...University of the West Indies Cave Hill Campus Department of Management Studies Faculty of Social Sciences MGMT 2008: Organizational Behaviour TABLE OF CONTENTS Background Problem Statement Analysis 1. Major Issues BACKGROUND The Mushroom Factory focuses on an in-depth look at the events in the Accessories department of the ESCO Company. The Accessories Department produces specialty industrial items which compliment the company’s high volume standard products. This department was on a product basis with complete control and responsibility over its products. However, this changed in 1972 and two groups were formed: product engineering and manufacturing engineering. Product engineering maintained responsibility for production inception, production of prototypes, production start-up, customer service and relations while manufacturing engineering had responsibility for handling the products during production stage. Further, in 1973, the company purchased three small manufacturing plants which had responsibility for transferring operations to newly acquired factories. Later on, Accessories department was put back on the product basis. Unfortunately, before events had a chance to smooth out, the Esco Company was merged with another division of the parent company and the frequently encountered “housecleaning” of middle and upper management positions began. Before the first change, Accessories was divided into three groups. The three groups were: 1. Group A...
Words: 2775 - Pages: 12
...1 THE MUSHROOM FACTORY The following case is an in-depth look at the events in the Accessories D e p a r t m e n t of the Esco Company, a Midwest manufacturer, during a period of rapid change. Source: This case was prepared by Alex G. Dompkowski, Otto A. Gearhart, Jr., and Roberta P. Marquette, under the supervision of Theodore T. Herbert. The case is not intended to reflect either effective or ineffective administrative or technical practices, but was prepared as a basis for class discussion. Overview The Accessories Department of the Esco Company produces specialty industrial items which complement the company ' s high volume standard products. The department was originally structured on a product basis, with Accessories having complete control and responsibility over its products from their inception through production, including customer service and customer relations. During 1972 this arrangement was changed and two groups were forme d--pr oduct engineering, and manufacturing engineering. T h e product engineering group maintained responsibility for product inception, production of prototypes, and production start-up. They also handled customer service and relations. T h e manufacturing group handled the products during the production stage. To complicate problems further, in 1973 the company purchased three small manufacturing plants and began phasing the manufacturing process out of the home plant. T h e manufacturing group had responsibility for transferring...
Words: 3153 - Pages: 13
...Productivity Through GP 4. CASE STUDY : MUSHROOM CANNING Mr. Augustine is the owner of Jaya Canning Factory. He produces canned mushrooms for export to Japan. Raw materials come from the countryside in 50-kg bags. The mushrooms are weighed and then soaked in water to remove big particles of soil and sand. After that the mushrooms will be washed in stainless steel drums 3 times. They are then steeped in 3% brine solution. The mushrooms will then be boiled for one hour at 100°C and then cooled down by spraying water over them and steeping them into water. After that the mushrooms will be manually checked to separate the spoiled ones. They are later washed one more time prior to canning. The cans will be weighed and filled with brine solution (2% brine, 0.1% acetic acid). They will be heated for air removal and then closed. The cans are now washed and heated for pasteurization. They are cooled down by water and packed for distribution. The factory has already built a wastewater treatment facility to treat their wastewater with the capacity of 160 cubic meters per day. During operation the neighbors often complain to the factory about the bad smell and bad water quality discharged from the factory. And sometimes it has got a warning from officers from the Department of Environment. Mr. Augustine, owner of the factory, wants to solve this problem and has contacted Dr. Tay from Singapore to make a new design of waste water treatment plant so that the factory will be able to treat their waste...
Words: 4143 - Pages: 17
...Although mushrooms have at one time been used as a staple food in some parts of Russia and South America, and they have been served as the main dish during mushroom seasons in Africa, they are generally considered only as an ingredient or complement to various dishes-rather than as a daily vegetable. However, mushrooms have been and will be increasing in importance as a source of food because they have a pleasing flavor, fine texture, adequate protein content (Crisan and Sands 1978), and health benefits (Mori 1974). The demand for mushrooms in some industrialized countries has increased threefold during the period 1965-1975 (Delcaire 1978). As people become wealthier, their consumption of mush-rooms increases. In 1977, the total per capita consumption of Agaricus mush-rooms in West Germany was about 12 times that of the world average. It is hoped that in the near future mushrooms can be cultivated widely just as other common vegetables are. 虽然蘑菇在同一时间都被用来作为俄罗斯和南美一些地区的主食，并已在非洲的蘑菇季节期间作为主盘供应，他们通常被认为只能作为一种成分或补充各种菜肴而不是作为日常的蔬菜。然而，蘑菇已被作为食物来源的重要性将越来越大，因为他们有一个可喜的味道，质地细腻，足够的蛋白质含量（克里桑和金沙1978年），以及健康的好处（森，1974）。 1965年至1975年期间，（Delcaire1978），蘑菇在一些工业化国家的需求增长了三倍。随着人们越来越富裕，他们的消费增加的蘑菇房。 1977年，在西德的人均总消费的双孢蘑菇的客房，是世界平均水平的12倍左右。希望在不久的将来蘑菇可以广泛种植其他常见的蔬菜。 WHAT ARE MUSHROOMS? Mushrooms belong to the group of organisms known as filamentous fungi. Be-cause all fungi lack chlorophyll, they cannot get their energy, as green plants do, directly from the sun. They must obtain their nutrients from waste products...
Words: 1587 - Pages: 7
...their anchors. I want to see how flexible Albatross Anchor is at filling their orders for their anchors. I want to take a look at their outdated technology to see how they can maybe update their technology to help the factory run more smoothly. Next I will take a look at how Albatross Anchor can work on their layout. In doing this I want to see how they can utilize their capacity and have a better layout for the factory. I also will look to see how Albatross Anchors can better serve their customers or answer any questions their customers may have. Lastly I want to look at two separate processes for manufacturing the bell/mushroom anchor to see what one is a better process for Albatross. Question 1 Based on the information presented in the scenario/case study discuss Albatross Anchor’s competitiveness in relation to (please address all items in the below list and provide support for your conclusions): 1. Cost a) Cost or Production: In looking at the cost of production for Albatross Anchor you need to keep in mind that their facility is outdated, and changes are going to have to be made just to get the facility up to code. No matter what improvements are made you need to take into account the cost of materials for the anchors. Manufacturing the bell/mushroom anchor is $8.00 per pound and for the snag hook anchors it is $11.00 per pound. The way to see what your production costs are going to be is to...
Words: 765 - Pages: 4
...The New Export Product Plan Regal Company’s (Mushroom Chips) The New product export Plan Submitted By: Acknowledgement This Assignment is prepared for the course named International business. The study was done for the Business Administration of Southeast University, Dhaka, Bangladesh. I wish to think our course instructor Md. Towhidul Islam, Business Administration of Southeast University. For her kind guidance, advice and encouragement during the course of this study, she played the pivotal role by giving us an insight thought about importance of International business. She also provides a guideline for preparing this Assignment. I deeply express indebtedness opinion that she helped us immensely in preparing this Assignment. Her encouragement and praise during the course provided us real support in preparing this Assignment I also duly appreciate for extending his helping hand whenever I needed which undoubtedly will enrich our academic and individual proficiency. Letter of Transmittal May 4th, 2011 Md. Towhidul Islam Lecturer Department of Business Administration Southeast University Dear Madam, I am submitting to you the assignment, due, May 4th 2011, that you requested. The purpose of the report is to submit you of my Assignment. The content of this report concentrates on the structural and acoustical aspects. This assignment is also...
Words: 4458 - Pages: 18
...Leila Halaby Biochemistry 208.5.1 09/11/14 The Process of DNA Replication Western Governors University The Process Of DNA Replication The process of DNA replication at the biochemistry level starts with DNA to RNA and RNA to protein. DNA is “The Master” molecule of every cell. It contains vital information that is passed onto every generation. It has information on how to make itself as well as other molecules. DNA is the key to life. RNA leaves the nucleus of the cell and makes proteins. (Sally Seller December 2013) http:/ /www.cytochemistry.net/cell-biology/ ribosome.htm The process by which both strands are replicated starts with the strands being separated and unwound by DNA Helicase. DNA polymerases, an enzymes which catalyze the synthesis of new complementary strands will add nucleotides to the 3’ end of the growing nucleotide strand. An RNA primer is needed to start the synthesis of a new strand to make the first 3’ end the enzyme needs. After that, the RNA is taken out and replace with DNA. The synthesis of both complementary strands start in the 5’ to 3’ direction. The leading strand will then grow continuously in the direction of the replication fork. On the leading strand, RNA primase comes in and add RNA primer. ! ! (thinkwell biochemistry 6.4.2) Newly synthesized DNA The lagging strand will point away from the opening of the fork. RNA primase will constantly add RNA primer as the strand opens up On the leading strand, DNA polymerase III...
Words: 1110 - Pages: 5
...Fundamentals of Organizing 7 3.4 Leading and Managing8 3.5 Controlling8 4. Conclusion9 5. Recommendation10 6. References12 1. Introduction Old Chang Kee (OCK) was founded by Mr Chang in 1956 in a small coffee shop known for its chicken curry puff. In 1986, Mr. Han Keen Juan, bought over the control of Old Chang Kee business and transform into a household brand today. For over 56 years, OCK specialise in the production and sales of a variety of affordable and quality finger food directly to consumers in Singapore. Most of their sales are on a takeaway basis and their 76 outlets in Singapore today are located at different areas to cater wider group of customers. OCK sub brands include Curry Times, Pie Kia and Mushroom which offers dine in concept restaurants carrying a range of local delicacy such as nasi lemak and laksa. Catering services are also provided in selected areas in Singapore. 2. SWOT Analysis SWOT Analysis is a useful comparison for understanding Strengths, Weaknesses and identifying the Opportunities and Threats that OCK faces today. Understanding the weaknesses of the business can "manage and eliminate threats that would otherwise catch us unawares" ("SWOT Analysis," 2013, para. 3). Internal | Strengths * Recognise local enterprise * Long established household name in Singapore. * Stores are conveniently located island-wide (i.e MRT stations, shopping malls & neighbourhood etc). * Food is well-liked by consumers...
Words: 2679 - Pages: 11
...Complaint of a Lowell Factory Female Worker (1845) Source: Factory Tracts Number One. Factory Life As It Is (Lowell, 1845). Voices of Freedom, Vol. I, 3rd Ed., by Eric Foner. The early industrial revolution centered on factories producing cotton textiles with water-powered spinning and weaving machinery. In the 1820s, a group of merchants created a new factory town near Boston, incorporated as the city of Lowell in 1836. Here, they built a group of modern textile factories that brought together all phases of production from the spinning of thread to the weaving and finishing of cloth. By 1850, Lowell’s fifty-two mills employed more than 10,000 workers. At Lowell, young unmarried women from Yankee farm families dominated the workforce that tended the spinning machines. Competition among the mills led to a deterioration in working conditions and, beginning in the 1830s, protests among the workers. They engaged in strikes or “turn-out,” and petitioned the legislature to limit their hours of labor. Founded in 1845, the Lowell Female Labor Reform Association published a series of Factory Tracts to expose conditions in the mills. Frequently, as in this account by an unnamed worker, they drew an analogy between their conditions and those of southern slaves. Reading Questions: 1. Why does the female factory worker compare her conditions with those of slaves? 2. Why does she doubt the sincerity of the Christian beliefs of the factory owners? Philanthropists of the nineteenth...
Words: 780 - Pages: 4
...the observers anxiously waited, they appeared as little more than a few spikes stuck in the sand. Suddenly, one of the towers erupted into a brilliant fireball, searing the air and instantly replacing the dawn’s pastels with a blazing radiance. With the radiance came heat: an incredible, scorching heat that rolled outward in waves. Where seconds before the sand had stretched cool and level in every direction, now it fused into glass pellets. The concussion from the fireball completely vaporized the tower at its center, created a crater a quarter of a mile wide, and obliterated another forty-ton steel tower one-half mile away. Above the fireball an ominous cloud formed, shooting upward, outward, then back upon itself to form the shape of a mushroom, expanding until it had reached eight miles in the air. The effects of the fireball continued outward from its center: the light, followed by the waves of heat, and then the deadening roar of the concussion, sharp enough to break a window over 125 miles away. Light, heat, concussion—— but first and foremost, the brilliance of the light. At the edge of the desert a blind woman was facing the explosion. She saw the light. In the blockhouse at Alamogordo, where scientists watched, feelings of joy and relief were mixed with foreboding. The bomb had worked. Theory had been turned into practice. And devastating as the explosion appeared, the resulting fireball had not ignited the earth’s atmosphere, as some scientists had predicted. But the foreboding...
Words: 1098 - Pages: 5
...Anchor needs some major renovations done to their business including adding on to the existing building or even building a second building for finished products and storing of the raw materials. Yet it faces the fact that funds may not be available to do all of this. It is now time to make some decisions on how to accommodate the needs of their customers in the most economical and efficient way for them to continue to stay open and succeed beyond the competition. Question One Based on the information presented in the scenario/case study discuss Albatross Anchor’s competitiveness in relation to (please address all items in the below list and provide support for your conclusions): 1. Cost a) Cost of Production: Cost $8.00/lb for mushroom bells Cost 11.00/lb for snag hooks b) Economies of Scale in material purchasing: c) Cost of Raw Materials Sitting Idle in the Warehouse: d) Cost of Finished Goods Sitting Idle in the Warehouse: 2. Speed of manufacturing process from order to finished product. Due to limited space, the manufacturing process is slow. There is a 36 hour delay when switching from making one anchor to another. There is not room to make both at the same time. 3. Flexibility in filling order(s) 4. Technology Albatross Anchors was established way before the new technology was available. Several upgrades in technology that would help Albatross accommodate orders has not been allowed due to other expenses that has taken priority. But over the...
Words: 613 - Pages: 3
...development process for a refrigerated pizza concept • The pizza market was an $18.4 billion market • By 1989 NRFC developed 2 new pizza concepts – Pizza Kit – Preassembled, heat and eat Pizza Market Summary: Pizza • Pizza market Statistics: – 88% of all pizzas sold by restaurants – 60% of pizzas eaten at home – 76% of all U.S. families had eaten restaurant pizza w.in past 6 months – Pizza consumption strongest in northern and eastern parts of U.S. – 10,000(+) franchised pizza restaurants – 25,000 pizza outlets – frozen pizza market more fragmented w/o clear market leader Product Development: Pizza Kit • Kit included: – 12” crust – Sauce – Cheese – Sauce: Tomato or Pesto • Additional Toppings: Pepperoni, Sausage, 3-Cheese, Mushrooms & Bell Peppers (Sold Separately) • Serve 2-3 people Market Research: Concept Test • Preliminary Concept test (200 Interviews) – Positive purchase intent was 58% (49% among males, 66% among females) – Results: • 128 Heavy Take-out...
Words: 557 - Pages: 3
...Unit three Written Assignment Vanna Mata MT435 Operations Management Kaplan University September 22, 2011 Albatross Anchor has been in business since 1976. They are manufacturer of bell/mushroom anchors. They are only deal with wholesale; there is no retail service at all. Their building consists of their administrative offices, foundry, shipping and receiving, raw materials and finished materials storage, and manufacturing. Their building is not up to standards and is very old. In this case study, I will discuss as how to improve Albatross Anchor competitiveness and see if there is a new process to help bring down the costs. Question One Based on the information presented in the scenario/case study discuss Albatross Anchor’s competitiveness in relation to (please address all items in the below list and provide support for your conclusions): 1. Cost a) Cost of Production: Since Albatross Anchor keeps all departments in one building; this keeps the fixed cost down. The cost of manufacturing for the mushroom/bell anchors are $8.00 per pound and $11.00 per pound for the snag hook anchors. The charge the same per unit as their competitors due but since all departments are housed under one building, there are operations inefficiencies. This can bring down their profit margins. This would mean that Albatross Anchor has a cost disadvantage compared to competitors. b) Economies of Scale in material purchasing: “Economies of scale, also called increasing returns...
Words: 1174 - Pages: 5
...Assignment Tezra Lee MT435 Operations Management Kaplan University June 4, 2013 Introduction Albatross Anchor has been in business since 1976, and are the manufacturer of bell/mushroom anchors. They are strictly a wholesale organization; there is no retail service. Their building is comprised of their administrative offices, foundry, shipping and receiving, raw materials and finished product storage, and manufacturing. The plant is located directly behind the administrative offices in a building that is outdated and no longer meets US safety and environmental standards. In this case study, I will discuss possibilities to improve Albatross Anchor’s competitiveness, and determine if a new process will help to reduce costs. Question One Based on the information presented in the scenario/case study discuss Albatross Anchor’s competitiveness in relation to (please address all items in the below list and provide support for your conclusions): 1. Cost a) Cost of Production: Albatross Anchor’s competitiveness in relation to cost is about 35% lower than their competitors as a result of operational inefficiencies. They need to address the problems causing their inefficiencies in order to be in line with their competitors. The cost to manufacture mushroom/bell anchors is the same as their competitors at $8.00 per pound, and $11.00 per pound for snag hook anchors. Some of the problems causing the company to lose money include shipping challenges...
Words: 1578 - Pages: 7
...The Cheesecake Factory, a mid-range priced, casual dining restaurant is a wonderful place for all ages. With the doors opening at 11am and closing at 11pm Mondays thru Thursdays and 12:30am on Fridays and Saturdays the Cheesecake Factory is perfect for many dining occasions. This restaurant located in Tukwila, Washington has a full alcohol bar with televisions throughout. Given the choice of indoor or outdoor seating, depending on the time and day you choose to eat out to this elegant restaurant you may want to consider making a reservation. Location also plays a role on how busy the place may be. The Cheesecake Factory being a chain restaurant has developed a well-known reputation making itself a good choice for any lunch, dinner or desert occasions. It also has developed itself as a more family style restaurant, with portions big enough to split into two. I would highly recommend the Cheesecake Factory to anyone for any occasion because the service is excellent, food is good and ambiance is welcoming all that exceeded my expectation. The service at the Cheesecake Factory was prompt and efficient. From the host stand through our entire meal we were well taken care of. Our waiter being very attentive towards our needs and knowledgeable about the menu gave us excellent recommendations on what to eat and drink. There was also no hesitation on what the drink had in it or the ingredients to specific dishes. As our soft drinks seem to become more diluted or our water glasses...
Words: 946 - Pages: 4
