Automotive Professional Practice

Writing the Second Assignment    The past few weeks have been dedicated to writing the second assignment. At first I was stressed because I didn't understand what the assessment package was asking of us. However, after talking to my classmates I was able to get my head around it. Next week the assignment is due so, between now and then I will be proof reading what I've written and polishing sentences. 

Observing the Business    During our observation Lexus provided great hospitality and was happy to answer all the questions we had. We were lucky enough to get a tour of the facility by the manager. From what I saw I could tell that Lexus does well to keep up with regulations and do their part to reduce the impact they have on the environment. Lexus of Auckland City also had great customer service which we saw first hand. They refer to customers as guests and follow the mantra 'Treat everyone like a guest in your own home'. I feel that this customer service technique makes customers feel comfortable with the business and increases morale between customers and employees.     The workshop was well equipped and had systems in place to benefit health & safety as well as waste management. Like retractable air lines to reduce trip hazards and frequent waste and recycling collection. Lexus of Auckland city utilises colour coded bins in their break room to en...

New Observation Focus    I went back to GT Re-finishers to sort out times we could do our observations and unfortunately, they decided against it because they didn't have the time to accommodate us. After the unfortunate news my project partner went to a bunch of local businesses with little luck until he went to Lexus of Auckland City. They were happy to help which was a big relief as we were starting to fear no one would oblige. Lexus is the Toyota's Luxury focused brand and competes with BMW, Mercedes-Benz, Audi, and Infinity.     We planned a date to start our observation and were keen to get into it as time was starting to run out due to the struggle we had finding a place. I'm excited to see how a car dealership operates as well as how their service bay differs from a smaller shop like the one I currently work at. I expect to see computer diagnostic equipment as well as specialised tools being used because of the modern technology in the vehic...

Approaching Businesses    This week my study partner and I approached a couple of businesses, one which was not keen on the idea and one which had no hesitation to oblige. The business we will be observing is GT Re-finishers which is a custom auto body and paint shop. The reason we chose this business is because we have dealt with them before and they work with a lot of cars that really peak our interest. Though it is not a performance or engine building business like we first hoped for, I am still excited to do our observations because it is a side of the automotive industry that I haven't seen much of nor had experience in and this will be a good opportunity to see what it's like. Though our main focus is on the operations of the business, I think we will still be able to ask questions about their trade and gain some knowledge of it as they have quite a laid back approach.     GT Re-finishers are based in Penrose, Auckland, and the work carried out at t...

Course Introduction We were introduced to the course and what is required to achieve it. I think this course will be a great learning experience for me as I hope to own my own business in future. This course will teach me a lot about the internal operations of a business and what differentiates a successful business from a non-successful one. It will also help with my communication, negotiation, and networking skills as I will have to approach businesses with my study partner to ask them if we can use their business for our analysis.  My study partner and I are hoping to find an engine builders or performance shop to do our analysis. Our reasoning behind this is that these sectors of the industry are where we both hope to work after our degrees and feel that seeing how that type of business operates will help our careers. I also hope to own some sort of performance shop in the future as well and this course will give me a big insight into weather it is a highly profitable busin...