The Symbolic Significance of Methuselah as It Reflects the...

Methuselah is a parrot character in The Poisonwood Bible written by Barbara Kingsolver. The novel is set in the late 20th century in a village of The Congo call Kilanga. Methuselah is a parrot who is left by brother Fowls for the Price family. He has been denied freedom for very long and has been kept in a cage. Later when Nathan Price sets him free, he has no idea what to do with his independence. So he keeps flying near the Price house and depends on the Price girls for food. When Congo’s independence is announced, Methuselah gets killed and eaten by a cat. The imprisonment and freedom of Methuselah can symbolize the current and the future conditions of the Price family as well as the colonization and independence of The Congo.†¦show more content†¦The Belgians had colonized The Congo for its natural resources like many other western powers at the time that â€Å"aimed for no more than have dominion on every creature that moved upon this earth† (10) as it is confessed by Orleanna at the beginning of the novel. In a very similar way, Methuselah was kept in a cage by the humans against its will only because it was a weaker creature. Just like The Congo, Methuselah is not allowed the freedom of speech as every time he says something, Nathan Price gets mad and inquires â€Å"which one of [the daughters] taught [it] to say that word† (76). In a similar way, The Congo is denied the freedom of speech and is not considered as a sovereign state. The effects of the colonization of The Congo can still be seen as the country could not cope up with it even after half a century. The country remains poor and divided as it is not used to work on its own and enjoy the freedom of living. The same happens with Methuselah after Nathan tells him that â€Å"(he is) free to go† (94) and grants him freedom. Methuselah had forgotten what freedom feels like and â€Å"it goes and then it comes back because its wings aren’t any count† ( 133). Because of this Methuselah cannot survive on its own and later he gets killed and eaten by a cat. Comparing Methuselah with hope Adah declares that she had found hope â€Å"fallen already† (185) and she adds that â€Å"a piece of it [was there] beside their latrine, one red plume† (185). In an act

Maternal and Infant Mortality Rate in the US Essays

Introduction: Losing a loved one is a very painful experience especially when someone is lost through maternal means. As far as culture diversity is concerned, many communities around the world have different expectations when it comes to maternal mortality on whether to lose the baby or the mom. In most communities, they opt for the child to die and the mom to survive while in others, they prefer the baby to survive and lose the mom even though such believers are very minimal around the world. Maternal mortalities of both the mothers and the infants are increasing at a very high level around the world with the United States of America being the best recipient with the highest number of infant mortalities behind Bosnia. Maternal mortality is a situation where a mother succumbs to motilities through hemorrhage hypertension or heart attack at delivery. According to the experts estimation, there are more than fifty instances that are complication related to pregnancies for each birth Within the first twenty four hours of childbirth in the world, it is reported that approximately two million babies die just few hours after birth and with the United States of America reported to have the second worst highest infant mortality rate in the modern developed world. This is according to the newly released report. During their first months, babies in the United States of America are more likely to die as the ones born in Japan, and infant deaths is two point five times higher in United States than in Iceland, Norway or Finland. This is according to reliable painstaking researches. The only country that beats The United States of America in high infant mortalities is Latvia with 6 deaths out of one thousand birth rates. Given the fact that the United States of America has a high number of neonatologists as well as neonatal intensive care unit beds for each person as compared to the United Kingdom, Canada and Australia, its infant mortality rate is on the higher side as compared to any of these countries. A well analyzed and confirmed data from the governments, international agencies and various research institutions discovered higher infant mortality rates among the American disadvantaged groups as well as the minorities. One hundred and twenty five countries are ranked according to the ten gauges of well being, 6 for mothers and 4 for children; this included objective measures like lifetime mortality risk for the mothers as well as infant mortality rates and even the subjective measures like women’s political status. According to the chief executive officer of save the children, President Charles McCormack, the report card indicated the direct link between the mother’s status and their children’s status. This means that, in governments which mothers do well, their children also do well. The president said this with a report accompanied by a written statement. Doctor Michael Lu a public health’s a Gynecology and Obstetrics UCLA Associate professor, commenced a presentation at eNews concerning the mortality rates of infants which   he termed as disgraceful with a promise of Africa. He said in that promise that America was failing to in illustrating the extent of its failure concerning the infant mortality rates among black mothers who were termed as the most affected by the mortality rates as compared to the white mothers whereby they were expected to be born as twice under weight as compared to the white children just as they were as well likely to be twice prematurely born and also more likely to lose their lives at infancy. The rate of African American mothers dying during childbirth was also estimated to be at seventy percent reason being the assumption those African-American women were genetically predisposed (Lu,   2010) According to The Daily Beast reports there is an alarming rise of mortalities of mothers during their child birthing. This occurs through obesity epidemic, hemorrhage and largely through caesarean section. Through its reliable investigator Danielle Friedman, on maternal deaths and their possible causes, She gives an example of a thirty seven year old mother who lost her life after successfully giving birth to a healthy bouncing baby girl due to the carelessness of doctors who assumed that, all was well with the her health because she looked healthy during her pregnancy and therefore neglected to check on her healthy regularly for other complications. She met her death after she unsuccessfully delivered the placenta leading to the unsuccessfully surgery performed on her to remove the placenta but only for the doctors to realize two days later that they had lost her due to hemorrhage. Her sudden death raised so many questions as per to why the doctors paid less attention to her during her pregnancy and after giving birth more so after the operation. Was it not for the carelessness of the doctors, the death would not have occurred, sentiments echoed by her widower Mr. Brian Muffy, when telling The Daily Beast. According to Friedman, over the past twenty years, maternal mortality rate in the United States of America has almost doubled with each year recording about five hundred deaths of women due to pregnancy-related complications. Shocking still, among the industrialized nations, the United States of America is ranked at terrible position of forty first by the WHO’s list of maternal mortality rates behind states like Bosnia and south Korea even though the US   spends a huge amount of money on maternal care than any country in the world. The daily beast reveals that there are several explanations attached to these mysteries some of them being; Skyrocketing Caesarean Rates whereby, Friedman argues that before caesarean sections were advanced to be as safe as they are purported to be today, and even after the government of America pumping of money into this sector, one out of three women currently give birth through surgical procedures as compared to ten years ago where one out of f ive maternal women gave birth through caesarean section. Following this, the WHO indicates that America’s caesarian rate should not exceed fifteen percent meaning that more than a half of the Caesarean procedures in America are medically unnecessary sins since these high caesarean rates are related to maternal mortality rates. This is simply because more than eighty percent of women who deliver through surgical births are more likely to undergo re-hospitalization as compared to women who give birth normally through a vagina. Chances are that, the caesarean women are four times more likely to die due to complications like hemorrhage and pulmonary embolism. Obesity among pregnant moms is also another factor influencing maternal rates in the United States of America. Despite serious risks, obese women in America are giving birth. Centers for disease control in US indicate that one over five women become obese during the beginning of their pregnancies. Such women are at risk of getting more health complications like diabetes, high blood pressure and hypertension which possibly leads to fatal conditions such as preeclampsia. In US, eighteen percent of maternal losses are caused by preeclampsia whereby as compared to the past decade, this condition has deteriorated by growing up to forty percent. Due to soft tissues impeding delivery, sometimes labor becomes difficult among obese women. These women are also at a danger for delivering overweight babies which will need caesarean procedure and also develop heart problems and post partum infections. Another A disparity in accessing care among pregnant women in the US is also another challenge that causes maternal immortalities. It is reported that one in five of women who are t the age of child bearing, are not insured. Over the past decades, the health care system in the US widely grew forcing the existence of economic disparities. In many states, most of the poor women do qualify for medical cover once they get pregnant to but only to be dropped later. According to the Amnesty International reports, most of these women are dropped just six weeks after giving birth. A maternal health expert Dr. Gene Declercq who is based at the school of public health in Boston University, terms such women as baby delivery vessels due to the limited attention that they are accorded. According to Kaplan, if a woman develops complications like hypertension and diabetes, in her first pregnancy, the dangerous cycle begin there. On the process, the women’s condition deteriorates since she is not capable of affording the proper medical care for her situation. Worst still, such women are not in positions to afford even to help prevent pregnancies and they usually end up getting pregnancies repeatedly whereby most of the times, they get themselves into greater dangers. This happens until by the time they get back to Medicaid’s for their next pregnancies, they are not in good conditions. The good news to such women in the United States of America is that, approximately fifteen million people are going to access Medicaid’s according to the proposed health-care reforms which are expected to make Medicaid’s easily accessible whereby this will include maternal and prenatal care (Kaplan, 2010) Another condition that triggers the maternal mortality rate is Unnecessary Medical Interventions such as through Caesarean sections where drugs are induced to sooth labor as well as the devices that are put in place to screen how the condition of the heart and how it beats. All these devices are meant to save women’s lives but sometimes they turn out to complicate lives of those women who are healthy by creating a new problem. When these interventions are unprofessionally applied to a pregnant woman, or rather performed inconveniently or unnecessarily, they can cause Urinal Track Infection to some women. These problems have been highly reported in most of the developed countries since they are technologically advanced. It is also reported that forty percent of women in labor are induced unlike the other developed countries where inducements are only applied as the last option. These drugs trigger lots chains of complications to women aggressive contractions being an example. L oudon reiterates that initially, deliveries that were undertaken at home by trained supervised midwives were lowest as compared to those taken in hospitals (Loudon, 2010) Older mothers at their forties are as well at risk of maternal mortality rates. Women of thirty five years and above are likely to suffer from gestational diabetes among many other complications since they are most likely to deliver twins or even multiples, usually, multiples are more risky to deliver as compared to a single birth and this applies to both babies and mothers. In this case, moms who are over forty years of age are expected to lose more lives as compared to as compared to those young moms. Another major reason as per to why higher mortality rates are recorded is due to poor birth education. In the present United States birth is reported to be increasingly medicalized and due to this fact, most women are ignorantly suffering from lack of knowledge in decision making as far as childbirth is concerned. Women who are low income learners do not have enough to money to access proper health care lessons and as a result, they are ignorant of ideal expectant mothers’ medication a well as the type of activities to engage in as well as the activities they should not engage themselves in. Some of these activities are smoking, drinking and even excessive eating some foods that are not good for pregnant moms just to mention a few. It has been also detected that during C- section, women feel powerless to an extent that they even lose control of their birth experience. Due to fatigue, being overworked and weeping repeatedly, these women are not in a good position to direct some the questions to since they cannot be able to make any informed decision. References: Lu, M. (2010): Is Racism Behind High Infant Mortality Rates among African-American. Derived October 6, 2010 from   http://www.rhrealitycheck.org/blog/2010/05/05/racism-behind-disgracefulinfant-mortality-rates-Among-africanamericansOUP. Friedman, D. (2000): The Beast New York. Kaplan, D. (2010): Health freedom alliance. Derived October 6, 2010 from http://healthfreedoms.org/2010/06/28/rising-maternal-mortality-rate-causes-alarm-calls-for-action/ Loudon, (2000): Maternal mortality in the past and its relevance to developing countries today.

Bendix Case Study Free Essays

The Bended Corporation is a parts supplier for five separate business units: automotive, the Frame Corporation (filters), aerospace, industrial and energy, and international. In 1951, the Bended Corporation is credited with the invention of electronic fuel injection (EFFIE) and was in sole possession of the accompanying patent until 1978. The company had not utilized this innovation to its fullest potential due to the lack of interest in automotive manufacturers in the United States. We will write a custom essay sample on Bendix Case Study or any similar topic only for you Order Now In 1976, Douglas Crane, president of Bended Corporation’s automotive division, was mulling ever the idea of embarking on the construction of a $10 million injector manufacturing plant, the main component involved EFFIE. Major Problems and Issues There are many problems facing Bender’s customers in 1976, the first and most predominant being government regulations. The government has been tightening and tightening the control over pollution levels in automotive emissions as well as minimum gas mileage requirements for each manufacturers’ fleets. The major car manufacturers were unable to meet these requirements with their current fuel delivery system technology. These demands put added pressure on Bended to revived a solution in order to provide future success and to create a competitive advantage. Another major problem facing Bended was competition from a Busch, a company that Bended earlier had made an agreement with to use Bender’s EFFIE technology to manufacture for the European market. Busch was planning on creating a manufacturing plant in the United States, threatening to take away some of the market share away from Bended. Another issue facing the implementation of EFFIE into the American automotive market is the phenomena that affect innovation in a large corporation. The phenomenon is that with larger economies of scale, the less the many is willing implementing a radically different solution to an old and well- known problem. The company is more willing to improve processes with their innovations, and then to create a whole new product line. The implementations of product innovations are more common in startups than in well-established firms such as Bended. This phenomenon can explain why EFFIE was put on the back burner and never utilized fully. [1] Possible Solutions There are three possible scenarios for the Bended Corporation when it comes to the new injector manufacturing plant. The first is Bended could build a new state of the art facility. The contract between Busch and Bended allowed them full disclosure, and each company shared their technologies and processes. Bended had a man spend several months studying the methods Busch was using in their production of injectors. The lessons that were learned during this time can be used to make a plant using new technology Second, Bended could restructure an existing facility to produce injectors. This remodel would take less time and cost less than building a brand new facility. Bended tried this strategy when they started producing their own electronic control units (CEO) by adding production to their radio manufacturing facility. This initial failure was remedied when Crane took control over the SEC production and got the right team together in order to meet a contract with Cadillac. Lastly, Bended could cancel the new facility and supply the injectors from an outside firm. This strategy that Bended used early in its EFFIE production. Although it does not contain the capital costs of tooling and/or building a facility. This solution has the issue that the current suppliers cannot meet the numbers Bended is looking to supply when/if EFFIE becomes the standard. Recommended Actions The issues that are facing the automotive industry are a factor that will change the environment for these companies causing them to have to make fundamental changes in fuel delivery systems. These changes will become an opportunity for Bended to pursue EFFIE as the solution for the future regulations and performance standards expected by the American customers. For Bended to become a leader in EFFIE, they will need to have a competitive, and they will not be able to when they are supplying injectors from their competitors. Bended will have to become more vertically integrated by producing their own injectors and using the knowledge they have from their time observing Busch, they can produce them more efficiently and tit less waste. The action I would recommend for Crane to pursue is creating their own brand new injector facility. The facility will be able supply the future needs for EFFIE due to regulations. Bended will be able to compete and beat Busch in the market due to superior processes. To get past the phenomena such as stated earlier their needs to be a strong leader championing this endeavor and Crane has already proven himself with the SEC project. [2] Conclusion In conclusion, there are a plethora of factors outside of the control of the market such as government regulation and management phenomena inside a large corporation. A company can come up with a solution that may not useful at the time such as in this case. There was no need at the time for EFFIE at its invention because of the less stringent pollution and mileage standards but as time progresses EFFIE became a more and more plausible solution. Whatever choice Bended made, EFFIE is now standard on all cars and carburetors are a thing of the past. Bibliography [1] Abernathy, W. , Turtleback, J. (2014). Pattern of Industrial Innovation. Innovation Management (1-9). Romania, NY: Lines Learning. [2] Schumacher, T. (2014, May 22). Gunfire at Sea. Youth. Retrieved June 16, 2014, from HTTPS://www. Youth. Com/ How to cite Bendix Case Study, Free Case study samples

Bendix Case Study Free Essays

The Bended Corporation is a parts supplier for five separate business units: automotive, the Frame Corporation (filters), aerospace, industrial and energy, and international. In 1951, the Bended Corporation is credited with the invention of electronic fuel injection (EFFIE) and was in sole possession of the accompanying patent until 1978. The company had not utilized this innovation to its fullest potential due to the lack of interest in automotive manufacturers in the United States. We will write a custom essay sample on Bendix Case Study or any similar topic only for you Order Now In 1976, Douglas Crane, president of Bended Corporation’s automotive division, was mulling ever the idea of embarking on the construction of a $10 million injector manufacturing plant, the main component involved EFFIE. Major Problems and Issues There are many problems facing Bender’s customers in 1976, the first and most predominant being government regulations. The government has been tightening and tightening the control over pollution levels in automotive emissions as well as minimum gas mileage requirements for each manufacturers’ fleets. The major car manufacturers were unable to meet these requirements with their current fuel delivery system technology. These demands put added pressure on Bended to revived a solution in order to provide future success and to create a competitive advantage. Another major problem facing Bended was competition from a Busch, a company that Bended earlier had made an agreement with to use Bender’s EFFIE technology to manufacture for the European market. Busch was planning on creating a manufacturing plant in the United States, threatening to take away some of the market share away from Bended. Another issue facing the implementation of EFFIE into the American automotive market is the phenomena that affect innovation in a large corporation. The phenomenon is that with larger economies of scale, the less the many is willing implementing a radically different solution to an old and well- known problem. The company is more willing to improve processes with their innovations, and then to create a whole new product line. The implementations of product innovations are more common in startups than in well-established firms such as Bended. This phenomenon can explain why EFFIE was put on the back burner and never utilized fully. [1] Possible Solutions There are three possible scenarios for the Bended Corporation when it comes to the new injector manufacturing plant. The first is Bended could build a new state of the art facility. The contract between Busch and Bended allowed them full disclosure, and each company shared their technologies and processes. Bended had a man spend several months studying the methods Busch was using in their production of injectors. The lessons that were learned during this time can be used to make a plant using new technology Second, Bended could restructure an existing facility to produce injectors. This remodel would take less time and cost less than building a brand new facility. Bended tried this strategy when they started producing their own electronic control units (CEO) by adding production to their radio manufacturing facility. This initial failure was remedied when Crane took control over the SEC production and got the right team together in order to meet a contract with Cadillac. Lastly, Bended could cancel the new facility and supply the injectors from an outside firm. This strategy that Bended used early in its EFFIE production. Although it does not contain the capital costs of tooling and/or building a facility. This solution has the issue that the current suppliers cannot meet the numbers Bended is looking to supply when/if EFFIE becomes the standard. Recommended Actions The issues that are facing the automotive industry are a factor that will change the environment for these companies causing them to have to make fundamental changes in fuel delivery systems. These changes will become an opportunity for Bended to pursue EFFIE as the solution for the future regulations and performance standards expected by the American customers. For Bended to become a leader in EFFIE, they will need to have a competitive, and they will not be able to when they are supplying injectors from their competitors. Bended will have to become more vertically integrated by producing their own injectors and using the knowledge they have from their time observing Busch, they can produce them more efficiently and tit less waste. The action I would recommend for Crane to pursue is creating their own brand new injector facility. The facility will be able supply the future needs for EFFIE due to regulations. Bended will be able to compete and beat Busch in the market due to superior processes. To get past the phenomena such as stated earlier their needs to be a strong leader championing this endeavor and Crane has already proven himself with the SEC project. [2] Conclusion In conclusion, there are a plethora of factors outside of the control of the market such as government regulation and management phenomena inside a large corporation. A company can come up with a solution that may not useful at the time such as in this case. There was no need at the time for EFFIE at its invention because of the less stringent pollution and mileage standards but as time progresses EFFIE became a more and more plausible solution. Whatever choice Bended made, EFFIE is now standard on all cars and carburetors are a thing of the past. Bibliography [1] Abernathy, W. , Turtleback, J. (2014). Pattern of Industrial Innovation. Innovation Management (1-9). Romania, NY: Lines Learning. [2] Schumacher, T. (2014, May 22). Gunfire at Sea. Youth. Retrieved June 16, 2014, from HTTPS://www. Youth. Com/ How to cite Bendix Case Study, Free Case study samples

Assignment Brief and Case Study free essay sample

For advice on structure of the port, referencing and Other details please refer to Assessment section on the module Accessed. 2. In addition, your group should submit a group journal which should include a critical reflection (3-4 pages). The template of the group journal can be found at the end of this assignment brief and in Assessment section of Accessed. 3. Based on your group report and journal prepare a group presentation.Your presentation should have maximum six slides (excluding the first slide containing the title of the presentation and names of all group members) and the duration of your presentation should not exceed five-six minutes. All group members should present in class and be ready to step in if one or more group members do not turn up for the presentation assessment. Students not in attendance and not presenting will receive a mark of 0% for this element unless they have mitigating circumstances. The suggested structure of the presentation can be be found at the end of this assignment brief.For presentation tips please refer to Assessment section on the module Accessed. Assignment questions: Your report should address the following three points: 1. Do you consider that the different departments at Ironwoods are groups or teams? Justify your answer making reference to appropriate B theories and drawing on examples from the case study. 2. Making reference to appropriate B theories and drawing on examples from the case study outline and diagnose underlying issues and problems at Rings. Toots.Issues and problems at Rings. Toots may relate to group work, organizational culture and communication, motivation, and other areas. 3. Conclude the report with recommendations as to how things may be improved, I. E. Write an action plan for the company, basing your recommendations on your analysis of problems and issues as well as appropriate theoretical knowledge. Prioritize possible actions and consider the implications of your recommendations based on your knowledge of the company. Firing on three cylinders Lifestyle Cars Ltd, as is general amongst car manufacturers, distributes its vehicles through a series of authorized dealerships all over the UK. In order to successfully qualify for such authorization, each potential dealership has to undergo rigorous vetting procedures to ensure that Lifestyles quality standards will be adhered to. Competition for authorized dealership is always fierce, never more so than when, as with Lifestyle, the products are popular ND sell well. Dealers are expected to meet sales and growth targets laid down by the manufacturer in trade jargon to move the metal.Rewards for success are not just monetary: dealers who are performing well are awarded a variety of other prizes, from holidays to extra deliveries of new models into their showroom. Out-of-date models are obviously not as easy to move and not dealer wants deliveries of these cars in favor of new or improved styles. Once accepted as an authorized dealer, the relationship between dealership and Lifesty le is not always an easy one. The two organizations must live side y side for as long as the contract lasts.Lifestyle has no direct authority over a dealer but indirectly have great power. To understand this situation more fully, let us look at a typical dealership, Ironwoods Ltd. Founded more than twenty years ago by Alan Ringworm, it has seen steady growth over that time from its humble start as a vehicle repair shop to the present day which sees it as a Lifestyle authorized dealer. Founder Alan Ringworm, managing director of his own company is also the Lifestyle dealer principal; the organization chart is shown in Figure 1. Figure 1: Organization chart of Ironwoods LtdManaging director/dealer principal Car sales manager Issued-car sales New car sales Fleet sales After-sales manager Parts manager Service manager Speedy fit exhausts Overlaid on this is the Lifestyle organization of two regional managers, responsible for either sales or service. Thus the car sales manager reports directly to Alan Ringworm and in directly to his Lifestyle regional manager who has his own company targets to meet. Equally Ringworm, whilst being managing director of his own company, is also equally accountable to epistyle Cars via the two regional managers and their bosses.Failure to meet tankards and targets set could well result in the loss of the franchise. It would appear from Figure 1 that the dealership falls naturally into two distinct areas: Sales and After-sales. Even if this were the case, it would not be a welcome division: profit margins on new cars are low and a dealership relies on the after-market to engender customer loyalty and boost revenue. However, in the case of Ironwoods, the groups divide even further.Let us look at each section separately: Car Sales The car sales manager is responsible for essentially three separate and distinct areas: new cars, used cars, and fleet sales. To take the first two, historically there is always a bigger profit to be made from used cars than from new. Used cars can mean anything from a five-year-old vehicle to one which has only been owned for six months. An unknowing customer, therefore, intending to purchase a brand new car may be successfully prospected by a used-car salesman to buy a six-month-old car before they even get as far as the showroom door.Behind-the-scenes arguments ensue as to the customers intentions and to whom the commission should go, particularly if the customer has always purchased new before. Similar arguments occur within each team as to who the customer belongs to: comments such as, She was my customer, I talked to her first but Debbie signed her up on my day off- deserve a percentage, are frequently heard and in an industry where base salaries are low and made up by commission, are hardly surprising. Sales techniques can range from the subtle to the not so subtle.Subtle, in that test drives will always take a left-turn route so that the prospect does not feel worried or unsure about how a car will perfor m if they have to turn right across the traffic. Not so subtle is the use Of controlled selling techniques where prospects, on a flimsy excuse of taking the used car for a test drive, find themselves minus keys and virtually locked in a room until they sign on the dotted line. After-sales This area also tends to fall into WV distinct sections: Service and Parts.The Parts department serves two masters: the general public (be it a sleepyhead motor mechanic or a private car owner intent on doing his own servicing) and the Service department itself. The Parts manager is under increasing pressure to keep his inventory levels as low as possible and is recently heard on the telephone trying to borrow essential but slummed parts from other Lifestyle dealers in the region. The Service technicians are highly trained mechanics who these days have traded in their ring spanners for state-of-the-art computer diagnostics.They are paid by the number of jobs they complete. Tailors is alive and well in the motor industry: each job has a set time allotted to it and listed in the job book. Therefore if a technician can beat the book, not only are they paid for the number of hours that it should have taken but they can also go on to another job. It is not unusual, therefore, for a technician to be paid for seventy-five hours having only physically worked for thirty-nine.Clearly, therefore, there is tension between workshop and Parts: the former do not want to be held up waiting for a part which the department is trying to locate at another dealership. Against this general background we then have the manufacturer imposing strict controls in all areas from the showroom layout to the procedure for warranty claims. As mentioned, the car industry is a competitive one and Lifestyle have decided to introduce an even greater element of competition y introducing a set of customer care principles against which each dealer will be measured.Ten in total, five for Sales and five for After-sales (but primarily Service), they detail the main stages in a customer transaction and include areas such as manner, tone, and attitude of the salesman, quality of purchase experience and right first time, every time for Service. Performance against standards will be measured by customer questionnaires and each dealership will be given their results in a monthly league table for the whole region. Lifestyle have decided that each dealer who consistently alls below the region average will lose discounts a not inconsiderable amount of money over the year. After the first quarters figures had been issued, Alan Ringworm called a meeting of all staff and explained the results. Overall they were below the group average in the following areas: 0 Customers considered that salesmen were too pushy/ and they felt that they were abandoned once the deal had been done with them. CLC Service department was experiencing a high level of repeat repairs. Further analysis showed that this was partly due to standard Of work but also due to the fact hat the fault could not be immediately rectified because parts were unavailable and had to be ordered.All in all, if the dealership were to continue on this slippery slope it stood to lose up to EYE,OHO in the coming year. Asking each of his managers to come up with some solutions PEG, Alan Ringworm then wandered around the dealership where he overheard the following comments: l dont know why hes getting at us the customer care principles dont include Parts. (Parts manager) D l hope hes not going to change the payment system unless hes going to double wages. Beating the book is the only way can earn a living wage. (Technician) CLC I try to move the metal so that get my commission and keep Lifestyle happy and now theyre saying that Im too pushy in this job you have to be, otherwise somebody else gets the deal. (Nectar salesman) C Wed be a lot better off if Parts got their act together. (Workshop supervisor) C] We do the best we can and Service lets us down each time. (Accused salesman) D A lot of the problems are due to the Lifestyle warranty procedure theyre just too picky and thats why it seems as if were getting repeat repairs. (Service manager)Returning to his office Ringworm murmured to himself, l just dont know what to do. Read an article recently about quality circles but you need a spirit of cooperation for that this lot arent even speaking to each other. Source: Adapted from Muddle and Called (1996) I. Report Marking Criteria (30% of the overall module mark): 1 . Overall style of written report and structure 10% of total marks Writing style should be simple and fluent in terms of spelling, grammar and punctuation. The report should have a clear structure and organized into identifiable sections with introduction, main body and conclusion. Analysis Question 1 20% of total marks. The answer should have good theoretical underpinning drawing on the appropriate theories/issues of groups, teams and group working and should not be just a repetition and description of facts that are contained in the case study. There should be evidence of an indents examination of relevant issues with supporting evidence from the case. There should be evidence of logical development of arguments. Question 2 20% of total marks appropriate theories/issues of organizational culture, communication, group working, motivation, etc. ND should not be just a petition and description of facts that are contained in the case study. There should be evidence of an in-depth examination of relevant issues with supporting evidence from the case. There should be evidence of logical development of arguments. Question 3 of total marks You should provide recommendations to the company management indicating actions needed. Recommendations should be based on your analysis of problems and issues at Ironwoods as well as appropriate theoretical knowledge and also be realistic. They should demonstrate proportioning of possible actions that will combine coherently into a plan of action and should be flowing and integrated, not lists of bullet points. You should consider the implications of your recommendations based on your knowledge of the organization. 3. Referencing 10% of total marks There should be a properly constructed list of references using Harvard referencing system with a minimum of five appropriate academic SOUrces and all referencing and citing in the text should be correct. 4.Group Journal 20% of total marks This is a very important element of the group assignment. Please discuss and reflect on the following questions and provide your answers as a group: a) Your group profile. Drawing and collating your individual results from the skills questionnaires found in some of the Tutorial Topic Guides on Accessed give an overview of your group identifying your strengths as a group as well as your weaknesses (this exercise could be done at the first group meeting to get to know each other better). B) Working together as group.C] How did your group work together? C] Did any leader(s) emerge? How did you allocate the tasks between group members? C] Did you learn anything new about yourselves? 0 What has worked best in your group? What were the positive aspects of working in a group? What were the negative aspects of working in a group? L] What academic and employability skills did you develop in the process of working on this assignment and how can these skills be used in the future? C] What would you do differently if you had to work in a group again? C) Non-contribution of any group-members.At the end of your journal please indicate very clearly if any group memb er(s) has not contributed sufficiently to the group assignment. Also, clearly indicate non-contribution in the assignment cover sheet when you submit your presentation slides. II. Group presentation (1 0% of the overall module mark). Based on your group report and journal you should prepare a presentation and present in class for formal assessment w/c 15 December. The presentation (Max 6 slides excel. The cover slide) should include the following: 1 . Title of the presentation and names of group members (1 slide) 2.Brief analysis of main issues and problems identified in the case study company (Max. 2 slides). 3. Recommendations to the case study company as to how main problems and issues identified can be addressed and overcome (Max. 2 slides). 4. Academic and employability skills you have developed in the process of working on this group assignment (Max. Slides). This part of the presentation should be based on your group report. The presentation should be coherent and fluent. It should be well executed with smooth handovers and good eye contact.