The Norfolk Southern Corporation Business Management - Case Study Example

ICT208 BI Tools and Techniques Name Course Institution Introduction Business management is a vulnerable tool in an entity that determines the dimension for growth and development of an entity. The aspect of managing an organisation calls for implementation of the strategies that will automatically touch and meet the needs of the consumers in the market. The method including determination of the current challenges affecting the consumers and determine the specific tools that will focus on customer optimisation and profit maximisation. It is evident that the developed organisations in the globe have a developed method of planning to realise the market needs and the methodology to approach the market that have always kept them in the highest rank (Berner, 2007). The research evaluates the techniques applied by different organisations to establish strategies to meet the needs of the market in different perspectives as described below. Task 1 Norfolk railway Background The Norfolk southern corporation is one of the premier railway transportation companies in the united states, which was incorporated in 1982 after amalgamating with the southern and western railways which enhanced acquisition of a large market share. History asserts that this monopolisation led to acquisition of over 40% assets from the other entities thus equipping Norfolk to meet the demands of the market. The company had a mission to remain very competent in the transportation industry in the state being the safest through shipment of the customer’s products from one point to another earning a large market segment. Fortunately, the incorporation of the companies led to the extensive growth of the company in the country and was now able to serve customers from 22 states travelling across more than 20,000 routes in the states (Harris, 2009). It provided a strategy for profit maximization and acquisition of a large market segment. Statistical report analyses that the Norfolk company in the united states is one of the high revenue contributing entities where it provides a minimum of 30,000 dollars in the country. The organisations environment and response The transportation sector, being a great supporter of the economy in the country was drawn back by certain challenges that rose among the transportation companies that led to amalgamation of entities due to the incompetence and capability to meet the needs of the customers. This included inadequate provision of information to customers on question pertaining shipment that took a lot of time to be delivered. Secondly, inefficient transportation and shipment of the customer’s products to deferent places and provision of good services to the customers where these challenges drowned the performance of this important sector of the economy since the expectations of the customers were not met. This grew pressure to the business and Norfolk took the right decision to indulge in the industry and heal the crisis. Critically, Norfolk’s decision to interpret and pass information to the customers was the correct response to the customers where it introduced a data transmitting strategy for transmission of information, this method improved customer service and the company was very reliable in to customers. However, this strategy won the company a large market share and extended it to the market where more than 12,000 customers relied on it (Berner, 2007). Impacts of the company The incorporation of the company to operate in the market gave it chance to pursue large profits across 22 countries in the United States. Analytical data show that the company made $3.5 billion making $2.7 billion reserve. Secondly, the implementation of these strategies led to the growth of businesses since people could now move from place to place together with their products. Thirdly, it improve connections and reduced rail car shipment hours in the state, and finally provided employment opportunities 25,000 workers thus reducing poverty and dependency ion the state (De, 2006). Critically, Norfolk implemented the right strategies towards the current irregularities in the transportation sector that won it a large market share and met the needs of the market, this shows that the technique was right and is the only one that could approach the situation. Task 2 Decision tree A decision tree is a strategy applicable in the determination of the best and convenient decision towards achieving a certain goal. The method assists develop the process that will reduce cost o f expenditure in an operation and that will provide a sufficient remedy to the clients. The concept of opticians to reward patient’s contact lens is very sensitive and according to the scenario, a suitable strategy to develop a mechanism to give hard, soft and realise those patients who do not need lens will be established by the research. The concept will encounter the patients suffering from similar characteristics intentionally to provide the necessary lens efficiently, the strategy will streamline the provision of contact lens to the myopic clients with different stigmatisation and tear production rate according to the age. This strategy will still apply to the clients with hypermetropic which will enable the optometrist realise the characteristics of each group and the lens to give as described by the diagram below (Asbell and Lemp, 2006). Fig.1 an overview of the optometrist’s decision tree In this situation, the target goal is to realise the similarities of patients in the different ages who will share similar contact lens in order to simplify and streamline the optometrist’s role. The lens includes the hard, soft or none. In the case of issuance of hard contact lens, the optometrist will factor the young myopic group with a stigmatisation and normal tear productivity rate and the hypermetropic with a stigmatisation and normal productivity rate. The lens will be awarded to the middle aged myopic with a stigmatisation and hypermetropic without a stigmatisation both with normal tear production rate. The third group is the old that should benefit this lens with a stigmatisation and normal tear productivity rate (De, 2006). The soft lens will also be given in the same methodology where the young myopic with normal tear productivity rate and unastigmatised hypermetropic with normal tear production rate (Franklin, 2006). The middle aged without a stigmatisation with normal tear productivity rate will benefit from it. The old who will benefit the soft lens include the hypermetropic with normal tear productivity rate. Finally, the group that will not be awarded lens have a certain characteristics where the young myopic and hypermetropic with reduced tear productivity have good eyesight and do not need lens. This will also apply to the middle aged both myopic and hypermetropic infections. However, the old myopic without a stigmatisation with normal or reduced tear productivity rate will also not be given lens. The hypermetropic with a stigmatisation and reduced or normal tear productivity will not be given the lens and finally the old hypermetriopic without a stigmatisation but reduced tear productivity will fall under the same category (Goetz, 2011). PatientID Age Grouping Prescription Astigmatism? Tear Production Rate Contact Lenses 105 Young Myopic No Reduced None 106 Middle-aged myopic No Normal soft 107 Old myopic Yes Normal hard 108 Old hypermetropic Yes Normal none 109 Old hypermetropic No Reduced none Task 3 Feeding the ship Peter is supposed to maintain a good strategy to feed his lamb for the sake of growth and development to be realised in the firm. Scientifically, carbohydrates are the energy giving foods that enables an organism to retain energy and have the capability to remain active in the environment. The proteins are body building foods and proper supply of the proteins to the lambs will help peter pursue the market because animals are bought based on growth and health. Finally, the vitamins will safe peter to be free from extreme expenditure on the lamb since it will help the ship remain immune to some diseases. However, this food should be provided to the lamb on measurable quantities to ensure that the quantity provided is adequate and is not wasted to avoid high cost (Pond, 2005). According to analysis, a lamb will need 26 units of carbohydrate production in a day to ensure healthy status of the ship and this will involve provision of 13kgs of corn, 10kgs of silage and 16kgs of alfalfa where this will total 41kgs. The cost of the foods involve the corn where for entire process of the nutrition a total of 13kgs of corn will be used to produce the nutrition which will total 975c. The silage that will be used is 12kgs where this totals 540c and finally the alfalfa totalling an amount of 16kgs and will amount to 880c (Doppenberg and Aar, 2010). According to analysis, the total expenditure of this food will be 2395 that will enable Peter to give the correct nutrition for his lamb in a day. However, Peter will be able to reduce the cost of food through the application of the strategy whereby for every one kilogram of corn, 0.5 kilogram of silage and alfalfa should be used. It means that the total quantity of corn that will be used in a day is 13kg, silage 6.5kg and alfalfa 6.5 kg where this will maintain good health and minimise the cost of food at 1625c. The provision of the food is based on a certain methodology where measurable standards of corn, silage and alfalfa are used to produce the recommended units of the carbohydrates, proteins and vitamins. In the side of carbohydrates every kilogram of the recommended corn, silage and alfalfa mixture, 0.6units of carbohydrates, 0.5units of proteins and finally 0.4units of vitamins are produced since the quantity of corn provided in a day total 13kg, silage 12kg and alfalfa 16kg where the total is 41kg (Steiner, 2009). The effect on feeding regime on price change The change of the prices will have side effects in the feeding regime hence it will call for an increase in the cost of corn and silage whereas alfalfa will not be affected by the change since it does not change in price. According to analysis, the increase in price will lead to decrease of 0.2kg of corn per kilogram in the daily nutrition while silage will decrease by 0.3kgs and peter should make all efforts to sustain the nutrition by complying with the new prices in the market. However, failure to cope with the prices will underpin his strategy where his firm will not grow (Fuller, 2004). Task 4 Scenario 1 1. The amount of feed needed for each type in a day Corn 13kgs, silage 12kgs, and alfalfa 16kgs 2. Identify the corn silage ration 3.25; 1 3. Minimising the cost of food Corn +silage+ Scenario 2 3-.the amount of each food type fed daily Corn + silage + alfalfa (13*75)+ (12*45) + (16*55) Corn 975c Silage 540c Alfalfa 880 4. The total cost of food 975+540+880=2395c 5-.The method used to arrive at the recommended regime The mixture of the foods totals 41kg Unit production for every kg from the mixture of silage, corn and alfalfa Carbohydrates 26*1/41=0.6 units Proteins 21*1/41=0.5 units Vitamins 19*1/41=0.4units 6 .Effects of price change on the recommend nutrition Corn 1*95/75=1.2 This means that change in the price will reduce the recommended quantity of corn by 0.2kg per kg Silage 1*60/45=1.3 This means that the increase of the price will reduce the recommended quantity of silage by 0.3 per kg Alfalfa This feed will not be affected by the change in price Conclusion The operation of an organisation is not done blindly but the research shows that various techniques will always be applied in the occurrence of certain challenges in the market. It is through venturing in new ideas that will lead a person to meet the needs of the market and earn a large market share while at the same time enjoy large economical returns to the entity (De, 2006). The techniques are very important since they do help find the simplest methods to meet the needs of the market. it is evident through the developed giant organisations in the globe including business enterprises ,medical centres and agricultural sectors where they implement planed strategies to meet the demand of the market and enjoy profits. Critically, the techniques are necessary and applicable in demanding phenomenon of organisations. References Top of Form Bottom of Form Top of Form Top of Form Top of Form Top of Form Top of Form Top of Form Top of Form Top of Form Bottom of Form Bottom of Form Bottom of Form Bottom of Form Bottom of Form Bottom of Form Bottom of Form Bottom of Form Asbell, P. A., & Lemp, M. A. (2006). Dry eye disease: The clinician's guide to diagnosis and treatment. New York: Thieme. Berner, E. S. (2007). Clinical decision support systems: Theory and practice. New York: Springer. De, V. B. (2006). Decision trees for business intelligence and data mining: Using SAS Enterprise Miner. Cary, NC: SAS Institute. Doppenberg, J., & Aar, P. . (2010). Dynamics in animal nutrition. Wageningen: Wageningen Academic Publishers. Franklin, A., & Franklin, N. (2006). Soft lens fitting. Edinburgh: Elsevier Butterworth-Heinemann. Fuller, M. F. (2004). The encyclopedia of farm animal nutrition. Wallingford [u.a.: CABI Publ. Goetz, T. (2011). Decision tree: Taking control of your health in the new era of personalized medicine. New York: Rodale. Harris, N. (2009). Norfolk and Western Railway stations and depots. Charleston, SC: Arcadia. Pond, W. G. (2005). Basic animal nutrition and feeding. Hoboken, NJ: Wiley. Steiner, T. (2009). Phytogenics in animal nutrition: Natural concepts to optimize gut health and performance. Nottingham: Nottingham University Press. Read More