Toyota Motors Process Identification

PREPARATION

Before beginning this assessment, you should spend time reviewing key information and beginning your research on the 2010 Toyota accelerator crisis.

• First, take time to read each of the assessments in this course. The first five assessments each represent a component of a typical operations improvement plan (OIP). The final assessment requires that you use the work you did in Assessments 1–5 to build a complete, cohesive OIP. The work you do in Assessment 1 will be the foundation for the first part of your OIP for Toyota’s organizational practices at the time of the accelerator crisis.
• Next, research what OIPs can look like. Search online for examples that can help inform your thinking and research throughout this course. You may want to select a few examples to refer back to for ideas about structure and organization as you pull together your own information. Consult the Resources as you begin your research.
• Finally, begin to research the case that is the focus of this and future assessments. In 2010, the Toyota Motor Corporation issued a product recall on thousands of vehicles with dangerously malfunctioning accelerators. The Toyota recall crisis was well documented in popular as well as professional publications. Using the Resources in this course, the Capella University Library, professional and news sites and publications, and the Internet, begin researching and gathering information on the following topics:
  • Toyota accelerator recall crisis.
  • The state of Toyota’s organizational processes prior to the recall crisis.
  • The organizational changes Toyota made in the months/years after the malfunctioning accelerators were discovered.

INSTRUCTIONS

For this assessment, write a report that addresses the following.

1. Identify several (at least 3) of Toyota’s existing organizational processes at the time of the accelerator crisis. Any process within the organization can be considered. For each process you identify, write a short summary addressing the following specific topics. Be as thorough as possible, and cite your resources for the information you provide.
   • Description: Provide a brief description of the process.
   • Importance: What is the importance of the process to the Toyota organization?
   • Scope: What is the scope of this process (what is the breadth of its reach)?
   • Parties involved: What customers, as well as internal and external suppliers, are affected by this process?
   • Priority: What is the timeliness or urgency for resolving the issues involved in this process?
   • Benefits: What is the overall impact or benefit for Toyota in improving this process?
   • Cost: What are the costs to Toyota if the process is not improved?
2. Select one of the processes you identified to use as the basis for the OIP you will construct in this course. Select a process that lends itself to an in-depth analysis and that is important to the Toyota corporation, and one for which information is readily available. Consider your own interests, as well. Then explain the following in your report:
   • Why you think this process should be addressed, focusing on the process’s particular importance to the organization.
   • Some of the innovative and sustainable solutions that could be developed to improve this process.

The work you do for this assessment will inform your work in future assessments. You will also draw on it for the final, comprehensive OIP that you will submit in Assessment 6.

ADDITIONAL REQUIREMENTS

• Length of assessment: 3–5 typed, double-spaced pages.
• Font and font size: Times New Roman, 12 point.
• APA formatting: Format resources and citations are formatted according to APA style and formatting.

Online Resources-Operations Management

The following resources offer a foundational broad view of operations management.

• Ashkenas, R., & Chandler, L. (2013, October 1). Four tips for better strategic planning [Blog post]. Harvard Business Review Blog Network. Retrieved from http://blogs.hbr.org/2013/10/four-tips-for-better-…
• Foster, S. T., Wallin, C., & Ogden, J. (2011). Towards a better understanding of supply chain quality management practices. International Journal of Production Research, 49(8), 2285–2300.

You may want to search this blog for the following terms: automotive recalls, operations improvement, and strategic planning.

• Harvard Business Publishing. (n.d.). HBR blog network. Retrieved from https://hbrblogs.wordpress.com/
• Jeang, A. (2010). Optimal process capability analysis for process design. International Journal of Production Research, 48(4), 957– 989.
• Beers, Hamerman, Cohen, & Burger. (2015). Managing Your Business through a Crisis: 6 Steps to Success. Retrieved from: http://bhcbcpa.com/managing-your-business-through-…
• Russell, R. S., & Taylor, B. W. (2014). Operations and supply chain management (8th ed.). Hoboken, NJ: Wiley. Available from the bookstore
• Value Creation Partners. (n.d.). Analyzing and improving operations. Retrieved from http://www.valuecreationpartners.com/training/anal…
• Yohn, D. L. (2014, February 6). Great brands never have to “give back” [Blog post]. Harvard Business Review Blog Network. Retrieved fromhttp://blogs.hbr.org/2014/02/great-brands-never-ha…

Case Study

The following case study is recommended for further examination of the topics addressed in this assessment. You may wish to purchase it from Thunderbird School of Global Management.

• Greto, M., Schotter, A., & Teagarden, M. (2010). Toyota: The accelerator crisis [Case No. A09-10-0011]. Glendale, AZ: Thunderbird School of Global Management.