Here's one more reason why the world may face a jobless recovery A jobless recovery or jobless growt...

1. THE SIX SIGMA BLACK BELTS ARE BACK
Here's one more reason why the world may face a
jobless recovery A jobless recovery or jobless
growth is a phrase used by economists to
describe the recovery from a recession which
does not produce strong growth in employment.
The phrase originated in the early 1990s in the
United States, to describe the economic recovery
at the end of : Six Sigma. In an attempt to boost
earnings without putting more people on the
payroll, companies are embracing the
controversial data-driven system that aims to
radically reduce production defects and improve processes in everything from marketing to
manufacturing.
Companies as varied as drug giant Merck, British confectioner Cadbury, and doughnut maker
Dunkin' Brands Dunkin' Brands runs several chains of fast-food restaurants. History
On December 12, 2005, Pernod Ricard, who had just taken control of Allied Domecq, announced
plans to sell the Dunkin' Brands group. Â are increasingly turning to Six Sigma to lift their bottom
lines. Capital One says it has launched a Six Sigma initiative to "drive continuous improvement" in
its operations, while Pfizer this year embarked on 85 Six Sigma projects to lower the cost of
delivering medicines to patients in its pharmaceutical sciences division. "We're applying Lean Six
Sigma Lean Six Sigma is a business improvement methodology which combines (as the name
implies) tools from both Lean Manufacturing and Six Sigma. Lean manufacturing focuses on speed
and traditional Six Sigma focuses on quality. By combining the two, the result is better quality
faster. Â across the whole R&D process," says Pfizer Senior Vice-President Annette Doherty. (Lean
Six Sigma includes elements of lean manufacturing Lean manufacturing is the production of goods
using less of everything compared to mass production: less human effort, less manufacturing space,
less investment in tools, and less engineering time to develop a new product. Â techniques.) Even
the Chicago law firm Seyfarth Shaw has become a Six Sigma devotee, with Managing Partner J.
Stephen Poor calling it "a very powerful tool" in making client meetings more productive.
Such interest speaks to the level of anxiety permeating the corporate landscape. Six Sigma expert
Anand Sharma Shri Anand Sharma a politician from Indian National Congress party is a Member of
the Parliament of India representing Himachal Pradesh in the Rajya Sabha, the upper house of the
Indian Parliament.
He is currently the Minister of State in the Ministry of External Affairs. , CEO (1) (Chief Executive
Officer) The highest individual in command of an organization. Typically the president of the
company, the CEO reports to the Chairman of the Board. Â of TBM TBM

2. abbr.
tactical ballistic missile  Consulting Group, says that "in the last 90 days we have had 50% more
inquiries and proposals out than ever before." Ads seeking Six Sigma experts and "black belts"
increased to 7,155 in August from 6,585 in June, according to according to
prep.
1. As stated or indicated by; on the authority of: according to historians.
2. In keeping with: according to instructions.
3. Â job site aggregator Indeed.com.
Faced with the prospect of lackluster sales through the end of the year, leaders are looking for
Looking for
In the context of general equities, this describing a buy interest in which a dealer is asked to offer
stock, often involving a capital commitment. Antithesis of in touch with. Â alternative routes to
growth. "When you know the result of your cost-cutting efforts will be letting go 15% of your
workforce, you don't need a consultant," says David Silverstein, CEO of consultancy Breakthrough
Management Group International. While heavy layoffs and cost-cutting helped boost earnings in the
second quarter, many companies are now so tightly managed that further gains may be tougher to
come by.
Thus the renewed interest in Six Sigma and its emphasis on rigorously measuring and perfecting
various processes. Unlike in the 1990s, when such executives as General Electric's Jack Welch
embraced Six Sigma with missionary zeal, consultants say today's converts generally are looking for
a fast way to save money. "We've really seen in the past 12 to 18 months that companies that want
Lean Six Sigma want something very different," says Mark O. George, managing director in the
Process & Innovation Performance group at Accenture. Instead of the kind of cultural change often
associated with a Six Sigma initiative, they're looking for techniques that can pay off quickly. David
Niles, president of Six Sigma consultancy SSA (Serial Storage Architecture) A fault tolerant
peripheral interface from IBM that transfers data at 80 and 160 Mbytes/sec. SSA uses SCSI
commands, allowing existing software to drive SSA peripherals, which are typically disk drives. Â &
Co., says clients now tell him, "'What I really want is results, and I want them in 90 days.'"
Critics say Six Sigma has its drawbacks. They argue its obsessive focus on measurements can
squelch squelch Â
v. squelched, squelch·ing, squelch·es
v.tr.
1. To crush by or as if by trampling; squash.
2. Â innovation or prove ill-suited to processes away from the factory floor. And investments can take
many months, if not years, to pay off. "If you're thinking about it being useful for the current
economic downturn, it may be a little late to start a lot of Six Sigma work," says Thomas Davenport,
a professor of management at Babson College.
Still, Six Sigma is finding new life, especially in retail. Target claims more than $100 million in
savings over the past six years from the program. Mike Fisher, Best Buy's senior director of Lean Six
Sigma, says projects like streamlining appliance installation have helped the company save up to $20
million in some cases. "Without a doubt, it put us in a better position to muscle through the
recession by getting all of those inefficiencies out," says Fisher. SSA has helped several retailers

3. expand programs in the past year. Retail practice leader Suzanne Long says that three national
retail chains are among the consultancy's new clients.
http://business.ohio.gov/
For a sense of the new approach to Six Sigma, consider Target. It hasn't enforced its program with
the rigor rigor /rig·or/ (rig´er) [L.] chill; rigidity.
rigor mor´tis the stiffening of a dead body accompanying depletion of adenosine triphosphate in
the muscle fibers. Â common in manufacturing. "Some companies require their employees to use Six
Sigma," says spokesperson Beth Hanson. "You don't have to be a black belt or green belt or be
certified at all to use Six Sigma [here]. We just offer employees the tools."
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Lean Thoughts for Lean Times
For devotees of Six Sigma there's no shortage of online resources. One of the most globally minded
of the blogs on the subject is Six Sigma (sixsig.info). Recent posts touch on Six Sigma's applicability
in the health-care industry and include a story on how an Indian wind power company is deploying
lean manufacturing techniques.
To check out the blog, go to http://bx.businessweek.com/lean-six-sigma/reference/
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