Managing the changes of Lakeland Wonders

This report evaluates the proposed changes in the workplace of Lakeland Wonders and suggests recommendations for improving productivity. It discusses the consequences of implementing the changes, critical approach to the proposed changes, and offshore manufacturing. It also recommends optimizing resources, planning, resource allocation, training, quality, marketing mix, corporate social responsibility, and evaluation.

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Managing the changes of Lakeland Wonders
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Executive summary
Management involves planned and rational approach towards regulating the business
operations. Here, prior experience holds special value in terms of controlling the performance
of the employees. All these aspects seem inappropriate towards the irrational approach of
Cheryl Hailstorm, newly appointed CEO of Lakeland Wonders. This is evident from the
haphazard approach, which she exposed towards changing the business scenario. Absence of
research, prior to the implementation of changes, compelled her to encounter switch over by
the employees. This stranded her on an island, when she needed the support from the staffs.
She herself is responsible for staining the reputation of the company. If Cheryl involved the
staffs and the employees in a meeting, effective solutions would have emerged in terms of
implementing the proposed changed as per the requirements. This reflects a lack of
communication, aggravating the complexities. Strategic planning is needed in terms of
gaining back the trust, loyalty and dependence of the customers. Within this, offshore
manufacturing holds special significance in terms of expanding the business horizons. This
type of manufacturing would be crucial for the company in terms of enhancing the
productivity. Along with this, offshore manufacturing would upgrade the standards and
quality of the toys. This upgradation would lead to high scale customer attraction.
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Table of contents
Introduction................................................................................................................................3
Insight into Lakeland Wonders..................................................................................................3
Changes proposed......................................................................................................................4
Critical approach to the proposed changes.................................................................................4
Consequences of implementing the changes..............................................................................5
Recommendations for improvement..........................................................................................5
Offshore manufacturing.........................................................................................................5
Offshore manufacturing and production management...........................................................6
Offshore manufacturing and business scaling........................................................................6
Offshore manufacturing and talent management...................................................................6
Offshore manufacturing: Support for Local and global economies.......................................6
Optimizing the resources........................................................................................................7
Planning..................................................................................................................................7
Resource allocation................................................................................................................7
Training..................................................................................................................................8
Quality....................................................................................................................................8
Marketing mix........................................................................................................................8
Special offers and discounts...................................................................................................8
Corporate social responsibility...............................................................................................9
Special programs....................................................................................................................9
Evaluation..............................................................................................................................9
Conclusion................................................................................................................................10
References and bibliography....................................................................................................11
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Introduction
Change is an inevitable issue, which alters the business scenario of the companies and
organizations. The proposed changes need to be managed, so that the desired outcomes can
be achieved. Strategic approach towards change management improves the focus on the
business activities. This includes the strengths, weakness, opportunities, threats and
competencies. Developing short term, realistic and achievable goals are assistance in terms of
measuring the extent to which the changes have been achieved (Cameron & Green, 2015).
Change management also includes regulating the resistance towards change. This resistance
is appropriate in terms of deviating from the traditionalism. However, the managers need to
play an effective role in convincing the employees about the benefits of altering the
workplace scenario (Doppelt, 2017). This report attempts to assess the effectiveness of the
proposed changes in the workplace of Lakeland Wonders and propose recommendations for
improving the productivity.
Insight into Lakeland Wonders
Lakeland Wonders has achieved accolades and glory by serving quality toys to the
customers. The operations of the company are spread all over Minnesota. Presence of 5000
skilled workers results in the production of quality toys. A new chief executive was hired for
bringing change within the workplace scenario. Cheryl Hailstorm was appointed as the new
CEO. The major drive behind this was his prior expertise and enthusiastic approach towards
executing the business activities. This enthusiasm proved effective for Lakeland Wonders in
terms of achieving success (Kuipers, Higgs, Kickert, Tummers, Grandia & Voet, 2014). She
was offered the post, due to her prior expertise as Chief Operating Officer in one of the
associates of Lakeland Wonders.
Cheryl utilized the opportunity by proposing radically changes for upgrading the
quality of revenue generation. The change process focused on the need for offshore
manufacturing through reduction in manufacturing and production costs. Cheryl proposed
that these activities would increase the profit margin. Hailstorm needs to be credited for
exposing conscious approach towards evaluation of the available facilities before
implementation of the project. Along with this, review was also conducted for labor
management and the manufacturing capabilities. One of the weak points was lack of
consideration towards the aspects like pace of the change process, implementation of the
changes, dealing with resistance, acceptance of leadership changes (Goetsch & Davis, 2014).
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Along with this, negligence was also exposed towards cultural changes in the organization,
reforms proposed for improving the practices. One of the striking features is not considering
the norms while evaluation of the strategic position.
Changes proposed
Cheryl laid stress on changing the way the activities were managed in the workplace.
For this, a number of changes were proposed in the human resource department. She is aware
of the globalizations in markets, consisting of the demands of non-electric toys. In this,
mention can be made of the competitor Bull’s Eye. Therefore, she proposed to introduce new
product lines at lower prices and high unique selling propositions. This would be one of the
factors, differentiating the brand from the contemporaries (Cummings, Bridgman & Brown,
2016). She intended to bring the comparison of the way; products were manufactured and
packaged in US. She also proposed to incorporate offshore manufacturing, as it would reduce
the manufacturing costs. She believed that offshore manufacturing would act as an agent in
terms of accumulating greater share in the mid and the upscale markets. This type of
manufacturing would act as a deviation from the traditional management practiced within the
workplace of Lakeland Wonders.
Critical approach to the proposed changes
Changes in the field of human resources are appropriate in terms of improving the
standards and quality of the business operations. For this, effective quality resources are
needed. Manufacturing processes need to be appropriate, so that flawless toys are
manufactured. According to Ceulemans, Lozano and Alonso-Almeida, (2015), conscious
approach is needed in this direction for averting the instances of customer complaints. Stable
relationship needs to be developed with the suppliers in terms of getting quality materials for
producing quality toys.
Market research prior to the venturing project is appropriate in terms of averting the
instances of competition from the contemporary brands. Consideration of the demands for the
products indicates Cheryl’s approach towards identifying the target audience. Strategic
approach in this direction is evident from the proposition of introducing new product lines.
Along with this, features like low prices and unique selling proposition are the determinants,
which Cheryl thinks would make the brand stand out competitors like Bull’s Eye.
Comparative study regarding the production and packaging of toys in US can be considered
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as an attempt towards assessing the current position (Altamony, Al-Salti, Gharaibeh & Elyas,
2016).
Consequences of implementing the changes
Lack of knowledge towards approaching the employees attached negative value to
Cheryl’s personality. Not considering the history of the company degraded the organizational
culture. As a result of this, Cheryl lost the support and cooperation of the staffs. Ignoring the
implications of the change process on human resources, offshore manufacturing, resulted in
loss of jobs for more than 5000 employees. Termination of 2000 workers stained the
reputation of Lakeland Wonders. This failure was inevitable, as no research was conducted
on offshore manufacturing. This absence can be considered as a weak base towards
supporting the change.
Along with this, the absence implied lack of planning, due to which Cheryl
encountered failures in terms of implementing the proposed changes. Ignoring the
implications of change on the business aspects is one of the greatest mistakes of Cheryl
(Matos & Esposito, 2014). This is because consideration of the implications is one of the
essential components of evaluation. Termination of the workers might be one of the
solutions; however, in terms of negligence towards evaluation, termination of the workers
seems inappropriate. Moreover, lack of research is an inappropriate step towards bringing
change within the workplace of Lakeland Wonders.
Recommendations for improvement
Offshore manufacturing
Offshore manufacturing was considered as one of the effective strategies towards
reducing the manufacturing costs. Cheryl is right in terms of offshore manufacturing being
one of the prime factors in capturing large shares in the mid and the upscale markets.
Assembling the spare parts of the toys from neighbouring countries would expand the scope
and arena of the business of Lakeland Wonders Company. Moreover, offshore manufacturing
would provide financial assistance to the company, as the spare parts of the toys might be
cheaper in the other countries. Offshore manufacturing lowers the labour maintenance costs.
The spare parts of the toys would be cheaper if they are acquired for the neighbouring
countries. One of the other advantages of offshore management is that it eliminates the
operational concerns related to the overall operations.
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Offshore manufacturing and production management
Manufacturing is one of the difficult and time consuming activities of the
management. Offshore outsourcing can expand the knowledge horizons towards managing
the production activities. Here, skilled experts are needed for carrying out the outsourcing
activities. This is in terms of transmitting the information to the neighbouring countries.
Offshore manufacturing and business scaling
Offshore sourcing can be a great help for Lakeland Wonders in terms of scaling the
production. This is in terms of gaining an insight into the uprising demands. For this,
assessments need to be done for the available manufacturing equipments. If needed,
additional equipments are to be acquired for maintaining the pace with the increasing demand
for the toys. Until and unless planning is done for the selling the manufactured products,
Lakeland Wonder personnel might encounter difficulties in fitting the additional requirements
within the budget. Offshore manufacturing would be assistance in terms of measuring the
production for maintaining the balance between the supply and demand. Here, financial
efforts would be much lower. This is because; the earned income would be gradually used for
increasing the sales revenue.
Offshore manufacturing and talent management
Offshore manufacturing would bestow productive systems and labour to the company.
However, one of the weaknesses here would be carrying out the activities of one-off or trial
projects. These projects would enhance the capability of the personnel to tackle with the
complexities. Unique equipments for manufacturing toys might be expensive, if the duration
of its demand is short. Hiring trained workers would be fruitful in terms of manufacturing
innovative toys. However, capability needs to be assessed before hiring the workers;
otherwise it can be a challenge towards manufacturing. Therefore, training can be effective in
terms of training the workers in case large quantity toys need to be sold within a limited time.
Offshore manufacturing: Support for Local and global economies
Offshore manufacturing reduces the production cost. Therefore, selling the products
in low price would help the company in maximizing the profit margin. Dropping the prices of
the toys at the initial price might bestow fewer customers on the company. On the other hand,
if quality toys are levied to the customers, the personnel would achieve their trust, loyalty and
support. The satisfaction of the customers would increase the sales revenue and profit margin.
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Offshore manufacturing would bring stability into the economy of Minnesota as well as the
neighbouring countries. Reducing the production costs would be important in terms of
passing the savings to the customers. The savings, if used in community development would
enhance the corporate social responsibility of the company. This approach would be a
stimulus in terms of ensuring the wellbeing of the clients and the customers.
Optimizing the resources
Optimizing the resources can be one of the effective steps towards catering to the
needs of the clients and the customers. However, strategic planning is needed for using the
raw materials in an efficient and judicious manner. Prior assessment needs to be done, so that
the workers can be supplied with the required resources. This assessment would be effective
in terms of reducing mis-utilization of the resources. This rationalistic approach would result
in enhancement of productivity for Lakeland Wonders.
Planning
Planning is needed by Cheryl for achieving the proposed changes in an efficient and
effective manner. Within this, inclusion of risk assessment would be a rational step in terms
of ensuring the wellbeing of the clients and the customers. This planning would also be an
important step towards executing offshore manufacturing. Installation of privacy cookies and
policies would increase the safety and security of the organizational data. This step would be
crucial as the data is being transferred from one country to other. Planning would result in the
achievement of positive outcomes. Planning during the process of offshore manufacturing
would be crucial in terms of enhancing the awareness towards equipment cost, demands and
standard price of the toys. For this planning, Cheryl can take the help of Total Quality
Management (TQM), which would be helpful in regulating the overall business.
Resource allocation
Resource allocation needs planned and rational approach for extracting the right
labour. Before allocating the resources to the workers, Cheryl needs to prepare the budget,
which would enhance her awareness towards the cost of the resources. The next step would
be to conduct research on the market demand for the toys. Countering this, this research can
be the primary step towards altering the business scenario. Next is the formation of a strong
and efficient team, which would be successful in completing the manufacturing process
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within the stipulated time. For this, recruitment and selection process needs to be appropriate.
Developing policies would be effective in terms of getting the desirable candidates.
Training
Training would be one of the effective recommendations in terms of enhancing the
preconceived skills, expertise and knowledge of the employees of Lakeland Wonders. Cheryl
needs to conduct planning for hiring experts for providing training to the workers. Here,
budget would be crucial in terms of arranging all the materials and resources needed for
conducting the training. Dividing the training courses into segments would assist the workers
to achieve an easy understanding about the ways and means to carry out the activities. Taking
post training tests would help managers and Cheryl to assess the capability of the workers to
apply the learnt skills in executing the workplace operations. The performance of the workers
would help Cheryl to assess whether Lakeland Wonders is successful in fulfilling the
identified goals and objectives.
Quality
Levying quality toys to the customers would be one of the means of reaching to large
number of customers. For this, quality tests needs to be included within the strategic
planning. Hiring foreign experts for conducting the quality tests of the toys would reduce the
occurrence of defective toys. These tests would help in assuring that the toys would not cause
any kind of discomfort to the user (children).
Marketing mix
Marketing mix would help Cheryl to gain an insight into the specific tastes and
preferences of the customers. Levying one kind of toys to the customers can be an effective
step towards identifying the target market. For this, social media would be an efficient option
towards reaching to a large number of customers. Uploading the details of the manufactured
toys on social networking sites would enhance the trafficking of the audience towards the
brand image of Lakeland Wonders.
Special offers and discounts
Toys are popular among the children. Therefore, introducing special offers and
discounts on the sale of toys would be an effective option for Cheryl in terms of gaining trust,
loyalty and dependence from the customers. Awarding toys would act as a partnership for
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Lakeland Wonders, indicating expansion in terms of financial assistance. Manufacturing
fusion toys would be a means for attracting the customers all over the world. However,
maintaining traditionalism would enhance the brand image of Lakeland Wonders.
Corporate social responsibility
Gifting toys to the poor children would enhance the popularity of Lakeland Wonders.
Delivering the toys free of cost would be a Samaritan approach of the company towards the
happiness of the underprivileged children. However, for such an initiative, the financial
condition needs to be strong and flexible. Under such a situation, such initiatives would result
in negative outcomes, degrading the image of the company. However, governmental
assistance can be a wise step in terms of ensuring the development of the community people.
Within this, projects like providing 100 days work to the marginalized section, collecting
donations for girl child education can be planned. Rational approach towards executing these
projects would be an efficient execution of the social responsibilities, which the Company
holds towards the stakeholders and shareholders.
Special programs
Organizing special programs for the customers would help the company to understand
the tastes and preferences of the customers. For this, budget would be a crucial document.
Programs for launching the newly manufactured toys can be one of the examples of the
events. Celebrity endorsements would add to the enthusiasm of the customers to have a look
at the toys. At the end of the shows, toys can be given to the children. Feedbacks from the
parents would help the company to understand the effectiveness, appropriateness and
feasibility of the plans. This understanding would help in making estimates about progressing
towards the identified goals and objectives.
Evaluation
Evaluation of the proposed plans towards change would bring to the forefront the
drawbacks. Spontaneity in modifying the drawbacks would help Lakeland Wonders in
regaining the trust, loyalty and dependence of the customers. Developing short term goals
would be assistance in terms of measuring the extent to which the improvements have been
achieved. Taking into consideration checklists and templates would enhance Cheryl’s
awareness towards the achieved changes. Maintaining consistency in the execution of
evaluation would help Lakeland Wonders in upgrading the standards and quality of
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performance. Adopting customer centric business would help the company to achieve
competitive advantage over the contemporary brands, securing the market position.
Conclusion
Lack of planning adds a negative touch to the experience of Cheryl. This negativity
holds nullifies all the propositions, which she made for changing the workplace scenario of
Lakeland Wonders. Careless approach is reflected from lack of research towards executing
offshore manufacturing for the toys. Working haphazardly resulted in failure and employee
turnover, which degraded the reputation of the company. Her irrational approach compelled
her to encounter difficulties in the crucial stages of change management. Strategic planning
along with evaluation and training would have helped Cheryl in implementing the proposed
changes in an efficient and effective manner. Within this, offshore manufacturing would have
helped her in gaining guidance and assistance towards increasing the sales revenue and profit
margin. On the contrary, she experimented with her skills and expertise, leading the company
to a vulnerable position within the competitive ambience of the market. Training is the need
of the hour in terms of restoring the lost balance in the business as well as trust of the
customers.
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