Evaluating the company

Vendor s reliability. The vendor that supplies the instrument should have a track record of providing high-quality instruments and after-sale support. A vendor audit should be conducted for a new instrument supplier to evaluate the company s ability to build high-quality products. Purchasing an instrument from a financially unstable vendor is risky. 

From an analysis of the published financial research on the chemical industry, the sustainability issues of concern in the mainstream investment world revolve first around exposure to hot-button issues such as asbestos and genetic modification. There are some indications that this concern may extend to issues that have not yet fully blossomed, such as endocrine disruptors. There is also lingering concern about the potential for European Union rules that, if adopted, would essentially shift the burden of proof from showing that a chemical caused harm to having to demonstrate the safety of a number of chemicals in current use. Among those analyzing the sustainability of the chemical industry, the primary task appears to be to evaluate the companies ability to deal with complex issues of safety, emission reductions, community relations, and so on. 

After a positive evaluation, the company must prepare for the three-person inspection from the authority. 

Mini-case study Milo s Home Improvement was recently named as an authorized distributor of lawn tractors by the Dear John Company (DJC— whose advertising proclaims, "You ll love our tractors so much you won t care if she leaves you for someone who s not so attached to lawn care.") Milo s retail network covers the Southeastern United States. You are the newly hired logistics analyst for Milo s, and you ve been asked to evaluate the company s current replenishment policies for optional accessories to support lawn tractors. 

Fig. 2.4 PEST analysis to evaluate the company environment (Miiller-Stewens and Lechner2005)...

The "why" is a competitive assessment. It evaluates the company against competitors on each customer requirement. The information should show the company s product and supply chain position in terms of the features most wanted by customers. The why display shows the relative positions of major competitors and the degree of difference between them. This can help identify areas to turn a fimctional product into an innovative one. For example, the type of coffee served is an easily duplicafed feature. But ambiance is not, and is a better opportunity to be "different."... 

Safety knowledge reviews and work observations should be routinely performed by the supervisor to measure the effectiveness of the company s safety program, training, PPE, compliance etc. At a minimum, the work observation form should include the employee s name, job title, year/date, supervisor name, work task(subject observed), OK/deviation, comments, and corrective action. This documentation should be maintained in the employee personnel file or a computerized file designed for this purpose. This information will be helpful in evaluating the company s accident prevention plan and will be used during an OSHA audit to document the company s safety training requirements. 

Regularly evaluate the company s fatigue-related inspection results via the FMCSA s Website at http //ai.fmcsa. dot.gov/SMS. Assess violations for process breakdowns and how to remedy them. 

Maintain and record crash accident details and evaluate the companys crash experience over time to identify potential pattems/trends. 

An equipment operator was struck in the head by a flywheel that shattered from a neighboring machine. It was believed that the operator was okay, but after urging from the FLS, the operator was sent for a medical evaluation. The company physician prescribed some medication and told the operator to take the rest of the day off and come back the next morning before the shift change for another look and potential full release. The operator, knowing that his shift was understaffed, went back to work. He told the FLS that he was okay and wanted to get his work completed. The operator went back to the company physician the next day and was released. 

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