Apple Inc. s Returns Management Practices Case Study

Apple Inc. s Returns Management Practices - Case Study Example Notably, operations are intrinsically associated with supply chain and definition of operations management is incomplete without highlighting supply chain (Stevenson and Hojati, 2007; Heizer, Render and Weiss, 2004). Supply chain consists of a sequence of several events and organisations that are essential for completing the process of operations management. Supply chain and operations management coexists and comprises activities such as forecasting, inventory purchasing and management, quality checking, scheduling, information management, production, packaging, distribution, delivery and customer service. An important aspect of operations management is production system where input is added in the transforming processes and output is generated. The production system can be classified as mass production, continuous production, batch production and job shop production depending upon the nature and quality of produced goods (Stevenson and Hojati, 2007; Heizer, Render and Weiss, 2004). The initial production system of Apple Inc was mass production system comprising excessive material handling, poor layout and high degree of functional operations. The system was heavily mismanaged with high overhead cost, excessive inventory, lack of material planning and ineffective inventory system. The mismanagement increased product cost and eventually affected firm’s finances. Since Job’s return, the production system was changed towards betterment by integrating lean production system. Jobs considered outsourcing as one of the important production decisions. Chinese firm Foxconn became its production and assembling partner where simplicity was maintained in layout due to unskilled labours. Apple is focused on efficiency, flexibility, cost and quality and it is reflected in Foxconn’s flexible line production strategy. Short production cycle, repetitive jobs and simple conveyor system at foxconn

Three Main Parts of a Plant and Differences between Eudicots and Coursework

Three Main Parts of a Plant and Differences between Eudicots and Monocots - Coursework Example Roots are responsible of providing the plant with water and other minerals contained by the soil. It also anchors the plants and holds the plant to ground. Stem has the responsibility to transport water minerals from roots to the leaves and branches and food and oxygen from leaves to other parts. Leaves carry the responsibility of making food for the plants through the process of photosynthesis. Plant can make its food by itself combining carbon-dioxide and sunlight by the process of photosynthesis. The vegetative parts of a plant are root, stem and leaves but flowers, fruits and seeds are its reproductive organs. Difference between Monocot and Eudicot Plants Flowering plants produce seeds of two basic types, monocots and eudicots. There are many differences between the Monocots and eudicots. In monocots there is only one cotyledon in the seed but in eudicot plants the seed has two cotyledons. In monocot plants the root xylem and phloem are distributed in a ring while in eudicots roo t phloem is the xylem. In monocots the vascular tissues are there in the stem in a scattered form but eudicots have its vascular tissues distinctly arranged. Leaves veins in monocot plants are formed in a parallel pattern while eudicots have a leave veins in a net shape.