Analysis of the individual causes of the problem on the production Essay

Analysis of the individual causes of the problem on the production system of Toyota - Essay Example Toyota is one of the best known automobile manufacturing companies in the world. Toyota however went into crises last year due to some technical problems that are related to its operations management systems.Two million cars were recalled because of defects. The defects have been traced to the production lines and the company has announced that the problem can be solved if cars with defects are sent for repairs with authorized dealers.So far, 77 complaints have been lodged in the Japan and about 100 in the United States. About 7 different brands are due for mass recall in Mexico as well. There have been mass recalls of some of the cars that are affected by these defects.The defects are related to accelerator pedals and out of position floor mats. This causes the accelerator system to jam and leads to overspeeding which can and have caused accidents in Japan, United States and Mexico. Preliminary research has shown that the overspeeding does not happen suddenly but gradually, and it i s not connected to the electronic systems of the affected cars. Clearly, the problem with these defective Toyota cars can be traced to the production systems of the manufacture of these cars. This research is a proposal on a diagnostic system for the analysis of the operations management system of the defective cars and a diagnosis of the source of the problems in the manufacturing system. The aim of the research is the diagnose and identify the cause of the defects in the Toyota cars affected by the accelerator system problems. ... Objectives: The objectives of the research is to: 1. Examine the normal manufacturing and quality control systems used by Toyota in the United States, Japan and Mexico (the affected countries of the problem). 2. Analysis of the research, design and manufacturing lapses that are responsible for the accelerator defects in the cars in question and the failure of quality control to detect the problems. 3. The scope of the problem and future implications of these problems in the production line of Toyota and analysis of best way of solving the problems at hand. Literature Review The case of Toyota indicates that there were numerous levels of problems and challenges that hit the company. Hiles (2011 p582) gives a series of empirical evidence that is collated from the Kelley Blue Book Survey which shows the impact of the recalls on various levels to Toyota. These affected the customers, suppliers, the worth of vehicles and dealers. Competitors also increased interest in their brands due to Toyota's lapses. Although one might be tempted to think that the problem of Toyota was mainly an Operations Management problem, these outstanding statistics and facts show that the problem had a knock-on effect on the various stakeholder interests of Toyota. This is because the nature of the car manufacturing industry is such that the engineering systems and operations are at the core of the activities of a given entity. And due to the potential fatal effect of any mistake or error in manufacturing, a car manufacturer needs to take care to ensure that the best is done to ensure that cars parts and assembling lines do the right thing to prevent defects. Thus the scope of the problem and any effort to rectify it will mean correcting the lapses in the operations of Toyota and

Management. Views of Fayol and Mintzberg Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Management. Views of Fayol and Mintzberg - Essay Example This research paper explains what management is and examines basic management theories and definitions to compare and contrast each of them with others. This paper addresses management as an organizational function as well a topic for academic research and study. Management Managing is an extremely important and perhaps one of the most challenging activities in today’s complex society and especially in the contemporary business contexts. Various factors and forces such as globalization, competition, quality-concerns of customers about goods and services, changes in consumer requirements etc make ‘managing’ a more challenging and rather highly rewarding task. Management is generally defined as an ‘art of getting things done through others’ (Dessler and Phillips, 2007, p. 4). This definition by Herold Koontz denotes to various underlying concepts of managing such as delegation of authority, planning for some things to be done and executing them through people and available resources and coordinating and controlling it. Management is an art, science, technique, method, process or strategy by which people work with others and available resources to help the organization reach its destination. Management is therefore a goal oriented process. As Bateman and Snell (2003) described, management is the process or practice by which people (managers) work with other people and resources in order to accomplish the already set goals of the organization both effectively and efficiently. To be efficient means to achieve goals and organizational objectives with minimal waste of resources by making best use of money, time, technology, materials and people, whereas effectiveness refers to achieving the right organizational goals at right time through right ways. Managers do things differently with effective strategies and techniques and by using the organized knowledge that in turn help them make their organizations unique and ultimately successfu l. The general management thought can be affected largely by demographic, geographic and social influences from business to business. However, management theories and definitions are still applicable to varying situations in firms around the world. In today’s complex business contexts, it is very evident that management is merely the process of managing the total resources of an organization. Herold Koontz’s definition talks about delegation of authority and making people work for getting in to the ultimate goals. It is thus related to how effectively managing both people and other resources. People are used by managers to get their things done through. They moreover effectively and efficiently utilize the available materials as well. When it comes to the management practices in place today, Bateman and Snell (2003) argued that no manager is always right or always wrong, but some managers are getting it in to the right path more often than some other managers are doing (p. 6). Views of Fayol and Mintzberg In management study, the views of Henry Fayol and Henry Minzberg have gained considerable attention as their studies and findings have explored management as a function and role that managers do. Henry Fayol, famously renowned as father of modern management, defined management as â€Å"to forecast and plan, to organize, to command, to coordinate and to control† (Cole, 2004, p. 6). He asserted that management was characterized by five specific functions; that are planning, organizing, commanding,