Executive Summary Ford Motor Company has been and till the date is known as the king of innovations in the automobile industry. Their research & development department and innovation of interchangeable parts in moving assembly lines resulted in extraordinary global extension for them. They are an old heritage who ruled and still doing impressive jobs in the global automobile market. Some prestigious motor brands are also owned by Ford. Despite of these good things, Ford Motor faced a loss due to some wrong decisions taken by the management regarding their business strategy. The decision of centralizing the management made them think narrowly which results in too much Americanization and ignorance of local market in the rest of the world. This caused losing global market for them. This assignment focuses on internal analysis of Ford Motor by doing SWOT analysis and external analysis by doing Pestle analysis. The assignment also focuses on the strategic performance analysis on the basis of Porter’s Diamond Model, BCG Matrix and Blue Ocean Strategy. SWOT analysis showed that, Ford Motor has strength on heritage, global aspect, brand name, innovation etc. It has weakness on market share, global competition and affected by economic recession. The opportunities lie on small cars, fuel efficient cars and production market in India and China due to lower cost. Threats are coming from high price of petrol, raw material, labor and competition from other companies. Pestle analysis showed that, Ford maintained worker friendly company and able to cope up with financial crisis during recession. They focused on advertisement. Also go for joint venture with Microsoft to bring new technology in the car. They produce environmental friendly cars. A... ... middle of paper ... ...tory of Ford Motor. Now at the present time Ford can create another blue ocean by working hard on full electric vehicle as their new innovation. Conclusion: So the discussion on internal and external analysis clearly defines that where the competitive advantage of Ford Motors is and where it is lacking. People who have durability as their first priority will go for Ford but they lack in some of their strategies which the management should consider and work on it. We also came to know that Ford is an innovative company from the very first and also serves local demands with the help of related and supporting industry. But in some points they have taken wrong decisions which compel them to sell some of their brands to others. The good news is they are doing hard job to maintain their performance regarding their star and cash cow products to remain in the competition.
Henry Ford is responsible for “perhaps the most revolutionary development in industrial history.” (Watts 2005,
The 1920’s was a time of great social, political, and economic change. The early automobile industry was no exclusion. It appears that throughout history, the figures that stand out the most are either worshipped or despised, and there is very rarely an in-between. Henry Ford, an icon of the 1920’s and the early automobile industry is no exemption. Many people love Ford for his innovative and entrepreneurial skills, while on the other hand, Ford is disliked by many due to his association with Anti-Semitism. Regardless of how Ford is viewed, many decisions he made significantly impacted the automobile industry. These decisions included installing the moving assembly line in his plant, and introducing the Five-Dollar Day. Through the implementation of the Five-Dollar Day, Ford was able to drastically change how the Ford Motor Company company operated, and how business would operate for years to come.
The Ford Motor Company (usually known as Ford) is an American multinational automaker located in Dearborn, Michigan. The company was founded by Henry Ford and incorporated in 1903. The company sells automobiles and commercial vehicles under the Ford brand, and most luxury cars under the Lincoln brand. Ford introduced methods for large-scale manufacturing of cars and large-scale management of an industrial workforce using elaborately engineered manufacturing sequences typified by moving assembly lines; by 1914 these methods were known around the world as Fordism.
Until recently, the Ford Motor Company has been one of the most dynastic of American enterprises, a factor which has both benefited the company and has brought it to the brink of disaster. Today Ford is the second largest manufacturer of automobiles and trucks in the world, and it’s operations are well diversified, both operationally and geographically. The company operates the worlds second largest finance company in the world, and is a major producer of tractors, glass and steel. It is most prominent in the US, but also has plants in Canada, Britain and Germany, and facilities in over 100 countries.
Achieving world class business performance is a major challenge in today’s society. Manufacturing companies continue to face increased competition and globalization from its competitors. (1, p. 148). The automotive industry is one of the most volatile manufacturing industries that we have, which was evident in the 2008 – 2010 automotive industry crisis. (2) This global financial downturn served notice to the American automotive manufactures to raise the bar, in order to achieve word class business performance. General Motors, one of the country’s largest automotive manufactures, had to receive a government bailout to survive. During this time many with the corporation asked themselves, if we were a world class business, would we be facing this pending crisis. The answer was a resounding “NO”. General Motors has come out of bankruptcy and is focused on being a world-class business organization.
Ford Motor Company current mission statement is “committed to provide personal mobility for people around the world”. With that in mind their vision is to become the world’s leading Consumer Company for automotive products and services. By improving everything they do, the company provide superior returns to their shareholders (Vision, Mission, Values).
Ford- focused differentiation, medium pricing, breadth of product line is high. A strength is their pick-up truck market share, a weakness is perceived reliability and styling on some of the lines.
In today’s society, there has been a noticeable increase within the global trade industry, allowing business’ the opportunity to compete on a larger scale and have access to greater resources and technology. Over the past few decades China has become one of the largest automotive producers within the market and has the most growth potential worldwide as “car ownership is still remarkably low at 4.78% and is expected to grow significantly” (Huihui, 2012). The Chinese automobile market has started to recognise the importance of strong brand image and reputation. The Geely-Volvo acquisition has provided the Chinese car industry with the ability to expand abroad, gaining access into the international market therefore potentially creating a competitive edge. The acquisition is the biggest international merger taken place by a Chinese company and is intentioned to create a strong force for China as a world economic superpower (Wheelen & Hunger, 2006). According to Li Shufu, Geely’s chairman, the intention behind the acquisition was to gain access to Volvos advanced technology; enhance the Geely brand, to grow the Volvo brand within the Chinese market and to Develop the Chinese automobile industry (Wang, 2011). This essay will provide an insight into weather the Geely-Volvo acquisition can help the Chinese automotive company gain competitive advantages in the global car market. Through analysing the Five Force Model and the Strategic Positioning of the company a conclusion will be determined about the level of competitive advantage created through the acquisition.
The view from Tata motors perspective would be more central to seek out companies with more business plans and The company has a long term benefit like access to market knowledge and the development of firm presence on the new market and advantage would be that it limits the possibility of technology or knowledge transfer. Market commitment and Decision understand the requirement of a new market also the decision and implementation concerning foreign investment are made incrementally due to market uncertainty. The company have different approaches and implementation which are seen in the background and has different prior knowledge acquisition (Johanson & Vahlne,1977, p.34).Tata motors have understood that the arrangement was based on its acquired about the market and industry dynamics. Consequently the company had to have the commitment to allow constraint in the case of its freedom with the supplier and surrounded technology. Current activities is somewhat fascinating on how precisely the crucial of Tata motors are consistent with Uppsala theory and the result was Tata motors acquisition and in the longer terms is to move up in the value chain as much as possible, with the
Many economic factors exist that impact the development of Ford Motor Company's strategic plan and it’s no small task to project how some of these factors might change as the strategy is being realized. Consider the prospect of expansion into a new market like China or Mexico. Economic changes like currency devaluation will make Ford’s product more expensive to their target market potentially reducing overall sales revenue. Oil prices as we’ve seen in the U.S. economy can also play a big factor as large vehicles become less desirable and more fuel efficient compact cars gain market share.
middle of paper ... ... doi:http://corporate.ford.com/microsites/sustainability-report-2012-13/blueprint-strategy. Hughes-Cromwick, E. (2011). The 'Standard'.
Ford is enjoying an increase in customer satisfaction, sees huge revenue opportunities for developing and retaining loyal product advocates, and has taken both complexity and cost out of the supply chain.
Introduction: Toyota Motor Corporation is a very successful automobile manufacturer that is recognized globally. They have continued to obtain and retain a competitive advantage over their counterparts, despite recalls over many years. Regardless of recalls, Toyota has been quick to rectify their shortcomings and continue to lead the automotive industry with their innovative measures. In this essay, I will discuss key internal factors for Toyota. Within those factors will include Toyota’s core competencies, which are what they do really well in comparison to their competition, three of their strength’s, which will include their posture within the automobile market and their heavy focus on research and development, and two of their weaknesses.
The decline in Profit margin in 2014 was because of their less revenue in the North American market where they make good margins with their larger vehicles as shown in Figure
The Ford family still controls the company through multiple voting shares, even though it owns a much lower proportion of the equity. Ford’s business strategy is the integrated cost leadership/ differentiation strategy; this involves engaging in primary and support activities that allow the company to simultaneously pursue low cost and differentiation. This strategy is flexible and enables Ford to use technology to control the production of a variety of products in moderate, flexible qualities and with a minimum manual interaction, whose goal is to eliminate cost verse product variety. Cost leadership is a strong strategy, but it can be undermined by the frequent changes in technology, the imitation of cost advantage and the loss of focus on consumers. Ford’s differentiation strategy focuses on developing a unique product that consumers are willing to pay for, and the combination of these two strategies enables Ford to stay on its core competencies.