Ford Motor Company Case Study

Ford's major move in recent years is that of the technology that is in their cars. With Ford's venture with Microsoft to introduce a "smart car" that has an understanding of what types of music the driver prefers to read text messages aloud and voice commands; Ford has definitely taken the lead in terms of technology inside the car.

The customers (drivers of Ford) are the number one stakeholders that lost the most. They might not have lost much money or reputations, but they lost the one thing that you can never get back, their life.

When you hear the word “Ford” more often then not people are going to think of automobiles. This is not surprising because a man gave

The research and development of Ford is very strong because every time they have introduced many new cars and brands and also represents renowned brands like Formula One.

Ford Motor Company is America's one of the largest car manufacturer and seller. In year 1987 it faces an external business environment change in the form of new warranty policy announcement by its major competitors General Motor, which changes the current philosophy of warranty in U.S car market. This policy change may have implications not only on Ford’s sales and market share but also on various departments within organization (such as manufacturing, quality assurance, parts and service, and extended service plans) and their dealer network. In answer, Ford executives have to respond through a best suitable course of action by carefully analyzing the current market variables.

Ford has had to face various challenges and current goals are to obtain the market share from its competitors and build the vehicles consumers are demanding. By meeting these needs, the company can redefine itself. With consumers trying to decrease their debt and an increasing number of competitors showcasing fuel-efficient vehicles, Ford needs to create affordable high quality and fuel efficient vehicles to remain competitive. An internal analysis of Ford Motor Company will evaluate its resources and capabilities. This analysis can aid in determining Ford’s cost position, competency, and competitiveness in the current marketplace.

I will be comparing both companies General Motors Company and Ford Motor Company for the past three years. We will be able to see all the trends these two automotive manufacturers have and which one may be better to invest in by looking at the last few year’s ratios and percentages. This will give us a better understanding and the knowledge of who maybe the industry leader and who is the follower. These are both major corporations that strive off customer loyalty and both competing on a global scale to make their mark in the one of the top automotive manufacturers in the world. This analysis will give us an understanding of what lies ahead in the future for these two manufacturers.

Ford Motor announced its value enhancement plan (VEP) in 2000 to restructure its ownership. With the new VEP, Ford aimed to pay $10 billion cash back to its shareholders. Basically, the VEP provided all the existing shareholders, including the family and common shareholders, a proposal to exchange their shares one-for-one for new shares accompanying with an additional option of ei-ther achieving $20 per share or equivalent extra new shares based on the Ford’s new stock price. Compared with two conventional pay-outs methods – cash dividends and share repurchases, Ford’s VEP is a more flexible way. The reasons are as follows:

There were opportunities in India and in China to diversify the market and raise revenue for Ford Motor Company by introducing new vehicles that was suitable for their population and needs

By closing the gaps in the global operations, putting accountability in place and delivering on what customers wanted, One Ford and Mulally have been a success. Mulally had the vision, understanding of the contextual variables, and the ability to compile it into an organizational design. This was the backbone of his success. Mulally is aware that succession planning is the key to Ford’s overall strategy and tactics and has announced his successor COO Mark Fields (Taylor). One really needs to understand what Mulally really accomplished with One Ford fourpoint business plan. He was able to keep Ford out of the bailout and focused on growth and opportunity. He brought a company that looked doomed for Government ownership into profitability and success, and is still one of the leaders in the industry. Mulally might have said it best when he said, “But we stuck with the plan, we stayed on the plan, and we’re very pleased that today we have a foundation now.” “Not only have we fixed the fundamentals of the business, but we kept investing in the product.” This type of leadership and message can only encourage everyone around him. Mulally’s business cards read, “One Team ∙ One Plan ∙ One Goal” and that sums up a power strategy and something from which all leaders should learn.

In addition to both short and long term solvency, a company’s return on invested capital should be analyzed when determining its financial health. Ford’s

The amount of cash that Ford is carrying on its balance sheet is too much considering that additional money not used for the advancement of the company belongs to the owners of the firm, the shareholders. Having too much cash on its balance sheet will be a disincentive to Ford’s employees who consequently will feel not feel an urgency to perform and add value to the company. Notwithstanding the fact that the company is always on the lookout for acquisition targets even after already purchasing Jaguar Cars, Volvo Cars, and Land Rover in the past ten years, it is imperative that the company does not engage in such activities for the sole purpose of “empire

On July 5, 2001, Kimi Ford, a portfolio manager at NorthPoint Group, a mutual-fund management firm, pored over analysts' write-ups of Nike, Inc., the athletic-shoe manufacturer. Nike's share price had declined significantly from the beginning of the year. Ford was considering buying some shares for the fund she managed, the NorthPoint Large-Cap Fund, which invested mostly in Fortune 500 companies, with an emphasis on value investing. Its top holdings included ExxonMobil, General Motors, McDonald's, 3M, and other large-cap, generally old-economy stocks. While the stock market had declined over the last 18 months, the NorthPoint Large-Cap Fund had performed extremely well. In 2000, the fund

Ford has done a significant amount of research through analysts’ reports, which had mixed reviews. She found no clear guidance from the analysts and decided to develop her own discounted cash flow forecast to come to a conclusion. Her forecast showed that Nike was overvalued at its current share price causing a

Q: 1 Why are Ford and GM entering the Russian car market now? Why did they not invest earlier, and why do they do not postpone investment until the market is bigger?