Coloplast company Essay

Executive Summary Coloplast, an international company that specializes in developing, manufacturing, and marketing medical devices, implemented an off-shoring strategy in order to stay viable, competitive and keep in focus the dynamic market needs. Implementing this strategy has brought some issues that were unexpected for Coloplast. One of the issues was with the organizational structure. Coloplast’s off shoring involved moving operations to Hungary. They would be operating with Danish and Hungarian production plants, where production processes were not the same. Misunderstandings and miscommunication arose amongst employees and created managerial and operational challenges. Another issue that arose was knowledge management and this became a problem since there was very limited documentation on inconsistencies in equipment operation as well as no proper standardization of systems in place. The solution to these problems is to implement company wide processes that help standardize both Hungarian and Danish plants. Employee motivation and communication is another issue and this is attributable to the resistance to change which many employees face. Coloplast didn’t look at these issues with offshoring as their costs were rising locally and they needed to mitigate that cost. Coloplast should expand to China where labour is even cheaper than Hungary. It is an offshoring move that must be looked at in order for Coloplast to maintain their economies of scale. The further reduction of costs with their experience from offshoring in Hungary allow Coloplast to enter the offshoring process to China with a greater understanding in all that it entails, and the possible pitfalls that can arise. Issue Identification One of the issues faced was that of the interdependent relationship between the Danish and the Hungarians. There were operational assumptions and activities. Nobody factored in how significant the language barrier would be. It proved to be a significant enough factor that it warranted unexpected time and money to rectify the problems Coloplast faced. There was a lack of knowledge transfer from the Danish operators to the Hungarian  operators and this resulted in operational inefficiencies. The other issue involved the human resource aspects such as limiting attrition rates, limiting social hardship, and transferring knowledge effectively. Environmental and Root Cause Analysis Certain trends shifted power towards the consumer in Coloplast’s industry. Although Coloplast saw the need to offshore or outsource, their decision was based on them trying to focus on their core business and to increase efficiency, the prime motive was to cut costs. They chose to offshore as this entailed lower cost and availability of skilling workers. They did not want to rely on third parties, and third parties lack the in house knowledge needed for Coloplast’s operation. Coloplast was seriously considering relocating to a low cost location for some time. They were in danger of certain factors such as reimbursement, policy changes, price pressures due to wholesaler concentration, and powerful insurance companies. They felt there were distinct advantages to off shoring as opposed to outsourcing as the competitive advantage of offshoring to Hungary as they developed a much better ecosystem for Coloplast’s business. This means there is better availability of ski lled human resources in that region for specific types of tasks. Their establishment in Hungary was due to the significant savings in production costs, which were 20 percent less than Danish levels. After they had factored in wage increases, Coloplast was convinced this offshore move would be financially advantageous in the long run. Building costs were 50% less in Hungary than Denmark. Cost considerations were an issue, but logistical considerations were weighed to be more important. The root cause factors lay in the rollout of the offshoring project. Large regional differences existed within Hungary in terms of wage and infrastructure. Coloplast was located on the attractive side of Hungary and other major companies were close by, which played a part in their decision to off shore. Although the relocation of operations involved mature product lines, the decentralized structure still made documenting planning and production systems difficult. The operations at the Danish site were not standardized, thus making it harder to offshore to Hungary, who had their own operations. The Danish factories felt that their organized production was unique to each  of them and couldn’t be replicated. There were no product manuals and they had to be created proper production techniques and equipment operation. This would then have to be translated to Hungarian, and this processes impact was not properly assessed. The transfer of knowledge and training that required human interaction was not properly addressed beforehand either. Alternatives or Options Expand in Europe. Many locations were scouted before Hungary was implemented, and there are several Eastern Bloc countries with low wage, and production costs. However, there is more risk in operating in one of these countries as the geopolitical implications in these countries can cause cost savings to be eroded. They can also see the feasibility in many countries such as Poland, Ireland, and the Czech Republic. They have already offshored and Coloplast felt that it could further improve incentives to strengthen transfer of knowledge in their next venture. The regional attraction was there with Hungary, and the cost savings did occur for Coloplast, thus making offshoring to another European country a feasible option. Europe has already lowered its offshoring walls following a global trend, and this could be attractive for Coloplast if the geographical distance to China were a concern. Recommendation and Implementation Relocate to China. Now that Coloplast has realized its deficiencies in their process with the offshoring to Hungary, they can mitigate these for the future in their relocation to China. The whole initial decision to offshore in the first place was to reduce cost. Hungary was less costly than Denmark, and China is less costly than Hungary. It makes business sense to relocate to China production wise, as the wages are significantly lower than the Danish and Hungarians. There are organizational challenges in this implementation in that the geographical distance between Denmark and China can amplify many of the scenarios that arose from their offshoring to Hungary. Their knowledge transfer must be coordinated well in advance with  any offshore implementation. They must establish well-set corporate guidelines on how to relocate and manage production sites in advance of any physical offshoring move. Maintain a high level of information and communicate in a direct manner. Leave no interpr etation, and build relationships. They must learn from the mistakes identified with their previous project. They must also apply the best practices from Hungary and include the idiosyncrasies of the Chinese business environment. The environment is drastically different from the environment they operated in Denmark and Hungary. These differences must be identified, and transitioned, as to make the offshoring smooth and sufficient. They will need to start with having Danish representatives make a presence in China in their facilities. It is important in business relations in China to have a level of trust with their employers, and customers. Establish substantial resources while further fine-tuning internal decision making processes and procedures in order to integrate their production unit with headquarters and production in Denmark. Monitor and Control Representatives from Coloplast in Denmark can have all their operational efficiencies set and can ease the process of off shoring by starting out with some local Danish representatives ease in the process with their physical presence in China. Work in conjunction with the Chinese workers in order to have them gain their trust, and a more direct line of knowledge transfer. Having set guidelines and policies in procedures will leave out any room for misinterpretation, such as what occurred in Hungary. Key KPI’s can be set for the offshoring project such as Total Cost vs. Total Cost Savings. Monitoring the metrics of expenses and comparing those expenses to their current operations will be a good indicator of any cost savings. Human capital must be monitored, as human resources were an issue that was already identified in Hungary. Turnover, and training costs must be monitored, recorded and reported.

Mt Cook Formation

Mt Cook/Aoraki formation Vinoth Loganathan New Zealand is a country which ‘straddles’ between two tectonic plates; the indo-Australian and the Pacific. The location of the South Island is south of both Australia and South Africa; this is a major contributor to the geological process of weathering because it makes Mt. Cook subject to the westerly winds. MT Cook is situated in the Southern Alps between the two tectonic plates mentioned above. Its current height is now stated at 3,753 meters making it the tallest mountain in Australasia.The mountain itself has been formed by three main geological processes; one internal: tectonic uplifting and 2 external: weathering and erosion. Internal: 1. Tectonic Uplifting Mt. Cook was formed by the internal process of orgenic tectonic uplifting, where two plates collide and one plate increases in elevation and the opposite plate decreases. However Mt. Cook formed differently compared to other mountains. This is due to both tectonic pla tes having landmass on the top and the plates meeting at different angles. The movement occurring here is grinding which pushes up land mass (Mt.Cook) and creates a transform fault. Present rate of uplift is 5-10 mm a year but this is easily countered by weathering and erosion. Evidence of this uplift is apparent on the mount on the south ridge specifically the Endeavour col fold where sand, mud and silt has been folded and fractures forming vertical beds of silt and sandstone. Overall the tectonic uplift of Mt. Cook over the past 2 to 3 million years could have been up to 20 kilometres but weathering and erosion have easily countered it. Westerly Winds External 1. Weathering Mt.Cook has been shaped by powerful forces of weathering. Mt Cook is subject to high amounts of weathering due to its height and location. Mt Cook is located south of Australia and South Africa making it the first significant barrier to the powerful westerly winds the ‘roaring forties’. Due to the wind Mt. Cook is subject to various different types of weathering such as freeze thaw weathering. When the wind reaches the Southern Alps the air rises and drops rain on Mt. Cook. When the water reaches the mountain it lands in a crack, it then freezes freezes and expands making the crack bigger.The process repeats and weathers the mountain. This process occurs all over the mountain rapidly due to often temperature change. This process also occurs a lot on the peaks on the mountain being the reason why the peaks are so ‘sharp’. 2. Erosion The wind and rain affecting Mt. Cook is a significant cause of erosion. Rain and wind both use gravity to essentially remove the ‘loose rock’ of the mountain. Rain does it by ‘washing’ it off and wind does it by ‘blowing’ it off. There is significant evidence that substantial erosion has occurred on Mt. Cook.This is located at the valleys of the Southern Alps. Large river beds made up of of Ã¢â‚¬Ë œeroded scree’ and gravel. Also multiple glaciers such as the hooker glacier are carrying eroded debris matching the rock Mt. Cook is made up of. Weathering and erosion have contributed to the formation of Mount Cook by shaping it. The shape of Mt. Cook is wide at the bottom but skinny at the top this is because the higher you go the more weathering and erosion occurring. So in conclusion Mt. Cook has been formed by multiple geological processes and is continuing to be formed this present age.

Research Paper on JetBlue Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 4250 words

On JetBlue - Research Paper Example The current paper is based upon analyzing the different costing techniques which an organization undertakes in order to acquire better financial efficiency. Accordingly, the current paper incorporates evaluation of activity based, standard and relevant costing techniques. The research incorporates analyzing such costing techniques by associating the same in context of JetBlue. The different circumstances under which JetBlue might undertake such costing techniques and their long run implications have been discussed upon. The paper begins with a brief analysis of JetBlue’s background, their span of operations and their general strategies to success. The subsequent sections of the paper include evaluating different costing processes and the manner in which JetBlue can incorporate the same to better manage their financial resources. The data for the current paper has been largely been collected from secondary sources such as web publications, journals and books. The study essentia l follows a descriptive and an interpretative approach. The research technique followed is essentially qualitative. JetBlue is a low cost airline with its head office situated in Long Island City, the U.S. It is seen to operate in 12 countries which include nations of Latin America, South America and the Caribbean. The company serves 87 destinations spread across 24 states (JetBlue, 2014). JetBlue focuses crucially upon providing excellent and timely services which are priced economically. The flight services of JetBlue can be crucially be divided into two important segments, essentially business class and economy class. JetBlue tries to create differentiation in their service offerings by incorporating the aspect of quality, which most low cost carriers are seen to emphasize less upon. Superior personal space and complimentary entertainment are considered as important aspects by the firm. Innovation and sustainable

What was the significance of the Lawrence, Massachusetts Strike of Essay

What was the significance of the Lawrence, Massachusetts Strike of 1912 - Essay Example They stipulated that: Another impact of the strike is that it proved wrong the theory of conservative trade unions inside the American Federation of Labor. This showed that an immigrant, mostly unskilled female and racially divided workforce could not be organized. It showed women were capable of assuming significant leadership positions in labor. The strike proved successful because the workers overcame strong odds and their demands were met. The poor living conditions in the residences of the workers were exposed. In fear of a repeat of such strikes and unionization movements, some factories, not only in the textile industry, raised wages. It also gave a new, nonviolent strategy to those wishing to participate in strikes, in future. It serves as a motivation for future workers who may also come to demand better wages, treatment, and benefits (Watson

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Communication journal - Article Example For effective implementation of change, communication both verbal and written has to be effected. Once communication has occurred, the next step is verification of the information passed and finally improvement of the systems previously in place. Communication, both verbal and written serves to relay information and create a vision for the free flow of information. It is noted that motivation works best in the implementation of change as opposed to intimidation and threats. People are more inclined to accept change when their opinion is sort regarding the matter at hand. Change occurs in stages and it’s thus paramount for the change agents to emphasize the need for communication in every stage by following a well organized communication plan. Managers can opt to use informal networks such as grapevines in the organization to enhance their subordinates’ participation in the change process. Authors come up with trends regarding communication and change in order to enhance the sale of their books. It is therefore the readers’ decision whether to follow these trends or draw their own

Male-Female Relationships Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Male-Female Relationships - Research Paper Example Thus, romantic relationship remains the main focus of many researchers. The relation now aims at analyzing the social, emotional, mental, sexual and physical aspects between the two periods. Therefore, several interviews were taken to vilify this case. Introduction In any relationship, romance is measured by several factors such as the emotions of the couple. Furthermore, one can measure the strength of the relationship by number of conflicts, occurrences of domestic violence and resolution of domestic violence. In a study carried out, seven groups of participants were studied. An interview was carried out in several parts of U.S. such as cities like New York, colleges and universities like the Harvard University, and in remote places such as Harlem. Furthermore, another aspect that was analyzed during the study was the number of respondents. The study involved seven different respondents like college students, which includes young men and women aged 18-23 years. This group was close ly followed by the old in society which involved men and women over 24 years. The third group was the scholars which involved the doctors and psychologists. Furthermore, couples were also interviewed and at the same time the singles were also interviewed. Psychiatrists and police officers gave pout their reports. In this method, related literature was also studied and analyzed. The literature was a report on a research that had been carried out ten years across the line. Research question The purpose of the study was to compare the relationship in early 90s and the present relationship in families. Several factors were measured during this study. In this study we investigated the differences between men and women. We analyzed the physical, emotional, sexual and mental differences between the two sexes. The study aimed at unfolding the differences between the city and the rural area and the influence it has on relationships. We based our analysis on television, radios, movie, music a nd many more. Furthermore, the study was aimed at investigating gender socialization and age difference in relationships. In our study, we aimed at exploratory instead of testing the hypothesis. In our study, we investigated the number of conflicts in relationships. We considered the level of conflict, the frequency with which conflicts occurred and the ease of resolving the conflicts. Conflicts in relationships can be viewed as the measure for analyzing if a relationship is fairing on well or not. Furthermore, the ease with which conflicts can be resolved is used to determine the number of families which have recently broken as results of conflicts. Research site In our research, we analyzed respondents from Harvard University who included young men and students. The study included respondents from varied cultures and believes. Other respondents from the city and the rural were also analyzed. Among the respondents in New York, we managed to interview about 80 respondents. In the sa me way, we interviewed 80 respondents from Harlem. The group included both the elderly and young couples. In addition, the analysis of the results involved an analysis of results on a report on a research that was carried in 1987 in U.S on relationship among couples. Research design Our study made use of interview which had several respondents. During the study, several samples were used in specific areas. The study involved both men and women as

Human Factors in aircraft operations in unfamiliar airfields Research Paper

Human Factors in aircraft operations in unfamiliar airfields - Research Paper Example As per a study, about 80% of the aircraft accidents happen during either landing or take-off of jets, and, thus, such accidents occur at close proximaty to an airport. Pilots may resort to unsafe acts, which may culminate into aircraft accidents due to human errors and violations of standard norms. This research essay will focus on the human factors witnessed by the aircrew in unfamiliar airfields and suggest ways and means to avoid and overcome fallacies that may lead to aircraft accidents. Introduction Some of the deadliest aircraft accidents happened not in the air but on the runways of airports. About 583 air passengers were killed in 1977 in the Canary Islands, when two jumbo jets crashed on a runway. A runway incursion accident in Chicago’s Midway airport in 1991 killed 34 air passengers. Unfamiliar braking system resulted in an accident in Chicago’s midway airport in December 2005. When a pilot took a wrong runway for takeoff in Lexington airstrip, about 49 air p assengers were killed in August 2006. When the captain was not able to manage for a gusty and strong cross wind during takeoff, the aircraft departed to the side of the runway in December 2008 at Denver International Airport. (NTSB 2012). Airport plays a pivotal role as it is the place where the aircraft is landing, taking off, parking, and taxing. According to ICAO (International Civil Aeronautics Organization), an aviation accident is one, which is happening of a fatal event during the operation of an aircraft. An accident in an airport may involve the following impacts namely as the accident in an airport during landing may involve severe damage to the atmosphere which includes the loss of property or life, and it may also create an acute social affliction. Further, airport accident while landing in a new location may emanate from various environmental factors like failure of equipment, human error and other associated risk elements. (Czerny, 2010, p.4-3). This research essay wil l conduct analysis about the issues faced by the pilots while landing at unfamiliar airfields and will make suggestion how to overcome the same. Issues Faced by the Pilots in Unfamiliar Airfields while Landing or Takeoff The ultimate safety of the aircraft and passengers are entrusted to the captain of the flight. There is a need on the part of the captain to understand strengths and Achilles' heel of each of the crew members and should be able to assign actions whenever it is needed. Under the Crew Resource Management (CRM), flight crew security is covered. In resolution of any probable security incident, captain is needed to treat and respect all crew members equally and properly. Proper training should be given to crew members to develop a strong state of mental ability for handling any critical situation. Each and every crew member should build up the buoyancy to be aware what is to be done in an emergency scenario and to react suitably when an incident occurs. (Williams & Wallt rip, 2004, p354). As per a study, about 80% of the jet aircraft accidents happen during either landing or take-off of flights, and thus such accidents are occurring at the proximate of an airport. Hence, there is a heightened peril of serious injury or death both to passengers and to the nearby communities residing close to the airport. If we analyze the happening of an accident during landing or take –off, one can find many reasons like the type of aircraft involved, the airport infrastructures, human factors and metrological conditions. Wong et