company perceptions (Essay Sample)

Title Toyota Company Perceptions Name Date Institution Toyota Company Perceptions Toyota is an international automobile manufacturing company that has been in existence for over half a century. Before being founded in the year 1933 by Kiichiro Toyoda, the company had previously been a division of Toyoda Automatic Loom Works which was managed by Toyoda. The company's manufacturing activities were heavily supported by the Japanese government which required an internal vehicle manufacturing company in order to boost its economy and prepare better for its war with the neighboring nation of China. The first vehicle produced by the company was the Model A1 passenger car that operated on a Type A engine in the year 1934. The years that followed marked a significant rise in the number and model of cars produced by Toyoda. The company's name was changed to Toyota in 1937, a name which was regarded as luckier than Toyoda in accordance with the East Asian culture. 1960 in considered the year when the company began to grow following its increased concentration on taking a research approach to finding out its market needs. This lead to the establishment of its first research facility in Thailand and increased sales followed. The company initially served restricted regions such as Japan and Australia until the end of the year 1965 when its scope expanded to North America regions. Currently, Toyota is enlisted as one of the world's largest and most successful company supplying its products to customers in all seven continents. Toyota has had a share of its sorrows often suffering from inflation especially affecting fuel prices and poor reception of its car models in some regions within the world. This paper will explore the different perceptions within the company study them and analyze the perceptions. A research paper is guided by the research question. A research question is the certain specific element of a research topic or subject(Selltiz, 1959). For example in this paper, a good research question would be what are the company perceptions at Toyota Company. A properly designed research question helps the researcher keep on track while conducting the research. A research study can only be termed successful if it satisfactorily answers the research question. To analyze qualitative data, the researcher could read a text or any other secondary source of data and write down findings and interpretations which can then be reported so long as proper citation is done. The other method comprises of reading a few texts then developing a story line using scenarios gathered from the different texts. Qualitative research seeks to provide research answers to questions that have not been previously answered and that can be applicable beyond the boundaries of the study area. The most common qualitative research methods are participant observation, focus groups and in-depth interview (Selltiz, 1959). The three methods explained above are applicable in different scenarios and environments. For example, participant observation is applicable when collecting data about some behavior. These behavioral traits under research have to be naturally occurring and could include reaction to stress or happiness. On the other hand, focus groups are applicable in studying the cultural practices of a certain group or community. This kind of research method seeks to generalize findings making them seem applicable to all members of the study group. In-depth interviews are best applied in collecting information about individual personal behavior, perspective, and opinions in certain pre-determined topics. Qualitative and quantitative research methods are two different approaches to research problems whose characteristic differ distinctively. The major differences occur in the analytic objectives of the two methods, types of research questions asked, the type of data they produce and their capability to be flexible. To name just a few, quantitative research method uses highly-structured methods to collect data. These methods include surveys and questionnaires carried out on a sample respondent group. On the other hand, qualitative research methods use semi-structured sources of data such as in-depth interview and participant observation. The research questions posed in a quantitative research method are closed-ended while in qualitative research methods they are open-ended (Selltiz, 1959). The format of data in a quantitative approach is numerical while that in a qualitative method is textual. Lastly, a qualitative research method is flexible accommodating additions and exclusions in the process of carrying out research. However, a quantitative research method is less flexible, its stability being shown by the fact that participants' responses do not influence the manner in which the research proceeds. The difference in flexibility between the two methods is the key comparison basis between them. One major advantage of a qualitative approach to research is the fact that the questions posed are open-ended. As a result, the participants are able to respond to issues in their own words rather than been constricted by the choices provided by the researcher. This makes the research method broader and thus in a better position to answer research questions than the quantitative approach. The sampling and recruitment strategies in qualitative research need to be well-checked to ensure chances of bias and errors are minimal. Qualitative data analysis is the conversion of data into some form of explanation that an be understood by readers. The two most common approaches applied in making data summary are inductive and deductive approaches. In a deductive approach, data is grouped into classes based on the research question and these groups' similarities and differences are examined. This approach is effective when both time and resources are scarce and when the qualitative research is not the major design of the inquiry. On the other hand, inductive approach is applied where the qualitative research is the major design. Data is grouped based on the emergent framework before the relationship between the data is analyzed. Data analysis methods for qualitative research include content analysis, narrative and discourse methods. In content analysis verbal and behavior, traits are analyzed with the intention of classifying and summarizing. The narrative method is aimed at making a concrete reconstruction of the data gathered from individuals. Discourse method analyzes all textual and spoken data. Quantitative data analysis methods include hypothesis testing where questions or assumptions are tested to prove existence or absence of a relation between them. The cluster method seems to operate in antagonism with the hypothesis method, testing data to prove existence or absence of a relation between them when there is no clear hypothesis. There are numerous computer software programs designed to assist in data analysis. The best type of research method to use in analyzing the Toyota Company's perception is the qualitative method. This method does not involve numerical data or numbers but involves words and stories. Photographs and pictures are important sources of data for the qualitative research method. Company perceptions are neither a form of numerical data nor numbers but a way of life for the company and hence a language and behavior. A perception can be defined as a manner through which people look at issues. A perception determines the manner in which one reacts towards the issues, directly influencing the outcome (Bryman & Burgess, 1999). In gathering information about perceptions of the company, some of its customers' testimonials and interview reports were analyzed. Most of the customers had a great sense of impression with the company's strong and positive principle regarding employee productivity. The company believes that in order to remain at the top of the game, it has to have the most productive workers in the industry. As a result, the company finances regular training to improve its employees' skills. To make the program more acceptable and a...