2010-2011: ZAZA NADJA LEE HANSEN
It is with great
gratitude that I received an award of GBP2000 from the Anglo-Danish Society to
support my stay as an external researcher at Cambridge University in the UK.
My research is about the impact of offshoring and outsourcing of engineering
tasks when applied to global product development. There are implications not
only for the organization but also for the technical processes used and in the
end for the product itself. As a PhD student at DTU I have had a theoretical
and very technical approach to my research topic with the focus on product
rather than organization.
My stay at Cambridge University with the Department of Engineering has helped
me improve my research in 3 key areas:
1. An organizational approach
The research at Cambridge I was engaged in took an organizational approach to
global product development. Outsourcing and offshoring of engineering tasks
were seen in relation to its impact on the organization, its members and its
routines. This complemented my research from DTU and has enabled me to
integrate both technical and organizational aspects of global product
development thus presenting a more holistic picture.
2. A practical focus
The fact that Cambridge is focused on industry applicability of their research
helped me to be more aware of this dimension in my own research. During my time
at Cambridge I among other things took part in a conference hosted at Cambridge
for top managers within key UK industries as well as academics from around the
world (the annual Manufacturing Symposium) which further helped me to
understand my research topic from an industry perspective.
3. Another research environment
The most interesting aspect of this different environment in Cambridge is their
approach to organizational networks and their theories concerning how the
different elements of the network (customers, suppliers, subsidiaries,
departments…)relate to one another. Learning about this enabled me to analyze
my data in a different light which has enriched my results. I worked mainly
with Dr Jagjit Singh Srai in regard to network configuration and with Dr. Don
Fleet on global manufacturing networks. With their guidance I have been able to
place my research into a wider and more global academic as well as industry
framework.
My supervisors at DTU and myself plan to continue our research even after the
end of my PhD. For me personally this includes co-writing several academic
papers with researchers at Cambridge and applying for funding to continue the
research as a PostDoc researcher. Furthermore, we are talking with Cambridge
about starting a new research project within the area of global engineering
which would include several researchers from both Universities. Also, we plan
to produce a booklet which gives guidelines to UK and Danish companies based on
this research in regard to global product development.
In summary, my time at Cambridge University has been an essential element in
order for my research to be global, applicable to industry and to create a
holistic picture of global product development which includes both technical as
well as organizational elements. Furthermore, it has created the chance for the
research to be expanded upon in future studies both here at DTU and in further
collaboration with Cambridge University.
The support from the Anglo-Danish Society has been crucial for me to be able to
carry out my stay at Cambridge University, where it helped to pay for
essentials such as the tuition fee, rent and transportation.
Thank you again for your kind support which helped make my stay at Cambridge
University possible.
