Wednesday, May 6, 2020

Lead and Manage Oorganizational Change Fitlife Gym

Question: Discuss about the Lead and Manage Oorganizational Change for Fitlife Gym. Answer: Identify the change Issues Identification of the strategic change and analysis of the organization objectives Fitlife Gym is known for its state of art facilities and privileges provided to the members of the club. The gym has also provided certification and also posses certified trainers for guidance in cross fit programs, kickboxing, weight training, aerobics and stepping. For getting a strategic edge, Fitlife needs to introduce fitness programs such as Posturology and guidance with nutrition and supplements. In order to implement this company needs to appoint an expert in Posturology from a certificated expert from American Posture Institute (API). For providing recommendations related to nutrition and supplement, the company needs to appoint personnel who have a diploma in nutrition from NutritionSociety ofAustralia(NSA), Dietitians Association ofAustralia(DAA) and similar institutions (Stanley 2016). Reviewing of the existing policies and practices against strategic objectives Current Policy Practice Contribution Limitation Hiring of training personnel for weight training, aerobics and cross fit training regime Certified professionals in the respective areas to provide guidance in the respective areas Lack of regulation due to increase in the number of membership Required Policy Practice Rationale Hiring more people in required fitness area Improve the attention given to the individual, members Taking feedback from the clients To know about the improvement which needs to be made in the facilities Hiring certified trainer for Posturology and nutritional expert To get an competitive advantage Table 1 (Source: Glass et al. 2013) Monitoring the organizational behavior and external environment on change strategies Organizational behaviors Impact Performance monitoring of trainers Improved quality of training Feedback monitoring of the clients Making improvement in the gym facilities Subscription monitoring of the members Increasing in revenue through new subscriptions Table 2 (Source: Gutnick et al. 2014) External Factors Impact Taxes Increase/decrease in then taxes will have a positive/negative impact on the revenues Competitors The company needs to implement changes based on the new entrants New technology Fitlife needs to keep its equipments updated with the latest technology Table 3 (Source: Phang et al. 2015) Indentify major operational change requirements Operational Change Requirements Rationale Updating the equipments based on new technology To keep the equipment updated to the latest technology Changing training regime by introducing Posturology and nutritional guidance To be able to compete with the existing market Keeping the price of the service competitive This is important to be able to compete with the new entrants as it is more likely for them to keep the price more competitive Sourcing of suppliers for best price To obtain then equipments at a lesser quote and positively affect the revenue generation of the company. Table 4 (Source: Buckworth 2016) Review and prioritize change requirements The main priority, for the development process should be given to the various types of the changes that are to be made in the training program already stated in the project. The priority should be also given to the upgrading of the equipments based on the modern technological innovations. In order to ensure then best price available from the suppliers the company should rely on the old suppliers and opt for the best price (Buckworth 2016) Develop change management strategy Undertaking cost benefit analysis Category (Cost) Cost Rent $ 1500 Utilities $ 560 Wages $ 3875 Gym Equipment $ 1000 Marketing $ 1300 Total cost $ 8235 Table 5 (Source: Created by Author) Category (Benefit) Cost Revenue from membership fees $ 8000 Revenue from Yoga Studios $ 2000 Income from fitness DVD production $ 1200 Revenue from sale of online sporting apparels $ 750 Revenue from Kickboxing subscriptions $3500 Total of category $ 15450 Total Benefit $ 7215 Table 6 (Source: Created by Author) Undertake risk analysis to address potential barriers to change Barrier Likelihood Impact Consequence Risk Level Risk Ranking Risk Mitigation Legal Moderate Tax Increase in the cost Average 3 Knowing about the government policies from beforehand Technological Normal Quality of equipment Reduced interests of the members Low 2 Making sure to use upgraded of equipments Financial Moderate Bearing Cost of the expenditures Availability of capital High 4 Using budgeting for optimum usage of the financial resources Competitors and new entrants High No. of club membership Increase/Decrease in club ownership High 5 Keeping the strategies up to date Table 7 (Source: Lawrence 2014) Schedule of change management Task No. Project phase Start Completion 1 Hiring of training personnel for weight training, aerobics and cross fit training regime 1/7/2016 3/8/2016 2 Updating the equipments based on new technology 4/7/2016 6/8/2016 3 Hiring certified trainer for Posturology 2/7/2016 3/9/2016 4 Sourcing of suppliers for best price on equipments 7/7/2016 9/10/2016 5 Advertising campaign for club membership 9/7/2016 11/8/2016 6 Hiring certified trainer for and nutritional expert 9/17/2016 11/8/2016 7 Hiring instructor for dietary supplements 11/12/2016 11/24/2016 8 Financial budgeting for cost components 12/12/2016 12/24/2016 Table 8 (Source Created by Author) Task Name Start End Duration (days) Task 1 1/7/2016 3/8/2016 61 Task 2 4/7/2016 6/8/2016 62 Task 3 2/7/2016 3/9/2016 31 Task 4 7/7/2016 9/10/2016 65 Task 5 9/7/2016 11/8/2016 62 Task 6 9/17/2016 11/8/2016 52 Task 7 11/12/2016 11/24/2016 12 Task 8 12/12/2016 12/24/2016 12 Table 9 (Source Created by Author) Assign resources and metrics to the change management project Parent Task Subtask Labor Capital Cost(AUD) Time Outcome Hiring Activities Hiring of cross fit trainers Hiring of supplement experts Hiring of posturolgy expert Trainers with appropriate certifications from different industries Human Resource $ 3875 61 Days Improvement in the quality of service Innovation strategies Introducing newer equipments Introducing new machines such as Matrix G7 S70 Leg Press, Kamachi Multi Gym equipments and elliptical cross New tools which matches with the latest development in the equipments $ 1000 62 Days Improving the quality of equipments and attracting new member subscriptions. Table 11 (Ahmad 2014) Reporting Protocols Reporting Protocols Stakeholder 1 Stakeholder 2 Stakeholder 2 Stakeholder 4 Outcomes Improving the quality of the services Improving the quality of the training Improving the infrastructure Improving club membership Key Message Improvement based on the quality of the equipments and technologgy Sourcing of the trainer for the appropriate exercise Making expansion opportunities in the existing facilities Advertising about the availability of the new products and focused guidance for training Channel Suppliers Communicating with the training institutes for sourcing appropriate trainers Communicating with the board members Media, Internet When/Frequency Half- Yearly Basis On yearly basis 5 yearly basis Weekly basis Table 12 (Source Created by Author) Change management cycle The change management cycle involves the following process Preparation for change in various type of areas such as hiring of then trainers Planning of then change with the use of techniques such as Gantt chart and milestones analysis Implementation of the change process by the reviewing the time and the cost involved Sustaining the change through forecasting the benefits with tools such as payback period, IRR and capital budgeting techniques Obtain approval from the business change manager The approval from the business change manager needs to be taken in form of email and HRMIS. Delivering communication plan The communication plan should be able to flow in various departments of the management. It is important that the communication process take place with the stakeholders of the FitLife. The key point, which needs to be discussed with two stakeholder of the company, is discussed below as follows: Michael Abrams (Director and CFO of Fitlife) Some of the key points which need to be discussed with the CFO and the director of FitLife, which needs to be discussed, which includes the following key points: Proposing the changes which needs to be made in the equipments for the purpose of making improvement in accordance with the latest technology available in the market Preparation of the budget analysis and the presenting the same to the chief financial officer clearly stating about the various type of the cost involved in financing of the change management activities. Making scope for the changes required for various type of the improvement opportunities such as the trainer hiring cost, cost involved for therapist and the hiring of the nutritional experts Estimating the cost of the various type of the expansion activities in the health centers The CFO should provide the guideline for reducing the cost involved in the business. Some of the opportunities for the reducing of the cost involve in the sourcing of the suppliers for the newer equipments. As per the cost benefit, analyses previously calculated the company would be able to assess the areas of the higher cost. As per the cost benefit analysis it was found that, advertising expenses involved a higher amount of cost than the other cost components. The company needs to put more focus online for the purpose of minimum cost allocation. Lewis Jaffe(Independent director) Some of the key points discussed with the independent stakeholder of the company are discussed below as follows: Discussing about the plans related to the various types of the change management process relating to the need for improving the number of the subscriptions in the fitness centers. The meeting should also discuss about managing of the threat due to the new entrant of and discussing the changes, which needs to be made in the several type of the strategic opportunities such as hiring of therapists for the Posturology and expert guidance for dietary supplements and nutrition. The various types of the change management process should be based on the schedule prepared for the implementation of the same and the effects of the various changes needs to be discussed with the stakeholders of the company. Monitor and adjust changes for the activities Performance gaps Parent Task Subtask Labor Capital Cost (AUD) Time Actual Outcome New Outcome Hiring activities It was found that the appropriate supplements experts lacked relevant experience in the fitness industry Difficulties in the sourcing of quality trainers It was observed that the highest amount of the cost involved was in the hiring of the trainers $ 3875 The time required is also more than two month which is observed to be one of highest New trainers in cross programs, supplements experts, posturology experts Excluding the experts in the supplements Innovations Strategies Problem in sourcing the suppliers giving the best price for products based on the newer technology Availability for the appropriate supplier and lack of knowledge of the latest innovations The cost involved was significantly high. The capital required need to be adjusted with the sourcing of the new suppliers in order to keep the cost under $1000 $ 1000 Then time required is also more than two months and this need to be significantly reduced due to the threat of the new entrants in the industry Improved facility according to the latest technology Increase in the budget for the newer equipments to $2500 for a particular month Table 13 (Stanley 2016) Risk management outcome Risk Root Causes Risk control measures (Actions to be taken) Monitoring Procedures Responsible Person Timeline Availability Limited availability of the staffs Sourcing from the different institutes conducting the diploma courses Addressing the risk to the board of directors Human Resource manager 1 month Availability of capital Increased costs involved in the hiring of the trainers an d the new equipments Sourcing of the suppliers for the new equipments for the purpose of selecting of items on best price possible Addressing the risk to the board of directors and monitoring of the same Chief financial officer 2 months New Entrants Low cost margin set by the new entrants in the market Keeping the membership costs competitive enough to and making innovative change in the services provided by FitLife Addressing the risk to the board of directors and monitoring of the same Chief operating officer 3 months External Risk Rise in the tax level due to change in the various types of monetary an d fiscal measures taken by then Government of Australia Forecasting of the risk from beforehand and making necessary changes in the price level according to the changes k nth economic measures Analysis of the stock prices of the relevant competitors in the fitness industry and regularly monitor the stock price of the various types of the other competitors existing the market Financial manager 6 months Table 14 (Source: Pearson et al. 2013) Reference List Ahmad, S.H., 2014. Integration of Program Evaluation and Review Technique (PERT), Gantt Chart and Genetic Algortihm (Doctoral dissertation, Universiti Tun Hussein Onn Malaysia). Buckworth, J., 2016. Self-Monitoring for Supporting Change. ACSM's Health Fitness Journal, 20(4), pp.31-32. Dombrowski, S.U., Endevelt, R., Steinberg, D.M. and Benyamini, Y., 2016. Do more specific plans help you lose weight? Examining the relationship between plan specificity, weight loss goals, and plan content in the context of a weight management programme. British Journal of Health Psychology. Glass, N., Ogle, R. and Kay, K., 2013. Towards wellness: experiences in the development and implementation of a lifestyle change intervention model for health professionals. In International Council of Nurses 25th Quadrennial Congress. Gutnick, D., Reims, K., Davis, C., Gainforth, H., Jay, M. and Cole, S., 2014. Brief action planning to facilitate behavior change and support patient self-management. JCOM, 21(1), pp.18-29. Lawrence, P., 2014. Leading Change: How Successful Leaders Approach Change Management. Kogan Page Publishers. Pearson, E.S., Irwin, J.D., Morrow, D., Battram, D.S. and Melling, C.J., 2013. The CHANGE program: comparing an interactive vs. prescriptive approach to self-management among university students with obesity. Canadian journal of diabetes, 37(1), pp.4-11. Phang, C.K., Mukhtar, F., Ibrahim, N., Keng, S.L. and Sidik, S.M., 2015. Effects of a brief mindfulness-based intervention program for stress management among medical students: the Mindful-Gym randomized controlled study. Advances in Health Sciences Education, 20(5), pp.1115-1134. Stanley, S.J., 2016. Targeting Young Adult Smokers' Multiple Identity Gaps and Identity Management Strategies for Behavior Change: An Application of the Communication Theory of Identity.

Sunday, April 26, 2020

Pivotal Talent Pools and Role Challenges Essay Essay Example

Pivotal Talent Pools and Role Challenges Essay Paper Pivotal Talent Pools and Role Challenges Davis Young provides a wide array of litigation support products and services. Its core business is tied to the insurance defense industry. The primary customer base includes regional and national insurance companies. The key strategic elements that the Firm uses for differentiation are superior customer service, high product quality, and a solid reputation (brand). I can only assume you have revamped your Deliverable 1 to support this part. I am a bit concerned that you have yet to get a handle on strategy ececution. They are owned by 13 practicing Senior Attorneys, all responsible for maintaining a full trial docket. Various subsets of this group provide strategic leadership, handle or lead large accounts, and act as management for the Firm. A large percentage of the daily work load falls to the eight Associate Attorneys. These Junior Attorneys cost less than the Senior Attorneys and are relied upon to provide a wide range of deliverables such as legal research, brief writing, and daily interaction with the clients (customers) with minimal supervision. Other administrative duties are handled by the support teams. This talent pool consists primarily of Legal Assistants, Paralegals, Office Administration and Accounting. From a value chain perspective, Let’s break this down to the components of the value chain primary and support activities. It is likely that with the size of the firm that each position will serve multiple roles. The Value Chain helps us to find the pivotal Talent pools. the Owners, Associate Attorneys, Office Manager, Paralegals, and Legal Assistants would primarily be classified as Operations. They are running the operation and creating the â€Å"product† on a daily basis. We will write a custom essay sample on Pivotal Talent Pools and Role Challenges Essay specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now We will write a custom essay sample on Pivotal Talent Pools and Role Challenges Essay specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer We will write a custom essay sample on Pivotal Talent Pools and Role Challenges Essay specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer However, in small organizations such as this, parts of the team will multitask into other value chain components. For instance, the Owners will manage sales and marketing by continuous client maintenance, as well as searching out new clients and landing new accounts. The Office Administrator and Office Manager do an excellent job of handling the HR function. Technology is a support function that is wholly outsourced. Three talent pools are readily identified as critical to the strategy (service, quality, reputation); the Owners, the Associate Attorneys, and Support Staff. The question to be answered in identifying which of these three is most pivotal is as follows: â€Å"for a given investment in either training of or recruiting in the talent pool could be any component of the HCA but you are getting ahead of yourself. , which would yield the largest improvements in the strategic elements? † Figure 1 illustrates the findings. Figure [ 1 ] The Owners are all senior, experienced Attorneys. They have demonstrated the ability to be effective at building relationships with the clients, delivering quality product, and protecting the brand. As such, the performance versus strategic value curve is fairly flat (once you get to the acceptable threshold). The Associate Attorneys vary in experience. There are junior Attorneys here that can show significant improvement through hands-on training programs (internal), continuing legal education (outside training programs), and active mentoring. Also, consider that these Associate Attorneys are responsible for a significant percentage of the work and client interactions. This is where the product quality and service elements are visibly manifested. Consequently, an investment in this pool has a significant payback. This can be illustrated by the higher slope on the yield curve. The support function includes a wide range of specific positions but most of them have a much higher level of supervision, less interaction with the customer, and their final work is screened by one of the attorney groups. As such their yield curve is dampened. There is still significant potential, but it is much less than that of the Associate Attorneys. This analysis identifies the Associate Attorneys as the Pivotal Talent Pool. The positions within this pool are fairly standard so the pivotal position is that of â€Å"Associate Attorney. Would the performance of the firm as defined in the strategy execution and support of competitive advantage improve if a 20% increase in quant or qual? The Associate Attorneys are pivotal due to their significant amount of customer contact and their room for growth. To identify the pivotal role challenges, we must identify the strategic deliverables for the position. For superior ser vice, we have identified a number of elements including: responsiveness to client demands; developing personal relationships; positive attitude; and dependability (delivering on commitments). Are these critical outcomes to support strategy execution? Do you have these from Del #1? The Associate Attorneys work with the clients on a daily basis. This is a pivotal role challenge. How does this interaction go? Are the associates attentive and positive? Do they connect with the client on a personal basis such that they build durable relationships? Are they participating in social events designed to strengthen and build these relationships? Demonstrating these behaviors will be critical. The associate Attorneys can be developed and trained and certain metrics can be used for elements like responsiveness. Others such as relationship building and positive attitude will require work in recruiting the right people and assimilating the existing culture. Customer feedback mechanisms should also be developed and maintained. Some customers already provide individual and firm-wide â€Å"report cards. † In addition to the pivotal role challenge as it relates to customer interaction, another pivotal challenge exists with respect to Associate Attorney interaction within the legal community at large. It is the development of these relationships that ultimately serve as the underpinnings of the relationship between the Firm and its primary customers. This is also critical in maintaining the reputation of the Firm. Within this component, relationships with judges, court personnel, opposing attorneys, and competitors are critical. Metrics can be developed to monitor the Associate Attorneys’ development with respect to these other peer groups (by speaking with the judge, opposing counsel, other attorneys involved in a particular case during the course of or at the conclusion of a particular case. Most of these other peer groups are willing to share specific information concerning attorney development and this information can be analyzed to determine whether it conforms with existing reputation standards and Firm specific cultural norms. Table 1 provides a list of skills identified as critical to delivering product quality. Table 1: Attorney Skills critical to product quality| Reporting skills| | Interaction skills| | Specific skills| Writing| | Negotiating| | Mediation| Research| | Advocacy| | Trial| Analytical| | Persuasiveness| | Interrogation| | | Speaking| | | These really belong in Del #3 – performance drivers. All of these skills can be improved through targeted training. Many are best filled by good recruiting and hiring systems. The pivot role challenges occur when the product is delivered. Does it meet the Firm’s standards? These pivot role challenges can occur as the Associate Attorney is attending a pre-trial or in mediating, arbitrating or trying a case. It can happen when they are in front of a judge advocating a position on behalf of their customer. They can occur when a brief or report is being delivered to the customer. Product quality deliverables have some tangible elements that can be measured. Standards can be developed for brief writing and other report deliverables. Mediation, arbitration and trial protocols can be developed to set a standard. In summary, the Associate Attorney is identified as the pivotal position. Pivot Role Challenges center around; customer interactions in support of the Service and Reputation strategic elements, the interaction within the general legal community in support of the Reputation, and the state of the final product in support of the Product Quality strategic element.

Sunday, April 12, 2020

Using a Sample Argumentative Essay Format to Boost Your Writing Skills

Using a Sample Argumentative Essay Format to Boost Your Writing SkillsThe most important part of writing a sample argumentative essay is choosing the correct template. A template is a text which can be used to test an idea or language, and it is important that you use the right one so that the essay format fits well with the ideas you want to convey.The best place to get these college essay templates is online. You will find many sites that will allow you to download a free sample argumentative essay template for free, but a lot of these are poor and do not produce good quality results.A college essay template allows you to write an essay on any topic using some of the best language available. Writing an essay using a template makes you familiar with the style and structure of the essay in general and means that you don't have to learn the intricacies of grammar. There are many versions of templates available online, and your best option will depend on what your style and purpose are .If you have to complete an essay quickly and you don't want to spend a lot of time on research, a template is perfect for you. However, if you want to gain more insight into the topic and can spend a bit more time on researching then an essay using a template might be a better option.Another way to ensure that you get a good template is to create a short description of what you want to say about the topic. This will allow you to choose a template that you can use from a variety of different sites.It may sound complicated, but all you really need to do is choose a template that meets your needs. Most sites will have several templates available to download, so it will depend on what format you are looking for and what format you want to get a good result out of your essay.A quality template will help you to build a powerful essay that you can use again. After you have used a good template and have created a good one you will feel confident to submit an essay that has a huge impact on the audience that you are writing for.

Wednesday, March 18, 2020

Mercury Fulminate and Crystal Meth in Breaking Bad

Mercury Fulminate and Crystal Meth in 'Breaking Bad' Episode 6 of AMCs Breaking Bad has a scene where our hero, Walt, passes a plastic bag of mercury fulminate off as crystal meth. Why mercury fulminate? I guess there arent many easy-to-make explosives that look like crystal meth. The thing is... I dont think fulminate of mercury looks like it was portrayed in the tv show.Mercury fulminate [or fulminate of mercury, Hg(ONC)2] was first prepared in 1800 by Edward Charles Howard. It is an explosive that mainly was used in favor of flints to ignite black powder in a firearm. Its pretty easy to make... the synthesis involves dissolving mercury in nitric acid and adding ethanol to the solution. However, you end up precipitating a white to grayish-brown powder (depending on purity) like what you see in this photo and not big chunks of glassy crystals, as seen in Breaking Bad.Although mercury fulminate is easy to prepare, you dont want to try it. The explosive is highly sensitive to just about everything... shock, sparks, flame, friction, and heat. I dont think Walt could have been so casual handling a bag of it without having a little accident. If you dont blow yourself up with the compound, you could gas yourself with fumes from the synthesis (reaction should be done outdoors or inside a fume hood). Then there is the product... mercury compounds are toxic. The mercury doesnt magically disappear when the compound explodes.The episode got me wondering. If you were in charge of props for a tv show and were asked to come up with crystal meth, what would you use? Im going to guess using the illegal drug would not be an option. I am betting they used rock candy. What do you think?Breaking Bad - Elements in the Body | Breaking Bad - Hydrofluoric AcidPhoto:

Monday, March 2, 2020

How to Conjugate Italian Verbs Like a Native

How to Conjugate Italian Verbs Like a Native Learning vocabulary for nouns like â€Å"toothbrush† and â€Å"tomato† are important, but without verbs, they’re not as useful. Verbs are essential to communicating in any foreign language, and while Italian verbs have a consistent, logical pattern of conjugation, there are still many verbs that are irregular. Plus, even if you memorize all of the verb conjugations, being able to use them quickly in conversation is another story. I say this to emphasize the importance of getting a lot of practice with verbs both with written exercises and with plenty of speaking.    To get you started, or perhaps to fill in some gaps, below you can read about the three Italian verb categories along with suggestions for your studies so you can learn how to conjugate verbs like a native. Step 1) Learn the present tense conjugations of the verbs avere (to have) and essere (to be). They are the key to learning all of the other Italian verb conjugations. Step 2) Understand that Italian verbs fall into three categories of conjugations depending on the endings of the infinitive: -are verbs Comprare - To buyImparare - To learnMangiare - To eatParlare - To talk -ere verbs Credere - To believeLeggere - To readPrendere - To takeScendere - To get off, to descend -ire verbs Salire - To go upUscire - To go out The stem of regular verbs is obtained by dropping the infinitive ending. In English, the infinitive (linfinito) consists of to verb. Step 3) Recognize that Italian verbs are conjugated in the various persons, numbers, and tenses by adding the proper ending to the stem. To start, let’s use the regular verb â€Å"credere - to believe† as an example. io - credo noi - crediamo tu - credi voi - credete lui / lei / Lei - crede loro, Loro - credono Notice how the ending changes based on the subject. â€Å"I believe† is â€Å"credo† and â€Å"they believe† is â€Å"credono.† Let’s use the irregular verb â€Å"andare - to go† as another example. io - vado noi - andiamo tu - vai voi - andate lui / lei / Lei - va loro, Loro - vanno Since the endings are different for each subject, more often than not you can drop the pronoun. So, for example, instead of saying â€Å"Io credo - I believe,† you can just say â€Å"Credo - I believe† with the â€Å"io† as a subject pronoun. Step 4) Memorize the present tense conjugations of common, irregular verbs. These are â€Å"dovere - must,† â€Å"fare - to do, to make,† â€Å"potere - can, to be able to,† and â€Å"volere - to want.† Step 5) Learn how to use common verbs in the following tenses: Il presenteIl passato prossimoL’imperfetto How do you know which verbs are common? While you could use the lists of the most common verbs online, I think it’s more useful to think about the verbs you commonly use and learn how to be flexible with those. One exercise for figuring out which verbs those are is by writing short compositions about your life, like how to introduce yourself, talking about your family, and discussing your hobbies. You’ll start to notice which verbs are used most often and then you can focus on those to memorize. Tips: Note that in the third person plural the stress falls on the same syllable as in the third person singular form.In a pinch, you can always consult a table of verb endings to determine the correct tense.

Saturday, February 15, 2020

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

Sunday, February 2, 2020

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,