Bill Ford Leadership Management

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1 Introduction 1.1 Manager #1: William Clay "Bill" Ford Junior, Ford Motor Company Bill Ford was born in Detroit, Michigan, the great grandson of Henry Ford (who founded Ford Motor Co). He joined Ford in 1979 and held a variety of positions before elected Chairman of the Board in September 1998. Ford added the title of Chief Executive Officer on 30 October 2001, following the ouster of then-CEO Jacques Nasser. That ouster reflected significant differences in corporate values -- Nasser focused on maximizing corporate profits and shareholder value, while Ford was noted for valuing people and tradition. His people-focused attitude can be seen from the Ford Rouge Powerhouse Explosion in 1999. He rushed to the scene to help, despite his advisors’ warnings not to. One of his staff cautioned, "Generals don't go out to the front lines." Ford's retort: "Then bust me down to private." Having seen his compassionate side, his staff has since held a new kind of respect for him. Bill Ford is also known to be a conscientious environmentalist. When Ford’s market shares dropped drastically due to the effects of the gasoline price hike, he stayed determined. Under his direction, Ford Motor made technological progress toward improving fuel efficiency, with the introduction of the Hybrid Electric Escape, the most fuel efficient SUV on the market. Since then, despite many cynics’ criticisms of his environmental friendly approaches, Bill Ford has led Ford Motor to more progresses in the field of flexible-fuel vehicles, alternative fuel vehicles, and dual-fuel vehicles. Bill Ford is also the man behind Ford Motor’s new restructuring plan, dubbed “The Way Forward”. This plan is a huge risk to the company, one that Bill Ford thought and planned long and hard, together with his team. It involves drastic measures, designed to reverse a $1.6 billion loss last year in its North
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