Day 11-- Managing in Complex Environments

Plus 3 2015 Vietnam sure knows how to manage in complex environments, and would surely make Bob proud. 

Today was a stacked day in terms of company visits. We got on the bus and drove an hour to VSIP (Vietnam Singapore Industrial Park) for the first visit, and stayed there to visit another company (II-VI). I personally really liked VSIP. The governments of both Vietnam and Singapore got together and let VSIP create an industrial park that currently has parks in the southern part of Vietnam (the one we went to today), central Vietnam, and northern Vietnam (near Hanoi). VSIP is a popular place for a company to set up shop because of their one-stop shop service. VSIP provides companies with tech support, government support, customer service, and they have an on-site customs office. All these features allow the companies in the park to cut costs when it comes to trying to find other reliable sources of said services. VSIP does all of it for them which makes the industrial park an attractive place to grow a business. I think the reason why I liked VSIP so much is because it's in the business of making a business (who thinks of these things!?), which kind of goes to show that business can be anything and is everywhere. 

Up next was II-VI, a Pennsylvania company doing some operations in Vietnam (because of the inexpensive labor). II-VI is in the business of infrared and optics and other things I didn't quite understand. After a briefing we went and toured the buildings. There was a lot of big and loud machinery operated by trained workers working with very small elements. From a business point of view, II-VI is a strong company. They cut costs whenever/wherever possible which contributes to their 40 year streak in growing profits. If there was a good example of a company that has globalized it would be II-VI. Having moved operations from Singapore to China to Vietnam, following inexpensive labor, II-VI still has plants in all of these countries with its headquarters in the U.S. 

After lunch we had an hour long nap on the ride home and a couple of us went for a swim swam in the pool. It was an early day but a much needed one because a lot of us are exhausted. We do have plans to go out tonight because we do get to sleep in tomorrow (9:45 bus time, is this real life?). Tomorrow we have a cooking class in the morning, which should be interesting!

VSIP Model

Inside II-VI

Arielle takes pictures of food (a daily occurrence)