Business At Work Essay -- Business and Management Studies

Business At Work 1. Introduction 1.1 Aim The aim of this report is to understand the Business Environment and within organisation of Ford Motor Company (FMC), which includes the culture and management of the company. This report will also analyse and evaluate communication channels and quality control that FMC possess. Finally, conclusions will be drawn through the assessment of the process that is carried out by the company to meet their objectives, with recommendation of alternative approaches, which may enable FMC with further success in the future takings. 1.2 Report Structure The investigation will follow a structured analysis approach, illustrated in Appendix I. 2. Review of Ford Motor Company 2.1 Company Overview Ford Motor Company is a public limited company, listed on the New York Stock Exchange. Ford Motor Company is one of the world’s largest multinational automotive companies that manufactures and distribute automobiles in 200 markets across six continents employing more than 327,000 people worldwide. The company consists of eight core and affiliated brands (Aston Martin, Ford, Jaguar, Land Rover, Lincoln, Mazda, Mercury and Volvo) and automotive related services (Ford Credit and Hertz). In 1903, Ford Motor Company was established in Detroit by Henry Ford, when it sold its first vehicle, the Model A. The introduction of the Model T in 1908, along side the development of the assembly line, the birth of producing vehicles to the masses to sell in a low, affordable price. Since then, the company has continually expanded, being publicly listed in 1956 and acquiring a number of automobile and services companies in the process, illustrated below in chronological order: 1922 Lincoln & Mercury 1979 Mazda (33.4% stake hold) 1987 Aston Martin and Hertz 1990 Jaguar 1999 Volvo 2000 Land Rover When the company first started, it was a private limited company ran by a partnership of 12 people, a coal dealer, Alexander Malcolmson; the coal dealer’s business manager, James Couzens; a banker who trusted the coal dealer; two brothers who owned the machine ship that made engines; a carpenter; two lawyers; a clerk; the owner of a haberdashery store; a man who made windmills and air rifles. They started with only $28,000 in cash, some tolls and some blue prints.[1] As a private limited company T... ... the needs of customers and the need for improved air quality. Ford’s Action - Ford has voluntarily certified all of our gasoline pickups, SUVs and the Windstar minivan as low-emission vehicles (LEVs), years ahead of regulation. - Our LEV trucks are cleaner than many cars on the road today. - Ford offers more alternative-fuel vehicles than any other major automobile manufacturer. They include models that operate on compressed natural gas (CNG), liquefied petroleum gas (LPG), ethanol, and electricity. We are also focusing on a variety of advanced technologies, including hybrid electric vehicles (HEVs) and fuel cell vehicles, to significantly reduce emissions while not compromising utility.[6] --------------------------------------------------------------------- [1] Source: Ford 100 Years Anniversary Year Book [2] Source: www.ford.com [3] Source: Company Internal Website – www.marketstrategies.ford.com [4] Source: Jim Padilla’s â€Å"Building on Basics† Triangle (refer to Appendix II) [5] Source: Bill Ford Internal e-mail to FMC Employees (refer to Appendix III) [6] www.ford.com/en/company/about/publicPolicy/airQualityVehicleEmissions.htm