Research Paper

Muhammad A

Researcher
Academic Writer
By 2015, there was a rapid increase in technological innovations. People gained more advanced knowledge of smartphones and could connect throughout the world (Mohamed, 2020). Other than this, people could move around the cities more conveniently with the help of only a single touch, done via car-sharing applications like Uber that helped users to order private rides. Although Uber's popularity and success were increasing, it faced many controversies like unhappy stakeholders, partners, and customers and had to solve these uncertainties. These controversies affected Uber and its customers, but the company continued to grow. There was a time when there was an outcry on social media regarding high fare prices which also made the customers angry. Travis Kalanick, Uber's Co-founder, tried justifying this problem as 'The market is setting the price'. However, people kept on arguing. Questions arose regarding the company, its tactics, and stakeholder management.
The stakeholders were not satisfied with the ongoing legal issues they faced regularly. Different states and agencies had a problem with Uber regarding their policy of having the data but didn't own the cars. In reply, Uber stated itself as 'A merely data-based marketplace'.
Although this led to more conflicts between the agencies and Uber. Problems, like the company going against the insurance policies, were also noted regarding Uber. People usually complained about the ability of the company to pick up and drop off the passengers at the airport, increased prices, and violation of laws. The company also had unlimited data access from the customers. Uber drivers also raised their voices regarding the high cut from their incomes by the company. Since the Uber drivers were independent contractors, they were responsible for car insurance, maintenance, and taxes. Sometimes, Uber had lower ratings, while the Uber drivers weren't registered, leading to charges like illegal taxi services. Uber drivers were not even registered. The company was charged with illegal taxi services. But the most clashes of the company were with its stakeholders. People believed that Uber was behaving childishly and unprofessionally. Uber could have gained success regardless of these controversies; for example, by establishing consistent and strict rules for all the drivers, their insurance, and checking their backgrounds. Uber could also have reduced driver downtime, allowed scheduled pick-ups, formed loyalty programs, and customize the experience. Giving away coupons could attract more customers. One should always accept positive criticism, this will improve the services. Uber drivers should be well aware of all the routes, they should not only be good in driving but also have good personalities and hard work.
Stakeholders usually face problems while doing projects. Whenever there is a delay in the completion of a project due to any special-interest group, leads to an increase in the project's cost that is added to the expense of the legal proceedings. However, stakeholders play a crucial role in businesses. Without the stakeholders, there will be no projects. One should make sure to satisfy them as they help in bringing many benefits to the company and the projects.
Stakeholders should always be involved in the decision-making processes to avoid conflicts later on, or else it can slow down the procedures, bringing delays in the projects (Freudenreich, 2020). Not all of the projects but a few of them usually fail because of the stakeholder's'' behavior toward the project and lack of management skills. If the stakeholders are upset or unhappy with the project, it can lead to problems in management. So projects are delayed a few weeks or even months. If such issues occur, stakeholders might also demand the replacement of the project manager. Uber has made it easier for third-party developers to make such applications that will help develop their fast-growing services. Although these ideas were old, they became popular a few years back; therefore, companies like Uber started following them. They used data to bring back the power and choice to the stakeholders.
Uber is one of the most frequently used transportation facilities. Travis Kalanick, the co-founder of Uber should make changes according to the demand of the people; this will attract more clients and profit. My advice for Travis Kalanick would be that a leader should create a vivid vision and make all the members connect. He should make sure everyone knows the importance of working as a team. He should be a good listener. He should welcome outside perspectives allowing reasonable production rates and unique ideas. He should put the implementation process wherever it is necessary. Uber is known to be one of the most appropriate and convenient transportation services in the United States and other parts of the world. Undoubtedly, Uber is economically more used. Uber can be easily called due to the booking process, as technology has made life easier, unlike a person running down the street to call a taxi or any other vehicle. Even though people agree that Uber services have changed, and have gained success over recent years. But the company has also found resistance from partnerships, customers, and stakeholders. I would also like to advise Travis regarding the future directions of change; they should evaluate again or differently the limitations for the company. Uber should determine all the insufficiencies faced in the corporate culture. The company agrees that Travis has always put all his efforts into the betterment of the company, and during his authority, he has improved the business. Paying more attention to the flaws would allow the company to have higher profits and increase its efficiency. He should focus on the collaborations. Collaboration is of great help for the growth of the company. Uber can collaborate with popular companies to increase its popularity. The owners should release unique offers like giving discounts to regular customers.
Firms like Uber bring many economic and entrepreneurial benefits. These businesses increase job opportunities. The company helps in the reduction of carbon dioxide emissions, like in car-sharing services (Curtis and Mont., 2020). People believe that car services are as essential as the launch of web browsers. Regulation is one of the barriers to gaining success for sharing economy firms. The city governments' incentives and the sharing economy are aligned. People usually criticize sharing economy, which often involves regulatory uncertainty. Businesses like Uber that provides rental services are often not following regulations. Sharing economy helps earn income, secure future transactions, and authentic experiences. However, it can often lead to poor working conditions. Although sometimes Uber claims itself as a technology marketplace that helps promote technology and new services and is also known to be a resourceful source providing information. Why do they call Uber a Marketplace? It is an online platform for technology interaction, helping in contact among stakeholders or customers.
The case study helps business leaders and entrepreneurs solve critical problems, run their own companies, and provides information regarding the range of organizations, cultures, and functional groups. The study explains a perspective on leadership. According to the article, there were many ups and downs during the growth of Uber; however, the owner, founders, and managers were so charismatic that they were role models for the new entrepreneurs, and everyone tried to follow them. The daily operations were impossible for the company, but hard work always pays off. Not only the founder and co-founders played a crucial role in the company's development, but managers were also known to be the leaders. A leader and manager are essential skill sets. The case study explains that leadership is hard. A good leader pushes through fear, assesses risk, and takes action according to the requirement. The tough decisions made by Uber during all the consequences were impossible without experience.
The company faced criticism and pushback. Rather than giving up, the owner with his team pushed forward the company and motivated all the workers. All these facts explain how hard leadership is and one needs to make such decisions that others cannot. Understand the values and prioritize them.
The case study teaches us the importance of an honest view of the company's strengths and weaknesses; this means Self-awareness gives a person the ability to improve (Gatling, 2014). A successful team leader should be aware of weaknesses and places where the company requires help, allowing him to hire workers according to the requirements. Uber made sure they received feedback from the clients to make improvements. Therefore, one needs to get feedback from the network. When a company receives an outside perspective, it provides help in initiating a new idea, etc. It tried to tell us the importance of focusing on things that should be developed and will help improve the right leader for a company. All workers take time to improve. Therefore, a worker should never be promoted before time without having the experience of facing failures. Good communication skills are essential to better business strategies. One needs to speak clearly to get his views across to others, like stakeholders or customers. A leader needs clear delivery skills to get the desired results. If a company doesn't achieve the results, one should start finding a new approach. The article tells the importance of the needs of the main stakeholders. Therefore, as a leader, always determine how one should deliver their message to gain the actions and results they want. The case study also helps us understand new strategies for better management plans. A leader should communicate and connect with the frontline staff. Every head should connect with all the employees from different levels to avoid problems in the future. The leader should be open to ideas and listen to others to learn new things from people around them (Graetz, 2000).
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
References
Alemi, F., Circella, G., Handy, S., & Mokhtarian, P. (2018). What influences travelers to use Uber? Exploring the factors affecting the adoption of on-demand ride services in California. Travel Behaviour and Society, 13, 88-104.
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S2214367X17300947
Mohamed, M. J., Rye, T., & Fonzone, A. (2020). The utilisation and user characteristics of Uber services in London. Transportation Planning and Technology, 43(4), 424-441.
https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/03081060.2020.1747205
Freudenreich, B., Lüdeke-Freund, F., & Schaltegger, S. (2020). A stakeholder theory perspective on business models: Value creation for sustainability. Journal of Business Ethics, 166, 3-18.
https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s10551-019-04112-z
Gatling, A. (2014). The authentic leadership qualities of business coaches and their impact on coaching performance. International Journal of Evidence-Based Coaching and Mentoring, 12(1), 27-46.
https://search.informit.org/doi/abs/10.3316/informit.781812024191760
Graetz, F. (2000). Strategic change leadership. Management decision, 38(8), 550-564.
Curtis, S. K., & Mont, O. (2020). Sharing economy business models for sustainability. Journal of Cleaner Production, 266, 121519.
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0959652620315663
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