Are gun control policies effective or ineffective Essay

Are gun control policies effective or ineffective - Essay Example Implementing strict and effective gun control measures serve as a platform to reduce the increasing crime and irresponsible behavior. These irrational behaviors cause the deaths of many innocent citizens. According to criminologists, intensified gun control measure of disarming all citizens is considered the most applicable means of minimizing possible effects. I concur with this argument, since this irrational behavior is in existence in developing countries. All citizens seek protection from the state and other communal means of security. In fact, gun controls do not decrease crime; the gist of the matter lies with the enforcement of laws, which is the way forward to solve the dilemma of gun control. I really admire the communal relationship in developing countries; where each individual takes the burden of the other as if it is his own. In most instances, human beings are triggered to act the way they do due to the environment they find themselves in, not really out of their innat e behavior but as environment derived behavior. According to criminologists, the possession of firearms by individuals is perceived to be a factor that contributes to the likelihood of gun fatality. When an individual finds himself in possession of a gun, which probably is not in use, he is moved to formulate ways to utilize it. In this perspective, the person ends up engaging in crime due to presence of unused guns, which could be controlled initially by restricting ownership of personal guns. This has been propagated by the fact that all individuals possess many pressing issues,

Marketing Theory Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Marketing Theory - Term Paper Example Keeping in mind the concept of marketing theories and techniques, the establishment and operation of a new business venture would be discussed. The new business venture selected for this study is a book store. 1.2 Business Idea: Book Store The new business idea that has been considered for this study is a book store that would be set in California. The name of the book store would be â€Å"Book Worm†. However, setting up a business requires following the marketing theories and utilizing the strategies. In this section of the study, specification related to the new venture has been stated. 1.2.1 Mission and Objectives Book Worm’s mission is to offer quality books at the lowest possible price to the customers in California. The company would additionally allow customers to exchange old books and projects or assignments for their requirement (books, CDs and magazines). In order to attain this mission of the company, the objective of Book Worm would be: To offer hassle free purchase of new as well as second hand books, assignments and magazines at an affordable cost. To offer the students every university books and reading materials those are important to them at least possible price To offer online shopping experience to the customers along with the store To offer home delivery of products ordered within a specific area To attend break even in business within an year of commencing business To generate positive revenue at least after 4-6 months of inception To gain considerable amount of goodwill in comparison to the other competitors in the market (Ahmed 30-43). 1.2.2 Products and Services Book Worm will offer products as well as services. The products will range from text books (new as well as second-hand) for purchase, class notes, text books, audio book CDs on rent, etc. The text books available would include fiction and non-fiction books, subjects like business, physics, accounting, management, marketing, engineering and many more would be availa ble. These products would be available through the store of Book Worm. However, services like information regarding textbooks or class notes for rent or sale, web links for assignments, or solved assignments would be available for sale on the website of Book Worm. Book Worm would be offering a wholesome academic assistance to the students (Barkema and Vermeulen 7-26). 1.2.3 Suppliers Suppliers have a major role to play in the marketing environment because they are one of the integral players in the supply chain. Book Worm would be selecting the book wholesalers in California to avail the books for the customers. The second hand books or old class notes and assignment can be procured from the students, so they will play the role of suppliers in this case. However, as the business grows in terms of size and revenue, Book Worm can also directly procure books from the publishers and their stockists (Belin and Pham 44-50). II: MARKET ANALYSIS This section of the study plays a major role in the discussion of marketing theory because

The Roles Played Since High School Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

The Roles Played Since High School - Essay Example The researcher will begin with the statement that he greatly appreciates the fact that being idle is not good for personal development. This being the case, he has always sought something constructive to do every time he has time to spare. From the time the author finished high school, he has been engaged in a raft of activities and played different roles in different communities. The researcher has volunteered to work in different organizations serving different needs whenever he feels that his services can help improve people’s lives. He has volunteered at Weaver Lake elementary school, where his kids school, assisting teachers, organizing and implementing events as well as acting as the chaperon. At Abbot Northwestern Hospital, his seven years of voluntary service has greatly been appreciated by the administration, members of staff, and patients. During school breaks, the author mostly went to the hospital to serve as a receptionist at the surgical waiting room. Some of his duties in this capacity included checking in patients and their families and liaising between doctors and nurses and patients’ family members. More specifically, he informed the family members of ongoing surgical procedures and gave direction to visitors so that they easily found their way to the right departments. Â  In addition, he also volunteered at the mother and baby department, emergency room, and patients escort office. Â  Apart from providing voluntary services to different organizations, he has maintained himself and family by working full time.

Approaches to calculation Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 1

Approaches to calculation - Essay Example The supplementation of mathematics learnt in school with their home based symbols can make kids have a deeper and better comprehension of what is taught in class. In figure 3 Barney has used various symbols to communicate his idea. He has used beans, flowerpots, the hand, arrows, numerical (10, 1, 2, 3, 6, 4 and 5) and letters (t, I, s). Barley strives to represent mathematical expressions using symbols. He states that â€Å"10 t 1 is p† which means that 10 take away 1 gives 9. In this instance he uses the letter â€Å"t† to represent the mathematical symbol of (–) which means minus. The letter â€Å"p† stands for 9 in an inverted form. The whole representation is supposed to mean that 1 taken away from 10 gives 9 or in a mathematical symbol way it’s simply 10-1=9. He also states that â€Å"2 t is 1† to mean 1 taken away from 2 gives 1. He uses another form in the second instance involving arrows and a flowerpot with beans in it. The arrows emerging from the pot are symbols that represent the act of taking away a bean the pot and the number of beans in the pots to the right of the arrow represents the number of beans that are left once the bean is takeaway from the pot. This whole representation stands for a standard mathematical symbol of 2-1=1 and 8-1=7 expressed in Barney’s own symbols. Code switching is evident here as he switches from using numerical and letters to drawings and arrows. He then switches to using numbers and arrows and â€Å"is† which represent the equal sign in a standard mathematical representation. The arrows denote the minus or take away sign. Lastly he draws the hand with a numerical on it to denote that the number has been taken away from a set and ‘is’ means the equals sign (Giangrasso & Shrimpton, 2013, pp112- 178). Barley’s recordings give a pictorial representation to the mathematical expression and appeals to the eyes of the

Internal combustion engine Essay Example for Free

Internal combustion engine Essay Electric cars should be used instead of cars that run with gasoline because electric cars do not harm the environment, are quieter, quicker, does not require gasoline and include a significant reduction to air pollution. Firstly, electric cars have a lot of benefits. One of them is that they are quiet, quick and smooth, making most regular cars look clunky and outdated. What surprises people the most is the torque (axle-twisting power) offered by the electric cars. Step on the accelerator and power is delivered immediately to the wheels, providing a thrilling driving experience. Secondly, after a while with an electric car you will forget that gas stations existed. Imagine never going to a gas station and spending all that money for fuel. All you have to do is pull your vehicle in your drive way or garage and plug it in to the charging inlet. It is very convenient to just wake up the next morning and have a fully charged vehicle that can go up to 100 miles. In addition they are cheaper to operate. Almost everywhere in the world, electricity is very cheap. So when you compare an electric vehicle to a regular car, the cost per mile to fuel an electric vehicle is approximately one-third to one-quarter the cost of gasoline (on a cost per mile basis). Nevertheless, owning a car is associated with the responsibility of maintaining it. Regular cars require frequent maintenance but this is not the case in electric cars. These cars do not suffer same level of stress as traditional engines acquire and do not require frequent oil changes and other regular maintenance. On the other hand, electric cars have a lot of disadvantages too. First of all the limited range of the electric cars is probably the biggest disadvantage. Most affordable electric cars only have about 80 to 100 miles of range. Which is not enough if you are for instance going on a long road trip. People who have electric cars need to properly plan, assuring that they will not go over the limited range. Not to mention, they also have a long refueling time. It is not like going to a gas station and adding a couple of hundred miles of range in five or ten minutes. To recharge a completely empty electric car would take about 10 hours depending on the voltage. With 120 volts (which is the current voltage in every house) it will take ten hours. With 240 volts it takes about four to five hours to fully charge the electric vehicle. Also, you would have to have the right place to charge your electric vehicle. You cannot go more than the car’s limit but you the right place to charge it. For instance people who are living in apartments cannot own electric cars because they do not have a garage to charge their vehicle. Big electric car companies have charging stations where you can get your vehicle fully charged in 1-2 hours but there are not a lot like gas stations. Furthermore the higher cost is probably what keeps people away from electric vehicles. The current electric cars are priced between 30. 000 and 40. 000 dollars. While you can buy, for instance the Honda Fit, Ford Focus etc. for less than 20,000 dollars. Last but not least, electric cars are costly to maintain and repair if there is a big problem with the car. Since electric cars are in a class of their own, owners may wind up paying more on repairs and maintenance because not every mechanic is trained to repair and maintain electric cars. In conclusion, when considering the pros and cons of electric cars, it is clear that there are some major advantages and disadvantages of owning an electric car. At the end, if these cars help people save a tremendous amount of money and help the environment, the pros of owning an electric car will outweigh all of the cons.

Effectiveness of Exercise Programme to Prevent Falls

Effectiveness of Exercise Programme to Prevent Falls This chapter deals with the information collected in relation to the present study through published and unpublished materials for foundation, to prepare and to carry out the research work. SECTION A: Reviews related to need of exercise programme SECTION B: Reviews related to effect of age on balance SECTION C: Reviews related to effect of exercise on balance A: Reviews related to needs of exercise programme. Gardner, M.M.et al., (2000) conducted a study to assess the effectiveness of exercise programme in preventing falls. The design used for this study was controlled clinical trials. A total of 4933 older adults were participated, including both Men and women.11 trials met the criteria for inclusion, in which 8 of them were separate exercise interventions. Out of 8, five of them showed a significant reduction in falls rate. The conclusion of this study was, exercise is effective in reducing the fall risk in selected groups. Faber, MJ.et al.,(2006) conducted a study to assess the effectiveness of exercise programme on mobility and falls among prefrail and frail older people. The design used for this study was multicenter randomized controlled study. The setting of the study was 15 long term care centers in Amsterdumin Netherland. 278 men and women (mean age ±SD, 85 ±6y) were included in the study. Exercise programmes were randomly distributed across 15 Homes. Each home participant was assigned to an intervention group and control group. The main outcome measures were performance oriented mobility assessment, physical performance score, and the Groningen activity restriction scale. Fall incidence was higher in control group 2.5 falls/year, but in case of experimental group2.4 falls/year. The conclusion of this study was fall incidences were higher in elderly people, who didn’t undergo exercise programme as compared to experimental group. Sherrington,C.et al.,(2008) conducted a systematic review with meta-analysis among old age people to assess the effectiveness of exercise programme on falls and to find out any particular components are associated with reduction in falls. The design used for this study was systematic review with Meta-analysis. Randomized controlled trials that compaired falls rate in older people of both experimental group and control group. The pooled estimate effect of exercise was that it reduces the incidence of falls rate by 17% with 95% confidence interval p Theou, O.et al., (2011) conducted a study to examine the effectiveness of current exercise programme on frailty management. The study design was systematic review. For the randomized controlled trial 8 electronic databases were searched, which helps to identify the participants were frail either in title, abstract, text, or in exercise. Three of the 47 studies utilized a validated definition of fragility to categorize the participants. Evidence suggested that exercise had a positive impact on functional ability outcomes. Cadore, E.L. et al., (2013) conducted a study to review the effect of exercise on functional ability of frail older adults. The study mainly focused on falls rate, lower body strength, and gait and balance. The data were collected from science direct, Medline from 1990-2012.Twenty studies were investigated, in that ten trials were mainly regarding the effect of exercise on balance performance and seven of them showed enhanced balance. As conclusion the authors says that there was great significance in multicomponent exercise intervention on gait ability, balance, strength, and reduction of falls rate among physically frail older adults. Fairhall,G., et al., (2006) conducted a study to examine the perspectives of older people in a community falls prevention programme. The design used for this study was grounded theory approach. The intervention was based on 2 hour sessions, which took place in a community group setting once a week for 7 weeks. The cohorts of the older people were recruited through editorials in local papers and from mail shots. The volunteering older persons were to be more than 70 years, with previous history of falls or have concerned about falling. Participants were interviewed after 3 months following the fall prevention programme. The participants were able to recall all the aspect of content learning during the programme. From those interventions, exercise was the only beneficial and enjoyable intervention to the participants. The conclusion of the study reveals that exercise is one of an important fall prevention programme. Seoa B.D et al., (2008) conducted a study to compare the effectiveness of resistance and balance exercise for the reduction of fall risk among elderly females above the age group of 65 years. The design adopted for the study was single blind controlled trial, conducted for 12 weeks with pre and post exercise assessment. Ninety-five participants were randomly assigned to one of three groups: resistance-training group, balance training group, and control group. The first two group showed significant improvement in balance as compared to control group after the intervention(p Debolt, L.S et al., (2004) conducted a study to examine the effectiveness of home based resistance exercise programme on mobility, power and balance in people with multiple sclerosis. The study was conducted in general community. The design used for this study was experimental group design. The sample size was twenty seven.19 of them were women and 8 of them were men.The group randomly divided into experimental group and control group. Experimental group underwent resistance exercise programme and control group for normal physical activity. The results of the study assessed by using, mobility assessment with the Up and Go test scale and leg extensor power rig. According to pretest score 3.19 and for posttest score was 3.95. So the authors concluded that home based resistance exercise training is effective to improve the leg extensor power within a short period of time. B: Reviews related to the effects of age on balance Teimoori,A.et al., (2012) conducted a study to examine the age at which loss of muscle velocity, balance in adult healthy Iranian Females.928 Iranian female participated in this study. They were in the age group of 20-26 years. The participants were divided in to four age groups. Balance ,velocity were assessed for each group according to the age group and timed by digital stop watch. The study showed that, between the age group of 23-30 years the muscle velocity and balance were same. But in case of 40 age group balance and muscle velocity were declined. By using one way ANOVA test balance and muscle velocity were differed with pnd and 3rddecades.The authors identified that age, balance, and muscle velocity had significant relationship with aging Tiffani E et al., (2006) conducted a study to examine the association between measures of dynamic and static balance and performance of mobility task in elderly people of Western Carolina University. The design used was cross sectional analysis. The subjects were 195 community dwelling participants. Associations between balance and mobility measures were examined by using correlation and regression. Dynamic and static balance were moderately associated(r=-.462).Regression age and balance were significant predictors of walking speed outcome. The authors concluded that, assessment of dynamic and static balance is an important, to know the physical functioning and mobility of elderly people. Abrahamova,D. et al., conducted a study to examine aspects of balance control changes with age. The subjects participated for the study was between the age group (20-82).Centre of foot pressure positions used to evaluate body sway during a 50 second interval. Seven cop parameters were used to assess quiet stance and were analyzed in three groups. The regression analysis showed evident increase of body sway over 60 years of age. The normality of distribution of each cop parameter was examined by using the Kolmogorov –smirnov test. Mann Whitney test was used to analyze the differences between the age groups, if not normally distributed. If the cop parameters were normally distributed than two ways. ANOVA was used to analyze the differences between the age groups. The level of significance was set at p Gomes,M.M al., (2012) conducted a study to analyze the postural control at different age. The aim of the study is to evaluate static and dynamic balance as well as the pattern of muscle activation in elderly women from different age groups. A total of 57 women, divided in to 3 groups according to their age. Group 1(n) =17, group2 (n) =20, group3 (n) =20.The center of pressure were analyzed. According to the age group, the participants showed similar displacement and muscle activation during static posture and dynamic posture. As by conclusion, the study proved that aging had an influence on balance and posture among elderly group. Osama, B et al., (2004) conducted a study on 30 normal elderly individuals and 40 normal young adults between the age group of (20-40) years. The purpose of this study was to know the balance in elderly, and to compare postural stability, balance control and gait pattern in normal elderly persons to those of normal young adults. All participants were subjected to history taking, full routine balance test and functional test. When comparing the balance scales there was a significant difference between the two groups were noticed. (p=0.005).From this study, the results proved that there was a significant decrease in scores of different balance scales in elderly persons compared to young adults, besides that there was significant decrease in percent of maximum stability and was lesser in older subjects as compared to younger subjects C: Reviews related to effect of exercise on balance Knerl,CJ et al.,(2009) conducted a study to examine the effect of 6 weeks of balance training and strength training on dynamic balance in older adults.51 seniors were participated.(17male and 34 females) between the age group of 60 and 93 years. Participants were divided in to 4 groups. 3 treatment groups and one control group. Each group were tested on measures of dynamic balance, flexibility and strength before and after 6 weeks of the exercise programme by using the outcome measures like Fullerton advanced balance scale. Repeated ANOVA’S shows that upper body strength and lower body flexibility including balance increased significantly (p Gusi,et al., (2013) conducted a study to determine the effects of balance training protocol with the balance system in institutionalized older people. 40 older adults were involved in study. The experimental group completed 12 week balance training protocol,2 sessions per week. Both the groups ‘received the same multidisciplinary care. The outcome measures were dynamic balance with the use of fall risk scale. The outcome measures were measured before and after the intervention. As compaired to control group, the experimental group had greater improvement at 12 weeks in case of dynamic balance. By conclusion the authors says that exercise programme was feasible on dynamic balance in institutionalized older people. More, T.S, Rao, K., et al., (2012) conducted a study to evaluate the effectiveness of 10 weeks of balance and strength training on dynamic balance of older adults. The study design was randomized controlled trial consists of 52 older adults between the age group of (60-75) years with having poor balance and strength. They were divided in to strength training group (Group A), balance training group (Group B) and combination group(Group C).The duration of the training programme was 10 weeks. Outcome measures used were berg balance scale and senior fitness scale. Within the group statistical analysis done by using paired t test within the groups, which shows that marked improvement in all age groups with (p Ullumen, G et al., (2010) conducted a study to examine the effects of exercise in improving balance, balance confidence and mobility in elderly people. The design used for this study was randomized control trial. The participants were randomly assigned to experimental group(n=25) and control group(n=22).The experimental group were attended 5 week of exercise programme,60 minutes 3 times per week. The outcome measures were (timed up and go), balance confidence scale, falls efficacy scale. Pretest and post test were conducted. After the intervention, in experimental group balance (p=0.030) and mobility (p=0.042) were increased, while fear of falling (p=0.042) decreased significantly. The participants of experimental group showed improvements in balance confidence (p=0.054).As by conclusion the researchers suggests that exercises are an effective way to improve mobility and balance, thus by reducing the risk of falling among community –dwelling elderly people. Zamanian, F., (2011) conducted a study to investigate the effects of balance exercise training on fall risk and postural control among older adults especially women.40 elderly people were participated in this study. The static balance and fall risk were measured by using Tandem and semi-tandem test, berg balance scale questionare.The subjects were divided in to experimental group and control group. Experimental group underwent 8 weeks of exercise programme. The control group didn’t participate in any of training programme. Outcome measures were analyzed after the intervention. Comparison was carried out by using paired t test and independent t test and correlation analyzed by Pearson correlation. After balance training the ability of older women in semi tandem and in tandem position was (p=0.007) and (p=0.02) respectively. So from this study, the authors concluded that balance control improves the postural control and reduces the risk of fall in older women (p=0.001). Helbostard, JL et al., (2004) conducted a study to determine the effectiveness of home training exercises on functional abilities of old aged people with functional disabilities and balance problems. The design adopted for this Study was randomized trial with 77 persons aged 75 or more than that. Home training and combined training group were included in this study, for a period of 12 weeks. The exercises, rate of falls and balance functions were assessed with the outcome measures like Timed up and Go test, Maximum step length and timed pick up and sit to stand(p Bird, M et al.,(2009) conducted a study to examine the long term effects of a multicomponent exercise on balance ,mobility, and exercise behavior among healthy older adults between the age group of (65-75) years. The design used for the study was randomized control intervention. The duration of the study was 12 months. Differences between those subjects, who continued to exercise and those who discontinued were investigated. The subjects who continued exercise had significantly greater improvement in strength after the intervention as compaired to those who discontinued. (p=0.004) Bird, M.L et al., (2012) conducted a study to evaluate the effects of a Pilates intervention on balance and function among community dwelling older adults above 60 years. The design used was randomized cross over study for 16 weeks, conducted in university exercise clinic. Community dwelling older adults (n=32) were selected. Out of 32, 27 were completed the intervention. Participants were allocated to either 5 weeks of a group Pilates training intervention for experimental group and 5 weeks of usual activity for control. After the 6 week, subjects performed alternate intervention. The outcome measures were 4 square test and Timed up and Go test. The results revealed that there was a significant improvement in static and dynamic balance from pre post Pilates (p Bulat, T et al (2007) conducted a study to assess the effectiveness of group functional balance training on balance outcomes in community dwelling elderly people. The study was conducted in Haley Veterans hospital in USA. The research design adopted for this study was one group pretest post-test. The participated study subjects were 51.These study subjects were participated in functional balance training programme once in a week and it lasts for a period of eight weeks.1 hour classes were conducted weekly ones.84% of elderly people were completed five or more classes weekly. The outcome measures were evaluated by using berg balance scale, Limits of stability, before and after the balance training classes. The result of the study reveals that, there was a significant improvement in the Berg Balance Scale (p

The leadership challenge faced by Toyota

The leadership challenge faced by Toyota My decision to work on Toyota is related to a moving scene I saw on television few months ago .Under the media spotlight, Akio Toyoda (Toyota CEO) was standing tearful under a giant display bearing the name of the company. This emotional reaction is the story of a senior leader who commits their life to the business, such a vulnerability is atypical enough to study the case. How Toyota, recognized as model in terms of management, can meet such tragic situation? The consequences of poor crisis management could severely damage the reputation of a company thats why every company must be prepared for crisis. This is the case with Toyota, one of worlds leading auto makers. I have decided to work on Toyota case to show how a company known for its reliable and innovative products , an exemplar of production efficiency with a perfect storm of rapid growth , can become a company with a series of product defects that has caused deaths and put many consumers at risk. Is it a technological matter or a leadership crisis?, What has been Toyotas solutions for crisis response? Toyoda went into hiding and sent American CEO Jim Lentz to make apologies. The issues of product quality became out of control. This left the media, politicians, and consumers to dictate the conversation, while Toyota was looking for the responses. This situation without a proper solution and explanation let people talk and imagine the worst things. Artful apologies and confused plans for resolution have been made to face this crisis. If you have a leader who isnt capable to deal with global issues of this significance level, should he be in the leadership position? What makes a true leader? In this work, I will try to understand how the Prince became the no show Akio Toyoda. For that I will first focus on the external analysis to identify the market place of the company, then I will emphasize on the internal analysis that is to say more specifically the cultural aspects of this company moral , management, attitude at work, with a special focus on the leadership concept. Finally, I will make recommendations that will help Toyota to handle the crisis well. 2)The external analysis The impact of the crisis on the company is huge. When customers lose trust with companies the impact is high. Toyotas customers are meeting a kind of identity crisis. There is a discrepancy between what they were expected from the company and the reality. They expected Toyota to have the highest quality, best reliability and great safety. Because of the crisis, people who used to buy Toyotas think that the value of their car has decline since the problem of confidence began. Twenty seven percent of customers surveyed that said they were considering a Toyota prior to the recall now say they no longer are considering the brand for their next vehicle purchase. Now nearly half of the car buyers who have defected from Toyota say they are not sure if they will consider the brand again, even once Toyotas problems are resolved. This is showing how the impact is huge and how a long term work need to be made to restore customers confidence. It is the main difficulty that Toyota will have to confront. Which is as well a tough nut to crack is that Toyota build all his philosophy on the concept of quality. This shows in quantifiable terms the impact of this crisis of confidence on future purchases. To me it seems that Toyota has losing its focus on customers and has payed more attention to market share and profits, millions upon millions of Americans were buying their automobiles believing Toyotas promises. Moreover Competition will be even more stronger. Rivals will take advantage of Toyotas crisis particularly Ford. Its a competitive market . I think it is important to realize the impact of a break down in trust with customers. In the case of Toyota, the company will see falling profits and possibly losses that may extend well into the future. By some estimates their US dealers are losing over $2B per month. The manufacturing line has been shut down at two US plants with more closings possible. None of this takes into consideration parts suppliers and the economic impact on all those who either do business with Toyota or provide goods and services to Toyotas dealers and their employees. Why is all this happening? We dont have a lots of information on the specific problems, we can guess from the Toyota executives appearances before congress that it was because Toyota lost its essence of what they valued. The old values of quality and customers first were replaced with growth and profitability. Competition is increasing almost daily with new entrants coming into the market from China , South Korea ,Toyota faces tremendous competitive rivalry in the car market, Toyota should not forget what make its fame: reliability How could this happen? We can imagine that leaders like Toyoda did not want to hear from anyone something that is going to slow down the growth train. Even one of the best corporate systems, such as the Toyota Production System, can be subverted by fear and greed. We can say that Toyota has done many things right in responding to the crisis: Talk to the media , using all canals( facebook, twitter, diverse websites) to reassure customers. But it seem that whatever Toyota says now, and however well it acts, there is a sense that it ignored the problem until it was forced to take action. If it stinks, put a lid on it. Toyota follow this japanese proverb to sort out the problem. Toyoda didnt accept to face the reality it is a management crisis and develop a lack of trust from the customers. To react properly, this requires an organisational culture that is vigilant for potential crises, has open lines of communication from staff to management, and a willingness to address unpleasant truths. . The challenge is created by two elements of culture: firstly, an obsession with quality, which means that anything less than perfection is seen embarrassing. As a consequence, problems with quality are literally inconceivable. The second interlinked element of culture is a hierarchical approach to management and a lack of open communication. People who are at the best placed to spot early signs of crisis feel unable to point out flaws. As a result, problems unresolved until they explode into a major crisis. Another reason why Toyota has such a major challenge on its hands is that this crisis touch at the essence of its reputation. Toyota has built its reputation on quality and reliability, and anything that calls this into question is especially threatening. This is a lesson for all organisations: understand what lies at the heart .It is essential that the company remains true to these values in its approach to crisis management . Toyota company has failed to get ahead of events and take control. It looks like the crisis is managing Toyota rather than vice versa. Toyoda, the chief executive, should have been the face of the organisation during this major crisis. No chief executive can be absent from the public eye when the business is in the middle of a crisis It is not necessarily the reality of how a business manages a crisis that will determine its success. Its how the organisation is perceived to have managed the crisis: We know the importance of public relation and the organization of a proper communication. Get it right and the organisations reputation and value can be protected; get it wrong and serious damage can result. In this context, the role of the media spokesperson is pivotal, even in this age of social media. Observers draw conclusions based not just on what the spokesperson says, but also their body language, and tone of voice. executives like Toyoda are unlikely to represent their organisation well in a crisis when they disapear in front of serious crisis Toyota should have create the right culture to avoid crisis , developing workable crisis management plans and processes, and training managers likely to be part of a crisis response team this would have play a large part in determining the success of the organisation in the event of a crisis. Full recovery requires continued communication and actions to regain the trust of customers affected by the crisis. If Toyotas recent troubles encourage more businesses to recognise the impact that crises can have on a businesss long-term reputation and take steps to protect themselves as a consequence, then at least some goodwill has come from recent events. But I am sure that Toyota could regain most if not all of its lost market share with a vigorous marketing campaign and reassurances on quality but for that one step more need to be overcome: a deep and radical changes in terms of culture, moral and management approach. This is what we are going to study in the second part. . the internal analysis We have seen that the impact of the crisis on the external market share is mainly financial now we will focus on the cultural , philosophical, organizational matters. I will try first to sum up what make the specificity of Toyota. A) Philosophy: Before we build a car , we build people why do I exist? That s the question we try to answer through the philosophy. In Toyota company it is fundamental. The company built a long term thinking asking what is the meaning of our organization? where do we want to go?Toyota based its management decisions on a long term philosophy, even at the expense of short-term financial goals to build a sustainable success. They also generate value for the customer , the society and the economy.They align the organization toward a common goal that is bigger than making money. Toyota has turned operational excellence into a strategic weapon not because of the tools and quality improvement methods but a deeper business philosophy rooted in understanding of people and what motivates them. Its success is ultimately based on its ability to develop leaders, build teams, and nurture a supportive culture, to devise strategy, to build deep supplier relationships, and to maintain a learning organization. B) Toyota leadership model: Toyota leaders are builder of learning organization. The aim is to grow leaders who understand the work, leave the philosophy and teach it to others.The leaders real challenge is to develop people so they are strong contributor to the organization but also having the long term vision of knowing what to do, the knowledge of how to do it and the ability to develop people. Leaders at Toyota, like anywhere want to see measurable results. But they know that the financial result is a result of a process. They also realize that the financial reflect the past performance of that process. Good Toyota leaders dont jump to conclusions they try to first size up the situation and then ask why.All action at Toyota revolve around planning and problem solving, for the system to work problems must be exposed. Toyotas way provides extraordinary focus, direction, control, while at the same time they provide maximum flexibility. Three keys to toyotas leadership: Go see, ask why and show respect: getting people to think and take initiative is key! The leaders job at Toyota is to act as a teacher, get each person to take the iniative to solve problems and improve his job, ensure that each persons job is aligned to provide value for customer and prosperity for the company.Leaders must be the role of models, he understand the daily work.So coaching , promote from within the team is key to success. Toyota emphasize on the fact that their role is to develop exceptional people and teams who follow the companys philosophy.They usually use a cross functional teams that is to say a group of people with different functional expertise working toward a common goal. It may include people from finance, marketing, operations, and human resources departments. Typically, it includes employees from all levels of an organization. Members may also come from outside an organization (in particular, from suppliers, key customers, or consultants). Cross-functional teams often function as self-directed teams responding to broad, but no specific directives. Decision-making within a team may depend on consensus, but often is led by a team leader. They also continuously teach people how to work together, because team work must be learned, they want to reinforce the culture continually. The way they solve problem is also interesting : go and see for yourself to thoroughtly understand the situation : It s a really pragmatic approach of problem solving , they go to the source to observe and verify data. Don t theorize on the basis of what people and computers tell you They want to have a true relation with the reality and even high level managers should do this. In Toyotas culture we talk about consensus decision all decision are made slowly by consensus, considering all options. They also implement decision rapidly discussing problem and potential solutions with all involved. B) motivation theory: Maslows need hierarchy looks at motivating people as equivalent to satisfying their internal needs. When you work for Toyota , your lower level needs are covered. Youre well paid, you have job security and youre working in a safe, controlled environment. Toyotas culture emphasizes the use of challenging work situation to build self confidence. Its a culture of continuous improvement. Herzbergs theories are similar to Maslow but they are focus on characteristics of work that are motivators.Their absence will cause a dissatisfaction, but providing a person more and more of them will not positively motivate. Toyota has done a good job. Indeed , for example people are responsible only for a tiny piece of an overall product and work repeatedly , to make the task more motivating they worked on designing assembly line to improve job enrichment. Toyota organizes teams around complete project from start to finish. Having the responsibility of participating in the project from the beginning to the end empowers the employee. They also provide job rotations, they allow people to be proactive in solving problems and they develop autonomy other the tasks. About the external environnement theory, we can notice from Taylors scientific management based on reward with money performance relative to standards that all scientific management principles are followed but at the group level rather than individual level and based on employee involvement. About the goal setting that is to say : set specific, measurable , achievable challenging goals and measure progress, Toyota sets goals that meet these criteria through the policy deployment and the continuous measurements is relative to targets. B)Managing people Toyota has taken various steps to build high performance teams: Step 1: Orientation. This is about the visionary leadership.A leader need to be guide and the vision must be different, unexpected.It must be memorable , stick in the mind.The leader also have to exemply the vision to give concrete dimesion to the vision.This step is vital because if a vision is not shared the success of a project may be risky. The group needs strong direction from the leader and must understand the basic mission, rules of engagement, and tools the members will use. This step is fundamental, a leader have to share purpose and vision to have the support of all the team. Its a condition to build a sustainable success. A leader and his team need to wonder , what kind of organization are they going to build?To build a challenging but achievable goals, the goals that everyone wants and shares Step 2: Dissatisfaction. To avoid discouragement the leader need to build blocks of sustainable success , it could be for example about values.How do we do things round here?Are our values real or window dressing? These reflexions need to involve the inclusive company to be efficient. After going to work, the members discover it is harder than they thought to work as a team. In this stage, they continue to need strong direction (structure) from the leader but also need a lot of social support to get through the tough social dynamics they do not understand. Step 3: Integration. At this stage people become more independent, they understand the meaning of the work.The difficulty is to balance flexibility and control. The group starts to develop a clearer picture of the roles of various team members and begins to exert control over team processes. The leader does not have to provide much task direction, but the team still needs a lot of social support. Step 4: Production. The group becomes a high-performing team, no longer dependent on the leader. In Toyota people do the same mindless task repeatedly and are responsible only for a tiny piece of an overall product. Toyota has tryed to enrich jobs in various ways, to give a meaning to this repetitive work they organized job rotation, various kinds of feedback on how workers are doing at their jobs, it let a significant work group autonomy over the tasks. They redesigned its assembly lines so that the parts that make up a subsystem of the vehicle are installed in one specific area on the assembly line. Rather than a work group assembling electrical systems and then putting in floor mats and then door handles, a work group might focus almost exclusively on the electrical system under the hood., Toyota also organized teams around complete projects from start to finish. For example, the design of the interior of the vehicle is the responsibility of one team from the design phase through production. Participation in the project from beginning to end enriches and empowers the employee. Empowerment of the employee is as well key to success. Empowerment is the process of enabling or authorizing an individual to think, behaves, take action, and control work and decision making in autonomous ways. It is the state of feeling self-empowered to take control of ones own destiny. The organization has the responsibility to create a work environment which helps and give to people the ability and desire to act in empowered ways. Toyotas trouble : crisis or opportunity? As we studied, Toyota company is knowing as reliable and strong organization , on the other hand during the recent recall crisis the company showed weaknesses that we could not imagine. Lets have a critical analysis about what happened.. It seems that the crisis that Toyota met is mainly a problem of communication.Both internal and external communications must be timely and effective. Ongoing daily phone conferences need to be conducted to obtain the latest status and to share information. In addition, status reports must be e-mailed to all interested parties on a daily basis. External communication has to be managed to avoid misinformation being leaked to the media. Moreover leaders need to be visible during crisis but it is also a lake of humility. They didnt take seriously the risk of quality, they were not enough prepare to this risk, they saw themselves as untouchable but we know that even a good company can be involved in crisis. Their strategy is a long term one, they were not prepared to face such an immediate crisis , may be because of their lake of realism. They didnt keep the contact with reality through an efficient communication. We know how listening is an important attribute for a leader and it seems that Toyota company with its hierarchical structure is not prepared to collect information from all the employee. Its a possibility for them to reassert their value and to think their organisation more as living organism that need to adapt to this unpredictable context. We can also be critical about the concept of consensus team decision making, for Japanese it is the essence of decision.Its interesting to talk about the difference of culture that exist between European and Asiatic management. In our country we mainly emphasis on the answer to the question , for Japanese the important element is defining the question that is why they need a consensus to find out what the decision is really about , this can explain the difficulties they meet to find in a short time a good solution. Toyota could turn their crisis situation into an opportunity and build clear channels of communication with the public, improving their relationship and calming the fears of millions of car owners. 4) Recommendations and conclusion Its not the strongest of the species that survives, nor the most intelligent but rather the one the most responsive to change Charles Darwin Toyota needs leader with credibility and with a clear plan. Toyoda need to see himself as change agent, representing, and protecting the group. He needs to learn how to deal with resistance but also take a risk and to confront the reality. He should, as well, know how to cope with complexity, ambiguity , uncertainty .A real leader is the one who view mistakes as a learning opportunity. There is real challenges of change. For the moment we can see Toyoda as a hiders, the one hoping the change will go away it is not the role of a leader, on the other hand he has to enable the group endure hard times. So lets talk about few recommendations to change the way to lead: 1) Face the reality. Toyoda did not want to face the problem and did not take his responsibility in the crisis . We expect from a leader to be courageous instead of that Toyoda hide the reality.He should have said that he pushed too hard for growth and neglected quality. By admitting his errors, he gives every Toyota employee permission to acknowledge mistakes and to get on with correcting them, instead of denying reality. 2: Get the world off your shoulders. Toyoda cannot expect to solve problems of this magnitude himself. Instead, he needs a crisis team reporting directly to him, working to get problems fixed permanently. He also needs outside counsel, as he appears to be listening only to insiders who are defensive about criticism. He should add the worlds top quality experts to his fix-it team and listen carefully to their advice. 3: Understand the real causes of the crisis. When Toyotas problems first surfaced, the company blamed a symptom loose floor mats and exonerated the accelerators. Instead, management should have required its best engineers to get to the root cause of this problem and every other quality problem being reported. This is basic engineering and quality discipline. 4: Crisis will have effects on a long term.It is going to be worst before getting better.So the organization need to be prepared to face a long term crisis. It will take years to resolve the trust crisis. Toyota must invest heavily in corrective actions while its sales shrink and profits implode, requiring major cash resources until its reputation can be restored. 5:We can change the crisis to an opportunity to restore Toyota quality. The crisis is melting away the denial and resistance that existed in recent years. For sure Employees are waitingfor new direction, and they want to make radical changes to renew the company. With Toyodas leadership, Toyota automobiles can be restored to the worlds highest quality.It is the moment to rebuild brand loyalty and to demonstrate the value and the promise in the answer to the problem. 6: Leaders personify the reputation of a company: In a crisis, people insist on hearing from the leader. Akio Toyoda cant send out public relations specialists or his American executives to explain what happened. Toyoda must come out of hiding, take personal responsibility, Then he should make a personal commitment to every Toyota customer to repair the damage, including buying back defective cars. 6: Leaders need to move quickly to solve causal operational issues, erring on the side of overcompensating. 7: After this crisis Toyoda need to focus on future success. Its important to focus also on the future , the long term benefits, trying to see the opportunity to win market share because afetr this crisis, the market will never look the same. GM and Ford are rapidly regaining market share, while the confidence of Toyotas loyal customers is badly shaken. Toyota cannot wait until all its quality problems are resolved. The company need a reactivity. It must play defense and offense simultaneously. To win, Toyota need to offer advanced features and superior quality, better value for consumers, greater safety, and improved fuel efficiency. I believe this is a great company that will resurrect its reputation and restore its leadership. But there is a lots of effort to make: first it is obviously most important to solve the problems with their cars.. But they also may be find new way to communicate with their customer using for example the social web. It seems that their responses have appeared a little slow and awkward. Giving consumers information about the recall in more pedagogic way, easily understandable. A leader should have a clear message .They should explain exactly what theyre doing, why things will be different in the future. Toyoda did not manage this crisis as we expect a real leader will do.He did not go past the emotional when customers and also employee from the company were waiting for a solutions. It show to us the affective link that a leader can build with his company, but people were expected from him a rational approach. On the other hand I am convinced that even if it is a long term working, particularly trying to regain the customers trust, the company with its reputed story , their experienced know how will be back .Its for them the opportunity to change practices , to work on crisis management ,and to change their organizational work beliefs. Bibliographie: The Toyota Way: 14 Management Principles from the Worlds Greatest Manufacturer de Jeffrey K. 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