Friday, May 22, 2020

The Social Issues of Homelessness Essay examples - 1432 Words

Sociology 2, Social Issues Problems Section 80528 November 24, 2008 The Social Issue of Homelessness Homelessness has always been a major social issue for cities across the nation but in recent years it is reached astonishing proportions. In this essay I will try to summarize ten recently published articles and each of the authors view of homelessness. First I will discuss some of their opinions of the causes of the recent increase of homelessness and who or what is to blame. Next we will look into just a few of the effects of homelessness, both to the homeless and those around them. After that we will explore possible solutions that have been tried or proposed. Many of the causes for this alarming increase in homelessness have†¦show more content†¦It is best described by Connie Paige of The Boston Globe where in her article titled â€Å"Homelessness hits record high† she says, â€Å"The ‘double whammy’ of the high cost of fuel and food can put families at risk for homelessness that otherwise might not be†. Those who live from paycheck to paycheck just didn’t have the extra money in their budget to accommodate a price increase on almost every daily staple they have. Nan Roman of the National Alliance to End Homelessness said â€Å"higher food and fuel prices hitting families with no cushion†. When these families can’t afford the daily basics, they take from another part of the budget. Those who had no cushion soon find themselves out of money for their bills and many ultimately end up homeless. Job loss is another large contributor to the increase in homelessness. I think that James Temple of SF Gate in his article titled â€Å"Striving to serve growing homeless population†, describes this best when he said â€Å"The chronically homeless stand alongside the newly desperate, people whose take-home pay didn’t last, who didn’t get the hours they’d hoped for, who unexpectedly lost homes or jobs†. Massive job losses are changing homeless culture. According to the Ken Homa, Goodwill Director of Housing Services in Traverse County, MN, â€Å"There has also been a significant increase in peopleShow MoreRelatedThe Social Issue Of Homelessness1138 Words   |  5 Pages Homelessness Catherine Vivi ABS 497 Applied Behavioral Sciences Capstone Instructor Theresa Cruz June 29, 2015 Ashford University â€Æ' â€Æ' Homelessness Lakeland is a city in Polk County, Florida, United States, located between the two larger cities in central Florida those being Tampa to the west and Orlando to the east. While interventions to interrupt and end homelessness may vary across groups, ending homelessness permanently requires housing combined with the types of services supported by programsRead MoreThe Social Issue Of Homelessness1055 Words   |  5 PagesHomelessness is a social issue which extends beyond a lack of housing and includes the complexities of social and economic concerns such as domestic violence, child abuse, trauma and addictions, mental health, insufficient income, health complications, involvement with the justice system, and poverty. Homelessness is a difficult phenomenon to define as it is dependent upon societal constructs, mainly revolving around the concept of ‘home’ and how it is largely influenced by family structures moreRead MoreSocial Issues In Homelessness855 Words   |  4 Pa gesTransient! We have all overheard these terms which reference those who are homeless. Homelessness is not a crisis or an endemic that transpired overnight, but has been steadily escalating for decades. This endemic impact more individuals than anyone can conceptualize. It triggers a variety of problems not just for the homeless, but society. Homelessness is a multifaceted social problem with an array of underlying social and economic factors. People find themselves without permanent housing for severalRead MoreHomelessness : A Social Issue2081 Words   |  9 Pagesessay on a Social Issue. I have chosen Homelessness. I chose this because it is a very serious issue not only here in Australia but all over the world. In Australia there are is about 105,000 Australians that are homeless on any given night, all of which are either living in a makeshift home or sleeping on the streets. In my essay I am going to look at whom homelessness affects the reasons why, and what is being done to help and raise awareness 1.0 What is homelessness? 1.1 Homelessness the socialRead MoreThe Social Issues Of Homelessness1133 Words   |  5 Pagesbecause we see certain things so often, we become desensitized and accustomed to them, leading us to acknowledge them less and less. This however, serves as a poor excuse when explaining our lack of effort in attacking and solving the social issues present in homelessness. In today’s day and age, individuals often adapt the mindset of: â€Å"Your problem, you deal with it.† But how are these human beings, who have aspirations and dreams just like you and me (that are now crushed), are supposed to just â€Å"deal†Read MoreHomelessness : The Current Social Welfare Issue1339 Words   |  6 PagesSocial Welfare Issue: Homelessness Written by: Laura Westra The current social welfare issue that I chose to explore is homelessness within Canada. First, this essay will give a brief description of homelessness. Secondly, it will describe how homelessness relates to some concepts and theories that we learned in this course Introduction to Social Welfare, it will also look at what may have happened to people facing homelessness one hundred years ago, next we will explore a possible solution to thisRead MoreThe Issue Of Homelessness And School Social Work1554 Words   |  7 PagesJournal Articles Review SWK 190 Introduction to Social Work Section 01 Lauren Cartwright 2/18/16 Introduction Social work continues to be a necessary and important profession because there are such a wide variety and abundance of social issues that exist in the world today. Among these issues, one of great prevalence is homelessness. Homelessness is an important problem that needs to be directly addressed because it can lead to many other problems as well. Problems such as poor academicRead MoreEssay about The social issue of homelessness in NC1229 Words   |  5 PagesThe Social Issue of Homelessness in North Carolina People drive or walk past a homeless person almost every day without thinking twice about the plight of that person or they may even unconsciously turn their heads the other way in disgust. Homelessness simply put, means without a home - therefore homelessness is an equal opportunity state that can happen to anyone. Even though we have seen some economic prosperity over the years, statistics show that the number of homeless remains very high.Read MoreSocial Problems Within The Australian Society1215 Words   |  5 PagesA Social Analysis – Homelessness There are a growing number of social problems existing within the Australian society and unfortunately, research does not need to prove this. All it takes is a stroll down the main street of some suburbs to realise the extent of social problems within society. Homelessness is a rising trend that is affecting people of all demographics. Homelessness is more than just a simple disadvantage; with usually many underpinning factors which contribute to it, such as domesticRead MoreHomelessness And The Tampa Bay Area1234 Words   |  5 PagesHomelessness is a prevalent social issue that many countries are trying to resolve. One area that has a high rate of homelessness is the Tampa Bay Area in Florida. According to a homeless count carried out by the Tampa Hillsborough Homeless Initiative (THHI) in 2016, in Hillsborough County alone, there are, â€Å"at least 1,817 homeless men, women, and children† who have to resort to unorthodox housing, such as spaces behind buildings, encampmen ts, sidewalks, and cars (â€Å"About Homelessness†). Moreover

Friday, May 8, 2020

Friends Can Challenge Us And Confuse Us Essay - 828 Words

The other day, I was asked what friendships really are. I didn’t waste a moment to tell what I thought friendships are. Friendships come in many shapes and often appear when we least expect them. Some people consider acquaintances to be their friends, but do they know the definition of a friend? I say a friend is a person who is there for you no matter what the situation is. True friends will literally bend over backwards for you. A friend is a person I put all of my trust into. They are my shoulder to cry on and my go to person when I feel down or alone. All friendships are one of a kind. I believe friendships are one of the most important things in our lives. Friendships are important for many reasons. Friends can challenge us and confuse us. While challenging and confusing us, friends help us build both physical and emotional strength. Friends help to interact with other people. By interacting with other people, we aren’t going to be lonely our whole lives. Friends give us a better outlook on life. Often, I find my life isn’t going as I had planned and I turn to my friends. They work their magic and cheer me up. They tell me there is a reason for everything and the only way to find out what that reason was, is to enjoy life. Here lately, I’ve been feeling down. As usual, I turn to my best friend and tell her everything that is wrong and expect her to fix it. While friends don’t have the ability to mend things completely, they can make things better. My best friend doesShow MoreRelatedAdvice and Recommendations for the Mayor of San Diego713 Words   |  3 Pagesremember and rededicate himself to the prinicples that motivated him into politics and recapture some of that energy that propelled him into this competitive and high stress field of work. I would remind the Mayor that it is nearly impossible to make friends with everyone and complaints are sure to come from all sides. That is why it is of the highest importance that Bob is serving his own goals and ambitions during his service as Mayor. This means setting goals that are attainable and doable and settingRead MoreIs Friendship Part Of One s Life?850 Words   |  4 PagesIs friendship part of one’s life? What are the requirements for a friend? Are friends there whenever one needs him or her? Is there constant communication between friends? How many people remember the lyrics from that Houdini song? â€Å"Friends, how many of us have them? Friends, the ones you can depend on.† The philosopher Aristotle said, â€Å"In poverty and other misfortunes of life, true friends are a sure refuge. They keep the young out of mischief; they comfort and aid the old in their weakness, andRead More Beauty Essay987 Words   |  4 Pagescomes from within your soul. People have different ideas and tastes, so ideas on what is beautiful vary from person to person. This is proven when you look around in the world which we all share. There are countless ways in which beauty is shown to us all. It could be in nature, like the waterfalls or the sunset or even a hurricane; some people may think that it’s exotic to see the skies fierce and dark. It all depends on who you are and what you believe in. For example, imagine a girl and a guyRead MoreWritten Critique on Corduroy and Winn-Dixie Essay1535 Words   |  7 Pagesillustrations that will truly captures the heart of the child and parents. Molly Bang (1991) stated that colors effect on us is very strong. One of the principles that she mentioned is that white or light backgrounds feel safer to us than dark backgrounds. The background of the last page of the book is white when Lisa held and gives a hug to Corduroy and assures him that he is a friend. The color portrays some meaning to the readers by just looking the picture on every page of this book. It shows theRead MoreWriting Analysis : My Writing950 Words   |  4 Pagescreating such rich, breathtaking, emotional, and deep work that last for generations and generations (not me), but writing has not always been a friend to me. The process of writing is not just write and your done, no you need to take time and let your ideas gush out (duh you already knew that) but also to edit and revise to make those final drafts. Writing can be a huge pain in the buttocks (ass), but it isn t that bad. Here are some of my issues and strengths about writing and my take on it. Now itRead MoreThe Hero Of William Shakespeare s The Lord Of The Flies 1503 Words   |  7 Pagesskills at swordsmanship become more known as it is his best skill, and he is soon recognized for the swordsman that he is, although he s always happy to rely on the intelligence and strategy of the Rangers when it comes to planning. Alyss: Will s friend from childhood in the at Castle Redmont, Alyss has grown into a beautiful young woman. Her quick wit and calm nature make her a perfect fit for the Diplomatic Service, who are also known as Couriers. Under the tutelage of the elegant Lady PaulineRead MoreAbolish High School Essay998 Words   |  4 Pageswrites â€Å"High school is often considered a definitive American experience, in two senses: an experience that nearly everyone shares, and one that can define who you are, for better or worse, for the rest of your life.† which means high school isn’t wonderful for many people, it has a lot of challenges for teens, maybe some of them ‘kill’ by pressure and challenges, it would affect their rest of life. The high school is not a wonderful place for everyone. People should skip it and escaped it that you wouldRead MoreRoaring Fork Beer Essay1349 Words   |  6 Pagesex-users are all aware of our product but do not have an affinity for R oaring Fork Beer. Furthermore, we must identify whether the reason our product is rejected is sensory or perceptual. The case, there is a great deal of supportive evidence that leads us to believe the insight is sensory. Describing the taste as â€Å"chemically, gassy, bad and flat† are descriptive and tangible. Since our targets dislike the taste, we have the option of investing in either changing the sensory of our target or accommodatingRead MoreWorkplace Stress Among The Employee951 Words   |  4 Pagescircumstances that confuse, endanger or irritate us. If this stress is controlled, it becomes a friend which give strength to us but if handled poorly it becomes an enemy which can cause many diseases like blood pressure, asthma, thyroid, ulcer etc. Stress is the output of modern lifestyles. There can be basically 3 levels of stress- If the stress is at the optimum level-Individual will perform well to his full capacity. If it is more than the optimum level-Negative response, individual can suffer fromRead MoreEssay about Dealing with a Parents Death784 Words   |  4 PagesDealing with a Parents Death Research Question: How does a child cope with the loss of a parent who suffered from AIDS: Introduction: This research study will show the challenges that children face when dealing with the loss of a parent due to the AIDS virus. The sources for the research have come from the Tarrant County College Resource Center, online internet sites, and an interview with a social worker, Rebecca Wright, from the AIDS Outreach Center Youth Services

Wednesday, May 6, 2020

Management of a World Class Company Toyota Free Essays

string(96) " link between management and on-site operations, instead of focusing exclusively on management\." Content I. Introduction of Toyota Motor Company II. Management of Toyota Motor Company 1. We will write a custom essay sample on Management of a World Class Company Toyota or any similar topic only for you Order Now Coprporate Governance of Toyota Motor Company 2. The Toyota Way 3. Toyota managerial problems III. Conclusion Management of World Class Company – Toyota Motor Company I. Introduction of Toyota Motor Company Toyota Motor Company or TMC is a Japanese automobile manufacturer and it is stationed in the city of Toyota in the Aichi prefecture. The relationship between the city and the company gave the name of the city which was previously known as Koromo. Toyota is the largest automobile manufacturer in Japan[1] and it is also the largest worldwide as of the first half of 2012[2] by volume of sold cars ahead of General Motors and Volkswagen AG. The company was created in 1937 by Kiichiro Toyoda as a spinoff to Toyota Industries to create automobiles. As of 2012, Toyota own several different brands as Lexus – luxury cars, Scion – brand only for North America, aimed towards the Generation Y and 51% in Daihatsu – the oldest car manufacturer in Japan. Akio Toyoda is the current CEO of Toyota, he is grandson of the creator Kiichiro Toyoda[3]. Toyota have produced more than 200 million cars all over the world with their biggest market in North America – 32%, followed by their home country Japan – 25%, Europe – 14% and Asia – 11%[4]. Toyota is publicly traded company of three of the major Stock Exchanges: New York Stock Exchange(NYSE), London Stock Exchange(LSE) and Tokyo Stock Exchange (TSE). In the end of 2009 and the beginning of 2010, Toyota recalled 9 million cars on various technical faults[5]. 5. 3 million of them was over a faulty â€Å"all-weather† floor mat, additional 2. 3 mil. For a faulty accelerator pedal and 1. 7 for both problems. On 14th of November 2012, Toyota announced that it will recall additional 2. 7 mil. cars over problems with the steering wheel and water pump system. This comes four weeks( 10th October) after another 7 mil. cars recalled over faulty electric windows mechanisms[6]. The 2010 recalls hit the company hard with huge financial loses, because of the recalls and stop of production for some time of the affected vehicles. Severe damage to the brand in the eyes of the public. An estimate of 1. 93 billion dollars were lost, because of missed sales, output and another recall related costs[7]. A 15% drop in shares was experienced by the company. Toyota is one of the leading manufacturers in pushing the hybrid electric vehicles. Their hybrid technologies make them the first company to mass produce such an automobile with the Toyota Prius in 1997. As of October 2012 the Prius around 3 mil. units[8] . 19 other Toyota branded vehicles are also available with the hybrid technology. So are models from the Lexus sub-brand. II. Management of Toyota Motor Company 1. Coprporate Governance of Toyota Motor Company Toyota Motor Company(TMC) is a public listed company, which means everybody can buy shares in it. This mean that the is a specific corporate structure and management operations. Toyota is with top-down centralized way of management. The company is headed by Fujio Cho, he is the chairman which in the Japanese system, that puts him in charge of the country’s and world’s largest automaker. He is only the second person to head Toyota and to not be from the Toyoda family after they stepped out in 1995. He joined Toyota in 1960 and previous titles include: Managing Director, Senior Managing Director, Vice President, President and Vice Chairman of the Board. He stepped in as a chairman in September 2006[9]. 960–1966, apprentice and training employee; 1966–1974, Production Control Division; 1974–1984, manager in Production Control Division; 1984–1986, manager in Logistics Administration and project manager in Production Control Division; 1986–1987, manager in Administration; 1987–1988, manager of Toyota North America Project and exe cutive vice president of Toyota Motor Manufacturing USA; 1988–1994, president of Toyota Motor Manufacturing USA; 1994–1996, managing director; 1996–1998, senior managing director; 1998–1999, executive vice president; 1999–, CEO and president[10]. The Vice Chairman of the Board is Takeshi Uchiyamada since April 2012 and also serve as Vice President of the Company. Mr. Uchiyamada served as Executive Vice President of Toyota Motor Corp. since June 2005, as the Chief Production Control Logistics Officer of Toyota Motor Corp. since 2004, as Senior Managing Director of Toyota Motor Corp. from 2003 to June 2005. He served as the Chief Vehicle Engineering Officer of Toyota since 2003 and joined Toyota in 1969[11]. Akio Toyoda is the President and Chief executive officer of the company. He is also President of Toyota Finance Australia Ltd. , Toyota Motor North America, Inc. and Toyota Motor Credit Corporation since June 2009. Mr. Toyoda serves as Senior Adviser of Toyota Media Service Corporation. He has been the President of Hitachi Ltd and Honda Motor Co. since March 2009. He served as an Executive Vice President of Toyota Motor Corp. from January 21, 2005 to June 2009, Senior Managing Director and Chief of Asia China Operations Officer since 2003 and also served as its Division General Manager of Taiwan China Offices. He joined Toyota in 1984[12]. The company also have 7 Executive Vice Presidents,63 Directors, 7 Corporate Auditors, 18 Senior Managing Officers and 35 Managing Officers[13]. The company’s top management priority is to steadily increase corporate value over the long term. In order to achieve that, Toyota builds favorable relationships with all of its stakeholders, including shareholders, customers, business partners, local communities and employees. In house committees and councils are used for monitoring and discussing management of the company from the viewpoint of the stakeholders. In 2003 was introduced the current system of management in which Chief Officers, who are directors, serve as the highest authorities of their specific operational functions across the entire company, while non-board Managing Officers implement the actual operations[14]. Toyota’s philosophy of emphasizing developments on the site, the Chief Officers serve as the link between management and on-site operations, instead of focusing exclusively on management. You read "Management of a World Class Company Toyota" in category "Essay examples" The company have different divisions all over the world, United States of America, The United Kingdom. In the UK the division is headed by a General Manager – John Burton. He is responsible for two branches of the company, the office and shop floor. In the office part there is Assistant General Manager, Senior Manager, Section Manager, Specialist Engeneer – Senior, Specialist Engeneer, Lead Administrator and Administrator. For the Shopfloor we have the same structure till Section Manager with the adition of Group Leader- Senior, Grouo Leader, Team Leader and Team Member. As a publicly traded company Toyota have issued 3,447,997,492 shares and have 668,186 shareholders. 2. The Toyota Way The most important created in the managerial sphere by Toyota is the Toyota Way. The Toyota Way is a set of principles and behaviors that underline the Toyota Motor Corporation’s managerial approach and production system. Toyota first explained and summed up those philosophy, values and manufacturing ideals in 2001, calling it â€Å"The Toyota Way 2001. † It consists of principles in two key areas: continuous improvement, and respect for people[15]. The principles for a continuous improvement include establishing a long-term vision, working on challenges, continual innovation, and going to the source of the issues or problems. The rules relating to respect for people include ways of building it and teamwork. Toyota’s management philosophy has evolved from the company’s origins and has been used in the terms â€Å"Lean Manufacturing† and Just In Time Production, which it was very important in developing[16] Toyota’s managerial values and business methods which are known collectively as the Toyota Way. Toyota uses five principles for their operations: †¢ Challenge †¢ Kaizen (improvement) †¢ Genchi Genbutsu (go and see) †¢ Respect †¢ Teamwork[17] Another part of the Toyota Way is the Toyota Production System. The Toyota Production System (TPS) is an integrated socio-technical system, developed by Toyota, that Cover its management philosophy and practices. The TPS organizes manufacturing and logistics for the company, how it interacts with suppliers and customers. The system is a major predecessor of the â€Å"lean manufacturing. † Taiichi Ohno, Shigeo Shingo and Eiji Toyoda developed the system between 1948 and 1975. [18] Originally called â€Å"just-in-time production,† it develops on the approach created by the founder of Toyota, Sakichi Toyoda, his son Kiichiro Toyoda, and the engineer Taiichi Ohno. The principles of TPS are embodied in The Toyota Way. The main objectives of the TPS are to design out overburden (muri) and inconsistency (mura), and to eliminate waste (muda). The most significant effects on process value delivery are achieved by designing a process capable of delivering the required results smoothly; by designing out â€Å"mura† (inconsistency). It is also crucial to ensure that the process is as flexible as necessary without stress or â€Å"muri† (overburden) since this generates â€Å"muda† (waste). Finally the tactical improvements of waste reduction or the elimination of muda are very valuable. There are seven kinds of muda that are addressed in the TPS[19]: 1. Waste of over production (largest waste) 2. Waste of time on hand (waiting) 3. Waste of transportation 4. Waste of processing itself 5. Waste of stock at hand 6. Waste of movement 7. Waste of making defective products The system, is one of the biggest aspect of the company, it is responsible for having made Toyota the company it is today. For long time Toyota has been recognized as a leader in the automotive manufacturing. [20] It is a myth that â€Å"Toyota received their inspiration for the system, not from the American automotive industry (at that time the world’s largest by far), but from visiting a supermarket. † The idea of Just-in-time production was originated by Kiichiro Toyoda, founder of Toyota. [21] The question was how to implement TPS. When reading descriptions of American supermarkets, Ohno saw how the supermarket operated with the model he was trying to accomplish in the factory. A customer in a supermarket takes the desired amount of products off the shelf and buys them. The store restocks the given products with enough new ones to fill up the empty shelf spaces. Similarly, a work-center that needed parts would go to a ‘store shelf’ (the inventory storage point) for the particular part and ‘buy’ (withdraw) the quantity it needed, and the ‘shelf’ would be ‘restocked’ by the work-center that manufactured the part, making only enough to replace the inventory that had been withdrawn. 22] While low inventory levels are a key outcome of the Toyota Production System, an important element of the philosophy behind its system is to work intelligently and eliminate waste so that only minimal inventory is needed. Many American businesses, having observed Toyota’s factories, set out to attack high inventory levels directly without understanding what made these reductions possible. The act of imitating without und erstanding the underlying concept or motivation may have led to the failure of those projects. In 2004 a professor from University of Michigan, Dr. Jeffrey Liker published a book â€Å"The Toyota Way† in which he called Toyota way â€Å"a system designed to provide the tools for people to continually improve their work†. [23] â€Å"Since Toyota’s founding we have adhered to the core principle of contributing to society through the practice of manufacturing high-quality products and services. Our business practices and activities based on this core principle created values, beliefs and business methods that over the years have become a source of competitive advantage. These are the managerial values and business methods that are known collectively as the Toyota Way. —Fujio Cho, President Toyota (from the Toyota Way document, 2001)[24] According to Liker in the Toyota Way the people are what bring the system to life, working, communicating, resolving issues, and growing together. The Toyota Way encourages, supports, and in fact demands employee involvement. It is a system designed to provide the tools for people to continually improve their work. Toyota Way means more dependence on people, not less. It is a culture, even more than a set of efficiency and improvement techniques. You depend upon the workers to reduce inventory, identify hidden problems, and fix them. The workers have a sense of urgency, purpose, and teamwork because if they don’t fix it there will be an inventory outage. On a daily basis, engineers, skilled workers, quality specialist, vendors, team leaders, and—most importantly—operators are all involved in continuous problem solving and improvement, which over time trains everyone to become better problem solvers. In it Liker summarized it in 14 principles. The principles are organized in four broad categories: 1) Long-Term Philosophy, 2) The Right Process Will Produce the Right Results (this utilizes many of the TPS tools), 3) Add Value to the Organization by Developing Your People, and 4) Continuously Solving Root Problems Drives Organizational Learning. [25] 1)Long-Term Philosophy 1. Base your management decisions on a long-term philosophy, even at the expense of short-term financial goals. It is needed to replace the short term decision making with philosophical thinking of purpose. Understanding that the organization is bigger than money and that long term value for the customers and be responsible. )The Right Process Will Produce The Right Results 2. Create a continuous process flow to bring problems to the surface. Time management is very important, it must not be wasted. Creating good flow of the work with materials and people. 3. Use â€Å"pull† systems to avoid overproduction. Providing customers with everything they want when they wanted it. There is no need for costly overst ocking. There need to be flexibility with the day-by-day shifts in customer demand not convoluted forecasts. [26] 4. Level out the workload (heijunka). (Work like the tortoise, not the hare. ) People and machines must not be overused. There must be leveled out workload. 5. Build a culture of stopping to fix problems, to get quality right the first time. Quality for the customer drives the value proposition. Building equipment capable of detecting problems and stopping itself. Developing a visual system to alert team or project leaders that a machine or process needs assistance. Jidoka (machines with human intelligence) is the foundation for â€Å"building in† quality. Problems must be solved quickly. 6. Standardized tasks and processes are the foundation for continuous mprovement and employee empowerment. Capturing the accumulated learning about a process up to a point in time by standardizing today’s best practices. Allowing creative and individual expression to improve upon the standard; then using it into the new standard so that when a person moves on, to easily hand off the learning to the next person. 7. Use visual control so no problems are hidden. Use simple visual indicators to help people determine immediately whether there are problems. [27] 8. Use only reliable, thoroughly tested technology that serves your people and processes. Technology must be used for supporting the people not replacing them and it can lead to slow implementation. Tests can determine if it is viable to use new technologies. 3) Add Value to the Organization by Developing Your People 9. Grow leaders who thoroughly understand the work, live the philosophy, and teach it to others. Creating leaders inside the company and not sourcing them outside of the company. Such leaders must be role-models. 10. Develop exceptional people and teams who follow your company’s philosophy. Creating a strong, stable culture in which company values and beliefs are widely shared and used over a period of many years. Corporate culture and teamwork must be adhered by the employees for exceptional results. [28] 11. Respect your extended network of partners and suppliers by challenging them and helping them improve. 4) Continuously Solving Root Problems Drives Organizational Learning 12. Go and see for yourself to thoroughly understand the situation (genchi genbutsu). Personal observation and data gathering for the problems that are encountered. Verification of information first hand. 13. Make decisions slowly by consensus, thoroughly considering all options; implement decisions rapidly (nemawashi). Straightforwardness must not be accepted, alternative solutions must be taken into account. Also using other people for gathering information and helping with the decision is needed. 14. Become a learning organization through relentless reflection (hansei) and continuous improvement (kaizen). Using improvement tools to determine the cause of inefficiencies and apply effective countermeasures. Once waste is exposed, having employees use a continuous improvement process (kaizen) to eliminate it. Using hansei (reflection) at key milestones and after you finish a project to openly identify all the shortcomings of the project. Develop countermeasures to avoid the same mistakes again. [29] By using TPS Toyota reduced time consumption and money, while it improved quality. This helped the company become the biggest company by 2007 and be very profitable. But in recent years it looks that the TPS is not working so well or it is abandoned altogether. The recent technical problems of Toyota showed to some that maybe the TPS is not so good, but if it wasn’t good or it can’t be used anymore, Toyota would have not be able to go back to the top in such short time. The problems maybe are not part of the TPS, but rather other factors. Too big growth of the company in the 21st century. The central lead management don’t allow flexibility in tackling problems. Another issue it that problems become much more obvious with the increase of quantity and this will result in much more negative situation which can’t be handled or will be exploited by competitors. The complexity of cars is attributing factor to have more problems and this can’t be solved by the managers. Of course TPS can be blamed in some way. It support standardization in task and processes and when there is problem with one thing, that problem translate everywhere where standardization is used. And finally a problem experienced by almost all big companies all over the world – slow response to problems, because of the amount of bureaucracy that comes with complex management in big organizations. 3. Toyota managerial problems The management of Toyota today are not very successful, after the big vehicle recalls there was a serious lack of admittance by Toyota CEO Akio Toyoda that something is wrong at that was most prominently seen in his press conference about that matter where he stated: â€Å"Believe me, Toyota’s car is safety. But we will try to make our product better. † Another big problem for the management is the dysfunctional organization structure and a secretive culture. After a problem experienced in Europe and this problem could have affected North America there was absolute no communication between the different branches of the company. [30] Instead of admitting that there is a problem Toyota denied that there are any problems with their cars. III. Conclusion As of mid 2012 Toyota is once again the leader in the automotive world. Although the problems that plagued the company for 2 years reduced their output, profits decreased substantially and the company image was severely damaged which led to the company losing a big sum of money and trust with their consumers, they managed to get out of the problem with relative ease. The company also realized some important things from all this: 1. They could not want to be a global leader and keep all the power in the hands of the headquarters in Japan. Even though they claimed that they are delegating management to other parts of the company around the world the crisis showed something different. When a lot of the production is happening outside Japan they couldn’t afford to still maintain all the power in Japan. 2. They must create friends in order to advance even if they have millions of customers. The crisis left them with no real allies and protection. 3. Toyota learned that it must maintain its reputation every minute. Claiming that they are the best don’t help. Consumers want to see and experience that in the real world not just through ads and statistics. ———————– [1] Wikipedia, Toyota [2] Tim Higgins – Jul 26, 2012, Bloomberg, http://www. bloomberg. om/news/2012-07-25/toyota-extends-global-sales-lead-over-general-motors-vw. html [3] Wikipedia, Akio Toyoda [4] Wikipedia, Toyota [5] Christian Science Monitor, http://www. csmonitor. com/USA/2010/0129/Toyota-recall-update-dealers-face-full-lots-anxious-customers [6] BBC, http://www. bbc. co. uk/news/business-20321594 [7] BBC, http://news. bbc. co . uk/2/hi/business/8493414. stm [8] Mike Milikin 8 Nov. 2012, Green Car Congress, http://www. greencarcongress. com/2012/11/tmchybrids-20121108. html [9] Wikipedia, Fujio Cho [10] Reference for business, http://www. referenceforbusiness. om/biography/A-E/Cho-Fujio-1937. html [11] Bloomberg Business Week, http://investing. businessweek. com/research/stocks/people/person. asp? personId=646436ticker=TM [12] Bloomberg Business Week, http://investing. businessweek. com/research/stocks/people/person. asp? personId=1828739ticker=TM [13] Toyota Global [14] Toyota Global [15] â€Å"Environmental Social Report 2003†. Toyota Motor. p. 80. [16] Strategos-International. Toyota Production System and Lean Manufacturing. [17] Toyota internal document, â€Å"The Toyota Way 2001,† April 2001 [18] Strategos-International. Toyota Production System and Lean Manufacturing. [19] Ohno, Taiichi (March 1998), Toyota Production System: Beyond Large-Scale Production, Productivity Press [20] Brian Bremner, B. and C. Dawson (November 17, 2003). â€Å"Can Anything Stop Toyota? : An inside look at how it’s reinventing the auto industry† [21] Ohno, Taiichi (March 1988), Just-In-Time For Today and Tommorrow, Productivity Press, [22] Magee, David (November 2007), How Toyota Became #1 – Leadership Lessons from the World’s Greatest Car Company, Portfolio Hardcover, [23] Liker, Jeffrey (2004). The 14 Principles of the Toyota Way: An Executive Summary of the Culture Behind TPS†. University of Michigan. p. 36 [24] Liker, Jeffrey(2004). The 14 Principles of the Toyota Way: An Executive Summary of the Culture Behind TPS†. University of Michigan. p. 35 [25] Liker, Jeffrey (2004). â€Å"The 14 Principles of the Toyota Way: An Executive Summary of the Culture Behind TPS†. Universi ty of Michigan. p. 36 [26] Liker, Jeffrey (2004). â€Å"The 14 Principles of the Toyota Way: An Executive Summary of the Culture Behind TPS†. University of Michigan. p. 7 [27] Liker, Jeffrey (2004). â€Å"The 14 Principles of the Toyota Way: An Executive Summary of the Culture Behind TPS†. University of Michigan. p. 38 [28] Liker, Jeffrey (2004). â€Å"The 14 Principles of the Toyota Way: An Executive Summary of the Culture Behind TPS†. University of Michigan. p. 39 [29] Liker, Jeffrey (2004). â€Å"The 14 Principles of the Toyota Way: An Executive Summary of the Culture Behind TPS†. University of Michigan. p. 40 [30] Wall Street Journal, http://online. wsj. com/article/SB10001424052748704820904575055733096312238. html How to cite Management of a World Class Company Toyota, Essay examples