Jaguar free essay sample

You can quickly get a feel for the culture of an organization just by looking around and talking to the people who work for it. For example, some organizations are very dynamic and their people are encouraged to take risks. Others are backward looking and rarely take risks. The culture of the organization provides the meaning, direction and clarity (the human glue) that drives the business to achieve its goals. From time to time it becomes necessary to change the culture of an organization to make sure that it fits the environment in which the organization operates. Changes in the car industry The car industry has changed dramatically. At the start of the twentieth century, the industry was dominated by the achievements of Henry Ford who created a manufacturing system that was known as Fordism. In Fordist organizations, the manufacturing system was geared towards creating standardized products such as the Model T Ford. We will write a custom essay sample on Jaguar or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page The needs of the production line determined the life of the production line worker. Workers knew exactly what was expected of them and were given set periods of time to carry out particular operations. This system was very successful, lowered production costs and brought the motor car within the budget of the ordinary family in the west. However, during the 1980s the car industry was transformed by new manufacturing approaches from Japan. Japanese success was based partly on the competitive prices they were able to ask for their products and services, but mainly on their quality. The concept of Total Quality Management (TQM) was developed in the US after the end of World War Two but was implemented first in Japan. It changed the balance of world trade and ed many companies in the west to rethink their attitudes, policies and structure. TQM can only operate when responsibility and power are delegated downwards through all levels of the organization. Responding to changing demands As the world became more competitive, organizations had to respond quickly to rapidly changing demands. They could no longer rely on producing standardized products but had to manage a wider portfolio of as sociated products. This demanded increased flexibility, and the active co-operation of a versatile and increasingly skilled workforce. In the 1980s and the 1990s, many American and European companies adopted more flexible Japanese ways of working so they could respond quickly to changing market conditions. In recent years the world car industry has been rationalized. Instead of hundreds of car companies world-wide, there are ten major global players. Part of this rationalization has seen the development of a new Ford group of companies. In the 1990s Ford took control of Jaguar. It recently overhauled the Halewood plant to produce the new X400 Jaguar and created a new way of working. Many of the employees at Halewood had previously produced Ford Escorts using traditional manufacturing techniques, in which they were not encouraged to show initiative. They now needed to learn new approaches to work which involved empowerment and flexibility; more responsibility was given to the operative at the sharp end of production. What better place to introduce a culture change than by starting with a prestige marque like Jaguar? Strategy To manage the change process at the Jaguar plant, Ford worked closely with a consultancy group called Senn Delaney Leadership. Senn Delaney believes that it is important to align the culture, structure and the strategy of an organization. The organization that seeks to change its strategy without changing its culture will experience resistance to change. The successful management of change is crucial. The strategy of the organization includes the overall business direction and the plan to achieve it. Structure includes the organisational design and model, the processes, systems, policies and procedures that support it. Organizations involved in the hange process often focus on strategy and structure and neglect culture change. As a result, the existing culture acts like an invisible anchor that drags the business down. Teamwork approach In the motor industry in the early 1990s, many employees were not used to making decisions for themselves. They expected to be told what to do. This slowed down change when companies wanted to move on to self-managed teamwork approaches. In the 1990s Jaguar overhauled its app roaches to work to create an environment in which employees were encouraged to ‘take ownership’. They would be involved in managing a process of continuous improvement that revolved around ‘lean production’. Lean production involves standardizing work processes to cut out waste. The standard set is the best identified method of operation at a particular moment in time. This standard is continuously improved. The key to lean production is to identify which production processes add value. Processes which do not add value are cut out so that labour and machinery can focus on added value activities. To introduce lean production at Halewood it was necessary to transform existing attitudes in the workforce. Employees had to take responsibility for introducing new working methods and to continuously suggest further improvements. They would work in small teams with a team leader. The Jaguar Vision To transform working patterns at Halewood, a Halewood Difference Programme was introduced based on a new vision and set of guiding values and behaviours. Jaguar targets industry leadership in quality, value for money, customer care and human resource management. Compatible with these targets the vision for the Halewood body and assembly plant is: †¢ a world class vehicle manufacturing facility producing Jaguar cars for the discerning luxury car buyer, providing maximum job satisfaction and security †¢ a safe environment in which highly motivated employees demonstrate a pride, passion in the product and an earnest desire to drive continuous improvements †¢ a management that respects its employees and is committed to best practices in terms of fairness, recruitment, communications, training, education, diversity and individual employee welfare †¢ anagement and employees working together to achieve shared goals, volume and job growth opportunities †¢ The leading manufacturer in the community, fulfilling environmental responsibilities and proactive in supporting local initiatives. Guiding values and behaviours set out a picture of how people within the plant would work with each other and with external customers on a day -today basis. This provided the basis for a new organisational culture. On a day-to-day basis Halewood people would focus on: †¢ Quality: consistently delivering world class quality products and service. †¢ Customer focus: striving to exceed customer expectations. Accountability/Responsibility: being accountable and responsible for their personal conduct and their tasks. †¢ Respect: treating each other with respect, dignity, courtesy and having pride in the workplace. †¢ Open communication: openly communicating with each other regardless of level. †¢ Teamwork: working together for the good of Halewood as members of one team. †¢ Adaptability and flexibility: showing a commitment to embrace change. The Halewood programme stimulated a more open and democratic relationship between managers and employees as employees became key decision makers. Making the change You cant force a new culture on an unreceptive workforce. Introducing changes in culture involves a detailed programme for introducing new ideas in a participative way. †¢ Needs and assessments measurement The first stage was a series of one-to-one interviews and focus group activities for representatives from all areas of the organization. These identified the cultural strengths and the barriers to change at Halewood. These sessions were designed to find out how employees thought and felt about their work culture, and to provide the feedback to outline the strategy and the key messages for the culture change programme. Management workshops -The next phase involved a series of three day sessions for managers to build up a commitment to the change programme. †¢ Union workshops Union leaders took part in workshops so they could better understand the new Jaguar approach to building cars on the basis of pride and dedication. This gained union support for the change and showed everyone what the benefits would be. †¢ Management and union workshop Management and unions identified a joint approach to take the initiative forward and embrace the new values. †¢ Supervisors’ workshops Supervisors were to play a key role in introducing the new ways of working. Supervisors’ workshops therefore concentrated on how they could help to lead the change process. †¢ Pilot workshops Five pilot workshops of thirty participants taken from all levels of the organization were trialed. The emphasis was on breaking down divisions within the organization so that a new model of team working relationships could be established. †¢ Selection and training of internal facilitators To cascade the Jaguar (Halewood) Difference message across the organization, sixteen internal facilitators from all areas and levels of the organization were selected and trained. Two day workshops for all employees The final stage of the roll out of the culture change programme were a series of two-day workshops led by the internal facilitators. These sessions gave all 3,000 employees a clear understanding of the difference between working on a Ford Escort and creating the new Jaguar X400. They also heightened awareness of the Jaguar Difference values and behaviou rs. The early phases of the new programme were very encouraging. It was immediately obvious that everyone had a common goal to make a success of Halewood. By involving everyone in the culture change programme it was relatively easy to establish a shared vision. Through the workshops, employees built up real enthusiasm for the empowerment process. Employees were motivated by the fact that they had a role to play in the change process. For example, one employee commented favorably on the initiative when he stated, ‘I always thought the company wanted me to leave my brain at the gate’. Conclusion The success of the X400 production system at Halewood is based on three pillars. 1. An emphasis on quality at every stage in the production of the new cars. . The culture change programme – creating an empowered, entrepreneurial and committed workforce, and 3. Establishing centres of excellent practice across the organizations which act as benchmarks for improving performance in areas carrying out similar operations. New facilitators will take the change process forward even further. They are being coached by existing facilita tors and throughout the organization employees are being formed into empowered teams to drive lean production forward. The Halewood plant will provide the benchmark for improvements across the Ford organization in the UK.

Mastering How to Write a Research Essay †Don’t Re-Invent the Wheel

Mastering How to Write a Research Essay – Don’t Re-Invent the Wheel Mastering How to Write a Research Essay Dont Re-Invent the Wheel There is some discussion today about what constitutes a research essay and what constitutes a research paper. The biggest difference between these two pieces of writing is length, for both require research and the use of that research to support a thesis. But generally, essays are shorter in length. So, as you are struggling with producing a research essay, understand that the processes are the same as for writing a good research paper. With that in mind, lets take a look at the steps involved and how that process can be streamlined and made easier. Selecting a Topic Topic selection is certainly significantly impacted by the length requirements of the instructor, and it is critical for how to start writing a research paper. If your topic is too broad or too narrow, you will be in trouble once you start to write the piece. Here is one of the best tips for topic selection. Choose a topic area that really interests you, and then get online. Look for sample research essays or papers that have been written in the same topic area, and find those specific topics that resulted in a paper that is the length yours must be. Of course, you will NOT use that paper plagiarism is serious and you will be caught, considering the sophisticated scanning software now in use. But you will have refined a topic that meets the length requirements. Doing the Research The biggest issue with the research is organizing it as you go along. If you organize the information you collect by sub-topics areas as you actually do the research, you will save yourself hours of time in the end, trying to do this. So, you need to have your sub-topics identified before you start your research. This is one of the most important tips for writing a research paper that you should use. To get those sub-topics, again, look at how existing research papers on the same topic are organized. Doing this will allow you to develop your own sub-topics in advance. Then, as you conduct your research, use note cards, list the source at the top of each note card along with the sub-topic for the information. Once the card has been filled with information, put it in the stack for the appropriate sub-topic. When all of your research is completed, it is already completely sub-divided. Organizing for Writing Each of your sub-topics is a major heading of any outline or other organizer you may use. Here is where you take each stack of notecards and harvest out the details that you will be included. These should then be listed in the order in which you will cover them within that sub-topic. Rough Draft, Revision, Final Copy You are certainly familiar with these three steps. You write your rough draft from your outline/organizer, and be careful here. You need to make note of the sources used as you go along, so that you can properly cite them in your final draft. Revising that rough draft is not fun, especially if you are not really skilled in grammar and composition. You may need to pay someone else to do this. Once you are ready to write your final draft, be sure that you follow the required format style. Research essays and papers writing is not your favorite coursework assignment, to be sure. They take time, lots of organization, and solid writing skills. These research paper tips, however, should make the process somewhat less painful.

Discussion #3 Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Discussion #3 - Assignment Example Natural resources of Africa are exploited due to the fact that it would allow industrialization in the European region to grow at an improved manner. Furthermore, human resource is exploited because of the cheap availability of labor services in Africa. Consequently, this has also lead to slavery, as the poor African people were forced to serve the Europeans at an extreme level output with minimum possible rewards. Accordingly, the European nations are facilitated with the opportunity of performing trade and other business operations with reduced cost of production, which resulted to the economic growth of the same. In addition, this has resulted to the infrastructure development of European nations. The process of exploiting the resources has also simultaneously assisted in the development of the roads and railways. Subsequently, the development of the economic conditions and infrastructure of the European nations has led to the creation of increased job opportunities for the people of Africa (Ohaegbulam 50-256; Inikori, n.d.). Political Motive. With gradual success in trade by exploiting the resources of Africa, the European nations tried to gain political advantage over the African nations. This was mainly because of inclining the political power balance towards the European nations. The need for the political power was extremely important for each and every nation in the 19th century because of frequent occurrence of wars amid the countries. With the beginning of the 20th century, there were several wars and most notably the two world wars. These have made an extreme need for armed force. Thus, the people of the African origin were used extensively for the purpose of defense. Furthermore, most of the countries are divided into several states and thus, there was a need of political advantage. It can also be noted that the need for proper administration or even strict administration of the labor forces in Africa had assisted European nations to

Globalization and Poverty Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Globalization and Poverty - Essay Example Consensus is there regarding the mission plan of these strategies for the eradication of poverty however the various different actors in the scenario do not agree on the framework and the methodologies in which these strategies have to be implemented for achieving the goal. According to Kanbur the reason behind this trend is the fact that the people who are at the forefront of this cause are themselves not sincere to it and are more concerned about their own interests (1093). There exists an evident difference of opinion between the two parties involved in the process of eradication of poverty in various regions of the world. The various institutions involved in the process of eradicating poverty have been divided into two groups by Kanbur, one who control the policies and play the decision making part in the process include the IFI’s, banks and financial ministries. ... itely the most pivotal in the whole scenario and must be addressed if a consensus has to be developed, so Kanbur’s analysis can be utilized to find out the root cause of the whole situation. Milanovic however argues that the ideology behind the whole process has been shaped by the IFI’s and the banks and there is nothing wrong with the whole idea of eradicating poverty but the only issue is the correct implementation of this idea which is not being done at present. Milanovic has very effectively pointed out the deficiencies of the current approach with the help of facts and figures which show that despite the continued involvement of IMF and other International Financial Institutions the results are not very encouraging. Not a single African country has managed to increase its GDP while working under the IMF and other international bodies, while some of the countries have hit new lows in their history since 1960’s. Milanovic has also mentioned the other factors w hich are responsible for the poverty of various communities living in rich economies. Europe made economic progress when it managed to attain roughly a uniform culture in all the countries and that’s why we cannot find the native culture of various regions anywhere. But the various communities like the Chinese and the Muslims who migrated to the European countries were never accepted by the native communities and were not allowed to prosper well (669). With the popularity of the concept of globalization, the international financial organizations (IFOs) are increasingly involved in determining the economic policies of countries. The International Monetary Fund, World Bank and other bodies of the United Nations (UNDP etc.) have their own poverty reduction plans for different countries according to the

Positive and Negative Associations Essay Example for Free

Positive and Negative Associations Essay Cognitive social psychology describes the â€Å"self† as a dynamic, flexible, and complex set of self-conceptions, emotions, images and memories that are stored in the long-term memory. Some of the self-related material in working memory is associated with the transient conditions of the present time frame. These self-conceptions serve the important function of guiding behavior, affection, and perception. Core self-conceptions are enduring and stable self-conceptions tend to endure over time, and are activated across situations which mean they influence a person in giving meaning to circumstances and choice on how to behave. The perspective about the self in the memory has been referred to as the self-structure where it is proposed that the self-related memory representations are not neutral, but rather carry with them an emotional quality or evaluation tone known as valence (Zephyr 91). Because self-evaluation is based on the prevailing norms and expectations of the cultural milieu, the meaning of the valence component of the core-descriptions is likely to show cultural specificity in which the positive and negative associations are mutually based. Positive and negative associations Cultures have been described in terms of interpersonal values they socialize in their members. Culture is the patterns of social institutions, relationships, and expectations that guide the development of culturally competent individuals. The social values and practices are the major basics in the cultural construction of the positive and negative social associations in a society’s culture. The Haitian culture has been overtly portrayed on racial terms by many white writers something that African American writers have been deconstructing to dispel these negative associations. On the positive associations, anybody who is Haitian upholds highly about his/her self-conceptions will regard everything with self-esteem and more so respect his/her culture; trying to paint a positive image of it. Zephyr (118) points out that Haitians are to some extent positive about their culture and that is the reason why they would like very much to change the negative perceptions the world has. Their music has transcended class boundaries expressing the greatness of the people’s culture and their nation at large. People who talk well of themselves usually have that attitude that keeps their cultural boundaries open to constructive criticism for the better. Superstitions which have for a long time dwarfed development and people’s association are being negated for a society that embraces change. Haitians have changed the African American negativism by whites which has brought new light on the racial issues as a people with equal dignity and who are supposed to be respected. Haiti had remained in the dark and students and other groups have drummed up support in peeling away the darkness and letting people learn more about the place and its people. The United States initially viewed Haiti as a threat to its existence but now that has changed with the view of Haiti as a nation that contributes to its well-being. The historical slave revolution of Haiti is very much part of its proud history. Haiti is considered as a beacon of hope for its model of self-emancipation. This much inspired Negroes in slave plantation to rise and strive for their liberties which were held at ransom by the slave masters. It also strikes positively that Haitians fought bravely against French troops which points to the strong urge among the people to resist oppression from the white masters. Their culture has been without intrusion for many years which has accounted for the people’s strong will of independence leading to self-conceptions that glorifies their lives. The positive self-descriptions of the Haitian people therefore fits within their cultural frame because of the image as a free people from the chains of colonization which are to blame in many African countries for denigrating indigenous cultures, leading to many Africans neglecting their butchered cultural values (Zephyr 89). The critique of the cultural practices of Haitians has provided culturally relevant psychiatric practice very important in the cultural mindset of the Haitians. However, the Haitian culture has not been without negative self-descriptions that are to account for the stereotypes which have influenced the society in a great way. Gender issues, like in every other patriarchal society in the world rears the ugly muzzle to the world view. Also, the Voodoo culture has had negative effects on the socio-economic and political advancement of Haitians. Zephyr (108) reminds us that the belief in cultural practices that hinder development due to inhibiting beliefs that changes will be a bad omen to the society are to blame for the situation of Haitians. The negative stereotypes are of bad influence on the self-conceptions and description which are normally based on the cultural milieu of the people. The voodoo belief has bad influence on the economic bearing in that some practices deny people the opportunity to enterprise in what can economically uplift their living standards. With this culture bearing impact on the mindset of people, ignorance and backwardness set in which make the associations with other people very difficult as these have moved from the perspective of stereotype to beliefs that oppress the people. Like any other society, oppression of women is evident on gender lines, with boy-girl privileges at stake, where education for the male child is done at the expense of the girl who might be a better achiever than the boy. But the Haiti society is changing to adapt to changes that have affected all societies in the world. Neglecting the oppressive beliefs has been a step towards building that global society that embraces change negating the ignorance of many indigenous societies of the past. With these changes, the perspective or the view of the world on Haiti has still remained negative with efforts made by the Haitian society not recognized (Zephyr 122). These degenerative views on Haiti need to change and the world to view the big picture of a changing society for there is no society without blemish. In conclusion, the positive and the negative associations in any society are embedded in the cultural frame of that society, and there is no way one can define such a society without meeting such associations. Whether positive or negative associations, they can be understood on the cognitive social psychology in terms of the self-conceptions defined by the larger cultural milieu. Societies due to globalization influence are changing and so should be our perceptions on particular societies like the Haitians. Works Cited Zephyr, Flore. The Haitian Americans. Westport, Conn: Greenwood Press, 2004.

Stowe and Truth Essay -- essays research papers

The Negro of today is a failure, not because he meets insuperable difficulties in life, but because he is a Negro. His brain is not fitted for the higher forms of mental effort; his ideals, no matter how laboriously he is train and sheltered, remain hose of a clown. He is, in brief, a low-caste man, to the manner [sic] born, and he will remain inert and inefficient until fifty generations of him have lived in civilization. And even then, the superior white race will be fifty generations a head of him. Around the 1850's many whites perceived this statement to be true. Not only did they believe in it, but they also had science and the doctors behind the science supporting this belief (Typically white males in the profession). African-Americans, as well as women were considered to be of lower intelligence, not able to perform in "higher forms of mental effort" and in the case of blacks "able to perform in a civilized manner". These two different causes gradually found themselves merging throughout history sharing one common cause, equal rights. When many of us hear about the civil rights movement we generally tend to think of the civil rights movement of the 1960's. With many well know leaders of the time, such as Dr. Martin Luther King, Malcolm X, Medgar Evers, many would say that the Civil Rights movement was at its' peak. With all of the things that were going on during the time, and the fact that it was televised though the eyes of millions via television. It's No wonder The Civil rights movement of the 1960's is thought of as the peak and or beginning of the movement. One could say that the civil rights movement started in 1680's, right at the beginning of slavery. Part of the Civil Rights movement was slavery and or Anti-slavery. Before Blacks could be considered equal, they first had to be depicted as humans. This would prove to be no easy task. Slavery roughly started around 1619, that's when the first indentured servants arrived in Jamestown, and ended totally in the US around 1865 with the emancipation proclamation. There were many heroes in the battle against slavery that were both black and white. Around the 1800's slavery was more openly being expressed as being wrong. Many blacks started to speak against their master, some rebelled, som... ...ise to the entire human race? This is the most important document that our country was founded on, as the constitution is the supreme law of the land. When the Europeans came over to America they came here to escape persecution, but eventually manifested into the people they fled from. Europeans became the founding fathers of persecution in what was to become the USA. Sojourner Truth and Harriet Beecher Stowe were two women who went about to change the unjust treatment, for not just women but for blacks as well. The relationship that Harriet Beecher Stowe and Sojourner Truth had was very uncommon at that time. Even the causes that they supported joining were very much uncommon but yet same. Sojourner Truth and Harriet Beecher Stowe set a trend in American society that is still present today. A trend that two causes could find alimentation with one another. Many may argue as to whether or not Sojourner Truth and Harriet Beecher Stowe started the merging of the two movements but it can be assumed that the two reflected the relationship of the two parties at the time. Cited in Charles E. Siberman, Crisis in black and White (New York: Vintage, 1964), 108

Mobs, Mobs, Mobs Essay

Mob mentality is a term used to describe a unique behavioral characteristic that develops when people are in a large group. It is often viewed as a negative sense but it can also be a positive sense. When people in our society today hear the word â€Å"mob† they think of an aggressive chaotic group of people fight or doing something with little to no reason. The mobs we have today has the same effect of what people think but it has become thoroughly worse. The factors of mob mentality leaves our society dumbfounded when it acts with alienation and animosity controlling us like a plague. The aspects of mob mentality comes in numbers which leaves us drowning not knowing what and how to react. Two main aspects that play a role in mobs are the overpowering anonymity that exists within a mob and the allotment of responsibility of the group’s behavior. These factors sometimes conceive a person’s belief that they can act a certain way within the group and not have the same consequence as what he or she would of faced if they did it on their own. For instance, if a person is in a mob that is causing havoc in a building, that person might believe that there would be less of a chance that they would get caught if they were alone, because it would be difficult for authorities to identify every person who was involved. They would also feel less guilt because of the many who did the same. Another factor in mob mentality is the greater sense of confusion or panic that would abrupt in a large riot. A perfect example is shown in most disastrous movies like 2012 or I Am Legend when large groups of people suddenly begin running in one direction. Although many people might not know why this would be happening, they see them and abruptly without warning begin running in that direction too. In severe events, the urge to run and panic spreads through everyone’s mind like a pandemic creating some sort of crowd delirium. Even for something that isn’t as chaotic like Black Friday when people see that a 60†³ HD LCD Samsung TV for sale at the price of $400, once they’re released its monkey see monkey do, some guy runs and the rest follows. Everyone has that moment when one of these events happened, threes also the voice in your head leaching adrenaline through your body telling  you run run run! Mob mentality plays a role in plays and concerts that were the â€Å"best.† Three people would stand up applauding and screaming like mad men. Then maybe a few others would join them. Some would look around uncomfortably , scanning the crowd, deciding if it was alright to start clapping. Our brains are wired to follow the crowd which afflicts damage to our society greatly and creating indecisive entities in everyone’s heads. There is a little more insight to show why people will react in ways that rebel against their regular morals and beliefs. â€Å"When people are part of a group they can deindividuate, (lose their self awareness and sense of individuality), and get caught up in the emotional excitement and indulge in behaviors they would not engage in alone† (Page 1). They may not feel that they are the ones responsible for their act of violence as they continue to do so as â€Å"the group’s†. The larger the mob, the more our society can lose self awareness as a whole or one’s self.