National Semiconductor Case Study
HBS
Background
National Semiconductor (NSC), based in Santa Clara, California, manufactures integrated circuits in analog and mixed signal chips. NSC established the India Design Center (IDC) in Bangalore in 1995 to capitalize on the availability of a low cost and highly specialized labor force. 2002 has not been a good year for NSC, resulting in a net loss of $122 million. The IDC has gradually become NSC’s fastest growing overseas design house and is the “go-to” team at NSC that upper management relies on for new product development. However, IDC is in need of a robust management development program. The team recently instated a 360-degree (360D) feedback process as a managerial developmental
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While they desire to develop the same open, cooperative, trusting relationships they have discovered in 360D, some other integration process or procedure would be valuable.
Also for consideration is whether 360D has served its purpose, or if continued development will be valuable to the group. Would annual 360D surveys continue the development? Not only is integrating new managers a concern, continued development of individual management skills and continued development of the team as a whole are valuable. Can the group expect their current skills and relationships to be satisfactory, or do they need constant development attention, and if so, what is the best technique. Also, if the 360D were to become an annual process, is it redundant, or additive to the performance review process currently in place?
The management relationship between IDC and Santa Clara is challenged by the geographic separation (and time difference), impairing the ability to build trusting relationships and open communication . The IDC has had great success with the 360D process. Is there a similar process that would deliver the same result for the relationship between the management teams in Santa Clara and IDC?
Finally, the current operation is impaired by its own change in processes, leading to work groups operating as silos, and
After 3 years, the barriers had been broken down and agencies were working alongside one another. Networks were developed to exchange information and partnership working had become routine.
Another challenge will be the need to redesign processes, this will involve the need to find points where processes cross functional boundaries. This is an extremely important aspect as this will change their current processes and departments from silos to horizontal processes.
and let them see my side of the business. I have to cut costs, so we
In order to complete this project I would need to incorporate the use of techniques for organizational integration. Starting with creating a team focused on a specific area that pertains to what they would need to do and some questions areas that will need to be answered. During the rest of the project we would implement these ideas.
Monitoring and control activities are essential components to effective project management (Chrissis, Konrad, & Shrum, 2011; PMI, 2013). The main purpose of monitoring and control activities are to having an understanding of project progress/performance against the agreed upon plan, identify potential risks, provide accurate forecasts, and to ensure corrective actions are taken when necessary (Chrissis et al., 2011; PMI, 2013). Successful cost and schedule control involves much more than merely monitoring project progress and costs, it involves thorough analysis of the data (Kerzner, 2013, p. 738). One of the most effective tools for performance measurement, monitoring, and control is earned value management (EVM); a powerful technique which employs quantitative data to objectively monitor and control project progress (De Marco & Narbaev, 2013).
360 degree feedback system as a performance evaluation tool as long as the understanding of its intent is understood. “There are three key steps in the successful implementation of 360 degree feedback systems in an organization. The three steps are that it must fit the organizations culture, make it psychometrically sound, and used with care” (“Best Practices”, 2012). It is also important to train the feedback providers to be sensitive, respectful and polite. Treating employees in a friendly and respectful manner and offering constructive advice will make them more open to accepting the performance
In 1975 Pioneer maintained relationships with approximately 3,500 franchise retail outlets, the retail outlets benefited from a 5% Pioneer investment in local advertising, and attractive gross margins and credit terms. However, that same year, Pioneer and three competitors were forced to sign consent decrees with the U.S. Federal Trade Commission promising not to engage in alleged anti-fair competition practices – namely requiring distributors to use suggested list prices and punishing those distributors who didn’t comply either through delayed shipments or revoked franchises. A market price war followed the signing of the consent decrees, lowering franchise’s profits while increasing revenue for Pioneer. Pioneer followed
Newskool Grooves managers are unable to link with the workers in other offices, and this has become an issue. By breaking the organizational structure, it may create a false linkage between the employees which we realize it is false since the employees are unable to manage their psychological boundary. For example, a cleaner may feel put down by an accountant once they try to ask questions in the hopes of working together when the accountant feels the cleaner is getting involved in the wrong role. Another problem is the managers getting too involved with breaking roles and forgets their role in the new organization. Managers tend to think that breaking boundaries solve conflicts in employees, and they will automatically team up which is not the case.
However, people will not get out of their “comfort zone” without being motivated. This leads to the second error by leaders, which is not creating a powerful enough guiding coalition. Regardless of the size of the organization, the change effort should continually grow to include more and more people who believe that the changes are necessary (Kotter).
One of the most overlooked aspects in a business’s, or corporation’s success is its emphasis on management development. Management development is defined as “…the process from which managers learn and improve their skills not only to benefit themselves, but also their employing organizations.” Moreover, whenever a company utilizes its management development skills, it will directly relate to the company’s economic growth along with the company’s environmental well-being.
o “Deciding issues through management teams had led people to identify too much with their staff roles, instead of with the company’s operations.” (p. 13) To solve this problem, “ops” groups were implemented in order to break the staff down into smaller groups.
U.S. Semiconductor, a semiconductor manufacturer decided to expand their business to UK market in 1980. Their new business plan needed specialized technical support facility in UK. In order to minimize the equity investment, they decided to fund their assets mostly with debt. As Semiconductor owned subsidiaries, which spread all over the world, they face great exchange risk. Besides, instead of building a production department in UK, Semiconductor kept producing their products domestically and delivered them to UK by plane. British firms also confronted exchange risk due to the difference between import costs and sales revenues. This case mainly involves the discussion on the method of debt funding.
3600 feedback is a process in which someone’s performance is assessed and feedback is given by a number of people who may include their manager, subordinates, colleagues and customers (Michael Armstrong 2009:644). The debate surrounds a point of whether it offers a means of overcoming the traditional limitations of appraisal.
Through communication in different ways organizations want to establish, develop and maintain a positive relationship with different groups.
The purpose of this paper is to give a greater understanding of the semiconductor world, for Physics 100 students who have a little knowledge of electronics. I will cover conductors, insulators, semiconductors, and the operation of a diode and a transistor. The reason that it is important to understand these devices is the vast effect that they have had on our modern world. Our lives are filled by electronics, especially in this computerized age that we live in, and I have found that a knowledge of some electronics has greatly helped my understanding of the many electronic devices that we deal with on a daily basis.