Customer Satisfaction of Maruti - Free Essay Example

Sample details Pages: 9 Words: 2805 Downloads: 8 Date added: 2017/09/16 Category Marketing Essay Type Critical essay Tags: Customer Satisfaction Essay Did you like this example? It was in 1970 that Sanjay Gandhi envisioned the manufacture of maruti which is known popularly as the people’s car it is maruti which is known to give wheels to the nation. The first car of mauti was rolled out on Dec. 14, 1983 after a collaboration with Suzuki motors. Satisfaction is a person’s feeling of pleasure or disappointment resulting from a comparing perceived performance in relation to his or her expectation. If the performance falls short of expectation, the consumer is dissatisfied. If the performance matches the expectations, he consumer is satisfied. If the performance exceeds expectation, the customer is highly satisfied or delighted. In today’s competitive scenario firms consistently tries to satisfy his existing customer to get more customers in every regards. To meet the desired expectation of customers companies has to look around all aspects of products services and of course market condition, otherwise they may be out of the race. Automobile industry has the same competitiveness and every firm in the industry is consistently working for enhancing their product and services. The study widely concentrates on the level of satisfaction amongst customers for which I did Exploratory Research to check the satisfaction level amongst the customers of Maruti as the popular punchline also says â€Å"Count On Us†. Introduction India is an emerging country with huge potential. The domestic economy is now growing at around 9-10% per annum and India’s importance in global terms is being reinforced by rapidly rising exports and domestic consumption. At a time when numbers of a slowdown and overheating in the Indian economy have started gaining momentum, the Indian rupee sprang a surprise by pushing the GDP figure past the trillion-dollar (42,00,000 crore) mark. The automotive industry is at the center of India’s new global dynamic. The domestic market expanding rapidly as incomes rise and consumer credit ecomes more widely available. Manufacturer’s product lines are being continually expanded, as is the local automotive manufacturing base. Expectation are high that India can develop as a global hub for vehicle manufacturers and as an outsourcing center that offers the global automotive industry solution high up the automotive value chain. India eyes 25 million automotive jobs. | | Indias GDP is set to double over the next decade In percentage terms, the automotive industrys contribution should also double. In dollar terms, the sectors contribution is set to quadruple to some $145bn The automobile industry in India accounts for a business volume of $45 billion and has the potential to grow much faster both through Indian as well as international manufacturers who have established huge facilities in the country with the world’s second largest and fastest-growing population, there is no denying India’s potential in both economic and population terms and the effect it will have on the auto industry in the years to come. The country is already off to a good start, with a well-developed components industry and a production level of 1 million four-wheeled vehicles a year, plus a further 5 million two- and three-wheelers. The implications, market drivers and scope of a future massive Indian vehicle market are covered in the India Strategic Market Profile, a brand-new forecast of Indian automotive and related activity to 2020. Based on Max Pembertons unique relational long-term forecasting model, it forecasts car and CV sales, demographics, materials usage, auto industry employment, and explains their inter- year of healthy growth in auto industry. INDUSTRY GROWTH [pic] Future of the Automobile in the Economy US based consultancy, keystone predicts that India will become world’s third largest automobile market by 2030. Overall size expected to exceed 20 million with compounded annual growth rate of over 12%. India Then Now 1983 Number of brands 2 Number of models 2 2008 Number of brands 30 Number of models 70 Some of the Car companies in India: Maruti Suzuki Fiat General motors (Opel, Chevrolet) Ford Hindustan motors, Mitsubishi Honda Hyundai Baja tempo Marinara Maine elect. Mercedes Benz Nissan San engineering Soda Toyota Top three manufacturers: Maruti Suzuki Tate motors Hyundai Car segmentation: This is done on the basis of size and price of the car A segment: maruti800, omni B segment: Zen, wagon-r, alto, Santo, polio, indicia C segment: esteem, accent, indigo, icon, Honda city, civic D-segment: opera, Octavia, sonata, monde, accord, corolla, Camry, Mercedes Maruti’s emphasis Role of the Sales Person He should be neatly dressed He should have knowledge about various product’s Features Variants Colors Prices Sales promotion campaigns Competitor products , their features , prices ,etc. Latest service and warranty policies Current availability Carry copy of ready reckoner â€Å"D o not leave the customer unattended for more than 3 minutes† Customer Care Team: Role of the Customer Care Manager: Customer Care Manager is the leader of the customer care team. He is accountable for the sales satisfaction index of the dealership. The customer care manager ensures that every customer is properly followed up and feedback is recorded. Also the customer complaints are recorded and resolved as soon as possible to the level of satisfaction. The customer care executives report to the customer care manager. Customer Care Executive:- Initially does the Post Sales Follow up (PSF) and monitors the feedback forms at the showroom Post sales follow up PSF’s are done in order to get the first hand feedback form the customer about the experience that they had during the sales and delivery process. The first PSF is done within the 72 hours of delivery and the voice or exact wordings of the customer are recorded. The next PSF call is made after 15 days after the vehicle is delivered. The feedback form system is a very important tool to obtain customer’s feedback on the experience that the customer had during the purchase of his/her car. Steps to be followed after receiving customer complaint: Firstly customer acre manager gives a control number to all complaints received and records the same in the customer complaints control register. Then customer acre manager gets in touch with the customer over the phone and expresses regret on the inconvenience faced by the customer Immediate action is taken to ensure that the customer complaint is resolved and writes a letter of apology The customer care manager along with the concerned DSE, then visits the customer, hands over the letter and takes satisfaction note from the customer Then he sends a copy of the letter and the satisfaction note to Maruti Udyog Ltd. And also files a copy of the same in the customer complaints register/file. Then the CCM discusses the customer complaints in the weekly meeting with the general manager on SSI with the entire showroom staff. Necessary counter measures are taken to ensure that such complaints are not repeated in future. All sales staff and managers review customer care activities on daily, weekly and monthly basis. The SSI review meet is conducted regularly. According to Maruti â€Å"A customer is the most important visitor on our premises He is not dependent on us , We are dependent on him, He is not an interruption on our work, He is the purpose of it. He is not an outsider on our business, He is part of it. We are not doing him a favor serving him, He is doing us a favor by giving us the Opportunity to do so† How you communicate Your words 7% Your voice 35% Your body language 58% Moments of truth Expectationsatisfactionreality If you get what you expected Expectationdissatisfaction-reality If you get less than you expected Expectationdelightreality If you get more than you expected When customers donâ€℠¢t complain they go somewhere else†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦. Customers don’t complain. They pass on their dissatisfaction to their colleagues , family , greengrocer, suppliers , consultants, managers , sports club, grandparents, neighbours, director, to you†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦. Market Research Project Title – â€Å"Customer Satisfaction Survey of Maruti Udyog Limited† Project involves: -Introduction about Maruti -Procedure followed by Maruti for catering to the needs and queries of the customers -Application of Five Force’s Model in the Automobile Industry -Quantitative research Awareness regarding the facilities provided by Maruti -Overall opinion about Maruti Research Methodology: The purpose of methodology is to describe the process involved in research work. This includes the overall research design, data collection method, the field survey and the analysis of data. Research Objective: To find the satisfaction amongst the customers of Maruti. Research Design: D etailed and structured questionnaire was designed. Survey a sample of 100 customers. The methodology developed was Primary and Secondary research. The questionnaire was designed to get information from customers about their satisfaction and overall opinion about Maruti. Sources of Data: Primary data Secondary data Field of Survey: The field work for the survey was conducted in Gurgaon and Jaipur. The exercise involved face to face interview with the customers. Analysis: The important factors and data’s collected were sequentially analyzed and graphed. Limitations of the Study: The sample size is only 100 so the sample may not be truly representative of the Gurgaon’s and Delhi’s population. Analysis |Knowledgeable Salesperson |No. f Respondents |Percentage | |Strongly Disagree |0 |0% | |Disagree |0 |0% | |Neither Disagree Nor Agree |0 |0% | |Agree |86 |86% | |Strongly Agree |14 |14% | [pic] 86% people agreed that the sales persons are knowledgeable and 14% str ongly disagreed that the sales persons are knowledgeable. |Employees spent enough time with you before sales |No. f Respondents |Percentage | |Strongly Disagree |0 |0% | |Disagree |0 |0% | |Neither Disagree Nor Agree |0 |0% | |Agree |64 |64% | |Strongly Agree |36 |36% | [pic] 64% people agreed that the sales persons spent enough time with them before the sales and 36% strongly agreed with this. |Employees spent enough time with you during sales |No. f Respondents |Percentage | |Strongly Disagree |0 |0% | |Disagree |4 |4% | |Neither Disagree Nor Agree |0 |0% | |Agree |62 |62% | |Strongly Agree |34 |34% | [pic] 62% agreed that sales persons spent enough time with them during the sales , while 34% strongly agreed that the sales persons spent enough time with them during sales and only 4% disagreed with this. |Employees spent enough time with you after sales |No. f Respondents |Percentage | |Strongly Disagree |0 |0% | |Disagree |22 |22% | |Neither Disagree Nor Agree |0 |0% | |Agree |54 |54% | |Strongly Agree |26 |26% | [pic] 60% agreed that the sales persons spent enough time with them after sales ,26% strongly agreed with this and 14% disagreed that the sales persons spent enough time with them after sales. |Display of Merchandize |No. f Respondents |Percentage | |Strongly Disagree |0 |0% | |Disagree |0 |0% | |Neither Disagree Nor Agree |0 |0% | |Agree |94 |94% | |Strongly Agree |6 |6% | [pic] 94% agreed that the display of merchandize was attractive and 6% strongly agreed that the display of merchandize was attractive. |Availability of the Product |No. f Respondents |Percentage | |Strongly Disagree |0 |0% | |Disagree |4 |4% | |Neither Disagree Nor Agree |0 |0% | |Agree |91 |91% | |Strongly Agree |5 |5% | [pic] 91% agreed that the availability of the product was there, 5% strongly agreed that the availability was there while only 4% said they disagreed with this. |Variety/Selection of Merchandize |No. f Respondents |Percentage | |Strongly Disagree |0 |0% | |Disag ree |6 |6% | |Neither Disagree Nor Agree |0 |0% | |Agree |87 |87% | |Strongly Agree |7 |7% | [pic] 87% agreed that there was variety/selection of merchandize whereas 7% strongly agreed that enough variety was there and 6% disagreed with this. |Vehicle in Good Condition |No. f Respondents |Percentage | |Strongly Disagree |0 |0% | |Disagree |2 |2% | |Neither Disagree Nor Agree |0 |0% | |Agree |82 |82% | |Strongly Agree |16 |16% | [pic] 82% agreed that the vehicle was in good condition when delivered ,16% strongly agreed with this whereas only 2% disagreed with this. |Prices are Affordable |No. f Respondents |Percentage | |Strongly Disagree |0 |0% | |Disagree |12 |12% | |Neither Disagree Nor Agree |15 |15% | |Agree |21 |21% | |Strongly Agree |52 |52% | [pic] 64% strongly agreed that the prices are affordable , 21% agreed that the prices are affordable whereas only 15% said that they neither disagreed nor agreed with this. |Attractive discounts offered |No. f Respondents |Percentage | | Strongly Disagree |0 |0% | |Disagree |26 |26% | |Neither Disagree Nor Agree |0 |0% | |Agree |47 |47% | |Strongly Agree |27 |27% | [pic] 55% agreed that the discounts offered are attractive , 34% strongly agreed with this while 11% disagreed and said that the discounts offered were not attractive. |Decor of the waiting area is pleasing |No. f Respondents |Percentage | |Strongly Disagree |0 |0% | |Disagree |0 |0% | |Neither Disagree Nor Agree |0 |0% | |Agree |80 |80% | |Strongly Agree |20 |20% | [pic] 80%agreed that the decor of the waiting area was pleasing while 20% strongly agreed that the decor of the waiting area was pleasing |Offered a Test Drive |No. f Respondents |Percentage | |Strongly Disagree |0 |0% | |Disagree |20 |20% | |Neither Disagree Nor Agree |0 |0% | |Agree |74 |74% | |Strongly Agree |6 |6% | [pic] 74%agreed that the test drive was offered to them ,6% strongly agreed that the test drive was offered while 20% disagreed with this. |Post Sales Follow Up done regularly |No. f Respondents |Percentage | |Strongly Disagree |0 |0% | |Disagree |15 |15% | |Neither Disagree Nor Agree |0 |0% | |Agree |59 |59% | |Strongly Agree |26 |26% | [pic] 59%agreed that the post sales follow ups are done regularly , 26% srongly agreed and 15%disagreed with this. |Responds to complaints Quickly |No. f Respondents |Percentage | |Strongly Disagree |0 |0% | |Disagree |9 |9% | |Neither Disagree Nor Agree |12 |12% | |Agree |61 |61% | |Strongly Agree |18 |18% | [pic] 64% agreed that the response to complaints is quick ,18% strongly agreed , 12% neither agreed nor disagreed and 6% disagreed with this. |Service at Maruti Service Station is excellent |No. f Respondents |Percentage | |Strongly Disagree |0 |0% | |Disagree |4 |4% | |Neither Disagree Nor Agree |0 |0% | |Agree |82 |82% | |Strongly Agree |14 |14% | [pic] 82% said that the service at maruti service station is excellent , 14% strongly agreed while only 4% disagreed with this. |Careful with Personal Information |No. f Respondents |Percentage | |Strongly Disagree |0 |0% | |Disagree |0 |0% | |Neither Disagree Nor Agree |8 |8% | |Agree |85 |85% | |Strongly Agree |7 |7% | [pic] 85% agreed that yes they were careful with personal information, strongly agreed with this and 8% neither agreed nor disagreed. |All the commitments are fulfilled |No. f Respondents |Percentage | |Strongly Disagree |0 |0% | |Disagree |7 |7% | |Neither Disagree Nor Agree |0 |0% | |Agree |6 |6% | |Strongly Agree |87 |87% | [pic] 94% strongly agreed that all the commitments were fulfilled and 6% agreed with this. |Value for Money |No. f Respondents |Percentage | |Strongly Disagree |0 |0% | |Disagree |0 |0% | |Neither Disagree Nor Agree |0 |0% | |Agree |2 |2% | |Strongly Agree |98 |98% | [pic] 98% strongly agreed that maruti provides value for money while 2% agreed with this. Are you aware of the following facilities provided by maruti |Maruti insurance |No. f Respondents |Percentage | |Yes |98 |98% | |No |2 |2% | [pic] 98% said y es that they are aware about maruti insurance while only 2% said that they were not aware. |Extended warranty |No. of Respondents |Percentage | |Yes |97 |97% | |No |3 |3% | [pic] 7% said they were aware about extended warranty and 3% said that they did not know about this. |True value |No. of Respondents |Percentage | |Yes |98 |98% | |No |2 |2% | [pic] 98% said they were aware about true value and 2% said they were not aware. |Maruti finance |No. f Respondents |Percentage | |Yes |75 |75% | |No |25 |25% | [pic]75% said that they were aware about maruti finance and 25% said that they were not aware of it. |Autocard |No. of Respondents |Percentage | |Yes |84 |84% | |No |16 |16% | [pic] 4% said that they were aware about autocard and 16% said that they were not aware of it. |Genuine Accessories |No. of Respondents |Percentage | |Yes |85 |85% | |No |15 |15% | [pic] 85% said that they were aware of genuine accessories available and 15% said they were not aware. What is your overall opinio n about Maruti ? |Choice |No. f Respondents |Percentage | |Very bad |0 |0% | |Bad |0 |0% | |Neither bad nor good |0 |0% | |Good |4 |4% | |Very good |96 |96% | [pic] 96% said that there overall opinion about maruti was that it is ver good while 4% said that it is good. How likely would you recommend maruti? 90% people said they would very likely recommend maruti to other people and 10% said they would likely recommend maruti to others. CONCLUSION On an average more than 73% people feel that the prices are affordable whereas 12% do not agree, 74% believe that attractive discounts are offered whereas 26% are not satisfied with the discounts offered. 0% said that the test drives are not offered and 15% said that post sales follow ups are not done regularly whereas 85% said that they were done regularly but people feel that it is the people’s car as it is satisfactory on all other parameters: knowledgeable sales persons , employees spent enough time before and during sales, displa y of merchandise is attractive, availability of product, variety of merchandize, vehicle in good condition, prices are affordable, attractive discounts are offered, decor of the waiting area is pleasing, responds to complaints quickly, service at Maruti service station is excellent, careful with personal information and is value for money . The overall opinion about Maruti is very good. SUGGESTIONS ? More test drives should be offered. Should be more particular about Post Sales Follow Up as it shows the concern of the company with the customer. ? Should put in more efforts to promote Maruti Finance , Autocard and Accessories. BIBLIOGRAPHY: www. google. com www. marutiudyog. com Automobile Magazines Marketing Management by Philip Kotler Questionnaire Being an esteem customer of Maruti Udyog Limited you are requested to take out a few minutes and fill the following questionnaire. Q. 1) How long have you been associated with Maruti? Q. 2. )How would you rate Maruti on the following par ameter | |Strongly |Disagree |Neither Agree |Agree |Strongly agree | | disagree | |Nor Disagree | | | |Knowledgeable sales person | | | | | | |Employees spent enough time with you: before | | | | | | |sales | | | | | | |During sales | | | | | | |After sales | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |Display of merchandise is attractive | | | | | | |Availability of the product | | | | | | |Variety/selection of merchandise | | | | | | |Vehicle in good condition | | | | | | |Prices are affordable | | | | | | |Attractive discounts offered | | | | | | |Decor of the waiting area is pleasing | | | | | | |Offered a test drive | | | | | | |Post sales follow ups are done regularly | | | | | | |Responds to complaints quickly | | | | | | |Service at Maruti service station is excellent | | | | | | |Careful with personal information | | | | | | |All the commitments are fulfilled | | | | | | |Value for money | | | | | | Q. 3)Are you aware of the following facilities provided by maruti |Yes |No | |Maruti insurance | | | |Extended warranty | | | |True value | | | |Maruti finance | | | |Autocard | | | |Genuine accessories | | | Q. 4) What is your overall opinion about Maruti? 1) Very Bad 2) Bad 3) Neither Bad Nor Good 4) Good 5) Very Good Q. 5) How likely would you recommend Maruti? Very Very Unlikely Likely 1 2 3 4 5 Date Sign †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.. Thank You for your prestigious time. Don’t waste time! Our writers will create an original "Customer Satisfaction of Maruti" essay for you Create order

Columbia University College Of Physicians And Surgeons Essay

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XYZ Energy Organizational Behaviour Solution

Question: Describe about the Impacts of integration models on XYZ employees, Increase in stress due to change in organizational environment and Developing communication strategy of XYZ energy? Answer: Introduction: Bissell, (2012) stated that merging and acquisition between two companies often creates conflicts between two group of employees. According to Bruce et al., (2010) employees face difficulty to adjust with new culture during integration of two separate companies. However DePamphilis (2015) opines that the impacts of these difficulties become more prominent as managements neither shows interest to get employees view on the decision, nor involves them directly with the process. Conflicts among can be occurred even organizational structure and culture of both mergers are same. Analysis of the current case study reflects the presence of cultural conflict among employees due to merging of Big Energy and XYZ energy. However, the case study also reflects that the employees of XYZ energy are facing more difficulties to adopt the culture of working. Although both of the organizations belong to same industry, management of Big Energy ate showing reluctance to increase communication with XYZ employees. As management of Big Energy is not interested to keep all XYZ employees within their organization, most of XYZ staffs already lost their jobs. Lack of communication between Big Energy management and XYZ employees is also increasing the conflicts among employee and management. According to McShane et al., (2012) similarity in organizational structures enables employees to adopt new environment after merging. However, the current case study reflects that Big Energy managed failed to maintaining integrity among staffs after merging and it lead to change in attitude of staffs. The essay deals with identification of impacts of integrating two separate organizations on behavior, value and attitude of employees. Recommendations are also made for Big Energy management to minimize the effects of change in employee nature. Impacts of integration models on XYZ employees: Attitude, value and behavior of employees are changed during integration of two companies due to presence of stress, chances of losing job and change in competition (Park, 2012).However, difference in culture and values also impact significantly on the behavior of employees. The cultures of public and private organizations are different (Ybema et al., 2011). In this case also, XYZ being a public organization provides employees with freedom to communicate with management. In XYZ, employees from each department are selected as representatives in management. On other hand, Big Energy is a private organization. Although both of the organizations operate in same industry, managements of these organizations provide different working environment to employees. Acquisition of XYZ increases those chances of being dominated in new integrated environment. Apart from this, the difference in cultural can also increase complexity of the situation. Increase in stress due to change in organizational environment: Generally the mergers do not take opinion from lower level employees before implementing the decision. However Xenikou and Furnham (2013) states that the negative impacts of merging are mostly seen among employees of lower level. On other hand, Sarris and Kirby (2013) also opined that the employees of lower level in organizational hierarchy are the most affected due to any merging or acquisition process. Integration of two companies often leads to significant change in organizational culture (people.stern.nyu.edu, 2015). As stated by Alvesson, (2013) sudden change in working environment increases stress among staffs. As staffs of low level have the maximum chance of losing job after integration among two companies, amount of stress caused by change in working nature is also maximum for these employees (Roberts et al.,2015). Bojica and Fuentes (2012) stated that stress on employees can be reduced by increasing interaction with management. However, Creed (2012) opined that regular comm unication between employees and management is not only beneficial for reducing stress over employees, but it also enhances loyalty of staffs towards new company. According to Lee and Pennings, (2015) management of an organization needs to take proper measure to reduce stress on employees as high stress reduces their productivity. Epstein et al., (2014) also stated that high stress can not only result degradation in performance of employees, but it also increases the problems like absenteeism and high employee turnover rate. The current analysis regarding effects of stress on employee behavior indicates that lack of stress management strategies can affect long term sustainability of an organization. According to the present case, XYZ energy is completely acquired by Big Energy. Discussion on the performance of XYZ energy indicates that its employees possess sufficient competency to ensure growth of the organization. Although structures of both organizations are almost similar, XYZ management provided the employees with more chances of taking part in managerial activities. Although Big Energy management completely bought XYZ energy, the organization is not interested to include employees of the acquired company. From the given case, it is evident that most of the XYZ employees already lost their job although they were equally competent with Big Energy (BE) employees. Information provided on management of BE is not interested to communicate with the existing employees of XYZ. Analysis on the nature of BE management indicates that the future of existing XYZ employees are also not secured. The current condition of integrated organization is not only creating high stress on employees , the situation is also reducing their loyalty. It is evident that XYZ employees are highly skilled. Increased stress on them can cause poor performance and also this it can reduce their productivity. However, the stress can increases anxiety among employees. Thus the incidents of conflict may arise. Increase in fear of losing job due to management policies: As the BE management is not showing interest to enhance integrity among employees, dissatisfaction among employees is increasing. On other hand, activities of management are clearly reflecting that they are not willing to keep staffs of XYZ.As the chances of losing job is increasing among existing XYZ employees their loyalty to the new organization is reducing. According to Murphy (2013) avoiding cultural conflict is impossible when two organizations are merged together. However, the incidents of conflicts can be reduced if employees of both organizations get the opportunity of knowing each other (Park, 2012). The case study states that managers of Big Energy are not showing interest to visit remote offices of XYZ. Apart from this, XYZ employees are not being provided with the opportunity of knowing BE staffs. As none of the parties are communicating with each other, XYZ staffs are being detached from management. DePamphilis, (2015) stated that commitment of staffs toward the work de pends on their level of loyalty to management. However, lack of communication is reducing the commitment of XYZ staffs. Apart from this, with reduction in job security, anxiety among staffs is increasing and it is resulting different physical and psychological problems. Degradation in moral values: In spite of being highly skilled, XYZ employees are losing their jobs. As a result, the activities of BE management may seem partial to those employees. It is evident that the employees of XYZ are not being judged by their skills only. According to Lee and Pennings, (2015) impartial nature of management encourages employees to improve their moral values. In the current case, security of job is not determined by performance only. Maximum degradation in moral values arisen when job security is hampered (DePamphilis, 2015). Analysis of current scenario in XYZ energy is indicating that the existing employees may get involved with immoral practices to for personal benefit. As the integrity among employees is reducing, conflicts among them can increase. Degradation in moral values among employees can lead to poor performance, increased tendency of being absent, decreased loyalty to the organization as well as several physical problems related to hypertension and cardiovascular activities. Recommendations for Big Energy management: Discussion on problems caused by wrong integration model adaption indicates that impacts of this integration model are currently affecting XYZ employees. However the long term growth of Big Energy can also be hampered by implementation of ineffective integration strategies by Big Energy management. If the management fails to use skilled employees, the primary objective of merger will not be satisfied. The adverse effects of wrong integration strategies can be minimized by taking some immediate actions. In this essay some recommendations are made for Big Energy management to solve the problems. Developing communication strategy: BE management should focus on increasing communication. Increase in communication between both parties will also lead to increase in integrity among them. However, the management should focus more enhancing the level of understanding between two organizations instead of conducting formal communication programs. Management of Big Energy should engage the leaders of XYZ energy with the process of communication strategy development. Apart from this the management should also focus on development of proper schedule of communication programs. Management if BE should also ensure that the employees of both organizations are getting sufficient chances to interact among themselves. Increased interaction among the employees will lead to enhanced productivity of the organization. As the XYZ was a public organization, employees of this company got more chances to communicate with management. Although, BE is privately owned organizations, the new employees should be encouraged to communicate with in the management whenever required. It will enable the management to increase participation of XYZ employees in organizational activities. Currently the management of BE is not dealing with XYZ leaders with equal importance. The management should ensure that XYZ leaders are being allowed to take part in managerial activities to utilize their capabilities. Assessing employee attitude: Discussion on the current scenario is indicating that the level of dissatisfaction is high among XYZ employees. Management of the organization should monitor the attitude of new employees to get information regarding view on integrated company. As the cultures of both organizations are different, employees of XYZ can face difficulty in adapting new culture. Management of Big Energy should arrange training sessions so that the new employees can adopt organizational culture without creating any effect on their performance. BE management should ensure that the effective practices of both XYZ and BE couture are combined together to form a new integrated culture. Managers f BE should arrange for face to face interviews of XYZ employees to assessing the impacts of new culture on them. Apart from this, the employees of XYZ should be encouraged to provide feedback on existing culture of BE for making a common integrated culture. Maintaining clarity of management activities: Recent activities of BE management can create feelings of discrimination among the employees of XYZ Energy. However, the management should ensure that their activities are impartial. Clarity should be maintained in every decision. Before implementing a strategy, all employees should be informed earlier. Apart from informing employees, BE management should allow XYZ managers to take part in decision making process. Thus the expertise of XYZ managers will be utilized for attaining business goals. It will also enhance the level of integrity in BE. Conclusion: The current analysis on given case study indicates the management of Big Energy adopted wrong integration model for executing the tasks related to complete acquisition of XYZ energy. Although some problems related with cultural conflict is inevitable in case of such acquisitions, improper strategies of BE management made the problems more evident in current merging. According to the case study, performance of XYZ energy was better than most of the organizations of its category. As two well performing organizations were merging in this case, the new integrated company was expected to one of the best organizations in industry. However, BE management failed to use highly skilled employees of XYZ energy as a result of wrong integration model implementation. As the management is not maintaining communication with new employees, these employees care becoming less loyal As a result the chances of high turnover among existing XYZ employees can increase. It can hamper long term growth of Big Energy. However, analysis on the recommendations indicates that the management requires taking some actions immediately to avoid further losses. From the analysis made on existing problems with integration model of Big Energy indicates that the management needs to increase communication with XYZ employees by visiting their office regularly. Apart from this, actions like arranging communication programs among employees of two organizations and allowing XYZ employees to participate more in organizational activities can be effective to the enhance effectiveness of the integration. References Alvesson, M. (2013). Understanding organizational culture. Los Angeles: SAGE. Bissell, G. (2012). Organisational behaviour for social work. Bristol, UK: Policy. Bojica, A. and Fuentes, M. (2012). Knowledge acquisition and corporate entrepreneurship: Insights from Spanish SMEs in the ICT sector. Journal of World Business, 47(3), pp.397-408. Bruce, M., Collins, S., Langdon, P., Powlitch, S. and Reynolds, S. (2010). Does training improve understanding of core concepts in cognitive behaviour therapy by people with intellectual disabilities? A randomized experiment. British Journal of Clinical Psychology, 49(1), pp.1-13. Creed, A. (2012). Organisational behaviour. Oxford: Oxford University Press. DePamphilis, D. (2015). Mergers and Acquisitions Basics. [online] www.univie.ac.at. Available at: https://www.univie.ac.at/aicher/dateien/MA%20Int%202013-2014%20-%20documents/Mergers_and_Acquisitions_Basics__All_You_Need_To_Know%20-%20Donald%20DePamphilis.pdf [Accessed 4 Mar. 2015]. Epstein, M., Davila, A. and Manzoni, J. (2014). Performance Measurement and Management Control. Bradford: Emerald Group Publishing Limited. Lee, K. and Pennings, J. (2015). MERGERS AND ACQUISITIONS: STRATEGIC - ORGANIZATIONAL FIT AND OUTCOMES. [online] Available at: https://www-management.wharton.upenn.edu/pennings/documents/Mergers_Acquisitions.pdf [Accessed 4 Mar. 2015]. McShane, S., Travaglione, A. and Olekalns, M. (2012). Organisational behaviour. North Ryde, N.S.W.: McGraw Hill Australia. Murphy, B. (2013). Organisational Behaviour for Social Work. Practice, 25(2), pp.143-145. Park, B. (2012). What changes the rules of the game in wholly owned subsidiaries? Determinants of knowledge acquisition from parent firms. International Business Review, 21(4), pp.547-557. people.stern.nyu.edu, (2015). ACQUISITIONS AND TAKEOVERS. [online] Available at: https://people.stern.nyu.edu/adamodar/pdfiles/papers/acquisitions.pdf [Accessed 4 Mar. 2015]. Roberts, A., Wallace, W. and Moles, P. (2015). Mergers and Acquisitions. [online] Available at: https://www.ebsglobal.net/documents/course-tasters/english/pdf/h17mq-bk-taster.pdf [Accessed 4 Mar. 2015]. Sarris, A. and Kirby, N. (2013). Organisational psychology. Prahran, Vic.: Tilde Publishing and Distribution. Xenikou, A. and Furnham, A. (2013). Group dynamics and organizational culture. Basingstoke: Palgrave Macmillan. Ybema, S., Yanow, D. and Sabelis, I. (2011). Organizational culture. Cheltenham: Edward Elgar.

James Bond History Essay Example

James Bond History Essay The â€Å"Reel† British Invasion: An Examination of the Legacy of the James Bond Films By Joe Roman LST 712 Spring 2010 On the eighth day of May, in the year 1963, the sanctity of American cinema was infiltrated by a British secret agent. The infiltration was unexpected and its effects were immediate. Even today, almost fifty years later, the impact of this secret agent’s presence on America’s silver screen is still being felt and continues to influence American popular culture. So, who is this secret agent and how is it that his films have come to dominate American cinema? His name is Bond, James Bond, and in order to understand his history, it is important to understand that of his creator, Ian Fleming, as well. Ian Fleming created James Bond while on vacation in Jamaica in January of 1952. He stayed on an estate owned by the Bond family. On a nightstand in the room in which he slept was a field guide to birds of the Caribbean written by the proprieters’ son, an ornithologist named James Bond. In an interview with Reader’s Digest, Fleming is credited as explaining his character’s name: I wanted the simplest, dullest, plainest-sounding name I could find, James Bond was much better than something more interesting, like Peregrine Carruthers. Exotic things would happen to and around him, but he would be a neutral figure — an anonymous, blunt instrument wielded by a government department. (Lycett, 1995). An examination of Ian Fleming’s life prior to Bond’s creation sheds further light on the character’s creation. We will write a custom essay sample on James Bond History specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now We will write a custom essay sample on James Bond History specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer We will write a custom essay sample on James Bond History specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer Fleming served as the personal assistant to Rear Admiral John Godfrey, director of Naval Intelligence of the Royal Navy during World War II. He was first commissioned as a lieutenant, then as a lieutenant commander and finally a commander. His expertise led to him being given control of 30 Assault Unit and later T-Force, two British special commando units. His experiences within these units provided the background for his spy novels. The men he met would provide the inspiration for his most famous character, Commander James Bond: Agent 007 (Lycett, 1995 and Winder, 2006). Prior to his military service, Fleming worked as a journalist and a stockbroker (Lycett, 1995). He didn’t publish his first novel, Casino Royale, until 1953, the same year Elizabeth II was crowned Queen. In it he introduced his character James Bond. He would go on to write 12 more Bond novels as well as 2 books of Bond short stories. In addition to the James Bond series, he wrote the children’s story Chitty Chitty Bang Bang and two nonfiction books: Thrilling Cities and The Diamond Smugglers. In April, 1953 when Casino Royale was first released in Great Britain, it was not much of a success. Reviews in The Times Literary Supplement and the Spectator were lukewarm and claimed that it was nothing more than an entertaining read. It did not attract the sales that the publisher, Jonathan Cape had hoped for (Lycett, 1995). The United States was even less welcoming at first. In fact, Casino Royale was rejected by three publishers before being picked up by the publishing company Macmillan (Chapman, 2000). Not even Macmillan could get the American public to care for the book. Regardless of the setbacks, for the next three years, Fleming continued to write and put out three more Bond novels: Live and Let Die in 1954, Moonraker in 1955, and Diamonds Are Forever in 1956. During this same time period, inexpensive paperback books were being consumed by middle- and working-class readers who were enjoying a period of prosperity in Great Britain. Two of the major publishers of the cheap books were Penguin and Pan. In 1956, Pan published Casino Royale as a paperback. In competing with Penguin, they took advantage of the James Bond novels’ promise of intrigue, sex and violence (Chapman, 2000). It worked and the James Bond phenomenon had begun. Readers began flocking to the affordable escapist adventures provided by Agent 007. This rapid rise in sales was spurred on by the running of a comic strip in 1957 based on From Russia with Love in the Daily Express newspaper. Two of Bond’s biggest fans were Albert R. Broccoli and Harry Saltzman, owners of the production company, EON Films. They saw an opportunity to make money and bought the film rights to the James Bond character. They made the first Bond film for $950,000. 00 (Chapman, 2000). Dr. No opened in London on October 5th, 1962 at the Pavilion Cinema in Piccadilly Circus. The story centered on a mad scientist on a tropical island in the Caribbean and his evil plot to destroy the U. S. with a carefully planned nuclear strike. Broccoli and Saltzman didn’t have high hopes for the success of the film (Chapman, 2000). Broccoli is quoted as saying to Saltzman, â€Å"Well, all we have to lose is $950,000. 00, Harry†. Something they didn’t plan for was the Cuban Missile Crisis which began unfolding just two weeks into the film’s release. And just like in Dr. No, it involved a mad man (Fidel Castro, according to some critics), a tropical island in the Caribbean (Cuba), nuclear weapons (the missiles), and a plot to destroy the U. S. (okay, I took some liberties with that last one, but it could’ve happened). BANG! By the end of the year, Dr. No had become the second highest grossing British film (Chapman, 2000). Sales of Fleming’s novels went up like Soviet nuclear missiles! Dr. No’s sales alone went from 85,000 in 1961 to 232,000, 437,000, 530,000 and 476,000 in the next four years (Bennett and Wollacott, 1987). And, that was just in Great Britain. Worldwide sales in 1965 alone, reached twenty-seven million. The opinions of fans and critics differed. One critic, journalist Paul Johnson, reviewed Dr. No in 1958. He called the book â€Å"nasty† and said it was â€Å"far more dangerous than pornography. † He claimed it was â€Å"badly written to the point of incoherence† (New Statesmen from Sandbrook, 2005). Fortunately, not everyone agreed. World renowned British author, Kingsley Amis came out in Fleming’s defense. He would go on to not only be one of the biggest champions of Bond, but to have the honor of writing the first Bond novel following Fleming’s death of heart failure in 1964. In his defense of Fleming, he went on to compare his books with the works of Jules Verne and Sir Arthur Conan Doyle (Amis, 1966). He wrote Colonel Sun under the pseudonym Robert Markham. Following Fleming’s death, his publisher had planned to produce a series of Bond novels by various authors all under the name Robert Markham. After Amis’s novel, however, their plans fell through (Lycett, 1995). He would go on to write two other books related to James Bond outside of the Bond novel continuum. While the future of the Bond books hung in the balance, the EON films were enjoying tremendous popularity. When Dr. No reached American soil on the 8th of May, 1963, the American public forked over millions to see it. By the time it had run its course, it had earned over $16,000,000 at the box office (Chapman, 2000). By the year’s end, it had become the third highest grossing film in the U. S. , defeated only by two John Wayne films: The Longest Day and How the West Was Won (filmsite. org, 2010). By the time it had been viewed by moviegoers around the world, it had earned $59,000,000 (Chapman, 2000). The following year, due to the unexpected success of the first film, EON Films released the second Bond film, From Russia with Love. It, too, would finish out the year at #3. The movies that beat it were Cleopatra, starring Elizabeth Taylor and It’s a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World, starring a who’s-who of Hollywood stars (filmsite. org, 2010). In 1964, EON Films released Goldfinger. Sadly, Ian Fleming would die of heart failure during production. He died just at the beginning of the phenomenon known as â€Å"Bondmania†. To release the Bond films on American soil, EON Films teamed up with United Artists. Unlike the first two films, United Artist decided to release Goldfinger as its major Christmas release. When it opened on the 22nd of December of 1964, it had its premieres at prestigious theaters like Grauman’s Chinese Theater in Hollywood (Winder, 2006). One reporter wrote, â€Å"lines of eager ticket buyers formed for blocks on opening day and afterward, this enthusiastic reception being duplicated all over the country† (Chapman, 2000). â€Å"The success of Goldfinger was such that in New York one showing followed another day and night, and the management imposed an interval only to sweep away from the auditorium the remains of popcorn which had reached a depth of several inches,† wrote another (Chapman, 2000). Goldfinger was the film that that established James Bond in America. American studios took notice. Spy-Fi fever had hit the U. S. and American filmmakers tried to capitalize on the popularity of the secret agent. Donald Hamilton had written a series of novels chronicling the adventures of another secret agent named Matt Helm. In Hamilton’s books, Matt Helm was a remorseless, no nonsense U. S. government operative. In the Seventies, ABC would produce a short-lived television series simply titled Matt Helm with Tony Franciosa playing Helm as a run-of-the-mill private investigator. But at the height of â€Å"Bondmania† in the mid-sixties, Columbia Pictures had something else in mind. They produced four Matt Helm comedies, beginning in 1966 with The Silencers. The movies were made to spoof the spy craze and starred Dean Martin as a perpetually intoxicated American secret agent. They turned out to be a major hit and a fifth was planned but was never made (Biederman, 2004). As recently as 2008, Steven Spielberg has been rumored to be working on a new Matt Helm movie. An even more obvious parody of the James Bond character was Derek Flint. Twentieth Century Fox released Our Man Flint, also in 1966. It starred James Coburn as Derek Flint, an agent for the super-secret spy organization known as Z. O. W. I. E (Zonal Organization for World Intelligence and Espionage). The movie contains several references to the James Bond character including the Walther PPK (Bond’s preferred handgun) which is rejected by Flint and a fight scene with Agent 0008 (Bond was 007). The film was successful enough to spawn a sequel the following year titled In Like Flint (Biederman, 2004). Television studios were not blind to the success the spy-fi genre was experiencing on the silver screen. In 1965, NBC ran a secret agent series called I Spy. It starred Robert Culp and Bill Cosby as secret agents working for the Pentagon. The series ran for three seasons. It was most recently made into a movie in 2002 starring Eddie Murphy and Owen Wilson in the lead roles (Biederman, 2004). NBC followed I Spy with Get Smart. Created by comedy legend Mel Brooks and writer Buck Henry, it follows the adventures of Maxwell Smart, a bumbling secret agent who works for a secret government agency known as CONTROL (not an acronym). According to Buck Henry, the show was created to â€Å"capitalize on the two biggest things in entertainment today: James Bond and Inspector Clouseau,† Mel Brooks is quoted as saying, â€Å"It’s an insane combination of James bond and Mel Brooks’ comedy† (latimes. com, 2008). It was most recently made into a film in 2008 starring Steve Carell and Dwayne â€Å"The Rock† Johnson. NBC would soon conclude its affair with the spy-fi genre with The Man From U. N. C. L. E, a television series starring Robert Vaughn and David McCallum. The two starred as agents for U. N. C. L. E. (United Network Command for Law and Enforcement). Due to lackluster viewership, it was cancelled in the middle of its third season (Biederman, 2004). While other American spy projects seemed to be meeting their ends, James Bond was going strong as EON Films continued to produce movie after movie starring Agent 007. All in all, EON Films has produced 22 movies starring James Bond. In addition, 1967 brought the world a James Bond spoof titled Casino Royale with David Niven portraying Sir James Bond. Ironically, Niven was Ian Fleming’s first choice to play Bond (Chapman, 2000). EON Films, however, chose Sean Connery. An odd twist of fate and legal technicality found Connery portraying James Bond for the last time in Never Say Never Again. This movie is not considered an official James Bond film as it was not produced by EON Films. Released in 1983, it was the only time two Bond films were in theaters simultaneously as Roger Moore was starring as James Bond in EON Films’ production of Octopussy (Winder, 2006). Roger Moore is the third man to portray 007 in an EON Films production. After Sean Connery’s five film run, George Lazenby was given the role in On Her Majesty’s Secret Service in 1969. Connery returned to the role in 1973’s Diamonds Are Forever. From 1973 to 1985, Roger Moore continued as James Bond until the role was given to Timothy Dalton in The Living Daylights. After two films starring Dalton, the role was given to Pierce Brosnan in 1995’s Goldeneye which was later made into a highly successful first-person-shooter video game on the Nintendo 64 gaming platform. In 2006, EON Films, partnered with MGM, took Bond in an entirely new direction. It was decided that audiences wanted a less campy and more no-nonsense James Bond. Daniel Craig took up the role and for the first time, James Bond was James â€Å"blonde†! Controversy ensued, but if box office receipts are any indication, the audience didn’t mind as his became the highest grossing Bond film to date. In 2006, he starred in Casino Royale, which, unlike the earlier film of the same name, was actually based on Fleming’s first Bond novel. At the time, it made the James Bond Franchise the highest grossing film series of all time, even eclipsing the popular Star Wars films (guardian. o. uk). The record stood unchallenged until another mysterious character out of Great Britain surpassed it. As of 2007, the Harry Potter series has taken the lead with $4. 5 Billion compared to Bond’s $4. 4 billion (guardian. co. uk). The good news is that Bond has a chance to regain the title as Daniel Craig is currently slated to star in the as of yet unnamed 23rd installment of the James Bond franchise. Granted, there are two more Harry Potter films yet to be released, but, that will be all since the books are finished. There is no end, however, in sight for the James Bond franchise. The influence James Bond has had on popular culture is certainly not limited to the books and films. One staple of all Bond films is the music. None of which is more important than the â€Å"James Bond Theme†, written by Monty Norman. The â€Å"dum-de-dum-dum† of the famous tune which is heard in all of the Bond films has been the inspiration for many other spy-fi projects. Even toddlers are familiar with the sound as evidenced by the opening sequence for the Disney Channel’s popular pre-school kids’ show Special Agent Oso. The opening credits are accompanied by songs sung by well-known singers including Tina Turner, Sheryl Crow and Tom Jones. Paul and Linda McCartney had their Bond song performed with their band Wings, â€Å"Live and Let Die†, nominated for an Academy Award as did Bill Conti and Michael Leeson’s song â€Å"For Your Eyes Only† performed by Sheena Easton. She actually appeared in the title sequence singing the song. The only singer to actually appear as a character in the film is Madonna in Die Another Day. Duran Duran’s song, â€Å"A View to a Kill† from the film of the same name made it to number one on the U. S. pop charts in 1985 (Chapman, 2000). James Bond has appeared in video games, comic books, and even as an action figure. Countless books, essays and articles have been written about him and songs have been sung in his honor. He’s starred in movies and on television. Ian Fleming’s secret agent has managed to infiltrate just about every aspect of the media in hundreds of languages in countries around the world. With no end in sight, is it any wonder that the American Film Institute has his most famous quotation recorded as the 22nd greatest in cinema history (afi. com 2010)? And with another Bond film on the horizon, we can no doubt be sure that some time in the near future, we will once again be reintroduced to the man known as Agent 007 and will hear the immortal introduction of, â€Å"My name is Bond, James Bond. † Bibliography All Time U. S. A. Top Box Office Leaders by Decade and Year (2010). Retrieved April 11, 2010, from http://www. filmsite. org/boxoffice2. html. Amis, Kingsley (1966). The James Bond Dossier. London, Jonathan Cape. Bennett, T. and Woollacott, J. (1987). Bond and Beyond: The Political Career of a Popular Hero. London. Benson, Raymond (1984). The James Bond Bedside Companion. New York, Dodd, Mead and Company. Biederman, Danny (2004). The Incredible World of Spy-Fi. Chronicle Books, Llc. Chancellor, Henry (2005). James Bond: The Man and His World. London, John Murray. Chapman, James (2000). Licence to Thrill: A Cultural History of the James Bond Films. New York, Columbia University Press. â€Å"Frankly, My Dear, I Don’t Give a Damn† Tops AFI’s List of 100 Greatest Movie Quotes of All Time (2010). Retrieved April 11, 2010 from http://www. afi. com/tvevents/100years/quotes. aspx. Harry Potter Becomes Highest Grossing Film Franchise (2007). Retrieved April 11, 2010, fromhttp://www. guardian. co. uk/film/2007/sep/11/jkjoannekathleenrowling. Lycett, Andrew (1995). Ian Fleming: The Man Behind James Bond. London: Turner Pub. QA with Mel Brooks. Los Angeles Times. May 19, 2008. Retrieved May 1, 2010 from http://www. latimes. com/entertainment/news/movies/la-et-brooks20-2008may20,0,4126646. story. Sandbrook, Dominic (2005). Never Had It So Good. London, Little Brown. Winder, Simon (2006). The Man Who Saved Britain: A Personal Journey Into the Disturbing World of James Bond. New York, Farrar, Straus and Giroux.