QANT 610

Summary

Submitted to : Dr. Brain Amouzegar

Submitted by : Jo- Wei Angie Chen (0869366)

Green Initiatives Reap Positive Environmental and Economic Benefits: by Stuart Williams, Check Free, Fiserv
The article aims to explain the significance of green initiatives taken by the financial and investment organisations in order to provide impetus to the movement to counter changing world climate. The article starts with the focus on the strategies put in place by various organisations like paperless bills, online access to the facilities, electronic applications for the consumers and formation of policies that cut down the use of paper and transportation to reduce the carbon footprints. Although the economic crisis has taken the status of being the most important issue for the financial institutions but they have realised that green initiatives not only make them more admired organisations by the consumers but also enable to be more profitable by garnering the positive brand image among the consumers as well as by making savings by cutting down the costs incurred during offering the conventional modes of services. The article also throws light on the advent of various organisations like Payit Green Alliance which enable the consumers and the organisations to understand the importance of making a change from paper based services to online applications. Various consumer surveys determined that most consumers want to make a shift to methodologies which ensure cutting down the carbon footprints and contribute towards the greener options. The survey also determined that right now most banks have large amount of services done by conventional means and hence there is a large scope for these organisations to improve upon. Other organisations which have started off with this initiative are Fisreve and CheckFree which is also a part of Fiserv in order to bring about the movement for the green strategy for the banking and financial organisations.

Strategy maps: a step-by-step guide to measuring, managing and communicating the plan- Cam Scholey
The article emphasis on the fact that a good strategy is an incomplete effort to provide a solution to a problem unless it is executed in a manner that demanded by its blueprint. This means that any strategy should have a proper roadmap to implement it in the way so that the success can be ensured which is essentially labelled as the author as strategy maps. There are a few guidelines or steps that need to be followed in order to make any strategy systematic enough for the execution. The strategy maps are basically made on the basis of the fact that in order to manage a particular strategic framework it should be measurable and objective in its approach. According to the strategy maps, there are a few steps which need to be followed which are as follow. First is the selection of an overriding objective, then selection of an appropriate value proposition, then is the determination of general financial strategies to follow, then it is determination customer-focused strategies, the deciding how internal processes will support execution of strategies chosen and finally implementing the skills or capabilities and employee programs that are required to achieve strategy. By following a strategy map, top-down communication is enabled which tends to enhance employees’ understanding and awareness of strategy and allows for better execution and measurement of strategy. Also, strategy map facilitate a change in the company culture to one more focused on the execution of strategy – the shared language and common ways to measure success provided by the strategy map are intended to help employees see the value in cooperating more toward the achievement of common goals. Second, the map has been used as the first step in locking in the strategy through the use of the balanced scorecard.

What’s the Buzz: By Francis J. Quinn
The article focusses to underline the importance of supply chain and logistics in today’s businesses and their profitability. Organisations worldwide rely on their channel partners who enable to make sure that transfer of material and knowledge takes place smoothly between them and the consumers. When a business recognizes what is wanted, why it’s required and in how much quantity they want then it will be capable to distinguish what is wanted to be well-ordered rather predicting what is required to find out the ordering the precise quantities. Also when the company regulates the need it must know if it is a regular requirement or an erratic requirement this will likewise aid the procedure when the company needs forthcoming orders from the provider. If the business wants to demand on an even base from the similar business it would be reflected as a repetitive acquisition and if they only need to order once then it’s a non-repetitive acquisition. Today's active times deliver chances for novel and healthier plans, outfits and practices which in turn, nurture more multifaceted supply specialists and businesses. The continuing growth and complexity of this arena of supply management necessitates an irregular look at the scales of supply to comprehend how it is being experienced and predisposed, and how supply influences effects and performance through the readiness and the supply chain. Supply professionals' connections are wider than ever earlier, from customer and client and through the company's investors and top administration and through the supply ground level—all with the objective to classify chances and wants. Documentation lasts with accepting dangers, effects, performance necessities and example alterations through products, facilities, procedures and structures. The use of the Internet in handling procuring in the supply chains has advanced quickly over the previous ten years. The investigation shows that the Internet is exploited in a range of procurement activities comprising the communication with sellers, inspection of dealer rate quotations, and making procurements from dealer directories.