Kingsholm Polymer Systems (KPS), a tape producing company, is located in the UK. It consists of three different sites: the paper masking tape faculty, a pvc tape producing faculty, and a cable jointing faculty. For KPS is in the producing and processing industry, the company acts as supplier to main customers such as electronic wholesalers, electronic cable manufacturers, do-it-yourself stores (DIY), and the automotive industry. 450 members of staff are currently employed at KPS. The challenge KPS has to approach is to bring a new product, the so called Haltadon, to market. By doing so, KPS seeks to achieve a better market position, increase sales, enhance market share and better return on investments (RoI). To cut it short: great expectations concerning improved profitability and reduced costs focus on the desired product launch, an undertaking coming along with certain defiance:
• KPS does have a numerous amount of technical experts but the products do not always meet customer`s expectations.
• KPS does have sales and finance employees but to analyze which clients and products bring value to the company has not been possible yet
• Some of their products are more innovative than those of rivals but because KPS
lacks patent protection, innovations soon become commodity and prices decrease.
• KPS has made it to involve up-to-date cultural aspects but internal disparities especially concerning the HR aspect lead to unsatisfied employees.
• KPS missed access to low priced raw materials which makes it hard to compete with rivals and sustain high margins.
Internal and external defiance mentioned above show that KPS offers some potential - even though the company is struggling at the moment. That underlying potential is the issue which is now to be developed through a situational audit, a strategic analysis, and an implementation of change management activities. An appraisal of recommended consulting activities will be done to support the analysis.
Table of Contents
1. A situational audit
2. Analysis of strategic issues
3. Analysis of change management challenges faced by management
4. Critical appraisal of the consulting activities
Objectives and Themes
This assignment examines the strategic and organizational challenges faced by Kingsholm Polymer Systems (KPS) as it attempts to bring a new product, "Haltadon," to market, ultimately aiming to improve profitability and competitive positioning through a structured management consulting framework.
- Situational analysis using the Seven-S-Model and Fishbone framework.
- Strategic evaluation via Porter’s Five Forces and PEST-LE analysis.
- Development of a strategy map and remodeled organizational structure.
- Application of change management theories (Lewin and Kotter) to facilitate organizational transition.
- Critical appraisal of consulting approaches in high-stakes transformation environments.
Auszug aus dem Buch
1. A situational audit
Before getting into a complex analysis why KPS might or might not attain with the strategy succeeding at the moment, a situational audit is needed. Following, the so called seven-s-model (Pascale and Athos, 1981; Peters and Waterman, 1982) is chosen to bring the internal status quo on the agenda. Weaknesses of KPS examined through this model will be further discussed by using the fishbone model (Ishikawa, 1990). Therefore, concealed lacks in innovation processing will be highlighted.
Regarding the structural aspect of KPS three factories dominate the setting. The cable jointing factory is the oldest factory and might therefore be seen as core factory. Products are sold to large UK cable manufacturers. The pvc producing factory provides products sold to electrical wholesalers and car manufacturers. Factory III, the paper masking factory, sells its products to car industries as well as to DIYs. Each factory has its own manager responsible for manufacturing the entire product range. Above all employees stands Geoff Kite, CEO of KPS. What at the first sight seems like a conjunction of independent factories already offers two main aspects that combine the three sites: they have a common warehouse and a shared distribution system. What stands out - besides the logistic system – is the fact that there is no other IT system mentioned which would support financial analysis and knowledge transfer. Regarding the strategy, KPS currently seems to be “stuck in the middle”. The company is too small to be mass leader or act as “one stop shop” but offers too few innovations to be quality leader.
Concerning employee`s skills, staff members seem to be technically well-educated: they partly managed to be more innovative than their competitors and proved tactical thinking e.g. by getting US license. The problem is: launches come too late or do not assure sustain return flows. Regarding the staff, employees seem loyal, mainly comfortable with what has been done over decades, and routine blinded. Particularly in factory 2 (pvc) employees seek for change, as expressed in the appraisal system they established.
Summary of Chapters
1. A situational audit: This chapter analyzes the internal status quo of KPS using the seven-s-model and the fishbone framework to identify core structural and cultural weaknesses.
2. Analysis of strategic issues: This section evaluates environmental and business-level strategic challenges, proposing a strategy map to align organizational efforts with the new product launch.
3. Analysis of change management challenges faced by management: This chapter discusses the necessity of employee commitment and applies Lewin's and Kotter's frameworks to manage large-scale organizational change.
4. Critical appraisal of the consulting activities: This chapter reviews various consulting approaches, contrasting expert-driven models with client-centric co-construction methods to determine the best path for KPS.
Keywords
KPS, Haltadon, Management Consulting, Strategy Map, Change Management, Porter’s Five Forces, PEST-LE, Seven-S-Model, Innovation, Organizational Structure, Return on Investments, Cultural Transformation, Knowledge Transfer, Stakeholder Commitment, Operational Excellence.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the primary focus of this academic assignment?
The assignment provides a comprehensive management analysis of Kingsholm Polymer Systems (KPS), focusing on the strategic and operational requirements for launching their new product, Haltadon, successfully.
What are the core thematic fields addressed?
The work covers strategic management, operational restructuring, industrial market analysis, organizational culture, and change management methodologies.
What is the central research goal?
The primary goal is to identify barriers to innovation at KPS and propose a strategic roadmap—including structural and cultural changes—that enables a profitable and sustainable market entry for Haltadon.
Which scientific methods are utilized?
The analysis employs established business frameworks, specifically the Seven-S-Model, Fishbone (Ishikawa) diagram, Porter's Five Forces, PEST-LE analysis, and the change management theories of Kurt Lewin and John Kotter.
What is examined in the main section of the paper?
The main section investigates internal firm structure, external industry threats, strategy formulation via Kaplan and Norton’s strategy maps, and a critical appraisal of how management consultants can best support this organizational transformation.
Which keywords best characterize the work?
Key terms include KPS, Haltadon, Strategy Map, Change Management, Innovation, and Management Consulting.
How does the author characterize the company's current strategic position?
The author describes KPS as being "stuck in the middle," meaning it is too small to achieve economies of scale as a mass producer while simultaneously lacking the innovation required to be a premium quality leader.
What role does the "Haltadon" product play in the strategy?
Haltadon acts as the catalyst for change; it is a fire-resistant product that necessitates upgrades to patent protection, organizational synergy, and internal processes to ensure commercial success.
Why is the change management process described as "large scale"?
It is classified as large-scale because it requires shifting an ingrained "power culture" towards an achievement-oriented environment, which involves restructuring departments and modifying long-standing employee habits.
What is the author's conclusion regarding the role of consultants?
The author concludes that for KPS, the ideal consulting approach is a blend of co-construction—facilitating ideas at eye level—and acting as a "legitimizer" to guide the organization through necessary, albeit difficult, structural changes.
- Quote paper
- Elisabeth Felice Nehls (Author), 2010, Management Consultancy, Munich, GRIN Verlag, https://www.grin.com/document/175228
