Personal Developmental Plan Example

Essays on Personal Developmental Plan Personal Statement Personal Developmental Plan As we grow in life, there is a need for self grooming and capa building. Everything in life needs to be dealt with through varying particular ways. A pet animal cannot be treated similarly to an infant, or a formal meeting cannot be called in the same way as throwing a party. The ways of carrying yourself in life can also be achieved through a plan or strategy, known as Personal Developmental Plan. Personal Developmental Plan can be defined as bringing attention or focus on polishing skills, attitude, abilities, competencies and know-how for individual personal aims. Nevertheless, people view this concept differently with their own perspectives emerging from the factors influencing their lives. It can be either applicable to business, education or social grooming, like relations with family and friends. There are various goals in life which can be achieved through constructing Personal Developmental Plan. These goals could be improving self-awareness, improving employability, financial development, defining one’s lifestyle, building strategies, love, parenting, family planning, communication skills, anger/emotions management, studying, travelling, meditation and many others. There must be questions in one’s mind about the need for Personal Developmental Plan. There are two types of that need: the first is the change in your life and the second is when you are not content with what you have so far. Sometimes people don’t really know what they want from life. For that one needs to open up his mind and think beyond his narrowness with a flexible approach and devise not one but at least three concrete plans about life. My Personal Developmental Plan is constructing a framework for my career path in life. For that, first of all, I am going to see my options if I have got any at all. This is called Observation. Secondly, I will look for opportunities within my options. It is Analysis. Thirdly, I will choose that option which will lead me to the best opportunity. That’s called Decision Making. Fourthly, I am going to start practical work to give an operational shape to my option. Finally, when the option takes me to the best opportunity, I will utilize it and make it a part of my life. This is called Action. Through this my desired goal will be achieved. But the aforementioned plan seems like a rough framework. For more effective strategy, a comprehensive approach is required. Here I need to identify and draw a future vision regarding my career plan. I need to answer questions like: where do I stand right now? How much control have I got over the factors influencing by vision? Where do I want to go? How much should I rely on hard work and destiny? What am I going to do once I reach my destination? I have to have a long term strategy along with short and mid-terms. I will start off with answering the above questions one by one. A vision is defined as an ideal situation that our minds present. My current scenario is: I am a 22 years old masters graduate in social sciences with an average result. I am doing an internship right now at a research firm. I personally feel like I haven’t achieved anything noteworthy in life until now, and for achieving a milestone I will have to do something extraordinary. I should get a better degree in the field of my strength. For that I wish to apply to a university abroad. That degree will serve me better in my own country. I will have an edge over the people I work with. My ideal future vision is knowledge, wealth, fame and stable marital life. I will formulate three different scenarios to my desired goal. My catalyst here is career path. My career lies central to other aspects of my life. This means that my career path if turned out to be functional and in my favor, will give me the opportunity to achieve my ideal vision. Out of these three scenarios one will be possible, the other will be probable and the third one would be desirable. But, before presenting these three scenarios, it is essential to figure out the obstacles and points of vulnerability. Nothing in the real world is absolute. With options and opportunities come challenges. So there are a number of loopholes and paradoxes in my scenarios: the approval of my visa, the required tests, the right choice of the area of my strength, financial constraints, medical conditions, my attitude and confidence level, time and events and, most importantly, the choice of right university abroad. These are some of the factors I will have to look out while travelling the path of my vision. If I start searching admissions abroad, I will first look for scholarships offered. After that search, I will have to register myself before the dead line of applications and consult a career counselor if I have any doubts regarding the choice of my subject. Once I have completed the form and submitted it, I will have to be patient to get a response for an acceptance or interview call. This period will be my emotional test. The anxiety might add to my stress and tend to go against me. This is my possible scenario. Another crucial factor is the time paradox. The time frame should be such as to meet the demands of the situation. Too early prior to the announcement of admissions or too late subsequent to it will result in failure. Also, the work associated with it should be timed. For instance, I should submit the application maximum 3 days before the deadline or apply for visa keeping in view the duration of its processing, relative to the start of the university’s session. With all mentioned prerequisites, the financial factor is also a very essential requirement. To be on the save side, every plan has to have a backup plan. A probable scenario is that I don’t get accepted by the university. Instead of sulking over it and feeling failed in my approach, I will have a second option to try my luck. I can invest my skill of writing and reading somewhere else. For instance, while I am working as an intern I can start searching openings related to research, teaching or writing articles for different online magazines and newspapers. This will help me strengthen my knowledge on current affairs and polish my writing skills as well as interpersonal skills. The work published will bear my name, so people might start knowing me. This scenario serves me to a degree. But the loophole here could be that I may divert from seeking another degree. The desired and ideal scenario would be if I get an admission in an abroad university through a scholarship. My visa being processed on time and allotted to me before my classes start will be another bonus. My financial and medical condition being in place and running strong enough will solve every possible problem standing in my way. I will also have to think of accommodation abroad, so if I have any friends or acquaintances I shall be contacting them soon. Once I am there, I will have to concentrate on my degree and not let external factors influence my goal, because I would have invested a great amount of time and money in getting there. After completing my degree, I shall come back to my country and serve my people. By that time, I will be ready to settle. This will bring me inner peace and satisfaction. References Dolezal Vlad. ( July 27th 2011). How to Make a Personal Development Plan- The Ultimate Guide. Retrieved from http://vladdolezal.com/blog/2011/personal-development-plan/ Writing Your Own Personal Development Plan. (December 21st, 2011). Self Improvement Guide. Retrieved from http://www.completeselfimprovement.com/personal-development/writing-your-own-personal-development-plan/ What is Personal Development? (2011) .Development. Retrieved from http://www.msmdng.com/what-is-personal-development.html

Fashion Fundamentals Test Review Free Essays

The designer who creates designs for several manufacturers, is called a High fashion or name designer Stylist- designer Freelance designer The secondary level of the fashion industry is composed of: Is composed of growers and producers of the raw materials of fashion Ђ Is the ultimate distribution level Is the retailer Is composed of manufacturers and contractors of finished apparel Is the level that functions with all other levels simultaneously The primary level of the fashion industry is composed of: 5. True or False Licensing is a legal arrangement whereby firms are given permission to produce and market merchandise in the name of the licensor for a specific per 6. True or False Lines encompass an entire seasons production from a designer 7. We will write a custom essay sample on Fashion Fundamentals Test Review or any similar topic only for you Order Now True or False odd of time. There is no difference in price point or market location between a line and a election. 8. True or False A knock off is a copy of an original designer garment. 9. True or False An anchor piece for a collection is a piece that sold well at retail therefore it is re cut/ remade in new fabric for the current season. 10. Spring I is shown (circle one) October and November January February March None of the above 11. Resort is shown (circle one) 12. True or False Merchandisers are the links that hold the entire product development process together. They are the link between the design staff, production facilities and the sales staff. True or False The manufacturer does it all from sales, product development to shipping product. He final In stage four of the production process garments are shown to retailers Cutting involves (circle 3 of the below) Making a marker Grading a pattern Spreading the fabric on a cutting room table Bundling the pattern pieces Finishing involves (circle 3 of the below) Sewing on buttons Dyeing Attaching labels Washing to prevent shrinkage Floor ready procedures include (circle 3 of the below) Labeling cartons Adding sales tickets / bar codes to garments Completion of shipping documents Packing properly with correct hangers Private labels are owned by a retailer and only found in their stores. Specification buying is when the retailer tells the manufacturer their standards before they place an order. Offshore production is the practice of producing goods within the country of origin. Manufacturers/ designers produce product only within their category. (For example: a coat manufacturer only produces coats/ outerwear) Designer price zones are considered: The highest price point Bridge price point Moderate price point Budget price point Please select the price point for product that is sold in the moderate market (Guess, Esprit, Levi Strauss is examples) The major market centers are: (circle 2) New York Houston Dallas Chicago Marts consist of exhibition spaces that house wholesale markets Haute Couture losses money itself but creates profitability through licenses, pr ©t a porter lines and franchising. Pr ©t a Porter is fashion that is â€Å"custom made or made to measure† Semi Annual â€Å"Prà ªt† shows are held in the below capitals: (circle 3) Paris Milan London Geneva Rome Which European fashion market city is known and respected for its luxury textiles, handwork, leather goods and accessories. 30. Compare and contrast the roles of the designer versus the merchandiser? They both research trends, colors, and fabrics using forecasters. Designers sketch the piece while the merchandisers figure out the right prices, places, quantity, etc. 31 . How does a Job ber differ from a manufacturer? The Jobber handles the designing, planning, cutting, selling, and shipping, but not the sewing 33. What is a chargeable? Retailers way of financially penalizing the manufacturer for late, incomplete, mistaken, or wrong ticketing issues on garments 34. What role do factors play in the fashion industry? Fund the deals by purchasing accounts receivable or lending money 35. What are the six stages of the product development process? 1 . Plan line 2. Create design concept 3. Develop design 4. Plan production 5. Produce 6. Distribute 36. Name the major market centers in the USA. Miami, New York, Dallas, Los Angels, Chicago 37. Name the major market centers in Europe. London, Paris, Milan How to cite Fashion Fundamentals Test Review, Essays

Purchase Management

Question: Write an essay on Purchase management. Answer: Introduction Purchase management is one of the most important activities for an organization, and it falls under the domain of material management. Purchase management is crucial for the business as it directly affects the continuity of business operation and profitability. The purpose of this report is to discuss and analyze the effectiveness of purchase management strategies adopted by G-Star Raw, which is apparel brand that caters to urban youths. The report discusses in detail about the supplier selection criteria, purchasing costs and the use of information and communication technologies (ICT) for purchasing and operations and management (Kumar et al., 2014). Company background G-Star raw is a Dutch designer clothing company that founded in the year 1989 by Jos van Tilburg. The company manufactures urban clothing. The company specializes in making raw denim (i.e. untreated and unwashed denim cloths). Military clothing styles from around the world inspires the designs produced by the company. The designs of the cloths manufactured by G-Star Raw have been drawn on the inspirations of vintage military appeals from around the world. The company markets its products by collaborating with major retailers (supermarkets, hypermarkets, etc.) to display and sell its products. The company has more than 6500 selling points across the world. The company has also flagship stores in some of the major cities around the continent. In addition, the company also markets its products to customers through online mediums (G-Star, 2016). The philosophy that the company follows is Just the Product. It puts more emphasis on the development of high quality denims and apparels at an affordable price. The company targets urban youths and provides high level of craftsmanship with street level edge to create unique denim sector for itself; by positioning raw denims as a wearable and desirable material. Further, to attract urban youth towards the brand, the company has collaborate with many well renowned celebrities from different fields. Some of them include Afrojack, Ellen Von Unwerth, Lily Cole, Phil Hale and many others. This association of the brand with different artists has help in enhancing the brand image as a modern and contemporary brand (G-Star, 2016). G-Star Raw operates in apparel segment that is characterized by high inter industry competition. The major competitors of G-Star include Diesel, Levis, Wrangler, Lee, Gas, Calvin Klein, Acupuncture, Flying Machine. In addition, many new denim brands that cater to youths through their customized denim products present significant competition to the brand. These brands include Blue Cult, True Religion, Rock and Republic, Citizen of Humanity. Apart for denim specific brands, G-Star also faces competition from other apparel brands (G-Star, 2016). Supplier selection criteria and related issues Purchasing goals and needs of organization: G-Star Raw is known for its unique denim products and designs. The company is known to constantly experiment with its products in order to meet the expectations of its customers. The company is committed to create a style that is unique and identifiable for their G-Star look (Rajesh Malliga, 2013). The company boasts of strong supply chain partners that have helped the company in achieving its goals of producing strong products in a sustainable manner. The company has focused on maintaining long-term relationships with its suppliers in order to ensure continuity of operations in a cost effective way. G-Star Raw manufactures its products in 25 factories located in 5 different countries with an approximate 40,000 workers (Baily, 2013).However, these factories are of G-Star suppliers and the company monitors and regulates the terms under which its suppliers have to work to ensure compliance with local and international laws, and ethical and sustainable business practices. At present 50% of the products are being manufactured by the suppliers who are working for more than a decade for the company (Fernie Sparks, 2014). Since the company does not manufacture its products and is dependent on suppliers for its products, it is important to analyze underlying principles concerning purchasing goals and needs of the organization. The purchasing goals of the company are in line with its overall organizational objectives (Johnson, 2014). Most of the suppliers are located in developing countries such as China, India, Vietnam, Morocco, and Bangladesh. These countries have cheap labor facilities and low investment costs. This helps in reducing product cost. Therefore, the company maintains strong relations with its suppliers so that the products are available as per the market demand and trends. Further, the company takes great care of the purchasing policies of its suppliers so that the quality and legal compliances are fulfilled (Kaur Deb, 2015). Appropriate criteria for supplier selection: While selecting the supplier, it is important to determine supplier capabilities and policies. The suppliers ideology must be in line with the organization in order to avoid future conflicts. G-Star Raw maintains selects its suppliers on the basis of its ability to meets the demands of the business, associated cost of doing business, capability of delivering products on time, legal compliance and business ethics of suppliers and agility of suppliers to meet unexpected demands. Further, to maintain steady business operations, G-Star Raw maintains long-term relationship with its suppliers (Chai et al., 2013). The company has structured a compliance process integrating some tools to ensure that the suppliers comply with the code of conduct. Therefore, suppliers are checked on a regular basis by reputed and independent auditing firms. The company aims to improve the supply chain and to try their best to include the indirect suppliers in the compliance process to make the entire system more efficient to ensure continuity of the product. The company focuses on the building two-way relationship with the suppliers to reduce the production cost that will influence the prices of the end-product (Verma, 2014). Information communication technologies (ICT) for purchasing operation ICT helps the organization to develop effective and efficient communication within the organization and with its partners. With the help of ICT, the company has been greatly benefited as relevant information is easily communicated between the company and its suppliers. G-Stars ICT department has around 70 employees. It has the broad range of customized and standard applications. It has introduced standard software packages to incorporate IT in the business to make it more efficient to serve the customers (Bloom et al., 2014). The skilled infrastructure team of G-Star provides relevant information to all G-star offices, showrooms, and franchise stores. For the ICT business system, the company has appointed junior e-commerce system administrator; it has brought the new application to initiate changes in retail and e-commerce operations. The role of a system administrator is to grab the cutting edge technology in order to provide support to handle the e-commerce, retail and logistics system. Keeping this in mind the company is hiring ICT graduate who will be given the training to acquire knowledge about the latest technologies. The company has set criteria for the selection of ICT candidates. Further, the ICT aspirant should be result oriented, flexible, having excellent communication skill and soft skills and ability to work independently (Fitzsimmons Fitzsimmons, 2013). The ICT department of the company comprises of 60 talented employees, located in Amsterdam. The department plays the major role in controlling the global ICT operations that include providing support to 400 stores, sales offices, and warehouses in around 50 countries. ICT to be applied for improving purchasing operations In order to improve purchasing operations information communication technologies can play a vital role in the manufacturing organizations. The optimum ICT should comprise of dedicated infrastructure and employees that actively maintains and monitors organizational needs. The organization needs to develop strategies to gather relevant data about market conditions and trends, competitors strategy and organizational internal communication needs. The data gathered from different sources should be quickly processed to develop contingency plans and it must be immediately communicated to the relevant departments or suppliers (Ward Peppard, 2016). The role of an ICT executive is to keep the latest knowledge of the business. The operating process, should be well versed with the ERP systems to create the user profiles and the authorization, able to provide proper support while implementing the administration procedures and the ICT is efficient enough to address all the issues related to internal helpdesk logging system (Amin Zhang, 2012). Training will be given to the relevant areas and the departments where it is required. Software development skill is needed from the ICT to launch the new application to enhance the prospects of the business. The ICT is responsible for software testing and implementation of new functionalities in the system. The ICT team should be able to achieved integration between the offline and online stores and increase the brand experience and the brand value of the enterprise (Bloom et al., 2014). Purchasing cost analysis The prices indicated on the website is the product price inclusive of all value added taxes, that is excluded shipping costs. The shipping cost would be charged separately for each agreement. The total purchase price will be summed up when the order is placed, and the process is confirmed (Standiford et al., 2012) The seller tends to change the price and adds discounts and offer in it without giving any prior intimation. The price that is indicated when the order is placed is the final purchasing costs that form the agreement. Therefore, the payment must be cleared using the method on the website within 14 days from the date of delivering a product. The buyer is compelled to inform the seller any details regarding any errors in payment. Moreover, if the customer fails to comply with the payment terms and conditions, the seller has the right to charge the buyer the interest on the due amount (Grant, 2016). In addition to that, the buyer is entitled to return the product without claiming any charge within 14 days after receiving the product without stating any valid reason for doing so, so far as the packaging is undamaged and in a right condition. Therefore, the buyer is not able to replace the product with a new product. If the purchaser wants to buy the new product, then the person must place a fresh order on the website (Zhang et al., 2013). The seller will refund the purchase price within 30 days after cancelling the agreement. If the customers are not happy with the type of the product, one can return to John Lewis shops, Royal Mail, Collect+ in UK. If the customers need to get heavy items then they can contact on 03456049049 for international returns can contact on +44 1698545454. The agreement would be conducted between the buyer and the seller when the seller accepts the order from the buyer that is placed via website in the following way The buyer has selected the desired product The buyer has completed the steps while purchasing the product (that is filling up the address and delivery address details in case both the addresses are not same, the buyer has gone through the payment method to make partial or full payment in advance) The order is placed and the buyer will get a confirmation of the order when placed via the website (Stadtler, 2015). The seller can reject the order placed by the buyer by following terms and conditions When the total value of the order exceeds the value described in the payment segment in FAQ The information filled by the buyer is incorrect When the buyer does not comply with the payment terms and conditions If the buyer has violated some payment norms in the past If the buyer fails to accept or collect the payment order in the past If there is a mistake in the prices indicated on the website If the delivery address does not belong to USA, the seller will inform the buyer about it, and the order is not accepted. The buyer may also request a copy of the agreement from the seller by contacting the seller by clicking on the About G-Star Raw' button on the website (Christopher, 2016). By improving the product quality and by adding the new features in the product can bring new customers whereas able to retain the existing customers at the same time. A recent survey has revealed that 56% of women and 52% of men prefer to buy a product of a reputed brand of their choice. So the brand name is a major factor that influences the purchasing decision of a buyer (Fernie Sparks, 2014). Tools for analyzing purchasing cost In order to analyze purchasing cost, an organization can implement various tools such as Cost analysis: it involve determining actual cost of products that is to be purchased. The cost of a product is dependent on many factors such as delivery, handling and storage. Therefore, a full procurement analysis helps in determining total costs associated with purchasing from a particular supplier (Monczka et al., 2015). Inventory analysis: it involves analyzing cost of storing and handling materials once purchased from the suppliers (Amindoust et al., 2012). Best use of supplier analysis: in case the company has more than one supplier, it is important to identify which supplier is providing value for money, delivery time, and past experience of doing business with the suppliers (Heizer et al., 2016). Conclusion From the above discussion it can be concluded that the companys dedication to artistry and continuous effort towards developing the product has given it a competitive advantage and growth to operate the business in a long run. The supply chain and logistic operations has helped helps the company to achieve benchmark in the industry. In this context, G-Star Raw has implemented optimum purchase management strategies. The companys suppliers have same vision as of the company, this has resulted in developing long term relations with them. Furthermore, the company have employed technologically advanced ICT mechanism that provides the company competitive edge over its competitors. References Amin, S. H., Zhang, G. (2012). An integrated model for closed-loop supply chain configuration and supplier selection: Multi-objective approach.Expert Systems with Applications,39(8), 6782-6791. Amindoust, A., Ahmed, S., Saghafinia, A., Bahreininejad, A. (2012). Sustainable supplier selection: A ranking model based on fuzzy inference system.Applied Soft Computing,12(6), 1668-1677. Baily, P. J. (2013).Purchasing and supply management. Springer. Bloom, N., Garicano, L., Sadun, R., Van Reenen, J. (2014). The distinct effects of information technology and communication technology on firm organization. Management Science, 60(12), 2859-2885. Bloom, N., Garicano, L., Sadun, R., Van Reenen, J. (2014). The distinct effects of information technology and communication technology on firm organization.Management Science,60(12), 2859-2885. Chai, J., Liu, J. N., Ngai, E. W. (2013). Application of decision-making techniques in supplier selection: A systematic review of the literature. Expert Systems with Applications, 40(10), 3872-3885. Christopher, M. (2016).Logistics supply chain management. Pearson Higher Ed. Fernie, J., Sparks, L. (2014). Logistics and retail management: emerging issues and new challenges in the retail supply chain. Kogan Page Publishers. Fitzsimmons, J., Fitzsimmons, M. (2013).Service management: Operations, strategy, information technology. McGraw-Hill Higher Education. Grant, R. M. (2016).Contemporary strategy analysis: Text and cases edition. John Wiley Sons. Heizer, J., Render, B., Munson, C. (2016).Principles of operations management: sustainability and supply chain management. Pearson Higher Ed. Johnson, P. F. (2014).Purchasing and supply management. McGraw-Hill Higher Education. Kaur, H., Deb, M. (2015). Establishment of effective purchase management system: a study of leading manufacturer of wire and strands in eastern india. Management insight, 11(1). Kumar, A., Jain, V., Kumar, S. (2014). A comprehensive environment friendly approach for supplier selection.Omega,42(1), 109-123. Monczka, R. M., Handfield, R. B., Giunipero, L. C., Patterson, J. L. (2015).Purchasing and supply chain management. Cengage Learning. Rajesh, G., Malliga, P. (2013). Supplier selection based on AHP QFD methodology.Procedia Engineering,64, 1283-1292. RAW, G. (2016). G-Star RAW | Official Online Store. G-star.com. Retrieved 21 June 2016, from https://www.g-star.com/en_nl Stadtler, H. (2015). Supply chain management: An overview. InSupply chain management and advanced planning(pp. 3-28). Springer Berlin Heidelberg. Verma, R. K. (2014). Implementation of interpretive structural model and topsis in manufacturing industries for supplier selection. Ind Eng Lett, 4(5), 1-8. Ward, J., Peppard, J. (2016).The Strategic Management of Information Systems: Building a Digital Strategy. John Wiley Sons.