Project Overview
Throughout this course your ability to draw upon current and prior business management knowledge is
key. Using this knowledge, you will create a strategic management plan of an organization of your
choosing, while focusing on developing an effective executive summary. Halfway through the project you
will need to set original strategic goals for your chosen company to accomplish. The second half of the
project will then focus on budgeting and planning for the completion of these goals.
A strategic plan is really a road map for the future of a business. It provides guidance and direction for all
aspects of an organization in support of the company's goals. It draws upon all areas of business
including human resources, marketing, IT, and finance, and even looks at the external influences and the
competitive marketplace. It requires you to pull together everything you learned throughout your course of
study as well as incorporate current and relevant research.
Due Date
Your final project is due in Week 6. There will be individual assignments, sometimes two in a week,
along the way. The week they are due is noted in the time line below.
Time Line
Week
Assignment
01
Company Selection; Ethics and Creating a Mission Statement
02
Internal and External Analysis; Market Analysis
03
Human Resources Strategy; Budget Estimates
04
Technology Allocation; Implementation Timeline
05
Control and Evaluation Methods; Executive Summary
06
Reflection; Final Project Submission
Requirements
Your project is built in stages throughout the course as noted in the timeline above. As you move on to
the next stage, be sure to revise your work based on instructor feedback. This is important because week
6 will require you to compile all the previous portions of the project, revise them, and then turn in a
completed strategic management plan.
For many stages of the project you will need to conduct additional research. As you do remember:
•
•
Use statements and ideas that you have come up with on your own and blend these with your
research. Do not plagiarize. If you want to use actual words from a source, put them in quotation
marks and include the source.
Follow APA format only for citing your sources. For APA guidelines, go to your college's Online
Library which you can access through the Resources tab.
Evaluation
Each assignment leading up to the final paper is evaluated and graded independently. Your instructor will
provide specific grading criteria for each step of the project prior to its due date.
Running head: MODULE 1 COURSE PROJECT
Module 01 Course Project - Company Selection
Linsey Mendoza
Rasmussen College
Author Note
This paper is being submitted on January 30, 2018 for Mark Anderson’s
B489/MAN4900 Winter Quarter course.
1
MODULE 1 COURSE PROJECT
2
Company Selection
My selected company is Ford Motors. The company is an automobiles manufacturer of
American origin situated in Michigan, Detroit state. Ford Motors Company was founded in the
year 1903 on the sixteenth of June by Henry Ford (Lawrence, 2013).
Ford Motors is the second most successful automaker company in the United States after
General Motors. The company deals with all varieties of automobiles, both types of vehicles,
both the commercial ones and luxury vehicles. It also deals with automotive parts. Other than
producing the auto products, they also carry out: automotive finance, vehicle leasing, and vehicle
service. Although they produce a large variety of automobiles, e.g., cars, hybrids, SUVs and
Trucks, the company's success is major because of the trucks it manufactures. The latest F-Series
trucks were the main reason of soaring against its competitors like general motors and other
German automaker companies. The trucks saw them record the highest sales for the past decade.
They made seven hundred and sixty-eight thousand sales of this type of trucks. They have also
been trying to incorporate tech into their service and product provision making them have plans
of becoming partners with either Uber or Google. The auto company is also known of powerful
SUVs that are mostly used for VIP escorts because of the high-security systems that it comes up
with. Ford's partnership with a technology company will see it grow with the rapid digitalization
across the world (McMahon, Brian, 2017).
The Ford Motors Company was my best selection because of its great achievement to
compete favorably with German cars whose automobile industry is the best across the globe. It
has manufactured trucks that have been preferred more than the Mercedes Benz Motors
Company.
MODULE 1 COURSE PROJECT
3
References
McMahon, Brian. "The Minneapolis Ford Assembly Plant." Hennepin History. 76.1 (2017).
Print
Lawrence, J W. Automobile Industry Since 1945. Cambridge: Harvard Univ Press, 2013.
Internet resource
Running head: MODULE 1 COURSE PROJECT
Module 01 Course Project
Linsey Mendoza
Rasmussen College
Author Note
This paper is being submitted on January 30, 2018 for Mark Anderson’s
B489/MAN4900 Winter Quarter course.
1
MODULE 1 COURSE PROJECT
2
Ethics and Creating a Mission Statement
The history of Ford Company
Over the past fifteen years, Ford has expanded its production to different parts of the
world. This period has also seen the company improve the use of technology in providing
modern vehicles. Through these steps, the company has remained to be competitive in the
automobile industry. With the effective management and adoption of technology, the company
has remained to be the second successful automaker company in the United States after General
Motors. Over the time, the company has also increased the production of commercial and luxury
vehicles in the country and overseas. One of its outstanding steps which the company made was
the introduction of the F-Series truck which saw the company improve its sales. Over the time,
the company has also been trying to work with other companies like Uber and Google to
improve its products. In the past fifteen years, Ford has also experienced great success in its SUV
vehicles. The government and other agencies have been using these vehicles due to the security
features which they have. With such security features, the company has remained competitive
especially with the German competitors.
The main challenge which the company has faced is the level of competition in the
European market. German has one of the most successful vehicle manufacturers who make it
hard for Ford to penetrate. The challenge has been countered through manufacturing of modern
vehicles like the SUVs and T-Series trucks. The industry has provided a high level of quality
vehicles which has made the company invest even more. With such investment, the company has
MODULE 1 COURSE PROJECT
3
been able to produce quality vehicles which have been used by the government due to the
security features involved (Lawrence, 2013).
The top management, mission statement, and code of ethics
Jim Hackett who is the current CEO of the company has brought a lot of transformation.
Together with the other Board of Directors, Jim has improved the use of technology which has
made the company more competitive in the industry. Steven Armstrong who is the group vice
president and president in Europe, Middle East, and Africa has improved the sales in these
regions. The mission statement for the company is “People working together as a lean, global
enterprise for automotive leadership, as measured by: customer, employee, Dealer, Investor,
supplier, Union/council, and community satisfaction.” The code of ethics provides directions on
how the workers and the company in general should conduct itself in the outside world. It
includes the behavior in the workplace environment, product quality, safety, and environment
matters, working with government, intellectual property, gifts, favors, and conflict of interest,
competition and antitrust laws, use of company assets and data safeguarding, and finally the
international business practices (Ford, 2016).
With these code of ethics, the company can set guidelines on how to run its activities
without violating the rights of other parties. It also helps the employees to operate based on the
set rules for the realization of organizational goals. Environment and product quality are the
ethical concerns which I have for the company. New companies like Tesla have begun the
construction of vehicles which are environmentally friendly. Thus, Ford has the responsibility of
improving its role in conserving the environment. People working together with consideration to
MODULE 1 COURSE PROJECT
environmental safety, global enterprise for automotive leadership, to satisfy the: customer,
supplier, employee, Dealer, Union/council, Investor, and community satisfaction.
4
MODULE 1 COURSE PROJECT
5
References
Ford. (2016). code of conduct handbook. doi:https://corporate.ford.com/microsites/sustainabilityreport-2016-17/doc/sr16-code-of-conduct.pdf
Lawrence, J W. Automobile Industry Since 1945. Cambridge: Harvard Univ Press, 2013.
Internet resource
McMahon, Brian. "The Minneapolis Ford Assembly Plant." Hennepin History. 76.1 (2017).
Print
Running head: MODULE 2 COURSE PROJECT
Module 02 Course Project
Linsey Mendoza
Rasmussen College
Author Note
This paper is being submitted on January 30, 2018 for Mark Anderson’s
B489/MAN4900 Winter Quarter course.
1
MODULE 2 COURSE PROJECT
2
Internal and External Analysis
Strengths
•
Quality production
•
Strong brand image
•
Innovativeness
•
High-quality human resource
Ford gains its position in the global automobile industry through factors such production
of quality vehicles. Due to the long time the company has stayed in the motor vehicle industry, a
strong brand image has grown over the years. The strengths make ford remain the second best
and fifth in the world.
Weaknesses
•
High prices of products
•
Slow innovation
•
Limited supply networks
•
Few partnerships
Ford has lost to some of the global companies like Toyota, due to high prices on their
products. Toyota has a competitive pricing strategy that attracts customers in all places
worldwide. Limited supply chain makes some markets out of reach to ford products. The
company has not invested much in increasing production plants mainly in Africa and Asia. It has
also failed to capture significant partnerships with technology giants such as apple, which can
provide opportunities for innovation.
MODULE 2 COURSE PROJECT
3
Opportunities
•
Global expansion and new market penetration
•
Products development
•
Strategic partnerships
•
Strategic supply chains
•
Modernized human resources.
The future presents an undisputed opportunity for dominance if ford embraces the
opportunities that lie ahead. Creating new products that match current technological trends
would create a strong position in the market. The company has the chance of developing strong
talent through improved human resource management techniques that would increase innovation
and product development. The company should also intensify the supply network by opening
new production points in Europe Asia and Africa, which would make penetration into the
markets easier. Ford should also form strategic partnerships with companies such as Google and
apple which lead in technology and innovativeness (Reyes, 2013). Such partnerships would lead
to the production of automobiles that match the present technology and satisfy the customer
more.
Threats
•
Entry of high tech firms
•
Fluctuation of global oil prices
•
Aggressive competition
MODULE 2 COURSE PROJECT
•
4
Poaching of staff by competitors.
The main threat to ford position in the automobile sector comes from companies such as
Google who plan to manufacture driverless cars. Such inventions would make the ford products
lose a significant part of their popularity.
Strategies
New market penetration
As per the company’s mission, Ford aims at establishing itself as the leading company in
the automobile industry. Achieving global dominance can come if the company penetrates new
markets mainly in Africa and Asia. The company aims at building more production and supply
centers in Asia and Africa. Such a move would significantly reduce the cost of production and
thus reduce the overall prices of the products. Toyota –our main competitors in Africa and Asia,
uses market friendly prices, which fall below ford’s to maintain the market grip. Therefore,
reduction in our prices can significantly cut the advantage Toyota enjoys over Ford.
Improved innovation
The company also aims at maintaining a strong market position through continued
innovation. Development of new products that match the ever-changing customer needs would
make ford remain a relevant force in the global automobile market (West, Ford, & Ibrahim,
2015). The objective can only get achieved if proper research process gets implemented. The
company will improve its research center by putting modern equipment and increasing the
number of experts to foster a quick innovative process. Ford also aims at customizing products
quality to enter new markets. For markets like Africa and Asia, ford would need to tailor
MODULE 2 COURSE PROJECT
5
products that match their purchasing power. Moving with the current technology can ensure Ford
remains competitive in the long run.
Improved human capital management
Ford aims at maintaining a high-quality human capital. Adopting improved human
resource management techniques would provide ford with an outstanding workforce which
would improve the company’s position globally in the long run. The company will increase the
opportunities for talent development as a way of overcoming poaching by our competitor.
Provision of improved incentive schemes and remuneration can also ensure competent staff
doesn’t shift to our competitors (West, Ford, & Ibrahim, 2015). The overall human resource
strategy will enable innovation and creative product development which in turn leads to a
competitive advantage.
MODULE 2 COURSE PROJECT
6
References
Reyes, L. C. (2013). Ford and General Motors Corporate Sustainability Reports: A Critical
Discourse Analysis.
West, D. C., Ford, J., & Ibrahim, E. (2015). Strategic marketing: creating competitive
advantage. Oxford University Press, USA.
Running head: MODULE 2 COURSE PROJECT
Module 02 Course Project
Linsey Mendoza
Rasmussen College
1
MODULE 2 COURSE PROJECT
2
Ford Company Market Analysis
The Ford Company is a multinational automobile manufacturing company operating on a
global scale. The company is the second best global company. It is situated in Michigan, U.S.A.
In the year 2009, the company, this company observed a loss of $14.6 billion. In the same year
April, Ford forged a strategy of debt for equity exchanges whereby it did away with $ 9.9 billion
in its liabilities to leverage its financial position (Erlenkotter, 2014). Such steps gave forth a
profit of $ 2.7 billion during the same year. This was the first full year profits in four years. In
the year 2017, this company announced that I would make an investment worth &700 million in
Michigan with the aim of creating new jobs. This company has benefited from 1.57 billion in tax
incentives from the year 2007 up to date.
The company’s product (automobiles) is currently at the maturity stage. This is so
because the company is struggling and striving towards maintaining the market share that they
have built. Up to date, the company is faced with very stiff competition from other giant
automobiles like Toyota, and that’s why Ford has been investing heavily in making its products
better and more impressive top the customers. Over the years, Ford has been making various
modifications to its vehicles to achieve and maintain satisfied customers. Ford Company has a
very diverse target markets. These can be broken down into several segments. Such include the
geographic, behavioral, psychographic and demographic segments (Erlenkotter, 2014).
Geographic segment entails the different locations of the markets that company targets.
Behavioral section involves the fuel efficiency and safety of their cars while psychographic
segmentation revolves around the behavioral patterns of the customers including their
preferences and likes.
MODULE 2 COURSE PROJECT
3
The significant segment is a demographic segment which is used by the latest model of
their car, Ford Fiesta. This model has a primary focus on the young and the ladies who have an
average income. Demographic factors include age, gender, and people’s incomes. The company
focuses on the young who are aged between 28-38 years. Research has indicated that these age
set is very selective to cars and admires fancy and latest cars models. For this reason, the
company has been manufacturing new car models every year which are very classy. A good
example is the Ford Fiesta which also has a focus on the average income of the consumers. The
benefits that the company enjoys from this target market segment is that it can sell its models at
very high profits as well as maintaining a rigid market share. This target market is the main topic
for companies in the industry of automobiles since it very crucial in ensuring that a company can
reach out to many of its customers and satisfy their needs. This has been the exact case of Ford
Company. Demographic factors cut across the world and are very crucial in helping a company
settle for a particular market as well as aim to satisfy the specific needs of that given market. For
instance, the young are always by classy and high profile vehicles. Hence, for a company to be
competitive enough, it has to strive to produce the best quality cars as well as those that meet the
exact need of the young (age 28-45) since they form the most significant part of the automobile
market.
Hitherto, Ford Company has been receiving potential competition from its counterpart
in the automobile industry, Toyota. The company is also multinational and operates on a global
having a large and rigid market share. Toyota has its branches in over 170 countries worldwide
and has its headquarters in Aichi, Japan. The company has some strengths which include the
production of the most valuable vehicles globally. The company manufactures vehicles that are
not only cost-fair but also offer efficiency in all uses. Secondly, Toyota produces high-quality
MODULE 2 COURSE PROJECT
4
vehicles. This company has its renown in the production of cars that of the best standards and
offer capability. However, it has several weaknesses like a poor brand portfolio. Additionally, it
has a negative public image due to massive automobile recall.
The primary market target for Toyota is based on the demographic segmentation. Partly it
relies on the psychographic segment (West, Ford, & Ibrahim, 2015). Toyota has a goal from the
middle class to lower class customers. For instance, the company produces luxury cars for those
people who love luxury (especially the young) and heavy and multipurpose vehicles for the
economy and lower class customers. This target market is similar to that of Ford since the
company has their primary focus on producing cars that meet the needs of different age sets of
their customers as well as considering their incomes.
Ford’ business engagements have been affected by the clean air act 1993 (CAA) that
deals with air pollution prevention and control as well as monitoring, checking and correcting
levels of pollutants in the atmosphere. For instance, Ford was sued for installing a new device
that surprise the emission control system. This violation saw the company pay $7.8 million to
settle the case. According to EPA, this device leads to the accumulation of nitrogen dioxide from
smog that is beyond the limit prescribed by the Clean Air Act, 1993.
5
MODULE 2 COURSE PROJECT
References
Erlenkotter, D. (2014). Ford Whitman Harris's economical lot size model. International Journal
of Production Economics, 155, 12-15.
West, D. C., Ford, J., & Ibrahim, E. (2015). Strategic marketing: creating competitive
advantage. Oxford University Press, USA.
Purchase answer to see full
attachment