For the past couple of years, I’ve used this blog as a platform to examine how THP conceptualises value creation and outline the different processes we’ve put in place to achieve it. I’ve talked a lot about core values, as we view these as the foundation stone for both our short- and long-term success. One… [Read the full article]
Tag: management
Why Vietnamese consumers think healthy products are the cat’s whiskers
It is Tết Nguyên Đán, the lunar New Year here in Vietnam and in 2023 we are ushering in the year of the water cat (we have a different tradition to China, which is celebrating the year of the rabbit). A cat feels like an apt analogy for how Vietnamese consumer habits are changing. In… [Read the full article]
Why supply chain management is in focus
Creating an efficient supply chain is the bedrock of any successful manufacturing company. Just ask Apple CEO Tim Cook, who reportedly won the top job at the tech company (after founder Steve Jobs passed away) because of his success building up a smooth running supply chain, focused on Chinese suppliers. So supply chains are always… [Read the full article]
Developing PDCA Skills
At THP we recently conducted some PDCA training sessions for employees across the organization. PDCA stands for Plan-Do-Check-Act and it is a very popular management technique for ensuring continuous improvement whether that is for a product, a process or a person. The concept was originally developed by the American engineer Dr. William Deming in 1950… [Read the full article]
Why listening is about understanding
In my last post I discussed what I have learned about art of difficult conversations during my career: how to have a proactive discussion with someone that does not leave them feeling that they have been backed into a corner and need to come out fighting. Part of the skill in handling those conversations and… [Read the full article]
The Art of Difficult Conversations
If there is one thing that many people dread more than anything in life it is the prospect having a “difficult conversation” with someone else. It is all too easy to put it off. But there are always consequences to this. Firstly, the problems generally don’t go away, but get worse. Secondly, the other person’s… [Read the full article]
THP’s 2021 in review: gone but unlikely to be forgotten
Regular readers of this blog will know that at THP we live by the maxim that “Nothing is Impossible.” It is one of the company’s seven core values, embodying the spirit of both of my parents who faced one challenge after another establishing a livelihood in the aftermath of the Vietnam War and then setting… [Read the full article]
Why camaraderie is now more important than ever
What do managers mean when they talk about fostering a spirit of camaraderie in the workplace? And why is it so important for a well-functioning company? If we take a look at the origins of the word itself, then it derives from the Middle French for camarade, which means a group sleeping in the same… [Read the full article]
