def METHOD_NAME(value):
  """Converts input to `str` type.
     Uses `str(value)`, except for `bytes` typed inputs, which are converted
     using `as_str`.
  Args:
    value: A object that can be converted to `str`.
  Returns:
    A `str` object.
  """
  if isinstance(value, bytes):
    return as_str(value)
  else:
    return str(value)