Practice School-I, 2019

Reference Material for PS-I Students:

1. General Instructions to PS-I students
2. PS-I Checklist
3. Guidelines for Learning during PS-I Course
4. Guidelines for preparation of Project Reports,
Seminar & Group Discussion
5. Format of title page
6. Format of cover page
7. Format of abstract sheet

Instruction & Evaluation Cell

Practice School Division
May, 2019
 General Instructions to PS-I Students

1. Students must read PS-I Checklist very carefully before they begin PS-I. The checklist is a compilation
of PS assignments, which aims at providing first exposure to activities of professional world. It also
gives an idea of PS-I program along with evaluation scheme.

2. Students must report at their respective stations on the very first day of PS-I program. Late joining
without prior permission is not allowed and will be reflected in the evaluation. If a student reaches
later than fourth day, student's continuation in PS-I program will be withheld, until permission is
granted by Practice School Division (PSD).

3. Students must ensure 100% attendance, as regular work in professional environment constitutes
essence of PS-1 program. Uninformed absence by a student may result in student's discontinuation
from PS-I program. Students must strictly follow timings of organization and also observe all rules and
regulations, which are applicable to employees of the organization.

4. If a student wants to withdraw from PS-I due to genuine reasons, he or she is allowed to do so.
However, for this purpose the student should apply to Dean, AUGSD through Dean, PSD forwarded
by the PS-I faculty for necessary action. Request for withdrawal should be made preferably within 30
days of start of PS-I program (20th June, 2019). To know the consequences of withdrawal from PS-I
the student is advised to read clause 3.14 in conjunction with clauses 2.08 and 6.08 of Academic
Regulations of BITS Pilani.

5. Students are required to interact regularly with PS-I faculty, during PS-I program. This interaction
helps them in clarifying doubts and getting feedback about progress in their project assignments and
professional conduct.

6. Students are also required to periodically interact with company/ industry mentors. Through these
interactions, students would be able to know their progress and get directions/ instructions for further
work. Students should approach the company/ industry mentors only for academic work. This
necessitates the students to go well prepared and not to waste the time of the mentor. For any other
reason, students should approach the relevant authorities only through PS-I faculty.

7. Students should keep in mind that while at PS-I they are representatives of BITS Pilani, a premier
educational institution. It is therefore expected that their behavior and conduct is exemplary and
general demeanor is impeccable. Any misbehavior during PS-I would be dealt strictly, according to
Clause 6.13 of Academic Regulations.

8. If, at any stage during PS-I, student experiences any difficulty, academic/personal or otherwise then
he/she should immediately report it directly to the PS-I faculty member, but not to any employee/
officer of the host organization.

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9. Students are supposed to prepare two reports during PS-I. Report 1 is the orientation report to be
submitted for mid-semester evaluation and Report 2 (final report) is part of end semester evaluation.

10. Students should prepare the soft copies (hard copies, if required by the company) of both mid-sem
and end-sem (final) reports. One hard copy of final report must be submitted to the organization
through the PS faculty, (if required). Copies of both reports should be compulsorily retained by student
and should be made available to PSD as and when required. For evaluation & subsequent submission
to PSD, students will submit the soft copies of their reports to the PS-I faculty. The reports must strictly
adhere to format given in "Guidelines for preparation of Project Report" which will be shared to the
students, by the PS-I faculty.

11. Students should download the online PS-I diary, and retain a copy the same and submit to PSD on
demand.

12. Towards end of PS-I program, students would be emailed an online Feedback link. In this
questionnaire, student's opinions regarding various aspects of PS-I are asked. Students must give
their feedback honestly and promptly. This feedback will help the PSD in improving and strengthening
the PS-I program.

13. Students must clear all the dues (accommodation charges, canteen charges, library books, etc.) at
the host organization, before leaving the PS-I station. Failing which student's grade will be withheld.

14. Students must maintain proper conduct during their stay at PS-I station. They should not demand any
extra facilities like local conveyance, stationery, canteen facilities, etc., if these are not voluntarily
offered by PS-I station. In any case, they should forward their request only through PS-I faculty.

15. In the event of any emergency situation during PS-I, student should first report to PS-I faculty and
parallelly to PSD, without delay, on following phones/fax Nos.

Phone No. : 040-66303824

Fax No. : 040-66303998
E-mail : psd@hyderabad.bits-pilani.ac.in

16. The students must read and be aware of clause 6.13 and 6.14 of Academic Regulations.

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From:
The Study Desk of the Practice School Division

To:
PS-I Students
Dear Friends,

This booklet consists of a series of PS Assignments which basically aim at providing

first exposure to the activities of the professional world.

The assignments have been broadly classified into 25 groups, e.g. Product Survey
Product Specification, Raw Material, Production etc.

As you would appreciate almost all of these areas would require application of your
understanding of the basic physical, social and engineering science, as also your skills
acquired in terms of analysis and application-oriented courses, towards the task of
systematically studying the nature of real life problem complexes.

It is suggested that you could look at these assignments as kind of lead questions of
tasks or some kind of a checklist. While going through the Practice School program be
intellectually alert and seek the understanding that is obvious to come from completing of
such assignments. In the process it is important that you merely do not approach the
professional experts and the faculty with an eternal hope of being spoon fed. Beyond the
years of university life, there is a long period of professional activity awaiting your
involvement which will be basically in term of your identify a problem, your ability to
research the issues as also the parameters behind the problem in the presence of heavy
uncertainties and insufficient data-base and in a similar context your ability to then
intelligently abstract the real essence of the problem identified with the view perhaps to have
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a dialogue with the knowledgeable people from the field, thus in turn improving your
information as also data base so as to get geared to evolve the strategy and techniques to
resolve the problem at hand. It is expected that you will make the lead tasks. It is in this
context that it is visualized, that the efforts made here would be of particular significance to
PS-I students in strengthening the professional personality.
Finally, irrespective of your discipline/stream, you must try to seek answer to the
entire spectrum of assignments.

This checklist is the first of its kind which has been prepared based on our experience
in running the PS program for the last three decades and discussions with various
professional experts. It has been well tested.

After completing your PS program, I am sure you will have valuable suggestions to
make in improving the checklist. Please feel free to communicate all such suggestions to the
undersigned.

I take this opportunity to wish you best of stay at your respective PS centre. I am
confident that the PS-I program would be academically challenging and you would benefit
professionally.

In-charge
Instruction & Monitoring Cell
Practice School Division

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INTRODUCTION

The assignments have been broadly classified into the following twenty-five groups.

1. Product Survey 2. Product Specification

3. Raw Materials 4. Production
5. Equipment 6. Piping, Valves Pumps & Motors
7. Capacity Utilization 8. Inventory
9. Quality Control 10. Organizational Structure
11. Management Information System 12. Business Communication
13. Research & Development 14. Materials of Construction
15. Instrumentation & Control 16. Waste Management
17. Engineering Design & Development Consultancy
18. Design Decisions:
(i) Plant Size (ii) Site Location (iii) Transportation Route
(iv) Site Layout (v) Basic Plant Design (vi) Plant Site
(vii) Plot Plan Superstructure (viii) Plant Layout (ix) Township Foundation

19. Design Calculation 20. Utilities

21. Drawing & Map Reading 22. Product Engineering
23. Infrastructural Facilities 24. Plant Economy
25. Information Processing Centre.

Lead assignments/guidelines / checklist for the above 25 group assignments towards

seeking the first exposure to the professional work is given below:

1. PRODUCT SURVEY

1.1 What are the various products pursued by the professional / industrial unit where
you are attending your PS-I course?
1.2 Perhaps, in the simplest possible manner as industrial unit can be defined as a
system that transforms raw material(s) into products. In this context, as all of us

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 are aware, the production and manufacturing units such as copper. Zinc,
fertilizer or steel complexes or various manufacturing plants or electrical,
mechanical or chemical goods producing factories or electrical-power plants etc.
come under the category of the industrial units. As a linear extrapolation of the
above thought process, can we also describe research laboratories or banks or
publishing-house as production units and accordingly classify them under the
group of industrial units? If yes and if the host organization where you are
attending your PS comes under this category, describe the various products
pursued by the host organization.
1.3 Describe a short historical sketch of the product(s) pursued by the industrial unit
being studied in terms of its (products) market growth details?
1.4 Who are the customers for the product(s) ?
1.5 On the basis of past data and using the technique of the mathematical modeling,
obtain the product demand and supply estimates for the coming decade. This
exercise can be done at the national regional, state as well as local levels.
1.6 Give industrial sectorwise as also geographical province-wise breakdown of
total product demand.
1.7 What are five-year plan estimates for the product demand ?

2 PRODUCT SPECIFICATION

2.1 Give details pertaining to the various raw materials incorporated in each of the
products in terms of quantity, specifications, availability, purchasing as also
transportation cost etc.

3. RAW MATERIALS

3.1 State details pertaining to the various raw materials incorporated in each of the
products in terms of quantity, specifications, availability, purchasing as also
transportation cost, etc.

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 3.2 If the industrial unit under reference is a mining scheme, then study and sketch
the geological map of the area from where the raw-material deposits are being
obtained.
3.3 Describe various techniques for quantifying the proven reserves of different
types of raw-materials.
3.4 What are the various regions in India with known/proven reserves of the raw
materials under reference?
3.5 Are there any raw materials from the ones described in the assignment (3.1)
which are imported ? Give the details

4. PRODUCTION

4.1 Draw a schematic flow-diagram of the product manufacturing process.

4.2 Briefly describe each stage in the production/manufacturing process.
4.3 Draw the basic process flow sheet containing only major and basic vessels/sub-
systems/equipment and for each of these terms provide information in terms of
details like:

(i) The description of the item.

(ii) Size
(iii) Material of construction.
(iv) Operating temperature
(v) Operating pressure
(vi) Power requirements (e.g. say agitation),
(vii) Instruments accompanying
(viii) Services (Water, steam and so on) needed, etc.

4.4 In continuation of 4.3 draw process flow sheet for each of the subsystems thus
indicating every component of the process.
4.5 What do you understand by the term ‘Piping & Instrumentation(P&I) Diagrams’
for a process plant ? Study as many P&I Diagrams as possible.

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5. EQUIPMENT

5.1 For as many equipment of the plants as possible obtain details like:
(i) Name of the manufacturer.
(ii) Specifications,
(iii) Materials of construction
(iv) Cost
(v) Delivery time,
(vi) Transportation problems, if any etc.

5.2 If the PS-I station attended by you happens to be a mining project what are the
various equipments needed for the quarry operations ? For these equipments also
obtain various information details as the ones listed in (5.1).
5.3 Give names of as many manufactures as possible from whom the industrial
production unit can be obtained on a turnkey basis.
5.4 The process of inviting and selection of bids plays an important role in the
procurement of equipments in the industry. Describe this process in its entirety.
5.5 List major mechanical as also electrical equipment in a modern power station.
(apart from on-the-spot study, any reference book on a modern power plant
practice as ‘the project report’ for the particular power plant, where, say, the PS-
I station is being hosted will constitute a ready resource material to obtain the
required information).
5.6 At the industrial unit under reference, seek as many opportunities as possible to
be exposed to details such as:
(i) Preparation of tender specification.
(ii) Reviewing of a vendor’s drawings.
(iii) Tender evaluation etc. (Normally, you should be able to find a typical
tender notice in any issue of a national daily).
5.7 Study the process of preparing specifications for the equipment procurement.

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6. PIPING, VALVES, PUMPS & MOTORS

6.1 In case the industrial hosting PS-I has piping installation, study and sketch the
same.
6.2 What are the types, sizes and applications of various valves that have been used
in the industrial unit under reference?
6.3 Study an electrical connection diagram for a power plant.
6.4 What are the various electric motors and drives used in the plant under
consideration?
6.5 Discuss the types and locations of electrical meters in the plant under reference.
6.6 List various types and sizes of pumps that have been used in the plant under
consideration.
6.7 Compare the centrifugal and reciprocating pumps in terms of their applications
and describe various factors that must be kept in mind while choosing their
sizes and capacities. Illustrate the said factors with the help of examples from
the plant.
6.8 What do you understand by terms such as service water pump, Chemical
injection pumps, Ash plant pump and Fire Service Pump?

7. CAPACITY UTILISATION

7.1 What is the capacity of the total plant/shop/section under reference ?

7.2 What are the units in which the capacity is measured? For example capacity of a
locomotive manufacturing plant or pumps manufacturing plant or cycle
producing plant may be measured in numbers, while capacities of plants
producing castings or forgings or structures or cement may be measured in
weight. (Against this the capacity of a cloth or pipe manufacturing plant would
be obtained in meters and so on).
7.3 For the plant under reference, what is the criterion for the determination of the
plant capacity ? Further, obtain the number of shifts worked and the number of
staff employed in each shift. Also. Explore the existence of any critical
equipment(s) in the plant and list the same.
7.4 The criterion for the determination of the plant capacity may be rendered
inadequate due to reasons such as follows:

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 (i) Failure to indicate adequate weightage to different products.
(ii) Failure to include the total output.
(iii) Failure to consider differences in ages of different equipment. Etc.
Critically analyze the criterion for the determination of the plant
capacity discussed in the assignment (7.3)
7.5 Is the actual production equal to the plant capacity ? What has been the
production over last six months? (Give the monthly highest, lowest and also
draw the daily production curve).
7.6 Absenteeism, breakdown of equipment, power shutdown, non-availability of
raw materials, non-availability of semi-finished material from the previous
operation non-availability of orders, non-availability of tools, jigs, fixtures, etc.,
shut-down of compressor, crane, etc. awaiting instruction and so on are some of
the reason which lad to idling of equipment of staff. Evolve a methodology for
studying the plant capacity. Further, study the factors behind the over-utilization
or the under-utilization of the plant capacity for the unit under-reference.
7.7 In continuation of the assignment (7.6) if the capacity has been under utilized,
then obtain the percentages of idleness for the last six months against each
factor. Are there any norms for the acceptable percentages of idleness?
7.8 In continuation of the assignment (7.6) if capacity has been over utilized than
obtain the percentage of over utilization for the last six months against each
factor.
7.9 In continuation of (7.7) study actions taken in case of an abnormal percentage of
idleness against any of the factors listed. Were the actions taken of a short term
nature of long term nature? Which of the factor(s) responsible for the idleness
has persisted for a long time? Discuss how the reasons for idleness on account
of this factor due to the environmental factors like market changes or shifts in
the Govt. Policy, etc.
7.10 With explanations list all such equipments which have been included in the
capacity calculations but have not been used at all either due to defects of
obsolescence or any other reason.
7.11 What equipment is perpetually under-utilized and why. Try to explore if the
equipments capacity is far beyond the capacity of the system. If so, study why

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 such an equipment was procured in times of investigations like (i) Possibility of
future expansion. (ii) Lower capacity equipment not available, (iii) lower
capacity equipment not profitable, etc.? Can something be done to improve
utilization of such equipment ?
7.12 What equipment is frequently breaking down? Is it because of inherent defects
in the equipment or poor maintenance or poor operation or excessive usage
allowing very little time for maintenance?
7.13 Draw the operation vs idleness graphs for some critical machines and
equipment. At what equipment/station/load centre end the jobs are frequently
queuing up? Why can you think of a method to reduce the queue lengths?
7.14 If the shop is under the incentive scheme, write a short note on the salient
features of the scheme.
7.15 Describe the time standards fixed for each job. Are these considered tight or
loose? (Critical study of the work’s schedule would be or great help in working
of these details.)
7.16 How many shifts are worked for the entire industrial unit, for some of the
subsystems?
7.17 Is there any difference in the quality of the work produced in different shifts?
7.18 Does the payment to workers differ shift-wise?
7.19 In terms of difficulties like transportation, facility food timings, etc., are there
any problems for workers to arrive at or leave from the factory?
7.20 Is there a possibility for working more shifts than as of present?
7.21 Does the demand for the products justify working additional shifts? If so, what
are the obstacles in the way of working additional shifts?
7.22 Study the methods of preparing the production budgets. Are they prepared
yearly, monthly or weekly?
7.23 If the production budgets are lower than the capacity, what have been the reason
(s) for fixing it so?
7.24 For a given year, if the production budget has been fixed higher than the
capacity, discuss the steps that can be taken to get that extra-production. (some
of these steps could be: Subcontracting overtime, extra-capacity generation by
buying extra equipment, running extra shifts, etc.)

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 7.25 What use is made of capacity utilization figures by the top management as also
by the shop floor management?
7.26 Are these capacity utilization statements computerized? What is the time lag
between the reporting time and availability of these statements? Is there an
excessive delay? If so; why? Does this affect the validity of using of these
statements?
7.27 Is the responsibility for the proper utilization of plant capacity fixed on any
individual?
7.28 What is the rated capacity of the plant and for what product mix? What was the
original product mix that Planners envisaged and what was the capacity for the
same? In terms of only the highest monthly figures, describe the maximum
achievement of the plant, if possible since its inception.

8. INVENTORY

8.1 What arrangements exist in the plant for sorting of various materials, goods,
components, etc.? Are there sub-stores in addition to the Central Store in the
various departments?
8.2 Study how these stores are arranged and maintained. Further, describe
procedures adopted in the stores for the receipt of materials, goods,
components, etc. and the documentation of the same.
8.3 Describe the codification and cataloging methods adopted in the stores for
different materials, goods, components, etc. Do the stores have any items on a
self-replenishment system? What is the system by which the inventory of these
items is controlled?
8.4 Study the application of the ABC analysis to the Stores Department. What can
be the system for a periodic review of A items? Describe the communication
system for bringing to the attention of the concerned indenters that there is an
excess of ay particular item, Also, discuss the procedure for the periodic
review of inventories
8.5 What is the system for indenting spares required by the Maintenance
Department? What can be the procedure for keeping check on consumption and

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 indenting of spares? Describe the precautions taken to ensure that the individual
departments do not indent haphazardly.
8.6 Discuss the methods adopted to check and to control the n-process inventories.
Study the norms for deciding the holding of these inventories. Which
department controls and regulations these inventories?
8.7 Give the list of documents/vouchers used during the process of receiving,
inspecting and storing the materials, goods, components (spare parts etc.)
8.8 How are the materials, goods, etc. issued? Who prepares the material
requisition for the production goods, maintenance, sundry materials and for
other miscellaneous requirements? How is the requisition complied with? How
are the material and financial ledgers updated? How is the materials moved to
different shops? Are there delays in the issue of materials? If so, what are they?
8.9 What is the procedure for returning by the shops the rejected purchased
materials after the issue by stores? Can these materials be returned to the
vendors? Critically read a few purchase orders and the legal provisions
contained in them.

9. QUALITY CONTROL

9.1 Describe the routine set-up inside the plant for the quality control and inspection
of the manufactured items.
9.2 Study what kind of reports are submitted by the Research & Development
(R&D) laboratory to the operational managers and also describe the type of
review undertaken by the later of these reports.
9.3 What do you understand by Statistical Quality Control? Study its application in
the industrial unit under reference.
9.4 For a foundry, study:
(i) How, before taping the metal, the chemical composition of the sample
from the melting furnace is determined.
(ii) How much time the analysis in (i) takes.
(iii) What alternate and better instruments are available for doing the job in
(i).

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 (iv) How the time taken for the analysis affects the capacity of the furnace,
and
(v) How the casulte of the analysis are used by the foundry to change the
chemical composition.
9.5 If the industrial unit under reference has a foundry then study if there is any
method for determining the composition of scrap and segregating various types
of scraps into different categories.
9.6 If the industrial unit has forge shop, foundry and fabrication shop then, study the
following :
(i) How many and how samples are taken for tensile test? How are these
samples machined and what physical dimensions are ensured for the
samples?
(ii) What testing machine is used? How are the samples tested?
(iii) How many samples are taken for testing hardness? Describe the total
process for this test.
9.7 (i) Clearly note the existence of the following gauges for checking
dimensional accuracy and their least count;
(a) Air gauges,
(b) Dial gauges,
(c) Dial indicators on micrometers,
(d) ‘Go’ and ‘No go’ gauges,
(e) Standard Instruments
(ii) How many cases are observed in the inspection records where, on re-
inspection, a different dimension was recorded? Note the same of the
instrument in each of these cases.
(iii) Study he gauge available with the workers. Compare its accuracy with
that of the inspection gauge. As a result, what percentage of jobs,
passed by workers’ gauges, get rejected by inspection gauge?
(iv) Study the frequency of error in the setting of standard instruments and
gauges. Who sets the gauges and how is the setting done?
9.8 How is the surface finish specified? Is there any instrument to check the surface
finish? How does the instrument work?

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 9.9 How are other physical attributes like alignments, sequences, parallelism, true
cylindrical surface, true flat surface, etc. checked?
9.10 Make a list of specific facilities provided in the Tool Room for manufacture of
master gauges, inspection gauges and operating gauges, Also note all the
instruments and machines provided for the inspection of all these gauges.
Further, describe the climatic conditions ensured for the above equipment.
9.11 Draw an organizational chart of the quality control department and indicate the
level at which the quality control and manufacturing departments have a
common head. How are problems of quality settled at intermediate levels?
9.12 Seek opportunities to study and describe he quality assurance techniques in
terms of the following:
(i) Chemical analysis, e.g., sand, cement, Steel, etc.
(ii) Physical analysis, e.g. size of grading of aggregates, strength tests on
concrete cubes, etc.
(iii) Dimensional checks, e.g. tolerances, fits, clearances and size, shape, etc.
(iv) Condition checks, e.g. appearance, checks on completeness, stage
checks such as well preparation of reinforcement positioning.
(v) Radiographic tests, e.g. welds.
(vi) Performance tests, e.g., pressure tests on vessels or pipes, running tests
on motors, etc.
(vii) Special tests for special purposes, e.g. loading tests on driven pipes,
noise tests, etc.

10. ORGANIZATIONAL STRUCTURE

10.1 Draw an organization chart for the whole organization. Indicate the following
clearly:
(i) The levels of authority.
(ii) The span of control at each level,
(iii) The type of arrangement at each level in terms of line, line and staff
and functional details, and
(iv) Line and staff functions.

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10.2 In the course of your study, superimpose on the formal organizational chart,
the informal organizational structure existing, indicating if possible the
relation behind deviations between the formal structures.
10.3 For each sub-system, draw a detailed organizational chart indicating the
arrangement of personnel for line, line and staff and functional peaks at all
levels, namely, managers, foremen supervisors, and workers. Also, indicate
the given subsystem’s relationship with other subsystems. Pointing out the
formal communication channels between the subsystems, e.g. a machine shop
in relation with maintenance. Tool room, personnel department, inspection,
drawing office, production control, planning, other manufacturing shops, etc.
10.4 (i) Trace the history of the organizational structure for last six to seven
years and indicate the major changes that have been brought about
particularly in relation to:
(a) Number of levels of authority,
(b) Spans of control
(c) Ratio of staff to line officers.
(d) Line control changes in relation to responsibility for products or
functions.
(e) Changes in financial and other posers for specific levels, etc.
(ii) Study the overall effect of the changes mentioned in (i).

10.5 Identify formally constituted groups (these groups can consists of committees
appointed by the management at all levels. These committees may be standing
committees or may be ad-hoc ones and would also include shop committees),
For each of the above groups study the following details:
(a) When (year, month)was the group formed?
(b) Who ordered the group?
(c) Where the members to start with or late included in the ex officio
capacity or by name?
(d) Does the justification of the group exist today?
(e) What are the functions of the groups?

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 (f) Are there any functions being discharged by more than one
group? If so, does it lead to any conflicts?
10.6 Study the structure for workers’ councils at all levels.
10.7 Study the attitude of workers to changes in technology, products staff, etc.
10.8 Taking one of the staff department, say finance, indicate how it influences the
working of the line departments in their work. For instance, does the costing
section hold regular meetings with departmental managers to discuss
variations between budget and performance?

11. MANAGEMENT INFORMATION SYSTEMS

11.1 (i) What are the documents/ cards/ memos required to be sent whenever a
manufacturing order is sent to the manufacturing shops?
(ii) What is the purpose of each document / card/memo?
(iii) Who prepares each of these records?
(iv) How do they reach the manufacturing shops (indicate the details of
persons carrying, handling over formalities, etc.)
(v) What is the final disposal of each records?
(vi) Which are the departments/officers who give remarks and sign on
these documents / cards/ memos?
(vii) What lists are kept and where in order to indicate the following:
(a) Number of manufacturing orders pending in the shop.
(b) Number of manufacturing orders pending release (also give
reasons).
(c) Number of manufacturing orders completed during a period
(d) Number of manufacturing orders suspended for some reasons.
(e) Number of manufacturing orders released on account of
replacement of rejected parts.
(f) Number of manufacturing orders not connected with regular
production line, etc.
11.2 Study if there are cases where the same information is being collected by
various departments and further, if this is leading to differences in figures
provided by different departments, e.g. differences and the production as

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 reported by the departments and the finance department or in values of
rejection, etc. as reported by the R&D Lab and the individual departments.
11.3 Study how, at the departmental level, it is ensured that from the heap of data
received the relevant one is screened out.
11.4 Study at various levels the communication network apart from the dark
systems.
11.5 Study the organization of co-ordination meetings at the various levels, where
the problems are discussed every day every week, once a months, etc. How
are the decisions taken in such meetings communicated to all those who are to
take action?

12. BUSINESS COMMUNICATION

12.1 Study and describe the form and structure of letters and memos in terms of
the follows:
(i) Requesting free materials,
(ii) Requesting information,
(iii) Requesting appointment,
(iv) Requesting approval
(v) Placing an order by letter,
(vi) Transmitting important papers,
(vii) Confirming oral agreements,
(viii) Follow-up letters and memos,
(ix) Writing promotion and sales letters,
(x) Turning down requests for services,
(xi) Responding to customer’s complaints,
(xii) Responding to requests for adjustments,
(xiii) Saying ‘No’ to poor credit risks,
(xiv) Collecting over-due accounts,
(xv) Responding in the Executive’s absence, etc.

13. RESEARCH & DEVELOPMENT (R&D)

13.1 (i) Does the industrial unit under study has any foreign collaboration? If

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 yes, know the name of the foreign collaborating firm.
(ii) What is the proportion of foreign capital?
(iii) Study the exact nature of technology transferor in this case. The
following factors may be able to throw sufficient light.
(a) Magnitude of technology transfer in terms of foreign exchange.
(b) The state (characteristics of international market w.r.t..
technology under study.
(c) Package deal transfer. Turnkey basis project. Only patent has
been bought.
(iv) Has there been any exchange of manpower with the foreign
collaboration firm? Know the details.
13.2 Does the industrial unit under study has its own R&D unit? If yes, know the
following details:
(i) What percentage of sales turnover is invested in R&D per annum?
(ii) R&D expenditure figures for last few years.
(iii) R&D manpower figures for the last few year
(iv) Percentage composition of the project undertaken at any time as per
the following classification:
(a) Projects leading to new products or in other words, offensive
research product.
(b) Projects leading to improved product.
(c) Projects aimed at improving the process.
(d) Projects aimed at substituting new materials by indigenous
cheaper ones.
13.3 Study the mechanism of project evaluation and selection used by the R&D
unit.
13.4 Know the various quantitative techniques used in the evaluation and selection
of projects; e.g. scoring models, economic models, optimization models, risk
analysis models, etc.
13.5 Know if R&D efforts of the industrial unit under study has effected import
substitution or export promotion.
13.6 Study the product life-cycle for different products of the industry under study.

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 13.7 Under what programmes the industrial unit under study undertakes to train
and develop its manpower?
13.8 Does the industrial unit have any linkage with the universities and/or national
research laboratories? Give details.
13.9 Has the industrial unit under reference made any special product for the first
time in the country and thereby saved import of the concerned material? What
is this product? Study the history of its production. Does this material/product
appear on the regular production plan of the unit now?
13.10 Study if there is a well-laid out policy for import substitution of spare parts
required by the plant. Study how far this has resulted in inventory reductions.
13.11 What percentage of the plant capacities is utilized for the developmental
work?

14. MATERIALS OF CONSTRUCTION

14.1 Mild steel, stainless steel, copper, aluminum, nickel, lead, titanium, paint,
wood, glass, ceramics (stoneware, porcelain), concrete, rubber and plastics,
earth, etc., constitute list of more important materials of construction in
today’s context. In terms of the industrial unit under reference, describe such
materials of construction giving details such as the following:
(i) Use,
(ii) What corrodes the materials,
(iii) To what the material is resistant,
(iv) Cost, etc.

15. INSTRUMENTATION & CONTROL

15.1 List various measuring instruments and control devices observed in the
plant, while mentioning the variables they measure or control as well as
describing the principle of operation for each of them.

16. WASTE MANAGEMENT

16.1 For the industrial unit under reference, are there any wastes? Give details.

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 16.2 What type of environmental pollution problems are created by a thermal
power plant utilizing the pulverized coal as its source of energy?
16.3 Describe the role that (i) Stacks. (ii) Circulating water from condenser (iii)
Ash slurry disposal, and (iv) Effluents from the water treatment plant play in
discharging of the contaminates that cause pollution from a thermal power
plant.
16.4 What are the various corrective methods possible for reduction of pollution
from the thermal power station?

17. ENGINEERING DESIGN & DEVELOPMENT CONSULTANCY

17.1 What do you understand by the term Project Engineering?
17.2 Go back to the days when the industrial unit under reference was first initiated
by its management as a project. Give names of the engineering design and
development consultancy organization whose services the management had
engaged during the project implementation period and further state what type
of services each of these consultancy organizations had rendered.

18. DESIGN DECISIONS

(a) Plant Size
18.1 The industrial unit under study has the given production capacity perhaps,
right at time of inception of this industrial project designer had a choice to
make between one plant with the entire production capacity as is the case now
or several plants with several smaller capacities or vice-versa. For the specific
situation before you, in terms of the principles of the techno-economic
feasibility studies, critically unfold your understanding of the logic behind the
choice between these two alternatives.
18.2 Discuss with possible illustrations the role that various factors like :
(i) Heavy / low investment,
(ii) High / low return,
(iii) Long delivery schedules from machinery suppliers, and

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 (iv) Long gestation period coupled with reething troubles after
commissioning to play in defining the economic size of a production
unit.
(b) Site Location
18.3 Critically discuss the role that the parameters such as:
(i) Population density in an area where the plant is to be located,
(ii) Availability of land.
(iii) Any possibility of large scale dewatering during the plant construction
(iv) Access to the site,
(v) Availability of coal,
(vi) Availability of water, and
(vii) Soil characteristics can play in the choice of location for a thermal
power station.
18.4 Critically study the rationale behind the choice of site for the industrial unit
under reference.
(c) Transportation Route
18.5 From amongst different alternatives possible, critically discuss he choice of
the present transport route(s) between the raw-material availability locations
and the plant site.
(d) Site Layout
18.6 Read / Sketch and critically analyse the site layout drawing in terms of:
(i) Foundation requirements.
(ii) Site and Plant Levels,
(iii) Circulating Water System requirements,
(iv) Coal & Fuel Oil handling system requirements,
(v) Ash and Duct disposal problems,
(vi) Road and Rail access,
(vii) Requirements of ancillary buildings such as office, laboratory,
workshops, stores, and
(viii) Construction requirements.
(e) Basic Plant Design

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18.7 For the industrial production unit under reference critically study the basic
plant Design or the plan outline design in terms of following details:
(i) Efficient Operation,
(ii) Reliability of Operation,
(iii) Simplicity of Operation,
(iv) Safety in Operation,
(v) Working conditions,
(vi) Ease of Maintenance,
(vii) Minimum Expenditure,
(viii) Low capital cost, and
(ix) Minimum Operating Cost,
(f) Plant site
18.8 Critically discuss various factors that went behind the choice of the present
plant site.
18.9 For the industrial production unit under reference, what were the various plant
site alternatives that were considered during the project implementation state?
18.10 With reference to questions (18.8) and (18.9) how did the following variables
affect the ultimate choice of the plant site.
(i) Market Availability,
(ii) Raw material location,
(iii) Availability of space for possible future expansions,
(iv) Availability of labour,
(v) Availability of sufficient services such as water, gas, electricity, etc.
(vi) Type of transport needs
(vii) Satisfactory access,
(viii) Satisfactory ground conditions, and
(ix) Environmental problems, if any,
(g) Plot plant
18.11 Read and draw a sketch of the ‘as is’ plot plan drawing for the industrial unit
under reference.
(h) Plant Layout

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 18.12 Read as many drawings as possible and sketch some sample cases as
illustrations from plant layout drawings giving certain details as the ones
listed below:
(i) Main connections between various items of the plant such as
circulating water mains, main steam and feed piping, coal conveyers,
electrical connections.
(ii) Major plant equipment arrangements,
(iii) Floor-wise arrangements of equipment in the building where major
equipment have been housed,
(iv) High pressure pipe work,
(v) Plant control arrangements
(vi) Operating staff offices and amenities, etc.
(vii) Township Foundation & Superstructure
18.13 Study the foundations for the different buildings and plants of the industrial
unit.
18.14 Study the nature of the building superstructures.
18.15 If the industrial unit under reference has its own township, sketch the same
from the point of view of an Architectural Engineer.

19. DESIGN CALCULATIONS

19.1 Whenever meaningful, carry out mass balance calculations for the production
unit.
19.2 Whenever meaningful, carry out balance calculations for the production unit.
19.3 For the industrial unit under reference, list all the major equipment and
through sample design calculations obtain size and capacity or each of the
major equipment for the given production capacity of the plant.
19.4 Calculate the total water requirement for the plant a well as the township. For
the supply of this water quantity, describe the water supply system. In the
process list names, sizes and capacities of the various major equipments of the
water supply system.

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 19.5 For the given production capacity, estimate the electrical power demand for
the plant. How would this demand be modified if, say the production capacity
is doubled?
19.6 In case the industrial, unit under reference involves piping installations, state
various considerations one must adhere to in the design and layout of any
piping installations.
19.7 Given that the industrial unit has its own receiving substation, based on the
power requirements obtain size and capacity calculations for each of the major
electrical equipment for the sub-station.

20. UTILITIES
20.1 For the industrial unit under reference, list all the utilities and services needed.
20.2 If the industrial unit under reference happens to be an electrical power plant or
has its own electrical power plant, then describe the generation of electricity
with the help of a flow diagram consisting of the energy refer to a book on the
power plant practice that might be available in the industrial production unit.
20.3 In continuation of the details of the task number (20.2) study the steam and
water circuits for a boiler unit.
20.4 If the industrial unit has fuel and ash handling plants then describe the
constituents of the same.
20.5 In continuation of the details of the task number (20.2) discuss feed water
heating system as well as cooling water and condenser plant for the turbine
section of the power plant. Such kind of discussion should invariably
incorporate schematic diagrams.
20.6 List various auxiliary services required for a modern power plant.

21. DRAWINGS & MAP READING

21.1 Undertake map-reading assignments in terms of the following
(i) Geological map
(ii) Road and Railways map,
(iii) General location map,
(iv) Plant layout and

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 (v) Master plan for township
21.2 Study various legends that are used in different drawings towards indicating
details such as state boundary, district boundary, broad-gauge, meter-gauge,
approach road (metalled), national highway, all weather road, fair weather
road, river, discharge canal coal fields, etc.
21.3 Study different legends for various types of valves and pumps.

22. PROJECT ENGINEERING

22.1 What was the year in which the industrial production unit under consideration
was commissioned?
22.2 Between the identification of the product need and the stage when the plant
goes into production there are several stages such as:
(i) Feasibility study,
(ii) Preliminary scheme,
(iii) Preparation of the project data,
(iv) Overall financial assessment,
(v) Approval
(vi) Scheme execution,
(vii) Design
(viii) Procurement
(ix) Construction, and
(x) Commissioning,
Needless to say all these stages go to from what is termed as the Project
implementation period. These stages are normally described in the Project
Report which is generally prepared in the context of the feasibility study.
Preparation of such a project report is a routine necessity and is for the
industrial unit under reference. Also, such report should normally be available
in the library of the unit. This report certainly contains a vast amount of data
in terms of many of the questions that have been posed so far and may of
those that are to follow. Critically study such project reports for industrial unit
under consideration.

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22.3 Study the project schedule network describing activities till the
commissioning stage for the industrial production unit under reference. This
network should normally be available in the concerned project report. It may
be noted that the project schedule network preparation involves application of
PERT & CPM techniques.
22.4 For the industrial unit under reference with the given yearly production
capacity obtain following calculations:
(i) Total area of the land and premises,
(ii) Total roofed over area for works,
(iii) Total roofed over area for the storage of the finished product.
(iv) Total roofed over area of office and other buildings,
(v) Supervision and erection cost in Rupees during the project
implementation stage,
(vi) Names of the design and consultancy organization(s) which assisted in
the completion of the project during the project implementation stage,
(vii) Breakdown of the major equipment, costs for the maintenance of
workshop and laboratory,
(viii) Breakdown of the major electrical equipment cost,
(ix) Raw material consumption figures per unit of production,
(x) Units of volume of water consumed per unit of production,
(xi) Fuel oil consumption per unit of production ,
(xii) Electricity consumption per unit of production,
(xiii) Number of staff of following categories:
(a) Managerial,
(b) Technical
(c) Office workers etc.
PRODUCTION
(d) Foreman,
(e) Skilled workers,
(f) Unskilled workers,
MAINTENANCE
(g) Skilled workers

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 (h) Unskilled workers,
(i) Laboratory staff,
(j) Sales Department, etc.
(xiv) For the plant requirements at various levels, what are the estimates of
time for the on job training of the local employees?

23. INFRASTRUCTURAL FACILITIES

23.1 Below are listed some of the facilities and concessions which can be obtained
from state government to provide infrastructural facilities to an industrial
unit.
(i) Improvement of road to facilitate traffic movements,
(ii) Approach road to the plant site,
(iii) Establishment of hospital schools, PT office and public telephone
systems,
(iv) Establishment of marketing centers and banking facilities,
(v) Public Transport,
(vi) Facilities for small scale industrial units to manufacture household
equipment, furniture and fittings,
(vii) Encouragement and provision of facilities to grow farm products for
the inhabitants of the plant site area.
(viii) Supply of water to the industrial project as well as the nearby villages
and thereby allowing use of water at concessional rates,
(ix) Extension of concession by establishment of HT substation for the
plant site and distribution of power to the plant township, etc.
23.2 For the industrial unit under study, list and briefly discuss the nature of
infrastructural facilities such as the ones listed above.

24. PLANT ECONOMY

24.1 For certain industrial products of great importance, Project Authorities have
been established, with a view to encourage production. With the help of these
authorities certain subsidies can be obtained to reduce the cost of industrial
project. These subsidies can be as follows:

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 (i) Central Capital subsidy,
(ii) Subsidy on the transport cost towards delivery of plant and machinery,
(iii) Subsidy on mining and housing schemes,
(iv) Subsidized rate of acquisition of land and free use of trees for
construction work.
(v) Use of local construction material free from royalty, etc.

List various industrial products and the type of subsidies of the above type
which are received towards their production. Give detailed description of the
subsidies in case of the industrial unit under reference.
24.2 For a given mining project, undertake to do cost-comparison between
following three transport systems between the crusher house to the main plant.
(i) Ropeway,
(ii) Belt conveyor, and
(iii) Dumper Truck,
24.3 From the study of the project report, describe various items that go to define
the project cost till the stage of commissioning.
24.4 For a production unit, following are some of the items that go to define the
production cost.
(i) Raw materials,
(ii) Consumables,
(iii) Utilities,
(iv) Labour and plant overhead,
(v) Repairs and maintenance,
(vi) Light,
(vii) Administrative and sales expenses, etc.
For the industrial unit under reference, obtain the total production cost
incorporating above and other similar items.
24.5 Financing analysis constitutes an important step in the implementation of any
industrial project and is done before the receipt of necessary approval. It
normally consists of following details:
(i) Project cost,

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 (i) Mode of finance,
(ii) Cost of production,
(iii) Profitability analysis,
(iv) Cash low statement,
(v) Breakeven analysis,
(vi) Balance-sheet, and
(vii) Sensitivity analysis,
Try to understand and hence describe what these topics mean through the
study of the project report of the industrial unit under reference.
24.6 Taking the case of the industrial unit under reference as an illustration,
comprehensively discuss the role that following and similar other items go to
play towards the formulation of any industrial projects cost:
(i) Land and land rights,
(ii) Roads and railway sidings,
(iii) Ancillary buildings,
(iv) Civil and architectural works,
(v) Equipment cost, installed and spare parts cost,
(vi) Consulting requirements,
(vii) Consulting engineering charges,
(viii) Colony and housing,
(ix) General and establishment charges,
(x) Vehicles,
(xi) Contingency, etc.
24.7 The total product cost is made of manufacturing costs and general expenses.
The manufacturing costs can be further classified into:
(i) Direct production cost,
(ii) Fixed charges and,
(iii) Plant overhead costs,
The general expenses normally consist of the following:
(iv) Administrative expenses,
(v) Distribution and marketing expenses,
(vi) Research and development,

28
(vii) Financing interest (this is sometimes also considered a fixed charge)
and
(viii) Gross earning expenses,
Each of the abovementioned sub-costs can be further sub-divide.

For example, while the direct production costs can be considered to be made
of:
(i) Raw material,
(ii) Operating labour,
(iii) Operating supervision,
(iv) Power and utilities(consisting steam, electricity, fuel, refrigeration,
water, etc.)
(v) Maintenance and repairs,
(vi) Operating supplies,
(vii) Laboratory charges,
(viii) Royalties,
(ix) Catalysts and solvents, etc.
The fixed charges can be sub-divided into:
(i) Depreciation,
(ii) Taxes (property),
(iii) Insurance and
(iv) Rent,
Similarly the plant overhead costs are made of:
(i) Medical expenses,
(ii) Safety and protection,
(iii) General plant overhead,
(iv) Payroll overhead,
(v) Packaging
(vi) Restaurant,
(vii) Recreation,
(viii) Salvage,
(ix) Control laboratories,

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 (x) Plant superintendence,
(xi) Storage facilities, etc.
Finally, if the administrative expenses can be further sub-divided into details
like:
(i) Executive salaries,
(ii) Clerical charges,
(iii) Engineering and legal costs,
(iv) Office maintenance,
(v) Communications, etc.
The distribution and marketing expenses are normally made of:
(i) Sales office,
(ii) Salesmen expenses,
(iii) Transportation of product,
(iv) Advertising,
(v) Technical sales service, etc.
For the products pursued by the industrial unit under reference, study the
breakup of the total product cost.
24.8 Study and describe the formats of the following accounting procedures:
(i) Consolidated balance-sheet,
(ii) Consolidated income statement,
(iii) Ledger keeping,
(iv) Manufacturing cost works inventory,
(v) Cost-of-sales account, and
(vi) Accumulation account for the materials.

25. INFORMATION PROCESSING CENTRE:

This assignment would expect you to know the details pertaining to different
generations of computers, details of some commonly available 8 bit, 16 bit, 32 bit &
64 bit microprocessors. Also it assumes that you know popular Operating Systems:
now summarize the information of the professional Processing Centre Industrial Unit
where you are attending your PS-I course in terms of the following:

30
 (i) Name, model, manufacturer of the Computers available
(ii) Single user systems or multi-user systems with details,
(iii) Nature and amount of each computer system available,
(iv) Configuration of each computer system available.
(v) Specifications of printers being used.
(vi) Operating System name with respect to each computer,
(vii) Languages supported by each Operating System & these available,
(viii) Name of the line/text editors in each of the systems available.

26. MANAGEMET INFORMATION SYSTEM

(i) What is the broad framework for managing information resources in the
organization?
(ii) What is the arrangement of this framework in terms of online and offline
arrangements?
(iii) What is the performance effectiveness of online vs. offline arrangements?
(iv) Are MIS systems stand alone, legacy or connected and modern?
(v) How are these systems reviewed and updated?
(vi) What problems are faced in present systems and what are possible solutions?
(vii) What are the details of information collection and analysis?
(viii) How is analysis carried out?
(ix) What type of risks is faced by present setup?

27. SAFETY AND SECURITY

(i) What arrangements and systems exist for ensuring safety and security of
employees?
(ii) On what aspects are employees secured?
(iii) Are aspects like health insurance provided by organization?
(iv) What type of alarm systems exists and how do they become operational in
need?

31
 (v) Is there code of conduct or some discipline that is expected form employee for
this?
(vi) What are the rules, regulations and policies related to safety?
(vii) How are audits conducted to safety systems?
(viii) What type of IT infrastructure support is provided?
(ix) In case of safety, security system failure, what are backups and how do they
work?

28. SALES

(i) How are sales zones identified?

(ii) What is the process of recruiting and training sales people?
(iii) How is the sales department structured in terms of people, resources and
tasks?
(iv) What is the sales reporting system followed?
(v) How does sales MIS work?
(vi) What are the cost and risk challenges faced by sales IT ?
(vii) How does company website aid in sales?
(viii) What are everyday challenges for different sales teams and how are they
handled?
(ix) How is performance measured?

29. MARKETING

(i) What is structure of marketing department?

(ii) Who are employed in different departments and in what roles?
(iii) What is the sequence of activities in case of any product development?
(iv) How does the organization do market research?
(v) What are the communication tools used and how are they implemented?
(vi) Who is the target audience? How are they identified?
(vii) Does the organization sell using internet or has any web presence?
(viii) What are the salient aspects of it’s e-marketing, if any?
(ix) How is marketing ROI measured?

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30. PURCHASING

(i) What is structure of buying/purchasing department?

(ii) To what extent is buying centralized? Why?
(iii) How is vendor search and evaluation carried out?
(iv) What is the supply chain network and how is it managed?
(v) Are buying activities carried on an ICT or web based infrastructure? If yes,
how?
(vi) What is the spread and scope of buying?
(vii) What are general policies and norms for this department?
(viii) Are any audits conducted, internal or external?
(ix) How are lead times and order quantities decided and managed?

31. HUMAN RESOURCES

(i) What is the total strength of workforce in the organization?

(ii) How is the workforce divided into subsidiaries, departments, teams etc.?
(iii) What is the profile of various teams and what is the reason for such profiles?
(iv) How is performance appraisal carried out?
(v) What is the pay structure in the organization?
(vi) How is recruitment arranged? Is it online, offline or a combination?
(vii) What type of feedback systems are in place?
(viii) How effective are appraisal and feedback systems?
(ix) What is the scope of training programs in the organization?

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PS DIVISION WISHES TO COMMUNICATE THE FOLLOWING TO PS-I STUDENTS:

 Read “PS-I Checklist” carefully before you begin your PS-I.

 Before you begin your PS-I check if the organization to which you are allotted has also
been a PS-I station during any of the previous summers. If yes, then PS-I reports written
by your seniors, who attended their PS-I at the industry under consideration, are
available for reference in the ‘Reference section’ of the Institute’s Central Library.
Please take every opportunity to go through these reports before you go for PS-I.

 Apart from giving you an exposure to industrial activities PS-I Program provides you
with a meaningful opportunity to learn the art and skills of information/data
identification, classification, acquisition, processing and presentation. It is in this context
that you can particularly appreciate the significance of ‘Diary’ which also constitutes one
of the evaluation components in the PS-I course.

 Projects under PS-I component could be of a significant importance to the host-

industries in terms of their objective of ‘Technical Documentation’ aiming at up-dating
or modernization of industrial information systems.

 As you are aware, during summer 2019, as many as 3000 students from engineering,
science and humanities, accompanied by on an average 100 faculty members, attend
their PS-I component of the PS Programme at about 350 stations. During this program a
PS-I student group going to a given industry collects the drawing of a plot-plan for its
PS-I station. In such case, on returning to the campus, students can prepare an
informative publication giving ‘Comparative Statement on the Plot-plan Practices’ as
abstracted from the data obtained from average of 300 different industries. Alternately,
consider a possibility, wherein, students from respective industries bring information on
“Site-locations.” In such case, PS-I students together, on their return from PS-I could
bring out a monograph titled ‘Critical analysis of factors governing industrial locations’.
Other possible publications can be: Comparative Statements on Production Practices in
Indian Industries, or on Management/Organizational structures in Indian Industries or on
“Techno-economic Feasibility Methods for (Engineering) Projects as followed in Indian
industries”, “Industrial R&D in India: A statistical view”, “Technical Communication-
Industrial Practices” and so on. If you pursue this thought and if you look at the various
subject-areas as presented through the PS-I checklist” then it will be clear to you that in
reality it is right within you as a PS-I student for ‘Collective reach to come out with such
publications which, while giving the ‘student authors” academic distinction, would
simultaneously also be of immense use to large number of people, teachers, students,
researchers and industries all alike. Such publications/ documents if prepared by the
students would be updated every year as we go from one PS session to another, and, over
a period of time, would enable us to enquire in the institute library a unique industrial
information base unparalleled in university library collections.

34
 Ensure 100% attendance through the PS course as the theme of “day-to-day work-
involvement” constitutes the very basis on which the learning and teaching techniques of
the practice school system of education is evolved.

 On completion of your PS-I, the PS Division welcomes the “PS-I Student Online
Feedback Response” from you.

 The skills of communication, quality of public-speaking and the manner in which you
carry yourself, take you a long way in your professional life. It is true a sizable
percentage of BITS students are good at above, but then what is desired is that every one
of you should be good at the above mentioned soft skills. PS-I courses offer you the
much needed opportunity towards this.

 As a PS student you are an ambassador of BITS Pilani to the industry. The PS Division
will always remain grateful to you, for professional and social imprints of high standard
that you leave with all concerned in this context.

 Please remember that PS-I assignments open new career opportunities before you.

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 EVALUATION SCHEDULE

Instruments weightage
1. Quiz 10%
2. Seminar/Viva 25%
3. Group Discussion 10%
4. Project Report 30%
5. Observation 15%
6. Diary 10%

POINTS JUDGED THROUGH EACH EVALUATION INSTRUMENT

Important points of evaluation to be judged in each of the instruments are given below:

Quiz (Total Weightage 10%)

1. Knowledge of basic concepts and physical principles.

2. Additional knowledge acquired.
3. Ability to apply the knowledge of basic concepts and physical principles
4. Ability to analyze a given problem or situation
5. Ability to follow logical path in problem-solving efforts

Seminar / Viva (Total weightage 25%)

1. Knowledge of basic concepts and physical principles.

2. Additional knowledge acquired
3. Ability to apply the knowledge of basic concepts and physical principles
4. Ability to analyze a given problem or situation
5. Logical development of the subject
6. Effective oral communication
7. Self-reliance, cooperation and moderation

Group Discussion (Total Weightage 10%)

1. Knowledge and comprehension of the problem/topic introduced for group

discussions.
2. Level of participation.
3. Ability to lead discussion in correct directions and cooperate with the fellow members
4. Ability to initiate the topic when discussions subside.
5. Ability to suggest new ideas for extending and improving group discussion
6. Ability to moderate discussions
7. Ability to create good impression on observers and members

36
Project Report (Total weightage – 30%)

1. Knowledge and comprehension of the problem

2. Introducing the problem/subject and setting the objectives of the project.
3. Ability to analyze the problem
4. Logical sequencing, organization and data handling in the problem.
5. Concluding remarks in terms of the objectives set earlier and the future scope of the
problem
6. Presentation of the abstract with precision

Observation (Total weightage -15% )

1. Regularity and ability to meet deadlines

2. Sense of responsibility
3. Initiative, leadership and cooperation
4. Industry
5. Social sense and adaptability to practical situations

Diary (Total weightage – 10%)

1. Data procurement, calculations and presentation.

2. Thought process
3. Regularity

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6. PS-I CALENDAR

Day Activity
1st PS-I Students report to PS-I faculty at the station;
PS-I programme starts.
1st to 5th Distribution of PS-I Course Handout to the students;
Online submission of all information under DETAILS TO BE SUBMITTED AT THE START
OF PS-I like Initial information, Joining report
7th to 9th Quiz 1, display of marks and feedback to students on Quiz 1
14th to 17th Group Discussion 1, display of marks and feedback to students on Group Discussion 1
22nd/23rd Submission of soft copy of Project Report 1 by students
21st to 25th Seminar 1
Evaluation of Project Report 1
Display of marks of Project Report 1, Observation 1 and Diary 1
Feedback to students on Seminar I and Project Report I
27th Announcement of mid-term grades followed by guidance and counseling to students to improve
their performance
Pursuing consent for next summer PS-I with organization people
28th Online submission of mid-term grading
30th to 32nd Quiz II, display of marks and feedback on Quiz II
35th to 38th Group Discussion II, display of marks and feedback on GD II
41st Dispatch of CONSENT PROFORMA for next summer PS-I to psd@hyderabad.bits-pilani.ac.in
Inform students about activation of ONLINE FEEDBACK LINK
In case of any problem with ONLINE FEEDBACK, faculty must distribute hard copy of feedback
questionnaire with answer sheets to students
50th Submission of Project Report II by students
49th to 53rd Seminar II
Evaluation of Project Report II
Evaluation of Observation II and Diary II
Display of total marks obtained by students
Final grading (NOT TO BE INFORMED TO STUDENTS)
Online feedback ends; Hardcopies of Feedback questionnaires if filled to be posted by students to
PSD, Hyderabad
Dispatch of NO DUES PROFORMA to PSD, Hyderabad
54th Online submission of FINAL GRADING
Online submission of PERSONALITY TRAITS in PSMS
Online submission of FACULTY FEEDBACK QUESTIONNAIRE in PSMS
Online submission of FACILITIES AT PS 1 STATION in PSMS
On or before 60th Submission of PS-I Register to PS Division in respective campus
Upload projects in PSMS
Return of any extra material to PSD in respective campus

38
 Guidelines for Learning during
Practice School-I course.

Practice School Division (PSD),

Birla Institute of Technology & Science (BITS), Pilani,
Rajasthan, India.
 Guidelines for Learning during
Practice School-I course.

Contents: Page No.

i. Organization’s Self Analysis------------------------------------ 01

ii. Vision and Mission----------------------------------------------- 02
iii. Research & Development ------------------------------------- 04
iv. Operation, Production Plans, Production Techniques,
Technology and TQM: ----------------------------------------- 06
Operations ---------------------------06
Production Plans---------------------07
Production Techniques--------------08
Technology and TQM---------------14
Total Quality Management----------15
v. Inventory Management---------------------------------------------18
vi. Purchase--------------------------------------------------------------21
vii. Maintenance ---------------------------------------------------------22
viii. Marketing-------------------------------------------------------------25
ix. Distribution, Warehousing and Logistics-------------------------30
x. Human Resource Management-------------------------------------33
 ORGANIZATION’S SELF ANALYSIS

According to A & C Black Publishers Ltd 2006, SWOT analysis (Strengths, Weaknesses,
Opportunities, and Threats) is a method of assessing a business, its resources, and its
environment. Doing an analysis of this type is a good way to better understand a business
and its markets, and can also show potential investors that all options open to, or
affecting a business at a given time have been thought about thoroughly. The essence of
the SWOT analysis is to discover what you do well; how you could improve; whether
you are making the most of the opportunities around you; and whether there are any
changes in your market—such as technological developments, mergers of businesses, or
unreliability of suppliers—that may require corresponding changes in your business.
Therefore, Completing a SWOT analysis will enable you to pinpoint your core activities
and identify what you do well, and why. It will also point you towards where your
greatest opportunities lie, and highlight areas where changes need to be made to make the
most of your business.

Attempt the following questions to learn more …………………………

1. Know Your Strengths – Explain the core strengths of the company?

2. Recognize Your Weaknesses – Explain the area of expertise that is lacking in the
business?
3. Spot the Opportunities – Analyze the opportunities both internal and external that
can be include the misfortune of competitors who are not performing well,
providing company with the opportunity to do better.
4. Watch out for Threats – Analyze the threats to the business i.e. about the worst
things that could realistically happen.
5. Who are the principal direct and indirect organization’s competitors and rank
them in order of their success in terms of sales growth, profitability, selling
methods, etc.
6. How does company product or service compare with competition with respect to
price, performance, packaging, safety, reliability, durability, quality, delivery,
after sales service/maintenance, guarantees, promotion / advertising, image and
payment terms.
7. What exactly makes company’s successful competitors successful?
8. What are the main competitor's principal weaknesses?
9. Is there any scope for new competitors coming into market in the near future?
10. What barriers to entry exist, or could be erected, to prevent competitors entering
into company business area?
11. What changes major competitors made in the last five years in their competitive
approaches?
12. Is cost consciousness encouraged throughout the organisation? If so then to what
level and how? If not then why and what are the steps taken in this regard?
13. Do all employees have cost targets (where relevant) so far as controllable
measurable and component of cost is concerned? If so then what is the average
percentage of variance between cost target and actual during last two years and

1
 what are the steps taken to minimize the variance? Do all who require it receive
cost information?
14. Do all employees - and especially supervisors and managers - fully understand the
cost implications of their work? Are they able to plan cost expectations
accordingly?
15. Do all employees have cost targets (where relevant) so far as controllable
component of cost is concerned? If so then what is the average percentage of
variance between cost targets and actual during last two years and what are the
steps taken to minimize the variance?
16. Do all employees understand the cost implications of their work? If so then how
these has been percolated to them and if not then why and what are the steps taken
in this regard?
17. Explain the MIS that exists in the organization.

Vision and Mission

“All companies must provide a clear line of site for employees to be able to think and act
like owners. 1” - Jack Stack, Author of The Great Game of Business

Corporate vision is a short, succinct, and inspiring statement of what the organization
intends to become and to achieve at some point in the future, often stated in competitive
terms. Vision refers to the category of intentions that are broad, all-inclusive and
forward-thinking. It is the image that a business must have of its goals before it sets out
to reach them. It describes aspirations for the future, without specifying the means that
will be used to achieve those desired ends 2.

Corporate success depends on the vision articulated by the chief executive or the top
management. For a vision to have any impact on the employees of an organization it
ought to be conveyed in a dramatic and enduring way. The most effective visions are
those that inspire, usually asking employees for the best, the most or the greatest.
Companies must make sure that they communicate it constantly, and keep linking the
events of today to their vision, underscoring the relationship between the two.

A mission statement is an organization's vision translated into written form. It imbues on

its employees the leader’s view and gives a direction and purpose to the organization.
Many corporate leaders consider it as a vital element needed to motivate employees and
give them a sense of priorities.

A mission statement should be a short and concise statement of goals and priorities.
Goals are specific objectives that relate to specific time periods and are stated in terms of
facts. They are an outcome of strategic road mapping and strategic planning which is
again based on the vision and mission of the company. A goal is a long-range aim for a

1
www.successprofiles.com
2
http://www.1000ventures.com/business_guide/crosscuttings/vision_mission_strategy.html

2
specific period. It must be specific and realistic. Long-range goals set through strategic
planning are translated into activities that will ensure reaching the goal through
operational planning. The primary goal of any business is to increase stakeholder value.
The most important stakeholders are shareholders who own the business, employees who
work for the business and clients or customers who purchase products and services from
the business.

One of the chief reasons for the failure of missions and visions to achieve the desired
objective is the naivety of most company managers and executives. To be able to
energize employees to work towards corporate objectives, visions and missions should be
more than a sign on the wall. Executives and managers should live them, be seen living
them, and constantly communicate them to their employees. There is a need to articulate
them and in the process motivate the employees to own the vision and mission of the
company.

"It is awfully important to know what is and what is not your business."
-- Gertrude Stein

Empirical study conducted by successprofiles.com suggests that a company that clearly

defines their mission, vision, and guiding principles and effectively communicates them
across the organization is a place where employees have internalized the direction of the
business. Success Profiles’ research quantifies the positive impact that this has on
organizational performance. There is a steady trend that demonstrates that companies that
excel at this business practice have significantly higher profit per employee than
companies who perform poorly.

There are two ideological positions – one that says that the role of business organizations
transcends mere creation of shareholder value, and the other which continues to hold on
to the position that the contribution that a business makes to the general welfare of the
community is largely distinct and peripheral from its primary profit motive.

Studies have shown that companies that treat social issues as unnecessary irritants or
unwanted intrusion on their decision-making domain are indeed ignoring the forces that
have the potential to fundamentally alter their strategic future. Although the effect of
these social forces may not be immediate in many cases, that is not a sufficient reason for
companies to delay preparing for them.
Company’s ability to monitor the financial performance of its business units is closely
related to how well it performs planning and budgeting. Planning is an important
management tool; performed well, it becomes the foundation of managing organizational
performance effectively. The research also showed that spending the right amount of time
on the process – neither too little nor too much – directly affects how well a company
plans and budgets. It confirmed that companies that plan well are better able to control
performance as related to budget. One important innovation that CFOs in midsize
corporations can implement is to transform budgeting into a more effective management
tool.

3
Attempt the following questions to learn more ……………..:

1. What are vision and mission of the company and where does company stand
today.
2. To what extent company's vision and missions have been understood by the
executives?
3. What are the uniqueness of the company either in terms of human resources,
product, process, technology, after sales service, etc.
4. How Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) is aligned with the business?
5. Are the plans/standards used in performance measurement adequate and
sufficiently accurate?
6. What is the role of forecasting in the company and how does it help the planning
process?
7. What are the steps involved in designing a forecasting system and what are the
sources of data collection for forecasting and how does company use these data?
8. Are plans (and the planning function) accepted within the organization?
9. Are 'tomorrow's breadwinners' (i.e. new products) being developed? If so, have
customers' requirements been carefully evaluated?
10. What are the types of budgets prepared by the company?
11. Who and how budgets are being prepared i.e. top down or bottom up approach is
followed
12. Do the budget targets represent reasonably attainable goals?
13. Are budgets flexible in relation to changing conditions? If so, how many times
(on an average) do you change your budget during last three years ?
14. How budget are being used by the company i.e. is the budget used as a tool for
performance improvement or just to compare with actual.

RESEARCH & DEVELOPMENT

Nearly 25 percent of fortune 500 companies lost their position in the index as they could
not find growth potential. Therefore, the future of an organization depends on its future
earning potential rather than just the present which largely depends on the degree of
concentration on research and development activities. Traditionally, the importance of
R&D is evaluated by relating R&D and production (or cost, or profit) data, estimating the
output elasticity or rate of return of R&D from an extended Cobb-Douglas production (or
cost, or profit) function, where a stock of R&D knowledge enters as a separate input 3.
The tendency for R&D to be performed more by large firms than small firms is greater in
the manufacturing sector than in the nonmanufacturing sector. However, within each of
these two sectors there is considerable variation in this regard, depending on the type of
industry. Among the several ways to measure R&D intensity, the one used most
frequently is the ratio of R&D funds to net sales. This fact helps us to estimate the
relative importance of R&D across industries and firms in the same industry. The

3
Jacques Mairesse and Pierre Mohnen, The Importance of R&D for Innovation: A Reassessment Using French Survey Data,
Working Paper 10897, http://www.nber.org/papers/w10897

4
industrial sectors with the highest R&D intensities have been in the areas of research,
development, and testing services; computer and data processing services; drugs and
medicines; office, computing, and accounting machines; optical, surgical, photographic,
and other instruments; electronic components; communication equipment; and scientific
and mechanical measuring instruments 4.

More and more companies are realizing that in order to bring innovative new products to
market, while maintaining the standard of quality their customers expect, and delivering
to market within increasingly smaller market windows, they often times need to engage
organizations outside of their own. This can include specialized product design teams, or
it might involve the use of new technology or industry unique materials or specialized
human resource skills. These capabilities and resources quite often exist beyond the local
geographic boundaries of the primary producer.

Small firms, it is often claimed, have different tendencies to use R&D facilities than large
firms and, therefore, require the development of special programs that are directed at this
sector. The study finds a number of differences between large and small firms in the
tendency to innovate and to use R&D facilities. Small firms can be divided into two
groups. The first group consists of firms that resemble large firms in that they perform
R&D and generate new products and processes primarily through their own efforts. The
second are those who rely upon customers and suppliers for their sources of ideas for
innovation. Large firms, by way of contrast, tend to rely more heavily on R&D 5. While
they too rely on networks for ideas, their networks focus more heavily on relationships
with other companies that belong to the same industry. Firms of different sizes specialize
in different parts of the production process. The above statement explains most of the
differences between large and small firms. Firms of different sizes serving different
niches, have their own advantages. Small firms are more flexible but can suffer from cost
disadvantages due to scale. They overcome this by networking with their customers and
by showing the same flexibility in their R&D process, they exhibit elsewhere. It is
observed that the small firms rely more on the flexible exploitation of R&D rather than
dedicated R&D facilities as opportunities arise.

Attempt the following questions to learn more………………………………

1. Explain the significance of R&D activities of the company in terms of its

percentage on sales.
2. What innovations take place in the company i.e. how suppliers and customers
participate in the innovation process?
3. Are R & D objectives clearly defined? (Are they restricted to particular
products?)
4. Is there an effective product diversification programme? (What economic
criteria are used in devising this programme?)
5. Is there a balanced R & D programme made up of both long-term and short-
term projects?

4
U.S. and International Research and Development: Funds and Alliances, http://www.nsf.gov/statistics/seind00/access/c2/c2s4.htm
5
http://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=123588

5
 6. Is a time span established for the recovery of development costs from profits
resulting from R & D efforts? (What criteria are employed? How does R & D
ROI compare with ROI from other areas of activity?)
7. Does the company know which products are in the phases of growth, maturity,
decline? What are appropriate strategies in hand for extending life cycles?
8. Describe the mechanism of project evaluation and selection used by the R &
D unit. Know the various quantitative techniques used in the evaluation and
selection of projects.
9. Does the industrial unit have any linkage with the universities and/or national
research laboratories? Give details.
10. What percentage of the plant capacities is utilized for the developmental
work?

OPERATION, PRODUCTION PLANS, PRODUCTION TECHNIQUES,

TECHNOLOGY & TQM

With the implementation of any new business system, it is important to develop new
process maps and re-defined business procedures to facilitate the newly defined goals in
the business plan. The business process map as well as associated business plan and
financial analysis should consider all facets of the business, including the sourcing and
inventory management, demand and distribution management, customer management,
global manufacturing production, global engineering and innovation management, legal,
fiscal and human capital management, and asset management.

Operations:

Traditionally, manufacturers sought to outsource manufacturing operations in foreign

countries in order to realize tremendous costs savings through dramatically lower wage
rates, which remained cost effective even in light of the added shipping and tariff costs.
Today, while labor and operations cost saving can still be the driving factor for
outsourcing, there is also motivation for outsourcing in order to improve delivery
performance as well as improve product quality and customer service. Today many
manufacturers are also choosing to outsource the skills and materials needed to produce
their products and are actually becoming product designers and distributors rather than
product producers. The primary driver for this trend is still predominantly cost savings in
foreign countries that are not necessarily chosen for their proximity to end customers, but
for the lower costs. However, in many cases manufacturers are establishing
manufacturing operations near to the customers / in foreign countries in order to cut
delivery time, reduce distribution costs, and improve customer service 6.

Layout problems: The relative location of facilities in a functional layout has been
determined under the criterion of materials handling cost minimization. Superior
solutions have been provided by recent advances in analytical methods within this

6
http://mitsloan.mit.edu/iwer/tfkazis.pdf

6
criterion but the validity of certain underlying assumptions needs to be looked at.
Material handling as a criterion is deficient for many facilities layout problems; yet a
modified definition of "materials" may yield considerable insight to the improved
location of people. Particular assumptions, constraints, limitations, and the intrinsic
activity of the components make every layout problem a unique one while a guide to
establishing this uniqueness and to select appropriate tools for analysis is presented. 7

Despite significant improvements in manufacturing efficiencies over the years, producing

to near real-time demand is easier said than done – especially in a business environment
where variability is continually increasing. Some of the drivers responsible for this
increase in variability – and thus challenging manufacturing to achieve adaptive
capabilities – are Fragmented manufacturing facilities wherein globally distributed
manufacturing locations are increasing exponentially, demanding new manufacturing
visibility and collaboration; Mass customization wherein rapidly increasing cross-
industry demand for product variety presents challenges in areas such as manufacturing
capacity and resource planning; Shrinking life cycles in which Product life cycles are
rapidly shortening, and pose challenges in areas such as manufacturing cycle time,
productivity, and inventory management; Response velocity where customer
empowerment is driving managers to target new levels of flexibility, leading to higher
manufacturing capacity costs and labor deployment challenges; and Zero defect quality
wherein product quality requirements are becoming increasingly stringent, causing
manufacturers to focus on “Zero Defect” production capabilities.

Production Plans:

A production plan is a description of how core assets are to be used to develop a product
in a product line. A product line organization creates such a plan to ensure that the correct
core assets are used appropriately to build a specific product in a specific way. The
production plans and techniques used to create products vary widely from organization to
organization and from one product line to another. Because of this variance, the
developers of production plans need some guidance about the plans' form and contents.

Key factors of a production plan:-

Effective planning hinges on a sound understanding of key activities that

entrepreneurs and business managers should apply to the planning process 8.
Forecast market expectations: To plan effectively you will need to estimate
potential sales with some reliability. Most businesses don't have firm sales or
service figures. However, they can forecast sales based on historical information,
market trends and/or established orders.
Inventory control: Reliable inventory levels feeding the pipeline have to be
established and a sound inventory system should be in place.

7
www.bvsde.paho.org/bvsaar/cdlodos/pdf/hazardoussludge665.pdf
www.emeraldinsight.com
8
www.bdc.ca/en/my_project/Projects/articles/production_planning_plan.html.

7
 Availability of equipment and human resources: Also known as open time, this
is the period of time allowed between processes so that all orders flow within your
production line or service. Production planning helps you manage open time,
ensuring it is well-utilized, while being careful not to create delays.
Standardized steps and time: Typically, the most efficient means to determine
your production steps is to map processes in the order that they happen and then
incorporate the average time it took to complete the work
Risk factors: Evaluate these by collecting historical information on similar work
experiences, detailing the actual time, materials and failures encountered. Where
risks are significant, you should conduct a failure mode effect analysis method
(FMEA) and ensure that controls are put in place to eliminate or minimize them.
This method allows you to study and determine ways to diminish potential
problems within your business operations. This type of analysis is more common
in manufacturing and assembly businesses. 9

Production Techniques:
Industries have witnessed various manufacturing philosophies starting from Push
Manufacturing primarily focusing on building capacity and maximizing production
throughput. Product variety was nowhere near the challenge it is today, and almost all
that was produced was built to forecast. Lean Manufacturing era (just-in-time (JIT) as
familiarized by the Japanese) or pull manufacturing took over the push manufacturing era
that lasted for ten years. The principle focus of the lean manufacturing philosophy was to
minimize all forms of waste and produce quality products. Rework was considered the
worst waste of all, and one of the primary metrics of lean manufacturing was “first pass”
quality. It is obvious that the first and immediate result of this was reduction in wastage.
This concept best worked in the environment where product variation is less and the
customer demand is stable. By focusing on narrow product mixes with relatively
predictable demand, many of the lean factories of the 1980s outperformed conventional
plants that were still following a purely push production philosophy that focused
primarily on building capacity. The automotive industry profited most from lean
manufacturing, and the best practices from the automotive industry have since penetrated
several other industry sectors.

The late 1980s and early 1990s witnessed the emergence of flexible manufacturing
practices. This postindustrial phenomenon was a response to more volatile markets,
higher product proliferation, shorter life cycles, quicker response capabilities, and more
sophisticated buyers. All of these factors increased business complexity significantly and
led to the breakdown of the lean principles that focused on stable demand and relatively
low product variation. In this new environment, responsiveness and product availability
were key to maintaining sales and market share10. Flexibility became the new strategic
imperative. Flexible manufacturing exploited the gain from product proliferation and

9
www.twi.co.uk/j32k/protected/band_3/ksngs001.html
10
The Modern Firm: Organizational Design for Performance-Roberts.

8
mass customization to reach economies of scope. Flexible manufacturing practices also
popularized the concepts of general-purpose machines and equipment, cross-trained
workers, information technology, well-developed vendors, and a highly trained indirect
staff.

But flexible manufacturing was not without its flaws, chief among them being the cost of
flexibility. Companies came to realize that although some excess flexible capacity
allowed better management of variability, outsourced manufacturing was often a more
viable means to the same end 11. This gave birth to the era of outsourcing. However, after
outsourcing large chunks of fixed costs simply disappeared. Also with outsourcing came
loss of control. As manufacturing moved outside the four walls of the company, visibility
became a major concern. The focus shifted to collaborative capabilities, and technology
began having a major impact on visibility and collaboration.

The late 1990s and the early part of this century have seen the dramatic impact of
technology on productivity. The efficiency benefits of push manufacturing, the quality
benefits of lean manufacturing, and the responsiveness benefits of flexible manufacturing
have all become plain market qualifiers. Thanks to the Internet and information ubiquity,
the customer has finally been crowned king, and companies that adapt quickly and
efficiently to the king’s variable demands are destined for success.

Richard Schonberger, a leading manufacturing consultant, created the term “world-class

manufacturing.” According to Schonberger, “manufacturing is gained by marshalling the
resources for continual rapid improvement.”12 To achieve world-class status, companies
must change procedures and concepts, which in turn lead to transforming relations among
suppliers, purchasers, producers and customers. To gain market share, operate at peak
efficiency and exceed customer expectations for becoming a world class in their industry,
manufacturing innovators must eye on Enterprise automation. There are seven keys viz.
reduce lead times, speed time-to-market , cut operations costs, exceed customer
expectations, manage the global enterprise, streamline outsourcing processes and
improve business performance visibility to become a world-class manufacturer

Reduce Lead Times: Shorter lead times are always a good thing. In many markets, the
ability to deliver sooner will win business away from competitors with similar product
features, quality and price. In other markets, quick delivery can justify a premium price
and will certainly enhance customer satisfaction. In all cases, shorter lead times increase
flexibility and agility, reduce the need for inventory buffers and lowers obsolescence risk.
Lead times are cumulative and bi-directional—that is, order handling, planning,
procurement, inspection, manufacturing, handling, picking, packing, and delivery all
contribute to the lead time; and the time it takes to get signals down the supply chain to
initiate each activity adds to the overall time it takes to get the job done.

Cut Operations Costs: Although recent developments in planning and Customer

Relationship Management (CRM) have focused more on top-line benefits—growing

11
http://www.sap.com/industries/automotive/pdf/BWP_WP_Manufacturing_Strategy.pdf
12
http://www.knowledgestormerp.com/kserp/search/viewabstract/87864/index.jsp

9
revenue—the bottom line is still greatly dependent on controlling costs. Companies with
a lower operational cost structure enjoy an obvious advantage in profitability, and the
ability to adjust pricing to meet competitive pressures if necessary, to maintain or gain
market share.

Speed Time-to-Market: Developing and introducing new products and services is vital to
most manufacturing companies. Good ideas are not enough; well-managed processes for
bringing new products to market can lead to significant competitive advantages. Those
activities, however, represent a significant risk that can lead either to missed
opportunities or to huge financial losses.

Exceed Customer Expectations: The most successful companies don’t just meet
customer expectations, they exceed them and beat the competition by setting the bar at a
level that makes it difficult, if not impossible, for others to surpass. Successful
manufacturers manage the entire customer relationship—from prospect to post-sales
service and support—involving the entire organization in a customer focus. Whether or
not they have direct contact with customers, contributors must keep the customers’ needs
in mind as they plan and carry out day-to-day operations.

Streamline Outsourcing Processes: Due to its ability to change products or processes

rapidly Outsourcing of manufacturing operations has become a common practice today. It
can often save money by exploiting economies of scale or other favorable cost factors
offered by the contractor. There are two approaches to outsourcing: a single process step
or group of steps may be performed by an outside resource (heat treating, for example, or
electroplating) or the entire manufacturing process might be contracted to a third party 13.
In either case, the manufacturer relieves demand on its own plants and can concentrate on
its core competencies, which might not include volume manufacturing while its partner(s)
provide the resources for producing products.

Manage the Global Enterprise: The world in which we do business is shrinking, and
virtually every enterprise is now involved in some form of international trade, whether
marketing and selling to customers in other countries, or simply using parts or materials
that are produced elsewhere14. One can thank the Internet, or blame it, for opening
markets to product and services with no barring to time and distance. The “glass-is-half-
full” crowd will view these developments as the onset of unlimited opportunity. If you
lean toward the half-empty- glass crowd, you are likely to see significant threats in
virtually unlimited competition from literally any place on earth.

Unlocking the Potential: The keys to becoming a world-class manufacturer are not a
secret—they are not even especially profound— they are simply a distillation of the
experiences of leading companies and how they have managed to excel in their chosen
markets. Any company can take advantage of the wisdom and the practices developed in

13
Global strategy: Creating and sustaining advantage-Inkpen
14
Technology ventures: From idea to Enterprise-Dorf

10
more than 100 years of manufacturing since the Industrial Revolution, but many simply
do not have the insight or the will to recognize what must be done and to accomplish it.

Adaptive manufacturing is the key characteristic driving this success. Adaptability has
two primary characteristics, flexibility and velocity. Flexibility enables a manufacturing
unit to scale efficiently while velocity determines its ability to switch operational modes
rapidly and to transition between modes such as high-volume/low-mix to high-
volume/high-mix product loadings. Adaptive manufacturing enterprises are expected to
achieve required flexibility and velocity by linking technology to factory processes,
production equipment, and factory systems. This integrated technology will allow them
the profitable manufacture of products for increasingly time-sensitive and competitive
markets.

Attempt the following questions to learn more……………………………

1. Are there emerging opportunities and challenges for operations management

in the company?
2. What are the principles of operations management that applied in the
company?
3. What is the role of operations in the company and key components of an
operations management system in the company?
4. What is outsourcing? Why do traditional manufacturers resort to this process?
Discuss the benefits of outsourcing.
5. What are the facets kept in mind before choosing the products services for
outsourcing?
6. What are the products pursued by the industrial unit (the one where you are
attending your ps 1 course)? Also give a short historical sketch in term of their
market growth details.
7. Who are the consumers for the above listed product(s)?
8. On the basis of past data obtain the product demand and supply estimates for
the coming decade, at national, state and regional level.
9. What are five-year plan estimates for the product demand? Give industrial
sector wise and geographical province-wise breakdown of total product
demand.
10. What are the product development processes that exist in the company and
what benefits are derived from them?
11. What are the various stages of the product development process exists in the
company?
12. What are the tools and techniques used by the company in a product
development process?
13. How does company handle mass customization requirements?
14. What are the measures taken by the company to assess the effectiveness of a
product development initiative?
15. What is a business environment? What are the five factors that are leading to
variable environment, challenging today’s manufacturers?

11
16. What are the factors influence the layout decision in the company? How do
volume-variety-flow dimensions influence the layout decision in the
company?
17. What are the different layouts available in the company and what are the
computer packages used by the company to solve the layout problems?
18. List out the production techniques followed by the manufacturers
chronologically.
19. Draw a schematic flow diagram of the product manufacturing process. Briefly
describe each stage in the process.
20. Draw the basic process flow sheet containing only major and basic
vessels/sub-systems for each of these terms. Mention in detail the description
of the item, size, material of construction, operating conditions, power
requirements, instruments and services needed etc.
21. What is zero defect quality? What makes it so important to any manufacturer?
22. How a Company does aggregate production planning?
23. What are the heuristic and optimal methods used by the company for solving
the aggregate production planning?
24. How annual production plan is developed?
25. What were the prime concerns of the push manufacturing concept? What were
its shortcomings?
26. How is lean manufacturing different from push manufacturing concept? What
is the striking feature of lean?
27. What were the principle objectives of lean?
28. What kind of environment best suited lean? Which type of industry was
optimally benefited from lean?
29. Elaborate on the Japanese JIT process.
30. What is Flexible manufacturing process? What are the major advantages of
this practice?
31. What are the flaws present in Flexible manufacturing process?
32. Define enterprise automation.
33. What is world-class manufacturing? What are the seven key components in it?
34. How does the changing technology influence the manufacturing processes?
35. What are the bought out items and its percentage of total sales?
36. What are the steps taken to simplify the production process?
37. List various measuring instruments and control devices observed in the plant,
while mentioning the variables they measure or control as well as describing
the principle of operation for each of them.
38. What do you understand by the term “project engineering”?
39. What factors significantly determine the process design in the organizations?
40. How are the process choices and flow characteristics of job linked? DO they
have any bearing on the structural aspects of the organization?
41. What are the process design options available in the company?
42. What are the new technologies that make process design any simpler in the
company?
43. How production runs are prepared in the company so that production can
proceed without undue problems?

12
44. How is scheduling of operations done in the shop floor and what are the
principles like theory of constraints used in the scheduling?
45. How long does it take to move successfully from concepts to test market and
from test market to final customer? What are the bottlenecks in the process?
46. How frequently company experiments with new development in production
equipment, transportation equipment or technological developments?
47. How does production run is being prepared so that the production can proceed
without undue problems?
48. How does company alter its production setup to achieve an optimum flow of
work when processes change?
49. Are there any production standards and how are they being developed?
50. How is the performance measurement system which allows a company to
determine progress, time used, over and underutilization of materials, etc. in
the production processes?
51. Where does company stand in terms of production setup compared to
competitors?
52. How is capacity defined and measured in the company?
53. What is the capacity of the total industrial unit under reference?
54. What is the criterion for determination of the plant capacity? Explore the
details like workload of the employees and existence of the critical equipment
in the plant.
55. Discuss the reasons that lead to idling of staff and equipment. Also discuss
how the reasons for idleness with respect to the reasons due to the
environmental factors.
56. State the reasons behind over-utilization or under-utilization of the plant
capacity for the unit under reference analyzing the contribution of each factor
for the same.
57. Explore if the equipments capacity is far beyond the capacity of the system. If
so study why the equipment is perpetually under-utilized. Can something be
done to improve utilization of such equipment?
58. Draw the operation vs. idleness graphs for some critical machines and
equipment. Estimate the queue lengths of the jobs at various stages and
suggest methods for reducing the same.
59. Critically study the work’s schedule at the plant to find out the causes for
under-utilization better.
60. Study the methods of preparing the production budgets. Are they prepared
yearly, monthly or weekly?
61. What are the steps to be taken if the production budget has been fixed higher
than the capacity?
62. Describe the maximum achievement of the plant in terms of only the highest
monthly figures.
63. What are the steps involved in a capacity planning exercise of the company
and what are the alternatives available in the company for augmenting
capacity planning problem?

13
 Technology and TQM:
To be successful in today’s increasingly time-sensitive and competitive markets,
businesses need manufacturing processes that are fast, flexible, and adapt quickly to
change. Achieving this objective requires integrated solutions that connect supply chains
to factory processes, production equipment, and factory systems in a seamless, customer-
centric network15. Over the past decade, competitive businesses have worked hard to
reduce the amount of “capacity fat” and “inventory fat” in their supply chains. These
initiatives have led to dramatic improvements in operational efficiency and the
emergence of today’s increasingly lean and responsive supply chain. They are an
important step toward competitiveness. But to achieve full competitive status, a company
must integrate its supply chain into its manufacturing operations.

As supply chains continue to become leaner and the level of fat (inventory, capacity,
labor) continues to drain, companies whose manufacturing capabilities cannot respond
quickly to variable demands become increasingly vulnerable. These companies are now
searching for ways to integrate all their manufacturing activities and connect them with
the supply chain. But the majority of point solutions available to help them address this
problem are inadequate to the task because they work only in very localized
environments and fail to have wide industry application. That’s why, to date, most supply
chain projects have focused on generating savings through inventory optimization (by
reducing raw material, work-in-process, and finished goods). But far greater savings are
possible by linking manufacturing to the supply chain.

Queuing theory (also commonly spelled queuing theory) is the mathematical study of
waiting lines (or queues).The theory enables mathematical analysis of several related
processes, including arriving at the (back of the) queue, waiting in the queue (essentially
a storage process), and being served by the server(s) at the front of the queue. Queueing
theory is generally considered a branch of operations research because the results are
often used when making business decisions about the resources needed to provide
service. It is applicable in a wide variety of situations that may be encountered in
business, commerce, industry, public service and engineering. Applications are
frequently encountered in customer service situations as well as transport and
telecommunication and it is occasionally linked to ride theory.16

The use of Supply Chain Optimization (SCO) procedural techniques and related business
application software is essential to the management of supplier performance, tracking in-
transit materials, balancing inventory levels, and ultimately achieving the anticipated cost
savings. SCO tools can also help to identify cost advantages related to the actual
placement and location of inventoried goods, as well as identifying the lowest cost
distribution routes for delivering product to both end customers and intermediary
distribution centers locally and abroad. Using SCO tools, organizations can improve their
visibility into transit costs. They gain visibility to the current status of goods being

15
http://www.midmarketstrategies.com/documents.asp
16
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Queueing_theory
www.tkn.tu-berlin.de/curricula/ws0203/ue-kn/qt.pdf

14
sourced via container shipping vessels for updated delivery status, and they can more
accurately evaluate and compare sourcing alternatives. This includes the measurement of
supplier delivery performance, supplier costs and product quality. Through the use of
these tools, manufacturers can determine the optimal location of inventoried goods.
Which locations offer lower storage costs? By relocating inventory, is there an
opportunity to reduce costs through the elimination of process steps and added labor?
What factors do freight costs play into the equation? And what is the impact on on-time
delivery and service to the end customer? In addition, the use of SCO tools can cut labor
time and remove human error costs by eliminating the need for manual intervention in
managing and distributing vendor delivery schedules, which often time can change
unexpectedly.

Adaptive Manufacturing System:

Adaptive manufacturing enables companies to produce goods efficiently and manage

variability proactively. Efficient production requires a system with efficient planning and
execution capabilities. Proactive management requires a system that can rapidly sense
and respond to any exceptions that impact manufacturing while continuing to incorporate
learning into manufacturing processes.

To create a manufacturing process that is continuously adaptive, companies must:

 Intelligently leverage applications and technology to connect “plan-execute-

sense-respond-learn” operations
 Seamlessly link factory processes, production equipment, and factory systems to
supply chain operations

Adaptive manufacturing must be managed as an end-to-end, closed-loop process with

tight linkages between the manufacturing applications, other adjacent enterprise
applications, and – most importantly – the technology that enables these applications
across the distributed manufacturing base. Such integrated networks enable the process
visibility and collaboration capabilities that are key to building an adaptive
manufacturing enterprise. SAP, the largest provider of world-class, enterprise-level
manufacturing software, develops and enhances people-centric manufacturing
applications that are seamlessly integrated into supply chain applications, providing
customers with the best and most profitable business solutions available.

Total Quality Management:

TQM Total Quality Management is the management of total quality. We know that
management consists of planning, organizing, directing, control, and assurance. Then,
one has to define "total quality". Total quality is called total because it consists of 3
qualities : Quality of return to satisfy the needs of the shareholders, Quality of products
and services to satisfy some specific needs of the consumer (end customer) and Quality
of life - at work and outside work - to satisfy the needs of the people in the organization.
This is achieved with the help of upstream and downstream partners of the enterprise. To

15
this, we have to add the corporate citizenship, i.e. the social, technological, economical,
political, and ecological (STEPE) responsibility of the enterprise concerning its internal
(its people) and external (upstream and downstream) partners, and community.
Therefore, Total quality management goes well beyond satisfying the customer, or
merely offering quality products (goods and/or services). Note that we use the term
consumer or end customer. The reason is that in a Supply Chain Management approach,
we don't have to satisfy our customers' needs but the needs of our customers' customers'
all the way to the end customer, the consumer of a product and/or service.17

TQM in Manufacturing:

Quality assurance through statistical methods is a key component in a manufacturing

organization, where TQM generally starts by sampling a random selection of the product.
The sample can then be tested for things that matter most to the end users. The causes of
any failures are isolated, secondary measures of the production process are designed, and
then the causes of the failure are corrected. The statistical distributions of important
measurements are tracked. When parts' measures drift into a defined "error band", the
process is fixed. The error band is usually a tighter distribution than the "failure band", so
that the production process is fixed before failing parts can be produced. It is important to
record not just the measurement ranges, but what failures caused them to be chosen. In
that way, cheaper fixes can be substituted later (say, when the product is redesigned) with
no loss of quality. After TQM has been in use, it's very common for parts to be
redesigned so that critical measurements either cease to exist, or become much wider.

It took people a while to develop tests to find emergent problems. One popular test is a
"life test" in which the sample product is operated until a part fails. A commonly-
discovered failure is for the product to disintegrate. If fasteners fail, the improvements
might be to use measured-tension nutdrivers to ensure that screws don't come off, or
improved adhesives to ensure that parts remain glued.

Often, a "TQMed" product is cheaper to produce because of efficiency/performance

improvements and because there's no need to repair dead-on-arrival products, which
represents an immensely more desirable product.18

Attempt the following questions to learn more ……………………………

1. How does company use the principles of queuing theory to analyze capacity-
related issues?
2. What is SCO technique? Why is it essential?
3. Discuss the importance of FMEA.
4. Are alternative processing methods developed and used for scheduling
standard operations in bottleneck areas?
5. How much idle time and overtime occurred last year? (How much was
anticipated?)

17
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Total_quality_management
18
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Total_quality_management

16
6. How much subcontracting was done last year? (Why was this required?)
7. Is scrap/spoilage a significant element of production cost?
8. What are the sound procedures for disposing of scrap?
9. How is the surface finish specified? Is there any instrument to check the
surface finish? How does the instrument work?
10. What do you mean by quality management and what major components of a
Total Quality Management (TQM) system exist in the company?
11. What is service quality and what elements of a quality assurance system that
exists in the company?
12. Explain the importance of facility locations and, what qualitative and
quantitative methods used by the company to choose one location(s)?
13. How quality assurances is developed, institutionalize and perceived by all
concerned in the company? Does company involve all departments in quality
assurance and does each department understand the role of other departments
in these areas? How problems of quality are settled at intermediate department
levels?
14. Describe the quality assurance techniques in terms of the chemical analysis,
physical analysis, dimensional checks, condition checks, radiographic tests,
performance tests and special purpose tests.
15. Is the price/quality correlation of company’s products or services similar to
that of competitors?
16. How quality of products and services is is being measured in the company?
17. How is customers’ feedback being considered in quality improvement
programs?
18. How incoming goods are examined for quantity, quality and conformance to
order?
19. How does company use Statistical Quality Control (SQC)?
20. To what extent quality control ideas applied throughout the company rather
than being confined to the production sphere?
21. Are there cost savings that can be realized through specialization of sub-
assemblies in one plant that feeds the others versus complete autonomy and
independence from one plant to another?
22. How business systems are capable of managing dependent demand across
multiple plants / shop floor?
23. What is the level of understanding of competitors’ production setup by the
company?
24. How easy are products or services to be copied?
25. Whether products and brand names protected (or to be protected) through
patents, copyright and the like? What are processes involved in acquiring
intellectual property rights (IPR) of products and brands of the company?

17
 INVENTORY MANAGEMENT

Inventory is material that the firm obtains in advance of need, holds until it is needed, and
then uses, consumes, incorporates into a product, sells, or otherwise disposes of. Many
different classification schemes are used to describe inventories and inventory systems
within the firm. Some of the most widely used include Raw Materials / Work In Process /
Finished Goods19. Items as they enter, pass through, and leave a production or
manufacturing process are categorized as either raw materials (or component parts), work
in process, or finished goods. Cycle Stock and Safety Stock - When an item undergoes
repetitive usage or demand over a long period of time, the firm usually establishes a
periodic replenishment policy to maintain an inventory on the item. Multi-echelon
Inventory Systems - Many firms will maintain an item in inventory at a large number of
different locations throughout the system. Multi-indenture Inventory Systems - Another
common form of complexity which occurs in large-scale production-distribution systems
arises when the many individual items in the system are inter-related through their
demand or usage patterns.

In developing an inventory control procedure or algorithm, companies either minimize

the sum of relevant costs or maximize the net profit associated with the inventory
decision20. However the validity of the analysis will be affected by the companies’
accuracy in description and measurement of inventory costs. In general, costs are
relevant in the inventory decision if they are controllable; that is, if the cost element will
vary in a predictable manner based on the inventory decision, namely, the sizing and
timing of the order quantities. Inventory costs are traditionally categorized into four basic
types such as purchase costs, ordering costs, holding costs, and shortage costs.

The design and operation of any logistics system or supply chain that deals with the
manufacture and distribution of physical goods must address fundamental questions
about how the inventory in the system will be managed and controlled. Over the past few
decades, management attention has increasingly focused on the firm’s inventory as an
area where improvements can be made so as to both reduce costs and improve the level
of customer service that the enterprise delivers to its customer base. Reduction in the
inventory level maintained in the enterprise, and hence in total assets and investment, is
seen as an important tool to improve the firm’s rate of return on assets, return on
investment, and ultimately, its shareholder value and stock price.

Having the right product at the right place at the right time is the lofty objective of supply
chain management. A significant challenge organizations face is the proper management
of inventory. Getting it wrong is easier than getting it right, and much more costly. One
of the most tangible ways companies can benefit from information technology (IT)
investments is through implementing solutions that are designed to provide inventory
reduction opportunities. Three of the most important ways companies can reduce their
inventory are more accurate and faster receipt of demand information, more reliable and
shorter supply lead times and better inventory policies. Faster receipt of demand

19
www.myoops.org
20
Introduction to operations research-Hillier

18
information and shorter lead times can be achieved by changing planning processes,
modifying supply chain infrastructure, and adopting best practices that enable rapid flow
of information on both the demand and supply sides. Supply Chain Management (SCM)
solutions are designed to support these activities. Leading demand planning solutions can
also help increase the accuracy of demand forecasts. Improved supply reliability has a
similar impact on inventory levels. These techniques, in turn, help reduce the need for
safety stock and its impact on a company's bottom line 21.

On the other hand, no matter how well the planning processes are executed, and how
advanced they may be, there is almost always some uncertainty left in a typical supply
chain both on the demand side and the supply side. Companies still have a need for
inventory policies that fit their supply chain environment and protect them against the
serious consequences of these uncertainties.

Analytical inventory optimization is an essential element of competitive supply chain

management practices. While traditional SCM solutions have a process focus, their
ability to provide advanced inventory optimization has been limited. In view of this
several software products are increasingly focusing on inventory optimization. They can
be used in concert with Advanced Planning and Scheduling Systems (APS) or SCM
solutions in order to fill the gap. It is important to both IT and SCM professionals to
clearly be aware of the number of things when considering use of such software. Since
the 1950's, a large variety of inventory problems have attracted a great deal of research
attention in modeling and solution development. Numerous publications in academic
literature have resulted in highly proliferated inventory models. It is hard to come up with
a model that can solve a large set of problems accurately. Consequently, each model
tends to focus on handling a specific characteristic of a large variety of problems 22.

Attempt the following questions to learn more ……………………………..

Inventory management and control consists of developing good answers to the following
questions:
A. Which items will the firm carry as inventory?
B. Where in the logistics system will these inventories be maintained?
C. How large will the inventory for each item be?

One of the main reasons for the proliferation of models is the fact that inventory models
have to consider many factors impacting business performance. The following list has
some of these factors.
1. What are the components of inventories of the company and how much
inventories are in the company at the end of each financial year for the last 5
years.
2. What inventories management system(s) in use in the company?
3. How inventories planning done in the company in case of a single-period demand

21
https://www-935.ibm.com/services/us/gbs/bus/pdf/g510-6379-ibm-express-services-inv-mgmt.pdf
22
. www.marketplace-simulation.com

19
4. Could materials be purchased, in sizes or quantities that would make for eaSler
materials handling?
5. Give details pertaining to the various raw materials incorporated in each of the
products in terms of quantity, specifications, availability, purchasing as also
transportation cost etc... Mention the details of imported ones.
6. Describe various techniques for quantifying the proven reserves of different types
of raw materials.
7. What are the various regions in India with known/proven reserves of the raw
materials under reference?
8. Describe the process of inviting and selection of bids in the procurement of
equipments in the industry.
9. Study the process of preparing specifications for the equipment procurement.
10. How much capital is tied up in obsolete materials/components inventories?
11. What are the costs of carrying each type of inventory?
12. What is the level of inventories in the company in last five years and where does
it stand compared to industry average.
13. Which component of inventories constitute significant portion of total inventories
14. Explain how the characteristics of supply chain network such as single plant,
multi-plant, single-echelon, multi-echelon, multimode selection, multi-channel,
etc. which have impact on inventory management system that needs different
data, process and algorithm requirements.
15. Explain industry characteristics such as industrial production, electronics
assembly, chemical, pharmacy, auto assembly, food, retail and distribution,
consumer products, aerospace, which have different operational environments that
require substantially different inventory management models.
16. Explain how lot sizing rules, manufacturing fixed and variable costs, set-up costs,
capacity limitations, transportation costs, storage costs, shortage costs, and
inventory holding costs all have implications in terms of what to optimize and
how the optimization has to be done.
17. Explain demand characteristics such as forecast error, daily demand fluctuation,
sporadic demand, seasonal demand, correlated demand, statistical demand
distribution, order patterns, volume patterns, and promotion demand all lead to
different inventories management system.
18. Explain how lead times such as Planning lead times, replenishment lead times,
customer order lead times, transportation lead times, transshipment lead times,
customer delivery lead times, order processing lead times, and information delays
lead to different inventory management system.
19. Explain how process characteristics influence different inventory policies
followed by company requiring different optimization algorithms.
20. What is the system by which inventory is controlled? Describe the codification
and cataloging methods adopted in the stores for the different materials, goods,
and components.
21. Discuss the procedure for periodic review of inventories.
22. What is the procedure for returning by the shops the rejected purchased material
after issue by the stores?

20
 23. How customer requirements such as fill rate, probability of no stock out, on time
shipment, on time arrival, delivery lead times, volume flexibility, and buffer
safety stocks have implications on inventory management system of the company.
24. What is the cost and benefits of carrying inventories?
25. What purpose does the inventory serve, and what is the value of that service?

PURCHASE

A competitive business strategy can be characterized with assessment of the target

markets and regional analysis, the competition, comparative production, labor and
material costs, tax and legal policies, and the associated supply and demand networks
within the industry. To determine the potential advantages that can be gained, in cost
savings, increased revenue, or both, and whether there is a competitive advantage that can
be gained through access to specialized technology, skills or resources not available
locally a careful assessment is must. The costs associated with leveraging these potential
assets needs to be considered carefully, in order to ensure that the costs don’t outweigh
the advantages hoped to be gained 23.

In order to analyze the impact of an integrated inbound logistic on business, it is critical

to base the analysis on process maps that outline the flow of information and goods
across the existing value chain of the business. It is important to questions on landed
costs of received goods, including freight, in-house handing and inspection, duties, etc.

One of the most obvious reasons for extending an organization’s business beyond local
business borders is to reduce costs through raw material and component sourcing using
lower cost suppliers. There can be many advantages to sourcing product overseas, but
care needs to be taken to ensure the proper controls are in place to manage the costs.
Central to the sourcing is to lower the carrying costs of inventoried goods. The supply
side of the business should define performance metrics that measure, analyze and manage
supplier performance in order to understand the impact on reducing costs, mitigating
risks and driving continuous improvement. Key metrics include On-time delivery,
performance, Landed cost, Product quality , Lead time and order responsiveness , Vendor
service and support and Contract compliance

Because vendor performance can fluctuate, it is important to address issues as they occur,
but also to review performance over a period of time in order to gain a clear sense of a
given vendor’s ability to deliver as promised and how well sourcing in general is
impacting the bottom line.

23
Designing a comprehensive and realistic industrial strategy-ohno

21
Attempt the following questions to learn more ……………………

1. What is the purchasing system followed in the company? Are quotations obtained
from a sufficient number of sources?
2. How suppliers' / vendors’ financial position and credit standing vetted?
3. How is make or buy decision made in the company?
4. What is the significance of reliable vendors and how does company develop
reliable vendors?
5. What credit terms are offered? (How do these compare with other suppliers' credit
terms? How do they compare with the supplier's cash flow needs?) What are the
cost implications of overdue deliveries?
6. What is system prevailed in the company to ensure the quality standards of the
purchase made?
7. What are safeguards in existence to prevent the purchasing of excessive
quantities?
8. Is the purchasing department given a sound forecast of materials and other
requirements in time to enable them to be bought on favorable terms?
9. Are some components currently being made-in that could be bought-out at less
cost?
10. Are economic factors other than price considered in selecting suppliers?
11. Is the company paying for costly inspection at other sources when these could be
more economically performed at the company's own premises?
12. How many suppliers are there in the company and how many active of them?
13. What is the lead time for purchase of critical raw materials / components?
14. What are the factors in order of priority followed in the company to approve any
purchase i.e. cost, quality, delivery or else.
15. Is there any system to calculate the cost of poor quality?

MAINTENANCE

Production systems have changed tremendously in recent years. Attention has shifted
from economy of scale to economy of scope. Variety, delivery performance, and quality
influence today’s market conditions to a great extent. Product life cycles are shrinking.
To respond to these new stringent requirements, manufacturers are turning to high-tech
equipment such as flexible manufacturing systems. They are also adopting new material
control methodologies such as the just-in-time philosophy which calls for production
systems working without inventory at all and reducing the set-up and adjustment times.
All these factors are shifting the focus to maintenance, since unplanned unavailability of
machines will result in serious problems 24. This new reality explains the renewed interest
in maintenance and the increased attention it is receiving from management.
Total maintenance management (TMM) can be defined as a systematic approach to
maintenance. The maintenance system comprises three subsystems such as (1)
maintenance management; (2) maintenance operations; and (3) equipment management.
The main objective of TMM is to provide a methodology or framework for improving
24
www.emeraldinsight.com/Insight/html/Output/

22
maintenance effectiveness continuously. A well-designed maintenance department
organization and training are essential for productive maintenance and good quality
maintenance respectively. A positive climate and necessary support (planning, materials,
adequate supervision) are necessary ingredients for employee motivation and, hence,
good performance.

Planner Training: Planning is a key function in a maintenance department. A planner

should be well trained to carry out functions such as determining job content and
duration; determining work plans using appropriate methods; determining the number
and skill of the workers required for the job; determining spare parts, tools and materials
required; planning and scheduling works orders; estimating costs25. To carry out proper
planning it is important to set Time standards. A maintenance-scheduling function
combined with the planner function deals with day-to-day scheduling of works orders.
Besides issuing daily schedules, this function determines the priority of work orders
follows up on their progress and keeps track of backlogs.

Maintenance Control.: A thorough maintenance control system is very important for the
identification and control of delays. Such a system includes information on work order
status and estimated time versus actual time; maintenance productivity reports; charts and
graphs showing backlog, overtime, emergency work. This kind of information allows
better labour and cost control through corrective action based on facts and the
identification of potential improvement areas.

Supervision:: Better maintenance productivity and improved quality maintenance work

can be achieved through effective supervision. A maintenance supervisor should have a
planner who relieves him from the planning/scheduling function so that he can
concentrate on better maintenance management and more supervision of crews at job
sites. The span of supervision must be optimal or near optimal.

A well-designed works order form and procedure is a must for maintenance

management., as it establishes clear communication between all parties involved in a
maintenance job request (requester, planner, supervisor, craftsman, and support function).
It also ensures good documentation of maintenance work for analysis and appropriate
action. Therefore all maintenance work must be covered by works orders. Avoidance of
unnecessary delays due to tools and parts is a must for the maintenance activity. A
computerized inventory control system must be installed and optimal order quantities
must be established. Appropriate interface and co-ordination procedure between
maintenance and warehouse must be developed. Experience shows that preventive
maintenance (PM) reduces maintenance costs. A comprehensive PM system requires:
well-trained PM inspectors who are dedicated to PM work, and well-maintained
equipment history.

In order to measure the effectiveness of any maintenance system, we need to measure its
productivity and identify the areas where improvements can be made. The maintenance

25
www.kfupm.edu.sa/cem/research/MS_thesis/Wail_Sabbali.doc

23
improvement programmes are based on setting targets which are considered achievable 26.
In most cases the rate of improvement in the early stages of the implementation of an
improvement programme is considerably high. It starts decreasing and at some stage the
rate of improvement is nearly insignificant. To be able to compete with other companies,
targets are required to be set so that maintenance effectiveness is at least equal to, if not
higher than, that of competitors. This is achieved by benchmarking. In the next section a
brief outline of benchmarking along with the steps required is provided.

Benchmarking in maintenance is the search for the best maintenance practice which will
lead to exceptional maintenance performance through the implementation of best
maintenance strategies. Benchmarking may be grouped into five steps: planning;
analysis; integration; action; and implementation and results27. Determining the activity
to benchmark is very crucial as it decides the approach for benchmarking. One simple
approach is prioritization of various maintenance activities within a company including
the areas which need not be benchmarked. Experience has shown that, if the initial step
of the benchmarking process has not been completed carefully, then the rest of the
maintenance benchmarking process may be unproductive or in some cases
counterproductive.

Organizations around the world are looking for new approaches to maintain or develop
competitive advantage. Outsourcing can be such an approach. Outsourcing focuses on
two strategic ways of developing a competitive advantage: first, concentrating the
organization’s resources and investments on what it does best – called core competences;
and second, outsourcing all other activities for which the company has neither a strategic
need nor a special capability.

Recently, companies have begun to look at outsourcing their maintenance activities.

Many petrochemical processing plants outsource all their equipment and facility
maintenance. Other operations find it practical to outsource a particularly specialized or
risky aspect of maintenance. A cement company, which had a difficult time in keeping its
baghouses running effectively, outsourced all its air pollution control equipment
maintenance, achieving a more effective use of the maintenance budget and a reduction
of downtime, thus increasing overall efficiency.

Outsourcing can be an effective way to reduce costs, free-up capital and improve quality
and service. However, outsourcing should not be seen as an automatic ticket to success.
Initially, it is critical to assess if the circumstances and timing are right to pursue
outsourcing. A company’s readiness can be assessed based on a number of requirements,
including: establishing that there are issues which could be resolved by outsourcing, such
as cost, competence or management focus; identifying if there are questions to be
answered first before further considering outsourcing, including the capability of the local
market or restrictions in the collective bargaining agreement; and confirming the cost
effectiveness of outsourcing as a means to achieve strategic advantages.

26
Total maintenance management: a systematic approach-Raouf
27
Benchmarking-Kinnon

24
Attempt the following questions to learn more………………………

1. Does the company have a programme of preventative maintenance?

2. Are there any wastes for the industrial unit? give details.
3. What are various corrective method possible for reduction of pollution?
4. Are all buildings, items of equipment, etc., regularly inspected from the point of
view of maintenance, safety, fire protection, and theft?
5. Are depreciation charges adequate in writing off the value of equipment over its
useful life? (Should cost price or replacement price be used as the basis for
depreciation?)
6. Is full advantage taken of suppliers' service and warranty agreements rather than
carrying out all repairs at the company's expense?
7. Is management satisfied with maintenance and housekeeping performance?
8. Could maintenance costs be reduced by tackling with the company's staff those
tasks that are contracted out?
9. Could certain tasks (e.g. window cleaning) be contracted out more economically
than being performed internally?
10. What is the system for indenting spares required by the maintenance department?
11. Are the man-hours invested in maintenance consistent with the actual man-hour
requirements for the job to be performed/
12. Explain the maintenance improvement program that exists in the organization
(company).
13. How does company benchmark its maintenance activities or explain the
approaches followed by the company in benchmarking its maintenance activities.
14. Explain the maintenance activities that are being outsourced by the company and
why and how it does happen i.e. objectives, approaches followed and factors
considered while taking outsourcing maintenance activities.

MARKETING
Marketing has become ubiquitous in every field and in every industry and it profoundly
affects our day-to-day lives, right from the clothes we wear, to the ads we see. Good
marketing in today’s era has become an increasingly vital ingredient for every business
success. As the formal definition goes, marketing is defined as an organizational function
and a set of processes for creating, communicating and delivering value to customers and
for managing customer relationships in ways that benefit the organization and its stake
holders28. In short it can be defined as meeting human needs profitably. The field of
marketing derives its status through the impact that it can create on other functional areas,
which are the lifelines of an organization. It directly and indirectly impacts the very
existence of finance, operations and accounting departments in an organization by
creating the much yearned “Demand”. Businesses today operate in an environment of
constant challenges and opportunities. Globalization and technological advances have
brought in a tremendous shift in the way businesses are conducted. All these and many
other factors like customer empowerment and privatization have given rise to a highly

28
Kotler,Philip; Keller ,Kevin Lane; -Marketing Management

25
competitive atmosphere and increased business risk. As a result, most of the companies
are constantly striving to achieve increased sales and at the same time minimize costs.
This has led to a fundamental change in their attitude towards marketing and its nuances.

Every organization has realized the potential of marketing and has cut-cross the
conventional sale-increase practices to a full fledged value delivery process. Marketing is
no longer only about attracting customers through discounts and advertisements; rather it
starts at a much earlier phase of product development and contributes to adding finer
attributes, and ultimately value to the whole product. Much more recent and effective is
the holistic approach to marketing, which combines the essential themes namely,
relationship marketing, socially responsible marketing, integrated marketing and internal
marketing. Relationship marketing deals with the customers, the marketing channel and
the service partners. Socially responsible marketing takes care of the much needed
ethical, legal and social issues of selling a product and this has been gaining importance
as ethical issues have become a matter of concern in every organizational function.
Internal and integrated marketing deals with departmental marketing and
communications respectively. A clear understanding of the above aspects becomes highly
important in a competitive business environment.

Marketing Functions:

Marketing is commonly misconceived as sales but it is important to understand that sales

is only a marketing function and marketing encompasses a whole set of activities
inclusive of sales. The other vital marketing functions include Marketing Administration,
Advertising and Sales Promotion, Sales, Marketing Research and New Products
Management. Marketing Research is the systematic design, collection, analysis and
reporting of data and findings, which is relevant to a specific marketing situation facing
the company. Several approaches to research include Observational, Focus Group
Research, Survey Research, Behavioral and Experimental Research. Advertising is any
paid form of non-personal presentation and promotion of ideas, goods and services by an
identified sponsor29. Marketing administration includes management of the Demographic
/economic environment, Technological /physical environment, Political /Legal
environment and Social /cultural environment. One of the most important functions of
marketing is identifying the demand. A marketer’s main job is to stimulate demand for
the company’s products.

Segregation of demand into different categories derives its importance from the fact that
every state demands a different plan of action. A state in which customers dislike the
product and may even pay a price to avoid it is known as negative demand. There exists
latent demand, where in the consumers share a strong need which cannot be satisfied by
an existing product. Irregular demand is one which varies on a seasonal, monthly,
weekly, daily or even on an hourly basis. When consumers adequately buy all the
products put into the marketplace it is termed as full demand. In certain situations they
may be attracted to products that have undesirable social consequences; this state is

29
Kotler, Philip; Keller ,Kevin Lane; -Marketing Management

26
termed as unwholesome demand. Non-existent demand is a state where the consumers
may be totally unaware or uninterested in the product.

Marketing Mix:

An integrated marketing approach utilizes the four Ps as tools, which are jointly
described as marketing mix. This includes the Product, Price, Promotion and Place. A
marketer identifies the profile of distinct groups of buyers who might prefer or require
varying products and services mix. This is achieved by examining demographic,
psychographic, and behavioral differences among buyers. The marketer then decides
which segment presents the greatest opportunity and hence identifies target markets. A
market segment consists of group of customers who share similar set of needs and wants.
Market segments can be defined in many different ways. The best way is to carve up the
preference segments. The different patterns of customer segments are homogenous
segments, diffused preferences and clustered preferences. Similar preferences across all
segments are termed homogenous. A diffused preference involves variety of preferences
among same segments.

Pricing:

Pricing is an important step in the marketing process. The types of pricing policies vary
from brand to brand and from product to product. Various factors need to be considered
by a marketer in order to establish a price level. Some of the factors include costs,
demand factors, competition, and perceived value. Markup pricing is based on today’s
cost which is set after adding a standard markup for profit. Certain firms base their prices
after evaluating the level of price that would yield a specific target rate of return. Such a
pricing policy is termed Target return pricing. Perceived value pricing takes into account
the value that is promised to the customer and in such a policy it is the marketing mix
elements that are considered. Those companies that intend to win customer loyalty opt for
value pricing by charging a fairly low price for a high quality offering. As a part of this
policy, Everyday low pricing (ELDP) is followed at the retail levels. Pricing policies to a
great extent are determined by the price that a competitor adopts. Going rate pricing is
built on this fact. Another very common pricing policy which one gets to observe over
the internet is auction pricing, which includes ascending, descending and sealed bid
auction types. Firms adopt group pricing in order to cater to consumer groups who come
together to avail a volume discount or other concessions.
However, setting the final price depends on the impact of other marketing activities, the
individual pricing policies of the company, perceived risk and impact of price on other
parties.

Measuring Customer Satisfaction:

The ultimate goal and primary focus of every marketer is customer satisfaction. Firms use
several methods to measure customer satisfaction in order to keep pace with changing
trends and plan future market procedures accordingly. Monitoring systems are used as an
aid to audit company performance in this regard. Voice of Customer (VOC)

27
measurements are taken in order to probe customer satisfiers and dissatisfiers. Companies
adopt policies and measures to satisfy customer complaints and recently excellent service
companies have come to realize that, positive employee attitudes tend to promote
stronger customer loyalty. In response to this, companies are taking measures to satisfy
employees and hence the customer.
Companies looking forward to achieve improved service quality must closely monitor
factors such as listening, reliability, basic service, service design, recovery, surprising
customers, fair play, teamwork, employee research and servant leadership. 30 Customer
satisfaction can also be enhanced by adding more and more value to the product without
increasing the costs.

Sales Promotion:

Sales promotion refers to any activity designed to boost the sales of a product or service
by providing extra incentives to the sales force, distributors or the ultimate consumer. It
may include an advertising campaign, increased PR activity, a free-sample campaign,
offering free gifts or trading stamps, arranging demonstrations or exhibitions, setting up
competitions with attractive prizes, temporary price reductions, door-to-door calling,
telephone-selling, personal letters, sweepstakes and many such offers. 31The two major
categories of sales promotion are consumer-oriented and trade-oriented activities, which
target the ultimate user and the marketing intermediaries (wholesalers, retailers and
distributors) respectively.
Sales promotion is one of the four aspects of promotional mix. (The other three parts of
the promotional mix are advertising, personal selling, and publicity/public relations.)
Sales promotions are non-personal promotional efforts that are designed to have an
immediate impact on sales. Media and non-media marketing communications are
employed for a pre-determined limited time to increase consumer demand, stimulate
market demand or improve product availability.
Services businesses are other area of major concern. Services businesses increasingly fuel
the world economy and it is critical to understand the special nature of services and how
to market them effectively. The intangible nature of services and its level of relationship
with the end user make services marketing even more challenging

Branding:

Brand is defined as “a name, term, sign, symbol or design, or a combination of them,

intended to identify the goods and services of one seller or group of sellers and to
differentiate one from the other”32. Brand equity is an added value endowed to products
and services, which can be thought of as an intangible asset that results from the
favorable image, impressions of differentiation or customer attachment to a particular

Leonard L Berry, A Parasurama, and Valaire A. Zeithal, ”Ten lessons for Improving Service Quality”,
30

MSI Reports Working Paper Series.

31
www.tutor2u.net/business/marketing/glossary_s.htm
32
American Marketing Association

28
company name 33. Consumers today have a wide variety of choices available in every
product and category and it is this aspect that a brand can capitalize on. Brand value is
reflected by the way customers think, feel and act with respect to the brand, its price,
market share or profitability that the brand commands for the firm. Brand equity allows a
brand to earn greater sales volumes, providing the company with a competitive
advantage. The four key components of brand equity are differentiation, relevance,
esteem (the extent of regard and respect earned by a particular brand) and knowledge.

Choice of brand elements is done by careful planning. The brand elements should be
Memorable, Meaningful, Likeable, Transferable, Adaptable and Protectable. Unlike
many technical subjects, marketing is of a more dynamic nature as it deals with the
diverse and ever-changing mind sets of a large populace. Understanding the same and
coping up radically is what makes a business successful in the long run.

Attempt the following questions to learn more …………………..

1. What is company's turnover and its growth for last 5 years and whether the
growth of turnover is in line with industry average.
2. What is total market size of the products manufactured by the company and
company's share in the total market size.
3. What is the export sales and its percentage on total sales of the company.
4. What is company's export share in total export of the industry.
5. What is component of product categories such as cash cow, star and question
mark in total sales.
6. What proportion of company's sales do five customers take up?
7. Why do customers buy from the company?
8. How many customers did company lose last five years and state why they stopped
buying from the company.
9. How does products / services are segmented and what is the size of each segment
and percentage share in it.
10. Which segment of the market did company enter first?
11. How many new market segments company has entered since launching of its
business?
12. What are the market segments still open to exploit?
13. What are the growth prospects for each of these segments, and what is the size
and annual average growth rate of total market?
14. Are costs, expenses and revenues analyzed to show profitability by areas,
products, customer groups and channels of distribution?
15. Are regular reports produced showing sales, profits and costs for each product,
area, customer group, and channel? Are these related to budgets and market share
data?
16. Have analyses been made to see how many small orders are processed that fail to
cover costs? Do discounts encourage larger orders?
17. Are cash discounts resulting in more rapid debt collection, or should they be
increased or discontinued?
33
George E Belch, Michael E Belch, Advertising and promotion

29
 18. What pricing policies exist? Are these in line with market conditions: Or
something else?
19. How do price changes compare with cost changes? Are the likely effects of price
increases on forecasted volume and profits taken into consideration?
20. What are the products which incur unusually large selling and servicing costs that
are not taken into account in product pricing?
21. Could higher quality, better service - and the related higher costs - lead to higher
profits?
22. Are sales forecasts developed by product lines, regions and customer groups? Do
sales plans take due account of productive capacity and stock levels?
23. When the last new product was launched, and is developing and launching new
products are of business strengths? If so, how?
24. How does accurately company assess the profitability of individual products (or
group of products)?
25. How does company measure customer satisfaction with the quality or products
and services.
26. Is the business dependent on one or two product or service for significant percent
of profits? Identify the product(s) or service and their percentage of profits?
27. Is there any strong company/brand name, logo and slogan which work for the
company and customers?

Distribution, Warehousing and Logistics

Distribution is a fully integrated function that adds value across the supply chain. The
manufacturers make a product in order to fulfill a customer’s need. But it is the
distributor who makes sure that the product reaches the customer at the right time and the
right location. Now why is this so important? The markets which were once the “seller’s
market” have moved on to become the “buyer’s market”. This makes the customer a
KING. If a particular organization does not meet their requirements they are free to shift
to other brands.

The above diagram is just one example of how the supply chain can be. This need not
hold good for all companies. So, why have distributors gained sudden importance? This
is because the companies have chosen to outsource the non-critical activities. Hence jobs
like distribution operations, logistics, etc. have been turned into opportunities that can be
exploited.

The distributors in general are separate entities. They receive the product from the
manufacturer and supply it to the retailer. Though, in some cases the manufacturer can

30
act as a distributor himself. Traditionally the distributors would buy the goods from the
manufacturers, store it in the warehouses and finally sell it to the retailers. This is called
the Buy-Hold-Sell (BHS) model of distribution. Here, it can be seen that the distributor
takes a major risk. If the market is lost for the goods he holds then all his investment
would give him a negative return. So in the recent times the distributors have shifted their
focus to a Sell-Source-Ship (S3) model. In this model the distributors buys as little stock
as possible or they buy as they sell. So, what if the distributor does not meet the customer
demand on time? Well, this is prevented because the distribution operations are
computerized, automated and equipped with state-of-art material handling and
information systems. This helps the distributor to convey real time information to the
manufacturer which helps in timely replenishments. Thus the distributors are able to cater
to the wider geographic market.
This apart, the distributors provide various value-added services including logistics
management, inventory control and tracking, packaging, labeling and bar coding,
procurement and vendor management and customer service functions

Today, globalization has taken distribution to new heights. Not only has the growth been
phenomenal but the complexity and uncertainty under which the distribution centers
operate have increased drastically.

The distribution industry today is more dependent on highly trained field personnel and
communication technologies. But what they should understand is that, when they want to
scale up their operations, increasing the number of personnel is not always a wise choice.
Organizations are now moving on to become more agile and flexible. It is technically
called a “lean organization”. This agility can be reached using two types of interventions
viz. internal intervention and external intervention

The internal intervention aims at optimizing and synchronizing internal processes in

order to reduce inventory, maximize operational capabilities and increase speed. The
optimization can be achieved through mechanization or automation. But the
synchronization of internal processes is generally forgotten. In this uncertain environment
it is of utmost importance that sales, purchasing and logistics activities are synchronized.
The aim of the external intervention is to synchronize activities with customers and
suppliers through different forms of collaboration.

Logistics:

The diagram above shows that goods will have to travel from one member to another in
the supply chain. This is done through transportation/logistics. The Council of Logistics
Management (CLM) defines logistics as “inbound, outbound, internal and external
movement of goods, services and information”. The logistics activity that is generally
outsourced by the company is mostly managed by the distributors. The logistics has been
facilitated by the information systems and the internet which helps in faster and better
exchange of information. The activities of the logistics operations include customer
service, transportation, purchasing, warehousing, materials handling, strategic planning

31
and inventory control and forecasting. As most distributors can act as logistic providers
their activities might overlap. So, who does what has to be clarified in the contract.

Warehousing:
When the products pass through the distribution channel it gets stored in the process. This
practice of storing the product is called the warehousing. This function is mostly taken
care of by the distributors or it can be outsourced to a third party. Warehouse
/Distribution/Logistics center facilities vary greatly, depending on their type of
operations, their functions, the geographic region served and their space needs. Thus, we
have discussed the significance of the distribution, warehousing and logistics with respect
to the big picture.

Attempt the following questions to learn more ………………………..:

1. What would be effect on profits of a 5 percent increase or decrease in major

product/ service price?
2. How does price is decided? Does company use different prices for a
product/service depending on its life cycle, customers' categories, any other
factors?
3. How does prices compare with major competitors and how frequently company
change its price and by what percentage?
4. What discount structure is offered to volume customers or middleman? And
where do you stand vis-a-vis your competitors?
5. Does the customers and target market segments have easy access to your goods
and services and how is it monitored?
6. What is the annual budget in terms of percentage of sales for advertising and
promotion? What is the impact of this exercise?
7. Is it necessary to have warehouses? (i.e. is it essential that finished goods stocks
be held?) Would it be more economical to have someone else do your
stockholding? (e.g. could your suppliers deliver direct to your customers?) 9. Are
the materials handling facilities effectively coordinated with both the
manufacturing and distribution functions?
8. Are the costs of all warehousing activities considered as part of the total cost of
distribution rather than in isolation? (e.g. is the cost relationship known between
each part of the distribution system and the effect of various different levels of
activity on each?)
9. Are distribution costs broken down into home and export markets?
10. What information is available on warehouse costs? (e.g. can costs be compiled for
handling goods received; holding stocks; ordering stock; locating, retrieving and
picking; etc?)
11. Are standards, budgets, etc., prepared for all distribution costs on the basis of cost
behavior studies?
12. Who decides credit limits for customers and are credit limits established for every
account or uniform for every customers?
13. How many days, on average, are one day's credit sales outstanding?
14. Is there any system to deal with debtors who fail to pay in time?

32
 HUMAN RESOURCE MANAGEMENT

Human Resource Management is the process of acquiring, training, appraising,

compensating employees and attending to their labour relations, health and safety, and
fairness concerns. The major functions of Human Resource Management are recruitment,
training and development, performance management & appraisal, and compensation.
The link between the HR activities, the employee behaviors, and the strategic outcomes
and performance is concisely measured by the HR Scorecard. It shows the quantitative
standards or “metrics” the firm uses to measure HR activities and to measure the
employee behaviors resulting from these activities, and to measure the strategically
relevant organizational outcomes of those employee behaviors.

Recruitment:
The various functions in the recruitment process are as follows:
 Job analysis is the procedure for determining the duties and skill requirements of a job
(Job Description) and the kind of person to be hired for it (Job Specification).
 Personnel planning are the process of deciding what positions the firm will have to fill
and how to fill them. The personnel needs are forecasted using techniques like trend
analysis, scatter plot and so on. The internal candidates are recruited using Job posting
(publicising the open job to employees), Rehiring, Succession Planning (the ongoing
process of identifying key jobs, assessing candidates and selecting them based on Job
description). The external candidates are recruited by advertising through media like
Newspapers, Internet, etc.
 Employee testing and Selection is where the employee is tested for reliability, skill sets
through various technical, aptitude and psychological tests.

But with the advancement of globalization, and due to enhanced competition and uncertain
markets, the company will be benefited if it focuses more on the Selection process. It is accepted
that the future is uncertain but it must have right people in place to handle the changing situations
effectively and efficiently.

Most assessments of employability have focused on traditional models that look at skills, work
experience and education. A few others have considered personality traits. But Kinicki and
Fugate's approach is unique in that it has been specifically created around this notion of change,
and how employees react to it. As Kinicki explains, he and Fugate are specifically interested in a
candidate's adaptability -- for the simple reason that, today more than ever, employees need to
adapt, and be comfortable adapting, to survive and thrive. 34 Therefore in the process of screening,
interviewees must be tested for “Pro-active adaptability” for the betterment of the organization.
This quality would enhance his personality trait and would motivate him to sense the change
beforehand and act accordingly in the organization. This not only serves as a challenge for him
but also gives ample opportunities for his individual growth.

Training & Development:

34
http://knowledge.wpcarey.asu.edu/article.cfm?articleid=1532
- An article published on January 02, 2008 in Knowledge@W.P. Carey by Angelo Kinicki of W.P.Caray
school of business.

33
The orientation programme provides the new employees with basic background
information about the firm. Training is given to them to teach the basic skills they need to
perform their jobs. The task analysis and performance analysis are done to determine
skills required by the employees. Later they are given training like the following: On-the
job training (person learns the job by actually doing it through job rotation and special
assignments), Apprenticeship training, Informal learning, Job Instruction training (step-
by-step training), Audiovisual based training, Computer based training, and Internet
based training.
The training can be measured by the following four basic categories:
 Reaction- Trainee’s reaction towards the program
 Learning- Testing the trainees on the skills and principles learnt
 Behaviour- Is there any behaviour change after training?
 Results- Are objectives of the training got fulfilled?

In the training process, it is very important to link a new employee with a matured mentor
because this relationship strengthens the bond between the employee and the
organization. However re-training depends on whether the employee has upgraded his
skills to meet the changing environment. Companies have to analyze the trade off
between the cost of re-training and cost of laying-off. Companies that employ a large
amount of “social capital” are more likely to re-train workers. Social capital is an
investment in terms of relationships. Companies that employ social capital often
emphasize formal teamwork.35 This decision varies with the type of organization. In an
accountant firm which is governed by a set of formal rules, this social capital does not
have a great say but in case of advertisement firm, it has a great role to play. So, it is
important to note the nature of the firm and the capability of the old employees before
exploring the scope for re-training.

Performance Management & Appraisal:

The employee’s current or past performance is appraised by evaluating it with his/her

past performance standards. Performance management is a process that consolidates goal
setting and performance appraisal into one single common system in order to ensure that
the employee’s performance supports the company’s strategic aims. The various
performance appraisal tools are Graphic Rating Scale Method (ranking the range of
performance against the list of particular traits), Alternation Ranking Method (ranking
employees from best to worst on a particular trait), Management by Objectives (involves
setting specific measurable goals with each employee and then periodically reviewing the
progress made). The appraisal can be done by immediate supervisor (the best one), peers,
rating committees, self-ratings and subordinates. Based on the appraisal, promotions and
various other incentives are given.
The returns from the use of valid selection procedures are likely to be greater when a
firm’s performance appraisal and incentive compensation system can recognize and

35

http://knowledge.wharton.upenn.edu/articlepdf/703.pdf?CFID=49733264&CFTOKEN=28457610&jsessio
nid=a8305b64141b66316f42
An article published on january 29, 2003 in Knowledge@Warton by Peter Capelli

34
reward good employee performance and incentive compensation systems should perform
best when linked with high-quality performance appraisals. This make the employees
stay with the firm for long. 36

Compensation:

Compensation is all forms of pay or rewards going to employees and arising from their
employment. It has two main components,
 Direct financial payments (wages, salaries, incentives, commissions and bonuses)
 Indirect payments (financial benefits like employer-paid insurance and vacation)

Competence based compensation considers employee’s skills and experience than the job
title. The pay is directly linked to the employee’s motivation levels. The various incentive
programs include Piecework plans (pay based on the number of items processed by each
individual worker in unit of time), Merit pay (salary increase done on the basis of
individual performance), Recognition based awards and Online award programs. The
variable pay plans are Profit- Sharing plans, Employee Stock Ownership Plan (ESOP),
Gain sharing plans (the gains due to reduction in costs are shared). The supplemental pay
benefits are obtained in the form of Vacations and holidays, Sick Leave, parental leave,
Severance pay (one-time payment when terminating an employee), Hospitalization,
Health and Disability Insurance, Life Insurance. Retirement benefits include Pension
Plans and social security.

Attempt the following questions to learn more …………………………….

1. What are the functions of Human Resources Development Department?

2. What are the practices followed for recruitment, training and retaining
employees?
3. Do all employees understand their roles and know how their performance will be
measured?
4. Does a well-defined salary structure exist? If so, is it fair in relation to
responsibility differentials, other companies' rates of pay, etc.?
5. Is there a full induction programme for all new employees? If explain the
structure of the program.
6. What methods are used for attracting recruits and selecting new employees? Are
they satisfactory?
7. Do working conditions within the company compare favorably with those offered
by other organizations both locally and elsewhere within the same industry?
8. What is the level of labor turnover within the company? Has this been analyzed
amongst departments, etc? Are there any differences?
9. How successful are the company's welfare facilities?
10. How does company manage its absenteeism problem?
11. Does performance measurement system considers the progress, time used, over
and underutilization of materials, etc. in the production process?

36
Huselid.A.Mark. 1995. The impact of Human Resource Management Practices on Turnover, Productivity
and Corporate Financial Performance. Academy of Management Journal, Vol.38.No.3. pp-635-872

35
12. What are the areas of the company's activities that are covered by the training
programme?
13. How deeply involved are managers/supervisors in defining training needs and
drawing up the training programme?
14. How is success determined following participation in training courses?
15. To what extent is top management committed to systematic training?
16. At what level in organization is the training programme determined?
17. Is training be an on-going activity for all employees, or will it be restricted to
induction training?
18. Are adequate records maintained for the evaluation of training, and decision-
making with regard to future training?
19. How new employees are inducted into the system?
20. Is the performance of each responsible individual regularly measured, monitored,
and reported?
21. Is the company individual centric or system driven?
22. Explain how company's organization structure in which the tasks, responsibilities,
and authority of each job classification are clearly defined and recorded.
23. What is the extent of delegation of authorities and responsibilities?
24. Are individuals' responsibilities dearly defined without duplication?
25. Explain how does organization design (interaction between various functions)
facilitates flow of information.
26. Explain any adjustments in organizational structure and job descriptions based on
internal or external changes in last five years.
27. Does information indicate each responsible individual's achievements and level of
required performance?
28. Does management realize that the study of management information and reporting
systems is not necessarily concerned with computers?
29. What are the steps taken to motivate the employee and quantify the impact of
those actions taken in this regard?

36
 GUIDELINES
for

Preparation of

Project Report, Seminar and Group Discussion

PRACTICE SCHOOL DIVISION

BIRLA INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY & SCIENCE

PILANI (Rajasthan) 333031

April, 2019
 PREFACE

Writing a Report, presenting a Seminar and taking part in a Group Discussion are
skills of communicating knowledge, views and ideas to others. In Practice School courses
these are also components of evaluation. In order to help the students in inculcating these
skills, an attempt has been made to prepare a set of guidelines in these respects. These
guidelines have been divided in three parts. Part 1 contains guidelines for writing a Project
Report; Part 2 has the guidelines for the presentation of a Seminar; and Part 3 gives the
guidelines for participation in a Group Discussion.

The PS Division will welcome any constructive suggestions for further

improvement of these guidelines.

In-charge
Instruction & Monitoring Cell
Practice School Division
 CONTENTS
Page No.
PART 1 GUIDELINES FOR THE PREPARATION
OF A PROJECT REPORT

1.1 Introduction 01
1.2 Appearance 01
1.3 Elements (Inner Matter) 02
1.4 Style of writing the Report 06

PART 2 GUIDELINES FOR THE PREPARATION

OF A SEMINAR

2.1 Introduction 07
2.2 Preparation 07
2.3 Organisation 07
2.4 Presentation 08
2.5 Visual Aids 08
2.6 Black-board Presentation 09
2.7 Platform Manners 10
2.8 Features of Voice 12
2.9 A Few Tips 13

PART 3 GUIDELINES FOR PARTICIPATION

IN A GROUP DISCUSSION

3.1 Introduction 16
3.2 Organisation 16
3.3 Procedure 16
3.4 Participation 17

Appendix-A: Format of the Cover 19

Appendix-B: Format of the Title Page 20
Appendix-C: Format of an Abstract Sheet 21
Appendix-D: Lists of Topics for Group Discussion 22
 PART - 1
GUIDELINES FOR THE PREPARATION OF A PROJECT REPORT

1.1 INTRODUCTION

Project Report is one of the evaluation components in the Practice School

programme. After completing a project, the student submits a report on the project work
carried out by him. This report is usually termed as Project Report. The report is a formal
document. It should therefore be presented with a lot of care and thought.

Writing a report requires skills. It is a written presentation of the work which tells
about the project, methodology used, final findings and results, etc. It is not a document
which is meant only for the author. It is infact a valuable record which is often referred to by
various persons working in that area. It is written to inform the reader and to acquaint him
with the results arrived at and the conclusions reached. It is therefore essential to ensure that
the report is written, organised and presented in such a manner that a reader has no difficulty
in understanding it.

Having done a course on Report Writing the students doing PS are supposedly well-
versed in the art of writing reports. However, it is still worthwhile to recapitulate the
important points regarding the layout, style and presentation techniques of a report. As we
all know a report is a formal piece of subject matter written for a specific purpose. It conveys
information in an impartial and objective manner. The objective is to convey ideas and
information and not to impress the reader.

The following section provides a format and certain guidelines on how to write a
report for a Practice School project. There are many forms of a report but we have chosen
the one which is usually called a 'formal' report having all the compulsory elements of a
technical report in it. It is therefore, expected that all the reports submitted by the PS students
conform to the suggested format and guidelines.

1.2 APPEARANCE

The size of the report should be such that it is easy to use and handle. For this
purpose, the following points are worth noting:

(a) Size: 9" X 11", is called the quarto size. It is commonly called the "thesis size".
(b) Writing of the Report: The report should be typed in double space on one side of the
sheet and the pages should be numbered serially.
(c) Margin: About 1" on all the four sides of the sheet.
(d) Number of Copies: Two (one for the PS Division, one for the organization) plus as
many as the authors require.

1
(e) Distribution: One copy to the PS Faculty (the PS Faculty will submit this copy to the
Practice School Division), and one to the Host Organization.

1.3 ELEMENTS (Inner Matter)

A formal report usually contains the following elements:

(i) Cover
(ii) Title page
(iii) Acknowledgements
(iv) Abstract Sheet
(v) Table of Contents
(vi) Introduction
(vii) Main Text
(viii) Conclusions and/or Recommendations
(ix) Appendices
(x) References.
(xi) Glossary

We now elaborate these elements in some detail.

(i) Cover

The Cover is meant to protect the manuscript besides giving preliminary information
like (i) the title of the report; (ii) the Name & ID No. of the student; (iii) the name of the
organization; (iv) the date of submission, etc. (see appendix-A).

(ii) Title Page

This is the first page of the report. A PS report should contain the title of the report;
the Name(s), ID No(s) and Discipline(s) of the students; PS course No.; the name of the
organization and the Institute. The format of this page is given in Appendix – B.

(iii) Acknowledgements

It is presented on the second page of report for thanking the persons who may have
helped students during the work carried out by them. Customarily, in PS reports, thanks are
given to the following in the order given below:

 Head of the organization,

 Coordinator of the PS programme at the organization,
 Professional Expert / In-charge of the project,
 PS Faculty,
 Other persons (from the organization and /or outside the organization, etc.)

2
(iv) Abstract Sheet

This is the third page of the report, and also one of the important pages. A reader,
ongoing through it, should be able to know what the project is all about, like who did it and
under whose supervision. A format of this page is given in Appendix-C.

This page contains a brief abstract of the project work. The abstract is written to
enable the reader to know the kind of information given in the report and its key features. It
mentions what the report is about, what has been accomplished and what is the importance
and utility of the results. It is never intended as a substitute for the original document, but it
must contain sufficient information to allow a reader to sustain his interest. The abstract
should always be concise. It should not contain more than 200 words. The nomenclatures
used should be meaningful, i.e., only standard terminologies should be used.

This page also contains information about Project Area and Key Words. Project
Area is the name given to an area of specialization in a discipline. For example, in Computer
Science some project areas can be Networking, Database Management etc. Keywords are
the words or phrases which can be used to specifically locate a project report. A report can
have more than one keyword and project area.

(v) Table of Contents

The table of contents is in the same form as it is found in any book. The main division
as well as the sub-divisions are listed together with the number of the first page on which it
appears. The page numbers for the matter preceding the Introduction are given in small
Roman numerals i.e. (i), (ii), (iii) etc. and in Arabic numerals i.e. 1, 2, 3 etc. from Introduction
onwards.

For establishing a suitable relationship among topics and sub-topics one should
follow a single numbering scheme. Usually schemes like decimal numbering or letter
numbering are generally followed. The scheme of decimal numbering which is more
commonly used is as follows:

1.
1.1
1.2
1.3
1.3.1
1.3.2
1.3.3

3
 1.3.3.1
1.3.3.2
1.3.3.3

The words, phrases and sentences used for writing the topics and sub-topics should
have a parallel grammatical construction. For this an example is given below.
2. Causes of Food Problem
2.1 Defective Distribution System
2.2 Lack of Proper Storage Facilities
2.3 Hoarding
2.4 Natural Calamities
2.5 Floods
2.6 Drought

(vi) Introduction

In Introduction, the problem is defined and introduced. The Introduction therefore

contains the purpose of writing the report and sufficient background material, including the
literature surveyed to present the reader a clear picture of the project work. A paraphrased
outline of the work should also form a part of the Introduction. In the Introduction of a
report the author discusses the scope, and the limitations of his work. It is also required to
discuss the sources, methods and procedure employed in collecting and organizing the data.
The author is also expected to highlight the value of his work besides indicating the need for
writing the report.
A proper and effective Introduction should include a brief history of the problem
under discussion, coupled with the statement of the immediate problem under examination,
the reasons for undertaking it and a discussion of the methodology adopted. Generally,
for PS project report, an Introduction may not be more than a couple of pages.

(vii) Main Text

The actual work, the method of treatment and the results are presented in this part
of a report. It may run into many sections and sub-sections under different headings and
sub-headings. That should be numbered and phrased appropriately. In order to maintain
consistency, you are required to follow the same pattern as given in the Table of Contents
of your report.

The main text contains the discussion on the experimental work done or the data
collected, the survey done, a description of activities, analysis and the results obtained. It
also includes illustrations and interpretations. This is the main body of the report. All
illustrations (graphs, diagrams, tables, figures, etc.) should always be accompanied by a
number and an appropriate title. This helps the reader understand the illustration in a better
way. It also helps the writer to refer to these in the subsequent discussion.

4
 Significant discrepancies in results should be called to the reader's attention, even
when it is admitted that no reasonable explanation can be offered. If the author himself
discovers these discrepancies and does not mention them, the technical credibility of the
report gets adversely affected.

(viii) Conclusions and/or Recommendations

The conclusions and recommendations are derived from the discussions and
interpretations of the results obtained. It would be helpful to the reader if other possibilities
pertaining to the stated conclusions and recommendations are also discussed. The purpose
of the conclusions is to draw the attention of the reader to significant findings. Sometimes
conclusions contain a very brief summary of the main discussion. Recommendations suggest
ways and means of bringing about improvement.

(ix) Appendices

The contents of an appendix are essentially those which support or elaborate the
matter given in the main text. The matter, which is essential but will unnecessarily divert the
attention of the reader from the main problem, is generally placed in the Appendix. We give
below some items which normally form a part of the Appendix. These are: (a)calculation
sheets; (b) lengthy derivations of mathematical formulae; (if that is not the project itself) (c)
supplementary details of instructions; (d) flow charts; (e) computer programmes; (f)
questionnaires & interview sheets; (g) large maps; (h) the nomenclature; etc.

If the project itself is about making of a computer programme of some problem, then
the flow chart and the computer programme have to be in the main body. It is for the author
to decide, what matter would be placed in the Appendices according to nature of the project
work and problem definition.

(x) References

All the references to books, journals, documents, web site links etc. should be given
in the section called References. Two examples of how to write a reference are given below:

Suppose you have referred to a paper entitled 'An Integral Equation Satisfied by the
Square of Weber's Parabolic Cylinder Function', whose author is S.C.Mitra, which appeared
in the Journal of London Mathematical Society whose volume number is 11, the year of
publication is 1936, and the article is published on pages 252 to 256; you would write it as
follows:

5
1. Mitra, S.C., "An Integral Equation Satisfied by the Square of Weber's Parabolic Cylinder
Function" The Journal of London Mathematical Society, Volu. 11, 1936, pp. 252-256.

Again, in case you have referred to a book on An Introduction to Linear Algebra by

Dr. V. Krishnamurthy and others which was published by Affiliated East-West Press, New
Delhi in the year 1976, the reference should be cited as given below:

2. Krishnamurthy, V. et al, "An Introduction to Linear Algebra," 1st edition, New Delhi;
Affliated East-West Press, 1976, p.25.

The serial number of the reference should correspond to the number of citation in
the text of the report.

(xi) Glossary

Glossary is the list of technical words and terms used by the author in his report. It
normally includes the meaning of the word / term and the page no(s) where it occurs in the
text of the report.

1.4 STYLE OF WRITING THE REPORT

Write the first draft. Take reasonable care in the choice of words and sentence
structure; choose simple and familiar words. Similarly, write smaller sentences instead of
long ones with a number of clauses.

In case the project work is undertaken by a group of students then different sections
of the report are drafted by different members of the group. This is acceptable but these
sections must then be integrated into a final report and can be done best by a single writer
who can easily spot repetition, redundancy, and omission to make sure that the message
flows smoothly. The integration of the sections and polishing of the style is essential.
Unnecessary words and phrases must be avoided. The draft of the report should be given to
the faculty and also to the expert, who in turn will return it to the authors after making the
necessary corrections and suggestions.

In the light of these corrections and suggestions, prepare your second draft and now
see that it is in the desired format and structure. Having done so, send it for typing. But your
responsibilities do not get over because you have to proof-read the typed sheets; correct the
spelling mistakes if any, and check its total presentation before submitting it.

6
 PART 2
GUIDELINES FOR THE PREPARATION OF A SEMINAR

2.1 INTRODUCTION

Seminar is an oral component of PS evaluation. It serves several important

purposes. Some of them are:

 To convey results quickly to interested parties.

 To emphasize the most important aspects of the project.
 To allow the interplay of questions and answers and cross - fertilization of ideas.

In this part, some essential principles of a good oral communication are discussed,
which are vital to the proper planning and presentation of a seminar.

2.2 PREPARATION

The preparation for a seminar is two-fold. The first is to have a thorough knowledge
of the subject and a full understanding of it. The second is the selection of the material for
the presentation.

A thorough understanding of the subject matter gives confidence to the speaker;

liberates him from dependence on notes and enables him to concentrate on the audience. To
achieve this, speaker should have a command on the background material, should identify
the critical points in the presentation, should also have specific ideas, concepts and thoughts.
Having laid the foundation, it is easy to build the edifice. The knowledge of the background
of the audience helps the speaker in arranging the material in an agreeable form. This is a
part of the communication and not an attempt to be servile. The beginning should be brisk
and to the point. The audience should be told why they are there and what the speaker wishes
to accomplish. The ending should have well-stated conclusion. A summary should also be
given at the end.

2.3 ORGANISATION

Orderly progression through the material is the first element of organization. You
should move from a specific point to a critical idea. Emphasize the key issues and build the
logic to support them. Clarity of expression leads to understanding. Therefore, always
organize your thoughts so as to make them look coherent and comprehensive. Keep the
break-up data ready for the critical points. Explanations should be tuned to the audience.
Beginning of the presentation should be interesting and the ending forceful. Aids like

7
transparencies and slides should be clear and concise as their purpose is to provide due
emphasis with a visual clue. A slide should therefore have only a few points. Do not read
continuously from the slide or chart. Keep the presentation short. It should be within the
attention span of the audience. End the seminar on a forceful note.

2.4 PRESENTATION

In the presentation a special emphasis needs to be given to the voice and body
language. The tone, voice modulation and expressive gestures are vital source of
communication since they convey definite meaning and message. Therefore, avoid
monotony with lively presentation. Do not stay stiff and do not jump around either. Deliver
the thoughts with vitality. Indicate the mood changes. While the basic tone is one of
seriousness, an occasional smile is always refreshing. Similarly, a timely humorous remark
is always welcome as it rejuvenates the speaker as well as the listener. Be dynamic but not
excited. Feel as one among the audience. While you are an expert on the subject, you are
still their 'Comrade’. Be positive and confident. Explain your ideas and define your terms.
Ensure that each thought is complete in itself. You may be critical of ideas. However, do not
be critical of people. Talk to the audience. Do not lecture. Accept questions and criticism
with grace for their positive value. Answer only those questions which you can handle. You
are on the stage like an actor. Rehearse and practice before a few critical friends of yours.

2.5 VISUAL AIDS

In a seminar, the use of visual aids is always important. Visual aids are used to explain
a concept or an idea to the audience or to demonstrate visually a verbal message. The speaker
may utilize as many aids as possible to communicate an idea to his audience. It is essential
that the use of visual aids be appropriate. It should also be noted here that visual aids should
only be used when they serve a useful purpose. While using a visual a i d , the overall
objective should be kept in mind. It should serve the function of reinforcing the
understanding of the audience. There are many types of visual aids like:

 Black-board and chalk

 Overhead projector
 Slide projector
 Prepared line drawings and charts
 Three dimensional models
 Power point/ Computer

All the above visual aids may not be available at a PS station; so whatever is available,
may be used. The visual aid which is available at almost all stations is the black-board and
chalk. Charts and line drawings can be made by the speaker himself.

8
 In case charts and drawings are made for use as a visual aid, always keep in mind that:

(a) The drawings and letters are large enough to be seen even from the last row of the
audience.
(b) Two or more simple charts are better than a single complex chart.
(c) Use of different colours, wherever possible, is advantageous.

A successful use of the black-board is not only an art but a professional requirement.
It is discussed in the next section.

2.6 BLACK-BOARD PRESENTATION

Black-board is one of the most common visual aids available almost at all the PS
stations. While utilizing this aid for seminar, a speaker should plan for the use of whole black-
board. The fact that the speaker is moving about while using the board sustains the interest
of the audience. They watch his movement and observe what he does. It is important that
the audience grasps technical terms. So writing a brief list of such terms and points covered
on the black-board ensures that these points are known to them. As a "point clincher" the
black-board is unequalled. The important points are conveyed by a piece of chalk and black-
board. A black-board may be used for the following:

 Drawings
 Sketches
 Maps
 Diagrams
 Technical words
 Definitions
 Key words
 Outlines
 Reviews
 Problem Statement
 Rules
 Directions
 Illustrating procedure
 Derivations

The use of black-board in an effective manner is in itself an art. To make it more

emphatic and to convey your ideas more efficiently, keep in mind the following points:

 Clean the board neatly. Use a duster or a piece of clean cloth for this purpose. Do
not use your hand or fingers for this purpose. From time to time all unrelated matters
should be erased. Do not erase an item immediately after writing. Allow the audience
to understand it.

9
  Avoid black-board glare. If necessary, cover the window and turn on the room
light.

 Get everything you need for the black-board together.

 Write neatly in big letters so that the audience sitting in the last row can also read
it.

 Plan your black-board work in advance.

 Write only the key points which are necessary to write on the board. Black-board
is not good for descriptive work. Don't crowd the black-board.

 Keep the material simple; concise statements are more effective than the lengthy
ones.

 Start writing from the left hand corner in straight lines. Normally the length of the
line should not be more than 3 to 4 feet. Do not write in a haphazard way.

 Use common notations and nomenclatures only.

 Stand on one side of the board. Do not cover the board by standing in front of it.

 Underline the important points.

 While using the black-board always maintain an eye contact with the audience.

 Avoid talking to the black-board and always focus on the audience.

 Clean the board regularly.

 Use coloured chalks, if necessary to emphasize on certain points or issues.

 Clean the board after the seminar.

2.7 PLATFORM MANNERS

The first impression which a speaker makes on his audience is through his
appearance. The speaker should try to look relaxed, confident, well-groomed and poised. If
the speaker does not bother to tell anyone, no one will know he is nervous. Therefore, avoid
giving outward signs of nervousness. In order to improve your platform manners, avoid
the following:

 Giving outward signs of nervousness.

10
  Clearing the throat repeatedly.

 Jingling change in pockets.

 Keeping hands in pockets.

 Fumbling with clothing or buttons.

 Scratching the head.

 Leaning on the lectern.

 Slouching around the platform.

 Appearing aggressive and defiant.

 Juggling or fidgeting with chalk, duster, table or any other object used in seminar.

 Apologizing for being nervous.

 Looking at your PS faculty and not making eye - contact with others in the
audience.

The points given above create a crippling effect on one’s performance and hence,
should be avoided. Some hints on developing pleasant platform manners are:

 Establish rapport with the listeners. Frequent direct eye contact with different
members of the audience helps in establishing such a rapport.

 Keep your hands relaxed and at your sides most of the time.

 When you feel the necessity to take a step in any direction or to gesture, do so as
smoothly as possible.

 Avoid doing things that are awkward or distracting to the audience, e.g., waving
your hand, swaying back and forth, throwing chalk pieces here and there.

 Remember that the audience has nothing to do while they are sitting except watching
you. Consequently, they will look at whatever attracts their attention. Every
awkward movement, every distraction will catch their eye.

 Be sure to avoid any mannerism which m i g h t divert t he attention of your

audience, e.g., staring out of the window or over their heads, while speaking.

 Speak to the audience and not to the podium, black-board or to only one man.

11
  Relax; a little showmanship can be useful, but be careful not to overdo it.

 Avoid exaggerated body language.

 Employ only those gestures which do not draw the attention of the audience to
themselves and distract them from your message.

2.8 FEATURES OF VOICE

The effectiveness of the seminar is influenced by the way a speaker uses his voice. There
are five main features of the voice.

(a) Volume (b) Rate (c) Pitch (d) Articulation (e) Pauses

(a) Volume

The volume of the speaker’s voice should be such that the person sitting far away
from the speaker can hear him without any strain. Speaking too softly will impair the
concentration of audience and too high a volume will distract them.

(b) Rate

The rate refers to the number of words uttered per minute. Therefore, the rate at
which a speech is delivered is also important. When a speaker talks too rapidly, the
audience strains to find where one word ends and where the next one begins. A slow
delivery may be boring, monotonous and vapid in effect. Therefore, the speaker should be
careful to maintain a rate which is neither too fast nor too slow.

(c) Pitch

Pitch is the tone of sound depending upon the rate of vibration of the vocal cord.
The characteristic tone of a voice is its quality. The tone of voice used by a speaker is
therefore important. An unenthusiastic speaker will often appear bored to an audience. It is
necessary for the speaker to talk to the audience, not down at the audience. If he remembers
that he is speaking to a number of individuals, rather than to a unified group, his tone will
improve. An audience may infer from an unenthusiastic delivery that the speaker is not
interested in his topic and that the quality of the work is, therefore, questionable.

Perhaps the most important attribute a speaker can have is the ability to vary his tone,
speed and volume to emphasize key points and to avoid monotony. The speaker can easily
highlight key points by raising or lowering the volume; increasing or decreasing the pitch;
speeding up or slowing down the speech; and stressing the key word by pausing before and
after the word.

12
 It is of prime importance that the speaker recognizes the need for variety in his
delivery and the need to emphasize the important points. Use of proper pitch, clear
enunciation and exact pronunciation are particularly important when speaking to a large
audience.

(d) Articulation

Articulation is the ability to utter the words in a distinct manner. For an effective
speech try to speak each word distinctly and, crisply. Slurring and mumbling of words must
be avoided.

(e) Pauses

Use timely pauses so as to appear natural and poised. Remember to pause at the end
of thought units and not in the middle. Avoid however, the vocalized pauses.

After the preparation for a seminar, it is suggested that a student rehearses his talk
in front of colleagues and /or PS faculty and asks for their comments and suggestions for
improvement or alternatively, rehearses in front of a mirror and seeks self-feedback.

2.9 A FEW TIPS

A few significant tips are given below. These will help the speaker in preparing for a
seminar and will also make his presentation a lively and effective one.

(i) Planning

 Gather the data and define the objective.

 Have a well-defined title /topic for the seminar.

 Prepare an outline, with a well-thought out Introduct ion, M a i n -body and

Conclusion.

 Determine the key words /phrases which you wish to stress on.

 Find out the time allotted to you and plan your entire presentation accordingly. In
other words, make a judicious choice of connected ideas of what you can present in
that allotted time.

 Be clear of what you wish to skip. For example, after initiating an analysis, you can
directly come to the result, omitting the detailed steps.

 Decide on the visual aids and also locate the places in your presentation where you
plan to use them.

13
  Plan also what to write and where on the black-board.

 If you wish to keep some matter on the black-board throughout the talk, choose a
proper location for such material.

 You can also use slides/transparencies/ flip sheets.

 A slide / transparency should have only a few points neatly and legibly written for
the audience to be able to read even from a distance.

 Remember, a large number of visual aids is no substitute for your talk.

(ii) Presentation

 To begin with, introduce yourself to the audience b y telling your name and
discipline.

 Give a brief outline of what you propose to present. Also tell the audience what
your own contribution was to the project.

 Before you go into details, it is helpful to state the lead idea.

 Look at your audience and establish eye-contact.

 Talk forcefully, with proper modulation of your voice. Keep the interest of the
audience sustained and avoid monotony.

 A proper stance, posture and habit of looking at the audience have to be

cultivated. Do not walk around and do not slouch.

 Follow your plans but avoid being stilted.

 Finish your presentation within the allotted time.

 Conclude it and indicate what you chose to omit.

 However, if you have run out of time, stop your presentation. Only summarize
t h e remaining part. Do not ignore the time signal.

 Remember reading from pieces of paper, writing on the blackboard or transparency

with no deliberate intention of doing so, and general slouching not only show
disrespect to the audience but are also demeaning to the speaker.

14
(iii) Question time

 Listen to the question and respond to it in a friendly manner.

 If you don't know the answer to a specific question, say so. Don't make a guess.

 While defending your point of view, look out for a new angle or another point of
view and show your appreciation.

 Keep the answers as brief and precise as possible.

 Be patient and tolerant when discussion is going on. Discussion is a part of the
seminar.

 Be especially polite during the discussion when you have to disagree.

After the seminar, discuss your presentation with other students and the PS faculty
and note down the errors of delivery. Note also how you can make your presentation better
next time.

15
 PART 3
GUIDELINES FOR PARTICIPATION IN A GROUP DISCUSSION

3.1 INTRODUCTION

In a Group Discussion (GD) a small number of persons (preferably five) meet face-
to-face. The group exchanges information through free oral interaction among themselves
on a topic or problem and try to arrive at a commonly acceptable decision or a solution. The
purpose of all group discussions is to provide an opportunity to participants to think, listen
and speak. This is a good method of helping members in crystallizing their abstract thoughts
into practical ideas.

GD helps in generating a variety of ideas on the topic under discussion, resulting in

a common view on the topic. It is believed that while one member presents his ideas, other
ideas get triggered off and the ensuing discussion slowly has the involvement and
participation of all the members of the group. It should be remembered that the group should
be able to define the problem at hand, analyze it from all angles and generate potential
solutions for it.

Members should desist from rigid views to pave the way for a lively discussion. It is
not necessary that one should persist in one's first idea throughout the discussion. It is
advisable not to pose any restriction about the area of discussion at the beginning, whoever
at this stage lateral thinking should be welcomed. The narrowing down of the area can take
place as the discussion progresses. There should not be an excessive stress on complete
agreement among members. What is needed is an exploration of ideas close to the topic
under discussion, and this requires participation of everyone in the discussion.

3.2 ORGANIZATION

Like a seminar, GD is also an oral presentation of your ideas on the topic under
discussion. Therefore, vocal elements, your ability to think logically and present your
thoughts cogently are of crucial importance. If the topic has been announced a day or two
before, refer to books, journals, materials from the organization itself and jot down key
points and ideas. Think about your own point of view. Arrange your ideas in a logical
sequence.

3.3 PROCEDURE

Each participant should briefly present his ideas before the discussion actually begins.
Platform manners and the use of voice discussed earlier would be helpful here too.

16
3.4 PARTICIPATION

Each participant should be given a fair chance to express his ideas. The following
should be borne in mind for effective participation in a group discussion:

 Listen carefully to others’ point of view and accept a plurality of views whenever it
is valid.

 Grab the opportunity to explore wide ideas and discard them only when they have
no relevance to the topic.

 Avoid converting the discussion into a dialogue or a debate with only two
members talking.

 The monopolization of the discussion by two members can be avoided if other

participants pick up the thread and move the discussion off the dead centre.

 See that the discussion does not go off at a tangent.

 Encourage every participant to take part in the discussion; if necessary, provoke

the silent spectator in the group to speak out.

 As there is no designated leader for such discussion groups, one or two participants
are expected to emerge as leaders.

 Such a leader guides the discussion and ensures that the opinions/comments are
relevant to the topic. He also solicits the opinions of all group members; helps them
resolve their personal conflicts and helps the group reach consensus on its final
suggestions. The leader however should not monopolize the discussion or dominate
the scene.

 Listen carefully and patiently to others before giving your own reaction. Such
courtesy adds to the grace of a group discussion and enhances the warmth of the
exchange no matter how divergent the views may be.

 Remember, a heated discussion need not be a loud one.

 Speak politely and extend co-operation.

 Don’t be stubborn or have a rigid attitude.

 Avoid aggressive language.

 Don’t be aloof or keep silent.

17
  Avoid being persistent and adamant regarding your point of view. Convince others
or get convinced by them.

 Avoid using exaggerated body language.

 Avoid interpersonal conflicts.

 Don’t deviate from the main topic, encourage participation of other members.

 It is customary to have a summary of the GD by one or two members of group at

the end of the discussion.

Appendix D gives two lists of topics for Group Discussion. List I has those topics
which are related to the projects students usually do or that are relevant to the organizations.
List II has topics which should not be given for Group Discussion as they are not related
either to the projects or to the organizations.

18
(Specimen of Cover) (Appendix -A)

A REPORT

ON

(Title of the Project in Capital Letters)

BY

Name(s) of the ID.No.(s)

Student(s)

AT

(Station Name and Centre)

A Practice School-I/II station of

BIRLA INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY & SCIENCE, PILANI

(Month, Year)

19
(Specimen of Title Page) (Appendix-B)

A REPORT

ON

(Title of the Project in Capital Letters)

BY

Name(s) of the ID.No.(s) Discipline(s)

Student(s)

Prepared in partial fulfilment of the

Practice School-I/II Course

AT

(Station Name and Centre)

A Practice School-I/II station of

BIRLA INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY & SCIENCE, PILANI

(Month, Year)

20/26
(Specimen of Abstract Sheet) (Appendix-C)

BIRLA INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY AND SCIENCE

PILANI (RAJASTHAN)
Practice School Division

Station: …………………………….. Centre .......................…………………..

Duration ....................…………………… Date of Start.................…………………
Date of Submission ..................…………………………………………………………
Title of the Project:

ID No./Name(s)/
Discipline(s)/of
the student(s)

Name(s) and
designation(s)
of the expert(s):

Name(s) of the
PS Faculty:

Key Words:

Project Areas:

Abstract:

Signature(s) of Student(s) Signature of PS Faculty

Date Date

21/26
 (Appendix-D)
Topics for Group Discussion
List I

Topics related to students' projects or the organization for Group Discussion:

1. Should we prefer high capacity or low capacity units?

2. Power plants and their impact on the environment.
3. Effect of industrial automation on paper industry.
4. The importance of industrial safety.
5. Technology development in an Indian bank.
6. Basic concepts used in satellite applications.
7. Benefits of computerization in India.
8. Current trends in computer based education.
9. Is automation needed in process industry?
10. Cement industry -- an overall perspective.
11. HPCL -- the plans for years ahead.
12. Measures to revive a shipyard.
13. Is the automation of an industry-good or bad?
14. Impact of multinationals on the Indian market.
15. Control of air and water pollution.
16. Need and importance of training in industry.
17. How far are exhibits and displays of the Birla Museum effective in communication?
18. Advertising and the new graphical packages.
19. NPL as the major contributor to the Indian industry.
20. R&D and the role of university-research labs in industries.
21. Public sector vs private sector.
22. The power of advertisements.
23. Interlinking space and defence programme: concerns for regional security.
24. R&D efforts in Indian policies and directions.
25. Information technology is an extension of the era of industrialrevolution.
26. Privatization of Indian industries.

22/26
27. Liberalization of Indian economy and brain drain.
28. In India, should more investments be made in R&D?
29. Present energy scenario and future prospects.
30. Privatization of sick, public sector units.
31. Environmental pollution control at NALCO.
32. Is a management degree essential for becoming a manager?
33. Inclusion of medical profession in consumer forums.
34. Economic reforms: impact on Indian economy.
35. Effect of electronic media in advertising.
36. The problem of unemployment in India.
37. Does the infrastructure of transportation in India meet the needs of Indian economy?
38. The problem of brain - drain in India.
39. Prevention of road accidents -- the role of the government.
40. Career choices-their impact on future.
41. Information Highways.
42. Industrial automation.
43. Generation of employment/unemployment due to technological advances.
44. Privatization of Indian Industries -- its impact on Indian economy.
45. New Industrial Policy and the future of Indian industries.
46. The role of Information Technology for development in India.
47. Advertising strategies for stuffed toys (in a toy company).
48. Technology transfer -- the necessary conditions.
49. Advertising and consumerism.
50. Remote sensing and its applications.
51. Role of NISTADS in S&T development.
52. Technology Transfer -- the Government's role.
53. ISO 9000 -- the Indian scenario.
54. What should be India's strategy to become a technological power?
55. Hazards of self-medication.
56. The role of BHEL in Indian economy.
57. Should technological advance be done at the cost of environmental degradation?

23/26
58. Role of the Quality Control Department in an industry.
59. Impact of Environmental pollution.
60. Quality assures market - reality or myth?
61. Relevance of emerging technologies to ECEL.
62. Paper industry: modernization & problems.
63. Recent trends in paper industry with reference to environmental factors in mind.
64. Role of engineers in nation-building.
65. Strategies for a shift from monopoly to open market.
66. University Industry Linkage -- the need of the day.
67. Role of computers in ordnance factory.
68. ISRO'S activities and their benefit to common man.
69. Government's expenditure in research -- pros and cons.
70. Future of Petrochemical Industries in India.
71. Effective management of people is the key to success in any organization.
72. India’s education policy - a critical review.
73. Industrial automation will increase productivity in public sector units.
74. Control of wastage in an industry -- a case study of ship building industry.
75. Control of pollution.
76. Advertising media.
77. Indian Leather Industry.
78. International marketing of leather and leather goods.
79. Relevance of management education to the industry.
80. Development of Information Technology would lead to socio- economic growth.
81. Recent developments in cancer research.
82. Role of physics vs role of electronics in science museums.
83. Factors influencing site selection for construction.
84. Controlled systems in industry and processes.
85. Safety or production: which should be given more importance?
86. Nuclear energy and its usage.
87. Energy alternatives and nuclear option in the Indian context.
88. Expectations of overseas customers.

24/26
 List II

(Topics not related to the projects or organizations and therefore Not to be

given to students)

1. Women's Liberation.
2. Linguistic chauvinism in India.
3. Why India does not produce champions in sports.
4. Aping of western culture -- pros and cons.
5. Freedom of press in India.
6. Marriages are made in heaven.
7. Should India be made a Hindu Rashtra?
8. Godman in India: can they be trusted upon?
9. Indian politics -- drama in real life.
10. Is perfect automation anti-social for India?
11. Invasion of Star TV on India.
12. Love marriages vs arranged marriages.
13. Will perpetuating caste and communal identities lead ultimately to national
disintegration.
14. Indian film music.
15. Do you support reservation policy?
16. Combating terrorism.
17. India's stand on signing NPT/CTBT.
18. Indo Pak relations -- a solution to Kashmir problem.
19. Is god a myth or a reality?
20. Abolition of the examination system will help in improving the standards of
education.
21. Influence of cinema on society and youth.
22. Liquor and cigarette ads should be permitted on Door Darshan.
23. If India must survive her politicians must disappear.
24. Indian cricketers perform well on home soil only.
25. Ethics in business.
26. Industrial relations today.

25/26
27. Democracy vs communism.
28. Are women as good as men?
29. Is quality of Indian cinema going up or down?
30. Is non -violence applicable to present day India?
31. Child labour - a festering wound in society.
32. Effect of movies on new generations.
33. Cricket: five -day matches or one-day matches?
34. Reservation: should it be scrapped?
35. Is capitation fee a boon or a bane?
36. Is a working woman responsible for the break-up of homes?
37. Peace with Pakistan is impossible to achieve.
38. Delinking of degrees will help solve the unemployment problem.

26/26
(Specimen of Title Page)

A REPORT
ON
(Title of the Project in Capital Letters)

BY

Name(s) of the ID.No.(s) Discipline(s)

Student(s)

_________________ ________________ _______________________

_________________ ________________ _______________________
_________________ ________________ _______________________

Prepared in partial fulfilment of the

Practice School-I Course No.
BITS F221/BITS F231/BITS F241
AT

(Station Name and Centre)

A Practice School-I station of

BIRLA INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY & SCIENCE, PILANI

(July, 2019)
(Specimen of Cover Page)

A REPORT
ON
(Title of the Project in Capital Letters)

BY

Name(s) of the ID.No.(s)

Student(s)

_________________ ________________
_________________ ________________
_________________ ________________

AT

(Station Name and Centre)

A Practice School-I station of

BIRLA INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY & SCIENCE, PILANI

(July, 2019)
(Specimen of Abstract Sheet)

BIRLA INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY AND SCIENCE

PILANI (RAJASTHAN)
Practice School Division

Station(s):_________________ Centre:__________________________

Duration: From: _________________________________ To:____________________________________

Date of Submission:_____________________________

Title of the Project:___________________________________________________________________________________

ID No. Name(s) of student(s) Discipline

Name(s) of expert Designation

Name of the PS Faculty:

Key Words:

Project Area(s):

Abstract:

Signature(s) of Student(s) Signature of PS Faculty

Date Date

Note:
1. Title of the project in this proforma should be the same as that on the cover page and title page
2. Abstract should briefly describe the information given in the report in about 200 words
3. itis essential for both the students and faculty to sign the abstract sheet.