Julian F. Perez
4/25/12
Marketing 620
Case Study Maitland Motors Dilemma Bruce Maitland owns Maitland Motors, a Ford/Lincoln-Mercury dealership in Twin Cities. It is the year of 1984 and the business is running very good thanks to important leases deals with Wisconsin-National, Inc. for the last 4 years. Bruce Maitland was able to start business with this well established corporation by becoming friend of Chuck Harper; a successful manager that with the past of time advanced through the corporation reaching top executive level which benefited Maitland Motors as well. Bruce Maitland provided personal favors to Chuck Harper and his successors within the path of Chuck’s career to be able to keep them happy and keep his business running
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The third alternative seems to be the least risky of the three; although finding new customers in a competitive market like car dealerships can become very hard. Several efforts need to be given by the corporate sales department to replace a contract as big as Wisconsin-National. At the end replacing a business like them would be really risky and slow and actions need to be taken immediately. I would recommend for Bruce to choose the first alternative given previously. I certainly believe keeping Chuck’s family friendship is very important not only for current business but also, for future businesses with related prospective customers. Given out a used car could sound like keep doing the same over and over again but actually, it could be a polite way to terminate their unethical behavior between them by specifying that the gift is from a friend to a friend and not related to the dealership; that will mark a difference. If Chuck takes this offensively and reacts negatively to his concerns, at least they will keep their friendship and in the long run opening
To ensure that Glenn can build a respectable reputation as a car detailing business, Glenn must be able to grab a segment of the market in his area where a few competitors already exist. Glenn can penetrate the market by employing different marketing and promotional strategies to ensure that he’ll see success and profits with his limited resources. Glenn’s main objective for his business strategy is to provide cleaning and maintenance to both the interior and exterior of vehicles to preserve their condition by using quality name brand products and precise, hand-done work. Glenn has already identified the different segments of car owners: owners of older cars that are in poor condition, but served the purpose of transportation; owners of newer, mid-priced cars; and owners of expensive cars costing more than $35,000.
Henry Ford and his son Edsel established a foundation in 1936. They later broadened their purview on communal and universal affairs and obligations. Ford still had one problem, Their vehicles were still infecting the atmosphere with large amounts of pollution. To solve this problem Ford needs to think outside the box. He needs to build a car the is safe for the ecosystem. in the 60s the ford foundation received a new energy source from the new president McGeorge Bundy. He’s both a veteran of Kennedy’s and Johnson’s White houses The Ford foundation had all the people and resources they needed to play a role on all the boards, and make an impression that would last for decades Bundy exalted the R&E grant program. The R&E program provides people with a business to get around two to three million dollars. (Robinson,
The Canadian auto industry is a model case study of a branch plant economy. The auto industry's rich history dates back to the beginning of the twentieth century where a bright young entrepreneur named Sam McLaughlin who initially was an apprentice in his father's carriage workshop went into the automobile manufacturing business with his brother and father. By l9l8, with increasing competition in the North American automobile industry, McLaughlin decided to sell his firm to the recently organized General Motors Company, owned by Durrant and associates. Thus, McLaughlin's company became a Canadian subsidiary of General Motors, with McLaughlin as president and as vice-president of the American company. During this process, the Oshawa plant gained the distinction of
Henry Ford was one of the most brilliant entrepreneurs in creating the automobile assembly line, it was his controversial characteristics and unorthodox approach towards administrating the Ford Motor Company which resulted in the conglomeration of one of the most successful corporations in the world. At the turn of the century everything was booming! The growth of the economy and stock market increased the job opportunities as well as morals. As a result of this industrial revolution, out of the woodwork came a humble yet driven man, Henry Ford. Between the five dollar/day plan, his policies on administrating the company, and his relations with his customers, Ford was often presented as a suspicious character. This
By reducing total number of dealerships, it increases the reliance on the remaining dealers. Some independent dealers could get nervous that they will be cut next and some could execute their 90 day termination clause.
Joe Hinrichs, a recent Harvard Business school graduate, was hired in February 1996 to run the General Motors’s the Fredericksburg Torque Converter Clutch (TCC) manufacturing plant. At 29 years old, Hinrichs was GM’s youngest plant manager. Hinrichs was inheriting a poor performing plant that continually underachieved, losing money year after year. Improvements were desperately needed to increase the efficiency of the manufacturing process and reduce operating costs. GM had considered shutting down the plant; however, when a new bonding process, using carbon fiber, for the TCC was approved in 1995, GM instead invested thirty million dollars into the Fredericksburg plant to incorporate the new process.
Since Firm E’s take over nine years ago our car company has reported financial gains every year. Firm E continues to set the industry standard for car companies in many ways. Our company is poised for taking
1. If you were Mr. Cizik of Cooper Industries, would you try to gain control of Nicholson File Company in May 1972?
Lester Scholl, Chairman of the Board at AutoEdge, told me during my interview, the company has been floundering since product quality issues caused millions of automobiles to be recalled. This morning he explain what he wants me to focus on initially. The board is considering several proposals in response to their situation, and they need me to create a list of the legal, cultural, financial, and economic factors that AutoEdge needs to consider about the location of our manufacturing operations. Most members of the board aren't familiar with this aspect of the business, so they
I should also think about the timing of these gifts and the relationship with the owner. In this situation I would actually accept this gift. To me it seems like me and the owner has developed some sort of relationship outside of professional parameters. He knows of or maybe even has met my family. It is Christmas Eve and he took the time to think of my family and I, presenting us with a gift. It is a holiday and I do not see a difference between the owner giving me a gift on Christmas and a teacher getting a gift on teacher appreciation day. I would present him with a gift as well.
In 1952, after two years of selling batteries to local wholesalers out of the back of his pick up in the Dallas Fort worth area John Searcy started his own company. Mr. Searcy named his company after the newly built road that crisscrossed the entire country; Interstate. Interstate stood for opportunity and connection. Mr. Searcy understood that with hard work and sound business principals the new interstate system would provide for the first time ever streamlined access to many distribution points. Just as important as the actual roads were to Mr. Searcy business so were fundamental business practices. Today those practices can be seen in the companies stated core values; Love; treat others like you'd want to be treated. A Servant’s Heart; lead with what people need. Excellence; do great things with the gifts you've been given. Courage. learn, improve and boldly drive change that matters. Fun; work hard, laugh often. Team; together, we’re better. And Integrity; Be who you are and live up to your commitments. These core beliefs have propelled Searcy’s fledgling company founded out of the back of a pick up truck in to a billion-dollar, privately-held corporation that continues to thrive using strategic process innovations and strong business principles.
The AJAX Construction company has been set up nearly 50 years ago and become a successful mid-sized construction company in Newcastle. The three main role players of the AJAX Construction company are Allan Armstrong who is the owner, Mr Bob Brown the General Manager (GM) and Ms Wendy Wasp the company’s Chief Financial Officer (CFO). They had conquered many survival problems impacting on the company during these 50 years. They exposure to the sinking Australian dollar in early ‘80s, the high interest rates of the early ‘90s, the earthquake in 1989 and the shutting down of steel production facilities in 1999. They have overcome these issues and built up this successful company with a great team work, skills in their roles and responsibilities
Ideas introduced in the article assist in understanding Ford’s current situation. Ford reported sharp falls in U.S. auto sales in May 2008. Sales of its most profitable pickups and SUVs suffered the most (“US Auto Sales Slide”). Some of the main
Maitland Motor has been a dealer of Lincoln Mercury and Ford in Twin Cities for nearly 15 years. Maitland Motor has been seen as a successful dealer with a good financial base since went through its difficult period. What have made the dealer has had a good base in financial resource is its contribution with a beneficial set of Automobile and trucks leases with two divisions of Wisconsin National, Inc.: Universal Specialty Steel and Mid South Tool and Die. This case involves the two main persons, who are responsible fore the situation: Bruce Maitland; owner of the Maitland Motor and Chuck Harper;
Check book system: Acts as an authorization limit and check on indirect expense and making teams responsible for controlling cost. Scrap cost were assigned to work team responsible for the process.