Figure 1, Production Process for Mill-based Manufacturing, illustrates the a Mill-based production process applicable to carpeting, flooring, steel (Abdulmalek, Rajgopal, 2007), and textiles (Mukhopadhyay, Ray, 2006). Figure 1: Production Process for Mill-based Manufacturing Sources: (Mukhopadhyay, Ray, 2006) (Abdulmalek, Rajgopal, 2007) (Shah, Chandrasekaran, Linderman, 2008) Yield optimization is critically important in the Order/Stock process workflow to the far right of Figure 1
Shaw Industries Quality Improvement Deployment and Organizational Change Plan Author Competing in a mature, contracting industry that shrank 3.7% in 2008 with continued contraction of industry sales in 2009 (Stewart, 2009), Shaw Industries, a subsidiary of Berkshire Hathaway, relies on quality improvement, process improvement, lean manufacturing and supplier management to remain profitable
This is not easily accomplished, as many suppliers openly compete with one another. Yet for any process-based and mill-based manufacturer to attain the financial outcomes possible from combining Six Sigma, lean manufacturing, and quality management needs to have extensive system and process integration in place with suppliers (Zakuan, Saman, 2009)
For larger organizations that conduct several projects simultaneously, benchmarking can be a key management tool for a project management office (PMO). PMO design differs greatly, certain key characteristics, responsibilities, and tasks are very similar and successful PMOs take on responsibility for different project-related functions and core tasks related to development of shared methodology and processes for handling of projects, training and competence development within project management, proposing of new projects, and quality assurance of projects; the success of the PMO is related to ensuring the necessary authority of the PMO, real organizational authority as well as academic and social credibility, top management support, and that the PMO covers true needs in the organization (Andersen, et al
For some projects it is difficult to find a source to use as a benchmark; especially for large-scale development projects. Due to high level of risk associated with large-scale development projects, the traditional risk management approach, which assumes that risk can be predicted and budgeted early on, is not adequate for application in the context of these projects because each large-scale project has a high level of uniqueness that renders benchmarks from databases generated out of previous projects obsolete (Baydoun, 2010)
Benchmarking can be further fined tune to specific organizational functions. For example, the benchmarking of engineering productivity can assist in the identification of inefficiencies and thus can be critical to cost control and as a result a metrics system has developed the Engineering Productivity Metric System (EPMS) composed of a series of hierarchical metrics with standard definitions suitable for measuring engineering productivity at various levels (Liao, et al
There are also many specific benchmarks that can be applied to specific IT functions. One study investigated a methodology used for managing Information Technology (IT) projects in public organizations (HERMES) is improved by comparison with a context-specific project management methodology (CASSIS) (Renault, et al
Change orders are ubiquitous in most projects whether they are formal or informal. There have been many empirical suggestions as to how to manage changes for best project outcomes, but this research is specifically aimed at exploring the relationship between project characteristics and the implementation of project change management best practices (PCMBP) (Yi & Sang-Hoon, 2009)
These best practices can be incorporated into a process known as benchmarking. Hasbro Children's Hospital in the early 1990s benchmarking "best-in-practice" pediatric facilities was used in which the planning team visited a number of notable children's hospitals, and then shared findings with other teams; Hasbro's success at incorporating the best processes resulted in the hospital becoming a benchmark partner for other institutions (Zwikael & Globerson, 2006)
1999). A hotel utilizing African themes in the decor, with locally-influenced cuisine, and a special post-expedition spa package, for example, would reflect the hospitality sector catering its offerings to the tourism brand image, creating greater destination appeal and supporting the key function of the tourism industry in this setting (Brey et al
This indicates a travel destination search in which hospitality offerings are investigated alongside destinations. This type of travel search reflects the critical way in which hospitality and tourism industries support and enhance each other by working in tandem, intentionally or incidentally, to draw consumer activity (Crouch 2011)
One clear example can be seen in safari travel. While the range of hospitality offerings range from budget to high-end, the decor of the accommodations, food menus and traveler services will all relate to the cultural and environmental aspects of the safari destination image in order to help underscore the unique attributes of the travel experience to the traveler and to assist the immersive experience of tourism aspects of the experience (Morrison et al
It is a facile separation of the domains of each industry to suggest that hospitality pertains to where people stay and tourism pertains to what people do in the process of travel, particularly as the options become more elaborate and varied to reflect a simultaneous increase in technology and the sophistication of consumer demand. Instead of focusing upon debatable divisions between the functions of each industry, it is perhaps a better model to look at the ways in which they support each other's key services (Ottenbacher 2009)
Instead of focusing upon debatable divisions between the functions of each industry, it is perhaps a better model to look at the ways in which they support each other's key services (Ottenbacher 2009). One of the essential aspects of tourism is the marketing and branding of destinations (Silvanto 2009)
The element of competitiveness within destination-based travel is another example of hospitality offering key support to the primary function of the tourist industry. A wide array of hospitality services certainly assists in widening the range of interest for potential travelers (Paskaleva et al
S. The international audience is however less demanding and films that have scored low at the American box office still stand increased chances of registering success in other global regions (Beck, Sznaider and Winter, 2003)
This is not to say that American cinema is not subject to diverse interpretations depending on the cultural context in which it is viewed, but only to suggest that American cultural artefacts are an increasingly central element of global culture" (Beck, Sznaider and Winter, 2003). Still, American films are not only present in cinemas, but also in the homes of foreigner viewers (Bogart, 2000)
Whether they laugh at the mishaps of the teenagers in Road Trip or feel for the heroes of Meet Joe Black, foreign audiences love to watch American films. Other reasons include great research, hard work and talented and committed staff (Dorthea, 2007)
"With American films shaping consumer demand, orders surged for American cars, furniture, clothes and appliances. In the 1920s, it was said, the sun would never set on the British Empire or on the American films" (Eckes and Zeiler, 2003)
Another important mention that has to be made refers to the stories at the basis of the American films. In this line of thoughts, many works are based on real life events outside the United States, which introduce the world watching the American films to the foreign stories of the movie characters (Marling, 2006)