...Case Study Designing Safety in the Toy Industry Company Radio Flyer Industry Toys Radio Flyer’s classic red wagon has become a cultural icon since its inception more than 90 years ago – creating a legacy of toys that continues to spark the imagination. Millions of children have played with Radio Flyer wagons all over the world, praised for their beauty, simplicity and standards of safety that encourage adventure, discovery and the wonders of childhood. Region North America and China Intertek Solutions Design Hazard Analysis and Risk Assessment “We have partnered with Intertek throughout our product development cycle to be certain we design safe products that go beyond regulations. Intertek’s integrity, fast and friendly service and global outreach helped us to ensure that our products are manufactured to the highest industry standards.” - Shenwei Zhu, Senior Quality Assurance Engineer for Radio Flyer For further information on Intertek’s Quality and Safety solutions visit: www.intertek.com Imagining Safer Play With the family in mind from toy design to the very heart of Radio Flyer’s dedicated staff, Radio Flyer emerged as a leader in safety long before 2007’s wave of recalls and regulatory changes. Anticipating the heightened awareness for product safety globally, Radio Flyer needed to ensure that any manufacturing challenges and safety precautions in its wagon designs would be addressed before hindering its speed-to-market ...
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...Tahmina Amin HDEC 100 Essential Service Worker Skills Assessment Task 1 (observation #3) ABC Record Instructor: Carol Burbee Date: March 10th, 2016 Student’s Name: Gavin Kyle Date: Feb. 19, 2015 Student’s Age: 3 years 4 months Observer: Tahmina Amin Location/setting: Discovery Daycare Focus: emotional and dependant behaviours Definition of behaviour: unwillingness to share with peers. |Time |Antecedents |Behaviour |Consequences | |9:00 |Gavin sits quietly in the corner|Gavin defiantly yells, “no” and |Teacher tells Gavin to apologize| | |of the room, playing with the |runs away from other student, |and share toys with peers. | | |toy car. Another kid asks to |with the toy car. | | | |play. | | | |10:45 |Gavin sits down and starts to |Gavin swats LEGO out of a peers |Teacher urges Gavin to build a | | |build a tall tower-like |hand and takes all of it. |structure together with a peer. | | ...
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...Jot`s risk assessment: 1. Unsuccessfully identify consumer preferences beside highly seasonal industry : There is continues changes in trends, media, fashion and technology that can affect play preferences of end users and cause sudden shift in demand of Jots products. According to what mentioned in TIE “The success of the toy sector is dependent on satisfying customer needs. As children’s wishes for toys change rapidly, the industry needs to constantly introduce new products to meet these changing desires. The toy industry invests heavily in market analysis, R&D and the protection of intellectual property. The toy industry is one of the most dynamic business sectors in Europe: approximately 60% of toys on the market each year are newly developed products. In 2011, more than 90% of toy companies operating in Europe put new products on the market. This compares to less than 40% in other industry sectors”. The current trend in toy sales is towards electronic toys and computer assisted learning, electronic toys and merchandise from popular films and TV programmes have seen reasonable growth. As level of sales depend on how customers will perceive the products the company`s level of sales will be negatively affected if it unsuccessfully anticipated those preferences. As result Jot will end up with underproduction of highly demanded toys and the overproduction of toys that do not complement with consumer play preferences. However, fashion trends are difficult to predict...
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...Industrial Promotion and Technology Branch TECHNOLOGY PAPER SERIES 6/05 Technology Transfer and Trade: The Toy Industry in India UNITED NATIONS INDUSTRIAL DEVELOPMENT ORGANIZATION I N D U S T R I A L P R O M OT I O N A N D T EC H N O LO GY B R A N C H Technology Transfer and Trade: The Toy Industry in India TECHNOLOGY PAPER SERIES TPS 6/05 December 2005 UNITED NATIONS INDUSTRIAL DEVELOPMENT ORGANIZATION Vienna, 2005 UNIDO Industrial Promotion and Technology Branch Technology Paper Series TPS No. 6/2005 December 2005 Technology Transfer & Trade in Toy Industry of India Copyright © 2004 by United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO) The designati ons employed and the presentation of the material in this document do not imply the expression of any opinion whatsoever on the part of the Secretariat of the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO) concerning the legal status of any country, territory, city or area or of its authorities, or concerning the delimitation of its frontiers or boundaries. The responsibility for options expressed rests solely with the authors, and publication does not constitute an endorsement by UNIDO of the opinions expressed. This document has been produced without formal editing. The views expressed in this report do not necessarily reflect the views of the Secretariat of the United Nations Industrial Development Organization. Any indication of, or reference to, a country, institution...
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...Exam 3 Questions 1 - 3 pertain to the 'Lego' case, and questions 4 & 5 pertain to the 'Ikea' case: 1. LEGO’s movie-themed products, keyed to popular film franchises such as Harry Potter, Lord of the Rings, and Spiderman, include detailed construction plans. Do you think this is the right strategy? Why or Why not? Justify your assessment of Lego's strategy. LEGO’s detailed construction plans for their products are the right strategy. LEGO’s products can contain hundreds or even thousands of pieces, are very detailed, and can be complex. Without these construction plans, some of their products would could not be constructed correctly. If the products do not turn out as advertised on the box or television, it is a possibility LEGO would lose customers. The construction plans are there to assist in the building of their products. The detailed plans are there to ensure their products are enjoyed as intended. This strategy is sound because the instructions assist children with the building the products and the final product is as advertised. Without the instructions, the more complicated products offered by LEGO would not be able to be assembled. For example, LEGOs Taj Mahal has almost 6,000 pieces. This is an iconic piece and LEGO fans are eager to be able to purchase and assemble this product. 2. Using Porter’s generic strategies framework, assess LEGO in terms of the company’s pursuit of competitive advantage. LEGO’s pursuit of competitive advantage...
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...Mattel Case Study analysis II Problem Statement As per the case study, Mattel’s main issue is that they are not living up to their core mission. The case clearly states that Mattel’s philosophy is to satisfy the customer’s needs and wants. Delivering what the customer needs and wants can be segregated into two broad categories: First, product development: According to the case, Mattel’s product development ensures that its portfolio never stagnates. Unfortunately, Mattel has failed to adapt to the evolving demands of children, as they are becoming increasingly technologically savvy and are therefore interested in electronic and interactive rather than traditional toys such as Barbie or Hot Wheels at a younger age. This is evident, for example, from the demise of the ‘ELLO’ building toys for young girls1.The product development disparity between customers’ needs and Mattel’s production is further demonstrated by their lack of attention to their global market, which, according to the text, account for 46% of gross sales. This is evident in the Malaysian Consumers Association having attempted to ban the Barbie brand, one of Mattel’s core products, because of her non-Asian appearance and the lack of intellectual stimulation that Barbie provides; and many other countries are following suit. According to the text, Asian sales account for a mere 11% of Mattel’s gross revenues. Second, Corporate and Social Responsibility: A strong product is no longer enough; customers increasingly...
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...products, keyed to popular film franchises such as Harry Potter, Lord of the Rings, and Spiderman, include detailed construction plans. Do you think this is the right strategy? Why or Why not? Justify your assessment of Lego's strategy. To disect whether the inclusion of detailed construction plans in its film-franchised LEGO sets was the right strategy or not, it’s important to start with what the company itself stands for. The name LEGO means “play well”—the focus of the toy manufacturer being “play.” The perennial toy maker has a brand that stands for “self-expression,” and “sponteneity,” and “innovation.” That is, the core of LEGO is not jus that it’s a toy, but that it encourages children to be imaginative and creative with it’s simple interlocking bricks—a child can build anything that he or she can dream up with LEGO products. In fact, LEGO itself recognizes that two of its sources of competitive advantage are creativity and innovation. These are the decisive points for LEGO. They are what make LEGO, LEGO. Creativity and innovation are the product’s differentiators. They are the source of the company’s competitive advantage and, therefore, a key element in the company’s strategy. These differentiators are what propelled LEGO to a peak 85% market share of the construction-toy market. While licensing film francises into its merchandise wasn’t the wrong strategy, including detailed construction plans with those LEGO sets was the wrong strategy. By including detailed construction...
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...been in the toys industry for more than 80 years and they one of the largest toys manufactures in the world. This gives Lego visibility and positioning in the industry. • Play system: They have an open play system that is not limited to the toy that the customer buys. Their system has endless possibilities and depends on the imagination of the children. • Brand awareness: Lego has built a reputable brand that leverages their marketing and commercial efforts. The brand LEGO, although is associated with the toys industry, can be recognized beyond that industry and can be associated to other leisure and entertainment products. • Loyal customers: Lego has been able to build a loyal base of customers that keep loyal to the brand when their aging. • Strong corporate culture and core values that have been invariable for decades. 2) What has led the Lego Group to the edge of bankruptcy? Several reasons and factors led the Lego group to the edge of bankruptcy. They majority of them were during the “The growth period that wasn’t” and others during the “Fixing period that wasn’t”: • Birth rates in their markets declined. Lego products were primarily targeted to children and the demographic explosion in the previous decades had fueled the pipeline of sales of the organization. • Kids spent more and more time in extra curricula activities and allocated less time to play with toys. Moreover, the economic environment in their markets turned out in less money spent in toys bought per...
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...Gg Toys Case St G.G.Toys Thedecline margins our popular in on Gtoftry doIIproduct become has intolerable. production Increasing haae costs dropped pretaxmarginto less our than10%, below historical our 257omargins, wearegoing If far to increase margins, need consider our we to drastically shiftingour production towards sfecialtydolts aie that earning large prnniumin priceoaer standard line. a our doll -Robert Parker,President, G.G.Toys Background Robert Parker, president of G.G. Toys, was discussing last month's operating results with Audrey Hausner, G.G.'s conkoller, and David Morehouse, G.G.'s manufacturing manager. The meeting was taking place in an atmosphere tinged with apprehension because margins on thelr most popular product, the "Geoffrey doll," had been declining rapidly in the last few years due to rising production costs (summary operating results for the previous month, March 2000, arc shown in Exhibits 1 and 2). Parker saw no choice but to shift the company's product mix towards specialty dolls that carried a high price premium, and thus, a 34% margin. G.G. Toys was a leading supplier of high-quality dolls to retail toy stores throughout the U.S, The comPany had started with a unique design for molding highly durable dolls using vinyl and resin materials. G.G. quickly established a loyal customer base among retailers because of the high quality and popularity of its manufactured dolls. It soon established a major presence in the market with its high-volume...
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...[Writer Name] [Supervisor Name] [Subject] [Date] Fieldwork Paper In my fieldwork project observed a number of gamers who will be divided into 2 categories of addicts and non addicts. People who play for more than 5 hours a day are called addicts and those who play less time than that are called non-addicts. Which will focus on the specific players in a game called World of Warcraft. This game is a very popular game worldwide with over 5000 people playing at any given time (Cronin 113-147). Its popularity is one of the reasons why people are getting addicted to it. Gamers are all the time looking for new and interesting games and as they find something new they started playing and telling their friends and family about it. In this way those people themselves get obsessed of games as well as they make others overwhelmed with the interest of gaming. I would define this group of players as a culture because they have their own way of life that is very different from anything one is, they spend much of their time in gaming which is no more than a way to get busy. And this activity does not mean anything useful. In addition at one point these 5000 players are playing then a sort of a social group of their own. Some of my songs are complete addicts and play this game at least 8 hours a day without worrying about college, sleep or work. These people have no friends and not have any food because they are busy playing Warcraft all day (Mayra 45-113). We think that it will be a great...
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...Lego occupies a strong position in the market for construction toys with relatively few rivals one must consider that Lego is now competing in boarder market of children's entertainment which in the lead up to 2004 began in include large incumbents from the electronics sector such as Sega and Nintendo. Power of buys The power of the buyer in the case of Lego may be seen as relatively high with low switching costs between alternative toys and even substitute products such as video games and television. Power of suppliers The power of suppliers may be seen as average, Lego's products on the whole may be seen as largely based upon standardised inputs such as plastics and chemicals. There is the consideration that were Lego chooses to move into non-traditional areas such as sets associated with films or games the power of suppliers will increase as a key input becomes that of licences which is a form of intellectual property. Threat of substitutes This may be seen as the largest threat to the Lego group in the run up to the end of 2004. Although it is difficult to define what market a company occupies (Grant 2008, Porter 2004) for the purpose of considering the impact of substitution one must consider Lego to be a provider of children's entertainment. In this case the threat from substitutes are rather high given that consumers may substitute between alternative traditional toys such as action figures or toy cars through to electronic products such as video games and...
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...Jennifer Smith G.G. Toys: Case study #2 G.G. Toys was a toy manufacturer facing problems with productivity and profitability. The company found a profitable product in their Geoffrey doll and Specialty branded doll #106. Retailers could customize to the specifications and buying habits of their customer base. On average, the Geoffrey Doll cost $19.19 to produce, and the #106 doll $23.74. To access in a study of their overhead cost for both of their plants, research showed that: 1. A setup was performed in the Chicago facility each time a modification to the dolls was made. Additionally, each time a specialty-branded doll was produced, a separate setup was required to process the raw materials to the required specifications. 2. Workers in the Chicago facility often operated several machines simultaneously once they were set up. Thus, machine-related expenses might relate more to the machine hours of a product than to its production-run labor hours. Because each retailer required slight alterations to the Geoffrey doll's overall appearance, a new setup and production run was required for each design change. Retailers were found to be conservative in their ordering patterns, ordering fewer units more frequently. Thus increasing the number of setups required, causing increased labor and material cost. The research done by the external group did show an area of opportunity. Because setup is time consuming, labor intensive, and costly, it would be within reason...
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...the notion of others- so if someone pick up his toy, he may throw a tantrum or voice a protest as he sees his object is an extension of his self Age 3 * Child’s brain is almost fully grown * Lying- a developmental milestone! As it demands quite advanced cognitive and social skills * Almost 4- children will lie on a regular basis * Purpose is different: 3- lie to avoid punishment; older child- control a social situation * Awareness of gender identity * Enjoy grown-up role play * Sharing responsibilities: household chores They enjoy learning about their world through role play and imitation * Sense of self has expanded- to include sense of others and this inspired him to share, take turns, empathize, and do cooperative play. It is also an ideal time to establish shared family events such as regular mealtimes * Peer pressure * When it comes to deciding on who is right and who is wrong, 3 year olds will go with the majority. * Age 3 * Play is the dominant feature of preschool life. Preschool phase is said to be the most playful stage of human life. Based on your observations or experiences, what are the toys usually enjoyed by preschool children? * Cooperative play * e.g. invention or copying of a set of rules; can spontaneously change rules * Others: puzzles, board games, card games, drawing and painting * Imaginary friends- invisible presence or a favorite toy that has been enrolled to play the part of the friend...
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...Jennifer Smith G.G. Toys: Case study #2 G.G. Toys was a toy manufacturer facing problems with productivity and profitability. The company found a profitable product in their Geoffrey doll and Specialty branded doll #106. Retailers could customize to the specifications and buying habits of their customer base. On average, the Geoffrey Doll cost $19.19 to produce, and the #106 doll $23.74. To access in a study of their overhead cost for both of their plants, research showed that: 1. A setup was performed in the Chicago facility each time a modification to the dolls was made. Additionally, each time a specialty-branded doll was produced, a separate setup was required to process the raw materials to the required specifications. 2. Workers in the Chicago facility often operated several machines simultaneously once they were set up. Thus, machine-related expenses might relate more to the machine hours of a product than to its production-run labor hours. Because each retailer required slight alterations to the Geoffrey doll's overall appearance, a new setup and production run was required for each design change. Retailers were found to be conservative in their ordering patterns, ordering fewer units more frequently. Thus increasing the number of setups required, causing increased labor and material cost. The research done by the external group did show an area of opportunity. Because setup is time consuming, labor intensive, and costly, it would be within reason (at least...
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...Magnetic Toys Can Hurt The major problem with Mega Brands is with the safety of the children that play with the toys. Magnets fall off of the toy and children swallow the magnets which can cause stomach flu like symptoms and has even caused one child to die. Another problem is Mega Brands refusing to cooperate with the U.S. Consumer Products Safety Commission. According to CPSC.com, “The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission is charged with protecting the public from unreasonable risks of injury or death from thousands of types of consumer products under the agency's jurisdiction. The U.S. Consumer Products Safety Commission is committed to protecting consumers and families from products that pose a fire, electrical, chemical, or mechanical hazard or can injure children.” The U.S. Consumer Products Safety Commission has a job to do as well as Mega Brands. From one business to another, Mega Brands should have responded to the recalls that could have prevented a lot of children from being sick. According to our text on page 263 “data was submitted covering 1,500 complaint reports made to Mega Brands”. Mega Brands “lacked an organized comprehensive reporting system.” (Brooks, Leonard J. Page 263.) If the organization was better this complaints could have been a red flag to get the toys off of the market. The concerns that I would express to the CEO about the Magnetix to issues would be that there has been a reported death from our toys. This alone should make...
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