Lampara Multi-Purpose Cooperative (LMPC) Essay Example for Free

Lampara Multi-Purpose Cooperative (LMPC) Essay I. INTRODUCTION: Lampara Multi-Purpose Cooperative (LMPC), registered with the Cooperative Development Authority on June 12, 2007 with Registration No. D-623-6240 has been organized to help people maximize their potentials to live a healthy, productive life and in the process become responsible members of Society. LMPC educates its members to earn and save the cooperative way. LMPC has recently sourced out an exclusive Systems Provider for healthy, nutritious and highly oxygenized Anti-Oxidant Pi Water originally researched and developed in Japan and enhanced in Korea. This newly structured Pi Water Systems Provider has upgraded its Pi Water System with US-made 16-stages Synergy machine that makes the Pi water an anti-oxidant water and with the German Technology oxygen-generating machine developed by the Department of Science and Technology. The Pi water produced by the system has been tested to have an even higher effect than any of the Pi Waters introduced in the Philippines to date due to its unique qualities and characteristics presented below. LMPC is now ready to distribute domestically and internationally the AQUAPORIN PI WATER SYSTEM equipped with the latest technology in Pi Water System. The investors in the Aquaporin Anti-Oxidant Pi Water Refilling Station will be assured of a profitable, unique, and healthy business venture. II. QUALITIES OF THE AQUAPORIN PI WATER: Aquaporin Pi Water has been synergized by the Bio-Nano technology to produce an even reduced water molecule clusters for greater absorption and interaction by the cells of the body, higher water-based mineral contents because of its mineral enhancer cartridge that produces a stable alkaline water with pH 7.8 on the meter, greater energy enhanced by its far infrared cartridges and higher oxygen content with its DOST-developed oxygen generating machine. It has been further powered by a Synergy machine that makes the water an anti-oxidant water. These qualities of the Aquaporin Pi Water will ensure that the water we drink is healthy, nutritious, energized and contains higher level of oxygen like no other. III. ADVANTAGES OF PURCHASING AN AQUAPORIN ANTIOXIDANT PI WATER REFILLING STATION: 1. The Aquaporin Antioxidant Pi Water Refilling System aims to optimize return of investment employing the marketing strategies adopted by LMPC. Once established, the Aquaporin Pi Water Refilling Station (APWRS) becomes a branch of LMPC to serve as the center of operation and marketing service for its members. Page 1 2. The Systems’ flagship (Aquaporin Antioxidant Pi Water’s) characteristics are: 3.1 It has the most minimal piping problems with 50 years warranty on parts. The materials used are guaranteed to survive ageing, cracking, breakage from pressure and bumps, and many more; 2.2 It employs commercial filtration and machineries in processing alkaline, mineralized and Synergized Bio-Nano Pi Waters that is capable of producing an anti-oxidant water; 2.3 It incorporates the latest technology called OPS or Oxygen Processing System that was  Department of Science and Technology (DOST) tested to have high beneficial health effect; 2.4 Its system-parts passed all standards for safe-drinking water; 2.5 Each system installed is registered in the Bureau of Health Devices and Technology (BHDT) of the Department of Health for system certification and validation of quality and functionality; 2.6 The system produces super fine water because of its nano-tech filters that renders water clusters smaller and full of energy; 2.7 The systems use the highest quality materials to ascertain quality production; 2.8 All system parts are brand new. Not a single part is reconditioned or second hand. These parts are not available cheap unless reconditioned. Beware of companies that offer very cheap systems; 2.9 System parts and labor has ONE (1) YEAR WARRANTY 2.10 Special technologies applied are exclusive and are not available in other systems; 2.11 The Aquaporin Pi Water business put up by the investor is not just a profit entity, rather, its business is banking on a mission to help share better health and MAKE A DIFFERENCE in the lives of people. 2.11 When the investor decides to put up the Aquaporin Anti-Oxidant Pi Water Refilling Station he is practically creating a niche in the market resolving any potential direct competition. 2 We offer maximum training of business standardization and operations to make sure that the Aquaporin Anti-Oxidant Pi Water Refilling Station (AAPWRS) owners are well equipped to operate, manage and run his business like a professional water refilling station operator. 3 Investor may opt to make his AAP Water Refilling Station fully automated and computerized with a minimal additional cost (see Feasibility Study/ROI attached); 4 The Systems Provider of APPWRS is composed of a team of professional engineers and exclusive contractors whose expertise comes from years of water treatment experiences aimed to GUARANTEE quality products, services and installations. IV. SERVICES TO ASSURE INVESTORS OF A â€Å"PROFITABLE, UNIQUE AND HEALTHY BUSINESS VENTURE†: 1. Consultancy and Planning (1 month Management Program) 1.1 Conduct a research and feasibility of the business in the specified area of operation; 2.2 Assist in the design of the Station renovation, engineering specifications, like floor plan, electrical plan, appearance and imaging, etc.; 2.3 Assist in business registrations, legal documentations of the company and accounting services; Page 2 2.4 Assist in the design of business concepts, logo, marketing materials, advertisements and other business forms; 2.5 Manage and teach the business for one month to make sure that all systems go smoothly and correctly. 2. Standardization: 2.1 Documentation of business operations; 3.6 Forms and compliances 3.7 Business software and programming 3. Training: 3.1 Technical training – operation of the system, maintenance, basic trouble Shooting proper handling of waters, etc.; 4.8 High standard operations and qality management 4.9 Basic bookkeeping, accounting and compliances 4.10 Sales and marketing strategies and operations 4.11 Quality assurance management 4.12 Manpower and hiring 4.13 Quality servicing and customer services management 4. 24/7 on-line helpdesk and assistance. V. APPWRS will be the LMPC BRANCHES AND SATELLITE OFFICES: The Aquaporin Anti-Oxidant Pi Water Station (APPWRS) shall become LMPC’s branches and/or satellite offices in the area. Only one (1) APPWRS will be established in a Municipality /or District in big cities and Provinces. The LMPC program with its diversified sources of livelihood that are synergistically integrated to achieve a healthy, productive and responsible members of Society using the cooperative system of relationship will be implemented in all the areas of operation of APPWRS. VI. AQUAPORIN ANTI-OXIDANT PI-WATER SYSTEM COMPONENT: 1. The 3-in-1 Pi Filtration System – the complete Commercial Pi-producing Water System fully automated and computerized * Production machineries (cartridges and filters) to yield three (3) types of waters: (details of these machineries will be presented and discussed during the business meeting/s prior to signing of contract) * Oxygenated Ultra Fine Mineral Water * Oxygenated UF Sterilized Alkaline Synergized Water * Oxygenated UF Sterilized Bio-Nano Alkaline Antioxidant concentrated (Oz3) synergized Water. * High-end, Long-lasting Piping System * Initial Bottle Inventory Page 3 * Station Filling Equipment * Station Signage * 3-monthMaintenance Inventory * 1-month business management program * Down Payment for the cost of 1 unit of van for delivery. * Assistance in all aspects of services defined in Item IV. * Fully Automated filter-change indicator and computerized cleaning system * And many more . . . 2. 3-in-1 Pi Filtration System – the Standard Commercial Computerized Pi-producing Water System. * Production machineries (cartridges and filters) to yield three (3) types of waters: (details of these machineries will be presented and discussed during the business meeting/s prior to signing of contract) * Oxygenated Ultra Fine Mineral Water * Oxygenated UF Sterilized Alkaline Synergized Water * Oxygenated UF Sterilized Bio-Nano Alkaline Antioxidant concentrated (Oz3) synergized Water. * Fully Automated filter-change indicator * High-end, Long-lasting Piping System * Initial Bottle Inventory * Station Filling Equipment * Station Signage * 3-monthMaintenance Inventory * 1-month business management program * Down Payment for the cost of 1 unit of FB van for delivery. * Assistance in all aspects of services defined in Item IV. * And many more . . . 3. Basic Home Pi Filtration System which may be used for personal and home  purposes producing 2 types of waters (details to be presented and discussed during the business meeting/s prior to signing of contract for the APWRS) – this Personal Unit Aquaporin Pi Water System will exclusively be distributed by the APWRS. * Production machineries (cartridges and filters) to yield two (2) types of waters: * Super Fine Mineral Water * Highly Oxygenized UF Sterilized Alkaline Synergized Pi Water * High-end, Long-lasting Piping System * Assistance in all aspects of services defined in Item IV. Page 4 * 24/7 on-line helpdesk and assistance * Basic Pi Filtration System owners may opt to become satellite servicing office for LMPC * And many more . . . VII. PRICES 1. Aquaporin Antioxidant Pi Water Refilling Station with the 3-in-1 Complete Fully Automated and Computerized commercial Pi Filtration System with components described in Item VI-1 and services stated in Item V, costs ONE MILLION SEVEN HUNDRED FIFTY THOUSAND PESOS (P1,750,000.00) only, exclusive of site/location renovation/construction and 12% VAT. 2. Aquaporin Antioxidant Water Refilling Station with the 3-in-1 Pi Filtration standard commercial Pi-producing Water System with components described in Item VI-2 and services stated in Item V, costs ONE MILLION SIX HUNDRED FIFTY THOUSAND PESOS (P1,650,000.00) only; 3. Aquaporin Basic Home Pi Filtration System for personal or home use with the 2-in-1 Pi Filtration System and with components described in VI-2 would cost ONE HUNDRED TWENTY THOUSAND PESOS (P120,000.00). VIII. INSTALLATION: 1. Investor must have signed the Memorandum of Agreement for the Installation of the machines at the site or location of the business and payment of at least THIRTY PERCENT (30%) of the total contract price; 2. Water sample taken from the site/location of the Station must be submitted for analysis and potability; 3. Prior to installation, the site/location of the Station would have been inspected by an engineer from the Systems Provider. 4. One (1) week before the date of Installation, additional TWENTY PERCENT (20%) of total contract price must be remitted to LMPC, another TWENTY PERCENT (20%) upon installation and full payment within one (1) month after installation. 5. Faà §ade of the Aquaporin Antioxidant Pi Water Refilling Station must conform with standard appearance prescribed by the Systems provider.

The Macro Environment Analysis Economics Essay

The Macro Environment Analysis Economics Essay The macro environment is made up of 6 uncontrollable external factors. These factors influence an organizations decisions, business and financial strategies as well as its overall performance. These factors are : Economic, Demographic, Social Cultural, Natural, Technological, and Political. 3.2 Demographic environment: The demographic factor covers topics such as age, gender, date of birth, average family sizes and so on .Population Growth The United States has experienced a substantial influx of people. Within the last 10 years there has been an increase of over 33 million people, making the U.S. the most heavily populated nation in the world. A steady but constant population growth is expected for the next 50 years. We can expect an increase in the number of American guests at the Marriot Amsterdam. If the marketing strategy is tailored in order to draw more away from Hotels such as the Hilton. The situation in Europe is different than in the USA. The European Union has a total population of almost 500 million inhabitants (27 states of the European Union) whereas Europe has 732 million inhabitants. Within the next 40 years the population is predicted to decrease to approximately 630 million inhabitants in 2050. This can be seen as a threat in the long run because the impact on the industry is that the volume of the market will shrink as the total resident population will shrink.  [i]   3.3Economic Environment Among the importance of people who make up markets is the importance of their purchasing power, level of employment, GDP, and rate of inflation which is determined by the economic environment. Both GDP growth rates increase on a low, but steady level. Due to the recession, it is likely that negative growth rates occur within the next five years for both western economies. Recovery is predicted on a very low level for the year 2012. India in comparison has a quite low GDP at the moment, but is predicted to catch up with big steps of over 100% per decade. With annually GDP growth rates of 6 to 10 percent during the last decade India is one of the world fastest growing economies. The latest recession hardly hit the country but recovery is predicted to take place more rapidly, profoundly and on a far higher level than in western economies. Inflation The inflation is an important indicator for purchasing power in an economy. Symptoms of inflation are increasing prices and therefore consumers decreasing purchasing power.  [ii]   Credit crunch By mid-2008 the financial crisis turned out as a result of the economic turn down, the sub-prime mortgage crisis and the collapse of the housing market.  [iii]   The collapse of the housing market led to a bank collapse resulting in a massive liquidity crisis. This became a worldwide problem: the ongoing credit crunch. Stock markets crashed worldwide. The credit crunch is affecting business as well as consumers.  [iv]   To conclude, this is a threat for any company because consumers are losing their purchasing power in the EU, US, Japan and UK. Besides that, consumers are more careful with their money because they want to save it in case that they will lose their job due to the economic crunch. Saving rate The saving rate reveals insights of the spending patterns of one country inhabitants. This figure shows the personal saving rate of the USA, Canada, UK and Germany. Due to cultural differences the saving rate of Germany and other European countries is traditionally higher than those in Anglo Saxon influenced countries. The more interesting development is the increase of the saving rate in all four countries after the year 2007. This is caused by the credit crunch and the following recession. During times of economic downturn people tend to save money. They are becoming anxious about their jobs and the future. The increase of the saving rate is a potential threat because peoples spending priority lies on essential goods and services rather than on luxury items. The main market would be for business guests and baby boomers who do not mind spending some extra money in order to have the comforts they have become used to. Income level of the target markets Nations vary greatly in level and distribution of income and industrial structure. Our analysis is focusing on industrial economies and their consumers. These economies are seen as rich markets for all sorts of goods and services. Unemployment From 1993 up to 2009 the unemployment rates for as well the EU, UK as for US are increasing and decreasing through the years. Increasing unemployment rates are for each company a threat because when consumers loose their jobs their purchasing power is decreasing.  [v]   The unemployment rate will average 9.2 percent in 2009, 9.6 percent is 2010 in the USA. The forecasting average for 2011 is 8.9 percent and for 2012 8.7 percent is forecast. The rising unemployment rate is a threat for the Hospitality industry in that consumers are more likely to save their money than spend it when unemployed. Even if they want our services they do not have the financial resources available to them. 3.4 Social-Cultural Environment Corporate social responsibility (CSR) was developed as a type of self regulation. Typically integrated directly into the business model of the corporation. The premise is that the corporation that has integrated with CSR will conform to certain pre-determined norms of society when engaging in business. The norms would vary from legal, social, ethical, moral, environmental as well as an increase in concern over the various elements of the public. Elements such as, but not limited to; the community as a whole, customers and employees. Although this moral business concept appears to be sound CSR has come under constant criticism. Many claim the moral aspect of CSR is nothing more than a faà §ade, allowing these companies to, in fact, exploits the situation at hand. The psychological effect of terrorism is also a factor we have to keep in mind. The frequency of travelling is decreased by this occurring factor. 3.5 Natural factors Macro factors are those factors that the company cannot influence itself, but these factors can certainly have a great impact on how the company is will perform. The Marriott hotel in Amsterdam lies in the center of the Netherlands with a sea climate. This means that all year round the weather will be mild with no extreme summer or winters. While these factors might not directly influence the performance of the hotel, others can. When looking at the volcanic eruption, which took place in the midst of April 2010, airlines cancelled all flights and passengers were stranded. While this at first presented a boom in occupancy due to stay-overs, the long run presented problems as many meeting were cancelled. This presented a downfall in revenue; fortunately problems were solved after 2 weeks when the eruption ceased. The hotel can of course never fully predict certain circumstances but after this experience should be prepared for it. Besides weather factors that will put pressure on business, the trend is shifting towards producing eco-sustainable business. Producing and running your business in a nature friendly way. When looking at the hospitality industry we can give examples as not overly washing linen, using soap dispenser, recycled paper/pens, dividing trash, light sensors, special heating systems, laundry detergent. 3.6 Governmental Due to relatively recent events there has been a major force affecting the hospitality industry. Of course due to the shrinking world phenomenon business travel has become more and more of a necessity but recreational travel has dropped substantially. In hospitality, even before the attacks the picture didnt look good. According to Smith Travel Research, U.S. hotel occupancy was 61.9% year-to-date through June 2001, a drop of 2.7% compared to the same period of 2000. RevPARs declined 0.4 % to $58.99. Preliminary figures indicate that occupancy rates and RevPARs were down 2%-4% in August of this year, compared to August of 2000 (Smith Travel Research). Another strong political force which will affect the Marriot is the increasing worldwide attitude towards smoking. Currently, the Netherlands has an approach of only specialised areas or small, private establishments are permitted to allow smoking in their premises. Smoking in public places or train/bus stations is also prohibited. By o ffering a specialised and separate area (the Cigar Bar) there is a greatly increased likelihood of attracting a larger customer base. This is due to catering to a larger customer base demographic. 3.7 Technology Improving productivity is the main goal of technology. Especially for information technology (IT). In studies there is proven that there is a relationship between IT investments and the productivity and performance of the business. Due all the new technology that has appeared over the years. Front office applications, restaurant and banquet management systems, and guest-related interface applications. We assume that these rapid changes in technology will continue. vii 3.8 Conclusion Threats: US dollar exchange rate for Euro will drop by 5% in 2011. 10% increase of energy prices in 2011. Smoking prohibition. Rapid change in technology Opportunity: Small growth in European economy of 1% in 2011. Slow recovery of US economy and rise of GDP of 2% in 2011. Corporate market in Europe will show a growth of 2%-5%. 10% increase of Chinese travelers in 2011. International tourism in the Netherlands will grow 5%. Rapid change in technology Micro Environment 4.1 Market structure Marriott hotel has a monopolistic competition, which means that the company faces a large number of firms each having a small proportion of the market share and slightly differentiated products. The main demand for the Marriott hotel is leisure and business guests. Customers: Segmentation Amsterdam The Netherlands Business transient 53% 36% Leisure individual 22% 37% Tour groups 8% 7% Conference 12% 15% Others (crew) 5% 5% Total 100% 100% Business Transient: Based on the following assumptions and information the Marriott can expect an increase of business transients compared to the previous years. The main points are as follows: 10% growth in 2010 in produced revenue of ASEAN (Thailand, Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore, Brunei, Burma (Myanmar), Cambodia, Laos and Vietnam), India, Turkey and Brazil. UKs GDP economy expects to rise 2.7% and economy is recovering slowly. (http://www.finfacts.ie/irishfinancenews/article_1019481.shtml) American economy expects a rise in GDP of 2% and economy is recovering slowly. European economy will grow in 2011 with 1% The above information shows that the economies in the major segments for the Marriott are increasing. Thus, companies will have to send their employees again on business trips. One downside of this assumption is decrease of the US dollar exchange rate of 5%. Therefore especially the American business guests will be more then price sensitive and expect to have more service included (e.g. internet). However as we are expecting that the British pound is increasing in 2011 we can assume that the British guests (20% of guests staying at the Marriott Amsterdam) will continue to travel. Individual Tourists: Based on the following assumptions and information received the Marriott can expect an increase of Individual Tourists compared to the previous years. The main points are as follows: EU citizen are expected to have a growth of 5% Expected growth of short breaks and weekend trips to cities. As the GDP in the USA and UK are expected to rise, it can be assumed that it will have a positive correlation on the standard of living of citizens of that country. Only the US market will not increase tremendously as the exchange rate for the US dollar will decrease by 5 %. However the British Pound is expected to rise compared to the Euro. Conference Participants: Based on the assumption and information received the Marriott can expect an increase in conference participants compared to the previous year. The main point is as follows: The same reasons as for business transients can be used to explain the increase of conference participants segment. Companies are expected to produce more goods and therefore will attend and conduct again trade show, conferences, meetings etc. Tour Groups / Other Rates: Based on the following assumption and information received the Marriott can expect a decrease in Tour groups and other rates compared to the previous year. The main reason is as follows: As we are expecting a rise in the business transient, leisure guest, conference participants the Marriott will not be able to sell as many rooms through the discounted channels. Therefore the rooms sold to Tour groups will be less. Contract: Based on the following assumptions and information received the Marriott can expect an increase in contract rates compared to the previous year: The main reason is as follows: In year 2010 the produced revenue was far above the expected budget. As Marriott Corporate Office is urging the hotels to put a focus on they contract rates we can expect again an increase in this segment. However Marriott Corporate Office advises the Hotels not to discount the rates less than 25% of the average daily rate (otherwise the head office needs to be contacted for approval). 4.2 Distribution Channels: Business Transient Individual Tourists Conference part. Tour Groups Other Social media 25% 10% 50% 25% 50% Central Reservation System 34% 32% 40% 20% GDS 27% 10% 30% Travel Agent 2% 15% 10% 25% 30% Hotel Website 12% 17% 20% 3rd party websites 16% Social media is a very effective way of distributing, due to the snowball effect. Direct Sales by the hotel are of course also very important. The Central Reservation System of the Marriott is also used to distribute itself so are the Global Distribution System, Travel Agents (via GDS), the Hotel Website and Third Party Websites (Expedia etc) 4.3 Internal financial decisions: Internal financial decisions consist of financial decisions made within the Marriott chain or the Marriott hotel Amsterdam itself, or financial opportunities within the company. The weaknesses and strengths are also a part of this. Marriott International as a stakeholder has more general objectives and goals regarding ecology, human rights, shareholder equity. 4.4 Public: To know what the public or guests thinks of the Marriott hotel, they use: feedback forms, customer reviews. The reach the public we make use of marketing and media campaigns. The presence of Social Media is getting more and more important and is already a successful marketing tool. But only the bad feedback on an online platform like Facebook, Twitter, MySpace etc will have a big influence on customer perception. We assume that our public has a good overall image of the hotel. We do not exclude complains because you cant anticipate on everything. 4.5 Company: FB shall become more coordinated in using international Marriott concepts for outlets. Two concepts will be uniformly implemented in Marriott hotels worldwide: The Midtown Grill and The Cigar Bar, as these concepts are now regarded as a standard feature of our hotels by loyal guests, especially US guests. 4.6 Competitors: After studying and analyzing the Amsterdam Marriotts budget for the first case assignment, in this chapter we will focus on the current and future market situation and developments. No guests no business! Therefore the Marriott hotel has to know its competitors by hard to be a step ahead and make use of its advantages to gain an even bigger share of guests and increase revenue as well as profitability. Competition can be differentiated into four main forms: product form competition product category competition general competition budget competition. In this assignment we will basically focus on product form competition as well as on general competition in terms of f b outlets. In case of the Marriott Hotel this means identifying and analyzing competitors, which offer and deliver the same kind of products and services. Following characteristics were used for the selection process of hotel competitors: shelter dining business facilities high-quality interior luxury ambiance The current product competition consists of following hotels: The Grand Okura Hotel Grand Hotel Amstel The Hilton Amsterdam Eden American Hotel Since the Leidseplein offers more than 120 restaurants in close proximity, it is rather difficult to define and analyze competition. In the case of the Sorels Midtown Grill we chose competing restaurants offering similar cuisine and/or attracting the same customers. Following characteristics are involved for selecting direct restaurant competitors: location cuisine attire/atmosphere opening times The competition consists of following restaurants at the Leidseplein: Cafà © Americain Los Argentinos Barbecue Castell Hard Rock Cafà © Amsterdam Gauchos Amsterdam 4.7 Possible future hotel competitors: Due to a recovering world-economy and forecasted trends about travel behavior/ travel patternsof countries such as the USA, European, BRIC ASEAN countries, overnight stays of business and leisure guests will increase in Amsterdam. As there is still sensitivity regarding price-value ratio, especially in the corporate business, following hotels are possible new competitors in 2011. Hotel Classification Room numbers Location Date Eden Amsterdam Manor Hotel 4**** 100 Linneausstraat 89 1093 EK Amsterdam March 2011 Conservatorium Hotel Amsterdam 5***** 130 Keizersgracht 62-64 1015 CS Amsterdam, spring 2011 Artotel Amsterdam 4**** 105 Close to Centraal Station spring 2011 City Inn 4**** 540 Oosterdoksstraat 4 1011 DJ Amsterdam spring 2011 4.8 Market dynamics: Interaction between hotel and fb regarding demand and supply is efficient. But the changes and the dynamics of the market is beyond control of the hotel. Because the hotel business is not in an free (open) market. 4.9 Conclusion: Threats: Social Media Possible future hotel competitors Midtown Grill as a steak house to specific Opportunities: Commission will be reduced from 3% to 1%. Growth of fixed contracts. Growth of conference and banqueting segment Cigar bar. Occupancy Social Media Growth of business segment Marketing Management 12e page 79

Leading Strategic Change The Vw Turnaround Management Essay

Leading Strategic Change The Vw Turnaround Management Essay During the 1990s, the Volkswagen Group (VW) which was composed by the Audi, Seat and Skoda brands went through a rough patch. It faced a lot of problems such as high costs, a weak model line up, a decline of 85% in profits and costly differentiations between the groups brands. More specifically, in 1992, VW was in a bad place due to the profits fall, the negative return on sales, the huge sums for fixed costs and the messy accounting system. The following year, the challenges for VW consisted of complains by the customers for high prices, the main plant in Wolfsburg only made profit when the workers were on overtime and the Japanese competitors were becoming a threat by using UK plants to produce similar models at a less expensive price. Moreover, about 30,000 employees were no longer necessary but VW could not fire them because they lived in undeveloped areas, there were high costs as Audi and VW produced a similar engine but no mixing in production was occurring and in the US, the sales from 600,000 units in 1970 went to 50,000 units. Finally, in the Asian market, not including China, VW obtained less than 2% of the market share. In addition, the auto industry was going through its worst recession during the last 30 years. In 1993 Ferdinand Pià «ch took over Dr. Carl Hahn and became Chairman of the Board of Management of the company. From that point on, through his aggressive strategy for entering new markets, consist VW a globalized organization, in-organization changes, modification in the production lines and communication with the employees, managed to transform VW into the first automobile company in its industry. According to Beinhocker (2006) there are two elements which sustain a long term success. The execution of activities and the adaptability of those challenges so as to survive in the future. In his article, The Adaptable Corporation, he states literature where the action of execution is against adapting, meaning that very few organizations manage to achieve both. Beinhocker also mentions research which concludes that short-term achievers are successful but lose their way when there is change in the environment. Piech managed to bring change into VW and adapt it within the organization culture without shifting apart. Changes in markets and technologies, depressions, wars, globalization are barriers which VW overcame and made it to the long run. What is important to note from Beinhocker is the process for change. The author states that most turnarounds are easier and faster achieved when there is a change in management instead of a change in the business model. In the case of VW, not on ly there was a new CEO but there were changes in the strategy. For instance, Pià «ch focused on internationally expanding the company and tried to differentiate the brands of the group without increasing the costs. However, in order to comprehend the successful run of VW, it is important to understand Pià «chs leadership style. Ferdinand Pià «ch is an Austrian engineer, born in 1937 and the grandson of Ferdinand Porsche, the creator of the Volkswagen Beetle, the Mercedes-Benz SS/SSK and the Porsche brand. In 1975 he acquired his first job as a manager at Audi. In 1993 he was called to VW and by 2002, when his retirement was planned, transformed it into the first automobile company worldwide, adding brands like Bugatti, Lamborghini and Bentley. It was his belief that the reason VW was going through a crisis in the early 1990s was the lack of preparation and homework by the people working in the company. Pià «chs leadership style has characteristics that consist him a high task oriented person because of his clear vision, his passion, his knowledge and the guidelines he set for his employees. However, he can be attributed the style of a task master as he leaded through fear. He had the respect of his colleagues but on the other hand he was described as a brutal person who wanted to be informed of the smallest detail and that is why he was called freak control. He liked to visit his employees at their working place and pressure them. However, he did not give direct orders and his managers should for example, change the task of 100 people immediately if they suspected Pià «ch wanted to do something in a different way. Pià «ch was never afraid to blame someone for their mistakes. For instance, a problem occurred in Mexico with Golfs launch, not passing certain requirements. He stated that the workers were not to blame but the managers. Ferdinand Pià «ch is a transformational leader. Through the actions he took in VW he has showed that he is able to pass his vision to the individuals around him and create extraordinary performance which will eventually lead to success. He would spend most of his time in the plants talking to employees, pressuring them. He never remained non-committal and his employees thought of him as tough but at the same time very reliable. He had the ability of making people trust him and could motivate them. For instance, he gave the opportunity to his employees to form unions and chose to rearrange the working schedule instead of firing the excess staff. He had charisma as he loved what he did and used the German traditional automobile industry strengths to bring innovation. He understood the market and its demands and using his new strategy he led VW to a transformation to the top. Through his ability to turn words into successful resulted actions, Pià «ch is an authentic leader. When he first took over VW he had self-awareness and market awareness so as to be confident enough to implement his strategy. He followed the steps of his grandfather and combined them with the different time period and the knowledge he had. He could read the environment around him and along with the communication he had with this staff and his colleagues he built a strong organization which succeeds until now. Pià «ch succeeded in his work as a CEO in VW by aligning his strategy according to the environment. The automobile industry is a highly competitive industry which in the early 1990s was going through a financial crisis. The technology was changing every day, the costs were high for creating each model and the consumers were not happy. Pià «ch introduced a new platform manufacturing system which allowed VW to produce same parts for different car brands and most importantly, lower costs. He is also known for his aggressive moves into other markets. In order to sustain a competitive advantage, Pià «ch continued updating the product line and achieved a respectable market share around the world. As Pià «chs leadership style was affected by his childhood and the WWII, he grew up to believe that alliances were a guaranteed strategy for anything you do. Therefore, he acquired other companies such as the Bentley, Lamborghini and Bugatti. The core competencies of VW after the transformatio n by Pià «ch were the restructuring of the company, its efficiency, the product line, the platform system and its globalization. A key competence in the success run of VW is its employees. As mentioned before, VW estimated of having 30,000 employees who were not needed. Therefore, VW adopted a four day schedule per week and reduced wages by 16% while supporting the unions. VW became an innovator as the labour relations are concerned and aided in reducing unemployment rates. Furthermore, Pià «ch reduced the number of the board members from nine to five and reduced their salaried by 20%. According to the Level 5 Leadership framework by Collins (2005) Pià «ch is a level 4 effective leader. He had passion for what he was working for, he had clear goals and a vision and was able to motivate the individuals around him and lead VW to success. Through the characteristics of his environment one can conclude that even though he has no humility (he had a patriarch, egoistic style), he was committed and very confident for the future. The action logic Pià «ch follows, according to Rooke Torbert (2005) is a combination of the achiever and the strategist. Pià «ch when he started, had a vision for VW and had the capabilities to implement his goals. He was well aware of the market and at the same time he managed to transform the organization into an international, successful company. Pià «chs personality is definitely a driving force for his actions and results. He once said: It was always my goal to lead a bigger company than my grand-father. He was described as a very passionate man who through the cars design and the patriarchal protective approaches he was using to his workforce, wanted to keep his grandfathers memory and style alive. Pià «ch loved technology and cars and had a deep understanding of the customers. However, his fellow executives saw him as an egoist who considered himself the patriarch of VW. It is no surprise, that his personal life is as controversial as his professional one. He is the father of 12 children, who he has limited relationships with, by four different women and was also accused of an affair with his cousins wife. The reality was that in 1992, he was the best candidate for leading VW out of the crisis. He had knowledge of the auto industry, especially the German motor industry with its strengths, disputes and weaknesses. According to Aiken Keller (2006), a leader transforming an organization must have and illustrate a meaning for his actions, inspire people, build loyal and strong teams and be ready for any collision. As a result, a successful turnaround will occur like Pià «ch did with VW. Even though Pià «ch was described by the press, his family and his co-workers as a CEO who led by fear, he was always ready for the future and had the brilliance of steering this delicate network. Ferdinand Pià «ch is not only a successful CEO but he is a leader who managed to turnaround VW and position it at the top of the automobile industry worldwide. In the years between 1993 and 2001 sales reached à ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬88.5 billion from à ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬39.1 billion and an increase of 17% of the international sales occured. It was no surprise when in 1999 he was awarded the prize of Car Executive of the Century. In 2002 he retired from VW but still remains on the board of directors and today, in his 70s, he superv ises the extraordinary legacy he left behind. VWs CEO in the US today is Stefan Jacoby. His strategy is focused around 5 foundations. Local production, the organization, the dealer network, the products and the brand. Jacoby is concentrating on most of the values Pià «ch introduced in 1993 when he first took over VW. However, Pià «ch was following the patriarchal values and style of his grandfather. It is important to adjust the strategic model according to the environments trends. It is a challenge of taking over a successful organizations and trying to keep it at the top with a different leader. To conclude with, it is necessary for VW to grasp on the fundamental values that Pià «ch used to make it successful and at the same time be ready to implement radical changes in case of a crisis.

Tennessee Williams: One of the Greatest and Most Controversial Playwrig

Tennessee Williams was known as one of the greatest and most controversial playwrights in American history. He once said â€Å"I believe that writing or any form of creative work was never meant by nature to be a man’s way of making a living, that when it becomes one it almost certainly loses a measure of purity† (Lewis 54). This statement shows that Williams was a genuine writer who wrote with finesse. He used his plays and poems to express his own thoughts and did not stifle an idea because the public would not agree with it. Williams was known for his Southern Gothic writing style. This is â€Å"a style of writing practiced by many writers of the American South whose stories set in that region are characterized by grotesque, macabre, or fantastic incidents† (â€Å"Southern gothic†). Some critics believe that Williams had sacrificed his talent to prosper in wealth; however, other critics believe his writings were original works of art. When Williamsâ₠¬â„¢ lover Frank Merlo died, he became very despondent and his writing began to languish. His plays were becoming less and less desirable and the amount of time each was on Broadway was decreasing little by little. Williams’ beginning writings were works of art, but they became predictable as time went on. Although he did use a lot of recurring themes and symbols, each individual piece had a life and moral value of its’ own. Williams was born March 26, 1911. His mother and father were Edwina and Cornelius Williams respectively. His mother was the divine essence of a southern belle whose main focus was being of high social standards. His father was a besotted shoe salesman who would later be claimed as the reason for Williams’ homosexuality. Williams’ siblings include Rose and Dakin Williams. It is ... ...odreads Inc, 2007. Web. 31 Mar. 2012. . Shmoop Editorial Team. "Tennessee Williams Awards" Shmoop.com. Shmoop University, Inc., 11 Nov. 2008. Web. 1 Apr. 2012. Smith, Nicole. "The Tragic Figure of Laura in The Glass Menagerie by Tennessee Williams." Article Myriad. Article Myriad, 6 Dec. 2011. Web. 01 Apr. 2012. . "Southern gothic." Encyclopedia Britannica. Encyclopedia Britannica Online. Encyclopedia Britannica Inc., 2012. Web. 01 Apr. 2012. . Print. "Tennessee Williams." - Quotes, Biography, Quote, Works, Festival, Poetry, Poems, Bio, Writing Style, Autobiography, Bibliography. N. p. Web. 28 Mar. 2012. .

Slaughterhouse Industry Essay -- essays research papers

TABLE OF CONTENTS Introduction Industry Study Project Description A.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Basic Project Information B.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Project Location C.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Project Rationale D.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Alternative E.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Description of Project Phases F.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Baseline Environment Condition G.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Impact Assessment and Mitigation H.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Environment Management Plan I.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Proposal for an Environmental Monitoring and Guarantee Fund Attachment of Annexes A.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Photos or Plates of Proposed Project B.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Impact Areas, Affected and Communities C.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Maps of the following Scale D.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Permit to Operate Certificate E.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  E. Result of Physical and Chemical Analysis of Water and Wastewater PROJECT DESCRIPTION Davao City slaughterhouse is located at Ma-a, Davao City. The operations are limited to the night shift. The delivery of animals will start at 1:00 to 4:30 in the afternoon. The whole morning will be utilized for cleaning the area. The 2nd shift will start at 9:00 in the evening up to 5:30 in the morning. It employs 48 workers of which 25 are regulars and 23 are contractual. This contractual will do the maintenance and the manual slaughtering of animals. Currently the number of hogs, cattles and other animals slaughtered are as follows Hogs   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   200 to 250 heads Cattle  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   30 to 40 heads Chicken  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   none ( chicken slaughterhouse is out of order) Goat  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   20 to 25 heads The number of heads slaughtered everyday does not level of with the number of kilos meat sold in the public market. In short there are hogs and cattle slaughtered privately. The following are the charges per head for the service rendered: Hogs  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  P91.11 per head Cattle&nbs... ...ication Plan †¢Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Organize and conduct information, education and communication ( IEC ) activities on integrated Solid Waste Management Program such as recycling, Re-use, composting, sanitation, proper collection and disposal of solid. †¢Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Properly brief or orient the Project Administrator and beneficiaries about the EEC conditions, commitment and agreements made about the project. †¢Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Support continuing government efforts to promote environmental sound Slaughter House project. I.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Proposal for an Environmental Monitoring and Guarantee Fund A slaughterhouse of this size requires regular environmental monitoring. To do this, it has to undergo environmental impact assessment to determine whether there is violation of the mitigating measures. To achieve this, a respectable budget should be included in the maintenance and operating cost to answer for many defects that may result to environmental disaster, this budget should be on regular basis to include hiring in contractual basis environmental engineer.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚     Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  

The Truly Tragic Shakespeares Macbeth :: GCSE English Literature Coursework

Macbeth: Truly Tragic Macbeth is the epitome of what the literary world regards as a "tragic hero". His admirable qualities are supplanted with greed and hate when three witches dupe him. The three witches enter with the first scene from William Shakespeare's, Macbeth, a tragic tale of one man's quest for power that leads to his ultimate defeat. The story revolves around our tragic hero, Macbeth, and how an admirable and noble man, so established in society, can fall so greatly. Throughout the play, he is driven by an obsession to become King of Scotland, and in the process commits acts of betrayal and treachery to achieve this goal. However, Macbeth is not the only character involved in this sordid affair. His wife, the manipulative Lady Macbeth, three prophetic witches and members of the Scottish aristocracy all play pivotal roles in the drama. Lady Macbeth, the great woman of influence behind the Macbeth, plots, schemes and propels her husband into a nightmare of falsehood and guilt. The witches, or w eird sisters, (Shouldn’t â€Å"weird sisters† be in quotes and cited?) embody the supernatural element of this tragedy. With their imperfect predictions and calculated duplicity, they created chaos in Macbeth's mind as they toy with his sense of security. (Be careful of matching tenses. â€Å"Created† is past tense and â€Å"toy† is present.) The Scottish aristocracy comprises of King Duncan, the two princes - Malcolm and Donalbain, and various other thanes and nobles, including Macbeth's friend Banquo. They all serve as barriers for Macbeth and, regardless of friend or foe, he chooses to either fall down or overcome these hurdles. However, one hurdle that proves too great is his nemesis: Macduff. After Macbeth's false sense of security is shattered, a mighty swipe of Macduff's sword releases Macbeth from a tangled web of desire, design and deceit. (What is your thesis? That Macbeth is the epitome of a tragic hero? Make sure you stick to your topic a nd don’t get sidetracked.) Macbeth has, as his wife says, the milk of human kindness, the kind of affection that many people have for others when self-interest is not rampant. He has a high regard for Duncan and Banquo, defaming the latter only once (III.i.74 ff.). He differs from Duncan in that the King's charity is of a quality that works to transform human society into a family and that makes the spirit of Duncan persist through the play after his death. The Truly Tragic Shakespeare's Macbeth :: GCSE English Literature Coursework Macbeth: Truly Tragic Macbeth is the epitome of what the literary world regards as a "tragic hero". His admirable qualities are supplanted with greed and hate when three witches dupe him. The three witches enter with the first scene from William Shakespeare's, Macbeth, a tragic tale of one man's quest for power that leads to his ultimate defeat. The story revolves around our tragic hero, Macbeth, and how an admirable and noble man, so established in society, can fall so greatly. Throughout the play, he is driven by an obsession to become King of Scotland, and in the process commits acts of betrayal and treachery to achieve this goal. However, Macbeth is not the only character involved in this sordid affair. His wife, the manipulative Lady Macbeth, three prophetic witches and members of the Scottish aristocracy all play pivotal roles in the drama. Lady Macbeth, the great woman of influence behind the Macbeth, plots, schemes and propels her husband into a nightmare of falsehood and guilt. The witches, or w eird sisters, (Shouldn’t â€Å"weird sisters† be in quotes and cited?) embody the supernatural element of this tragedy. With their imperfect predictions and calculated duplicity, they created chaos in Macbeth's mind as they toy with his sense of security. (Be careful of matching tenses. â€Å"Created† is past tense and â€Å"toy† is present.) The Scottish aristocracy comprises of King Duncan, the two princes - Malcolm and Donalbain, and various other thanes and nobles, including Macbeth's friend Banquo. They all serve as barriers for Macbeth and, regardless of friend or foe, he chooses to either fall down or overcome these hurdles. However, one hurdle that proves too great is his nemesis: Macduff. After Macbeth's false sense of security is shattered, a mighty swipe of Macduff's sword releases Macbeth from a tangled web of desire, design and deceit. (What is your thesis? That Macbeth is the epitome of a tragic hero? Make sure you stick to your topic a nd don’t get sidetracked.) Macbeth has, as his wife says, the milk of human kindness, the kind of affection that many people have for others when self-interest is not rampant. He has a high regard for Duncan and Banquo, defaming the latter only once (III.i.74 ff.). He differs from Duncan in that the King's charity is of a quality that works to transform human society into a family and that makes the spirit of Duncan persist through the play after his death.

Toyota Way

Asian Institute of Technology School of Management SM71. 42 Cross-cultural Management How does Toyota operate its philosophies between Japan and Thailand? [pic] Tutor: Prof. Dr. Marie-Therese Claes Group 1: †¢ Ms. Phung Viet Ha †¢ Ms. Nguyen Le Hang †¢ Mr. Vu Quang Linh †¢ Mr. Nguyen Van Ha †¢ Mr. Nguyen Trung Thuc Date: September 7, 2012 Executive summary In the 21 century, the world we inhabit is coming â€Å"flat† where many political, social economic and cultural barriers have been being discharged. The development of global organizations means that clients, suppliers and business may be located across a range of countries and regions.The number of interactions between people of different cultural backgrounds in the workplace is growing exponentially in companies of all sizes. Understanding cultural differences and developing cross-cultural communication and coordination have become important than ever before for organizations. These skills help or ganizations to work more effectively across cultural barriers. This paper examines the cross border coordination between Toyota and its subsidiaries in Thailand. In this paper we will have a brief research about the intercultural problems of Toyota.How Toyota deals with cross-border business coordination problem to become the global No. 1 automaker in general and Thailand’s bestseller automobile in particular is analyzed on basic information and cross-culture management. The empirical case of Toyota in Thailand is selected to for study and lessons learnt as Thailand is the first country in the oversea expansion of Toyota’s manufacturing and where Toyota experienced good practices in coordination mechanism between mother Corporation and its regional and local subsidiaries. 1. INTRODUCTION 1. Background on cross-cultural business coordinationCross-cultural business coordination aims at dealing with the  interaction  of people from different  backgrounds in the busi ness world. Cross culture is a vital issue in international business, as the success of international trade  depends upon the smooth interaction of employees from different cultures and regions. A growing number of companies are consequently devoting substantial resources toward training their employees to interact effectively with those of companies in other cultures in an effort to foment a positive cross-cultural experience.Nowadays, firms, especially those from developed countries, increasingly expand their business overseas in the attempt of seeking for the competitive advantages of the new resources. This results in the more complex structure of multi-national corporations. Transnational corporations see cross-cultural business coordination very important in order to have smooth operation and balance control between headquarters and its subsidiaries toward production efficiency improvement. In this connection, the differences in languages, values and other dimensions should be studied and based on that find the ways to harmonize those for better coordination.Cross culture can be experienced by an employee who is transferred to a location in another country. The employee must learn the language and culture of those around him. This can be more difficult if this person is acting in a managerial capacity;  someone in this position who  cannot effectively communicate with or understand  their employees' actions can lose their credibility. In an  ever-expanding  global economy, cross culture and  adaptability will continue to be important factors in the business world. 2. Toyota and its philosophies 1. About ToyotaToyota Motor Corporation was founded on August 28, 1937 by Sakichi Toyoda. After 70 years of manufacturing and developing, at the end of March 2012, Toyota conducts its business worldwide with 50 overseas manufacturing companies in 27 countries and regions. Toyota's vehicles are sold in more than 160 countries and regions. The Toyotaâ €™s capital reached 397. 05 billion yen with 325,905 employees all around the world. Toyota is known as the World’s N01 automaker with its regional headquarters in the North America (03 headquarters), Europe (01 headquarter) and Asia (03 headquarters).Thailand was the first country where Toyota Motor Corporation started to expand its business overseas. Toyota Motor Thailand (TMT) was established in 1962 with the capital of 11 million Baht. Toyota Motor Thailand grows continuously and reached the capital of 7,520 million Baht with 13,500 employees and production capacity of 550,000 units per year in 2009 (Toyota, 2009). TMT becomes one of the key contributors to Toyota worldwide, and Thailand’s number one automobile manufacturer. 2. Toyota’s Vision and PhilosophiesTo manage subsidiaries around the world to achieve the same Toyota quality, Toyota created a corporate philosophy that’s has been passed down from generation to generation within company, whi ch is called â€Å"Guiding Principle at Toyota†. Toyota Code of conduct and Toyota Way are tools implementing to assist Toyota realize their goals. Toyota Code of Conduct was issued in 1998 providing a basic, detail explanation and examples of actions and issues that one must be aware of when carrying out business activities in and living in global society.The code of conduct is dispersed among management of subsidiaries in Japan and overseas for developing common awareness. Besides Toyota Code of conduct, Toyota Way was established in 2001 to simplify the values and methods that employees have to carry out to undertake the guiding principle throughout company activities. Toyota Way is functioning as the key standard of global Toyota organization and it presents Toyota’s philosophy to focus on long-term benefit while developing vehicles that exceed customer expectations and contribute to community and to the future of mobility.The Toyota Way consists of continuous impr ovements and respect for people. The key concept of Toyota Way is actively working and creating new ideas for the best with ongoing process to improve their business, never satisfied where they are, respect all the stakeholders and working with be believe in success by personal effort and good teamwork (Toyota, 2007). One of the main elements in Toyota Way is mutual respect by promoting safety among employees and employees have to be trained both for daily operation and behavioral role.Toyota’s Global Visions look toward to following goals: ? To lead the way to the future of mobility, enriching lives around the world with the safest and most responsible ways of moving people. ? To exceed the expectation and be rewarded with a smile through their commitment to quality, constant innovation and respect for the planet. ? To meet their challenging goals by engaging the talent and passion of people who believe there is always better way. Toyota Production System (TPS) aims at pursi ng the most efficient methods for all aspects of production the method of production.Toyota considers the objective of â€Å"making the vehicles ordered by customers in the quickest and most efficient way, in order to deliver the vehicles as quickly as possible† as an issue of great importance. TPS was built based on following concepts to achieve the best quality of product while minimizing waste through defective detection: ? The first concept is â€Å"Jidoka†, which stands for automation. Toyota set up the mechanization and links it with computerization so the production system immediately stops working when a problem arises in the process to avoid defective products. The first concept is â€Å"Just-in-Time†, which enables the company to minimize level of inventory. 3. Intercultural problem in the business coordination between Toyota and its subsidiaries in Thailand Toyota has set up its global strategies and goals for all Toyota’s subsidiaries. ? To ma intain Toyota’s position as market leader in automotive industry; ? Continuous growth; ? Boost profitability and return for the shareholders. In the process spreading its philosophies, strategies and goals to the subsidiaries, Toyota encountered certain difficulties on cross-border coordination, which are arisen from cultural differences.The Japanese management style was called â€Å"group capitalism† by Alfred Chandler – a business historian. The style was described as emphasized group behavior and values interpersonal harmony. The manager and corporation are put together in a very culturally dependent system, which is considered as a constraint for many companies when they expanded globally. The management system did not function well because subsidiaries operate separately by substantial time and distance barriers (Christopher A. Bartlett and Sumantra Ghoshal, 1999).Different ways of thinking also were difficulties for the integration of non-Japanese into the management process. Japanese corporations often retained decision-making and control at the center, i. e. the management was conducted by those who understood the subtleties of the existing system (Christopher A. Bartlett and Sumantra Ghoshal, 1999). In case of Toyota and its subsidiaries in Thailand, Japanese managing officers of Toyota Motor Corporation (TMC) served as the president of both Toyota Motor Asia Pacific Engineering and Manufacturing Co. Ltd (TMAP-EM) and Toyota Motor Thailand (TMT).Language and communication created barriers to the business coordination as people were speaking with different voices and sending out inconsistent messages. 2. DISCUSSION 1. Analysis of the intercultural problem The intercultural challenge faced by Toyota Motor Corporation in the cross-border coordination in Thailand originated in cultural differences. In general, from viewpoints of national level, putting Japan and Thailand in the value dimensions as in Hofstede’s Study, the ranki ngs received is shown in the table below (David C. Thomas p. 51-52) (David C. Thomas p. 51-52). Table 1. Cultural dimension rankings follow Hofstede’s Study Dimension |Japan |Thailand | |Power Distance |54 |64 | |Individualism |46 |20 | |Masculinity |95 |34 | |Uncertainty Avoidance |92 |64 | |Long-term orientation |80 |56 | Power distance Japan has lower power distance culture that Thailand does. Therefore, it is implied that in order to have smooth coordination from TMC to its subsidiaries in Thailand, Toyota should consider the followings: ? Give clear and explicit directions to Thai employees; ?Do not expect Thai subordinates to take initiative; ? Show deference to those with higher level through language, behavior, etc. ; ? Expect to encounter more bureaucracy behaviors. Individualism It is can be seen from Hofstede’s rankings that both Japan and Thailand has collectivist cultures. However, Thai is more collectivistic than Japanese. Therefore, some possible conside ration for Toyota in developing business with Thais is listed below: ? Promotions do not depend upon Thai employee’s performance and achievement, but seniority and experiences; ? Decision making may be a slow process as many individual across the system will need to be asked for advices; Praise should be addressed to a team rather than individuals. Masculinity In the research of Hofstede, Japan was the world’s most masculine country and Thailand was among the least one or most feminine culture. In the case that Toyota seeks for the sustainable manufacturing subsidiary development in Thailand, some notes should be taken into account such as: ? Personal questions are normal rather than assertive; ? Dealing with trust weights more than projected profit margins and other similar things; ? Thais openly show favoritism to close relations; ? Small talk at business functions will focus on Thai employees’ life and interest rather than just business. Uncertainty avoidance Japan has highly risk-averse culture, which can be seen through strict laws and regulations. Thailand has the uncertainty avoidance score just above medium, therefore much lower than that of Japan. Some attentions that Toyota should pay for developing its manufacturing in Thailand could be as follows: ? Try to be more flexible or open to new ideas; ? Allow Thai employees the autonomy and space to execute their task on their own; ? Recognized that Thai employees may take different approach to life and see their destiny; ? Agreed plans should be realized as soon as possible. Long-term orientation At the score of 80 Japan is considered as one of the long term oriented societies.This is reflected that Japanese see their life as a very short moment in a long history of mankind. In Japanese corporations, the possible observations are long term orientation in the constantly high rate of investment in R&D even in economically difficult times, higher own capital rate, priority to steady grow th of market share rather than to a quarterly profit, and so on. With a score of 56 Thailand is a mild term oriented culture. Amongst the values that are admired, working hard and having a sense of moderation are dominant for Thais. Timescales and deadline in Thailand are fluid. Therefore, Toyota should consider the followings in working with Thais: Reliability, responsiveness and empathy as very important element. ? Building up close relationships with Thai subsidiaries is of importance. ? Building relationship takes time. 2. Solutions for Toyota in Thailand There are some solutions were found out by Toyota to achieve the same objective and target among the subsidiaries all around the world, especially in Thailand – the first country where Toyota Motor Corporation started to expand its business overseas. 1. Global Production Center Toyota has established Global Production center (GPC) in 2003 as Toyota’s global human resource training center. Toyota operation comprise of 53 production sites in 27 countries around the world.In managing its operation, Toyota encounter a diversity of people therefore Toyota consider human resource development as an important mechanism in maintaining its global business. GPC is the place where employees are trained about the Toyota’s culture and values and make them understand the Toyota way and to provide the skills which are needed for employees to carry out the task. In the past, human development was carried out in Japan only. However, with rapid growth of Toyota’s overseas operations leads to the transition of GPC to the regional. Technical skills from Japanese trainers are spread to local trainers and from the local trainers to local employees and also to employees from the other countries in the region.The objective of the GPC is to inculcate employees that Toyota’s products should have the same quality regardless of which origin it as produced (Toyota Annual Report, 2008). GPC, human res ources development is implementing by developing supervisors and trainers in subsidiaries with assistance from headquarter. Another function of GPC is helping the subsidiary plants to prepare for redesign of production when newly developed model is launched so that the plant can efficiently switch over to produce them. Visual manual videos were studied and make used in GPC for representing the best demonstration. This practice takes advantages over the traditional manuals, by which only written words or still illustration are shown.Toyota can reduce time for staff training and avoid misunderstanding through the adaptation of visual manual videos. Within 5 years, 13000 employees both from Japan and abroad were trained by GPC and distribute knowledge they learn to their team members. The Asia Pacific Global Production Centre (AP-GPC) was established in Samutprakarn, Thailand in 2005 to serve as the regional training centre. AP-GPC provides trainings for TMT’s employees and also supporting to other Toyota’s Asian manufacturing affiliates. 2. Restructuring of organizational structure Toyota Motor Corporation spread out its organization around the world and set up regional headquarters in North America, Europe and Asia.In Asia, there are two headquarters in Singapore and Thailand that are responsible for different business entities. In the past, subsidiaries in each country had to report directly to headquarters in Japan. The restructuring to regional headquarters believes that it could allow subsidiaries to work more efficiently and regional headquarter assist to each country in the region in time. The close coordination between the regional headquarters can support each other through corporation in engineering, manufacturing and marketing. The regional headquarters also facilitate and response in time to customer’s demands throughout the region and provide flexible react to market changes.With the establishment of Asian regional headquarter i n Thailand; Toyota Motor Thailand became a main center to provide support for manufacturing and also research and development in Asia – Pacific region. 3. Thainization Toyota Motor Thailand launched the localization policy, which is called Thainization. Thainization was the philosophy that drives Toyota Motor Thailand before Toyota way was introduced. Thainization is to promote the local employees to take part in management level in 20 years (Amano, 2008). In the 1960, at the beginning of Toyota in Thailand, the management was carried on by Japanese and strictly followed the policies and guidelines set by its mother company Toyota Motor Corporation. Around 1980’s, very few Thai’s were positioned as managers but the final decisions were still made by Japanese expatriates.Since 1987, Toyota Motor Thailand decided to transform the organization from management only by Japanese to only by Thai, which is called Thainization. The Japanese expatriates were converted fro m managers to coordinators. In every department have some Japanese staffs work together with Thai staffs mainly in the coordinator role as an adviser for technical information and making connection network among Toyota group to help communication flow smoothly. At present, only the president, executive Vice president and Treasurer are Japanese and the other high-level management officers are Thais (http://www. toyota. co. th/en/about. php? Page= management).Thainization in Toyota Motor Thailand was implemented as the necessity to adopt of globalization in the world while considering localization (Imai, 2006). 4. Lateral communication Lateral communication is of importance because it is the way that all organizational units are connected throughout the system of resource exchange and organizational set of transnational corporation in different locations. Toyota Technical Center Asia Pacific –Thailand (TTCAP-TH), which was established serving as Research and Development unit fo r Asia Pacific region, can be seen as a network platform for exchange knowledge and skills between different functions and with counterpart in Japan to support local needs.This kind of lateral communications between business units through the collaboration between each geographically specialized division contributes to widespread of Toyota Way that focuses on sharing the same Toyota values and cultures. Another step toward the relocation of support division from Japan to Asian region is the setting up of TMAP Thailand, which represents the network platform providing production assistance to TMC’s affiliates in the region. 5. Informal communication Nohria and Ghoshal (1994, p. 494) asserted that extensive socialization and communication builds trust among the managers and creates foundation for reciprocity and easier negotiation and resolution of potential conflicts.Informal communication exits in Toyota organization so that it brings bout informal exchange idea between Toyota Japan and Toyota Thailand. In Thailand, TMT made use of job rotation of employee as a tool for developing people because of the consideration that working in the same job for long time could make people stick with the old habit and, therefore, reluctant to change. This practice has enhanced the informal communication and made information widely shared throughout in the organization. Employees and departments in rotation process accumulate working experiences and knowledge as well as share their own values for adapting to the same organization culture. 3. CONCLUSIONIn summary, Toyota has successfully applied many strategies in order to improve communication across border while keeping many existing core values. Also, due to the scale of the Toyota Company, there has been no particular method or formula that is best fit for achieving the existing success in Toyota. Toyota had to apply a few methods to efficiently achieve localization while remaining competitive in globalization. Firs tly, The Thai’s characteristics are different than the Japanese so the GPC was introduced to help Toyota’s employees to think in the same way – The Toyota way in term of values and cultures. Also it trained employees many certain skills to be capable of finishing given tasks.Secondly, In Thailand, the structural mechanism obviously takes part as the fundamental formation of the organizational structure. Toyota remarkably use of departmentalization as the structure to manage the business entity according to function and responsibility. The critical scrutinize regarding centralization or decentralization of decision making is become blurred since Toyota to some extent delegate the decision authority to its subsidiaries while the final exclusive decision remain at the headquarters. In addition, the formal written policies together with standard production system considerably utilize in Toyota subsidiaries so that its affiliates follow the same principle and maintai n the same Toyota standard.To achieve the same goal, planning in the form of the strategic planning, regional target goal as well as reward is used as guideline to accomplish the goal. To control the performance of the company, output control is one of the tools that Toyota use to motivate the performance of their employee as well as subsidiaries. However, the hierarchical or behavioral control is coexisting to ensure the employee act in order to fulfill the best performance. The optimum control is to mix between output and behavioral control so that the finest advantage is achieved. Thirdly, Toyota has introduced â€Å"Thainization† which allowed Thai people to get into managerial positions as the top position before was only for the Japanese sent from headquarter.Last but not least, the informal or subtle mechanisms are broadly promoted within the Toyota organization. The lateral or cross department communication visibly seen by the messy organization that employee have to communicate or coordinate with other departments or the same department in the region among functional and geographical line simultaneously to undertake the work. The establishment of regional headquarters in Thailand (TMAP-EM) is one of the cases that put forward lateral communication, as the network of exchange in the region required the lateral communication among the concern departments. Besides, the informal communication plays as vital mechanism in the organization.The present of Japanese as employees and also coordinators make possible the informal exchange of idea between Toyota Thailand and Japan that finally facilitate the subsidiaries action and decision in line with those of headquarters. In short, the achievement of Toyota when applied with all the methods, mechanism was very fruitful as Toyota Motor Thailand (TMT) operated more efficiently resulting in time and cost savings, better communication, better understanding in the organization and better employees involvement . So the most obvious example was that the second factory was opened in 1989. And this result showed that Toyota has successfully managed all the operation across border, retaining local flexibility and while achieving global integration.Moreover, with the rapid development of many other Multi-National Companies (MNCs) and trying to recruit more and more talents, Toyota has also exploited the local population in order to get a broader pool of talents (combining not only from Japanese and Thai in this case, but also from other nationalities). Furthermore, with the matrix of subsidiaries and one headquarter, Toyota tries to make the organization stable with core visions and beliefs from the Headquarter but also loot the host of new ideas from all around the globe as they need to keep up with the quickly-changing characteristic of technology with new ideas. With all the cross-cultural issues above, Toyota would have more experience and solution for future encounters. REFERENCES †¢ Bartlett, Christopher A. and Ghoshal, Sumantra (1999). Managing Across Borders: The Transnational Solution – Companies, Cultures and the Transformation to the Transnational. Book excerpt. Nohria, Nitin and Sumantra Ghoshal (1994). Differentiated Fit and Shared Values: Alternatives for Managing Headquarters-Subsidiary Relations. Strategic Management Journal, Vol. 15, No. 6 †¢ Thomas, David C. (2008) Cross-Cultural Management: Essential Concepts. Sage Publications. Chapter 3 †¢ Petison, Phallapa, (2010). Cross Cultural Relationship Marketing in the Thai Context: The Japanese Buyer’s Perspective. International Journal of Trade, Economics and Finance, Vol. 1, No. 1, June, 2010 †¢ Friedman, Thomas L. (2005). The World is flat: A Brief History of the Twenty-first Century †¢ Cutler, John. The cross -cultural communication trainer’s manual – Vol. : designing Cross-Cultural Training †¢ Toyota Motor Corporation profile from http://www. toy ota-global. com/company/profile †¢ Toyota Guiding Principles, Toyota Way, Toyota Code of Conduct, Toyota Global Vision and Toyota Production Centre from http://www. toyota-global. com/company/vision_philosophy/ †¢ Toyota Motor Thailand Management Team from http://www. toyota. co. th/en/about. php? Page=management †¢ Business coordination across borders within Toyota: a case study focusing the coordination between Japan and Toyota from http://mdh. diva-portal. org/smash/record. jsf? pid=diva2:224180 †¢ Toyota: A Transnational case study from http://www. ecclesbourne. derbyshire. sch. uk[pic]