Tuesday, December 31, 2019

The Bombing Of Hiroshima And Nagasaki - 1165 Words

The Manhattan Project originally began as part of the nuclear arms race at the beginning of World War II, despite the fact that the United States had not entered the war at the time. It wasn’t until after the bombing of Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941 that the U.S. had officially declared war on Germany and Japan. After Germany had agreed to an unconditional surrender, therefore ending the war in Europe, the U.S. was still at war with Japan and the U.S, hesitant to risk more American lives, made the difficult decision to drop the atomic bomb over Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Both bombings resulted in the instant deaths of about 135,000 people and affecting thousands more in ways that could not have been predicted. The bombing of Hiroshima was necessary to save American lives and in bringing an end to the war, however, the second bombing of Nagasaki was unnecessary though there are many arguments to counter otherwise. President Truman made the unimaginable decision to drop the firs t ever atomic bomb over Hiroshima in an attempt to prevent the loss of many more American lives. Had the President chose not to use the atom bomb, the U.S. would have most likely launched a full invasion on Japan’s main island and would have killed a great deal more people than the bombings did. A scholar who studied Operation Downfall, which was an invasion plan that the U.S. had formed as an alternative from the bombing, said â€Å"depending on the degree to which Japanese civilians resisted theShow MoreRelatedThe Bombing Of Hiroshima And Nagasaki1720 Words   |  7 PagesPart A: Plan of Investigation To what extent did the bomb that was dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki, Japan justified? The Manhattan project was the reason the bomb, ‘Little Boy’ and ‘Fat Man’ were dropped in Japan. The Manhattan project was created because America was frightened, that Germany was already creating nuclear bombs. (http://www.history.com/topics/world-war-ii/bombing-of-hiroshima-and-nagasaki) So, America started the project in 1949. The reason Japan became the target was because, JapanRead MoreHiroshima And Nagasaki Bombing Of Hiroshima1206 Words   |  5 PagesWar Two Hiroshima and Nagasaki Bombing The Bombing In 1945, the US dropped 2 atomic bombs on the cities Hiroshima and Nagasaki in Japan, causing hundreds of thousands civilian deaths. Some people say that this act helped to end the world war and save more lives, but others think that it was not needed and wasn t the cause of the Japanese surrender. Sequence of Events 5th August 1945 President gives approval to use bombs 6th August 1945 Bombing of Hiroshima 9th August 1945 Bombing of Nagasaki 15th AugustRead MoreThe Bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki700 Words   |  3 PagesThe Bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki The United States was completely unjustified in dropping the atomic bomb because it was used so we could have a sense of â€Å"power† over the rest of the world. President Harry Truman had paid no heed to his prior statements as to the intended use of the bomb; and not only had it violated the Hague Convention, but it also caused lifelong repercussions for Japan’s land and people. The United States, nearly 70 years later, has yet to apologize to the victims orRead MoreThe Bombing Of Hiroshima And Nagasaki1902 Words   |  8 Pages Hiroshima and Nagasaki altered the course of world events by starting the Cold War, ushering advancements in technology, and by influencing cultures worldwide. Occurring on August 6 and August 9 in 1945, the bombing of the cities set of a series of events that would forever change history. The United States and the Soviet Union emerged from the war as superpowers with seemingly limitless power. Their ideologies, however, contrasted greatly, and the once allied nations would turn against each otherRead MoreThe Bombing Of Hiroshima And Nagasaki1474 Words   |  6 PagesNuclear Paper: The Bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki World War Two is arguably the most famous war in world history. It is remembered as a very tragic and influential historical event across the globe. Many countries joined the war at different times, but the general start date has been narrowed to the period of time between 1931 and 1939. The war was primarily between two main powers; the Axis nations, consisting of Nazi Germany, Italy, and Japan, and the Allied nations, led by Britain and CommonwealthRead MoreThe Bombing Of Hiroshima And Nagasaki1593 Words   |  7 Pages Bombing of Hiroshima On August 8th 1945 the first atomic weapon, a fission bomb, was dropped on the city of Hiroshima in an attempt to force the Japanese to surrender in World War II (Bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, 2009). This event exposed the danger of nuclear energy. This massive explosion demolished 90 percent of the city and immediately killed 80,000 people. This was only the beginning though, tens of thousands of innocent people died due to the aftermath of radiation exposure for anotherRead MoreThe Bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki888 Words   |  4 PagesThe Bombing of Hiroshima Nagasaki Would you kill a thousand to save millions? Well the drastic actions taken by the United States did save millions. There were two actions that had to occur to save the millions and end the war, the dropping of the two atomic bombs being the first of their kind were to be the most powerful bomb ever invented using atomic and nuclear forces so create it and packed over 20,000 tons of TNT and was about ten feet long. The bomber that transported and dropped themRead MoreThe Bombing Of Hiroshima And Nagasaki1051 Words   |  5 PagesThe bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki is one of the most talked about events in human history. It was the first and last time an atomic bomb was used in the history of the world. The bombing did not only mark the end of a battle with the Japanese but provided humanity a first-hand preview into the effects of the man-made device. Since the bombing there have been many discussions such as: who should possess such power, will mankind be the reason for its own d emise, and why did America decide to useRead MoreThe Bombing Of Hiroshima And Nagasaki1559 Words   |  7 Pagesalready been devastated by airstrikes. It was hoped that the bombing of Hiroshima with an atomic weapon would cause Japan to finally surrender unconditionally. That did not happen. Three days later on Aug 9, 1945 Nagasaki was bombed with the second atomic bomb. Japan surrendered unconditionally Aug 14, 1945. The United States had already been bombing Japan for years with a net effect worse than the outcome of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, but Japan did not show any signs of surrendering. Why did theRead MoreThe Bombing Of Hiroshima And Nagasaki1174 Words   |  5 PagesMorality of The Bombings in Hiroshima and Nagasaki There have been various arguments regarding the bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki that continually surface as to whether it was necessary or morally right to drop the atomic bomb on Japan. Depending upon whose side of the argument you have heard causes one to question whether this was a morally right or wrong decision that was made. Serious reconciliation is needed due to this event, and both sides of the argument need to be strongly considered

Monday, December 23, 2019

Strategic Corporate Social Responsibility Of The Armed...

Executive Summary: In response to the earlier task where all Senior Stakeholder Relationship Representatives were required to settle on a strategic Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) partner for BusComm Enterprises, Armed Services YMCA of San Diego is hereby presented as the final choice. The charitable organization offers numerous support services such as assistance to rehabilitate wounded soldiers, free medical and psychological counseling, and programs to aid soldiers and their families. This choice is also based on the known deficit of support to military men and women who frequently suffer from life altering physical and emotional injuries. The Armed Services YMCA is a well-organized and highly rated association, with a rich history of serving since the civil war. It is thus a suitable strategic partner that fits our organizational goals and desire to integrate precedent setting CSR practices. This charity also fits our budget and presents a unique opportunity to serve in a barely exploited are a, which will appeal to our shareholders. Conversely, my analysis indicated that Invisible Children would require higher scaling of resources and commitment in order to make an impact while their thematic area may be hard to resonate with our audience. Elsewhere, Community HousingWorks appeared capable of self-funding and represented a fairly common CSR partner who wouldn’t present BusComm Enterprises as any different among peers. It was also my opinion that the San Diego BrainShow MoreRelatedMonsanto: Better Living Through Genetic Engineering96204 Words   |  385 PagesDaimlerChrysler: Corporate governance dynamics in a global company C A S E T H R E E Gunns and the greens: Governance issues in Tasmania C A S E F O U R Succeeding in the Sydney indie music industry C A S E F I V E Nucor in 2005 C A S E S I X News Corp in 2005: Consolidating the DirecTV acquisition C A S E S E V E N Shanghai Volkswagen: Implementing project management in the electrical engineering division C A S E E I G H T Television New Zealand: Balancing between commercial and social objectives C

Sunday, December 15, 2019

Schlafly’s Opinion on School to Work Programs Free Essays

On September 4, 1997, Phyllis Schlafly wrote an article titled â€Å"School-to-Work Will Train, Not Educate. † The article discusses the cons of the school-to-work program and that states that it is portrayed as a â€Å"cradle to the grave. † The article says that the school-to-work program will train and not educate. We will write a custom essay sample on Schlafly’s Opinion on School to Work Programs or any similar topic only for you Order Now Schlafly is the president of the Eagle Forum, a organization that stands for the fundamental right of parents to guide the education of their own children, thinks that â€Å"school-to-work is a direct threat to the individual student, his or her privacy, his or her goals and his or her acquisition of an education that can help him reach them. Schlafly†s opinion wrong and will not pass in today†s society. In Schlafly†s criticism, she states that the school-to-work program â€Å"deemphasizes or eliminates academic work and substitutes mandated vocational training to better serve the workforce. † She also says that â€Å"instead of the focus being on developing the child, the focus is on developing a labor force. † Schlafly thinks that school-to-work is training rather then education. In contrast to Schlafly, Olson says that school-to-work give students â€Å"motivation† which will help students because students in today†s society are not motivated enough. Surveys prove that students describe education as â€Å"boring. † Schlafly believes that the STW law stating that vocational training starts â€Å"at the earliest possible age†¦ † is wrong. The reason is that she believes that elementary or middle school children do not know what career they want to fulfill. The last point in Schlafly†s article is she states that â€Å"big businesses support school-to-work because they think that vocational courses in high school for illiterate or semi-illiterate students will train young Americans to compete in the global economy with people in the third world willing to work for 25 and 50 cents an hour. She is basically saying that big businesses are supporting school-to-work because they want some cheap labor. In conclusion to her article, Schlafly says that â€Å"all those who value freedom must defeat and defund school-to-work. † She thinks that school-to-work is oppressing the students from their freedom to learn and receive a good education. Schlafly†s article says that Marc Tucker†s plan for school-to-work is to â€Å"train children in specific jobs to serve the workforce and the global economy instead of educate them so they can make their own life choices. She also says that it is designed on the â€Å"German system. † Where did she get the idea that school-to-work is based on the â€Å"German system? † She does not know what she is talking about and the information she is spreading is invalid. She also states that the program is to â€Å"train† children but she also does not give the option of training and educating together. Olson shows how training and education goes together by showing kids why they have to learn and by creating a desire to learn. Schlafly is absolutely wrong about â€Å"training children. † Beginning school-to-work at the earliest age possible does not mean that elementary and middle school students are going to choose their lifetime career. Giving the children vocational training will give them an option in what they want to do in the future. Children will see if they like the field of training and study and decide whether or not they want to pursue that vocation in the future. In comparison to what Olson says, â€Å"school-to-work activities can provide choices and opportunities for young people, many of whom are not now well served y our education system. Schlafly says that â€Å"big businesses support school-to-work† because it will provide them with cheap labor. Where did Schlafly get this information? Throughout the whole article there is no proof of justifying this idea. She also mentions that governors support the program because â€Å"it gives them control of a pot of money for which they don†t have to account to the state legislature. † This statement also lacks evidence and cannot be used to prove that the program is a failure. School-to-work is not for businesses or governors, but rather for the children themselves and their goals for their future. Like Olson says, â€Å"school-to-work can encourage young people to pursue education and training beyond high school. † Is Schlafly criticism valid at all? Absolutely not, she bases her information on nothing, such as the â€Å"German system. † Schlafly proved that school-to-work is training for a lifetime career but this argument is wrong because training can also be compatible with education. Big businesses and governors may support school-to-work for cheap labor and for the money but there is no proof and even if there was any proof not all businesses and governors would think that way. Until Schlafly gives some proof to her information and can prove that training and education are not compatible, she is not to be taken seriously. School-to-work is a very good idea and to agreement with Olson, â€Å"done right school-to-work can be a powerful tool in the effort to achieve higher academic standards and a more educated citizenry. How to cite Schlafly’s Opinion on School to Work Programs, Papers

Saturday, December 7, 2019

Spin Master Case free essay sample

Ken Mark prepared this case under the supervision of Professor John Haywood-Farmer solely to provide material for class discussion. The authors do not intend to illustrate either effective or ineffective handling of a managerial situation. The authors may have disguised certain names and other identifying information to protect confidentiality. Ivey Management Services prohibits any form of reproduction, storage or transmittal without its written permission. Reproduction of this material is not covered under authorization by any reproduction rights organization. To order copies or request permission to reproduce materials, contact Ivey Publishing, Ivey Management Services, c/o Richard Ivey School of Business, The University of Western Ontario, London, Ontario, Canada, N6A 3K7; phone (519) 661-3208; fax (519) 661-3882; e-mail [emailprotected] uwo. ca. Copyright  © 2001, Ivey Management Services Version: (A) 2009-12-17 In mid-July 1999, Alex Perez, operations manager of Spin Master Toys of Toronto, Ontario, was trying to decide from which supplier to purchase the design and production of the company’s latest toy, an electrically powered airplane named E-Chargers. He had investigated a number of potential suppliers in southern China and had settled on two finalists, Wah Shing Electronics Co. Ltd. (Wah Shing) and Wai Lung Plastics Mfy. Ltd. (Wai Lung). With the anticipated date for the launch of this product just a few short months away, Perez had to make his choice quickly. SPIN MASTER TOYS In April 1994, Anton Rabie, Ronnen Harary and Ben Varadi graduated from The University of Western Ontario, Rabie and Varadi from the Ivey Business School and Harary from political science. The three decided to forgo opportunities in the corporate world and strike out on their own. They were soon making Earth Buddy, a nylon stocking filled with sawdust and grass seed moulded into a head. After immersion in water, the grass seed would sprout to give the head a crop of grass — hair. Although Earth Buddy was clearly a fad item, the company managed to sell 1. 5 million of them in just six months, making it one of the most popular gift items that year. In February 1995, the company followed this success with the launch of Spin Master Devil Sticks, which consisted of two hand-held sticks used to manipulate a third. This product also became a resounding success. Eventually the company incorporated Spin Master into its name. The company’s principals believed they had achieved their success through avant-garde, grassroots marketing savvy and a two-tier distribution network, which covered both the major and independent retail segments in North America. In the following three years, Spin Master Toys produced an array of relatively low-technology, highmargin toys for the Canadian market. The product list included: †¢ Spin-A-Blo spinning toys This document is authorized for use only in Strategic Supply Chain Management by B. K. Banwet at Indian Institute of Management Shillong from March 2014 to September 2014. Page 2 †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ 9B01D001 Radical Reptiles foam reptiles attached to a metal leash Top-No-Sis spinning board My First Kite a starter kite for children Grow-Things water-absorbent play animals Although Spin Master Toys achieved notable success with these fad items, none reached the unit sales that Earth Buddy had produced. Following its success with Spin Master Devil Sticks, Spin Master Toys spent six months moving from being project-focused to building relationships with retailers, investors and creating a research and development department. At a major 1996 toy show, two inventors approached Rabie and Harary, and many other toy companies with the concept for a compressed-air-powered toy plane. Their initial design was a plastic soft drink bottle with wings attached. Rabie and Harary and the major toy companies rejected the idea as being too ambitious. However, the inventors were persistent, and after the original prototype had been revised several times, Spin Master Toys decided to purchase the rights to the concept. After a frustrating two years and $500,000 in development, Spin Master Toys rolled out its Air Hogs line of compressed-air-powered planes, and, with outside engineering expertise, proceeded to manufacture them in China. The company used an innovative marketing campaign to generate a groundswell of excitement. Air Hogs became a topselling toy for the 1998 North American Christmas season and was hailed by Popular Science as one of the 100 greatest inventions of the year, creating, as it did, a new category — compressed-air-powered planes. Spin Master Toys had to double production of Air Hogs just to keep up with demand, which was increased by the product shortage in the first few months after the initial shipments. Following the success of Air Hogs, Spin Master Toys decided to develop a line of toys driven by compressed air. It subsequently launched a compressed-air-powered water rocket called the Vector, a car named the Road Ripper, and two new compressed-air-powered product-flanking planes, the V-Wing Avenger and the Renegade. With over 50 people working in its Toronto head office, and a recently opened office in Hong Kong staffed by two project managers, Spin Master Toys was enjoying rapid expansion through its combination of speed to market and innovative marketing. Revenue had grown from nearly $525,000 in 1994 to a projected $45. 8 million in 1999, earning it the 10th spot on the Profit 100 Canada’s Fastest-Growing Companies list. THE TOY INDUSTRY The toy market included both hard and soft goods, as well as combinations. Hard goods included plastic and metal toys ?  water guns, construction toys, action figures, etc. Soft goods included plush toys, fabrics and dolls. Either hard or soft toys increasingly used embedded electronic components as differentiators. Southern China in and near Hong Kong accounted for a large percentage of the world’s toy manufacturing industry; many manufacturers there had over 50 years of toy-making experience. Beginning with lowtechnology plastic and metal to ys in the early years, toy makers in the area had developed sophisticated design, engineering and manufacturing skills. Such factors could be important. Perez, who used to work for a large toy company, remembered a competitor that sourced from Thailand because production costs were slightly lower. Despite this advantage, the project was a dismal failure, in part because of the lack of toy-making expertise in that country. This document is authorized for use only in Strategic Supply Chain Management by B. K. Banwet at Indian Institute of Management Shillong from March 2014 to September 2014. Page 3 9B01D001 Aside from experience, the Hong Kong market had English-speaking workers, a western-style banking system, easy access to low-cost production facilities and workers in China, an entrepreneurial spirit and major port facilities. Deciding to source toys from this region was relatively easy. E-CHARGERS E-Chargers were Spin Master Toy’s next foray into the powered toy airplane market. Unlike the traditional toy airplane powered by a stretched rubber band, gasoline engine, or compressed air, EChargers were driven by electricity. The product came in two parts: a battery pack holding four AA dry cell batteries, and a plastic foam airplane containing a small capacitor1 connected to an electric motor. By inserting the battery pack into a special port on the airplane, the user both started the electric motor driving the plane’s propeller and charged the capacitor. The user then disconnected the plane from the battery pack and launched it into the air. Spin Master Toys touted E-Chargers as being capable of flights of up to 90 metres and as â€Å"high performing, easy-to-use rechargeable planes that come with their own chargers ?  kids just have to let them charge for 10 seconds and then let them fly. † In the company’s view, the product line allowed it to extend the magic of real flight to children as young as five ? younger than the user of Air Hogs. To encourage users to collect E-Chargers, the company planned to produce six different styles and promised high performance at a low price. Sp in Master Toys had sold the E-Chargers concept to retailers who subsequently placed endcap2 orders for a December 7, 1999, delivery date to meet the spring planogram3 shelving period. This was the first time that Spin Master Toys would ship products for a planogram. In the past, the company had been able to obtain special shelf space only because of its products’ uniqueness. The main advantage in shipping to a set deadline was the guarantee of shelf space. Spin Master Toys now had to design and make the EChargers in time to meet the order date. PRELIMINARY E-CHARGER PRODUCTION ESTIMATES Working back from December 7, 1999, Perez developed a somewhat accelerated schedule that would allow delivery of the E-Chargers plane. Exhibit 1 shows the development schedule, delay in any step of which would make the project late. Rough Engineering Model This stage involved the engineering work needed to craft a design to meet the desired specifications provided by the manufacturer. These specifications included, for example, that the toy would be capable of high-speed production while maintaining acceptable finished-product quality, that it was within the weight and size required, and that any electronic components involved would function within tolerances provided. 1A capacitor is an electronic device used to store charge ? in essence it is like a rechargeable battery. It consists of an arrangement of conductors, separated by an insulator. Endcaps are the attractive, highly visible end spaces on shopping aisles. Executives of Spin Master Toys expected that an E-Chargers endcap order from a large retail customer would result in sales of about 150,000 units. 3 Retailers took three weeks after Christmas to clear out old stock and put in new toys for the spring period. The layout of toys by aisle and shelf, known as a planogram, was determined in advance. This document is authorized for use only in Strategic Supply Chain Management by B. K. Banwet at Indian Institute of Management Shillong from March 2014 to September 2014. Page 4 9B01D001 Although design work normally took about eight weeks, Spin Master Toys allowed less than three weeks for E-Chargers; the design work would have to be completed no later than the middle of June. On June 22, K-Development of Erie, Pennsylvania, the company to which Spin Master Toys had contracted the development engineering, transferred the completed engineering designs to Reh Kemper, a prototype designer based in Chicago, Illinois. Reh Kemper completed its work on July 2. According to Perez’s timeline, the project was already a week behind schedule for the start of production. Engineering Models After one week of examination, study and discussion of the prototype, Perez and his team approved it and issued a ‘Final Design Release. ’ Spin Master Toys then returned it to K-Development, which had five days to improve the rough engineering model and produce three initial prototypes to ensure that the design was engineered correctly to the specified tolerances. This preliminary work showed that the weight of the plane would be of great concern. Initial tests showed that to achieve the expected flight times, E-Chargers had to weigh 17 grams. Once the third engineering model was ready, Perez released it to vendors, requesting preliminary quotes within five days. Tooling From this stage on, all work would be performed at the factory, with regular updates sent to Perez by phone or fax. The tool start involved creating the moulds and other tooling required to produce the toy in mass quantity. Plastic parts such as those used in E-Chargers were normally made by injection moulding in which a molten plastic was injected into the carefully machined cavity inside a two-piece block of metal (the mould). After applying pressure and cooling, the mould was opened to remove the part. In practice, moulders might use large moulds capable of making several parts simultaneously. This crucial step usually took four weeks; the time required was usually factored into the design component. Perez estimated that Spin Master Toys would need the first test samples by September 8. Engineering Pilots The next step was testing the moulds and other tools, ideally with two engineering pilots. At least one engineering pilot had to be performed before the next stage, as it was almost inevitable that the moulds would need some adjustments. A factory would count on three weeks to run both engineering pilots. The first and second engineering pilots and the shots from them had to be completed by October 8. Final Engineering Pilot In this two-week process, the final moulds and other tools were finished. To have the product ready for the production pilot date of October 21, this step had to be completed in one week. This document is authorized for use only in Strategic Supply Chain Management by B. K. Banwet at Indian Institute of Management Shillong from March 2014 to September 2014. Page 5 9B01D001 Production Pilot This step tested whether the moulds and other tools would withstand high-speed production while delivering product within the required tolerances. The production pilot tests and the final quote had to be approved by November 22. Production Start In the case of E-Chargers, Perez estimated that production would have to start at least two weeks before the shipping date to allow production of enough units to meet retailer demand. Thus, production would have to start on November 22 to just make the December 7 ship date. SPIN MASTER TOYS’ CONTRACT MANUFACTURERS In the past, Spin Master Toys had obtained its products from various Chinese manufacturers. Because of the large differences between its previous toys, the company had treated each product separately. Consequently, Spin Master Toys had gained considerable experience with several suppliers, as each toy had been manufactured by a different factory. Spin Master Toys believed that its product closest in design to E-Chargers was Air Hogs. In May 1999, while working on Water Rocket, one of its second generation compressed-air-powered toys, Spin Master Toys had visited Kin Seng Ltd. , the Air Hogs manufacturer. During a factory tour, Spin Master Toys discovered that the Kin-Seng factory was at capacity. Because of the tightness of its E-Chargers schedule, Spin Master Toys decided not to consider Kin Seng as a potential supplier. Spin Master Toys thus searched for an alternative manufacturer, eventually creating a short list of two, Wai Lung and Wah Shing. WAI LUNG In early 1999, Harary had been introduced to the owner of privately owned Wai Lung Manufacturing Co. Harary believed that Spin Master Toys would receive more attention from an owner-operated factory than from a subsidiary of a public corporation. Reassuring Harary that he would provide personal attention to this project, Eric Lee, Wai Lung’s owner seemed eager to strike a deal with Spin Master Toys. Harary subsequently initiated a toy project, Flick Trix Finger Bikes, with Wai Lung. Finger Bikes were miniature die-cast replicas of brand-name BMX bikes with fully functional parts. Already in a rushed situation, Harary had asked Wai Lung if it could engineer the Finger Bikes, produce and ship them in six weeks ? it normally took other manufacturers six to 10 weeks to perform these tasks. With Finger Bikes already engineered by Reh Kemper, Spin Master Toys would rely on Wai Lung’s staff to beat a competitor to the market. Working at a break-neck pace, Wai Lung had been able not only to build the tools in the allotted time, but also to increase production very quickly with little lead time. Although Wai Lung had initially built tools to support a production rate of 10,000 bikes a day, once it was evident that demand was strong, the company was able to build additional tools in four weeks versus the previous six weeks, boosting Finger Bikes production to 40,000 bikes a day. Not only had Wai Lung come through for Spin Master Toys, but it went on to produce a high quality toy and increased production more steeply than Harary had thought possible. Perez expressed his thoughts: This document is authorized for use only in Strategic Supply Chain Management by B. K. Banwet at Indian Institute of Management Shillong from March 2014 to September 2014. Page 6 9B01D001 Wai Lung is highly committed and has put us at the top of its priority list. During our early experience with Finger Bikes, they returned calls promptly and answered all questions during the critical production period. Wai Lung’s performance with Finger Bikes allowed us to beat a major competitor to the market. This prompted our competitor to drop the project in mid-design. We should look at Wai Lung as a supplier for E-Chargers because of our positive experience with them. However, their engineering workforce is fairly small and they haven’t produced toys with electronic components. They have focused on die-casting and plastic action figures. EChargers have to be designed and produced to much more stringent tolerances than diecast or plastic toys. To put it bluntly, flying toys would take a paradigm shift in Wai Lung’s engineering expertise. We did plan to use a vendor survey report, but we don’t have any engineering expertise at our Hong Kong office. And, in Canada, our manufacturing team includes me and Ronnen ? with this in mind, I wonder if we can gather this information for Wai Lung and Wah Shing in time. We are already behind schedule as it stands. Harary returned to visit Wai Lung in May 1999 and, while walking through the factory, estimated by observation that Wai Lung was at 40 per cent of capacity. He also found out that Wai Lung had excess capacity to utilize because it had just lost a significant portion of its business during a  Spin Master Casedisagreement with a large toy company. Harary was impressed by its size: it had 2,000 workers in its 100,000 square-foot factory in Shenzhen, about a one-hour journey by train and car from Hong Kong. Typical toy factories in this area averaged about 600 workers. He casually asked the owner of Wai Lung for a quick overview of the projects currently in progress . Wai Lung was working on plastic play sets and action figures for Hasbro. Another company with which Wai Lung had a contract had gone bankrupt. Pressing further on a different subject, Harary got the sense that Wai Lung would not begin many projects in the near future. Lee, 48, had always been very accommodating to Harary and considered himself to be a self-made man, building up a successful factory. Still hungry to grow his business, he had recently hired three engineers. He was willing to extend favorable credit terms to Spin Master Toys, allowing for Finger Bikes production to commence with a simple wire transfer of funds versus a more formal letter of credit. Otherwise, a letter of credit from the bank, along with the requisite documentation, meant that up to 30 per cent of the total invoice amount needed to be securely transferred before the start of production. Once production was started, payments would immediately be taken out of cash flow. With a wire transfer, however, funds would be wired to the supplier’s bank account 21 days after the goods were shipped. WAH SHING Wah Shing was a subsidiary of a Hong Kong public toy manufacturer. It was a company with annual revenues of US$40 million (the average Hong Kong toy company with product line similar to Wah Shing’s earned about US$30 million in revenues per year). While at his previous employer, Perez had worked with Wah Shing. Wah Shing had been one of the suppliers of choice for major toy companies such as Tiger and Hasbro which needed electronic toys. These companies wanted to maintain their track record of successful electronic toy engineering development and manufacture in the electronic hand-held, feature electronic plush, radio control and IR interactive categories, including toys such as â€Å"Shotgun and Skidzo,† â€Å"Furby,† â€Å"Laser Light Tennis† and â€Å"Galactic Battle. †