Strategic Project Assignment (Nanotech) Research Paper

Strategic Project Assignment (Nanotech) - Research Paper Example The resources being identified in the resource based view in an organization can generally be defined as all assets, organizational functions, organizational processes, firm competitive advantages, information and knowledge.2 I studied that there exists three main types of organizational structures; a functional structure that is set up according to the purpose of each department in the organization. For example in Nanotech, there would be a software engineering department and a marketing or sales department. This structure is best for small businesses and would not be efficient for Nanotech particularly because it does not favor communication between departments across the organizational boundary i.e. the production department in the US and correspondent production department in China. A divisional structure is another type of organizational structure where the organization’s framework is grouped into smaller divisions all equipped with the necessary resources. This structure may be appropriate for Nanotech as the firm can be categorized on a geographical basis i.e. a US and a China division. However, just like the functional structure, it does not cover the effective communication process which is mandatory. A third organizational structure, the matrix structure, is the best for a foreign operation such as Nanotech. This is because it is suitable for multinational companies. The matrix structure divides the organization’s resources by both function and product, and has double management by appointing a project manager to supervise project processes and a functional manager hence balancing organizational procedures. Nanotech can implement this structure and have one of its managers primarily responsible for launching its products into the Chinese market while another one provides technical knowledge like the market potential for their products. The functional manager can delegate responsibilities to the junior mangers who report to him. The forei gn operation can be performed by effectively and efficiently defining the supply chain which is overseen by a project and functional manager after the implementation of the matrix structure in the Nanotech organization. A supply chain is effective when its resources and capabilities are fully explored. These resources can be divided into internal and external capabilities of the firm. Internal capabilities include procurement, logistics and manufacturing, supply chain planning and customer service management. Material flow, information flow and interpersonal relationships form the external capabilities. All these resources need to be valuable and sustainable to the organization.3 The factor of transportation of these products from Nanotech headquarters in the US to the new base in China is an internal process that will depend on the logistics and manufacturing capability of the firm. This will be covered in the project scope after looking at the activity resource estimation, the pro ject time estimations and the estimation of the project cost. Once the aspects of the project management i.e. scope, time and cost have been discussed, options