Puente Hill Toyota Essay

Puente Hills Toyota (PHT) is a large Toyota dealership which is owned by the corporation Hitchcock Automotive Services. PHT is situated in city of industry, California, about 25 miles east of Los Angeles. PHT offers a wide variety of new and used cars (this is unique in the industry). Furthermore they offer Toyota incentives, service specials, and Toyota parts savings. The annual profits of PHT totaled about $1.8, with annual sales of $ 85 million. PHT had a total of 145 employees. The employees are very valuable to PHT due they are the ones who have to advise the customer, sell the vehicles and repair them. But it is hard to keep them al motivated. As said by Howard Hakes; â€Å"It’s people who give us our biggest successes as well as our biggest challenges†. The most important is to get all the employees in the same direction, to reach the companies goals. For PHT there are two important things, that both the manufacturers and the customers are happy. PHT is divided in five departments, who are reporting directly to the dealership manager, namely: a sales department, and service department, a body shop department, a parts department and a Finance and Insurance department. The departments are managed as profit centers. Within this profit centers there are different performance measurement and incentive systems. First the performance measures and incentive systems that apply to all the departments will be discussed. Than the Sales and Service department will be discussed separately. All the bonus plans within the sales department start from one. At PHT, most employees’ variable incentive pay increases linearly with performance, however performance is defined; that is, the higher the performance, the larger the bonuses that are paid.

A company organizational struc...

A company organizational structure is a guidance to all employees by laying out the official reporting relationships representing the workflow of the company and provide clarity on specific human resources management issues, such as managerial authority and to achieve the company goals George, J. (2005). A formal outline of a companys structure makes it easier to add new positions in the company, as well, providing a flexible and ready means for growth, hence, departments can work more efficiently and have more time focusing on productive tasks. The structure refers to both the formal and informal frameworks that shape how the business is operated. However, the management must select the most suitable structure for the organization as it is not a one size fits all decision. Implementation of a formal organizational structure can also differentiate small-business operations from large-business operations. (David, 2018). This report attempts to focus on the different type of structure (functional, divisional and network structures) undertaken for each type of different organization. However, there are also elements such as work specialization, departmentalization, chain of command, span of control, centralization, decentralization and formalization which contributes to build a positive organization behavior. Functional structure is set up so that each portion of the organization is grouped according to its purpose. The functional structure is more technical orientated hence it enhances productivity level in which the organization can identify the expertise in each department. The lower level hierarchy level also gets to play a role in their responsibility, thus employees will have job satisfaction (Kalliath, 2009). Work specialization is the key structure to the organization structure. Today we use the term work specializations or division of labor, which activities in the organization are subdivided into separate jobs. For example, Google company adopted work specialization element, employees are carefully recruited, and they are job match each employee according to their knowledge. However, this hinders the rapid growth of the organization due to their stringent hiring process. The employees are strongly driven by the corporate culture. The organization also creates motivation to the employees by reward system and job enlargement to make sure that the employee is well engaged in the organization (Steven.L.M, 2005). However, the drawbacks to a functional structure is that it could lead to higher dysfunctional conflict and poor communication between departments which can delay the decision making, inflexibility. This type of structure is only suitable for small organization with one product or service as management can oversee the work process efficiently and maximize the employees performance (Julie. D, 2018). Starbucks had rearranged their organisation structure to improve on customer satisfaction (Shultz, 2008). The functional structure of Starbucks company is centralization of various departments or functions within the organization. By adopting functional structure using departmentalization element (geographic) each region has individual reporting managers which receives a closer managerial support for geographic needs and therefore a clear chain of command is apparent. A high degree of flexibility was used in individual department in adjusting strategies and policies to fit into various market conditions. This allows the employees to communicate effectively within the departments (George, 2005). Thus, there is presence of empowerment for the employees to make their own decisions and this gives them a sense of belonging to the organization (Starbucks, 2018). Today, with the new organizational structure, Starbucks had successfully achieved customer satisfaction and reduncies of employees are also eliminated and hence created a tensed working environment during the change of the structure. individual teams are being centralized to create an infrastructure with span of control globally within the region and hence capability and effectiveness are improved. Management can also focus more on the employees and functional activities can be design for each individual employee so the mission and goal of the organization will be shared across the organisation (Shultz, 2008).

Unmasking Victorian Monsters Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Unmasking Victorian Monsters - Research Paper Example In The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, Dr. Henry Jekyll begins experimenting on himself by drinking a potion that unleashes his dark side, a violent, brutish misanthrope named Edward Hyde. Eventually, he becomes unable to control the shift in personality chemically and it begins to overtake his upstanding persona and psyche as Dr. Jekyll. The novel itself is in the form of Dr. Jekylls last will and testament as it has fallen into the hands of his solicitor. The Island of Dr. Moreau tells the story of Edward Prendick who is shipwrecked in the South Pacific and finds himself on the island of Dr. Moreau. Moreau was a famous London physiologist who was shunned when his experiments in vivisection were revealed. He has exiled himself to this island where he can continue his experiments in vivisection unhindered by public opprobrium. Prendick learns that Dr. Moreau has created a collection of Beat Men who may, or may not, be under his control and resistant to their animal tendencies. Bram Stokers Dracula has multiple narrators although its principle one is Jonathan Harker, a London solicitor. Harker journeys to Transylvania to assist a client, Count Dracula, with a real estate transaction. Subsequently, Dracula arrives in England and begins to work his evil on a British woman, Lucy Westenra. As she wastes away the Dutch vampire expert, Abraham Van Helsing, eventually joined by Harker and his fiance, Wilhelmina Mina Murray, wages war against Dracula. Lucy and her mother both die after a wolf attack; the struggle eventually returns to Transylvania where Dracula is exterminated; one of his hunters, Quincy Morris, is also killed; and, Mina is freed from the mental and emotional thrall of the evil vampire. Indicatively, Moreaus creations are known as the Beast Folk. They appear to be neither people nor beasts but rather an

The Business Plan (your coursework) has a maximum of 4000 words Essay

The Business Plan (your coursework) has a maximum of 4000 words - Essay Example They turn to the internet to seek for the most competitive prices only to find sites which offer brokerage services between buyers and sellers on textbook. Due to the high brokerage fees associated with monopolistic giants such as eBay and Amazon, the students ends up purchasing at high cost. Students or people who intend to sell their textbooks are also offered little money as the purchase price of their books (Seth, 2008, p. 56). Establishment of an online used textbook retailing website that has the confidence of students would come in handy to bridge the gap between seller and buyers of this important commodity. In classes with a large number of students, students find it hard to communicate about assignments and other education-related issues such as teacher evaluation. There is a need of a platform which will gives students a free and fair opportunity to interact and communicate with their student leaders. The monopoly in online textbook retailing industry segment can be broken down by an increase in competition in this industry. This will not succeed unless the online retailers receive utmost confidence from their users who are dominantly students. Therefore, formation of a business that is close and has the goodwill of students plays an important role in reducing the high cost of used textbooks. Creation of partnerships between the parties and stakeholders in the industry will serve well in reduction of operational costs. Reduction of the level of monopoly in this market will be beneficial to students who not only act as buyers, but also sellers of used textbooks (Steve and Stephen, 2010, p. 176), 1.1 Solution By-passing the colleges bookshops, students will be able to purchase sell and trade utilized textbooks directly to others. The seller can get more cash than the bookshop will pay by selling textbooks to other students and the buyer can spend less than the bookshop charges. Additionally, students can sell computers, used CDs, class notes and much m ore through an online market (William, 2006, pg. 90). The University Cafe will also extend services like teacher assessments, weblogs, classifieds, specialized content and retail. It will base itself as the topping online student interaction market by blending wide market oriented expertise on internet technologies to yield income while providing a win-win resolution for students. The University Cafe will attain dominance in the market by using a broad area knowledge, a local foundation marketing scheme, a special managerial team, advanced software, and shaping of strategic alliances and partnerships with other companies in the college market. 1.2 Market The college student market in the U.S. is a developing but underserved niche. As per the U.S. Department of Education, this market is expected to grow from 15.8 to 17.2 billion students in the coming five years. This year, college students are anticipated to spend above $200 billion according to Paul (Paul, 2009, p.211). 1.3 Opportu nity At the close of every semester, college students seek to find means of acquiring â€Å"quick cash†. One of the means they use is the sale of old textbooks though this is operated by the college bookshop. The students only get a fraction of the book’s value due to college bookshops monopolizing the market. The bookshops receive supernormal profits by

Palliative care and the needs of cancer and non-cancer patients Essay

Palliative care and the needs of cancer and non-cancer patients - Essay Example Nevertheless, efforts to lengthen life or to comfort are not necessarily mutually exclusive. Many patients who receive palliative care feel better and live longer than expected. The boundary between "cure" and "care" is cultivated by eligibility rules for hospice benefits established by the federal government and private insurers to limit expenditures for palliative care. Confining palliative care to those who are expected to live no longer than six months creates pointless misery for many patients. It also unjustifiably weighs down clinicians who, in several circumstances, cannot precisely and truthfully calculate whether a seriously ill patient will live three months, six months, a year, two years, or even longer. This rigid division between cure and care likewise discourages suffering patients from requesting palliative care. Based on the model definition of the Canadian Palliative Care Association, the term palliative care has been characterised as "a philosophy of care and combination of therapies intended to support persons living with life-threatening illness. Palliative care strives to meet physical, psychological, social, and spiritual needs, while remaining sensitive to personal, cultural, and religious values. Palliative care may be needed at any time in the disease trajectory, and bereavement. It may be combined with therapies aimed at reducing or curing the illness or it may be the total focus of care. Care is delivered through the collaborative efforts of an interdisciplinary team including the individual, family, and others involved in the provision of care. Where possible, palliative care should be available in the setting of personal choice" (Ferris and Cummings 1995, p.12). As it is, palliative care does not end with the death of the patient. Although not all families require sophisticated follow-up, a palliative care program must offer bereavement counseling. Physicians and oncology nurses trained to deal with families in distress can help them link up with the palliative care group (McDonald 1998, p. 1710). Early implementations of palliative care for patients with chronic, critical, or multiple illnesses reduce the need for crisis-oriented services. Early palliative care affords a basis for predicting and preparing for the inconvenience intrinsic in the treatment and care of such individuals. In certain situations, especially those children with serious diseases, early palliative care can prepare the patient for life-prolonging treatments such as chemotherapy and make the treatments more acceptable and certainly more bearable. "Quality of Life" As mentioned, a major objective of palliative care is to achieve the best quality of life for patients and their families and this aim is often evaluated by measures of quality of life. However, the concept of quality of life, is complicated and quite tricky to define, being both individual and multidimensional and, although many instruments exist which attempt to quantify it, measurement is difficult. In the

American Airlines Innovation Report Research Paper

American Airlines Innovation Report - Research Paper Example It does flights both internationally and domestically, including the Caribbean, North America, South America, Asia, Europe, and Africa (Forty 44 ). The developments of this airline range are adverse i.e. passenger services improvement, electronic ticketing, discounts, introduction of self service machines, AAdvanced bag machine check programs, in-flight connectivity programs, power ports introduction to the plane, â€Å"remember me† feature, on board purchase features, and some others as will be seen in details later . American airlines have revolutionized the airline industry when they initiated the passenger services over 50 years ago. Up to date, American Airlines has not relented on its commitment to investment in technology and innovation so as to achieve customer satisfaction. From an advanced AA web site to a Self Service Check In, it has evolved its technology to serve the changing demands of the airline industry and of its customers. The AA website offers more tools a nd more options to the passengers; it has become more convenient in general. Therefore, most customers will continue using American Airlines services. The airline boasts of being the leader in innovation, as it was ranked 11th in the Information Week 500, which is a rating of the most creative organizations in the US. In 1998, American Airlines became the foremost airline to present electronic ticketing across the 44 countries it operates in (Mallarino 170). The AA website receives about 1.7 million visits in a day and is considered the biggest distribution channel in America as well as the best platform of online business within the airline. The airline has the reward packages for passengers who book their flights online get a discount guarantee, and there is no booking free of charge. The American Airlines also has a Mobile platform. The platform is a useful tool to the modern connected passengers and is the main force behind the airlines technology being developed to ease travel for the passenger (Stacks 45). The Airline also has a travel package commonly known as the American Airlines Travel Application. This application has been created with focus on the distinct characteristics of a particular mobile device, which enables timelier and simpler updates as new tools are created and released. This makes the American Airline remain ahead of other companies in terms of application innovation. These applications are available on various platforms including iPad, iPod Touch, iPhone, Blackberry, Android, Windows Phone 7, Amazon Kindle Fire, Barnes, and Noble NOOK Color Readers Tablet (Geza 45). The Airline has a Mobile Boarding pass chance that applies to passengers using American Eagle and American Airlines flights in about 80 cities and 10 international airports. The passengers have the option of receiving their boarding passes on their mobile phones when they book flights in the AA website using either the mobile or desktop version. The passenger is sent an em ail with a link to a boarding pass with a 2-D barcode. This barcode can be used at select American Airlines gates and TSA security checkpoints by scanning the 2-D barcode. The Wi-Fi widget enables customers to find out if the flights they have booked will be Wi-Fi enabled. The in-flight connectivity is a very important tool for leisure and business passengers (Cearly 60). The AA website enables passengers to receive computerized information about their

The Origin and Traits of Various Cultures Assignment

The Origin and Traits of Various Cultures - Assignment Example The significance of the events depends on their interpretation, through which they exert a pull on meaning and value. For that reason, history as a discipline is the study of the past. It is through learning history that the events of the past are legitimized by respecting the values and ideas of the people and their objective behind their actions. Therefore, history can be defined as the story of the civilization of mankind, depending on the interpretation of well-established and recognized primary sources.Culture is the characteristics and traits of a meticulous group of people who can be defined by common behaviors, beliefs, social habits, religion, language, cuisine, art, and music. There exist numerous cultures; Western, Eastern, Latin, Middle Eastern and African cultures. The members of each culture have universal characteristics that are common. They form a society, which is an interaction between people who share a common culture. A cultural attachment may be racial, ethnic, gender, values, beliefs, and activities. It is through the culture that individuals and groups get to identify themselves; conforming to that society’s values, beliefs, and traditions. It is evident that culture involves many aspects: customs, language, norms, rules, and more. In today’s world, the term culture seems to lose some of its usefulness because people share resources and interact globally (182). It is unlike the past where people labored and lived in small groups in the same vicinity.  Ã‚