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In this issue Review Article

Student Article Puzzles & Events

Volume 02, Issue 04, January, 2014 Reach us Feedback at octaphi@jgu.edu.in

“Like a plant. It needs a variety of elements from different channels to grow, to be whole, stay stable and eventually flourish” – Sara Bra1nnas

Supply Chains: Naughty or Nice

The metaphor used for this article aptly

fits in as it talks about the activities

which if done right are nice to the

company in its supply chain and its

customers and if not done wisely may

land company in problem like a

naughty child’s demands to his

Father/Mother. It differentiates both

naughty and nice lines aligned to

supply chain based on four notions.

1. Truths, Half-Truths and Untruths: If

the information availability regarding

the supply chain for a particular

company is invalid, wrong or not

updated, it leads to wrong decisions for

the company. So only fully true

information can be nice and half or

untrue information only creates

problems. Companies should ensure

that they have updated and to the best

true information with them.

2. Promise vs. Disappointment: The

trust to deliver on time has to be made

by the supplier. Customer doesn’t wait

to get what he wants to if seller fails to

give on time. This can be ensured if

seller has trust on his supplier. So,

supplier evaluation is very important to

have nice outcomes.

3. Giving vs. Getting: Supplier needs

to not only collaborate in terms of

delivering product but it needs to

deliver value to the company or its

customer. Supply Chain Integration

and synergy out of it can be obtained

by the supplier’s expectation

giving and company’s in-order

receiving.

4. Rigid vs. Resilient: Unexpected

event handling by the company in

terms of its strategic planning and

collaborative execution needs to be

resilient. It needs to be done on

time when it is most important for

the company. Prioritizing the tasks

and coming with the best solution

is to be done then.

- Akash Pandey, 13JGBS Source: http://www.supplychain247.com/article/supply_chains_naughty_or_nice_list_for_2013/news

New wings to Supply Chain:

The Amazon way

The advent of newer techniques to

increase the efficiency of supply

chain systems and integrating them

with the company’s processes,

there are some companies which

thinks par and try to bring in the

future of supply chain to present.

Recently, Amazon’s drone delivery

concept has gained wide popularity

because of its unique concept to

deliver products to its customer

right at their doorsteps. To no one’s

surprise, this will come into

existence very soon. This way of

delivery will put up a new vertical

in the company’s structures and

will prove to be economical and a

faster way that will increase the

supply-chain efficiency of

companies. Not only this, it will

come as a boon for the inventory

management as well and will help in

putting up less inventory thereby

reducing costs. Differentiation for

companies like Amazon and EBay is

very less and they are already

struggling with their cost reduction

methods to retain significant position

in competitive markets. Instead of a

cost reduction method, it will help

customers as well in getting better

services at same or low cost.

Amazon may be the first one to give

wings to its supply chain but there

lay many challenges for it. Will these

types of newer systems be able to

replace the conventional techniques,

will the world allow a new space to

already crowded air-ways or can

there be something more that need to

be seen before implementing these

techniques. May be, but Amazon will

surely have a tough time to position

the system as a profitable way which

then will pave the path for its

competitors to use it or to bring in

something new to counter the

concept. All in all, this all is to woo

the customers who obviously would

be on the better half anyways.

- Rohit Rajpal, 12 JGBS Source:

http://edition.cnn.com/2013/12/02/tech/innovat

ion/amazon-drones-questions/

Octane is one of the good resources for

getting referred to the general and the

latest concepts in the field of logistics

and supply chain. Best wishes for the

future endeavours and achievements of

the club. – Sandeep Kumar, FMS Delhi

OCTANE-The Octaphi Newsletter For previous issues visit: http://issuu.com/octaphi/docs

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Healthcare Operations Management

Important yet overlooked

Hospitals are large and complex organizations, yet

they function generally without sophistication and

technology inherent in other large businesses. In a

time when over half of all hospitals report negative

operating margins, driving down costs by achieving

operational excellence is one of the most important

yet overlooked areas. Operations management in

Healthcare is the emerging discipline that integrates

quantitative and qualitative aspects of management to

determine the most efficient and optimal methods of

supporting patient care delivery. Operations

management helps hospitals and health systems

understand and improve labour productivity, reduce

waiting lines, shorten cycle times, and generally

improve the patient’s overall experience- all of which

helps to improve the organization’s financial health.

The principles or technique of Kaizen, so widely and

successfully used in manufacturing is now used in

hospitals and this has led to a tremendous

improvement in patient care and efficiency

improvement. It is a development that has promise for

all stakeholders: hospitals and health systems,

healthcare providers, patients – and the operations

profession itself.

Operations in a hospital is an underappreciated role,

typically noticed only when something goes wrong.

Contrary to that perception through, a well-run

operations group adds tremendous value. With a

growing nationwide emphasis on healthcare reform,

hospitals and healthcare reform, hospitals and health

systems will face increasing pressure to cut costs and

improve performance. As more and more look for

solutions through an operational lens, the field of

operations management and the value provided by its

skilled practitioners will receive additional and well

deserved visibility. And for any operations profession

seeking a new job but finding traditional operations

roles in short supply, the extended reach of operations

may offer just the boost they need.

- Karishma Wadhwa, 13JGBS

Crossword Puzzle

D E C A R O U S E L

R N F O R K L I F T

E R J Q W B W T U I

C O N S T R A I N T

Q U G T Y E F W R P

W T H K H A H R E L

T E Y L I D U G Y M

N T E F Y M O J U J

M H I T T A P K I E

H G P D E N M I O W

Submission by February 01, 2014 to octaphi@jgu.edu.in

Clues:

1. Automated equipment generally used for picking of small,

high-volume parts.

2. A specific application of Kanban, used in coordinating vendor

replenishment activities.

3. A term used for goods in transit or on the way to a destination.

4. A bottleneck, obstacle or planned control that limits throughput

or the utilization of capacity.

5. Powered industrial truck used to lift and transport materials.

Editorial Board: V.Vinay Raju (12 JGBS); Saroj Koul (JGBS)

Contact: octaphi@jgu.edu.in

The Newsletter of Octaphi - Octane is a good initiative in terms of knowledge sharing. The articles and the blog are very interesting and it keeps me updated with the latest happenings in the field. I wish Octaphi for its future growth endeavours and achievements. – Avanti Raju, HCL Tech.

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DO YOU KNOW??

Antonov AN-225, world's biggest transport plane measuring 275 feet in length with a 290 foot wingspan can carry ultra-heavy and oversize freight, up to 250,000 kg internally.

MOST ACTIVE CLUB

The Octaphi Operations Management Club of Jindal Global Business School, for the 2

nd consecutive year has received the

MOST ACTIVE CLUB award. This award for the year 2012-2013 was presented by Hon’ble Justice Michael D. Wilson, Judge, O'ahu First

Circuit Court of Hawaii, USA and Mr. T.K.Viswanathan, Former Secretary General, Lok Sabha & Former Law Secretary, Government of India.