Management

Order Description
Reducing design complexity is a principle that applies just as much to service as to manufactured products. For example, television programmes are made increasingly with a worldwide market in mind. However, most television audiences around the world have a distinct preference for programmes which respect their regional tastes, culture and of course language. The challenge facing global programme makers therefore is to try to achieve the economies which come as a result of high-volume production while allowing programmes to be customised for different markets.

For example, take the programme ‘Art Attack!’ made for the Disney Channel, a children’s TV channel shown around the world. In 2001, 216 episodes of the show were made in six different language versions. About 60% of each show is common across all versions. Shots without speaking or where the presenter’s face is not visible are shot separately. If a simple cardboard model is being made, all versions will share the scenes where the presenter’s hands only are visible. Commentary in the appropriate language is over-dubbed onto the scenes which are edited seamlessly with other shots of the appropriate presenter. The final product will have the head and shoulders of Brazilian, French, Italian, German or Spanish presenters flawlessly mixed with the same pair of (British) hands constructing the model. The result is that local viewers in each market see the show as their own. Even though presenters are flown into the UK production studios, the cost of making each episode is only about one third of producing separate programmes for each market.

(1) How does the concept of modularisation apply to this example?

In this question explain what the concept of modularisation is and then talk about how it applies to the example

(2) What do you think are the similarities between what this company did and how motor vehicle manufacturers design their products?
Talk about the similarities and use Mercedes as an example for the motor vehicle manufacturers– for example parts for 8 cylinders engines can be substituted with parts of 4 cylinders because they’re cheaper. A company can make the same parts for 4 and 8 cylinders.

Paper details: Final Group Project:Groups will also be required to complete a final project that is due on the designated day of class. The goal of this project is to help you to apply your knowledge and skills to an interesting, current strategic situation confronting a company. In this instance, your team will be required to assess and compare the strategic opportunities for Exxon and British Petroleum Corporations to enter the oil exploration and production business in Ghana and Brazil. These are two companies competing in the petroleum industry. Using materials from this and other courses taken in the program, as well as research, your personal knowledge, and experience, your team will develop a report. This report should be a 25-30 page (double-spaced) paper, which follows the guidelines provided during the first weeks of the semester. The final project report should include but not be limited to the following areas: Introduction; Analysis of the general environment; Analysis of the specific environment; Discussion of the challenges and threats confronting the company; Discussion of top management response to the challenges and threats facing the company, your conclusions and your final recommendations.
You are encouraged to conduct as much original research as possible in addition to using the Internet and all library facilities available to you. All papers should be typed, double-spaced, using a 12 point font, with one inch margins on all sides, and not exceed 30 pages, excluding the cover page and appendices. I STRONGLY SUGGEST THAT STUDENTS PROVIDE ME WITH PROGRESS REPORTS THAT CAN BE EVALUATED, THROUGHOUT THE SEMESTER.
A word of caution: It has become fashionable for students to rely on information provided on websites and citing these sites as their primary, sometimes sole, reference sources. While websites may have very current information, this approach to research is unacceptable. Students are expected to read books, newspaper and journal articles on the issues and the company examined. Failure to do so will have a negative impact on your grade as it will most likely result in a very narrow analysis that does not meet the requirements of a comprehensive strategic analysis. Furthermore, like all other work, these analyses will be evaluated on the basis of grammar, punctuation, spelling, thoroughness of your analyses, feasibility of your solutions, relevance, accuracy, clarity, integration, justification and insight. It is strongly suggested that you keep in constant contact with your group members, and make the instructor aware of any problems in this project. Remember that the instructor is here as a resource to help you in the learning process.