Background Of Toyota Motor Company Limited Management Essay

Background Of Toyota Motor Company Limited Management Essay Since it was founded in 1937, Toyota Motor Company has contributed to the development of the automobile industry and society by providing people with quality vehicles. TMC manufactures automobiles in 25 countries and regions all over the world. Today, its vehicles are sold in more 160 nations worldwide under the brand names of Toyota, Lexus, Daihatsu, and Hino, manufacturing small cars to luxury sedans, full-sized pickup trucks, and crossover vehicles. This report is mainly focusing on the human resource management system of Toyota Motor. The major issues like technological issues of HRMS, change management and innovation to management style of Toyota Motor Company in detail. It also depicts the relation between the human resource management system and among these key issues in the context of Toyota motor company. Technological changes in HRMS of Toyota include the recruitment and selection process of Toyota and different techniques how to motivate and encourage employees towards the objectives and goals of organization. In change management an example of change management has been explain about the Toyota Motor and different styles of management which are used in Toyota are also describe in detail and some techniques which Toyotas management is using to control and directing its employees. Some recommendations are given at the end of the report on those areas where Toyota needs some improvements. Background of Toyota Motor Company Limited Toyota Motor Co. Ltd. (TMC) was first established in 1937 as a separated company from Toyoda Automobile Loomworks, the leading manufacturing of weaving machinery. The Toyota Automobile Loomworks was then headed by Sakichi Toyoda, the king of investors (Schewe, Charles and Hiam, Alexander, 1998). The giant automaker faced its one and only strike in 1950. This event, however, supplied Toyota an important philosophy, giving it the labour and management system which helped Toyota to gain mutual growth and success in both domestic and overseas markets. Today, this philosophy is very important to the structure of Toyota. Toyotas production system improved in the late 1950s, establishing the Toyota Production System. This system became the major factor in the reduction of inventories and defect in the plants of Toyota and its suppliers. It also underpinned all of Toyotas operations across the world. It launched its first small cars in 1947. The operation outside Japan started in 1959 in Brazil and continued with growing network of foreign plants. Toyota celebrated its 60th anniversary in August 1997. It believes that its local production can provide customers with the productions they need, giving it the stable and long-term growth. It also has a global network of design and research and development facilities, consisting Japan, North America, and Europe markets (Schewe, Charles and Hiam, Alexander, 1998). Toyota is at rank 8 in fortune global 500 2007 companies of the world Toyota Motor Company is committed to the principle of Equal Opportunities by providing fair and equitable treatment to all individuals and applicants. Toyota seeks to abide by the intent as well as the letter of appropriate legislation in these matters and Toyota management team is committed to the promotion of and adherence to the Equal Opportunities Policy. . Why Toyota Motor need Innovation and Change? Any organization needs change for some reason. It may be for its survival if business is not doing well or may be business wants to attain competitive advantage. Sometimes this change is required due to the external pressure like mergers or change in any legislation. Overall change is for the benefit of the business and their employees. There are so many reasons for the Toyota for the innovation and change which are: Reduced Sales Customer Turnover Employee Turnover Loan Repayment Investments in a new project Extension of Organization i.e. overseas business Need for Technology Core Competence Customer Value Creation Basic Issues to Toyota Motor Company In the past, Toyota was not giving much attention to its Human Resource management system but now it is known that success of the Toyota is more dependant on its employees rather than on any thing else. Toyota Motor also believes its employees are assets for them and sometimes they give more attention to the employees than customers. They believe on the philosophy that organization with more satisfied employees having more satisfied customers. So now, It is necessary for the Toyota to choose the right employee for the right job. Because one wrong decision regarding selection of the employee will harm Toyota till that employee will work on that job. The three most vital issues related to HRMS of Toyota includes Technological Changes in HRMS of Toyota Innovation to Management Styles of the Toyota HRMS Change Management perspective of Toyota HRMS Technological Changes in HRMS of Toyota In this competitive environment of global business, it was very difficult for Toyota Motor Company to remain always competitive and managed profitable relationship with the customers. Toyota Motor is the 3rd best automobile corporation of the world and it always needs innovation (Ronald J. Burke, Cary L. Cooper, 2006). Innovation can be in any form or in any field e.g. it can be in the design, production processes, quality, product, managing human resource effectively etc. in this report main focus will be on the human resource management system of the Toyota. The solution of technological changes in HRMS of Toyota includes: Innovation in recruitment and selection process How Can Toyota maintains employees satisfaction and low employees turnover Innovation in recruitment and selection process of Toyota With the passage of time, so many technological changes have also come into the recruitment and selection process of the Toyota. Now for the selection of employees Toyota gives special attention. Because finding right employee for the any position is necessary for the Toyota Motors (R. L. Compton, Alan R. Nankervis, 2008). The first step in the process of acquiring the human resource for the Toyota is to specify the kind of work which will be done by the employees. Job analysis and job design are the process used to determine this Job Analysis Job Design Training of Employees Job Analysis Job Analysis means gathering the pertinent information regarding the nature of the specific job. It is determining the tasks that comprise the job which includes skills, qualification, abilities and experience of the employees (Ronald J. Burke, Cary L. Cooper, 2006). Now job analysis is must for every job in Toyota Motor. Job analysis serves as foundation of the every human resource functions. Products of job Analysis Job description: means written synopsis of nature of the job. Job specification: means description of competencies, educational, and experience qualification the incumbent must possess to perform the job. Job Analysis Method Different methods are used by the Toyota for the job analysis which are: Observation (Motion and time study, Work Sampling) Interview Questionnaires Functional job Analysis Job Design Job Design is the process of structuring work and designing work for the specific job in Toyota. Job design gives the answers to basic questions of how the job is performed, who is to perform. Both job analysis and job design are linked with each other. Two dimensions of job design include job scope and job depth (Ronald J. Burke, Cary L. Cooper, 2006). Job scope refers to the number and variety of tasks performed by the jobholder in the Toyota Motor Company. In Toyotas working environment most jobs have high job scope. In a job with less scope, jobholder has to performed few tasks. Low job scope can be the reason for dissatisfaction of the particularly job. Job depth refers to the freedom of the job holders to plan and organize their own work. Toyotas management gives freedom to its employees up to his control or limit and works at your own pace and communicates according to your need (R. L. Compton, Alan R. Nankervis, 2008) Training of the employees After selecting the employees, Toyota arranged training activities for its employees. To get this training is compulsory in Toyota. This training is very helpful for the employees and it takes less time to learn the employees lots of things than learning on job from own experience. Toyota Motor used different methods for the training of its employees like some lectures and training classes are arranged for them or give them on job training with the senior members who are having vast experience and can help the employees in its training. Job rotation is another term which is used for learning and developing new skills of the employees. How Toyota can maintain employees satisfaction and low employees turnover In managing human resource of the Toyota effectively the first step is to select the right employee for the right position. For this right selection of employees, it is necessary for Toyota to use new innovative techniques for selection of employees, compensating and rewarding to employees. Because job satisfaction is the most important variable and Toyotas success is dependant on its employees. So, Toyota always follows the innovative techniques for managing its human resource. Satisfied and committed employees are asset for the Toyota. It has seen organization with more satisfied employees perform better than other whose are not satisfied. So, Toyotas success or failure also depends on its employees satisfaction or dissatisfaction. Organization whose employees are dissatisfied with their jobs cost too much to the organization. Mostly they will be absent from the work or might quarrel with the co-workers .These employees do not take interest in their job which affects the overall pr oductivity of the organization and ultimately organization will suffer. There are so many reasons for their dissatisfaction; it can be the environmental conditions in which they work, Nature of the work like repetition etc. There are different techniques which are used to make employee satisfied and ultimately low employees turnover which are: HR Development Career Development Motivation HR DEVELOPMENT Skills and knowledge of staff is crucial for Toyotas innovation process. Most of the innovation ideas are come through the employees of the Toyota Motor. But the time is changing so quickly that every technology and change becomes obsolete in no time. It is important for the Toyota that its employees remain up-to-date with the knowledge and changes to compete in the industry Career Development It is the duty of the Toyotas management to provide the growth opportunities to its employees. Career development is an ongoing process that focusing on the developing and enriching the organizations human resource in the light of both employee and organization need. It is also the responsibility of the Toyotas employee himself to think about his career development. It is something which one can not do for others. It has to come from the individual himself. Toyota also helps, guide and provides opportunities to its employees. MOTIVATION Motivation is a feeling of satisfaction and commitment towards its goals and objectives. This is an internal psychological state which determines the action of the person. Employees are motivated via different ways .It is important for Toyota to give much attention to the needs of its employees and keep moving in the desire direction. Toyota enhances its employees motivation through two basic ways: Financial Non-financial Financial motivators Toyotas financial motivators are connected to the monetary need of the employees which includes salary system, bonuses, and allowances etc. which have usually short term effect on the employees. Base salary: A person is paid a salary for the job he/she is doing in a specific time. In Toyota, persons basic salary depends upon his knowledge, skills, qualification and competencies of the employee. Basic salary should be compatible with the job. It is required for the Toyota to give the compatible salary to its employees which keep them motivated and committed. Variable pay Sometimes Toyota gives incentives to employees to enhance or improve the performance of the employees focusing on the specific targets or projects. Financial rewards provide financial recognition to people. Extra money is given to the employee for their achievements. Benefits are also given to the employees for their well being which includes contribution to pension fund, health insurance schemes, life insurance, loan with no interest or lower interest rate, free use of products or services of the company, etc. Allowances for relocation, transportation, subsistence, accommodation, recreation, etc      Non-financial motivation techniques The most important technological changes which are used by the Toyota to motivate its employees include non-financial motivation techniques. These non- financial motivators are very effective it cost nothing to the Toyota but depend on the willingness of pertinent managers to pay more attention to their staff. These non financial motivators are connected to the work itself and having a longer term effect. Non financial motivators are honors, self respect, Change Management perspective of Toyota HRMS Change Management as it seems made up of two words Change plus Management. Change means to transform while management means the art of controlling, leading, organizing and decision making. So apparently change management means the art of controlling, leading, organization and decision making in the transformation process (J Dawkins, 2007) More precisely, in the context of Toyota Motor, we can define change management as systematic methodology of changing the individuals, teams and organizations from current state to the desired state. This change may or may not include all the employees of an organization. In the case Development of new system was very crucial for Toyota Motor. Company was using old system but new computerized system was needed. And Toyota was facing problems in changing the old system due to its employees behavior (Chaffey D, 2004) Change Management process Change Management process includes the Toyota context, pace and scale of change, people management, change management content plan page and implementation of plan In Toyotas Context In Toyota Motor company, management decided to change its old manual accounting system with new computerized system. Toyota Company needed the new computerized system for the following reason: Toyota Motor wanted to increase its efficiency in doing business and also wanted to gain competitive advantage over its competitor. For the development of new system company took the services of the other organization (J Dawkins, 2007) The new system was after the stage of successful testing was almost complete and the only problem for Toyota was the implementation because its workers who were resisting this new change they were thinking that after the development of the new system they will have problem to use it and they have to made major adjustment even layoffs are expected as a result of new system in reality company was predicting for the growth they were planning for product development and wanted to add new models and staff for managing this growth (Ayse Saka, 2003). After this implementation of new system lots of employees of Toyota was thinking about the early retirement. Pace and Scale of Change in Toyota Motor Company In pace and scale of change business needs to know that how many people are affected with the development of the new system. For this organization can choose different ways that how they will know about these affected employees because this new system had been used by the same people there was very high cost attached with the new system so Toyota Motor needed to know exactly about the number of people who are affected and how often they had to change their attitudes and behavior. Toyota should know the time period in which the old system will be replaced by the new computerized system (Joel Oleson, 2009) For this change Toyota needs a sponsor and best person fits to this role are senior and as well as influential personality of the Toyota. This was the first step for the Toyota to identify the sponsor next step was to identify champions and change agent who will bring this new change system in the organization. People Management in Toyota In the new system development process at Toyota the most complicated stage in the process was people management. This is the most difficult process of development of new system. Because people are the final user for this new system in this case Toyota was facing some challenges as their employees were not favoring the new system due to some future doubts e.g. they were feeling their selves insecure that this new system will be harm for them (Joel Oleson, 2009) It will not in the benefit of them. There are so many ways organization can manage this issue of contradiction (Ayse Saka, 2003). First it is the responsibility of the Toyotas management to tell about the change to its employees who will be affected by this new system. They should be aware of about this system before its starting so, then these hurdles do not exist. Now proper coaching is required for the employees who will use this new system. They should be trained and learned to use new system. Toyota should communicate new systems benefits and new opportunities which will arise due to implementation of the new system to the employees like presentations, road shows; team briefing and regular meeting of the senior employee would be called and arranged for the employees. Toyotas Change Management Plan Contents Page Change management is a very difficult process that demands a proper step by step process for the change in a firm or organization. It has been often found that employees resist to the change management process a lot. Same as the case of Toyota Motor which wanted to implement a change within the organization and was facing resistance from his employees. Change management plan contents page includes: Initial Knowledge Implementation Plan of Toyota Initial Knowledge For Toyota initial knowledge is called as the foundation to the change process. Toyota Motor believes, when they have a strong introduction to your change requirements, they can have a first impact on the stakeholders who may be the cause of the resistance to the change. The more impressive the introduction to the problem and the change need, you have the most chances of the success in the change management (Ayse Saka, 2003). An introduction is the part of the change process in which you introduce the objectives, needs, rules and policies and deliver change effectiveness. Implementation Plan of Toyota For Toyota Implementation plan in the change process works as the milestones towards Toyotas destination. In the plan first Toyota management sets its milestones so that they may not lose their track from the change process. Plan has a significant importance (Chaffey D, 2004) .It helps the people, technology, process, and the change implementers like Toyota Motor Company define the service, reduce ambiguity in the change process and it also help to mitigate conflicts within the firm where change needs to be implemented. Communication Whenever a change is required, the change management team is required to seek, produce and properly communicate the evidences to Toyotas management in support to the change. Taking employees in confidence has a great importance for Toyota, as the change is mostly not implemented due to the resistance from the employees (Helen Taylor, Cary L. Cooper, 1998) .And to get their support, it is widely required the good communications of the evidences to the support of change. Because if the employees will understand the benefits and reasons behind change, they will respond positively. Implementation plan includes: Readiness measurement By Toyota Involvement of employees Training Readiness measurement by Toyota Along with the strong communication, Toyota Motor also measures the readiness to use the change in the daily operations. If the staff will see it more ambiguous and difficult to implement, they will deny accepting change as it will not be secure to them. It may harm their performance that will impact on their jobs too. The experts in new system may replace them. So they will never accept the change. But if they find the system is easy to use and change, then most staff will embrace changes for the long term security. Involvement of employees Keeping the involvement of the staff and employees in the change process is also an important step for Toyota. If you keep their opinion and suggestions in the changing process, you may face very less probability of the resistance from them. It will give them an affiliation with the change process (Helen Taylor, Cary L. Cooper, 1998). They will consider the success of the change as their success. Keeping them aware and involve also keep them aware what is going on so that there would be less chances of negative words of mouth and rumors. Training The new systems and the changing should have training sessions for the employees who are use to the older systems and the business environment. The training sessions should be conducted by Toyota so that it may reduce the resistance, to increase efficiency and to avoid any risk in the stoppage of the production, jammed processes or other factors related to the less knowledge for the new systems (Chaffey D, 2004). Innovation to Management Styles of the Toyota HRMS Different management styles are used in Toyota to manage its workforce. These styles are dependent on the on various factors e.g. culture of Toyota, nature of the task, skills, qualification of the employees, nature of the leaders (Kotter, J. and Schlesinger, L. 2003). Style of leader depends on all these factors and after analyzing appropriate style is employed. Sometimes different styles are used at same time to control the situation. Different Management Styles Normally there are three management styles which are followed by the different organizations including Toyota which are Autocratic Democratic Lassie Faire Autocratic In Toyotas Autocratic style employees involvement is minimal or not taken. No information is shared with the employees. Rules are set and then tell employees to follow them. All the objectives and goals are set by the Toyota top management. The communication flow is from up to downward from top level to low level. The advantage of this style is that objectives and goal remain constant. These type of leaders make unilateral decision and always keep an eye on subordinates whether they are doing the right things. In this style subordinates have no control on any thing and they just need to follow leader (Kotter, J. and Schlesinger, L. 2003). The disadvantage of this style is that employees are dissatisfied and which cause the reason of turnovers, absenteeism and low productivity. Democratic In Toyotas Democratic style, employees input are taken in the planning and decision making process. Employees are motivated and encourage participating in the affairs of the Toyota. In this style every issues and problems are solved with the consent of the majority. The communication flow is both way upward to downward and vice versa. Democratic style is more often used at Toyota when the problem is complex and need everyone input. There are some advantages and disadvantages of this style. Employees are more satisfied with their job and turnover rate is low and productivity is high. Disadvantages may include to get everyone consensus is difficult. This style is time consuming because it takes time to get the input from others. Laissez-faire In Toyotas Laissez-faire leadership style, leader gives free hand to employees or a group or team and asked for the end result. Toyotas leader does not set any rules and regulations. Toyotas employees set the rules and objectives according to their need. Leader role is very nominal in this style. The communication style is horizontal in this style (Kotter, J. and Schlesinger, L. 2003). This style is not very common in the so many organizations including Toyota but still used when management feels its need. There are also some disadvantages for this style, lack of staff focus, no clear hierarchy, poor company image and less dissatisfaction of customers How to manage Toyota Human Resource? Toyota motor company has also adopted the different management techniques for keeping its employees competitive, satisfied and to solve all the potential problems related to its HRMS. These different techniques are: Job rotation Job Enrichment Involving employees Communication Management by walking around Employee driven innovation Maintain a knowledge sharing network Job rotation In Toyota job rotation is the newly concept and it is effective as well. The process of moving employees among different jobs is job rotation. Job rotation helps employees to improve their skills, Knowledge and competencies. Employees get bored by doing the repetitive task every time so job rotation is a good way to keep them active and fresh every time (Jeffrey H. Dyer and Kentaro Nobeoka, 2000). Job rotation also helpful for the Toyota itself in the time of crisis, if an employee is unavailable due to the any reason other employee can do its work Job enrichment: Toyota Motor Company knows intrinsic factors in a job such as achievement, responsibility and growth need the job enrichment. With job enrichment employees are more likely to be satisfied with the job and motivated to perform it. Combining tasks takes existing and fractionalized tasks and puts them together and form a larger module of work. Forming natural work units tasks and employee does create an identifiable and meaningful whole. Establishing client relationship increases the direct relationship with the clients. Expanding jobs vertically gives employee more responsibilities and control (Jeffrey H. Dyer and Kentaro Nobeoka, 2000). Opening feedback channel lets employees knows how well they are performing their jobs whether performance have improved or not or remain constant. Involving employees Take input from the employees to increase their commitment is important for the success of the Toyota. The extent to which decisions affect the employees and Toyota should involve the employees. By increasing their autonomy and control over their work lives, employees will become more motivated, more committed to the organization, more productive and more satisfied with their jobs. Communication Keep informing the employees about the goals and direction of the Toyota. Communicate all the related issues regarding employee future, job and performance. Each and every matter which Toyota can share to the employee should communicate them. Every thing which affects the employees itself also communicated to them. Management by walking around: Visit to the Toyotas offices, factories, workshops, and labs regularly, always asking the employees about their work and work related problems, sort out the problems and giving them feedback etc.    Employee Driven Innovation Toyota believes in collection of key ideas and uses the experiences of most of the employees to create opportunities and new ways for them. It is important to bring incremental changes in culture of Toyota, products, behavior, processes, and in business models that create value for customers, stakeholders and the company. Maintain Knowledge sharing network It is necessary for organization to maintain knowledge sharing network that will help in quick knowledge diffusion than other competing manufactures. Due to the best knowledge sharing network organization can gain competitive advantage on other competitors. Knowledge sharing system made organization effective and capable to do any thing with in no time. This knowledge sharing network includes organizations employees, suppliers, management and all the related stakeholders. This network improves the productivity and reduced the delivery time. This knowledge sharing network of will solve three basic problems: Motivate and encourage members involvement and share their valuable ideas Reduce cost of doing business Prevent free Riders Conclusion Studies have proved that organizational success is affected by the innovative management styles. These management styles are vary from every organization to another organization. There are different managing styles which all used to manage employees. Management styles can bring success and innovation in the organization but the most important thing is that management style should be suitable for the organization Satisfied and committed employees are asset for the Toyota. It has seen organization with more satisfied employees perform better than other whose are not satisfied. So, Toyotas success or failure also depends on its employees satisfaction or dissatisfaction. Organization whose employees are dissatisfied with their jobs cost too much to the organization. The Change Management Could arises from several many situations and could be applied in several many kinds. Actually the type of problem or situation decides why and how to change. The successful implementation of change depends on the human capital that an organization possesses and also on the measures adopted to implement change. The main objective of organizational change is to bring about a strategic change in its organizational structure to better utilize its human and non-human resources to efficiently achieve organizational goal. Recommendations Effective and Timely Change Management is the secret of success of Toyota. But for effective change, Toyota needs to plan the design, sequence and implementation of change proactively. Satisfied and committed employees are asset for the Toyota. It has seen organization with more satisfied employees perform better than other whose are not satisfied. So, it is vital for Toyota to maintain a healthy relationship with its employees in order to become competitive. Today world is changing very quickly so Toyota should change and up grade its self with the modern standards and technologies. Toyota should welcome any key idea by the any employee. Self recognition, self esteem and honors are also very important for the employees so, Toyota should more emphasis on these non financial motivators and keeps its employees as most satisfied and happy.

Cry The Beloved Country :: Cry the Beloved Country Essays

Cry The Beloved Country      Cry, the beloved country, for the unborn child that is the inheritor of it all. Let him not love the earth to deeply. Let him not be too moved when the birds of his land are singing, nor give to much of his heart to a mountain or a valley. For fear will rob him of all if he lives too much. Yes cry, cry, the beloved country      Cry The Beloved Country by Alan Paton was a magnificent work of art and my words alone would do it an injustice. Its pages echo with the dirge of a battered country that has suffered far too much for far to long. The book takes you to South Africa, where the land itself is the essence of a man. It as if the mountains, soaring high above the clouds, are the high moments in life, and the valleys are those low and suffering times. Next, you will take a journey to a place called Johannesburg. While reading the pages, begin to envision Johannesburg being a polluted, very unkind, and rushed city. The setting is more of a emotional setting than a physical setting. As I stated it takes place in South Africa, 1946. This is a time where racial discrimination is at an all time high. The black community of this land is trying to break free from the white people, but having little success. It is this so called racism that is essential to the setting of the story. Without it, the book would no t have as much of an impact as it does. The story begins, as many great stories have begun, with a solitary man taking a long and dangerous journey to a distant land. The man is an Anglican Zulu priest, Rev. Stephen Kumalo, and the journey is to the white-ran Johannesburg in 1946. Like a weary prophet taking a biblical sojourn to Sodom, Kumalo is seeking out lost members of his family who have left the townships for the lights of the big city. He is looking for his sister Gertrude, who has become a prostitute: and mostly, his son Absalom, who has disappeared into the darkness as surely as the original Absalom of the Old Testament was lost to King David. Once he arrives, the nave Kumalo is immediately robbed, and it isnt until he finds the enigmatic but helpful Father Msimangu that he is able to begin his search, a search that will change his life forever.

Birch Paper Case Essay

The division can’t very well show a profit by putting in bids that don’t even cover a fair share of overheadcosts,let alone give us a profit. † Birch Paper Company was a medium-sized,partly integrated paper company, producing white and kraft papers and paperboard. A portion of its paperboard output was converted into corrugated boxes by the Thompson Division, which also printed and colored the outside surface of the boxes. Including Thompson,the companyhad four producingdivisions and a timberland division, which supplied part of the company’spulp requirements. For severalyears, eachdivision had beenjudged independently on the basis of its profit and return on investment. Top managementhad been working to gain effectiveresults from a policy of decentralizing responsibility and authority for all decisionsexcept those relating to overall companypolicy. The company’s top officials believed that in the past few years the concept of decentralization had been applied successfullyand that the company’sprofits and competitive position definitely had improved. The Northern Division had designeda special display box for one of its papers in conjunction with the ThompsonDivision, which was equippedto make the box. Thompson’sstaff for packagedesign and developmentspent several months perfecting the design, production methods,and materials to be used. Becauseof the unusual color and shape, these were far from standard. According to an agreement between the two divisions, the Thompson Division was reimbursed by the Northern Division for the cost of its design and developmentwork. When all the specificationswere prepared,the Northern Division askedfor bids on the box from the ThompsonDivision and from two outside companies. Each division manager was normally free to buy from whatever supplier he wished, and evenon saleswithin the company, divisions were expectedto meet the going market price if they wanted the business. During this period, the profit margins of such converters as the Thompson Division were being squeezed. Thompson,as did many other similar converters,bought its paperboard,and its function was to print, cut, and shapeit into boxes. Though it bought most of its materials from other Birch divisions, most of Thompson’ssaleswere made to outside customers. If Thompsongot the order from Northern, it probably would buy its linerboard and corrugating medium from the Southern Division of Birch. The walls of a corrugated box This case was prepared by William Rotch under the supervision of Neil Harlan, Harvard Business School. Copyright 158-001. by the President and Fellows of Harvard College. Harvard Business School case i Case6-2 Birch PaperCompany 2 consist of outside and inside sheets of linerboard sandwiching the fluted corrugating medium. About 70 percent of Thompson’s out-of-pocketcostof$400 for the order representedthe cost of linerboard and corrugating medium. Though Southern had beenrunning below capacity and had excess inventory, it quoted the market price, which had not noticeably weakenedas a result of the oversupply. Its out-of-pocket costs on both liner and corrugating medium were about 60 percent of the selling price. The Northern Division receivedbids on the boxesof $480 a thousand from the ThompsonDivision, $430 a thousand from West Paper Company,and $432 a thousand from Eire Papers,Ltd. Eire Papers offered to buy from Birch the outside linerboard with the specialprinting already on it, but would supply its own inside liner and corrugating medium. The outside liner would be supplied by the Southern Division at a price equivalent of $90 a thousand boxes,and it would be printed for $30 a thousand by the Thompson Division. Of the $30, about $25 would be out-of-pocketcosts. Since this situation appearedto be a little unusual, William Kenton, manager of the Northern Division, discussedthe wide discrepancy of bids with Birch’s commercialvice president. He told the vice president:†We sell in a very competitivemarket, where higher costscannot be passedon. How canwe be expectedto show a decent profit and return on investment if we have to buy our supplies at more than 10 percent over the going market? † Knowing that Mr. Brunner on occasionin the past few months had beenunable to operate the Thompson Division at capacity,it seemedodd to the vice president that Mr. Brunner would add the full 20 percent overheadand profit chargeto his out-of-pocketcosts. When he was asked about this, Mr. Brunner’s answer was the statement that appears at the beginning of the case. He went on to say that having donethe developmentalwork on the box, and having receivedno profit on that, he felt entitled to a goodmarkup on the production of the box itself. The vice president explored further the cost structures of the various divisions. He remembereda comment that the controller had made at a meeting the week before to the effect that costs which were variable for one division could be largely fIXedfor the companyas a whole. He knew that in the absence of specific orders from top management Mr. Kenton would acceptthe lowest bid, which was that of the West Paper Companyfor $430. However,it would be possiblefor top managementto order the acceptance another bid if the situof ation warranted such action. And though the volume representedby the transactionsin questionwas less than 5 percent of the volume of any of the divisions involved, other transactions would conceivablyraise similar problemslater. Questions 1. Which bid should Northern Division acceptthat is in the best interests of Birch Paper Company? 2. Should Mr. Kenton acceptthis bid? Why or why not? 3. Should the vice president of Birch Paper Companytake any action? 4. In the controversydescribed,how,if at all, is the transfer price system dysfunctional? Doesthis problem call for somechange,or changes, the transin fer pricing policy of the overall firm? If so, what specific changesdo you suggest?

Chew on This Review Essays

Chew on This Review Essays Chew on This Review Paper Chew on This Review Paper The piece then continued to give a history of the beginning of the restaurants that are now American household names, primarily McDonalds. Slaughterhouse conditions were also reviewed in the book and they were unsettlingly cruel to say the least. The authors even included pictures to further their impact. As the book progressed, it showed the overall lack of concern the industry has for the health of America. Chew on This was a book with hundreds of startling facts that led to one large suggestion for people to think about what they are eating and choose not to eat fast food. The evidence of the authors claims supported the suggestion and would have been difficult for anyone to turn down II. Vocabulary 1 . With which vocabulary words in the piece did you encounter some degree of difficulty? Over all, the vocabulary was rather simple. However, In the chapter where additives and artificial flavors were discussed, there were quite a few terms that would be unfamiliar to many people. Some additives were named things like methyl-2-pyramid-ketene and y-undetectable. Confusing to me, the scientists working with them knew exactly what they are and what flavor or aroma they produced. Other terms that were a bit unfamiliar were business terms like synergy. 2. How did you resolve your lack of understanding with these words? When I was confused on the topic of food additive names, I simply thought It through. For example, ethyl nitrate was a term that seemed odd. I thought about the origins of the words and tried the piece them together in my head. Ethyl being the first part, I examined it first. An ethyl is something derived from ethane. Next, a nitrate is something derived from nitrogen. Seeing that these terms simply display the atomic construction of the substance helped me grasp them. The terms used In business were actually explained by the piece Itself. The authors give a good definition of synergy?lining many products together to ten consumer Ana secretly perseverant them all at once?and follow it with actual examples. The largest example and by far the most efficient was how Walt Disney partnered Disney with several other companies. The other companies would put things like a Mackey Mouse logo on their products and perhaps Disney would sell their products in its parks. Ill. Interpretation: What was the main point the author wanted you to get from this book? Closers and Wilson made several valid points throughout Chew on This. Facts about business strategy, marketing, food composition, and slaughterhouse conditions all blended together to make one bad appearance for fast food. As intended, many flaws that exist in that industry were looked upon in a new light. The authors main point was to point out the flaws of the industry itself and expose fast food to America. They wanted not only to show the vindictive behaviors of the businessmen, but the cruel conditions that go into making the food. They wanted to open the eyes of the public to what they were really eating. IV. Criticism 1 . With which points of the piece did you agree with or find easy to accept? Why? I agreed with most of the points. The authors had very credible sources and presented their findings clearly and enjoyable. For example, they found Dir. Oz, an esteemed heart surgeon. They took information from a man with a medical degree and a well- known practice to present. I agreed strongly with their opinions of the unfortunate conditions in slaughterhouses for both the workers and the animals that are to be slaughtered. Including pictures and testimonies both, they appeared to have a vast knowledge of the subject. 2. With which points of the piece did you disagree or find difficult to believe? Why? There was very much in Chew on This that I didnt agree with. I found the book to be extremely credible and informative. There were some points made about business strategy that were a bit vague. The authors made every industry out to be cold- hearted and cutthroat, trying to attack children for their business and virtually rob families. Though most of the information seems plausible, I believe the bias of the authors may have affected the way the information came across. Nevertheless, this is persuasive piece and bias should be expected.

buy custom Fast Food Obesity essay

buy custom Fast Food Obesity essay Opening Fast foods are very common nowadays, and they are present everywhere in any country. And as fast food chains are growing in number, we can notice that people are growing too, not in height but in size. Obese people are increasing in number with each year. Statistics also shows that obesity is a growing problem not only in the Unites States but in almost all corners of the world. In the United States, around 30 percent of the population is obese. This problem is often linked with the rise of different fast food chains and their multiplication. And because these fast food chains and obesity rates increase together, many public debates assume that the rise of these fast food restaurants is significantly related to the growth of obesity rates. There are some reasons. The widespread growth of fast food restaurants provides people with easy access to these kinds of food. In this fast-paced world, people are getting busy and do not have enough time to prepare and cook laborious foods at home. And because they are extremely engaged with their works and other things that keep them busy, they will prefer to have a short meal in the fast foods. More than being accessible, fast foods are affordable for almost all social groups. People do not have to wait for a long time to get an order, and fst foods fit their lifestyle. The irony, however, is that these fast foods do not make their bodies fit. However, these people will still choose such kind of food because they think they are hitting three birds in one stone: fast and, moreover, delicious food at an affordable price. Of course, people would not like to eat foods that will not satisfy their tastes; save for the health conscious ones, who will endure the bitter or the sour taste for the sake of their he alth. The general public is very much enthralled with the delicious and tasty fast foods, forgetting the fact that it would not make them healthy but rather obese, and hence, sick. Closing Fast foods are a reality of the present world. We could not deny the fact that these food institutions are continuously growing and invading the todays society. Simultaneously, obesity is also a dominating health problem nowadays. Accept it or not, the rise of fast food chains has a great effect on the obesity rates among both children and adults. This food has been already proven to be unhealthy. It is rich in cholesterol, unsaturated fats, sodium, and calories. Obviously, these foods have a great impact on the health of consumers and, believe it or not, on their weight, primarily. People come in and out of these fast food chains and enjoy the sweet, salty, tasty, and delicious food. Therefore, many people are prone to gain weight while enjoying the taste. More than that, fast foods are giving special interest in attracting the attention of children. They are creating colorful and jolly characters to attract them. The fact food corporations are spending billions for advertisements annually. Once they caught the kids attention, they would always want to go back to the fast food restaurant. The parents, therefore, will always bring them there thinking that they are giving their children enjoyment. This is another reason why obesity is very much common among children. Moreover, when these children and adults become used to eating this kind of food, they will have a hard time eating vegetables and fruit. They will always look for the crispy, starchy, and sweet fast foods. Their tongues become accustomed to the taste, and they may not notice that they are already addicted to it. These foods promote eating too many calories, sodium, and fewer vegetables, fruit, and dairy products and, therefore, lead people to gain extra weight. But because people become addicted, they will always return to the fast food restaurant to savor the delicious foods, even though, it will only give them additional fats calories, carbohydrates, less nutrition, and more weight. Buy custom Fast Food & Obesity essay

Marketing Research for Yelp in the Brazilian Market Term Paper

Marketing Research for Yelp in the Brazilian Market - Term Paper Example If you feel that any of the steps mentioned in the proposal contradict with your expectations, kindly notify us so that we may be able to make the relevant modification on a timely basis. BACKGROUND: Yelp is planning to provide its services to the Brazilian users regarding Brazilian markets and this research report would assist Yelp in initiating its operations in Brazil. The research report would include a comprehensive study of various factors that will help the organization understand the manner in which Brazilian businesses operate and the ways in which it can engage the Brazilian users. RESEARCH OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this research is to ensure whether it would be feasible for Yelp to start operating in Brazil. The research report would provide the factors that are responsible for the success of Yelp in other territories and an analysis of the fact whether those factors would be feasible in Brazil. The findings of the research report would assist Yelp in understanding the environment of Brazilian markets and modifying its strategy for entering in the Brazilian market accordingly. RESEARCH METHODOLOGY: The research methodology to be followed would consist of primary research and secondary research. In primary research, the relevant information would be acquired directly from the users, while in secondary research, the information already available from different sources would be analyzed and it would be determined whether such information can be utilized for the purposes of this research. The primary research would be conducted through the use of online surveys using the social networking sites and questionnaires at different markets in Brazil. A set of questions would be designed that would focus on the attitude of the users towards a service like Yelp in Brazil. The surveys and questionnaires would include questions that would help the research team analyze their response towards such a service. In this manner, it would be found out whether the users anticipate the services provided by Yelp in Brazil or not. The questionnaire would be simple in order to ens ure a higher response rate. The following would be the key information to be acquired through the questionnaires: 1. What are users overall perceptions and attitudes towards the services like the ones provided by Yelp? 2. How users view Yelp as compared to other such websites in Brazil. 3. Understanding the attitude of the users by understanding the cultural specifics that are most common in Brazil. 4. The factors that the users like and dislike regarding the markets of Brazil and how a service like Yelp would help them decide where to shop and where not to. 5. What the users in Brazil know about Yelp, what they like about its services and what do they dislike about it. The secondary research would include the analysis of market researches already conducted by other organizations or independent researchers. It would

Gender In The Media Movie Review Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Gender In The Media - Movie Review Example The main focus of the paper rests on presentation of female characters relative to male characters. The analysis demonstrates how the female characters adapt the lead roles within Television series, as well as male characters. Television shows adopts several perceptions on society and can be employed as a reflection of reality, depicting the world as external to the text meaning. Introduction Sociologists assert that gender is more of a social performance rather than a biological fact. The sitcom Big Bang Theory relies on individual choice as the possible explanation of the shortage of women within science rather than highlighting institutionalized sexism among scientists. The show largely draws from general stereotypes found in the Sci-fi/fantasy genre in which men are perceived as heroes and women depicted as skimpily dressed and depicted as helpless (Gauntlett, 2008). The show projects the assumption that women do not subscribe to nerd culture and that the cultural stereotypes of the desperate, antisocial, Sci-Fi obsessed video game addicted hacker is unappealing to women’s feminine sensitivities. Role of the Media in Socially Constructing Gender The media mirror and construct the social world. The media that people consume including movies, news stories, music, videogames, and TV shows deliver subtle (and no-so-subtle) messages that largely shape and inform people’s attitudes on race, gender, and class. Comprehension on the impact of the messages on the audience is essential to developing supportive media and industry practices (Gauntlett, 2008). Past studies have demonstrated that representation of women within media tends to reinforce the patriarchal hegemony with the portrayal of women as subordinate to men. Being born a man or a woman within any society is bigger than a simple biological fact bearing social implications. Women can be considered as a creation of the masculine gaze, whereby masculine conception of woman gave rise to idealiza tions and norms, which strongly impacted on the behaviors of women lacking power to challenge the male views of their sex. The social construction framework highlights that there is no essential, universally distinct character which is feminine or masculine behaviors impacted by a broad range of factors such as ability, religion, class, body shape, and sexual preference (Ross, 2012). Gender theory argues that both men and women actively engage in constructing their gendered identities. The construction of gender identities can be perceived as dynamic, changeable, and ongoing rather than fixed or static (Campbell & Carilli, 2005. How Television Shows Construct Gender The concept of gender identity is diverse from gender stereotypes influencing perceptions of personality traits frequently tied to one’s gender, such as expressiveness in women and instrumentality, in men. In most cases, the products of narration of popular culture emanate from the collective and inscribed in it, whereby their deconstruction and analysis uncover the ideological background of gender and social hierarchies overriding the period of creation. Gender norms have been undergoing changes within the last three decades with an unprecedented reach and speed. The boundaries of gender as a social structure may be shaped by taboos that define social power relationships via prohibition on transgressions and violations of the binary gender code, or heterosexist gender discourse. Patriarchal gaze is at the