Birth of Automobile Culture In the twenty first century cars became a key ingredient to life. Cars have impacted transportation and the work force tremendously. To think how far they have come in the last one hundred years is staggering. Henry Ford is a crucial step in the automobile culture for how we live our lives today. I chose the topic the birth of the automobile culture because researching something that is so important to society, intrigued me.
This allowed for Ford to sell over 15 million vehicles and make them a major part of the automobile market share. The introduction of the Model T began a new age in North America and transportation. This spurred the growth of roads, and jobs, and changed the way Americans traveled. Ford’s success can be credited to the implementation of the assembly line; this is what differentiated his company from any other automobile makers in America at the time, this had a great impact on the American culture. Mass production along with advancements in technology proved to be greatly Ford’s advantage; this strategy gave Ford the ability to make automobiles in large quantities and make them affordable to many.
The company owns 73 plants and employs about 164,000 employees. Ford is now the second largest automotive manufacturer in the U.S. and the fifth largest in the world. The two famous brands of the company are Ford and Lincoln, which are the main brands. Ford also owned some other brands such as Volvo, Mercury, Jaguar, and Land Rover, but it sold these brands to other automakers to keep its focus on the two current main brands. Ford’s mission statement is ONE FORD: ONE TEAM, ONE PLAN, and ONE GOAL ONE FORD: ONE Ford expands on the company’s four-point business plan for achieving success globally.
Dodge and Ford: Analysis of light duty pickup truck market The half-ton pickup market in north America is has been dominated by the Ford f series trucks for over 20 years. In this period there has been a constriction of the consumer base, rising cost of compliantly products, significant shift in consumer demographics, and numerous new market entrants into the market place. Ford had met all of these challenges and continues to be the market leader. In this paper we will review what helped Ford secure it is position as the dominate market force compared to Dodge’s Ram product offering, the third strongest competitor by sales volume. To help understand the market we will review the history of the products and complete a pestel analysis of the North American pick up industry.
One of the main goals of globalization is for organizations to achieve lower production and operating costs to gain a greater amount of products and services and thus consumers. Due to technological advancements, globalization has entered a rapid state of growth, such that now all five continents are affected and interacting. The automobile is one of the most important inventions in human history; it created a whole new way for people to carry out tasks and to connect with many others around them. Since the automobile industry has grown and continues to shape the world of transport, the German auto industry is now one of the largest automobile industries in the world. Germany ranked third in country car production with Japan in second and China in first from 2009-2013 (International Organization of Motor Vehicle Manufactures).
The Brazil automobile industry is known for its low cost compact cars, buses and agricultural machinery. Brazil’s automobile industry continues to grow which has seen it become the fifth largest automobile industry in the world. Doing business in Brazil General Motors main focus and key drivers for success in Brazil is innovation, investment, technology and constantly updating and adapting strategies. They recognise that it is a necessity to change and adapt to sustain competitive advantage in Brazils automotive industry. In Brazil the automobile industry is highly competitive, with Volkswagen, Fiat, Ford and General Motors all competing for the top market share in the automobile industry.
In the automotive market, it is a major supplier of seating and interior systems, and batteries. For non-residential facilities, Johnson Controls provides building control systems and services, energy management and integrated facility management. The company offers a portfolio of lithium-ion battery technology for a range of vehicles, including advanced start-stop vehicles, hybrid electric vehicles (HEVs), micro hybrid vehicles, and plug-in hybrid vehicles (PHEVs). Johnson Controls, a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold) stock, reported an average positive earnings surprise from each of the trailing 4 quarters of 1.13%. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for the company’s current quarter (ending March 2016) is 82 cents per share, reflecting an estimated 11.99% year-over-year
Alan Mulally, the current CEO of Ford Motor Company, came into the company with a new direction. With a selling leadership style Mulally won over the willingness of Fords followers. Mulally builds confidence of followers by providing clear direction and encouraging two way communication. After looking at the product lineup Mulally said, “Where’s the Taurus?”After learning the Taurus was renamed the Five Hundred Mulally said, “Well, you’ve got until tomorrow to find a vehicle to put the Taurus name on because that’s why I’m here. Then you have two years to make the coolest vehicle that you can possibly make.” (Hellriegel & Slocum 2011 p. 544).
However, in this fast-paced, innovative world, no company is safe from competition. In 2007, Ford became the third-ranked automaker in U.S. sales, falling from the second-place automaker ranking for the first time in 56 years (Wikipedia). Ironically, one year later, Ford is reaching out to their consumers, employees, dealers, and retirees with their “Drive One” campaign. The “Drive One” campaign is seeking to educate their audience, change their attitude and encourage behavior. These objectives can be exhibited in the KAB Model: knowledge, attitude and behavior.
1.1. Volkswagen :A brief history First thought of by Adolf Hitler, the Volkswagen car was designed and built by Ferdinand Porsche, a Mercedes employee hired by the Reich in 1938 to materialize the idea. The firm itself was created in 1937 with the goal to provide an affordable and safe car, able to fit two adults and three children, to each German family. This first “people's car” (Volkswagen) concept -the beetle- gradually became the legendary best-seller we all know. Today, the Volkswagen Group has its head quarters in Wolfsburg Germany and is one of the world’s leading automobile brands and one of the most dominant car-makers in Europe.