Operations Interest Group at IIM Lucknow
in association with
CoolAvenues.com
Announces
Opsyrus 2007

Topics

1. Planning for Demand Uncertainties during Promotional Cycles of Modern Retail

2. Relevance & Application of Six Sigma in Services Sector

Details about the Topics

• Planning for Demand Uncertainties during Promotional Cycles of Modern Retail

  Handling demand has always been the trickiest problem for retail formats all over. On one hand, while people associate retail with variety, it leads to inventory related worries for the organizations. In addition, with many retailers creating their own store brands, the problem has now become as to storing how much is enough? Retailers have tried to solve this issue using the concept of 'postponement' - using standard building blocks to have the base ready and allow for the customization close to the point of sale. Though such concepts have been in practice in Toyota's Production System and Dell’s Computer Manufacturing Systems, the implications are so huge that they question the very survival of the players.

  Truly, the mantra of the hour is to provide what the customer wants and maintaining the back-end processes to ensure that such demand is not only met but also done in a profitable manner.

• Relevance & Application of Six Sigma in Services Sector

  Six Sigma incorporates a pivotal process for achieving higher levels of quality, customer delight with lower levels of total cost. Companies around the globe have embraced the concept to achieve excellence and optimizing strengths to achieve their goals. Initiated first in the manufacturing sector, the concept has been well adopted even in the service sector. With the growing contribution of service to the GDP, importance of Six Sigma to product quality improvement, timely delivery and process management has become prominent. However, the concept is not bereft of implementation problems. The scale of operations and cost considerations has limited its applicability in SMEs.

  Companies like GE, Satyam and TCS have been fore-runners in this direction. Innovative application of the concept can help companies to bypass the present obstacles and help build their reputation in the industry.

Next

For any clarifications, mail your queries to: -
oig@iiml.ac.in