Toyota Business Strategy In Global Environment Marketing Essay

Toyota Business Strategy In Global Environment Marketing Essay There have been two reasons of arbitrariness at work to evolve Toyota from its very humble beginning to a world renowned car maker. Firstly, the oil crisis of mid 1970s became an exogenous jolt that increased the demand for smaller and fuel-efficient vehicles in the U.S. Toyota was a making these cars and the U.S buyers who would never have bought Toyota cars , were stirred to make the purchase for the first time. Many of them got pleasantly surprised by the value offered by Toyota and became long term customers as oil prices soared. The oil crisis, in a sense, proved a welcome break and a critical incident to get entrance to the main-stream of the automobile market in U.S. The Toyota Production System can be called a paradox as on one side, all activities, production flows and connections in a Toyota plant are inflexibly scripted. Yet, its operations are extremely flexible and quite responsive to consumer demands, at the same time. It is considered that the very inflexibility of the operations which makes flexibilities reality. It is because of the operations can be regarded as constant series of controlled experiments. Upon defining any specification, it is actually making a hypothesis which can then be examined in action. This scientific method way is not forced on its workforce rather ingrained in them. It inspires them to indulge in the type of tested and experiments that are generally accepted as the basis of a learning organisation. The Toyota Production System evolved from the day to day working of the company over a long period and has actually never been written down as a manual. Toyota builds up all its working operations as experiments and i ngrains the scientific method to its workforce. The first step establishes how workers do their job. The second is how they interact with each other. The third is about the construction of the production lines. Lastly, how workers can learn to improve. Every production path, link, and action planned on these steps should have built-in tests which can indicate problems straight away. And this apparently inflexible system is made so flexible and adaptive to its ever changing environment through the repeated responses to those in built tests. This made it well positioned in the mist of 1970s oil crisis. Toyota coming from the Japan where size and fuel economy were big issues then in the U. S. But after the Oil crisis, Toyota just had want the U.S consumers were looking for in a dramatically changed environment. According to Louis Pasture, Fortune favours the prepared mind, and this small piece of fortune could have proved useless had Toyota made poorer cars. But instead, U.S consumers straight away realized its quality which was a reflection of its tradition and strategy of production excellence, of reduction in costs and defects and improvement in the quality. The use of thorough standardization to achieve a strategic flexibility is an apparent paradox at the centre of Toyotas excellent quality and efficiency through making a lot more predictable quality and timing outcomes than possible otherwise. Common architecture, standardization of the processes and reusability are the concepts and tools included in this kind of principle. Taking waste out of the product development process is absolute critical. Actually, standardization of skills, processes and designs enable for the customization of specific programme, broader individual responsibility and a JIT HR strategy, more elastic capacities for product development and quite a few other benefits. The ministry of international trade and industry (MITI) encouraged Japanese firm to enter to automobile industry despite establish competitors from the West by imposing high tariffs discouraging import and prohibiting foreign ownership. Post-war conditions put Japan into a country lacking significant capital, so that Japan had to rely mostly on producing its own technology. Toyota family vehicles are preferred and popular. Toyota needs to develop new technology to enhance their diesel engines, to make less pollution which will impact the low CO2 emission in environment, and which will be socially benefit for the world. Toyota needs consistent policies, regulations and incentives to accelerate technology and acceptance of technology. Toyota overall technology is good but its electric cars have an issue of less battery time etc. In Toyota the process of decision making is mostly done by the top level management according to the facts and findings of the research departments. Toyota got very strict organisational structure in order to achieve their high goals in international market. Firstly Taiichi Ohno was the guy who basically designed their management style and gave the Toyotas most famous concept of Toyota production system or lean manufacturing system. According to Ohno work means the production of the perfect goods only, because he thinks that if a machine is not producing the perfect goods then it is not in good working condition or maybe not working. This concept tells us that Toyota is very quality conscious. But actually now Toyota is being questioned about the quality after millions of recalls and hundreds of accidents in last four months to Toyota drivers. But actually in Toyota when the decision making is done then the workers are really pushed hard by the managers to achieve the targets. And thats why currently Toyota is facing problem with Brake override system and they had to recall millions of cars, because software problem related to brake and acceleration system and in some models gas pedal sticks with the floor pad. All competitors of Toyota are already using this brake override Technology but Toyota was slow to understand this technology but now they are saying that in future this system will be available in all Toyota upcoming cars. But honestly speaking in U.S Toyotas reputation has been reduced tremendously after some accidents due to their mistakes. And now currently at first place Toyota should do something to get the customer confidence back to prosper in future market. http://www.mainstreet.com/article/smart-spending/autos/what-toyota-should-have-done-brake-override?page=1 http://www.egmcartech.com/2010/02/26/inaba-toyota-shouldve-done-a-better-job-sharing-information-with-lawmakers/ Toyota needs to improve the knowledge management system because only then they can learn from their past mistakes and their solutions and by doing so they can make a strategy to avoid those mistakes in future. Toyota should be quick to spot new technologies those are highly recommended by different markets for the safety of the road users. Try to design products for different regions according to the needs of local people where the final product will be used. As company want to be more globalised then we should try to build a database in which everything is available for each and every individual who is working in Toyota anywhere in the world. There should be a system through which company can communicate more effectively to decrease the safety defect issues in products around the globe. Always try to consider local knowledge about the industry before designing any type of vehicle for local people and presenting or marketing it around the globe. Try to do more than competitors in every market to please the consumer, because this will contribute to brand loyalty and then people will have more confidence to buy a Toyota product. As Toyota want to compete in the international market in more countries then marketing strategy for each country or region should be different and according to the local way of thinking. Toyota should try to localise production and supply base to avoid expenses like storage and transportation. And it also enables them work more quickly and efficiently in most of the times. Find workers which are needed for the job and develop them according to the needs of the company to achieve high and efficient productivity. Toyota should always keep a look on all types of suppliers and their product quality because its directly related with the Toyotas product quality. As product designs and technologies are changing day by day thats why Toyota should not indulge itself to long term contracts with suppliers. Train and encourage innovative people working within the company to create something new and exciting for international markets according to the demand of public and international standards. There should be no compromise on the user safety of the product in any kind of circumstances. For the purpose of more globalization of Toyota supply chain management should be improved to oblige the commitments in international market. Dealers working with Toyota motors should be trained in such a way that customer service and support should be their main priority. The decisions that are concerned with the environment in which the firm operates, the entire resources, owner of company and the interface between the two are known as strategic decision. Here are some of the characteristic of strategic decision Strategic decisions play an important role for an organisation. These decisions may be related to the new resources, organising others or reallocating others. Strategic decision deal with the threats and opportunities with harmonizing organizational resource capabilities. Strategic decisions are long term decision. Strategic decisions are what is our future panning and these decisions are made very carefully. Strategic decisions are always arranged according to the organisation mission and vision. These decisions are related to the overall planning of the organisation. These decisions deal with the organisation growth that how we have to do planning for the successful future of the organisation. Strategic are always at the top most level, as these deal with the future so these decision are always uncertain and involve lot of risk. Strategic decisions are complex in nature. Figure 1 Strategic decisions are always designed to help the senior management to improve the quality of their decisions. The whole process of strategic decision gives all the participants a good grasp of modern concept of strategic analysis. However all the decision are made by the managers and the people at the senior level but strategic decision will help the managers that how to deal with the process of decision making. Cost leadership mean to gain the competitive advantage over the rivals in market. In order to gain the competitive advantage firms always try to recruit cheap labour and produce the goods at low cost. Firms try to sell their products at average price to gain higher profits than its rivals or they sell their products below the average industry price to the higher market share. However it does not mean that low cost always lead to low price of the product. If you are the only producer of the product in the market then you can produce the product at the low price and can sell the product at your desired price. Some of the organisations are very good in that strategy, such as Toyota, they are not producing high quality autos at low price level, but they have their brand name and use high quality marketing skills to maintain a premium price policy. (www.marketingteacher.com). (www.coursework4you.co.uk) Figure 1 Micheal poters generic model (1985) Just in time: Just in time mean what is needed, when its needed and the quantity needed. In order to produce a large number of products such as automobile, which consist of almost 30,000 parts, it is very important to create a detailed production plan, for example. If we work on the production plan we can eliminate so many factors like waste, inconsistencies in production and work, and unreasonable requirement and this all can lead to an improved productivity of product. Toyota use pull approach for the production like kanban card paced pull strategy to minimize the inventory level. In the pull strategy customer demands the product and pull it out from the delivery channel. This is because when the demand and the production of the product in very high and it is used to decrease the lead time. Differentiating your product what is also call a pull strategy in these days is basically a genuine pull strategy. And all thye marketing approach is diverted to this pull strategy. The just in time pioneer Toyota using pull strategy which manages there inventory level in the cost effective away and stringent possible way that does not mean that the product is made and pushed to the customer but it is produced in response to the customer. This strategy is becoming common now a days and every firm tries to follows this strategy. Toyota is using a cacr electronic to increase the communication between people, society and automobile. To achieve their goal they have dividing ITS in to five basic areas to work on. So by the managing and coordinating the relation between them the plan is main tain the high growth and development which is called as total Mobility Company. The first car that has the more complex and sophisticated function which include onboard computers and sensor which control the car function and second they are providing the multimedia for their vehicles which represent the new field for the mobile communication. Conceptual diagram of the Kanban System Two kinds of kanban (the production instruction kanban and the parts retrieval kanban) are used for managing parts. (www2.toyota.co.jp) http://www.managementstudyguide.com/strategic-decisions.htm http://tools.ashridge.org.uk/website/content.nsf/FileLibrary/4C8918B0EA4CDB988025718E00558E14/$file/STDC.pdf http://www2.toyota.co.jp/en/vision/production_system/just.html Inside the mind of Toyota: management principles for enduring growth   By Satoshi Hino ..page number 327 edition 2006 Information technology strategies: how leading firms use IT to gain an advantage   By William V. Rapp..page number 149..152edition 2002 http://www.marketingteacher.com/Lessons/lesson_generic_strategies.htm http://www.quickmba.com/strategy/generic.shtml http://www.coursework4you.co.uk/essays-and-dissertations/porter-generic-strategies.php As we know that Toyota is the leading automobile company but to gain the competitive advantage on its rivals in automobile industry is not so easy. There are many competitive challenges which Toyota is facing in the global market environment. Basically competitive challenges are a research offering design to help asset management, to improve the productivity and effectiveness of a business and to maintain the standard performance against competitors. Competitive challenges are confront in annual competitive challenges report on the competitive dynamics of the industry. Competitive challenges identify the inefficiencies in an organisation. It also examine the; profitability, productivity, asset growth, and product competitiveness, customer satisfaction and marketing. Senior managers are enabling to plan business strategic objectives by highlighting the areas of success and failure compared to peers. It allows you to clearly identify sales resource efficiency. http://www.greenwich.com/WMA/products_services/comp_chal/comp_chal_home visited 29/03/10 at 21.20 Toyota is great example of what happens when your competitors build a strategic advantage by setting a high standard in a critical area. For more than two decades Toyota and Honda have been the quality leaders in attracting car buyers who wants better reliability and quality in their vehicles. In Dec-2009, the economists described the problem of quality issues which Toyota is facing and how it is trying to deal with them. Akio Toyoda the president of company recognises that there is need for an innovative design to beat competitors. That may be challenge. Toyotas success has been built on its reliability and standard of quality. http://www.baldrige.com/sector/business/toyotas-strategic-challenge/ To maintain quality standards and building an innovative design is not an easy task. Toyota never compromise on quality but still having problems due to its massive production. Consequently, to establish in the global market the three main technologies, TPS (Toyota production system, TDS (Toyota development system), TMS (Toyota marketing system) should be established and strengthened. http://williamghunter.net/images/toyota_management_structure.png Management structure at Toyota In global market a firm face number of challenges these challenges the effect the competitive and determines how the firm can achieve economies of scale in multi countries environment. In striving to develop a strategy that will make it more competitive, the firm must deal with four interrelated challenges of global marketing strategy. To bring the change and be innovative is very big challenge for every firm and for Toyota as well. Rapid change pervades product development, production processes and it also builds the competitive pressure as customers more mobile and is exposed new ideas through new global media. Introducing a new model every year has become compulsory which incurs high cost and also keeps in consideration the taste, culture and infrastructure of the area. Rapid change has both positive and negative aspects. To bring a positive change you have to be very care full about the utilization of resources effectively. For instance, we know very well that Toyota launched its new model Prius and the car has a manufacture fault. It was a good change but lake of quality management and now faced a huge loss and company recalled for its 8.5 million cars because of its accelerator and floor mat problem. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/8505402.stm http://www.google.co.uk/search?hl=enq=four+challenges+of+global+marketmeta=aq=faqi=aql=oq=gs_rfai= Another challenge which most of the companies face is complexity of managing international operations. Technological advances enable management to control operations on a broader geographic scale but at the same time these advances add complexity, as management has to analyse tools and skills to handle the international infrastructure. As we know Toyota is already facing a quality problem because of its massive production. As we know Toyota mostly designed its all product in Japan according to the local environment and launches the same product in the international market. It increases the complexity of product. Yet it is difficult for the organization which elevates quantity its main goal instead to focus on providing the highest quality. Toyota is putting more pressure on their supplier to increase their production without listening to their possible effects on quality. This is because of in experience Toyota managers and rapid expansion. The level of complexity increase when Toyot a introduced a hybrid vehicle, the Prius with its two power sources which requires greater engineering expertise. http://blogs.hbr.org/cs/2010/02/toyota_the_downside_of_hyper_g.html Increasing competition in global market brings another challenge to Toyota at all stages of involvement in international market. In countries such as India, China, Malaysia the threat of competition is more because, their own domestic market is opening up to foreign competition, increasing more awareness of international market opportunities. Competition can be on different basis like delivering superior quality to consumers. However Toyotas success on global market depends on knowledge accumulation and effective use of resources. Introduction of hybrid car by Toyota is one of great example of building a competitive advantage and capturing the global market. http://www.hoovers.com/company/Toyota_Motor_Corporation/crxxsi-1.html http://www.google.co.uk/search?hl=enq=four+challenges+of+global+marketmeta=aq=faqi=aql=oq=gs_rfai= This challenge relates to the firms social responsibilities in the global market place. Environmental issues for example, to limit pollution of the atmosphere through the emission of gases and other toxic substances is one of the challenges Toyota is facing. To produce and design which are environmentally friendly is very challenging. Rapid change, higher competition and increased complexity in the global market make it more difficult. To become environment friendly Toyota has come a long way since they launch their first hybrid car ten years ago. http://www.design21sdn.com/organizations/196/posts/997 These are some problems which is Toyota facing from last few years. The problems started in 1998 with Toyotas luxury car Lexus and now Toyota again in trouble with its newly launched Prius hybrid car. After becoming the giant of automobile Toyota looks bit careless. But when we talk to Toyotas representatives then we found that the reality is different. After the recent scenario people have started thinking about Toyota. In the light of Toyotas recent quality failure we can easily say that Toyota is only focusing on massive production. We can say if Toyota start focusing on some current issues which company facing now then Toyota can gain its lost repute easily. References Inside the mind of Toyota: management principles for enduring growth   By Satoshi Hino ..page number 327 edition 2006 Information technology strategies: how leading firms use IT to gain an advantage   By William V. Rapp..page number 149..152edition 2002 http://www.thinkingmanagers.com/companies/toyota.php http://blogs.hbr.org/cs/2010/02/can_toyota_hansei_its_way_out.html http://www.mainstreet.com/article/smart-spending/autos/what-toyota-should-have-done-brake-override?page=1 http://www.egmcartech.com/2010/02/26/inaba-toyota-shouldve-done-a-better-job-sharing-information-with-lawmakers/ http://www.managementstudyguide.com/strategic-decisions.htm http://tools.ashridge.org.uk/website/content.nsf/FileLibrary/4C8918B0EA4CDB988025718E00558E14/$file/STDC.pdf http://www2.toyota.co.jp/en/vision/production_system/just.html http://www.marketingteacher.com/Lessons/lesson_generic_strategies.htm http://www.quickmba.com/strategy/generic.shtml http://www.coursework4you.co.uk/essays-and-dissertations/porter-generic-strategies.php http://www.greenwich.com/WMA/products_services/comp_chal/comp_chal_home visited 29/03/10 at 21.20 http://www.baldrige.com/sector/business/toyotas-strategic-challenge/ http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/8505402.stm http://www.google.co.uk/search?hl=enq=four+challenges+of+global+marketmeta=aq=faqi=aql=oq=gs_rfai= http://blogs.hbr.org/cs/2010/02/toyota_the_downside_of_hyper_g.html http://www.hoovers.com/company/Toyota_Motor_Corporation/crxxsi-1.html http://www.design21sdn.com/organizations/196/posts/997 http://www.fastlane.com.au/News_Toyota/vision_2010.htm http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20100210132838AAHTQJm http://www.fastlane.com.au/News_Toyota/vision_2010.htm http://www.mainstreet.com/article/smart-spending/autos/what-toyota-should-have-done-brake-override?page=1 http://www.egmcartech.com/2010/02/26/inaba-toyota-shouldve-done-a-better-job-sharing-information-with-lawmakers/ www.marketingteacher.com www.coursework4you.co.uk http://www.managementstudyguide.com/strategic-decisions.htm http://tools.ashridge.org.uk/website/content.nsf/FileLibrary/4C8918B0EA4CDB988025718E00558E14/$file/STDC.pdf http://www2.toyota.co.jp/en/vision/production_system/just.html http://www.marketingteacher.com/Lessons/lesson_generic_strategies.htm http://www.quickmba.com/strategy/generic.shtml http://www.coursework4you.co.uk/essays-and-dissertations/porter-generic-strategies.php http://www.greenwich.com/WMA/products_services/comp_chal/comp_chal_home visited 29/03/10 at 21.20 http://www.baldrige.com/sector/business/toyotas-strategic-challenge/ http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/8505402.stm http://www.google.co.uk/search?hl=enq=four+challenges+of+global+marketmeta=aq=faqi=aql=oq=gs_rfai= http://www.design21sdn.com/organizations/196/posts/997

The Impact of the New Deal on the Great Depression Era Essay -- Americ

The Impact of the New Deal on the Great Depression Era In 1933, President Roosevelt proposed New Deal legislation to alleviate the effects of the Great Depression through various public works programs and other federal initiatives. The many reforms of the New Deal were racked by intense criticism from their very beginnings. The New Deal was a catalyst in the surge of the federal government’s power. One year before the financial collapse on Wall Street, President Hoover said, â€Å"We in America today are nearer to the financial triumph over poverty than ever before in the history of our land† (Major 31). This overly confident statement was outrageously wrong. On October 24, 1929, the Wall Street stock market plummeted. As of that date, the beginning of the Great Depression has infamously become known as â€Å"Black Thursday.† The nation and its leaders were at first put off-guard by the unanticipated event of the economy crashing. However, a few leaders during Hoover’s remaining years in office did show signs that the government’s program of laissez-fair economics were out of date in resolving this catastrophe. Among the early proponents of direct welfare-relief was Wisconsin Republican Robert LaFollette Jr.. LaFollette went against the Republican political grain by proposing legislation that would help the plight of the poor by using federal relief money. Nevertheless, his plan could not be passed by the strong anti-welfare Republican majority (Landis par. 3). With the election of President Roosevelt in 1933, Americans of all social status felt a new found hope for an end to the depression. Roosevelt quickly began encouraging Congress to pass national relief bills after he was elected president. Only two months after his in... ..., and ‘Natural’ Disaster Relief: Narrating the American Welfare State.† Law and Society Review 33 (1999): 257-318. WilsonSelect Full Text Database. OCLC FirstSearch. M.M. Bennett Lib., St. Petersburg Junior College. 19 May 2000 http://firstsearch.altip.oclc.org/. Major, John The New Deal. New York: Barnes and Noble, 1967. Romanscu, Albert U., et al. The New Deal: The National Level. Ed. John Braeman, Robert H. Bremner, and David Brady. Columbus: Ohio State UP, 1975. Roosevelt, Franklin D. â€Å"Letters to the Nation’s Clergy.† 24 Sept. 1935. FDR Library. Stewart, Richard B. â€Å"Evaluating the New Deal.† Harvard Journal of Law and Public Policy 22 (1998): 239-46. Academic Search FullTEXT Elite. EBSCOHost. M.M. Bennett Lib>, St. Petersburg Junior College. 19 May 2000 http://gw2.epnet.com/. With the Civilian Conservation Corps.† American Forests July 1933: np.

Is Money the Biggest Motivator for People at the Workplace Essay

Many people believe that they are motivated by solely earning money, but this is not entirely true, because other factors like variety of workplace and the need to be appreciated for the work they do. Motivation is the set of processes that moves a person toward a goal. Thus, motivated behaviours are voluntary choices controlled by the individual employee. Factors that affect work motivation include individual differences, job characteristics, and organizational practices. Individual differences are the personal needs, values, and attitudes, interests and abilities that people bring to their jobs. The need to be appreciated for the work they do may be reflected in the prestige attached to their job, and while the need for a variety in the workplace may be satisfied by an interesting or fun job. A factor, which effects motivation, is that every individual has a variety of different needs. For example an employee may prefer to work on their own rather than in a friendly team. In order to have good motivation employees needs have to be established. This is shown in how lack of motivation equals reduced effort and lack of commitment. An example of how employee’s needs could be satisfied is through involving them in discussions so that they feel recognised and wanted. A business could also set up discussions with management about goals and working practises which would make employees feel their opion counts and also that their contribution is valuable.

The Connection Between Gun Control Legislation and Gun Crime

In the aftermath of the June 2016 mass shooting in Orlando, a debate has again turned to whether gun control legislation actually works to reduce gun-related violence. Over the years studies have produced mixed results, which fuels the debate, providing science-based arguments on both sides. However, researchers at Columbia Universitys Mailman School of Public Health have now settled the debate by conducting a massive international review of studies published all the way back to 1950. They found that gun control laws are in fact associated with lower rates of gun-related violence in most countries. About the Study The study, titled  What Do We Know About the Association Between Firearm Legislation and Firearm-Related Injuries? was published in  Epidemiologic Reviews  in February 2016. Lead by Dr. Julian Santaella-Tenorio, a team of researchers examined the findings from 130 studies from 10 countries published between 1950 and 2014. The studies reviewed were all conducted to examine the connection  between gun laws and gun-related homicides, suicides, and unintentional injuries and deaths. The laws in question covered a range of issues related to citizen access to guns. They included laws that govern the use of guns, like the right to carry and stand your ground laws; the sale of guns, including background checks and waiting periods; ownership restrictions, like bans on purchasing for persons with a felony record or documented mental condition; storage-related laws designed to prevent child access in the home; and laws that regulate access to certain guns like automatic and semi-automatic weapons and high-capacity magazines. The studies reviewed included numerous other laws within these categories, ​which are listed in full in the report. The Convincing and Consistent Evidence While the researchers did find some conflicting findings within their review, they found enough convincing and consistent evidence across various locations to conclude that laws that restrict access to and govern the use of guns are  associated with reductions in gun-related deaths, lower rates of intimate partner homicide, and reductions in unintentional gun-related deaths of children. The researchers, however, emphasize that their findings from the review of these 130 studies do not prove causality between gun control legislation and reduced rates of gun violence. Rather, the findings point to an association or correlation between the two variables. Santaella-Tenorio summed this up for Columbia Universitys online news outlet, saying,  In most countries, we saw evidence of the reduction in the firearm death rates after the enactment of firearm legislation.† A Look at Other Nations   Honing in on specifics, the study found  laws that target multiple aspects of gun control reduced gun-related deaths in some countries. They highlight the well-known clear evidence from Australia that followed the passage of the countrys 1996 National Firearm Agreement. Studies that have examined rates of gun violence following the passage of this legislative package found that it led to a decline in gun-related deaths, gun-related suicides, and mass shootings. The researchers point out that similar studies found similar results in other nations. Studies of Targeted Laws   Focusing on studies of more targeted laws, the researchers found that in some cases, restrictions on purchasing, access, and use of guns are associated with reduced gun-related deaths. Studies from the U.S. show that when background checks include restraining orders, fewer women are killed by current or former romantic partners through the use of guns. Further, some studies from the U.S. show that laws that require background checks to include local mental health facility records are associated with fewer gun-related suicides. Studies of Legislation in Place The review also found that studies that focused on legislation that relaxes gun laws, like stand your ground and right to carry laws, and the repeal of existing laws leads  to an increase in gun-related homicides. So, contrary to the belief of the NRA and many others in the U.S., the right to carry laws do not reduce gun violence. Theres never been more compelling evidence that legislative control of our access to and use of guns is a benefit to society.