorable and thus investor would be discouraged to undertake that project. Report Summery Project management