Friday, February 28, 2020

Ford Develops a Strategy for Competitive Advantage Case Study

Ford Develops a Strategy for Competitive Advantage - Case Study Example The plan created a series of moves and tactics that reduce the costs of the company, while at the same time preparing a path that would ensure medium and long term growth by emphasizing in emerging economies. Key Marketing Issues Lower sales – Since the company lost nearly a quarter of its sales in 2008 the firm has to achieve continuous growth for several years just to recover the ground it lost in 2008. Global products – the organization wants to shift its company to emphasize in economical compact cars that will be accepted by customers worldwide Marketing campaign standardization – The firm seeks to make universal commercials, but factors such as culture can affect the buying decisions in customers from different parts of the world. Customer retention rate: The organization seeks to expand into other international markets and obtain similar customer loyalty as in its domestic market. Personal Case Analysis It is my opinion that The Way Forward strategy was a success because the company eliminated waste that was draining the resources of the company. By shutting down its least profitable plants the cost structure of the organization was reduced. Ford is the most powerful automaker in America. The reputation of the company improved when Ford did not take money from the governmental bailout package. The Ford Figa was an incredible product that increased the sales volume of Ford in India by more than three times. Other cheap model like the Figa must be designed to further exploit many emerging economies. Case Questions (1-3) Introduction questions Ford Corporation is one of the Big Three automakers in the United States of America. The company has historically achieved tremendous sales growth and profit for decades. The firm in the late 1990’s was considered the most profitable companies in America. This all changed in 2008 when Ford as well as thousands of companies in the United States and abroad faced the global recession. The car industry was devastated during this recession. General Motors and Chrysler nearly went bankrupt prior to the governmental auto bailout. In January 2009 the Obama administration injected $24.9 billion of the $700 billion bailout money in the dying U.S automobile industry (Amadeo). Ford Motors was the lone company that did not take the government handouts, but the firm suffered dearly losing over 23% of its sales between 2008 and 2009. 1. During the 2008 global recession Ford Motors decided to implement a new strategy called â€Å"The Way Forward† in order to boost the firm’s sales and restructure the company. The organization knew that the only way to stay profitable during recessionary times is to decrease costs in order to offset the effect of lower sales numbers. The organization realized that this could only be achieved by decreasing both fixed and variable costs. Fixed costs refers to costs that recurring each month whose amount are fixed such as building rents, ma nagerial salaries, and business loans. Variable costs are periodic costs that vary in step with the output or the sales revenues of the company (Businessdictionary). An example of variable costs is direct labor. The Way Forward strategy included cost cutting initiatives such as closing down 16 factories and downsizing Ford’s workforce by 30,000 employees. The plan included a philosophical change in the managerial approach in order to focus more on the customer by designing cars that served their needs. The company realized that in a bad economy people are looking for gas savings. Despite the fact the company lost nearly 23% of its revenues, certain brands that were targeted as part of The Way Forward initiative had higher sales figure. The Ford Focus is

Wednesday, February 12, 2020

Heart of Darkness Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words - 2

Heart of Darkness - Essay Example At this point the fact to be admitted is that when Joseph Conrad wrote Heart of Darkness, and even at the time presented in the story, the British colonial empire was at its zenith. It enjoyed colonies in Hong Kong, Malaya, India, and Africa. On the one hand, the work allows the reader to look into Congo through the eyes of an imperialist. For example, the very beginning of the novel points out that Thames is â€Å"a waterway leading to the uttermost ends of the earth† (Conrad 6). Thus, some critics argue that this point itself reveals how racist Joseph Conrad is. However, the mere fact is that the novel puts forward the message that even the notion of civilization is an illusion. To illustrate: for Marlow, reaching Congo is a realization of the hollowness of his own notion of civilization. He fails to understand why the cannibals employed on his ship should not eat the other passengers (Conrad 57). Also, he feels that the cannibals possess no morality and conscience so that t hey can control their own basic animal desires. However, in the same situation, Marlow reaches the conclusion that the people along with him on the ship must not look so appetizing. It is ironic here to note that the same civilized Marlow who believes that the cannibals have no moral values proves that if he were in the position of the Africans, he would do the same, too. In other words, Conrad effectively portrays that the concept of civilization and enlightenment are rather superficial in nature. Despite the so-called civility, there is an underlying beast in humans that just comes out in the right circumstances. In other words, in the case of Marlow, the trip to Africa made him understand the basic animal-like tendencies in humans that thrive in the wild. Also, he realizes the fact that the civility the Europeans try to introduce in the wild is rather phony in nature because the cruelties of the wild are not crueler than the cruelties of imperialism. Admittedly, one cannot deny t he fact that Conrad was an imperialist. It becomes evident from the fact that Marlow is highly careful to ensure that he does not fall prey to the charms of the wild as happened to Kurtz. While Kurtz admitted the rules of the wild, Marlow is not ready to descend into that darkness. Thus, one gets the insight that instead of rejecting Western culture and ideals, the purpose of Conrad is to point out that most of the time; the Western society is not functioning in the way it is supposed to function. In other words, the Western ideals fail to perform in a more human way than the ideals of the savages. Another perfect example is the way the slaves are treated by the West. He says â€Å"they were dying slowly---it was very clear. They were not enemies, they were not criminals, they were nothing earthly now† (Conrad 42). Again, one has to remember the fact that Conrad resorted to such a statement at a time when imperialism was at the zenith of its power around the world. Though it is possible for critics to claim that one can find fragments of imperialist ideologies in the work of Conrad, they cannot forget the fact that Conrad expresses in clear terms as to how ones morality and conscience will condemn the savagery committed by European imperialism as much as one condemns the savagery of the wild. Here, one gains the insight that Marlow - the conscience of Conrad - is in constant conflict with the