BMW Company (Research Paper Sample)

Student’s name
Professor
Course
1st/07/2015
BMW Company
Rosslyn Plant is a constituent company of the BMW groups of companies that is located in Pretoria South Africa. The company manufactures a wide range of motor vehicle brands which include BMW Motorcades and Rolls-Royce Motor Cars that are specifically designed to protect its brands. The company’s establishment is traced back to 1968 by the German’s BMW Company to broaden its foreign markets. To date, the total sales from Rosslyn firms stand at 65% where its products are locally sold to both the private and public sectors in South Africa. The company is believed to be one of the main pioneers of reducing racial segregations, unfair employee compensations and racial discrimination among others. Despite the smooth growth of the company since inception times, Rosslyn has been experiencing myriad predicaments that hamper its productivity as well as profitability. HIV/AIDS pandemic increased blackouts and allocation of power and Bureaucratic administrative procedures are some of the issues affecting the South African based BMW firm. This paper will critically examine these problems, give an implementation of criteria of sustainable policies and recommend on ways to eradicate other related problems such as one supplier predicament.
The Global competitive markets or landscape has increasingly demanded industries to initiate sustainability amongst themselves so as to make long-term economic importance. The most important reason of encouraging sustainability amongst global firms is to increase economic sense and rebuild its brand reputations thus savings some of the costs related to production and increase consumer demand for the products being produced. Further, sustainability policies save money and create revenues attracting more customers, increase risk management and mitigation, create positive leadership and employ retention capacities. The sustainable environment will also encourage maximum resource utilizations and keeping up with the stiff competition from other global companies (Wieland, 24).
In this case, the Hofstede’s cultural dimension models are applicable. According to Hofstede, Rosslyn works in two multinational cultures namely the South African and German Cultures. With regard to this, there is power separation in which the constituent firm may be directly or indirectly managed from German by the parent IBM Company. The power distance has encouraged individualism amongst employees and other top management staff leading to unavoidable circumstances that lead to compromised sustainability and pragmatism. These are very sensitive issues which require immediate intervention so as to avoid any criticism that may result to fall of Rosslyn Company due to cultural differences and favouritism. Due to lack of corporate social responsibility and environmental sustainability, HIV/AIDS and Frequent power breakdowns have been experienced and hence dire need to handle the above problems through sustainable policies formulation and implementation (Wieland, 234).
Through collaboration with internal experts, management and stakeholders, I will formulate broad sets of policies that will create a sustainable environment within Rosslyn company. As a consultant, I will implement policies that target specific areas especially on employee wellbeing so as to increase productivity within the company. First, I intend to make consultations with key stakeholders, other experts within the company and key customers before implementing the policies. Where necessary, business supportive services will be formulated to facilitate encouragement amongst employees. After successful policy evaluations and implementations, the company’s key customers will be required to frequently engage with the management of Rosslyn so as to help them have good practices that greatly contribute to sustainability in the working environment. Secondly, I intend to champion policies that protect the well-being of employee so as to increase their retention and productive capabilities.
The first policies I will advocate for are those relating health and safety. Health policies will include the provision of medical assistances such as employee cover and other insurable measures. Health and safety of Rosslyn firm employees will facilitate more productivity and profits. When formulating these forms of policies, all employee from diverse cultures will be included to robust reasonable and practical health policies that will initiate sound procedures across the departments and operations. Medical insurance for employees will reduce sickness as an employee will get prompt treatments whenever illness arises. For instance, the employee who suffers from HIV and AIDS pandemic will receive attention from specialised experts who will come from various medical fields without fear. These experts will guide, counsel and treat an employee in advance creating a sustainable environment. The policies will be monitored and implementation revised on a regular basis to make sure they are up to date (Ulrich, 116).
Frequent training and capacity building of Rosslyn employees on the need to maintain good health, good moral behaviours, and abstinence from promiscuous behaviours and have protected sex where necessary will be championed. This will ensure that the employees are safer and such risks are minimised in the work environments. Training will be a policy and shall be performed on a regular basis as it will be agreed upon by all stakeholders. Such training will promote awareness and sensitizations on the need for employees to be heat and safer. The training will also include guidance and counselling, mentorship programmes, and skills promotion amongst employees. In-house training will encourage the employee to recognise their skills and the need to appreciate others. This will further, create a culture that initiates employee retention (Homann, & Suchanek, 186).
Another policy I intend to formulate is working with the local communities to gather and take into consideration of opinions and suggestions from local customers as well as surrounding residents. The policy will include increasing employment opportunities for the residents surrounding the firm, treating the local people fairly and increased support for community initiatives. Creating of firm linkages with the local South Africans will robust sustainable work environments. The policy will also seek to facilitate open, transparent and honest amongst employees, suppliers, customers and stakeholders. With regard to this, the stakeholders will be involved regularly so as to create prior measures on the new issues of sustainability. Further, I will make sure the board and management are involved in providing clear roles such as oversight and responsibility allocations (Luetge,119).
The policies of environmental, political and legal sustainability will be also tailored through the incorporation of key stakeholders. The aim of doing this is to make operating units be committed and have excellent stewardship in creating sustainability. Policies such as legal legislations will increase sustainability since the firm will be controlled by local rules and regulations. Adherence and compliance to local rules will ensure that the company does not go against the wills of both the customers and the suppliers. In additions, this will ensure good remuneration packages for employees, payment of shares and dividend to the shareholders appropriately and increased decision making mechanisms (Homann, 317).
Rosslyn Company depends wholly on an Indian supplier who is situated in Durban. In such a case, myriad problems frequently arise causing havoc to the operations of the BMW constituent firm. First, delivery of materials is problematic even if there is a contact person who often confirms the supply. The supplier, therefore, delivers materials and other equipment late lowering the production process. On visiting him and request for clarity on the frequent lateness in delivery, the suppliers defended himself through blaming power blackouts and unwritten or agreed contract that states clear timelines. To solve the problem, I intend to make the procurement department have written contractual framework that can follow due processes. The written records will clarify and detailed what exactly the company apply and pay for as well as what time to be expected. Further, I will encourage the procurement officers to take notes whenever they meet and communicate with the clients who are potential suppliers. In some cases for instance where orders are not clearly known to the procurement officer, photographs are appropriate. Timings, modes and terms of payment, materials and products should be clearly spelt out by the supplier before delivering them to the company. In case of the supplier sub-contracting, he or she should make us aware of it and therefore I will encourage other production managers to regularly inspect production processes, materials in case of any change or alteration before payments are arranged. The most crucial point will be demanding for the materials a month or two months earlier to facilitate delivery (Heeg, 234).
A thorough examination of the supplier’s culture will be also another important thing. This is because the best and successful buyer –seller relations are dictated by similar workplace ethics and values. For instance, Rosslyn will always demand suppliers to deliver their orders in time any mismatch will hamper production activities. Similarly, in this case, the Durban supplier always delivers the required materials late and hence he or she does not meet the deadlines. To reduce this, orders will be made earlier to give him some agreed duration of product delivery. In addition, I will encourage the supplier to regularly communicate whenev...