Saturday, March 21, 2020

Toyota Ethics case study

Identification of ethics and social responsibility issues facing the company Toyota Motor Corporation is an international automobile and financial company, respected for its quality and reliable products; to remain competitive; the company’s management makes timely decisions. In all operations, the company aims to be ethical; it also extends a hand of appreciation to the public through corporate social responsibilities (CSRs). When determining the operation base and the CSRs to undertake, the company considers different issues likely to influence the direction of the projects or decisions.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Toyota Ethics case study specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More There has been come ethical issues faced by the company, for example in early 2010, Toyota Company was faced by a problem when some fault vehicles got their way to the market and lead to deaths particularly in the United States of A merica. The company was considered not to be taking good care of its customers and the public. The brands of vehicle could accelerate themselves to an uncontrollable level they even led to death. The move or the experience that the company got at the time forced the management to appraise in person on the case and recalled all faulty automobiles. The case of Toyota was broadcasted in international and national media a point that made the sales of the company reduce ((Habisch, Jonker and Martina 1-123). Toyota being in the automobile industry has been blamed for environmental damage; the damage has been attributed to the company’s products, vehicles, which use fossil fuels to run. When fossil fuels are burnt, they produce green house gasses that have been a major talk in environmental debates, for the reason the company has been considered unethical. However, despite the moves and criticism gotten from environmental conservatisms, the company has continued to improve its produ cts and has innovated battery vehicles (electronic vehicles). Identification of key stakeholders and explanation of their involvement and influence There are a number of stakeholders in Toyota as far as ethics and corporate social responsibilities plans are concerned. The stakeholders are both internal and external players; internally Toyota is divided into departments performing different tasks. Internal team is expected to be creative, inventive and innovative to come up with approaches to ethical and CRS programs.Advertising Looking for essay on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More The company has embarked on enforcement of its operating strategies: the company operates under five principals, they are Kaizen (continuo’s improvement), teamwork, Challenges, Respect and Genchi Genbutsu (go and see): to be ethical, the company aims at fulfilling the above objectives. Another set of the company’s st akeholders that affect the ethical code of business in the company is the external environment like customers and the society; there is a level of quality that customers expect from the company, the level forces the company to adopt high ethical operations. The company takes social corporate responsibilities as advertising and marketing tools, they offer the company a competitive advantage as communities value the efforts made by the company. The government and community-based organizations are other stakeholders; the main areas that these organizations get involved is in offering a minimal base and rate of operation that the company should uphold, for instance the environment movements require some level of emission from the company’s products and operations. When the company is compiling with such regulations, then it has to conduct its businesses ethically. International bodies and regulations are other stakeholders which the company has as stakeholders, there are a number of international conventions, protocols , and agreements that define the way business should be conducted, they include Kyoto protocol, Stockholm agreements, Doha round of talks, Rio de Janeiro, 3-14 June 1992, European Commission, and The International Institute for Sustainable Development (IISD). However, these organizations are more concerned on pollution matters and environmental protection. The company is listed in Asian stock exchange whereby the public can buy shares in the company. The employees have a policy that ensures that they also have shares in the company, all this are stakeholders. The government and the public also would like to get ethically correct products from whichever the company and thus are included in the context of stakeholders. Shareholders are recognized by paying them dividends and the government by taxes. The public benefit from social corporate responsibilities programs (Habisch, Jonker and Martina 1-123) Identification of company’s stance Al though Toyota has been concerned on ethical and CSR issues, it waited until 2005 when the company developed a CSR policy, in the policy the company’s stance which is â€Å"CSR POLICY: Contribution towards Sustainable Development.† The policy team section has been upgraded to full departmental level managed by team of experts; the sector looks into economic, social, political and environmental issues in the company. The department has been successful in innovating environmental technologies in both products and processes.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Toyota Ethics case study specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More The stance is seen as a combination of pragmatic, ethical, or strategic stance; the broad approach of the stance offers flexibility in country. The success of the structure can be seen in different areas which include development of products that are internationally accepted and automating its process to meet international standards. The stance is not limited to guidance in CSR and ethical issues but takes massive research to advice the company on consumers expectations. The following are the policies that are contained in the stance: Contribution towards a prospectus 21st century society Pursuit of environmental technologies Voluntary actions and Working in corporation with society The above action policies are implemented using the framework of: Action plan Toyota Green purchasing Guidelines Biodiversity guidelines Initiative at the new Toyota RD center Let us evaluate the success of the company using a Carroll’s Pyramid of Corporate Social Responsibility. Carroll Pyramid of Corporate Social Responsibility is as follows: At the base of the pyramid, the company profit objectives; when the company economic welfare has been looked into, the company lays the base of other corporate responsibilities and ethical code of conducts. The pyramid can be expanded as fo llows:Advertising Looking for essay on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Basic policy action guideline Economic responsibility the company has futuristic actions and strategies that target the continuity of the business, according to the CRS plan, the company aims at improving its products and improves the quality of the products to meet the demands of 21st century. When doing this, the company aims at maintaining harmony with the environment. Legal responsibilities It is the company’s policy that it should comply with national and international ethical standards; when the standards are being developed, it is one of the companies consulted for their inputs, it advises these organizations with customer as the main concern. Ethical responsibility The company has ethical policies that it should attain in its operations, the ethical responsibilities include the need to conserve the environment and create harmony with the environments its is operating. Philanthropic responsibilities the company has created good citizenship with the communiti es it is operating in, it aims at adding value to stakeholders. The efforts of the company look into all areas of ethical concern, the major drive of the company is to have products that are accepted internationally and whose connect with the people (Toyota official website). The automobile industry is quite demanding as far as ethical and social responsibilities are concerned, they are at the point of focus by national and international bodies more so when it comes to the issues of environmental conservation and being efficient. Mitsubishi is another international automobile company; it has ethical and corporate social responsibility functions at it heart, in every automobile it produces, it ensures it meets international accreditation of quality, before releasing to the market, the company quality team has to ensure that ever thing is intact. The efforts have not gone untested; the company’s Glanti model has been accused of brake failures and color fades. There are a num ber of corporate social responsibilities that the company has embarked on; they include environmental conservations, public educations, and has embarked on massive automation to facilitate ethical business. According to environmental report 2009 by US Environmental Agency, Mitsubishi has reduced its water wastage by 50%, this is through recycling and proper water use. The recycling is seen as a move to conserve the environment in line with EU environmental rules and Kyoto protocol. US Environmental Agency has congratulated the efforts taken by Mitsubishi to conserve the environment. It is of the view that if other motor industries follow the same trend, then the world is likely to reduce emissions by half. Pollution from Mitsubishi Motors Corporation can be controlled as a form of corporate responsibility (internal) or a company can embark on massive cleaning of the environment. Mitsubishi is also a key player in carbon emission reduction through: Adopting fuel efficient production methods like use electricity instead of coal when heating, this is estimated to reduce its in factory emission by 20% A project to develop electric motor vehicles is in an advanced stage The company has embarked on improved technology on it vehicles to ensure that they are fuel efficient The company have started making bio-diesel engine vehicles; they are seen as the breakthrough to future environmental conservation When comparing Toyota and Mitsubishi, Toyota is doing better; this is so because of the massive innovations that it has come up with in products and processes. Although Mitsubishi is having effective CRS, its coverage is lower than that of Toyota, this may be agued its because of the differences in operating base, since Toyota is the world largest automobile maker while Mitsubishi comes in as seventh (Mitsubishi Corporate website) The areas that both companies should look into are weak points and leakages in the company resulting from lack of 100% seal of holes that mi ght result to unethical businesses. The company’s quality report of 2009 has almost claimed that the company’s products quality is incomparably high, however, it was a matter of time before they believe failed the test of time. The five operating policies adopted by the company are strong source of drive and should shape the company’s direction, when it comes to ethical matters, the policies should be adhered to the dot. Advocators for good citizenship acknowledge the benefits that can be acquired from continuous improvements; they are of the view that businesses need to undertake research in their line of business to invent and innovate better ways of working than the current ones. Summary From the course, I have appreciated the benefits that a company can derive from being ethical and the power of corporate social responsibility as a marketing tool. Previously, I had less interest in CSR programs and their effect on a business, after the course I clearly under stand the benefits and the approaches it should take. The course was an eye opener; I now can tell companies that are ethical, them who respect stakeholders and those who have no interest. The efforts made by Toyota can be applauded, the company has automated its internal structures and is making products that are ethically accepted; to attain the ethical objective as required by the policies; the company is constantly innovating and inventing other ways of operating that are environmentally friendly. Some of the projects that the company has implemented as corporate social responsibilities have continued to change lives; for example the company’s education programs in developing countries has eradicated poverty and assisted communities. Such systems have a life touching effect; other programs that are aimed at environmental conservation are building to much needed sustainable development agendas attainments. The efforts made by Toyota has slightly made me respect the company and wish I would get a chance to work with the compact; at least it has made efforts and the efforts are yielding positive results. On paper and according to Toyota code of conduct, the company complies with internationally ethical values and has CSR efforts. The processes that the company has adopted in the efforts of being ethical are a great blessing to the company and societies; they include automation, recycling processes and refurbishment of products. The moves are compliant with international environmental conservation measures; the invention of electronic motor vehicles (EMVs) is seen as a major breakthrough in energy industry which has been threatened by increasing use and chances of depletion of oil reserves. on the other hand emissions from motor vehicles have been a major contributor to green gasses, the invention is expected to assist in a great deal. The company has embarked on quality management policies, they include TQM (total Quality Management), Six Sigma, and CR M (Customer relations management) policies; although the policy has made the company more profitable, its spillovers are ethically accepted moves like reliable, affordable and efficient automobiles. Conclusion In modern contemporary societies, there is a growing concerns on environmental conservation, management and restoration; this has been facilitated by enlighten among consumers and other business stakeholders calling for companies to act ethically and involve themselves in corporate social responsibilities. Toyota has embarked a number of measures to make its compliant with international ethical code of conducts. To act ethically, the company is guided by its CSR Policy document of 2005 and guidance of its implementation team. Works Cited Habisch, Andrà ©, Jonker Jan, and Martina Wegner. Corporate Social Responsibility across the Europe. Heidelberg: Springer. 2005. Print Mitsubishi Corporate website. Mitsubishi,2011. Web. Toyota official website. Toyota, 2011. Web. This essay on Toyota Ethics case study was written and submitted by user Knox T. to help you with your own studies. You are free to use it for research and reference purposes in order to write your own paper; however, you must cite it accordingly. You can donate your paper here.

Thursday, March 5, 2020

Fascinating Facts About the January Birthstone Gorgeous Garnet

Fascinating Facts About the January Birthstone Gorgeous Garnet SAT / ACT Prep Online Guides and Tips January babies and the people who love them, get ready to learn about one of the oldest and diverse birthstones around: the garnet. This January birthstone has more than 20 different varieties, has been found on every continent, and has a history dating back thousands of years. Read on to learn everything you need to know about garnets, from the rainbow of colors they come in, to what they signify, and fun facts about this gemstone. What Color Are Garnets? What is the January birthstone color? The most common and well-known color for garnets is a dark red. Under some dim lighting conditions, the garnet stone is such a dark color it can look almost black. However, in well-lit areas, the deep red color of the garnet will become clear as the stone sparkles in the light. Red garnets are the most common, but garnets can be found in a wide range of colors including oranges, purplish and pinkish reds, yellows, blues, and greens. Green garnets, known as either demantoid or tsavorite garnets depending on their composition, are a particularly rare and valuable form of the gem. Blue garnets, also very rare, have the ability to alter the appearance of their color. In natural light, they appear blue-green, but this changes to purple under artificial lighting. A green garnet set in a necklace. What Do Garnets Signify? Garnets symbolize friendship and trust, and they are a great gift to give to someone who has been a loyal friend. Additionally, garnets also symbolize a separated love and hope for a quick return. The reason for this comes from a Greek myth where the god Hades gave the goddess Persephone a pomegranate when she left him to ensure her quick return. Garnets are often associated with pomegranates because the name garnet comes from the Greek phrase â€Å"pomum granatum† which means pomegranate seed. And it’s true, small garnets do resemble the dark red seeds of a pomegranate! In addition to being the birthstone for January, garnets are the gemstone traditionally given on 2nd wedding anniversaries, and they are also the state mineral of Connecticut and the state gemstone of New York. The star garnet, a rare variety which appears to have a star shape in the center when cut, is the state gemstone of Idaho. Where Are Garnets Found? Garnets are one of the most widespread gems, and they have been found in many regions around the world, including Russia, the Czech Republic, Afghanistan, Tanzania, India, Thailand, the USA, and Brazil. Today, the highest-quality garnets are found in East Africa, particularly Tanzania and Kenya. In the 1990s, a deposit of rare blue garnets was discovered in Madagascar. To date, this is the only place on Earth where blue garnets have been found. Wouldn't that be a great January birthstone gift! During the 19th and 20th centuries, green garnets were thought to exist almost exclusively in Russia’s Ural mountains, but since the 1970s deposits have been found in Tanzania, Namibia, Kenya, and, to a smaller extent, Pakistan and Antarctica. Garnets are often found near the Earth’s surface, usually within pebbles in riverbeds or deposited on beaches. They can be found within metamorphic, igneous, or sedimentary rocks, although metamorphic deposits are the most common and where nearly all red garnets are found. A deposit of garnets that have yet to be cut and polished. A Brief History of Garnets For thousands of years, people across the world have admired and coveted garnets, whether because they believed the stones had special powers or just for their beauty. Some of the oldest garnets have been found in Egyptian tombs, as part of necklaces created over 5,000 years ago to decorate the bodies of pharaohs. In ancient Roman times, garnets were highly prized and frequently used to decorate sword hilts and gold jewelry. During this time, garnets became a widely-traded gem and the most popular gemstone in the ancient Roman world. In the Middle Ages, garnets were a favored gemstone of both clergy and the nobility. A large deposit of garnets discovered in Bohemia (now the Czech Republic), helped garnets become more popular and spread throughout Europe. Garnets reached their highest peak of popularity in the late 1800s when they were one of the most fashionable gemstones to purchase and wear. The rare and valuable green demantoid garnets were prized by Russian czars, and the famed Russian jeweler Gustav Fabergà © (known for his jeweled eggs) often used them in his work. During the Victorian Era, jewelry with melanite garnets, garnets with an opaque black color, were especially popular in Europe. Garnets are now a popular gemstone throughout the world, prized for their rich hues and rainbow of colors. In addition to being used as a gemstone, garnets’ high abrasiveness makes them useful for industrial purposes, such as sandblasting and water filtration. In fact, the majority of garnets harvested today are used for industrial purposes. Only the highest-quality stones are used for jewelry and other decorative uses. An antique brooch featuring a garnet in the center. Using Garnets in Jewelry Looking to buy a January birthstone for a lucky someone? Garnets can be cut to almost any size and shape, so they are used in many types of jewelry, including rings, bracelets, earrings, and necklaces. They are often set in gold to highlight the deep red color most commonly found in garnets. The cost of a garnet will vary widely depending on its size, cut, color, and clarity, but garnets are less expensive than many other gemstones because of their abundance. You can often find garnet jewelry for less than $100, making it a great gift. Red garnets are the most common and least expensive variety of the gemstone, while blue and green garnets are the most expensive. Garnets have a high hardness and refractive index, which means they are both brilliant and difficult to damage. This makes them durable and eye-catching stones to use in jewelry. A garnet bracelet that shows off the dark color of the stones. Interesting Facts About the January Birthstone Because garnets and diamonds form under similar conditions, the two stones are often found together. In fact, there have even been some instances of diamonds being found inside garnets. In the Bible, it’s said that Noah used a garnet lantern to help navigate his ark in the night. Many early travelers carried a garnet with them as the stone was thought to help protect the owner from evil and provide light during the night. Garnets were also believed to bring victory in battle. Crusaders often carried jewelry or ornaments that contained garnets to protect them as they fought. Also, when they fought against the British in 1892, the Hunza people of what is now Pakistan used garnet bullets in battle because they thought they were more deadly than lead bullets. In the Middle Ages, garnets were purported to have numerous healing powers, and they were believed to reduce fever, bleeding, and inflammation. Keeping one by you while you slept was also believed to ward off nightmares.