Free Essay with Comprehensive Analysis of the Nissan Case Study

In any market situation, some factors influence the market. The major forces that affect the market are demand and supply. In a case when the supply is limited, the demand for the commodity is high and the suppliers in this sector benefit. On the other hand, when the supply is very high, the demand for the product reduces, and the consumers benefit. Another common instance that occurs when the demand is high is choice. The suppliers may provide different products in the market which gives the clients options depending on their tastes and preferences. The suppliers have to compete; however to win the clients to their products by ensuring that their products are in line with the customer's preferences. In addition to this, the suppliers have to ensure that their product price is profitable to them. Nissan is one of the leading dealers in the motor industry. It deals with the production of vehicles and vehicle spare parts in many areas of the globe. It faces several competitors such as ford, Volkswagen, Suzuki, and Hyundai all which also produce automotive. In addition to the competition, several problems are associated with the organization. This paper is an in-depth analysis of the products that Nissan produces, some of the issues that it faces and possible solutions to the problems.

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Measures of Customer Satisfaction

In the motor-vehicle industry, Nissan is one of the leading producers accompanied by several others such as ford among others. It is also evident in the number of sales that the company makes annually. In January 2019 for example, the company made an average of about 45502 vehicles in Europe alone. This number of sales shows that the company is operating in an extensive customer scope. Many aspects attract customers to products. To begin with, the company has a very famous name for its long service in the market. Considering that the brand has been supplying the motor vehicle industry since 1933, the chances that it has developed its roots all over the world and won a good reputation compared to some of the companies that are growing in recent years. The reputation is also built on the fact that Nissan has managed to fight all the market transitions since its beginning till now. With such a name, the company fetches many clients.

Moreover, the company has means that are used to entice the customers into buying its products. To begin with, many advancements have been made in the cars produced by the enterprise. As modern technology develops, better engines and other car parts have been developed. Among the most recent developments in the introduction of smart vehicles. The cars are made in such a way that they are more fuel efficient compared to the previous brands. In addition to that, the vehicle connects with modern technology to ease in its operation. One of such advances is the launching of the Nissan Smart Car in Vienna in 2016 (Schussler, 2016). The car is made in such a way that it can link to Android or iPhone devices giving the user access to locks, the air conditioning system and even headlights. With such ease in operating the vehicle, the customers are likely to choose it compared to other cars in the market. The competitors for such projects include Mercedes who also have launched smart cars.

Another aspect that is used to ensure maximum customer satisfaction is the quality of the vehicles that are produced. The vehicles have to be tested for their roadworthiness, balance, adaptability to prevailing conditions and many more tests that ensure that the vehicle is fit to satisfy the needs that the customers from any place in the globe need. There are also measures that have been set apart to deal with counterfeit products in the market. The company achieves this by setting out information about how genuine products from the company look like to ensure that the clients can assess and note the fake products. In addition to that, they make their products last longer which makes them more desirable to the customers. In their websites, the company also highlights the parts that are very prone to counterfeiting such as airbags and oil filters. They also include photos of some of the fake products so which makes it easier to use visual factors when buying them. This measure is essential in ensuring that the customers get maximum satisfaction from the goods that they purchase because the chances that the client is exposed to fakes is lower.

In addition to that, the clients are offered help in many online facilities. In the modern world, advanced technology has made many people more tech savvy. The clients would hate a situation in which one has to travel to a station in case of any query that they may have about their vehicle spare parts. Nissan has a very integrated customer care desk which is available for any questions that the clients may have 24 hours a day. It reduces the hustle that the clients have to go through in case they need to know anything about the company. The Japan help desk, for example, receives an average of 180000 calls per year. With such detail, the enterprise ca collect a lot of valid data that they may use both to promote their services and improve some of the areas that seem unsatisfactory to the buyers.

Another measure that ensures customer satisfaction is the appreciation of the diversity that the clients may have. An excellent demonstration of such is the side of the steering wheel is placed. Some of the clients may prefer it on the right-hand side while others may prefer it on the left side. The company appreciates this diversity by making both vehicles that have a steering wheel on the right and others on the left side. In this manner, the customers get their desired fulfilled earning the company greater satisfaction. The above measure increases the number of sales that the enterprise makes. Moreover, the company keeps upgrading their vehicles to suit the needs of the clients. An excellent example is the introduction of cars with a special chair for the people who cannot stand (Nissan sustainability report, 2005). The seat is retractable in and out of the vehicle which makes it easier for people with disability to board the vehicle. The consideration of this diversity also ensures that the customers are more satisfied.

Competition

One of Nissan's most significant competitors is Ford. In one of the most recent competitive stat, Nissan produced its Nissan Sentra and ford produced an almost similar model of vehicle - ford Focus. The two brands hit the market at nearly the same time and were all competing for the top notch in the market. Nissan Sentra however made more sales than Ford Focus due to its details in the safety of the car. The producers knew that to entice more clients, the safety of the vehicle was paramount and made their automotive safer with better safety procedures compared to its rival. As a result, the car won the 2017 top safety pick due to its emergency braking and crash mitigation brakes. In addition to that, the vehicle had lower fuel consumption (Tamaroff, 2019).

Theories and Techniques

Material requirement planning is an inventory that is found in computers and is used in scheduling and placing orders for items that an organization needs. The information that Nissan needs to take into consideration include the cost of material that they use in making the vehicles or spare parts, the process in which the materials are transformed from raw products into finished goods, means that they can win the customers over to their products and the schedule of production. The measures above make it possible for the company to have a proper layout of how the material they need to produce cars will be purchased.

The program Evaluation Review Technique (PERT) is applicable in the company when the outcomes of the activity are unknown or uncertain. One example of such an activity in the production process is the number of automobiles that the company will sell. In the existing market situation where there are many suppliers in the market, it is hard to predict the expected sales, and therefore this method would be most applicable. The technique involves setting out a PERT chart that is a visual representation of what the production process looks like. The chart highlights all the expected outcomes. An example is explained below. If the company makes more than 100000 sales this year, the production materials will be increased by 20%; however, if the sales are below 100000, the production material will be reduced by 10%. The PERT chart shows all the implications and the measures that Nissan will take to gain maximum benefit.

On the other hand, the critical path method applies to the activities whose outcome is well known. The tasks may interact with each other in numerous ways, and the technique helps avoid any instances when the information is miscommunicated. The process involves making a chart that shows how the processes relate to each other and the expected outcome of the process at large. A CPM can be applied in the process of assembling the different parts if the car. The parts may come from different departments in the assembly, but in the end, all the parts are bound to join and form one vehicle. The CPM chart shows how each department is related to the other in the formation of the outcome.

Job sequencing is the layout in which the activities to be carried out in the production process are to be carried out. Four major rules govern job sequencing. The first rule is that the serving of the clients or customers is in supposed to be in the order in which they came in. In this rule, the priority is dependent on the time of arrival. The law is very advantageous in the process of delivering vehicles or spare parts to an already known number of customers. The order in which the clients made the request should be followed to ensure that they are satisfied at the right time. The rule would, however, be disadvantageous when the tasks at hand have varying lengths. If for example, delivering a product to a very far located customer. In an instance when the means to be used to transport the product are limited, it would be unwise to deliver to the far away customer as the delay in delivery for the other customers will be too long. The second rule states that the jobs that have the least time in processing should be dealt with first. The rule can be applied in the assembly process. It ensures that the work output is maximized because more tasks will be achieved within the stipulated time. It would, however, be disadvantageous in situations when the enterprise needs to deliver the clients. This is because no one would like it when a person who comes after them is served before them. It would lead to a lot of customer dissatisfaction. The third rule is the earliest date project rule that stipulates that the jobs should be done according to their level of urgency. The practice is beneficial in the process of manufacture especially in ensuring customer satisfaction. Take, for example, a customer has given an order for a Nissan Sedan in 20 days, and another gave the same order but in three days. It would mean that the client with twenty days is sorted after the one with a more pressing order. The satisfaction of the customers will be guaranteed in this case. On the contrary, the rule may be disadvantageous in the instance when the orders for products are many, and some may be forgotten. The final rule is the rule that prioritizes the projects that have the longest time of production.

A hybrid approach is the use of both traditional methods or skills to achieve a set objective. In the case of Nissan, a hybrid approach is best applicable to the marketing of the products. Considering the variety of people who are purchase products ranging from Nissan spare parts to vehicles, it woul...