Customer Service Personal Statement Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Customer Service - Personal Statement Example Kimberley Palmer’s article about US News’ interview with Jon Yates may help understand the point of view of the customer when they call about a problem. Customers call the customer service department because they have a problem. They cannot do something themselves and they need help. That’s the main responsibility of the customer service representative, to provide assistance to the customer. Sometimes these callers may be angry or frustrated, sometimes they are soft-spoken but that doesn’t mean they are disappointed with the service they are getting. By reading the article of Palmer, customer service departments would understand better what customers wants the most: and that is simply to be heard and understood. Sometimes there are situations wherein customer service representatives cannot help them because of company policies, or sometimes the bug was just recently discovered and the company is just in the process of fixing it. Customer service representa tives may not always have the solutions to all their problems. And there are customers who accept that, given that they were able to feel that the representative was able to understand their need and made an effort to help them in any possible way they can. The article shows how important the role of a customer service representative is. He is the frontliner of the company. ... Also, the more customers want to reach the top of the corporate ladder just to complain about a scratch on their ordered phone, the more the customer service department and quality assurance department looks bad. Why? Because this means that they weren’t able to give the customer their needs. For the quality assurance department, that is to ensure that the products are of high quality and for the customer service department, that is to ensure that an exchange or refund will be given to the customer. If the customer calls the customer service department then goes directly to the CEO, that means they had a bad customer service experience. This means they didn’t get the customer service that the company is required to give their customers. The article is an eye-opener to the customer service department. It is important that they think about the customer’s welfare. If the customer service department is able to give the service that the customer needs, then there wonà ¢â‚¬â„¢t be any bad publicity or any threat to go elsewhere. As Yates advices that if you don’t get a good customer service representative then skip the customer call center and go straight to the top (Palmer, 2012). This advice just emphasizes the importance of good customer service representatives and their role in maintaining the good name and in keeping their customers. His advice to threaten to take a business elsewhere and follow through with it if the company does not respond also proves how important it is for customer service representatives to provide a good service to customers (Palmer, 2012). If the customer service representative fails to answer to the customer’s call or fail to explain to the customer why certain situations cannot be helped or fail to help the customer altogether,

A short paper Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

A short paper - Essay Example The French were the first Europeans to settle in what later became the Canadian province of Quebec and to appease the population after their humiliating defeat by the British in the 1700s, they were granted certain rights including the retention of their religion, judicial and educational systems. These rights were maintained when Canada moved from colonial status to an independent democracy in 1867. While there are pockets of French heritage settlements in the rest of Canada, most are in Quebec province where they constitute the majority of the population. Unfortunately the classical French educational system with its’ close ties to the Roman Catholic church and lack of business orientation, was ill equipped to prepare students for business management positions so that in the industrial revolution most were relegated to low skill work serving Anglophone managers imported from the rest of Canada and had few prospects for advancement. Naturally this situation created resentment which was expressed in the formation of a political party dedicated to separation from the rest of Canada and a more militant group (the FLQ) . When this group escalated their activities from blowing up mail boxes and other symbols of alleged Anglophone authority to the kidnap of a British diplomat and the murder of a Quebec cabinet minister, Canadian Prime Minister Trudeau stepped in with the army to prevent an armed insurrection. However, people of Quebec were allowed to vote twice in referendums to express their desire whether to separate or remain within Canada, with the pledge that the majority wish would be respected and if separation was chosen there would be no military action and negotiations would commence for an equitable division of the country’s assets and liabilities. While in both cases the majority voted to remain in Canada, one was very close. Trudeau, although a

Compare the relationship and characters Essay Example for Free

Compare the relationship and characters Essay As Winston continues to write his diary, he begins to write it as though it were for OBrien to read. Despite the fact that Winston has been having a relationship with a woman called Julia, he still feels the need to look toward OBrien for approval of his ideas. When OBrien invites him to his house, Winston begins to believe that in fact, OBrien is a conspirator against the Party. Winston visits OBrien and admits to being a thought criminal. OBrien tells Winston that The Brotherhood, a shadowy organisation run by Emmanuel Goldstein that is working against the Party, does indeed exist. OBrien is thorough and concise in his explanation. We see very subtle clues however, that OBrien could be leading Winston into a trap. He is unsurprised to hear Winston repeat the quote from his dream we shall meet again in the place where there is no darkness and repeats it himself as though it were repetition of a previously held conversation in the place where there is no darkness he said, as though he had recognised the allusion. (Page 185) He also says earlier we are the dead (Page 183). This was something Winston had said earlier in the book that OBrien couldnt have heard unless he had been spying on him. Despite this Winstons admiration grows for OBrien to almost worship. Again this reinforces Winstons weakness. Despite the fact that OBrien could easily be a member of the thought Police attempting to entrap him, he is quite willing to admit to being a thought criminal. Even though OBrien gave off a suggestion that he may have been spying on him, Winston suspicion is not aroused and in fact his admiration of OBrien is increased. OBrien seems to be everything Winston is not. Winston is neurotic, nervous and physically weak. He lacks the power to change the world he lives in and looks to others to take the initiative and lead him in his revolt against the system. OBrien is so calm, cool and collected. He gives off an air of inner strength and power this is accentuated by his strong physical form. Despite this he also has a softer, kindly side to his nature. He seems to have all the answers to Winstons questions and makes him feel safe When you looked at OBriens powerful shoulders and his blunt-featured face, so ugly yet so civilised, it was impossible to believe he could be defeated (Page 183). Winston shows all the classic signs of looking toward OBrien as a father figure. Later on after receiving the book from OBrien, a piece that Documents the true state of the world and how to bring down the party, Winston is captured by The Thought Police He is taken to the Ministry of Love There are no windows and the lights are constantly on. Suddenly the statement the place where there is no darkness comes into focus. What had seemed like a positive analogy with the Darkness alluding to the unpleasant world of 1984 is turned on its head. What was really meant was that the place where there is no darkness is actually a jail, where the lights are never turned off. Winston still has a blind faith in OBrien and futilely believes that OBrien may try and save him. However, OBrien and Winston are about to meet again, but their relationship is about to enter a new stage. When OBrien appears at the door of his cell, Winston even now deludes himself into thinking that OBrien has been captured. However he soon puts Winston straight indicating that he is Winstons incarcerator and telling him You knew this Winston and adds you have always known it (both Page 251). After a series of beating that degrade Winston to a state of almost complete humiliation, OBrien begins to interrogate him. OBrien begins by breaking him down with a series of torture techniques and drugs. In one instance, OBrien takes Winstons symbolic stance that Freedom is the Freedom to say 2 + 2 = 4 and through a series of Electrocutions makes Winston start to believe that 2 + 2 actually = 5. OBrien tells Winston that by controlling memory and records, that The Party can dictate reality who controls the past controls the future and who controls the future controls the past (Page 260). OBrien also tells Winston that they do not intend to punish him, but simply convert him to their ways of thought, before he is executed. OBrien has undoubtedly become Winstons tormentor, putting him through horrendous torture. He has broken Winston down and begins to undermine all of his free thinking ideas. OBrien and Winston move toward a Teacher/Pupil relationship. Like a promising student Winston questions OBriens beliefs, forcing him to justify them. Whilst OBrien almost sees Winston as a proti gi e, trying to show Winston the error of his ways He had the air of a Doctor, a Teacher, even a Priest, anxious to explain and persuade rather than punish. OBrien also displays an ability to read Winstons mind. It may be that he has a telepathic power, but it could also be the scientific approach that OBrien seems to take with everything he does. He is an expert in the subject of thought. I believe that he has studied Winston in immense detail over many years and can actually predict his thought patterns. OBrien has already thought out their conversations in his head and predicted Winstons responses. He is an experienced interrogator and probable member of the Thought Police. It is likely he is able to pick up from a persons expressions and body language what they may be thinking. I also think that the link between them may have seen OBrien take a special interest in Winston, maybe the same thought patterns had crossed OBriens mind at some stage in his life. Eventually Winston is almost completely cured. However, he retains his love of Julia. OBrien decides to expose him to his worst fear in Room 101. Winston wears a mask that allows rats to be released on his face. He has an immense fear of Rats and finally screams out for them to be released on Julia instead of him. Finally OBrien has reached through into his soul and Winston is truly defeated. The book ends with Winston drinking coffee in a bar where Traitors live out their days before execution. Winston has abandoned all his ideas of free thought and rebellion. He realises that rather than hating Big Brother, he actually loves Big Brother. OBrien and Winstons relationship goes through several stages. It starts with Winston seeing OBrien as a hope, somebody who might be having the same thoughts as him. Then he believes OBrien will be the freedom fighter who will put an end to the totalitarian state the world has become. Finally he becomes Winstons tormentor, inflicting pain on him in order to cure him of his disease. Through all this though OBrien and Winstons relationship maintains a theme. Winston looks up to OBrien as somebody with immense Power, who can protect him and control his destiny. Even during torture when OBrien is unseen Winston believes he is there, orchestrating the beatings and keeping him alive. He believes blindly throughout that OBrien is his saviour. In the end perhaps OBrien does become his saviour. Winston finally is released from the fear of Big Brother and detection for thought crime. He loves Big Brother and looks forward to his execution. In the end, despite the tragedy of his failure, Winston finally seems to be able to face his fate alone.

Crazy Horse :: Battle of the Little Big Horn

When I think back of the stories that I have heard about how the Native American Indians were driven from their land and forced to live on the reservations one particular event comes to my mind. That event is the Battle of the Little Big Horn. It is one of the few times that the Oglala Sioux made history with them being the ones who left the battlefield as winners. When stories are told, or when the media dares to tamper with history, it is usually the American Indians who are looked upon as the bad guys. They are portrayed as savages who spent their time raiding wagon trains and scalping the white settlers just for fun. The media has lead us to believe that the American government was forced to take the land from these savage Indians. We should put the blame where it belongs, on the U.S. Government who lied, cheated, and stole from the Oglala forcing Crazy Horse, the great war chief, and many other leaders to surrender their nation in order to save the lives of their people. In the nineteenth century the most dominant nation in the western plains was the Sioux Nation. This nation was divided into seven tribes: Oglala's, Brule', Minneconjou, Hunkpapa, No Bow, Two Kettle, and the Blackfoot. Of these tribes they had different band. The Hunkpatila was one band of the Oglala's (Guttmacher 12). One of the greatest war chiefs of all times came from this band. His name was Crazy Horse. Crazy Horse was not given this name, on his birth date in the fall of 1841. He was born of his father, Crazy Horse an Oglala holy man, and his mother a sister of a Brule' warrior, Spotted Tail. As the boy grew older his hair was wavy so his people gave him the nickname of Curly (Guttmacher 23). He was to go by Curly until the summer of 1858, after a battle with the Arapaho's. Curly's brave charged against the Arapaho's led his father to give Curly the name Crazy Horse. This was the name of his father and of many fathers before him (Guttmacher 47). In the 1850's, the country where the Sioux Nation lived, was being invaded by the white settlers. This was upsetting for many of the tribes. They did not understand the ways of the whites. When the whites tore into the land with plows and hunted the sacred buffalo just for the hides this

Organizational Structure and Process Design Essay

Introduction Maruti Udyog Limited is a subsidiary of Suzuki Motor Corporation, the largest manufacturer of mini passenger vehicles in Japan in terms of sales volumes. Suzuki was also the eleventh largest vehicle manufacturer in the world and the fourth largest manufacturer in Japan in terms of worldwide sales volumes in 2000. Maruti was ranked twentieth in terms of worldwide sales volumes amongst vehicle manufacturers, and has been the largest passenger car manufacturer in India. In fiscal 2002, it had the highest sales volumes of 339,964 cars and a market share of 58.6%. Maruti has a diverse product range that includes ten basic models with over 50 variants, of which nine models are manufactured locally and one is imported from Suzuki. A timeline showing the evolution of Maruti over the years is given in the appendix. Maruti?s manufacturing facility comprises three integrated plants (all located in the same premises) located at Gurgaon in the state of Haryana. The production facility capability at each plant is upgraded on an ongoing basis to improve productivity and quality. At present, it has an installed capacity of 350,000 vehicles per year, which is the highest among passenger car manufacturers in India and among all passenger car manufacturing facilities of Suzuki?s subsidiaries outside Japan. There are total 17 manufacturing shops and are capable of producing more than 50 variants of the nine basic models manufactured, with different specifications, within the same day. The production of a car occurs in the following stages: Press Shop, Weld Shop, Paint Shop, Assembly Shop, Machine Shop and Engine shops. Maruti has extensive sales and service network, the largest network of dealers and service centers amongst car manufacturers in India. As of March, 2003, they had 178 authorized dealers with 243 sales outlets in 161 cities. For service, they had 342 dealer workshops and 1,545 Maruti Authorized Service Stations, or MASSs, which covered 898 cities in India backed by Express Service Centers on 30 highways across the country. For the supply of raw materials, components and spare parts of their products, they have 299 vendors all over the country. Vendors located within  a radius of 100 km from their facility supply the majority of our components. As of March, 2003, Maruti had 4,590 employees, including 614 engineers, 84 MBA graduates and 24 chartered accountants. Methodology We chose to study Maruti as its takeover and integration with Suzuki as well as dramatic changes in its task environment presented an interesting period to understand. Also we had a person with more than six years of experience in Maruti in our group and we were able to leverage his contacts within Maruti to get the required information. We interacted with a member of Senior Management of Maruti at Delhi through e-mail. This gave us a broader picture of structure and strategy of Maruti. Then we interviewed the head of Regional office of Maruti at Bangalore which helped us understand the dynamics of its vendor, dealer relationships better. We also chatted with a MUL employee undergoing training at SMC Japan to get a fell of culture of Suzuki. Last but not the least we interacted with summer interns and ex-employees of Maruti at IIM Bangalore. All these formal and informal interactions helped us form a holistic view of the organization and we were better able to appreciate the systems and processes at Maruti. Organizational Structure Maruti has a Functional organizational structure with Horizontal Linkages. The activities are divided broadly based on following functions Finance, Marketing, Engineering, Sales, Spares, Production, Materials, Production Engineering, Parts Inspection, Quality Assurance, Maintenance, Human Recourse Development, Information Technology, New Business, Administration As, it is a very big organization, these are further divided into smaller divisions, based on various criteria (product, plant, location etc). There are total 29 divisions in Maruti, and are headed by one Divisional Head,  which is a Functional post. Then these Divisions are further divided into 132 Departments, which are headed by one Department Head, which again is a functional post. A smaller version of the organizational chart is shown below. The complete Organizational Chart is attached in the Excel file. Organizational Structure of Maruti Functionally, the structure of Maruti is very flat. The employees are divided in just six functional levels, namely Workers & Technicians, Supervisors, Executives, Section Managers, Department Manager, and Division Manager. Division Managers then report to Directors. However, hierarchically, these are divided into different levels, like, Technicians are divided in 7 levels (L-1 to L-7), Supervisors in 3 levels (L-8 to L-10), Executives and Managers in 4 levels (L-11 to L-14). Above this the Levels are designated as IDPM (Incharge Department Manager), DPM (Department Manager), DDVM (Deputy Division Manager), and DVM (Division Manager). The Section Manager, Department Manager and Division Manager are all Functional posts, which means anybody from levels L-11 to L-14 can be a Section Manager, an IDPM or a DPM can head a Department, and an DDVM or DVM can head a Division. Increasing importance of Boundary Spanning Units: With the increase in competition MUL has realized the importance of boundary spanning units. It requires its employees to pay frequent visits to showrooms of other car manufacturers to get information as to how they deal with their customers and what are the services offered by them. Once Puneet, our group member was asked to pay visit to a Hyundai showroom. He talked to the sales representative there and elicited as much information as he could. When Puneet was asked his telephone number he gave a fake number by changing the first and the last digit. Puneet was surprised when he received a call from the sales representative after two days (the person must have really tried different numbers). When asked about his decision,  Puneet told him that he has already bought a Maruti Zen. The sales representative congratulated Puneet for the new car and at the same time he asked what led Puneet to prefer Zen to Santro. During the entire conversation the representative was polite and enthusiastic. The amount of determination and dedication shown by this person was missing on part of the sales force of MUL and this was the feedback given by Puneet to his top-level managers. The increasing importance of Boundary spanning units can also be seen in the importance of department like Marketing and service. The head of Marketing and sales department reports directly to the MD whereas other departments like Finance and Production have to go through Joint Managing Directors. Horizontal Information Linkages 1.Information Systems Various Information Systems play a significant role in providing Horizontal Information Linkages. These Information Systems are well integrated and provide most of the information required by different departments. Most of these Information Systems were developed over time by the IT Department of Maruti. These Systems have evolved over time according to the changing information needs. The largest of such Information Systems is Production Management System, which provides the production related information to all the concerned departments. Some of the others are: Finance and payroll system, Marketing & sales systems, Spares Systems, Extranet with Dealers, Data warehousing and various MIS systems, Supply Chain Integration Initiatives (Extranets), Knowledge Management Portal, Vehicle tracking system etc. Apart from these Email, messaging and workflow systems also play an important role. 2.Direct Contact In some of the Departments, one person is designated as ?Coordinator? for different activities, which have a liaison role with other departments. An  example is the ?Quality Coordinator? in the Production Shop, who is a ?single window? for communication related to quality related issues. 3.Task Force In some specific short term tasks, various ?Cross Functional Teams? are formed taking people from all related departments to achieve the specific targets. Mostly they are used for Quality Improvement, Problem Solving, Cost Reduction, New product Development, New Product Trials related issues. Structural Dimensions 1.Formalization The automobile industry is a process driven industry. In Maruti also, the formalization is very high, all the operation procedures, standards, methods, instructions are written down formally. Apart from the ?Company-wide Procedures?, all Departments have their ?Department Procedures?. These Department Procedures define the scope of work for the department as well as the roles and responsibilities and work flows. These procedures are approved by the Division heads, and are available to all concerned (mostly in the form of electronic copy), and also available for other departments for reference. In production shops, the standard operating procedures are documented, and displayed on the work stations. They are called ?Maruti Operations Standards? or MOS. Similarly Maruti Engineering Standards (MES), Maruti Inspection Standards for Parts (MIS-P), Maruti Inspection Standards for Testing (MIS-T) etc are also available. Changes in all these documents are recorded for the purpose of back-tracking purpose. 2.Specialization The functional structure and further division of labor makes high degree of specialization in Maruti. 3.Hierarchy The span of control becomes a very interesting dimension in Maruti because most of the posts are functional in nature. If we look at the Section Manager in some department, then there might be 4-8 people of different levels (L-1 to L-13) directly reporting to him without any level-wise hierarchy amongst themselves. Therefore, in some cases, people working at as high level as L-13 do not have a direct sub-ordinate to them. The span of control is generally in the order of 3~6 at the top management level, 4~8 at the middle management level, and 0-5 at lower management levels (other than production). In production departments, the span of control at lower management level goes up to 40~50, as those many workers and technicians directly report to a line supervisor/ shift in-charge. 4.Centralization The Centralization is very low in Maruti, as the decision making authority is quite de-centralized and distributed across all levels. 5.Professionalism Maruti can be rated high on the Professionalism dimension, as most of the jobs require technical skills, and in some specific areas like Design and R&D, special training at Suzuki is also required. This is also evident from the fact that around 1900 employees of Maruti have been trained at facilities of Suzuki so far, and in the total work force, Maruti has around 80+ MBAs, 600+ Graduate Engineers, 200+ Diploma Engineers, and all the workers and technicians require minimum qualification of ITI. Use of Project based Teams In view of increasing competition in the automotive sector Maruti has tried  to use a project based structure to tackle specific problems effectively. Around two years back in a meeting of middle and senior level executives it was decided to form teams which would focus on specific goals. Around thirty teams comprising or 8 ? 10 members were formed. These teams had specific mandates in terms of cost reduction, new product development and were given resources and authority in order to implement their projects. For example, one team worked on value analysis and value engineering for specific components for cost reduction. Another team worked on improving the JD Power ratings that Maruti secured for IQS (Initial Quality Service). These teams were working on a high priority and all departments were expected to co-operate. Also they reported to the JDM directly and this helped them to sort out any problems they encountered. The best performing teams were awarded handsomely. Culture Corporate culture of a company reflects the kind of relationships its employees have with each other and the kind of bonding they feel with the company?s ideal and values. It also reflects the kind of strategy a company follows. Maruti which initially started as a PSU even though in collaboration with an MNC like Suzuki had a bureaucratic culture. A near monopolistic hold on the market made for a free-wheeling work force unconcerned with competition and innovation. But ever since liberalization and privatization the culture of Maruti has undergone a sea change. A small example will suffice: The day of a Maruti Employee started with signing the attendance register and coming late by half an hour or an hour was not uncommon but now with electronic swipe card based attendance a one minute delay can cost you a day?s salary. Earlier many workers used to come and sign the attendance register and then sub-contract their work to a temporary labor at the rate of around Rs.50 per day as compared to amounts around Rs10000 per month paid to them. With assured employment there was little incentive to contribute towards the well-being of the company. Even MUL employees who used to have a training stint in Japan used to feel frustrated and alienated by the work culture in  MUL after finishing their training. A reflection of this culture was the worker strike which crippled Maruti in 2001. After recovering from the strike Maruti had a perceptible change in culture. A VRS scheme introduced soon afterwards increased the sense of insecurity amongst employees, but it was all for a good cause. A hiked component of variable pay further brought company and employee interests in sync. An interesting ritual of starting the day with a two minute exercise on Japanese music was introduced. Also they have a common uniform and common canteen since the very beginning. So you can really walk into the company canteen and eat with the MD Jagdish Khattar. Now MUL has more of a mission culture with a clear mandate to maintain its market share and act as a small car sourcing hub for Suzuki. A look at company?s vision statement makes an interesting study. The company?s vision is to be the leader in the Indian automobile industry, creating customer delight and shareholders wealth, a pride of India. After its acquisition by a Japanese company does its vision of being the pride of India? Whosoever said that globalization is not full of ethical dilemmas! Comparing the culture of Maruti to other companies in India it is most similar to Hyundai and Daewoo in India, companies which have East Asian origins. Lot of stress is laid on team work and treating the company as an extension of one?s family. Innovation is also encouraged an example being the constant innovations in terms of process improvements using quality circles in Maruti. Of late an overtime culture has also slowly made its way into Maruti with the promotions linked to 180 ° feedback and staying late being used as a tool to signal your dedication and hard work. At this point it will be interesting to compare and contrast the culture and practices at Maruti and its Japanese parent Suzuki Motor Corporation of Japan. Organizational Structure and Work Culture at SMC, Japan A brief description of the Organizational Structure of Suzuki Motor Corporation Japan is given in the form of a block diagram below. SMC is headed by a chairman. The company consists of 8 divisions. These are further divided into subdivisions and departments. Organizational Structure of SMC, Japan is hsown in the appendix. Differences between Work Culture at Suzuki Motor Corporation Ltd. and Maruti Udyog Ltd. We interviewed A.B.Sinha, who is Deputy Manager (Engineering) at MUL and has been training for the last two years at Suzuki, Japan. During the course of this interview we discovered several interesting differences in the work culture between MUL and SMC. ?Employment at SMC tends to be a lifelong commitment. This means that neither the company lays off its workers nor the employee leaves the company for employment elsewhere. Hence any new employee joining the company is an important occasion and is celebrated in a series of ceremonial parties. ?The company trusts its employees to a greater extent and the employees in turn respond by being totally devoted to the company. There is no system of monitoring attendance through I cards and no system of punishments. The employees do not use the official telephone for personal calls. Also, there is less conflict and more team spirit. All assignments are given to teams. If one employee is not able to work then the others in his team try to help him. ?There is a strict hierarchy within the organization and the promotions are based on seniority. A Shinjun (entry level) takes 8 years to become a Kakaricho (asst. manager) and 8-10 years after that to become a Kacho (Manager). There is very little rotation between departments. ?There is a higher degree of precision in the planning. Jobs are allocated on an hourly basis. Meetings are short and focused. All employees record their movements on a board so that they can be easily tracked. ?Official timings are from 8:45 AM to 5:30 PM. However, most employees work from 8:45 to 7:00 PM on Wednesdays and from 8:45 AM to 10:00 PM on other days. The number of working days in a year is only 240. Power and Politics In MUL the control and power is mostly in the hands of management. During the workers strike in 2000 the management refused to agree to the workers demands. The officers ran the plant by supervising the operations of the plant and hiring contractual labour. This made it difficult for workers to sustain the strike. They had to call off the strike and were in fact forced them to agree to some changes laid down by the management. The power of Japanese has always been there in an implicit manner. The Japanese have acted as conflict resolvers whenever there have been any conflicts within or between departments. Many times the departments play politics wit other departments by trying to use the referent power available due to closeness with Japanese management. With the increase in stake of Suzuki Motor Corp. the legitimate power of the Japanese management has further increased. Strategic Profile A strategy is a plan for interacting with the competitive environment to achieve organizational goals. Organizations have goals that define where it wants to go and strategies define how it will get there. Strategy is usually one or more competitive actions. It involves choosing whether the organization will perform different activities than its competitors or will execute similar activities more efficiently than its competitors do. The strategic profile of Maruti can be described using the following models: 1.Porter?s competitive strategies: MUL introduced ‘Maruti 800’ in 1983 providing a complete facelift to the Indian car industry. The car was launched as a â€Å"People?s car† with a price tag of Rs40, 000. This changed the  industry’s profile dramatically. Maruti 800 was well accepted by middle-income families in the country and its sales increased from 1,200 units in FY84 to more than 200,000 units in FY99. Since then, MUL specialized in low-cost leadership. However its focus was not limited to small cars. MUL extended its product range to include vans, multi-utility vehicles (MUVs) and mid-sized cars. Hence it has low-cost leadership with a broad focus according to the framework of porter?s competitive strategy. 2.Miles & Snow?s strategy typology: This framework is based on the idea that managers seek to formulate strategies that will be congruent with the external environment. Organizations strive for a fit among internal organization characteristics, strategy and the external environment. This framework describes four strategies ? the prospector, the defender, the analyzer and the reactor. Maruti has always maintained stable products with minor innovations aimed improving the utility of products. In 1983, it saw opportunities and innovated by launching Maruti 800. It introduced cars in other segments like mid-car and multi-utility segments. Since then, it maintained stable business for all its brands. Therefore Maruti can be called ?analyzer?, which is a combination of prospector and defender. Inter Organizational Relationships Inter organizational relationships are the relatively enduring resource transactions, flows and linkages that occur among two or more organizations. In today?s business environment it is extremely difficult for a firm to do business on its own. Inter organizational relationships play a major part in the success of a firm. Maruti and Government of India The Government of India has been a shareholder in Maruti Udyog Ltd. from the beginning. Till a few years ago the Government had a majority stake in Maruti which was reduced recently. At present its share in Maruti is 18.28%. The relationship between Maruti and government has always involved a third player, the Suzuki Motor Corp. Government has never been involved in day to day working of Maruti. But it had been involved in the strategic decisions in the past. For example introducing new models of cars required the prior approval of Project Approval Board which is under the Ministry of Industry. In 1998 the Government signed a contract with SMC under which the appointment of Chairmen and Managing Directors would be made only after mutual consultation. This was a result of a bitter quarrel between Government and SMC regarding management succession. InterOrganizational Relationships of Maruti With a decrease in shareholding the direct involvement of government in Maruti has reduced. But there are many other ways in which the Government decisions affect Maruti. Any changes in the Pollution Emission norms made by the Government have a direct impact on Maruti. Similarly other policies of the government may have a direct or indirect impact on Maruti. Maruti and Other Auto Makers For a firm like Maruti the role of inter organizational relationships is extremely important. Fro the time of its inception Suzuki Motor Corporation (SMC) has been involved in the production part of the organization with all the designs being provided by SMC. SMC has recently become the parent company of Maruti with a 51% stake in Maruti. This has enabled Maruti to have even stronger ties with SMC. Also many Japanese managers are a part of Maruti?s Management team. These kinds of relationships help companies to tide over crises that may occur from time to time. To quote a recent example, Maruti Udyog Ltd has been under pressure to meet the high demand for diesel vehicles, particularly Zen and Esteem in India. To meet this demand Maruti has asked the parent company Suzuki Motor Corporation to find an immediate solution for supply of diesel engines. Following this, the Japanese company is  exploring the twin strategy of in-house production and procuring from other manufacturers like Fiat, Opel and Volkswagen. The above example illustrates how relationships can be built like a chain from one organization to another and so on. The companies which earlier used to adopt an Adversarial relationship have started developing Corroborative networks in order to survive in today?s business environment.

The Warped Memories Interesting Facts - Free Essay Example

Sample details Pages: 5 Words: 1574 Downloads: 5 Date added: 2019/03/13 Category Sociology Essay Level High school Tags: Childhood Essay Did you like this example? Introduction Remember Sleeping Beauty? Snow White, Cinderella, Rapunzel? Most of the worlds nostalgic memories of these childhood-favorites are lies. Everyone knows that ones memory can fail them sometimes. Humans are a forgetful species, constantly not remembering what they walked into the room for, or bickering with their friends over an event that happened not even a day ago because they swear it happened differently than how theyre being told. Don’t waste time! Our writers will create an original "The Warped Memories Interesting Facts" essay for you Create order Well, if everyone knew the true background behind many innocent fairy tales, they wouldnt forget. Fairy tales have been around for thousands of years, no one knowing when exactly they started, being passed on both through verbal communication and by being written down. However, this classic literature tradition wasnt always intended for youth; it was actually a way for adults to document the hardships they have experienced or seen. Fairy tales have almost made a full circle in terms of the gore and horror thats included in these popular fables. Fairy tales have been around for as long as one remembers, right? In fact, no one knows exactly when they started, even with all of the knowledge weve gathered about this captivating, extensive topic. Until about 4,000 bce all literature was oral, but, beginning in the years between 4,000 and 3,000 bce, writing developed both in Egypt and in the Mesopotamian civilization (folk literature). Although humans initiated writing things down and documenting some important baggage around 4,000 bce, the study of fairy tales didnt begin until the early 19th century (folklore). However, historians discovered that people would write down their stories when theyre going through rough times. fairy tales originated in an age marked by wars, plague, and famine (Smith 105). The origin of fairy tales, just like human language, is probably impossible to find out (folk literature). The start of fairy tales still have people all over the world scratching their head. Because every culture has experienced fairy tales in their own way, miscommunication is common when trying to gather accurate information about a time frame from when and where these classic fables originated. Although humans may not know how fairy tales started, they do know how the popular stories were passed along. Using the knowledge already obtained through studies, analysts can conclude that fairy tales were passed along verbally for many, many years before the thought of writing a fable down ever came into anyones mind. It is often difficult to distinguish between tales of literary and oral origin, because folktales have received literary treatment from early times, and, conversely, literary tales have found their way back into the oral origin (fairy tales). As stated earlier, there are many ways to communicate stories to others. Simply speaking to each other and writing notes are fantastic examples of this. Although people know that fairy tales have been around long, long before their parents and grandparents, it still comes as a shock to some children when they find out their favorite stories werent made and intended for their eyes. Many people are baffled and surprised when they hear that fairy tales werent initially for children. Of course different authors try and appeal to different audiences, but originally, they were limited to adults. Fairy tales joined the canon of childrens literatureonly in the last two to three centuries (Dewan 27). Children have been overhearing their parents talk for probably their entire life; not always on purpose. They began as oral tales for all listeners, though mostly adults, passed down by word of mouth from one generation to the next. In the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries, Giovanni Francesco Straparola, Giambattista Basile, and Charles Perrault published some of the first collections of fairy tales in the Western tradition. During the nineteenth century, famous fairy tales authors such as Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm, Hans Christian Andersen, and Joseph Jacobs continued writing down oral tales (Dewan 27). Though most fairy tales are now intended for children, that wasnt always the case. Trying to get back to their roots (within limits), some fairy tale authors are including more havoc and crime like they used to in the early times. Kids are more attracted to this aspect than they are to the soft-sides of things. Fairy tales relate to people of all ages now. Different authors aim at different ages, but the majority have an underlying theme that connects all families. Some fairy-tale adaptations minimize the fear, evil, and violence, forgetting that many children enjoy dangerous situations, particularly in the safe environment of fiction (Dewan 28). Its becoming well known that kids dont want the happy-go-lucky stories theyre used to being told. Fractured fairy talesdelight young readers because they violate the fairy tale conventions that children have learned to recognize (Dewan 30). By moving away from the safe side of tales, it exposes people to a new mindset. Children become adults in these tales by moving away from home and entering the wide world-a place filled with danger, challenges, and exciting adventures (Dewan 28). Although the children in the stories may not literally become adults, they grow up mentally and are more mature. Many fairy tales begin with a domestic problem, one that propels children into the larger word. This movement away from home stimulates personal growth as characters face new challenges (Dewan 28). Fairy tales have changed a lot throughout the years. Some of the most famous, original fairy tale authors wrote in lots of gory details, not leaving out any carnage. People thought that was too aggressive, so some authors switched and became too soft, losing touch with their fanbase in the process. All of the fairy tales we are told as kids are watered-down versions of the original. The original tales might be too gruesome for todays people; their horrific origins, which often involve rape, incest, torture, cannibalism and other hideous occurrences, are brimming with sophisticated and brutal morality (Ogden). Now, there is going to be an example of one of our favorite story origins, but be warned: its cruel. The tale of Hansel and Gretel could have been told to keep children from wandering off. But during the great famine of 1315-1317 A. D. that crushed most of continental Europe and England, disease, mass death, infanticide and cannibalism increased exponentially. Seeking relief, some desperate parents deserted their children and slaughtered their draft animals. Or Hansel and Gretel might have stumbled upon the home of the successful baker, Katharina Schraderin. In the 1600s, she concocted such a scrumptious gingerbread cookie that a jealous male baker accused her of being a witch. After being driven from town, a posse of angry neighbors hunted her down, brought her back to her home, and burned her to death in her own oven. This is just one case where a cute story was formed from a cold-blooded past. To sum up, fairy tales have been around for a very long time. Theyve been passed down through generations, starting from when adults told their troubles and hardships to each other over a meal. Theyve come a long way from the intense, gruesome dramas that werent intended for children and found a nice balance between being too intense and too soft. Fairy tales have existed for many millennium, battling the inevitable test of time and winning again and again. Although fairy tales werent initially intended for children, the tales have almost made a full-circle and started including the gore and horror aspect that was there when the adults were the majority of the audience. Overall, it might be said these child-favorite fantasies have been around for basically forever. Theyre a wide and extensive topic, spanning all the way from before 4,000 bce, and there doesnt seem to be an end in sight. To sum up, fairy tales have been around for a very long time. Theyve been passed down through generations, starting from when adults told their troubles and hardships to each other over a meal. Theyve come a long way from the intense, gruesome dramas that werent intended for children and found a nice balance between being too intense and too soft. Fairy tales have existed for many millennium, battling the inevitable test of time and winning again and again. Conclusion Although fairy tales werent initially intended for children, the tales have almost made a full-circle and started including the gore and horror aspect that was there when the adults were the majority of the audience. Overall, it might be said these child-favorite fantasies have been around for basically forever. Theyre a wide and extensive topic, spanning all the way from before 4,000 bce, and there doesnt seem to be an end in sight. To sum up, fairy tales have been around for a very long time. Theyve been passed down through generations, starting from when adults told their troubles and hardships to each other over a meal. Theyve come a long way from the intense, gruesome dramas that werent intended for children and found a nice balance between being too intense and too soft. Fairy tales have existed for many millennium, battling the inevitable test of time and winning again and again. Although fairy tales werent initially intended for children, the tales have almost made a full-cir cle and started including the gore and horror aspect that was there when the adults were the majority of the audience. Overall, it might be said these child-favorite fantasies have been around for basically forever. Theyre a wide and extensive topic, spanning all the way from before 4,000 bce, and there doesnt seem to be an end in sight.

When Religious Beliefs Overpower Human Rights - 1489 Words

Free societies benefit from a separation of church and state, while others are greatly governed by a combination of the two. The problem arises when religious beliefs overpower human rights, and oppression takes over. At the center of its core, Buddhism emphasizes on meditation as the path towards liberation of the wheel of samsara. To further my understanding, I chose to focus on a Tibetan meditation practice known as Vajrayana, which is the most important practice from the Theravada schools as a means to the liberation of all sentient beings, hence, eliminating oppression and suffering (Lewis, 69). To gain a greater understanding and appreciation for this practice, I participated in a meditation service and lecture given by Buddhist monk†¦show more content†¦According to Lopon Wandgu’s lecture, visualization of self as an enlightened being is the reason why one meditates. Empowerment, which comes from the embodiment of the five wisdoms of the Buddha, allows for prai se and offering through recitation (mantra), which â€Å"rotates around the seed syllable at the heart† (Wandgu). Dissolution during meditation allows for the environment to be melted into the â€Å"seed syllable†, finally melting into emptiness. During the final stages of meditation, one must arise again â€Å"as deity.† The last part referred to as the dedication, requires the â€Å"practitioner to dedicate the merit [from the merit bank] of meditation to the benefit of all sentient beings† (Wandgu). After the main meditation section, the practitioner is required to try and keep the feeling of being an intrinsic deity. Lopon Wangdu, stated that meditation is not for ourselves, but for the liberation of all sentient beings and for the enlightenment of deities that are capable to help other sentient beings. 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