Leadership and Management in Nursing Care Delivery Models

Leadership and Management in Nursing Care Delivery Models A care delivery model is an integral component for delivering patient care. Nursing care delivery model is a way of organizing at the unit level to facilitate the delivery of nursing care to the patients (Tiedeman Lookinland, 2004). Organization of care is a key factor that determines quality of nursing care (Tiedeman Lookinland, 2004). Various types of care delivery models have been designed to meet the goals of efficient and effective nursing care While many different care delivery models are practiced in the wards and departments of the acute care hospital that I work in, it is beyond the scope of this paper to discuss them all. In the 20 bedded medical oncology ward that I work in, nursing care delivery is organised into team and primary nursing. Six beds are allocated to transplant patients. One registered nurse is assigned to be the primary nurse of three transplant patients each. The other fourteen patients are split between two teams of nurses. Each team has a registered nurse, an enrolled nurse and a patient care assistant. Thus, this paper is concerned with these two modes of organization of care. An overview of primary and team nursing models of care will be presented. Thereafter, the experiences of nurses involved in the delivery of care using these models of care will be discussed with regards to job satisfaction and quality of care. Description of Care Delivery Model Primary Team Emerging in the United States in the1960s, the primary nursing model involves patients being allocated to individual nurses (Tiedman Lookinland, 2004). One registered nurse is allocated a number of patients for whose care this nurse is accountable during the patients hospital stay (OConnell, Duke, Bennett, Crawford, Korfiatis, 2006; Tiedman Lookinland, 2004).The nurse-patient relationship is the backbone of primary nursing. The primary nurse collaborates with other health team members, the patient and family to continually assess, plan, implement, and evaluate the patients nursing care (Reed, 1988; Sellick, Russell, Beckmann, 2003; Tiedman Lookinland, 2004). When the primary nurse is unavailable to provide care, associate nurses follow the plan of care developed by the primary nurse, unless a change in patients condition necessitates a modification of the care plan, so as to maintain the continuity of care for the patients (Tiedman Lookinland, 2004). Team Nursing Implemented in the 1940s as a response to the nursing shortage resulting from the World War II, team nursing is based on the premise of collaboration and division of responsibilities for the nursing care of patients (Tiedman Lookinland, 2004). In team nursing, nurses and ancillary staff with different levels of education, skills and licensure are assigned to teams and each team provides total nursing care to the patients assigned to that team (OConnell et at., 2006; Tiedman Lookinland, 2004). Leadership for each team is provided by a team leader, who is an experienced registered nurse responsible for planning and supervising the provision of nursing care for patients cared for by team members. The team leader has overall accountability for coordinating the nursing care provided, while the team members are accountable for completing their assigned tasks and for documenting the care delivered (OConnell et at., 2006). Nursing Staff Job Satisfaction Primary Team One of the most important gains of primary nursing for the nurses interviewed was more contact and enhanced relationships with patients. One nurse said, I know more about each of my patients and do not constantly have to get to know new ones. These views are consistent with Mccleod and Stellas (1992) study where nursing staff on medical and surgical wards were asked what they liked about primary nursing. Participants liked the enhanced relationships and collaboration with patients and other members of the healthcare team. To be able to take care of the same patients day after day was greatly appreciated by the nurses interviewed. This continuity of care led to the development of good relationships between the primary nurse and the patient as well as with relatives. This is an aspect that the nurses found increased their levels of job satisfaction (McCleod Stella, 1992). Primary nursing facilitated an in-depth knowledge of their patients and as a consequence, the nurses felt more able to act as a patients advocate. Nurses verbalised they had additional responsibility and accountability as all duties and responsibilities in taking care of a patient for his or her duration of stay is delegated entirely on a single nurse. The primary nurses interviewed perceived that they had the authority to make clinical judgments and decisions for the benefit of the patient. Their use of phrases such as freedom from control by others, ability to plan and organize the workday, using knowledge to make decisions and advocating for the patient described autonomy. Autonomy refers to the ability to act according to ones knowledge and judgment, providing nursing care within the full scope of practice as defined by existing professional, regulatory, and organizational rules (Gagnon, Bakker, Montgomery, Palkovits, 2010). The nurses noted that through practicing primary nursi ng, their autonomy was increased. There is a substantial body of evidence indicating that nurses perceived autonomy is linked to job satisfaction. A study by Melchior, Halfens, Abu-Saad, Philipsen, van den Berg Grassman (1999) investigated the effects of a primary nursing care delivery system on the work environment among nurses working in long-stay psychiatric care settings. Results showed that as a result of primary nursing, the nurses found more autonomy in their work and thus experienced increased job satisfaction. Similarly, Macguire and Botting (1990) analysed the perceptions of nursing staff, following the introduction of primary nursing into an acute medical ward for elderly people. Nurses reported better communication, improved relationships and increased responsibility after implementing primary nursing. It appeared that both increased autonomy of practice and increased knowledge of specific patients, coupled with a greater continuity of care, gave nurses a high level of satisfaction than did previous meth ods of care delivery (Macguire Botting, 1990). On the downside, some nurses commented that working in a primary care system tends to be isolating and this proved to be particularly difficult when they were looking after a critically ill patient. These experiences mirrored those reported by nurses in the study by Manley, Hamill, and Hanlon (1997). Team Nursing Nurses practicing team nursing commented that working as a team was a lot better, because then they can have somebody else backing them up. According to OConnell et at. (2006), working collaboratively with team members serves to enhance job satisfaction, as many find this to be a learning experience that utilizes the expertise of each team member. This was supported by Rafferty, Ball, and Aiken (2001) who demonstrated that nurses who report a higher level of teamwork are more satisfied with their jobs, plan to stay in them, and are likely to experience less stress. However, enrolled nurses and the patient care assistants interviewed added that they felt the staff nurses were spending too much time with medications and writing reports while they were left to do the heavy manual work. A similar finding was demonstrated by OConnell et al. (2006). In this study, both registered nurses and enrolled nurses felt that the team-nursing model sometimes involved an uneven and unfair division of tasks that overburdened some nurses. The medication responsibilities of registered nurses within the team-nursing model imposed excessive demands on enrolled nurses as they were left with meeting the hygiene needs for the patients in their group without assistance. These tensions led to a decrease in job satisfaction. Quality of Care Primary Team The nurses interviewed felt patients were more satisfied when primary nursing was in place because they received individualized care as a result of continuity and coordination of care. Primary nursing has led to the nurses having a better knowledge of the patient. Nurses pointed out that primary nursing enabled them to know each patient more closely. One nurse remarked, I know my patients like the back of my hand. Therefore, it was easier to find out what each patient needed and to meet those needs appropriately. Jenny and Logan (1992) suggest that greater knowledge of the patient is linked to the increased likelihood of picking up subtle changes in the patients condition. In addition, Perala and Hentinen (1989) found that through primary nursing, doctors received information about patients that was more exact and relevant because nurses knew their patients better. This enabled nurses to provide more applicable and effective patient centred nursing care. In response to this therapeut ic relationship, the patient feels more secure about and satisfied with nursing care (Jenny Logan, 2000). The nurses views were supported by the findings of Radwin (2000). In this study conducted over a 3-year period, oncology patients were asked to identify qualities of nursing care that were important to them. Professional knowledge, joint decision making between the patient and the nurse, individualized treatment plans, promptness to addressing individualized needs and continuity of care were some aspects of care delivery that were identified. Team Nursing Nurses interviewed said that since staff was supervised more closely, the likelihood of missing things out was low. This, they felt, resulted in patients receiving better care. This sentiment was echoed by the nurses in OConnell et al.s (2006) study. Moreover, nurses added that the patients benefitted from the combined skills of the team. According to the study by Cioffi and Ferguson (2009), team nursing made a difference to patient care as it was patient-oriented, all the nurses in the team were familiar with the patients receiving care, care was more complete as things were missed less often and staffs were supervised more closely. This resulted in patients receiving better care. In conclusion, providing care to a group of patients require nurses to be more efficient and use their time more effectively. Nursing care delivery models facilitate this. This paper has provided an overview of primary and team nursing care delivery models. The experiences of nurses were discussed with regards to job satisfaction and quality of care in the two models. Literature supporting the nurses experiences was then explored.

China Fertilizer Industry Overview Economics Essay

China Fertilizer Industry Overview Economics Essay The worldwide fertilizer demand has rebounded in 2010 after witnessing a slowdown in FY09 and FY08 and the recovery is expected to sustain till 2014 based on the International fertilizer industry Association (IFA) estimates. The overall fertilizer demand in FY09/10 rose 3.7% to 162.5Mt as compared to 156.7Mt in FY08/09. The demand for N (nitrogen), P (Phosphorus) and K (Potassium) fertilizers in FY09 surged 1.9%, 4.5% and 18% respectively mainly driven by the Asian followed by the American markets. The overall fertilizer demand in FY10/11 is expected to increase 4.8% to 170 Mt and reach 188.3 Mt in 2014/15 driven by the economic recovery and positive agricultural market conditions. The demand for the N, P and K fertilizers are expected to increase 1.9%, 4.5% and 18%, respectively In FY10/11. Source: IFA, RODM research China fertilizer industry overview China is the largest consumer and producer of fertilizers in the world, contributing 31.4% and 29.1% of the global consumption and production respectively in FY07 based on the International fertilizer association statistics. According to china statistical year book, the country s fertilizer consumption in FY08 rose 2.6% to 52.4Mt as compared to 51.1mt in 2007 and grew at a CAGR of 3% for the period 2000-2008. This was mainly due to population increase in china, growth in compound fertilizers and increasing production of organic agriculture. Henan is the major consumer for fertilizers that accounts 11.5% of total consumption of fertilizer in china followed by the Shandong, Jiangsu and Hubei which contributed 9.1%, 6.5% and 6.3% of overall fertilizer consumption in FY08. Source: China statistical yearbook, RODM research Compound fertilizer industry in china Compound fertilizer comprises of at least two nutrients among nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium and includes both organic and inorganic fertilizers. Based on the china statistical year book, the consumption of compound fertilizer industry have grown at a CAGR of 6.9% as compared to the 0.3%, 1.3% and 4.7% of Nitrogenous, Phosphate and potassium fertilizers respectively over a period of 1998-2008, indicating the increasing adoption of compound fertilizers by farmers as compared to the straight fertilizers. Based on PRlog.org, the Chinese compound market scale reached CNY 200 billion in FY09 and has around 4,500 compound fertilizer producers mainly situated in Shandong, Jiangsu, Hubei and Sichuan etc. The production of Chinese compound fertilizers reached around 50 million tons in FY09. The compound fertilizer manufacture industry increased 39% to CNY 23.60 billion in FY09 as compared to FY08.However, compound fertilizer consumption still accounts for less than 30% of the total consum ption, which is far below the 50-80% average in developed countries. This is due to the fact that compound fertilizers are relatively new in the Chinese market and farmers are only gradually adopting these over the more conventional varieties. The current fertilizer formulations has conformity degree of less than 3% and most of the producers make their formulations based on the economy and raw material prices rather than soil and crop demands. However with the rising environmental concerns, developing Chinese agricultural specialization and growing demand for high end cash crops and organic foods, the farmers are imposing higher requirements on compound fertilizers. Hence the demand for high end compound fertilizers, especially Chinese ternary compound (3 nutrients) fertilizers is expected to drive the overall compound fertilizers growth in the coming years. Source: China statistical yearbook, RODM research Organic Fertilizer industry With the rising environmental concerns, declining arable land, cultivation of high end crops, government thrust for organic production and demand for green foods, the adoption of organic fertilizer industry in China have been gaining momentum and is expected to witness rapid growth for the upcoming years. But the organic agriculture industry in china is very low as compared to the developed countries. In 2006, organic compound fertilizer in China accounted for 27% of the total fertilizer consumption, which about half of the 50% is registered in developed countries. However, organic fertilizer consumption in the country is expected to grow at a CAGR of more than 30%, according to industry sources. Also, the government has identified the enhanced performance given by these fertilizers which would help them to reach their goals of increasing rural farm production and income while decreasing water pollution. According to the industry sources, the Chinese green fertilizer industry is highly fragmented with around 2,000 manufacturers with no distinguished players in the industry. The small and large regional players contribute 80% of the market share followed by the large regional and International players contributing 9% and 8% of the market share respectively. The small and large regional manufacturers have an edge of competitive prices and knowledge of local markets as compared to the International markets. On the flip side, the international manufacturers produce high quality products, good research and development capabilities and players with good financials can acquire regional players in a bid to sustain growth and increase their market share. The large national manufacturers have a competitive edge over the small and large regional manufacturers as well as international players in terms of their brand presence and wide distribution network along with providing quality products at competitive prices and having good understanding over the markets. To keep in line with the growth and economic conditions, the green fertilizer industry in china is expected to witness consolidation in the near future. Growth drivers for Organic fertilizer industry Rising environmental concerns Chinese agriculture has been growing rapidly on a limited area with heavy inputs of fertilizers since 1980s. The rates of fertilizers adopted in some regions of china are extremely high as compared to the developed countries like North America and Europe. The worldwide average fertilizer consumption per hectare in 1997 was 94 kilograms while US average was 111 kg per hectare. But china exceeded both world average and US average and used 271 kg of fertilizer per hectare of cultivated land, based on the industry sources (hafengevergreen.com).According to the industry sources, the pH levels of the soil in 2000-2008 as against 1980s have declined 0.13 while the pH for cash crops declined on an average 0.3. Since china feeds around 22% of the world s population with just 10% of arable land, protecting china s polluted and artificially fertilized soil remains a major concern to the government. Moreover, the population in china is expected to increase to 800 900 million by 2020, based on t he Beijing International Institute for City Development which would decrease the arable area for cultivation. Hence decreasing china s arable land and the need to increase the crop yield for domestic consumption have led the farmers to adopt high quality fertilizer products. Also with increasing environmental concerns, the government has been encouraging the production of organic agriculture for export and domestic consumption. Accordingly, the demand for the organic fertilizers have been growing as they increase organic matter content in the soil along with the major and minor organic nutrients. Growth in greening of china s food During the last few years, the demand for the green foods have been increasing on the back of growing concerns of environment and rising disposable income in china. Based on the industry sources, the cultivation of green food has increased from 2.14 million hectares to 10 million hectares while the output surged from 6.3 to 72 million tons over a period of 1997 to 2007.Also based on the Ministry of Agriculture 90% of China s agricultural exports are eco-food, i.e. either Hazard Free, Green or Organic foods. The export value increased to US~$2 Billion in 2006 from ~$70 Million in 1997. But china s exports have accounted less than 1% of the global organic market and .08% of the locally sold organic market. Although high production costs and prices has been limiting the usage of organic fertilizers in the domestic market, we believe that the government initiatives in the form of subsidies, recent food safety scandals, growing demand for reliable and healthy food in the domestic and inte rnational market, pollution concerns and rising disposable income would strongly drive the green fertilizer industry in the near future. The government has been encouraging both exports and imports of organic products and expects to achieve 10% of the organic crop production by 2010. Growth in green food over a decade Source: John Paull, Australian National University, RODM research Decreasing arable area for cultivation China is the largest agriculture producer in the world with only 15% of the cultivated area. China need to support 20% of the world s population and has just 10% of the total arable land in the world. Moreover the arable land has declined at a CAGR of .4% from 133mha to 121.7mha, over the period 1988-2008. To prevent further decline, the government have set the critical mark of arable land to be maintained at 120mha by 2020. According to the industry sources, the population in china is expected to increase from 47% to 75% over the next three decades which mounts the pressure of producing increased yield per area to feed the growing population. Thus the demand for the organic fertilizers is expected to witness rapid growth in the compound fertilizer segment. Source: China statistical yearbook, RODM research China policies/initiatives Subsidy The fertilizers market play a key input for the Chinese agricultural sector and hence is one of the main sectors to be addressed by the government to achieve its food sufficiency objective. The fertilizer subsidies in China are mainly for supporting the development of China s agriculture and food security. Hence we believe that most of the subsidy policies might be continued for the short term. The comprehensive subsidy on fuel and fertilizer for grain farmers in 2007 surged 120 % to $3.6 billion (RMB 27.6 billion) as compared to the last year. This program was started to partially compensate farmers for price increases in fuel, fertilizer, and other agricultural inputs in 2006. Based on the Ministry of Finance (MOF), the comprehensive subsidy reached at an average of about U.S. $14.5 per farm household in 2007 and the fuel and fertilizer subsidies are estimated to reach RMB 72.01 billion by 2009. The Chinese government gave bank loan interests subsidy from 2004 to those qualified fertilizers distributors who hold the fertilizer storage during the winter season wherein the total volume is about 5-8million mt and the interests subsidy is about RMB300million to RMB500million($43.9 million to $73.3 million )every year. Also the government gave a direct subsidy of RMB100/mt to both domestic and imported DAP which was around 6.7million mt and about RMB670million subsidy in 2004.The government gave an electricity subsidy for small and large nitrogen fertilizer producers in December 2003 which is around RMB6.3 billion every year. Also the transportation of fertilizer has been subsidized by RMB5.0 billion every year. Tariffs The MOF and NDRC (National Development and Reform Commission) have jointly announced the Notification of Fertilizer Price Formation Mechanism Reform on January 24, 2009. The main purpose of this notification is: Removal of current tariff restriction on domestic fertilizer prices Removal of fertilizer price restrictions Implementing preferential policies for fertilizer production Applying measures through import and export regulation, reserve control and transportation parameters to maintain the fertilizer market To improve agricultural subsidies for the industry Increase monitoring, supervision, and inspection on market pricing To make efforts on program organization and implementation The State Council Tariff Committee had imposed a 100 % special export duty on fertilizer and related material exports during April 20 and September 30, 2008 which affected 32 tariff lines including phosphoric acid, ammonia, nitrogen, phosphate, potash, and compound fertilizer. Based on MOF, the runaway in exports were due to strain in domestic supply which lead to surge in price as demand began to decrease due to spring planting. Hence the tariff was increased so as to control the rising prices along with providing plentiful grain harvest for the year. China has evolved from being a net importer of phosphate fertilizer to being a net exporter over the last decade and has been directly affected the US phosphate fertilizer industry as it used to supply 95% of China s phosphate imports. Pricing trend in china Chinese fertilizer prices have witnessed heavy volatility over the last decade mainly due to uneven production levels in fertilizers, the government s need to keep sufficient production to meet domestic market demand and rising international fertilizer prices. According to USDA, the market price for nitrogen fertilizer surged from $280 to $405/MT during 2007 and reached a high of $452 during April 2008. This was mainly due to imbalance between low supply and rising demand on the world market. Also the tariff restrictions imposed on Chinese fertilizer producers and the demand for fertilizers to produce biofuels in the United States, Brazil, and Europe has led to the increase in price. However due to the slowdown in the world economy and reluctance of Chinese farmers to pay high prices which were two to three times higher than the prices of early 2007, the price for fertilizer fell drastically to $247 at the end of 2008. VAT policies The NPK compound fertilizers, MAP, Urea and DAP have been on a VAT holiday from 1994; January 1, 1998; July 01, 2005; and January 1, 2008 respectively. China had stopped importing urea from 1997 and the government has given 50%-100% VAT refund to the urea exporters before March, 2004. The government stopped the tax refund policy and began to impose export tax to urea and DAP from March 16, 2004. Prior to 2002, the government has given VAT holiday policy to imported phosphoric acid for supporting the players like Sino-Arab Chemical Fertilizer Co. Ltd who were consuming imported PA for phosphate compound fertilizers production. The government gave VAT holiday policy for imported sulfur from May 20, 2008 and most of the imported fertilizers and related raw materials were given very low import custom taxes which are all below 4%. Export/Import initiatives for fertilizers Chinese government set new policies on the exported fertilizers during Nov. 14, 2008. To set export base price for the off-season and to reduce the export tariff from 125%~185% to 10%~110% till December 31, 2009; The export tariff for Urea, MAP and DAP would be 110% (35% basic+75% special) during mid-season and 10% during off-season since December 1, 2008 The base prices for DAP, MAP and Urea are RMB4000/mt; RMB3700/mt and RMB2300/mt respectively During the off-season, if Urea, DAP and MAP prices are lower than the base prices, the export tariff would be 10%, otherwise the export tariff would be calculated by the formula: [(1.1-base price/export price) 100)] Source: IFA, RODM research The customs tariff committee of China have cancelled the special export tariffs (50-75%) in Jun-09 on 27 products, that include phosphate rock (apatite), yellow phosphorus, synthetic ammonia, phosphoric acid, ammonium chloride, triple superphosphate (TSP), sodium nitrate and double nutrients to help local fertilizer manufacturers clear excess inventory build-up. Import Tariff Rate Quota Products Quota level (000 metric tons) In-quota imports (000 metric tons) State-trading share (%) In-quota MFN tariff rate (%) Out-of-quota MFN tariff rate (%) Urea 3,300 90 4 50 NPK 3,450 65 4 50 Diammonium phosphate 6,900 65 4 50 Source: USTR, RODM Research The Chinese government controls exports of major raw material inputs for fertilizers like coking coal which provides competitive edge to Chinese manufacturers and exporters over the foreign manufacturers and exporters in the chemical fertilizer industries. The price of coke in China was around $472/mt, while the global price of coke was $740/mt. Although China produces 336mmt of coke, contributing 60% of the global production, it has an export quota of only 12mmt and an export duty of 40%.

mike bloomberg :: essays research papers

Mike Bloomberg is running for mayor of New York City. The elections will be held Nov.6. One of the things he says that he will do if he becomes mayor is that he will have the NYPD retain command and control of school safety officers. He says that, â€Å"Schools can be used to address the issue of police-community relations. Students and police should get to know each other in non-adversarial ways through the school system.† I agree with him on this issue because many students do not like the NYPD. I think that if they would get to know the officers, they would not feel afraid or threatened by them. On Mr. Bloomberg’s web site, he says, â€Å"Guns off the Streets. New York State has some of the strongest gun control laws in the nation. But illegal guns still find their way onto our streets and into the hands of criminals.† That is the right approach to gun control. Guns should not find their way into criminal’s hands. I agree with Mr. Bloomberg on his gun control issues. Mike Bloomberg has very interesting views on public transportation. He says â€Å"To encourage the use of mass transit, I pledge to lead by example. Every day I go to City Hall during my administration I will take public transportation rather than the City-provided official car†. That is very unconventional. I think that if people want to take cars to work, they should have the right to. Also, the mayor, a public official is not expected to take mass transit. The subway could be a dangerous place and they mayor of NYC should not be taking the subway to work everyday. The forth issue which I found interesting was that

The Killer Angels :: essays research papers

The novel starts out when Harrison, a Confederate spy, reports to James Longstreet that 80,000 to 100,000 Union soldiers have marched within 200 miles of Lee's position near Chambersburg, Pennsylvania. Harrison also bears news of a change in Union leadership. Major General George Meade had replaced "Fighting Joe" Hooker as commander of the Union Army. Lee sees this change as an opportunity to strike while the new commander gets his bearings. He decides to concentrate on Gettysburg, the small town where several roads in the area converge, where he intends to cut the Union army off from Washington, D.C. First shots are fired at dawn as Rebels attack Buford's dismounted cavalry. Later that day Lee orders Ewell to take control of Cemetery Hill. Ewell did not follow orders and the union gained control of the Hill instead. Late in the afternoon, on the second day, Colonel Chamberlain's 20th Maine regiment is moved into the woods. Colonel Vincent orders Chamberlain not to withdraw from his new position at the left flank of the Union line. The Confederates engage with the Union troops and Chamberlain’s 20th Maine time and time again. Finally when ammunition is low Chamberlain gives the order to â€Å"fix bayonets,† and charges down the hill driving the rebels back. That same day Lee orders Longstreet to attack the Union center, and Longstreet advises against it. â€Å"They will break," Lee insists. He directed Longstreet to take three divisions. Longstreet passes the order along to his generals Pickett, Pettigrew, and Trimble. Pickett and other commanders lose mos t of their men in the battle. As the survivors pull back, Lee finally admits his error to Longstreet, who gives his order to retreat. The two personalities that stand out the most in my mind are Robert E. Lee and Joshua Chamberlain. Lee and Chamberlain share many similarities. They are idealistic, optimistic, and have faith and pride in their men. Both care about their men, yet do not hesitate to use them, including Chamberlain’s own brother, for the sake of the cause. The men under Lee and Chamberlain show them a great deal of respect. Chamberlain is somewhat of a father figure to his men, as is Lee to James Longstreet. Joshua Chamberlain is an unusual man, formerly a college professor, and views the war and the men around him more as a philosopher then a military man. On his march toward Gettysburg he sees a row of dead confederates from a previous battle, and wonders whether the town’s people will give them a decent burial or leave them for the buzzards.

Graduation Speech -- Graduation Speech, Commencement Address

Someone very special in my life once told me, "Obstacles are those frightful things you see when you take your eyes off of your goals." Upon entering high school four years ago, the majority of us had one goal and only one goal in mind, graduation. Many of us have heard people say that high school is the best time of our lives, so we better enjoy it. With that in mind, we thought that the next four years were going to be a breeze and before we knew it we would be out of here. Well, that is when reality hit us ... Way back in the first few days of September in 1997, we all took our first steps onto the big campus of Conolon High School. For some of us it was exciting and exhilarating, for others it was scary and nerve wracking or even a little or very intimidating. Whatever the rush of emotions that came over us may have been, it was just the beginning. As lowly little Freshman, we had to adjust to high school life. Going from middle school to high school was a big transition whether we wanted to admit it or not. Some of us thought that the change would be easier if we got involved, so many joined athletics, leadership or a club or two; and then there were some that decided to just focus on their studies. Whichever path we decided to choose, we still had the same goal, to just fit in with everyone and start our long journey towards graduation. For our class, the class of 2006, graduation was not going to come easily. We were the class of "firsts", and it all started Freshman year. During that year we all first experienced sleep deprivation. We were not used to staying up late and then having to get up early. Then along came our Sophomore year. Our second year at Conolon introduced us to the wonderful world of rubrics. We we... ...onight is our night to shine and also our time to set new goals. After we leave tonight's ceremony a new life for us begins. It will be time for us to move on to bigger things and it will be our time to overcome more obstacles. We will move on to college, work, starting new careers and starting families. I have faith in each and everyone of you that you will make your dreams become reality. Just remember that if you stay focused on what you want, do what you want and be who you are, your accomplishments will be endless. All of the obstacles that we have encountered and come face to face with during our high school journey, just proved how determined we were to reach our goal of graduation. To add to the long list of "firsts" I would like to be one of the first people to wish Conolon's first class of the new millennium congratulations. Congratulations class of 2006!

Toyota

Company Objectives World domination with regard to car supply. Toyota seeks to achieve market leadership by delivering value to customers and providing high quality vehicles. Ill. Analysis Of Related Case Facts A. Porters Five Forces Analysis 1. Threat of New Entrants – Low New entrants can't enter the market easily as it requires huge capital investment, cutting-edge technology and the industry have already reached economics of scale. Brand loyalty among the buyers. They won't easily switched to new brand as purchasing a vehicle incurred high cost. 2.Bargaining Power of Supplier – Moderately Low Various types of suppliers in automobile industry such as cooling, electrical, fuel supply systems distributed across the globe. They own many interchangeable supplier and produced many components in the short time. Suppliers don't own the power to determine the price. 3. Bargaining Power of Buyer – High Can easily switch to other brands if they're cheaper and better spe cifications such as Hand's new Hybrid models which are more lucrative Toyota Pries. 4. Threat of Substitute – Moderately High There are a lot of substitutes in automobile industry.When the price or the specifications of the vehicle is lack of favor, the substitutes will emerge. Besides from vehicles, buyer can opt for other substitutes such as bicycle, bus, train or even walking to reach their destination with petrol price hiking. However, it depends greatly on the consumers geographical location. 5. Competitive Rivalry -? High Competition between existing players is high. There is not much differentiation between players and their products. Other automobile companies are moving aggressively with their strategy to own higher market share with Hybrid models.B. Soot Analysis Strengths Us period productivity and efficiency of Toyota Production System Toyota is the world's largest vehicle manufacturer by production and sales Global strong brand awareness Strong distribution and m arket efforts focused on high quality, sales and close involvement with customers It has initiated new technologies Weaknesses Recalls caused quite severe financial impact It is criticized as a foreign importer by Japanese local car producers In May 2009, they reported a record yearly net loss of $ 4. Billion In 2005 faced criticism because of a large scale recall and quality issues Opportunities Recovery of auto industries Positive growth trend in hybrid vehicle segment Growing demand from major emerging markets India and China Demand for fuel efficient, compact vehicles In 2009 Bank of India decreased the interests on automotive bank loans Product innovation The retreats Competition in the global automotive market Uncertainty in global economic condition Weakening demand, increasing cost Tightening emission standards C.PEST Analysis Political Factors Laws and regulations mandated by the government/state/local assembles may put in measures to ensure that safe and ethical practices are being allowed to promote fairness within the company. On the other hand, these laws, especially those foreign to Japanese customs create policies that imposes more profit loss for TM because it is a foreign car company. Economic and Social Factors The first that may impact Tm's profit is that the social status of the world economy as a whole.If the world market is suffering due to a world-wide recession. Customers may be forced to buy domestic cars due to their lower cost, rather than buying foreign cars. However, if consumers are earning a higher income, this may prove beneficial to Toyota thereby increasing many profit and accountability. Stability of the upcoming market is highly projected. Technological Factors Technological advancements may also be a factor in determining Tm's overall production. The world relies heavily on technology to plan out the details and executions of company plans and goals.It would be wise for TM to continue its research developments to improve th e company's value and reputation. IV. Relevant Strategic Management Lean Production System Lean Production System is the system designed and evolved in Toyota. It is modified form of Henry Ford's Mass Production System. In some areas its philosophy seem exactly opposite to the fundamental principles of Mass Production System. Mass Production System Mass production is a method of producing goods in large quantities at low cost per unit. This system of production is also known as Push System or Just- in-Case System .With precision equipment, large numbers of identical parts could be produced at low cost and with a small work force. Diversification At the time of establishment of Toyota Motor Company was in the business of making handloom. This can be seen as a Conglomerate Diversification as Toyota expanded its scope from Handloom Industry to Automobile Industry. Joint Venture ANNUM was established at the site Of a former GM Fremont Assembly site that had been closed two years earlier in 1982. GM and Toyota reopened the factory as a joint venture in 1 984 to manufacture vehicles to be sold under both brands.A joint venture was viewed as an approach that would lower the risk while providing help in overcoming difficult potential problems. Market Segmentation Toast's most significant business segment is its automotive operations. Toyota carries out its automotive operations as a global competitor in the relied automotive market. Toast's uses both differentiation and low cost as generic strategies to try and gain a competitive advantage over their competitors in the automotive industry. The market scope that Toyota uses is a broad one that encompasses nearly every type of customer that is in the market to purchase an automobile.Toyota is able to target such a large market because they have something for everyone. V. Alternative Courses and Action Toyota Motors Corporation, one of the largest automakers in the world. Due to growing number of recalls that it faced, s ales plummeted thereby effecting the company's position in the global automotive industry. The company recalled million of vehicles in 2009 that does not only hurt the company financially but significantly damaged the company's brand. Toyota must ensure that the cars produced are faultless and of good quality.Toyota must focus on differentiating the company by concentrating on the atmosphere and design of the vehicles . It must enhance customers service as full-service provider. Excellent customer service should be observed since it would be able to make the company boost their reputation and consistency in terms of customer satisfaction. There should be a unique offering of amenities and facilities which would give them a stand out compared to other competitors, something like a trademark item or facility in which it couldn't be copied or duplicated.Toyota has a reputation of manufacturing CEO friendly cars like the Pries based upon advanced technology developed by the organization . Toyota has also sold on its technology to other motor manufacturers. There is a big demand for CEO friendly and fuel efficient cars. Since Toyota already has a first mover advantage in making hybrid CEO friendly cars, it should capitalize n this opportunity and invest more on hybrid R and produce more environment friendly cars. VI. Analysis of Alternatives (Advantages and Disadvantages) VII.Conclusion Toyota has sources of strong competitive advantages in global automotive industry such as value chain, strong brand, wide product offering and hybrid vehicles. Major recalls, economic crisis and intense global competition have posed serious challenge for Toyota. Growing emerging markets and shifting customer demands offer Opportunities for Toyota to attain superior profitability and growth. Toyota must sustain its competitive advantages to attain its position and achieve future success. VIII. Recommendations Toyota motors are famous for their just in time manufacturing.The organizati on is doing well in this regard and competes with the world's top car manufacturing firms . However the quality of the car as compare to other car manufacturing companies is not satisfactory. They should focus on the quality and designs of the car. As compare to Honda, the intense competitor of Toyota in Asia and some other regions, they have elegant designs and quality cars. Apart from that the company should also focus on fuel efficient and hybrid cars to increase its production and to make people aware of these cars.T MAC needs to become more diverse, to allow the integration Of leadership in all sectors of leaderships to create a uniform leadership team. The way the system is set up is not going too well for the company's goal of being the number one manufacturer in the world. Also, Toyota needs to reanalyze its Research and Developmental Centers. It is through these centers that technologies are observed and tested to bring about the best possible and safe product for the consu mer to use. There needs to be a construction of the company as a whole. Toyota Company Objectives World domination with regard to car supply. Toyota seeks to achieve market leadership by delivering value to customers and providing high quality vehicles. Ill. Analysis Of Related Case Facts A. Porters Five Forces Analysis 1. Threat of New Entrants – Low New entrants can't enter the market easily as it requires huge capital investment, cutting-edge technology and the industry have already reached economics of scale. Brand loyalty among the buyers. They won't easily witched to new brand as purchasing a vehicle incurred high cost. 2.Bargaining Power of Supplier – Moderately Low Various types of suppliers in automobile industry such as cooling, electrical, fuel supply systems distributed across the globe. They own many interchangeable supplier and produced many components in the short time. Suppliers don't own the power to determine the price. 3. Bargaining Power of Buyer – High Can easily switch to other brands if they're cheaper and better spec ifications such as Hand's new Hybrid models which are more lucrative Toyota Pries. 4. Threat of Substitute – Moderately High There are a lot of substitutes in automobile industry.When the price or the specifications of the vehicle is lack of favor, the substitutes will emerge. Besides from vehicles, buyer can opt for other substitutes such as bicycle, bus, train or even walking to reach their destination with petrol price hiking. However, it depends greatly on the consumers geographical location. 5. Competitive Rivalry -? High Competition between existing players is high. There is not much differentiation between players and their products. Other automobile impasse are moving aggressively with their strategy to own higher market share with Hybrid models.B. Soot Analysis Strengths Superior productivity and efficiency of Toyota Production System Toyota is the world's largest vehicle manufacturer by production and sales Global strong brand awareness Strong distribution and marke t efforts focused on high quality, sales and close involvement with customers It has initiated new technologies Weaknesses Recalls caused quite severe financial impact It is criticized as a foreign importer by Japanese local car producers In May 009, they reported a record yearly net loss of $ 4. Billion In 2005 faced criticism because of a large scale recall and quality issues Opportunities Recovery of auto industries Positive growth trend in hybrid vehicle segment Growing demand from major emerging markets India and China Demand for fuel efficient, compact vehicles In 2009 Bank Of India decreased the interests on automotive bank loans Product innovation Threats Competition in the global automotive market Uncertainty in global economic condition Weakening demand, increasing cost Tightening emission standards C. PEST Analysis Political FactorsLaws and regulations mandated by the government/state/local assembles may put in measures to ensure that safe and ethical practices are being followed to promote fairness within the company. On the other hand, these laws, especially those foreign to Japanese customs create policies that imposes more profit loss for TM because it is a foreign car company. Economic and Social Factors The first that may impact Tm's profit is that the social status of the world economy as a whole. If the world market is suffering due to a world-wide recession.Customers may be forced to buy domestic cars due to their lower cost, rather than buying foreign cars. However, if consumers are earning a higher income, this may prove beneficial to Toyota thereby increasing company profit and accountability. Stability of the upcoming market is highly projected. Technological Factors Technological advancements may also be a factor in determining Tm's overall production. The world relies heavily on technology to plan out the details and executions of company plans and goals. It would be wise for T MAC to continue its research developments to improve the company's value and reputation.IV. Relevant Strategic Management Lean Production System Lean Production System is the system designed and evolved in Toyota. It is modified form of Henry Ford's Mass Production System. In some areas its philosophy seem exactly opposite to the fundamental principles of Mass Production System. Mass Production System Mass production is a method of producing goods in large quantities at low cost per unit. This system of production is also known as Push System or Just- in-Case System . With precision equipment, large numbers of identical parts could be produced at low cost and with a small work force.Diversification At the time of establishment of Toyota Motor Company was in the business of making handloom. This can be seen as a Conglomerate Diversification as Toyota expanded its scope from Handloom Industry to Automobile Industry. Joint Venture ANNUM was established at the site of a former GM Fremont Assembly site that had been closed two years earlier in 1982. GM and Toyota reopened the factory as a joint venture in 1984 to manufacture vehicles to be sold under both brands. A joint venture was viewed as an approach that would lower the risk while providing help in overcoming difficult potential problems.Market Segmentation Toast's most significant business segment is its automotive operations. Toyota carries out its automotive operations as a global competitor in the worldwide automotive market. Toast's uses both differentiation and low cost as generic strategies to try and gain a competitive advantage over their competitors in the automotive industry'. The market scope that Toyota uses is a broad one that encompasses nearly every type of customer that is in the market to purchase an automobile. Toyota is able to target such a large market because they have something for everyone.V. Alternative Courses and Action Toyota Motors Corporation, one of the largest automakers in the world. Due to growing number of recalls that it faced, s ales plummeted thereby affecting the company's position in the global automotive industry. The company recalled million of vehicles in 2009 that does not only hurt the company financially but significantly damaged the company's brand. Toyota must ensure that the cars produced are faultless and of good quality. Toyota must focus on differentiating the company by concentrating on the atmosphere and design of the vehicles .It must enhance customers service s full-service provider. Excellent customer service should be observed since it would be able to make the company boost their reputation and consistency in terms of customer satisfaction. There should be a unique offering of amenities and facilities which would give them a stand out compared to other competitors, something like a trademark item or facility in which it couldn't be copied or duplicated. Toyota has a reputation of manufacturing CEO friendly cars like the Pries based upon advanced technology developed by the organization .Toyota has also sold on its technology to other motor manufacturers. There is a big demand for CEO friendly and fuel efficient cars. Since Toyota already has a first mover advantage in making hybrid CEO friendly cars, it should capitalize on this opportunity and invest more on hybrid R&D and produce more environment friendly cars. VI. Analysis of Alternatives (Advantages and Disadvantages) VI'. Conclusion Toyota has sources of strong competitive advantages in global automotive industry such as value chain, strong brand, wide product offering and hybrid vehicles.Major recalls, economic crisis and intense global competition have used serious challenge for Toyota. Growing emerging markets and shifting Customer demands offer opportunities for Toyota to attain superior profitability and growth. Toyota must sustain its competitive advantages to retain its position and achieve future success. VIII. Recommendations Toyota motors are famous for their just in time manufacturing. The organiza tion is doing well in this regard and competes with the world's top car manufacturing firms -However the quality of the car as compare to other car manufacturing companies is not satisfactory.They should focus on the quality ND designs of the car. As compare to Honda, the intense competitor of Toyota in Asia and some other regions, they have elegant designs and quality cars. Apart from that the company should also focus on fuel efficient and hybrid cars to increase its production and to make people aware of these cars. TM needs to become more diverse, to allow the integration of leadership in all sectors of leaderships to create a uniform leadership team. The way the system is set up is not going too well for the company's goal of being the number one manufacturer in the world. Toyota Toyota, one of the most renowned auto company started having a problem around in 1998 when it failed o store its new brand product Lexus’s data’s ineffectively. Though all it did not happen on purpose, but accidentally the Lexus Company could not fulfil the requirement and satisfaction of its customer in its early trail of database maintenance. Lexus the Toyotas high end luxury system had implemented a Corporate Customer information System in which there were some problems seen regarding the recording of customer information and override of wrong information of the customer data. Though the company had best tried to save that customer information in a appropriate manner but due to the system deficiency the company was having a massive data quality problem. This problem aroused because the company failed to maintain and implement a central database system where all he customer information would be stored in a central database, which when required would display the multi branches customer information. The company had 15 different databases stored in 15 different parts of the company, where the individual company would only access their local data stored by the local branch. In words of Management we can correlate this problem as lack of centralised authority to data control, storing, maintenance and update of recent transactions. The world of Information Technology as compared to the Management is quite controversial. Controversial in a sense that, in proper management Decentralization and Delegation of authority is required to achieve the best results in efficient management performances while as in terms of Information Technology, it requires the access, storage, support and maintenance of centralised database system in order to keep the up to date records of every activities performed everyday to track down the right solution to the problem. An efficient Information System demands the availability of information and resources however and whenever demanded at any point of request. The database Toyota Lexus ha designed was to store all its customer info which would help when the system was asked to provide the customer details of the owner for organizational purpose. The objective LEXUS had established to serve its customer via maintaining a customer dataset could not be fulfilled as the purpose of developing a database could no be fulfilled as it resulted to various problems in miscommunication of information all around. The ownership of the vehicles ad been transferred to the people who did not even had the ownership license, the cheques were paid to the person who were even not entitled to receive and the legitimate information were passed where there had been frequent problems of fake customer identity. The customer details failed to validate the right owners of the vehicles which as a result led to a problem of data loss. Because of the problem, Toyota would return the owners car fixed, washed filled with fuel. Cheques were made payable to the people whom it did not even belonged to. CASE EXAMPLES Example: 1 http://www. internetautoguide. om/auto-recalls/09-int/1998/lexus/gs400/index. html APR 17, 1998 | Recall ID# 50473 Hide Details |Recall Reason |SUSPENSION:AUTOMATIC STABILITY CONTROL (ASC) | |Recall Date |APR 17, 1998 | |Model Affected |GS400 | |Potential Units Affected |14855 | Recall Summary | |VEHICLE DESCRIPTION: PASSENGER VEHICLES. DUE TO A MANUFACTURING DEFECT OF THE YAW RATE SENSOR FOR THE VEHICLE STABILITY | |CONTROL (VSC), THE VSC CAN OPERATE IMPROPERLY IF THE SENSOR IS AFFECTED BY CERTAIN ELECTROMAGNETIC WAVES, SUCH AS FROM A | |CELLULAR PHONE. | |Consequence | |SHOULD THIS OCCUR, THE BRAKE MAY OPERATE UNEXPECTEDLY, AFFECTING STEERING AND SPEED CONTROL, INCREASING THE RISK OF A | |VEHICLE CRASH. |Remedy | |DEALERS WILL REPLACE THE YAW RATE SENSOR. | |Notes | |TOYOTA MOTOR CO. , LTD. | Example 2: http://www. justanswer. com/questions/35ik7-i-have-a-1998-lexus-es300-i-have-had-problems-with-the-gas Question I have a 1 998 Lexus ES300, I Have had problems with the gas pedals sticking on three occasions but paid no attention to it until I read about this problem on new cars. Have there been other cases reported with this model? What should I do about it? Submitted: 11 days and 23 hours ago. Category:  Lexus Value:  ? 7 Status:  CLOSED + Read  More Optional Information Year: 1998 Make: Lexus Model: ES300 Already Tried: I have a 1998 Lexus ES300, I Have had problems with the gas pedals sticking on three occasions but paid no attention to it until I read about this problem on new cars. Have there been other cases reported with this model? What should I do about it? Accepted Answer Hi, Your particular vehicle uses a mechanical, cable connection from the gas pedal to the throttle body as opposed to the electrical servo type throttles involved in the numerous recall related problems. Because of that, there would be no directly correlation between the two vehicles. That being said, there are 3 typical causes for sticking throttle in your vehicle. Least likely, but easiest to check is the infamous â€Å"floor mat obstruction†. This is typically noticeable while driving if your floor mat is interfering with the cable, but worth checking regardless. Second, is a worn out throttle cable. This is the cable that connects the gas pedal to the throttle body. Vehicles in northern states that have more issues with rust/corrosion are more likely to see a problem here. The cable is a thin metal wire sheathed in a plastic coating. As the exposed area of metal wire corrodes from environmental elements, it widens the cable making it more difficult to travel inside the cable sheath, often sticking. You can check this condition by operating the throttle body by hand an monitoring the cable to see if there is any resistance going into the sheath or if it travels smoothly. Lastly, and most common, is buildup of carbon/oil elements in the throttle body. Because of the ventilation system required by law, the throttle body is exposed to oil vapor from inside the engine via breathing hoses in the intake. Over time this builds up into a layer of hardened, baked-on oil inside the throttle body, right where the throttle plate needs to move. Due to it being softer than the metal throttle plate, the throttle plate always wins when it gets stuck, but the oil buildup does create resistance that will intermittently stick the throttle in position. Having the throttle body cleaned to prevent this should be done every 15k miles on this car for full assurance, or 30k miles at minimum for normal operation. Typical cost for cleaning is 1/2 hour labor (normal â€Å"minimum charge† at many shops), about $45 depending on the shops labor rate. pic] |Expert:   |Doug Cleland | |Pos. Feedback:   |100. 0 % | |Accepts:   |12 | |Answered:   |2/16/2010 | ASE Certified Technician Toyota Factory training and worked for a heavily Lexus trafficked Toyota store Read more: http://www. justanswer. com/questions/35ik7-i-have-a-1998-lexus-es300-i-have-had-problems-with-the-gas#ixzz0grgbynyy Example 3: http://www. motortrend. com/used_cars/07/1998/lexus/recalls/index. html Featured 1998 Recalls [pic] | |1998 Lexus LX470 | |Before you purchase a used car, make sure you check our comprehensive auto recall information to see if there are any | |problems that have been reported by the NHTSA. You can get detailed information on how and where to fix the car defect. | |Recall:   EXTERIOR LIGHTING : HEADLIGHTS | | | | | | | | | | Read more: http://www. motortrend. com/used_cars/07/1998/lexus/recalls/index. html#ixzz0grjp1yvD Take a noteworthy case in 1998. Toyota Motor Sales USA (TMS) responded to a recurring service problem with its Lexus vehicles by contacting owners, then picking up their vehicles, taking them in for repairs and leaving loaner cars as replacements. When done, the owners' cars were returned—fixed, washed and tanked up. That level of service was made possible by TMS's Corporate Customer Information System, an application used by the company's call center in Iowa to help handle warranty, roadside assistance, prepaid maintenance and other service requests. But 1998 didn't go altogether smoothly. Relying on data in that system, TMS began to mail checks to Lexus owners to replace troublesome tires. The checks, for more than $400 each, in some cases went to people who didn't even own a Lexus. One errant check even found its way to a Toyota auditor, for a vehicle he hadn't owned for a while. â€Å"You can imagine the repercussions of that,† says John Gonzales, data quality manager at TMS. â€Å"We can't afford to be giving money away to people who shouldn't be getting it. † The glitch was symptomatic of a bigger problem. The system depended on customer data stored in â€Å"roughly 15 databases in different parts of company,† says Gonzales. Just to get to all the data about a customer, call center employees would have to navigate through four or five mainframe applications, while customers waited. The glitch resulted in a mandate from Toyota's office of the president for a centralized, single customer database. And Gonzales was tagged to make it happen. â€Å"The main goal was to service customers' calls quicker,† he says. But also, â€Å"as the volume of calls went up, we didn't want to increase the number of people in the call center. † Finding a way to pull off the consolidation turned out to be no mean feat. Gonzales and his team looked at a procession of products purportedly offering business intelligence,† but none fit the bill. Then, a solution was nearly dropped into his lap. While attending a Toyota Toyota, one of the most renowned auto company started having a problem around in 1998 when it failed o store its new brand product Lexus’s data’s ineffectively. Though all it did not happen on purpose, but accidentally the Lexus Company could not fulfil the requirement and satisfaction of its customer in its early trail of database maintenance. Lexus the Toyotas high end luxury system had implemented a Corporate Customer information System in which there were some problems seen regarding the recording of customer information and override of wrong information of the customer data. Though the company had best tried to save that customer information in a appropriate manner but due to the system deficiency the company was having a massive data quality problem. This problem aroused because the company failed to maintain and implement a central database system where all he customer information would be stored in a central database, which when required would display the multi branches customer information. The company had 15 different databases stored in 15 different parts of the company, where the individual company would only access their local data stored by the local branch. In words of Management we can correlate this problem as lack of centralised authority to data control, storing, maintenance and update of recent transactions. The world of Information Technology as compared to the Management is quite controversial. Controversial in a sense that, in proper management Decentralization and Delegation of authority is required to achieve the best results in efficient management performances while as in terms of Information Technology, it requires the access, storage, support and maintenance of centralised database system in order to keep the up to date records of every activities performed everyday to track down the right solution to the problem. An efficient Information System demands the availability of information and resources however and whenever demanded at any point of request. The database Toyota Lexus ha designed was to store all its customer info which would help when the system was asked to provide the customer details of the owner for organizational purpose. The objective LEXUS had established to serve its customer via maintaining a customer dataset could not be fulfilled as the purpose of developing a database could no be fulfilled as it resulted to various problems in miscommunication of information all around. The ownership of the vehicles ad been transferred to the people who did not even had the ownership license, the cheques were paid to the person who were even not entitled to receive and the legitimate information were passed where there had been frequent problems of fake customer identity. The customer details failed to validate the right owners of the vehicles which as a result led to a problem of data loss. Because of the problem, Toyota would return the owners car fixed, washed filled with fuel. Cheques were made payable to the people whom it did not even belonged to. CASE EXAMPLES Example: 1 http://www. internetautoguide. om/auto-recalls/09-int/1998/lexus/gs400/index. html APR 17, 1998 | Recall ID# 50473 Hide Details |Recall Reason |SUSPENSION:AUTOMATIC STABILITY CONTROL (ASC) | |Recall Date |APR 17, 1998 | |Model Affected |GS400 | |Potential Units Affected |14855 | Recall Summary | |VEHICLE DESCRIPTION: PASSENGER VEHICLES. DUE TO A MANUFACTURING DEFECT OF THE YAW RATE SENSOR FOR THE VEHICLE STABILITY | |CONTROL (VSC), THE VSC CAN OPERATE IMPROPERLY IF THE SENSOR IS AFFECTED BY CERTAIN ELECTROMAGNETIC WAVES, SUCH AS FROM A | |CELLULAR PHONE. | |Consequence | |SHOULD THIS OCCUR, THE BRAKE MAY OPERATE UNEXPECTEDLY, AFFECTING STEERING AND SPEED CONTROL, INCREASING THE RISK OF A | |VEHICLE CRASH. |Remedy | |DEALERS WILL REPLACE THE YAW RATE SENSOR. | |Notes | |TOYOTA MOTOR CO. , LTD. | Example 2: http://www. justanswer. com/questions/35ik7-i-have-a-1998-lexus-es300-i-have-had-problems-with-the-gas Question I have a 1 998 Lexus ES300, I Have had problems with the gas pedals sticking on three occasions but paid no attention to it until I read about this problem on new cars. Have there been other cases reported with this model? What should I do about it? Submitted: 11 days and 23 hours ago. Category:  Lexus Value:  ? 7 Status:  CLOSED + Read  More Optional Information Year: 1998 Make: Lexus Model: ES300 Already Tried: I have a 1998 Lexus ES300, I Have had problems with the gas pedals sticking on three occasions but paid no attention to it until I read about this problem on new cars. Have there been other cases reported with this model? What should I do about it? Accepted Answer Hi, Your particular vehicle uses a mechanical, cable connection from the gas pedal to the throttle body as opposed to the electrical servo type throttles involved in the numerous recall related problems. Because of that, there would be no directly correlation between the two vehicles. That being said, there are 3 typical causes for sticking throttle in your vehicle. Least likely, but easiest to check is the infamous â€Å"floor mat obstruction†. This is typically noticeable while driving if your floor mat is interfering with the cable, but worth checking regardless. Second, is a worn out throttle cable. This is the cable that connects the gas pedal to the throttle body. Vehicles in northern states that have more issues with rust/corrosion are more likely to see a problem here. The cable is a thin metal wire sheathed in a plastic coating. As the exposed area of metal wire corrodes from environmental elements, it widens the cable making it more difficult to travel inside the cable sheath, often sticking. You can check this condition by operating the throttle body by hand an monitoring the cable to see if there is any resistance going into the sheath or if it travels smoothly. Lastly, and most common, is buildup of carbon/oil elements in the throttle body. Because of the ventilation system required by law, the throttle body is exposed to oil vapor from inside the engine via breathing hoses in the intake. Over time this builds up into a layer of hardened, baked-on oil inside the throttle body, right where the throttle plate needs to move. Due to it being softer than the metal throttle plate, the throttle plate always wins when it gets stuck, but the oil buildup does create resistance that will intermittently stick the throttle in position. Having the throttle body cleaned to prevent this should be done every 15k miles on this car for full assurance, or 30k miles at minimum for normal operation. Typical cost for cleaning is 1/2 hour labor (normal â€Å"minimum charge† at many shops), about $45 depending on the shops labor rate. pic] |Expert:   |Doug Cleland | |Pos. Feedback:   |100. 0 % | |Accepts:   |12 | |Answered:   |2/16/2010 | ASE Certified Technician Toyota Factory training and worked for a heavily Lexus trafficked Toyota store Read more: http://www. justanswer. com/questions/35ik7-i-have-a-1998-lexus-es300-i-have-had-problems-with-the-gas#ixzz0grgbynyy Example 3: http://www. motortrend. com/used_cars/07/1998/lexus/recalls/index. html Featured 1998 Recalls [pic] | |1998 Lexus LX470 | |Before you purchase a used car, make sure you check our comprehensive auto recall information to see if there are any | |problems that have been reported by the NHTSA. You can get detailed information on how and where to fix the car defect. | |Recall:   EXTERIOR LIGHTING : HEADLIGHTS | | | | | | | | | | Read more: http://www. motortrend. com/used_cars/07/1998/lexus/recalls/index. html#ixzz0grjp1yvD Take a noteworthy case in 1998. Toyota Motor Sales USA (TMS) responded to a recurring service problem with its Lexus vehicles by contacting owners, then picking up their vehicles, taking them in for repairs and leaving loaner cars as replacements. When done, the owners' cars were returned—fixed, washed and tanked up. That level of service was made possible by TMS's Corporate Customer Information System, an application used by the company's call center in Iowa to help handle warranty, roadside assistance, prepaid maintenance and other service requests. But 1998 didn't go altogether smoothly. Relying on data in that system, TMS began to mail checks to Lexus owners to replace troublesome tires. The checks, for more than $400 each, in some cases went to people who didn't even own a Lexus. One errant check even found its way to a Toyota auditor, for a vehicle he hadn't owned for a while. â€Å"You can imagine the repercussions of that,† says John Gonzales, data quality manager at TMS. â€Å"We can't afford to be giving money away to people who shouldn't be getting it. † The glitch was symptomatic of a bigger problem. The system depended on customer data stored in â€Å"roughly 15 databases in different parts of company,† says Gonzales. Just to get to all the data about a customer, call center employees would have to navigate through four or five mainframe applications, while customers waited. The glitch resulted in a mandate from Toyota's office of the president for a centralized, single customer database. And Gonzales was tagged to make it happen. â€Å"The main goal was to service customers' calls quicker,† he says. But also, â€Å"as the volume of calls went up, we didn't want to increase the number of people in the call center. † Finding a way to pull off the consolidation turned out to be no mean feat. Gonzales and his team looked at a procession of products purportedly offering business intelligence,† but none fit the bill. Then, a solution was nearly dropped into his lap. While attending a

Survey of Mathematical Methods

One of the most important things a buyer must do before making a purchase is to review any and all of the statistical research on a product. According to Bluman (2005), Statistical research is used to provide knowledge and information in order to enable us to make intelligent decisions about our health and welfare† (p. 680). Although this information is very important to us, we must also be skeptical of the results. There are many types when the results cannot be reliable. According to Bluman (2005), â€Å"statistics can be misrepresented in the following ways: Suspect Samples, Ambiguous Averages, Detached Statistics, Implied Connections, Misleading Graphs, Faulty Survey Questions, Asking Biased Questions, Using Confusing Words, Asking Doubled-Barreled Questions, and Using Double Negatives† (p. 680-685). The following are example of misuses of statistics. 4. In many ads for weight loss products, under the product claims and in small print, the following statement is made: â€Å"These results are not typical. What does this say about the product being advertised? Detached Statistics and/or Implied Connections. This statement is telling the buyer that the results for some will not be the same results for all. In many ways, the results that are shown on the product could be exaggerated in order to get buyers to buy the product. The reason those words are included now days are because of new guidelines by the Federal Trade Commission. In the end, i t is basically telling the buyer not to expect the results. Furthermore, there are no results shown on the label to compare it to. 14. â€Å"How often do you run red lights? † Asking biased questions and/or faulty survey questions. The reason this question might lead to an erroneous conclusion is because it is taken into consideration that someone has a driver’s license. It can be asked in order to manipulate the overall results. If you were to answer the question, you could be opening yourself up to admitting guilt or showing that it is a common practice for you. The two above assignment question are examples of misuses of statistics. They can both be taken in many different ways. It is very important to ensure that you read each and every label and/or question very carefully. If you do not, you risk buying or answer something that may end up getting you in trouble or wasting money. This assignment was very informative for me to complete because it gave me better insight into the misuse of statistics. I will continue to use this information throughout my educational experiences.