Tuesday, September 10, 2019
The Systems Development Life Cycle Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words
The Systems Development Life Cycle - Essay Example This involved establishing the business processes used by the company. This is necessary so that the processes are redesigned to take advantage of the modern system solutions operating characteristics. Data analysis is also quite useful in the determination of the system requirements. To accomplish this, a study on flow of information in the organization is carried out in order to come with dataflow diagrams that will be quite important in the design of the system (Somers & Nelson, 2004, P.258). Decision Analysis is meant to identify the decisions that are made by the manager. The main decisions that are made by the manager are identifiable at in individual level. Gathering of this information will help in the actual development of a system that will assist the managers to make decisions (Somers & Nelson,2004,P.259). This method is valuable when the primary objective of the system is decision support. There was also process analysis that was meant to review business processes of the company. In this stage, the processes of an organization are identifies and divides into a number of events that can either change or add data. Modification and reengineering of these processes help in improving the operations of the organization through improving service, cost reduction, quality and management information The development of an accounting information system can be successful if the process is divided into different phases or stages. The phases in the field of software development is referred to as System development life cycle(SDLC) which comprises Planning and Investigation, System Analysis,Design,Coding ,implementation, maintenance and Follow up. The planning and investigation phase needs the creation of a team to carry out an investigation on the current system and provide recommendations to a steering team. The main focus of the team is to come up with a way handing the request of
Bionic Men and Women Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words
Bionic Men and Women - Essay Example Mechanical enhancements have already been accepted by the society with simple aids like glasses and contact lenses employed to aid the eyesight of individuals. Complex mechanical enhancements are also being witnessed, with prosthetic limbs, hearing aids among others being incorporated into the human body through implants. Machines, which include ventilators, incubators among others, clearly show the extent at which technology has advanced. These technological developments come with ethical responsibilities with question arising just how far a human being should enhance their body with technology. The society should also consider how dependant it will become on technology, and how money should be allocated for the purpose of technological therapies. Mechanical prosthetics Generations ago, it would have been inconceivable that it will be a possibility for a human being to incorporate mechanical implants into their body functions. The modern society, however, has accepted the idea of te chnology being employed to aid with the functions of the human anatomy. This comes in the form of use of prosthetic limbs in place of natural missing ones, hearing aids, pacemakers to rectify heart problems and numerous other applications. Earlier versions of implants were mostly inert, but this is not the case with modern ones. Some implants being used currently perform complex and intricate functions in the human body. This comes because of the incorporation of different disciplines that include biology, electronic and mechanics. This resulted in the improvement of devices universally referred to as biomechatronics (Herzfeld 2009). Current devices of this nature are created in such a way that they are directly connected with the psychological together, with or separately, with the neurological functions of the body. This makes their incorporation seamless and appears as part of the human body as compared to the earlier versions of mechanical aids. This is mainly attributed to the developments and research evident this field. To get a clear picture at the direction where the field of prosthetics is heading one should consider the recent developments being realized in the development of the prosthetic hand. The scientists at the prestigious John Hopkinsââ¬â¢ department of applied physics, in 2006, made a breakthrough after being able to harness the signals that originate from the brain in order to facilitate movement of the fingers of a prosthetic hand. They also went further by being able to facilitate the sensing of temperature differences. Sensors in place relating to flexible force have the ability to detect the amount of force that the prosthetic hand is applying on objects. The communication of the sensors was facilitated by the patientââ¬â¢s skin, while others were incorporated into the muscle of the patient. These developments are remarkable though the scientists are still trying to achieve the ultimate goal of wiring these sensors into the centr al nervous system. The recent developments in the prosthetic limbs have made them more efficient than the tradition mechanical limbs, in that, the limbs are now enabled to grasp objects as a response to muscle stimuli. This, however, has a downside since the skin, which is crucial for the role of sensing, is bulky and has a range of movement that is limited (Herzfeld 2009). Other Biomechatronic Devices However, other
Monday, September 9, 2019
Ethos, Logos, Pathos, and Rhetorical Analysis Assignment
Ethos, Logos, Pathos, and Rhetorical Analysis - Assignment Example Notably, Bono demonstrates a good judgment about rock stars mounting the pulpit and preaching at presidents, which depicts his credibility. Moreover, Bono manifests his integrity by asserting that justice is a higher standard and that Africaââ¬â¢s position challenges Americaââ¬â¢s justice and equality (ââ¬Å"American Rhetoricâ⬠1). Bono uses deductive reasoning by encouraging the audience to do what God is doing because it is already blessed (ââ¬Å"American Rhetoricâ⬠1). Moreover, he uses statistics and past facts to present his ideas where he draws our attention to the Tsunami effect in South East Asia where 150, 000 people died. Additionally, he uses examples by stating that the American President and the Congress provided life-saving anti-retroviral drugs to 700,000 people and provided eight million bed nets to protect children from malaria (ââ¬Å"American Rhetoricâ⬠1). He also uses comparisons to justify his argument where he compared the 150, 000 deaths from Tsunami with the 150, 000 deaths that happen in Africa every month (ââ¬Å"American Rhetoricâ⬠1). He uses deductive reasoning to assert that America has the capacity to avert the crisis in Africa. Indeed, Bono shows the American possibility by asserting that America only gives less than one percent to charity and they only need to give two percent for them to transform the world and change Americanââ¬â¢s perception. Bono uses a lot of repetition where he consequently repeats the phrase ââ¬Å"One percentâ⬠to refer to the schooling girls in Africa, AIDS patients who get medicine in Africa, and African entrepreneurs who can start a small family business (ââ¬Å"American Rhetoricâ⬠1). Moreover, he uses very emotional words to question Americaââ¬â¢s commitment towards charity where he asserts, ââ¬Å"six and a half thousand Africans are still dying every day of preventable, treatable disease, for lack of drugs we can buy at any drug storeâ⬠.
Sunday, September 8, 2019
Visual Argument Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words
Visual Argument - Research Paper Example Judging from the first instance of seeing this visual argument, the researcher of this paper thinks that Nike is supposedly advocating freedom to do what you want, breaking barriers and conquering limits (especially when buying Nike products), which is in this case invoked by the freedom of the boy peeing on a wall. This argument would be analyzed further in the next part of the paper. In order to evaluate carefully the visual argument of Nikeââ¬â¢s ad, the researcher would try to use the three rhetorical appeals: ethos (credibility), logos (logical reasoning and evidence), and as well as pathos (emotional appeal). In this case, the visual argument would be evaluated according to ethos logos and pathos, in that order, through using the text, the design, and as well as the image of this particular visual argument. In addition to this, the researcher would also cite the opinion of a colleague on Nikeââ¬â¢s visual argument, wherein the researcher would react from his opinion. Usin g the first rhetorical appeal of ethos, the researcher thinks that Nikeââ¬â¢s visual argument actually compromises the credibility of the rhetoric that Nike is trying to point out.
Saturday, September 7, 2019
Thomas becket Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words
Thomas becket - Research Paper Example Thomas was born December 21st, 1118 or 1120 in the family of a wealthy and prosperous merchant, a citizen of London ââ¬â Gilbert Beket. The name Thomas was given to him because he was born on St. Thomas the Apostleââ¬â¢s day. Both Thomasââ¬â¢ parents were of Norman ancestry. Very little is known about Thomasââ¬â¢ childhood. What we do know is that his mother was a righteous and charitable woman, giving him some allowance to give to the poor. That had a great impact on him and played a key role in making him what he became in his adult life. Becket studied between the age of ten and twenty-one, most likely between 1130 and 1141. He studied in a few educational institutions, such as the Augustinian priory at Merton in Surrey, and then in one or more of the grammar schools in London. His student life was spent in Paris. He was not a particularly studious pupil. His mother was the one who encouraged him to study. In fact, when she died, he stopped his education at age of twe nty-one. Frank Barlow says about his education: Thomasââ¬â¢ rather sketchy education caused the biographers some difficulty. They know that, although he was extremely intelligent, he was never much of a scholarâ⬠¦ Presumably, because he became an archbishop and then a saintâ⬠¦ even if he had been an inattentive schoolboy, in ten years he mustââ¬â¢ve gone through the whole curriculum at a modest level and acquired some knowledge of the seven liberal artsâ⬠¦ But clearly he had not mastered the subjectsâ⬠¦ It is also clear that, in youth, he did not proceed beyond the basic curriculum. His legal and theological studies pertain to later periods of his life, to professions which required those special qualifications. (Barlow 21) Thomasââ¬â¢ father, Gilbert Beket suffered financial problems, so Thomas was forced to find a work. He first worked as a clerk for a relative, but later became the agent to Theobald, the then-current Archbishop of Canterbury. He was sent on a few important missions to Rome. He was entrusted with much, and his efficiency paid off. Theobald recommended him to King Henry II for the position of Chancellor. Becket was appointed to this position in January 1155. On this post, Becket showed his political brilliance ââ¬â he razed castles, repaired the Tower of London, raised, prepared and led troops to war, conducted various diplomatic missions etc. He was completely trusted by Henry II, who, besides a loyal and faithful subject, found Thomas to be a close friend and a great companion. He aided the King in his mission to subject all power into the hands of the monarch, even when his interests were contrary to those of the church. As a Chancellor, Becket lived and traveled in luxury. This strongly contradicted with his status as Archdeacon of Canterbury. Another very serious and contradicting occurrence was the fact that he flatly refused to leave this post, even though he neglected his duties. Theobald disapproved his a ctions greatly, Becket when he was called on, did not appear before the dying Archbishop. This is another fact historians widely criticize. During this time the Gregorian reform had begun to be implemented, spreading from the Holy Roman Empire, Italy and France and started to influence English clerics as well. According to the reform, the clerical posts were appointed by free elections, an issue of free appeal to Rome was implemented, and other such changes, that made the church more independent from secular rule. Henry II
Friday, September 6, 2019
Understanding Prejudice Essay Example for Free
Understanding Prejudice Essay What exactly is the meaning of prejudice, and what does being prejudiced mean? Prejudice is a big word with a very deep meaning. Indeed, a lot of people may not know the true sense of it and how it affects people in the society. People live in a world that is full of prejudice. It is considered as one of the negative social phenomenons and one of the main sources of problems in the world. Prejudice denotes making or predisposition to make a decision or judgment before one becomes aware of the relevant truth of a certain case or scenario. For instance, people may have heard others saying things about a certain group of individuals such as ââ¬Å"all black people areâ⬠¦. ,â⬠ââ¬Å"all white people areâ⬠¦. ,â⬠ââ¬Å"people in third world countries areâ⬠¦,â⬠etc. (Breen, 2006). People may think that prejudice only refers to racial prejudice that is usually directed towards people with light or dark skin. However, I have learned that prejudice has a deeper meaning than discrimination against people of a certain race or color. Rather, prejudice can also be a result of oneââ¬â¢s gender and geographical, religious, and cultural backgrounds. Every person also has his or her own way of being prejudiced. For example, one can judge somebody by the way he or she dresses and talks or even by his or her appearance. Thus, prejudice can come from different sources such as peers, parents, school, and public organization. At the same time, it can also be directed to various types of people. There are also many different kinds of prejudice that exist in our society today. Some of them may be observed in school, at home, or even in the television. For this reason, discrimination, racism, sexism, and other forms of social problems exist in the world we live in. Hence, it is not fair and also very sad that prejudice is a widely pervasive phenomenon in the world. (Breen, 2006). It is always inevitable to become prejudiced. There are a lot of reasons why people become prejudiced. It is a fact that one can learn it from home; parents often do not recognize that they are being an example to their children. If parents are prejudiced, then it is most likely that the child will also become one because that is what he or she observes from his or her parents. Children may also become prejudiced if parents directly teach or tell the former to perceive somebody or some things in the society in a certain way. That is why at a very young age, many children start to become prejudiced already and start to judge people and things by what they believe and think of them. They also become prejudiced due to the environment that they grow up in, the school and the neighborhood that they get involved in or witnesses. The media also plays a role in influencing people to become prejudiced. The effect on prejudice of television shows and films is very substantial. There are just so many ways on how people can become prejudiced, and it is very alarming that it has become one common source of misunderstandings, fights, and disputes all over the world (Breen, 2006). It is very hard to stop prejudice; however, it can be lessened if people would try not to be judgmental on simple things that they see and observe in their environment. Proper or right education must be imposed to children especially at home and in school in order to stop prejudice and so that people will eventually look at one another without making negative judgments. On the other hand, it would be very difficult to stop this social phenomenon as prejudice has become already part of the society. In conclusion, prejudice is an attitude that is based on generalizations and stereotypes. It is very astounding how easy it is for an individual to become prejudiced on somebody or something. Nevertheless, prejudice is merely a kind of thinking or a feeling in an individualââ¬â¢s mind. While people will never abolish the existence of prejudice in the society, it can be lessened and prevented if everyone will just start to cooperate and make an effort in reducing it. I believe that working hand in hand toward a common objective or goal can bring different groups of people all together, regardless of their age, race and sex. Reference Breen, R. (2006). Real Life Issues: Prejudice. Great Britain: Trotman Company Limited.
Thursday, September 5, 2019
ICICI Bank Limited Operations Management
ICICI Bank Limited Operations Management ICICI bank Ltd is largest private sector bank in India. ICICI bank offers large range of financial product and services. Retail banking section of ICICI bank is departmentalised into three units namely branch banking, sales and operations. Regional processing centre (RPC) under operations unit is responsible for processing and implementation of products and services offered by bank for allocated geographical region. With huge customer base and large number of services offered, operations unit has to frequently face fluctuation in processing volume. As banks are dealing with huge amount of transactions under regulated environment the capacity management need to be implemented carefully while maintaining required quality standards. The essay is focused on retail liability operations unit of ICICI bank. The purpose of this essay is to critically analyse the ICICI banks approach for managing its capacity and coping with fluctuating volume or rather fluctuating demand with same quality. EXECUTIVE SUMMARY: ICICI Bank has been introduced and the sphere of analysis has been confined to retail liability section of operations unit. Overview of process at operations unit is defined by using Slacks (2009) model of Input-Transformation-Output. Capacity and demand for Regional processing centre is explained. Method use by ICICI bank to calculate the capacity of operations unit and individual resource at operation unit is explained and also shown in mathematical form. Idea of effective and potential capacity is briefly introduced. Demand -capacity mismatch is explained. Forecasting of demand is explained by divided it into long term and short term demand forecast, the demand can either be predictable as well as unpredictable. Few illustrative examples are given to show how forecast about surge in volume can be given from events that can be predicted. Capacity management methods suggested by scholars are explained and the existing situation at bank is analysed in light of literature. It is deduced that chase demand plan is used by bank to manage capacity in short term. Use of manage demand plan by bank at certain departments under RPC is suggested. Quality issues related to fluctuation in demand and capacity has been raised and implementation of coping strategies at bank has been explained. Finally recommendations are given to manage capacity of RPC for high demand and suggestions are given to maintain quality under fluctuating demand and capacity. It is concluded that capacity management can affect the quality of service provided to customer under high demand and how capacity planning supported by demand forecast can help to address the issue of demand capacity match while maintaining quality of service provided PROCESS DESCRIPTION: As per (Slack et al, 2009), under Input-Transformation-Output model branches and sales unit provide input to regional processing centre(operations unit) in the form of customer service request and processing request of financial product sold to customer. Now these inputs are processed at RPC and output is in the form of service provided to customers. For example account opening forms, term deposit request and negotiable instruments etc. processed at RPC provides the services and facility provided by bank to customer. Though operations unit at ICICI bank is not generating business directly but efficient working of this unit ensures customer satisfaction, compliance with central bank regulations and prevention of frauds CAPACITY AND DEMAND: Facet of Operations at ICICI Bank According to Hill (2005) capacity of operations unit at ICICI bank can be explained as resources to process customer request in limited time frame and desired quality. The resources at RPC are combination of staff, systems and facility required to produce desired output. For example number of negotiable instruments processed per day with given resources is the capacity of payment and settlement department of RPC. Demand is the requirements of the customers to avail the service and products offered by bank. Now, when it is clear that capacity has time dimension the variation in output is affected by all input elements to the RPC. So the variety of products and service packages offered by bank give rise to variations in the input and demand placed on the operations unit. Another aspect of the equation is to know about demand and its duration. This in turn is enclosed in a knowledge of the volume, variety, and variation in demand and in the nature of that demand (Armistead et al, 1991). As per Slack et. al (2009) ICICI bank need to know its capacity to meet demand. If capacity is low bank will not be able to meet the demand resulting into customer dissatisfaction and if capacity is more that demand bank is paying for extra capacity. ICICI bank has a well defined method to calculate the capacity of RPC (operations unit) as well as individual staff at RPC. Bank use the method of productivity calculation to identify the capacity to meet demand generated. Processing of services at RPC is further divided into department and formed the teams to perform specific task such as payments and settlement departments, account opening team, risk containment unit, transaction team. Overall task of the team is further divided into series of small tasks, which is formalised and same for all RPCs. After collating the inputs taken from line staff and team leads from all RPCs bank has prepared extensive list of all the task performed at RPC and the average time required to complete part icular task. Time requires to complete a particular task is termed as Hot time. Productivity of the individual staff is calculated as per formula: Productivity = Hot time Volume handled Summation of productivity of each employee in RPC is the productivity of RPC. It is used as means to calculate capacity of RPC to handle demand generated. Capacity of RPC will never be constant even if demand is constant. The fluctuation of demand on hourly to daily basis may be such that it can be difficult to meet demand. At ICICI bank clearing of high level negotiable instrument has to be done in small time window of four hours from opening hours of bank. For such small time frame, with fluctuation of volume it can be difficult to handle demand with existing capacity. The ability to change capacity to cope with changes in demand raises questions of the flexibility of the capacity (Slack et al, 2009). The interesting part is to find out that how an individual can increase its capacity. It can be by working hard, putting extra hours. But, as RPC is dealing with financial transaction worth Rs 150 million on daily basis standard of quality is necessary to be maintained to avoid wrong credits and compliance with regulation guideline. To cope with the fluctuation of capacity, the idea of effective and potential capacity is useful (Lockyer et al.,1988). Effective capacity is the capacity which is available to the manager, whereas potential capacity is the capacities which can be used if manage can provide additional arrangements to increase capacity. Both are short term decisions and pertain to the team and individual level rather than to the organisation as a whole. Long term increases or decreases in capacity such as opening of new RPC and it will have impact on whole branch network under that RPC. DEMAND FORECAST: According to Slack et al (2010) understanding of demand and capacity fluctuation is necessary to plan for future events, else it is only to react. For capacity planning forecast is a valuable input. Demand forecasting can be long term and short term. Demand can either be predictable or unpredictable. At ICICI bank short term forecasting for operations activity is done by respective team at RPC. Unpredictable variation in demand at RPC needs to be address with well planed capacity management scheme to fulfil the gap between demand and capacity. Short term forecast is used to plan the allocation of resources to meet the expected surge in demand. Short term variation in demand at banks is mostly predictable though not with exact figures but a fair assumption of demand can be made by evaluating historical data and trends as well as prevailing market situation. Example of negotiable instrument processing team is taken to illustrate the probable factors influencing fluctuation in demand, f actors can be Holiday for few days in row-It will increase demand Natural calamity- It will decrease demand Financial year opening-closing- It will increase demand Launch of popular IPO- It will increase demand Monthly payment cycle for payment of advances- It will increase demand Though this is not extensive list but it provides the rough idea of factors influencing fluctuation in demand. Similarly, at the time of campus recruitments bank can expect surge in salary account opening activity, increase in rate of interest on deposits will increase demand for term deposit requests and increase in workload at transaction department at last week of the month for salary credit process. Volume can be used as statement of the trend in demand over a period of time. Long term forecast of demand is based on different standard forecast models. These forecast models are based on different set of assumption (Hill, 2005). Apart from these assumptions there are few more factors such as macroeconomic factors, planning to use new technology etc. Forecast can never be accurate all the times .Over estimation of demand in forecast can lead to unnecessary expenditure on increasing capacity (Slack et al, 2009)). At ICICI bank long term estimation of demand is done at centralised unit keeping in mind the implementation of new technology, expected market share, change in regulation by central bank (Reserve bank of India) and quality of service offered by competitors etc. CAPACITY MANAGEMENT: Capacity management is concerned with the matching of the capacity of the operating system and the demand placed on that system. (Wild, pg304, 2002). Capacity management is the way to balance demand from customers and the capacity of the RPC to meet the demand. Capacity management gives high emphasis on understanding the nature of demand by forecasting and on managing capacity to meet demand (Lovelock, 1984). Demand capacity mismatch is the issue which operations unit at bank has to handle frequently. According to Slack et al (2009) there are three plans available to tackle the issue of demand capacity mismatch, most of the organisations will use mixture of all the plans according to requirement of business. The plans are: Level capacity plan Chase demand plan Manage demand plan Level capacity plan: In the level capacity plan capacity remains same throughout the planning period even if demand forecast is fluctuating (Slack et al, 2009). In case of ICICI bank if capacity level is maintained uniform and if demand is high quite high from base level capacity. Bank will not be able to fulfil the service level promised to customer. In case of low demand bank will end up paying extra for underutilised resources. ICICI bank cannot afford level capacity plan, as opportunity cost for bank for not fulfilling demand may lead to breach of central bank regulations. Chase demand plan: Chase demand plans try to match the capacity with change in demand. This plan can be reactive as well as proactive. If fluctuation in demand is unpredictable then change in capacity will be the reactive measure to match the demand. Chase will be proactive or well planned if fluctuation in demand can be predicted. Level of capacity can be controlled by changing the extent of resources by: Sharing of capacity between different departments at RPC. At ICICI bank, increase in volume at one department is handled by sharing the responsibility with members of other department handling comparatively low volume. This arrangement is suggested to be most efficient by Slack et al (2010). Using vendor support for less critical service: complying with banking regulation. At times of high volume at payments and settlement department activity like data entry of negotiable instrument and image capturing and encoding can be given to existing vendors in market. As banking is highly regulated sector, critical activities like credit and debit verification cannot be outsourced and it has to be done by bank official above certain specified grade. Shifts planned to cater peak volume of the day Working hours at ICICI bank is 12 hours, whereas working hour for each employee are nine hours. Each department at RPC has different peak time. For example payments and settlement department has peak volume at two different time first at around 10A.M. when high value cheques are verified and sent for clearing at around 11 A.M and another at around 3 P.M when all negotiable instrument collected during the day are verified. Two shifts are so arranged that each member of team is present at office to handle both peak hour volumes. Changing output rate. To increase output by expecting each staff at RPC to be more productive by working fast than his normal speed. This approach can be used as temporary measure. Prolong use of this method will deteriorate the quality of work and create dissatisfaction among staff (Slack et al, 2009) The solution suggested above for managing demand- capacity gap is used at ICICI bank, but sharing of work with resources in other department can be possible if resources in other team are well trained to work in any department. Guideline given by central bank need to be updated to all employees in all departments at RPC to make sure about that employee comply with regulation and adhere to quality standard. The purpose of chase demand plan is to maintain capacity closely in line with effective capacity thereby trying to attain maximum efficiency and service quality. Manage demand Plan According to Slack et al,(2009)demand management plan is used to change the pattern of demand to match it with available effective capacity. This method is used at ICICI bank for activity in which time frame is not a limiting factor for example request for term deposit can be processed on later date by providing value dated credit. QUALITY ASPECT: According to Slack et al,(2009), quality needs to be understood from customers perspective because it is defined by customers expectations. At bank quality of processing is understood from customers point of view as well as from regulatory authoritys point of view. Managers use capacity management as a tool to minimise the trade-off between capacity to meet demand and quality of service offered. Quality of service, quality of processing and resource capacity are important in the tactic perspective as they interrupt the ability of the bank to attain its competitive tactic described by a combination of added value and price (Bowman 1990).The importance of either quality or efficiency will to a large extent is driven by the competitive position of the Bank. If competitive advantage is gained by providing quality of service provided at comparatively high price then there will be more propensities to indulge in redundancy of capacity at times. If the bank is competing more on price then to increase capacity then is more likely that quality will take backseat. However with increasing expectations of customer for quality services ICICI bank is forced to maintain quality of service at lower prices in times of economic slowdown where bank need to maintain reputation. The crucial dimensions are those which win customers or those which if deteriorate may cause into loss of customers (Armistead 1991). ICICI bank was not able to take care of this factor at the time to highest growth at that point bank was handling very high volume hence with mentality to manage higher demand with existing capacity back actually neglected the quality aspect of services offered. Bank soon realised that it is losing customers more than creating new customers. In 2009 ICICI bank followed the policy to reconciliation by not going for aggressively to increase market share but rather focused on increase operations excellence and cost cutting, Bank actually used capacity management techniques for cost cutting. To increase the quality standards at bank RPCs has introduced memo system in which each error will be recorded in detail with proper root cause analysis and particular number of memo will lead to termination of employee. IMPLEMENTATION OF COPING STRATERGY: As the understanding of capacity management increased among service operations managers they started to balance capacity with demand. At ICICI bank operations manager started to work on capacity near breakeven point and this is the capacity where things start to go wrong. Drop in quality is observed when operating near breakeven point. We need a coping strategy which can be applicable on the short term inability to match effective with capacity and demand. As a sign to develop a coping strategy it is necessary that RPC should find its own combination of the chase and level plan by: Improving its capability to forecast Quality target should be well described and monitored Setting clear capacity target for team and fluctuating productivity target for individual employee To understand critical and hygiene dimensions of its quality (Armistead and Clark, 1991) To understand the possible failure points in operations unit (Armistead and Clark, 1991) To cope with demand capacity mismatch there are number of actions possible in the few coping cases: Chasing demand plan with High Demand In this scenario capacity is chasing demand and demand is high. With frequent extended working hours for staff at bank to meet demand it is highly probable that staff will commit error. Risk here is that quality of the service provided to customer will go down. Whereas staff frequently working under such condition will fell stressed and may quit job which is not good for employer as money and time has been invested to train the employee. To improve situation we can make extensive plan to tackle situation of fluctuating high demand by identifying particular dates on which high demand is certain and allocating resources to concerned team accordingly. Chasing demand plan with Low Demand It is scenario when demand is low and as capacity is chasing demand capacity will also be reduced. Since banking regulation in India does not allow part time workers in bank hence each resource is full time staff. As capacity for particular task has been reduced with decrease in demand targets are at risk. The possible actions are: Accept it as time to rest and recover, this will help staff to be stress free. Complete other tasks like cleaning and arrange maintenance of computer or cheque encoding machine. Finish the tasks which do not have time limit but necessary to be completed. Arrange interdepartmental training so that resources can be developed to support other department. Level demand plan with High Demand In this scenario it is not been possible to limit demand to match effective capacity. As capacity is fixed high demand will not be fully satisfied. In this case customer should be notified at time of receiving customer request that bank will not be able to process this request on time Level demand plan with Low Demand It is the scenario when it has not been possible to stimulate sufficient demand to match effective capacity. In this case bank should utilize the spare resources. Transfer of resources to other maintenance tasks. Complete the backlog generated from period when demand Is high. RECOMMENDATIONS: For Short term fluctuation in demand resources cannot be increased at RPC. As per Indian banking regulation banks are not permitted to recruit part time staff though they can outsource the activity of data entry and image capturing and encoding of negotiable instruments. The theoretical solution given for the situation of high demand under chasing capacity plan is to transferring resources typically between back office and front office. This solution is yet not applied by ICICI bank. Sales and branch banking unit are also part of bank, using these resources in times of high demand will be the optimum use of resources available within the bank. At time of low demand interdepartmental training can be organised within the RPC, one member of each team can be nurtured to be buffer resource that can fill the place in any team in times of high demand. The recommendations given will be helpful to fully utilise the resource capacity available within the bank. For quality maintenance issue it is suggested to conduct an audit on daily basis by taking few samples from all processed lots. As bank has started to issue memos to recorded errors, employees will try to avoid any negligence from their part as certain number of memos can result into termination of employee from job. CONCLUSION: ICICI bank has separate operations unit. So the volume handled by RPC (operations unit ) is quite high and the fluctuation in demand is also very high. The positive part is that RPC has many departments. The capacity of these departments can be utilized in case of surge in demand. Proper forecast for fluctuation in demand can be addressed by planning the capacity the pitching up the resources trained to tackle the volume surge of any department. Quality of the service will not be affected as bank is keeping an extra check by mean of concurrent audit and issuance of memo on error committed by employee will keep him vigilant while performing the task. Hence demand supply match can be obtained with maintained service quality is possible with proper capacity management.
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