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As a traditional automobile manufacturer, Ford Motor Company possessed a strong corporate culture that began with its founder, Henry Ford. Part of this corporate culture included predominantly
Today’s competitive global environment presents many challenges to managers. One of the main challenges is building a competitive advantage by increasing efficiency and customer responsiveness. This case analysis details the challenges faced by former Ford Motor Company CEO Alan R. Mulally.
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Founded by Henry Ford, the Ford Motor Company had many problems, its bureaucratic nature and hostility to new ideas among them. Formerly of Boeing, Alan R. Mulally's tasks when he took over as CEO at Ford included changing the organization's culture to one that embraces transparent decision making, encouraging once fractious divisions to work together to produce cars of a better quality, and finding ways to move faster from design studio to showroom. These changes, however, did not come without struggle and strife. Read the case below and answer the questions that follow.
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The Outsider at Ford
MGT/526 Managing in a Changing Environment
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MGT 526 Wk 1 - Practice: Introduction to Business Management
Because he was an industry outsider, many doubted Alan Mulally's ability to turn Ford around when he arrived in 2006. Other outsider executives had tried, mostly unsuccessfully, to venture into unfamiliar businesses. At Ford, not only were industry outsiders previously not encouraged, but they were often isolated and even hazed. Mulally, however, was committed and resolved to be a quick study of the company and industry. With the assistance of Executive Chairman Bill Ford, Mulally realized that major work needed to be done to change a culture in which one's own career came before the company's needs, and employees waited for their leaders to tell them what to do instead of being proactively involved in the decisionmaking process. "That doesn't work for me" would be heard when Mulally faced the old ways of doing things. Decision making and management of data became key factors of Mulally's new corporate culture. He included more people in the decision-making process and asked that they be coached as well. Unpopular decisions included reducing head count and closing factories according to the "Way Forward Plan" so that Ford could modernize plants in order to handle multiple models rather than just one. Other decisions included implementing transparency, which made it difficult to hide problems with the production line. Mulally also mandated a constant stream of data that could give his team performance information with profit targets. This constantly changing information was used to anticipate problems and alter strategy.
family-only management, ventures into luxury brands like Jaguar and Land Rover, turf wars over brands, and poorly executed decision making. In light of these issues, Ford needed to enact a turnaround strategy that included a cohesive and cooperative management strategy.
The changes were successful enough that Ford was the only United States auto make that did not need a government bailout in 2008–2009.
Mulally's factory closures and layoffs combined with the modernization of plants were intended to increase MGT 526 Wk 1 - Apply: Selecting a Company
Working in business management means taking on responsibility to lead your organization in a variety of situations. Part of that
Define 1 new unique business opportunity the company can do to increase their competitive advantage. Identify a function of management that is needed for this opportunity. Submit your assignment.
responsibility is understanding where an organization has been and where it’s going. In this course, you put yourself in the shoes of a manager and use resources to make decisions on where an organization is heading in respect to business needs, organizational structure, leadership strategies, and change management. Some of the information needed may be easy to locate, but other information may take time and effort to find. Some may even need assumptions based on research. These research and strategizing skills will be useful in your business management career.
Select a company and learn about its history. This will prepare you for your Wk 2 Analysis.
Note: Some reports are more recent than others. It’s in your best interest to find a company with a recent (within 2 years) report.
Create a chart or outline that conveys the following information: Name of company Industry Brief history of company At least 3 milestones from the company’s history 3 resources (in addition to Business Source Complete) where you can locate company information in future weeks. This may include company websites, current employees, journals, etc.
Select 1 global company from "Business Source Complete: SWOT Analyses" located in the University Library to use for the next 5 weeks (this will sometimes be referred to as “your company”).
MGT 526 Wk 2 - Practice: Managerial Planning and Strategy
To maintain profits while offering the best industry pricing to customers, a furniture company decides to order materials in larger quantities to realize larger discounts on materials. The company is employing a _______ strategy. Multiple Choice • focused differentiation • low-cost • high-cost
• Whenhypercompetitionsituationsoccur
repeatedly, organizations can develop _______ plans to outline policies, rules, and standard operating procedures (SOPs) on how to handle those situations.
Multiple Choice • single-use • functional • rolling • standing • scenario The intermediate- and short-term plans created within a work group typically address the _______ goals and strategies of an organization.
• unifying
Multiple Choice • functional • business • divisional • corporate • global A _______ plan is generally reviewed and amended in conjunction with a company’s annual financial budget cycles to take into account changing conditions in the external business Multipleenvironment.Choice
• standing • short-term • rolling • contingency • single-use In a small developing country, the percentage of the population switching to cellular technology in recent years has been rapidly increasing. A multinational telecommunication services company decides to take advantage of this change by installing network infrastructure and establishing a sales presence in that country. This is an example of a _______ strategy.
Multiple Choice • divisional-level • departmental-level • functional-level • corporate-level • Easternbusiness-levelRegionVice President Goodall works with her team of sales managers to develop a
_______ plan, which defines the strategies, goals, and structure associated with achieving the company's objectives in the Eastern region of the United States. Multiple Choice • business-level • corporate-level • functional-level • departmental-level • SWOTSkipRequiredglobal-levelinformationtoquestionAnalysisSaves
SWOT analysis is a planning exercise in which managers identify internal organizational strengths (S) and weaknesses (W) and external environmental opportunities (O) and threats (T). Based on a SWOT analysis, managers at the different levels of the organization select the corporate, business, and functional strategies to best position the organization to achieve its mission and goals. In this exercise, you will learn how Douglas Conant turned around the failing Campbell’s Soup Company by implementing strategies developed from the results of a SWOT analysis. This will help you understand both how to perform such an analysis and to understand its value. Read the case below and answer the questions that follow.
the Company!
Campbell Soup Co., one of the oldest and best-known global food companies, saw demand for its major product, condensed soup, plummet by 30 percent between 1998 and 2004 as customers switched from high-salt processed soups to more healthful low-fat, low-salt varieties. Campbell’s profits and stock price plunged as its condensed soup business collapsed, and in 2001 its directors brought in a new CEO, Douglas Conant, to help the troubled company. Conant decided it was necessary to develop a three-year turnaround plan to help the company strengthen its market position against aggressive competitors such as General Mills, whose Progresso Soup division had attracted away many Campbell customers with its innovative new lines of healthful soup. One of Conant’s first actions was to initiate a thorough SWOT planning exercise. External analysis of the environment identified the growth of the organic and health food segment of the food market and the increasing number of other kinds of convenience foods as a threat to Campbell’s core soup business. It also revealed three growth opportunities: (1) the growing market for health and sports drinks, in which Campbell already was a competitor with its V8 juice; (2) the growing market for quality bread and cookies, in which Campbell competed with its Pepperidge Farm brand; and (3) chocolate products, where Campbell’s Godiva brand had enjoyed increasing sales throughout the 1990s. With the analysis of the environment complete, Conant turned his attention to his organization’s
resources and capabilities. His internal analysis of Campbell identified a number of major weaknesses. These included staffing levels that were too high relative to its competitors and high costs associated with manufacturing its soups because of the use of outdated machinery.
Conant had substantially achieved his goals. Sales of soup had recovered and the Pepperidge Farm and Godiva divisions were earning record sales and profits. (Sales of Goldfish crackers had increased by 100 percent!) Campbell’s stock price soared, and Conant and employees at all levels received bonuses that rewarded their intense efforts to turn around the company. However, Conant immediately set in motion a new round of SWOT analysis to find fresh opportunities for developing new products.
Customers’ changing demand for more healthful, low-salt soups was a(n) _______ Campbell. Multiple Choice •
Using the information from this SWOT analysis, Conant and his managers decided that Campbell needed to use its product development skills to revitalize its core products and modify or reinvent them in ways that would appeal to increasingly health-conscious and busy consumers. Conant stressed convenience with microwaveable soups and cans that open with a pull. The recipes became more healthful for its soups, V8 drinks, and Pepperidge Farm snacks because Conant needed to expand Campbell’s share of the health, sports, snack, and luxury food market segments.
Also, Conant noted that Campbell had a conservative culture in which people seemed to be afraid to take risks—something that was a real problem in an industry where customer tastes are always changing and new products must be developed constantly. At the same time, the SWOT analysis identified an enormous strength: Campbell enjoyed huge economies of scale because of the enormous quantity of food products that it makes, and it also had a first-rate R&D division capable of developing exciting new food products.
Also, to increase sales, Campbell needed to tap into new food outlets, such as corporate cafeterias, college dining halls, and other mass eateries, to expand consumers’ access to its foods. Finally, Conant decided to decentralize authority to managers at lower levels in the organization and make them responsible for developing new soup, bread, and chocolate products that met customers’ changing needs. In this way he hoped to revitalize Campbell’s slow-moving culture and speed the flow of improved and new products to the market.
Conant put his new plan into action, sales of new soup products increased, and he began to put more emphasis on sales of soup at outlets such as 7-11 and Subway and less on supermarket sales. By 2005 analysts felt that he had made a significant difference in Campbell’s performance but that there was still a lot to do—Campbell’s operating margins were still shrinking. Carrying on the SWOT analysis, Conant decided Campbell should produce more products to meet the needs of the “low-carb diet,” such as new kinds of low-carb bread and cookies. He also decided to shrink the company’s operations to lower costs. His goal was to raise profit margins to the level of his major competitors, Kraft and General Mills, by 2007 using a new three-year plan based on this SWOT Byanalysis.2007
The most important part of the SWOT analysis at Campbell was the Multiple Choice • strategy Conant put in place as a result of the analysis.
Which elements were parts of Conant’s examination of the external environment facing MultipleCampbell?Choice • analysis of opportunities and threats • analysis of strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats • analysis of weaknesses and threats • analysis of opportunities and strengths • analysis of strengths and weaknesses
opportunity for • SWOT for • threat to • strength of • weakness of The growing markets for health and sports drinks, quality bread and cookies, and chocolate _______ Campbell. Multiple Choice • were areas of weakness for • threatened the core business of • were not really relevant to • were already being exploited as strengths at • presented opportunities for growth for
By expressing concern for subordinates and representing their best interests in day-to-day activities, a manager demonstrates a(n) _______ behavior in the context of path–goal theory. Multiple Choice • directive
Note: This type of information is often found in the company’s annual report. Submit your assignment.
Use the company and SWOT analysis you selected in Week 1 for this assignment.
• weaknesses segment. • strength segment. • opportunities segment. • threats segment.
Congratulations! You’ve been hired as a manager and have been asked to analyze the current status of your new company. Review your company’s SWOT analysis and other available sources to evaluate the strategic needs of the organization within a changing global environment. Use the Wk 2 Apply Worksheet for your evaluation.
MGT 526 Wk 2 - Apply: Signature Assignment: Organizational Analysis Managers at each level of the organization use a type of SWOT analysis to identify strategies that will best position the company to achieve its mission and goals. The first step in a SWOT analysis is to identify an organization’s strengths and weaknesses that characterize the present state of the company. The next step requires managers to identify potential opportunities and threats in the environment that affect the organization in the present or possibly in the future. When the SWOT analysis is complete, managers begin developing strategies. These strategies should allow the company to attain its goals by taking advantage of opportunities, countering threats, building strengths, and ing organizational weaknesses.
MGT 526 Wk 3 - Practice: Managerial Leadership
• supportive • task-oriented • achievement-oriented • AccordingstructuraltoFiedler, _______ is the extent to which subordinates trust and are loyal to their Multiplesuperior. Choice
• empowerment • task-orientation • leader–member relations • consideration • position power A manager has increased his effectiveness by clearly defining employee goals and ensuring each employee understands how to achieve them. The manager has high Multiple Choice • consideration. • task structure. • empowerment. • referent power. • position power.
The _______ model of leadership is based on the premise that effective leaders possess personal qualities or skills that set them apart from ineffective leaders. Multiple Choice • task-oriented • path-goal • contingency • trait • WhentransformationalGillianshowsthat she cares for her employees and takes action to help them enjoy their work, she is engaging in _______ behavior. Multiple Choice • empowering • consideration • task-oriented • referent • DiversificationSkipRequiredautonomousinformationtoquestionatPepsi
Activist investor Nelson Peltz would like to see PepsiCo split its beverage and food units apart. His argument is that the two units would be stronger apart than they are together. “A stand-alone snacks business would offer investors strong growth in sales, margins, and free cash flow generation,” he said. “And a stand-alone beverage business would provide strong, stable, free cash flow that may be optimized through an effective balance sheet and capital return program.” A Wall Street Journal survey released in 2014 indicated that the majority of institutional investors support splitting the company.
However, not everyone feels the products in PepsiCo’s current portfolio are closely related.
Corporate-level strategies involve choosing the industries and countries in which a company will invest its resources to achieve its mission and goals. Managers ask questions such as, “How should the growth and development of our company be achieved?” In order to improve productivity and profit, managers seek opportunities to use a company’s resources to create new and improved goods and services for its customers. In this exercise, you will read about and analyze the corporate-level strategy at Pepsi. Read the case below and answer the questions that follow. The story of PepsiCo is a bit fizzy. The company’s history tells a tale of related and unrelated diversification. Best known for the soda from which it gets its name, it was founded as the PepsiCola Company in 1902. It merged with Frito-Lay, Inc., in 1965 to become PepsiCo. Along the way, it has diversified into many products related and unrelated to its beverage and packaged snack food businesses. For example, in unrelated diversification, the company once owned several restaurant chains like Pizza Hut, Taco Bell, and KFC. The company divested itself of its fast food division in 1997. Two examples of related diversification include the 1998 purchase of Tropicana and the 2001 purchase of Quaker Oats. The purchase of Tropicana diversified PepsiCo’s beverage portfolio to include juices. The purchase of the Quaker Oats company was mainly to obtain the sports drink Gatorade, which Quaker owned. This purchase further diversified PepsiCo’s beverage portfolio to include sports drinks. Also, the acquisition of Quaker’s breakfast cereal, pasta, and rice business was not completely unrelated to the Frito-Lay snack food division.
However, at least two powerful voices do not want to see the company split. First, Warren Buffet, who is the chairman and chief executive officer of Berkshire Hathaway and someone to whom many investors will listen, said, “I think that Frito-Lay is an extremely good business. It’s a better business than the soft drink business, but I think the soft drink business is a good business too, and I don’t see any reason to split them up.” The second powerful voice is that of PepsiCo CEO Indra Nooyi. Nooyi has been leading the company since 2006. In her previous roles with the company, she directed the divestment of the restaurant businesses as well as the acquisitions of Tropicana and Quaker Oats. Nooyi has insisted that beverages and snacks go together, both for consumers and for business logistics. “Decoupling our beverage and snack businesses in North America would significantly reduce our relevance to our customers,” Nooyi said. “Within most of our largest grocery channel customers, we would fall from being the top supplier to a top 4-or-below
Consider sources of managerial power when leaders are effective. Recommendation for the following actions: Leadership model changes 2- to 3- actions needed to align operational needs with business strategies identified in Week 1 Include and cite 1 other resource besides the text.
MGT 526 Wk 3 - Apply: Signature Assignment: Aligning Operational Needs with Business Strategies
Write a 700- to 1050- word proposal to the company of your plan to align the operational needs with business strategies based on your analysis. Include the following in your proposal:
Use your selected company from Weeks 1-2 for this week’s assessment.
In general, _______ refers to the corporate-level strategy of expanding a company’s business operations into a new industry in order to produce new kinds of valuable goods or services.
Format your citations according to APA guidelines. Utilize the Center for Writing Excellence and the Reference and Citation Generator for assistance with APA style formatting.
Consider the current leadership style or styles in place at the company.
An analysis on the effectiveness of the leadership model the company is currently using
Determine the effectiveness of the leadership style/s and whether an alternative style/s would be more impactful.
supplier, and in the mass merchandise and drug channels, we would drop below the top 10.”
The company is keeping its beverage and food units together for now. But the arguments about whether these units are related or unrelated will likely continue for a long time.
An analysis of the company based on Porter’s Five Forces
A primary technique of deeper analysis of an organization is the Porter’s Five Forces Model. This technique is often used when looking at your competitive advantage. Looking at your competitive advantage is important to aligning your operational needs with your business strategies. Review sources on your company.
Assess how to determine effective leadership. What makes a leader effective or ineffective?
Managers from multiple functions can come together as part of a _______ to solve a specific corporatewide problem. Multiple Choice • self-managed team • virtual team • chain of command task force • product team structure
Managers increase coordination among functions and divisions by Multiple Choice • establishing liaison roles.
• to have managers develop their skills in each specific product area
• to enable employees to develop deep expertise in production process activities
When managers organize divisions based solely on the type of customer they focus on, they adopt a _______ structure.
MGT 526 Wk 4 - Practice: Organizational Structure
• product • geographic • market • functional • product team
• developing a taller organizational structure.
Submit your assignment.
• to connect each product team to the specific customers its serves
Multiple Choice
• creating more managerial levels.
• reducing the span of control. • implementing a mechanistic organizational structure.
• to empower product teams
Temp Services has offices in different locations around the country. Each office is self-contained and caters to the needs of the specific region in which it is located. This is an example of a
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What would motivate managers to design an organization using a product structure? Multiple Choice
• to understand how differences in products are perceived in different national markets
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• behavioral •
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Luca is the vice president of the finance department. He is part of a management team that also includes the CEO, CFO, and vice presidents from the marketing and production business units.
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• trait •
a construction job that entails climbing ladders and scaffolding, lifting and carrying heavy items, digging, and operating various tools. The construction company required Rafael to perform a(n) _______ test to confirm that he has the body strength and stamina required for the Multiplejob.Choice physical ability personality performance
_______ structure. Multiple Choice • market • divisional • product • functional • Rafaelgeographicappliedfor
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The _______ restricts mandatory retirement and especially benefits older employees. Multiple Choice Equal Pay Act Civil Rights Act Age Discrimination in Employment Act Americans with Disabilities Act Family and Medical Leave Act
Luca's management team is a(n) Multiple Choice • cross-cultural team. informal group. • top management team. • interest group. • cross-functional group.
ACME Productions put together a group of employees from marketing, engineering, manufacturing, and quality control to develop a new product idea. This is an example of a(n) _______ group.
Part Create1: an organizational chart (org chart) of your company based on the initiatives discussed in Week 3. This high-level information is typically found on the company’s website or other websites about the organization. The org chart should include key leadership and level of responsibility. If the information is not public, base your decisions on a similar organization and research. You may use any Microsoft® program or webbased program.
Multiple Choice • informal • friendship • self-managed • cross-functional • top management Top management at a company organizes the employees into departments focusing on functions such as sales, product development, and customer service. These departments represent _______ Multiplegroups. Choice • friendship • control • command • interest • advocacy MGT 526 Wk 4 - Apply: Org Chart
Use your selected company from Weeks 1 3 for this week’s assessment. As a recent hire, you’d like to become familiar with the current organizational structure in your organization. This org chart has not yet been created, so you decide to make your own.
Part Explain2: in 350- words the structure of your org chart. Discuss the type of hierarchy and related details of each role. Assess how each role in the organizational chart is related to the other areas within the organization. Cite all sources.
Format your citations according to APA guidelines. Utilize the Center for Writing Excellence and the Reference and Citation Generator for assistance with APA style formatting. Submit both parts of the assignment on one document.
MGT 526 Wk 5 - Practice: The Changing Management Environment Global Markets: Disney Imagineering Walt Disney envisioned a place where parents could take their children and everyone could enjoy themselves. He created a world of magic and wonder that has expanded Disneylandglobally. was opened in 1955 in Anaheim, California. Since then, Disney theme parks have opened in Florida, Paris, Hong Kong, and Tokyo. Disney expected to open its newest park in Shanghai in 2014. The task of the Disney Imagineering team is to create parks that offer unique cultural experiences in a traditional Disney entertainment format. Disney Imagineers need to consider many factors when designing a new park in a foreign country. This video demonstrates the challenges Disney faces in the global environment.
MGT 526 Wk 5 - Apply: Demographics and Technology
Use your selected company from Weeks 1-4 for this week’s Anassessment.organization’s demographics are an important factor to consider for its business strategies. Review the demographic and technological information about your company to complete the activity below. If the information is not public, base your decisions on a similar company and research. This information will assist you with the Wk 6 assignment. Create a 350- to 525- word outline that conveys the information in the following format: Demographics What are the current demographics? (e.g., age, gender, ethnicity, etc) What was a recent change? How did the company handle it? Was the change handled ethically? If not, how should they have handled it? If it was, what stands out as something to emulate in your future business endeavors? How does the company utilize technology in day-to-day business? What types of technology are used? How does a change of technology affect the organization? Cite all sources. Format your citations according to APA guidelines. Utilize the Center for Writing Excellence and the Reference and Citation Generator for assistance with APA style formatting. Submit your assignment.
Technology
MGT 526 Wk 6 -
Practice: Ethics and Social Responsibility
Making Ethical Decisions
Societal views influence each country's laws in how members of a society deal with fairness, justice, poverty, and the rights of the individual. Ethical standards accepted in the United States are not accepted in all other countries. In some countries, bribery is accepted as the standard practice in getting things done, while in the United States and other Western countries, bribery is illegal. The following case examines the managerial ethics of a lighting fixture company in China. It is generally accepted that managers should behave ethically; however, self-interest and profit can lead some managers to engage in unethical business practices. In China, business laws vary from laws enforced in the United States. When businesses close in China, some business owners decide to forfeit their stakeholders' interests by not repaying debts owed and fleeing the country. This action can have devastating results for the business owner's
reputation, for the suppliers because of lack of payment, and for the workers because of lack of pay.
Read the case below and answer the questions that follow. By early 2008, China began to experience the effects of the worldwide recession, which resulted in the closing of many businesses. However, instead of applying for protection under bankruptcy laws, many Chinese business owners decided to flee the country, leaving their businesses, stakeholders, and workers in a state of flux and panic. With factories shutting overnight, thousands of workers were unexpectedly out of work. In just one town, 673 companies closed, leaving 113,000 workers unemployed and owing $44.1 million. Workers protested, and creditors confiscated company goods hoping to recoup some of their losses. Trust had traditionally been the primary component of a business transaction in China. Many business deals were made solely on the basis of trust. As a result of the closings, suppliers and investors now actively investigate the financial
stability of companies to ensure repayment of debt. In the United States, factory owners could file for bankruptcy, which would allow protection from creditors, but in China, bankruptcy law is rarely and ineffectively enforced. Because of this, creditors take matters into their own hands and have been known to storm a factory to grab anything of value and hold hostage former company executives. Since some employees live at the factory, when a business suddenly closes, they are left homeless as well as unemployed, thus exacerbating the situation. Some officials are encouraging stronger action against business owners by printing their names in local newspapers, shaming their reputation, and creating a blacklist of fugitive bosses. However, business owners are not without worry themselves. They fear for their lives or that their former employees and suppliers will hunt them down and hurt Thethem.behavior of the Chinese factory owners does not maintain and protect the fundamental rights of people. Their behavior can therefore be judged unethical according to
Note: This is a good place to use your chart/outline/infographic from Wk 5.
Recommendations
An examination of the impact of technological forces (e.g., changes in the technology managers use to design, produce, or distribute goods and services) of your selected company Consider how this can contribute to innovation within the industry.
Summary References
Use your selected company from Weeks 1-5 for this week’s assessment. You’ve become a trusted resource for your organization, and they’ve asked your advice on having a competitive advantage in the field. More specifically, they would like your analysis and recommendations on ways to bring their company culture, demographics, and technologies up to current industry practices and beyond. Review the “How to Make a Presentation” video.
MGT 526 Wk 6 - Apply: Signature Assignment: Organization Presentation
An analysis of the organization’s current culture (e.g., beliefs, expectations, values, and norms). Address how managers influence the organizational culture.
Create a 10- to 12-slide presentation with detailed speaker notes and visuals on every slide that includes the following elements:
An examination on how the organization has complied with ethics and social responsibility behavior of ways to innovate based on your analysis Submit your assignment.
An evaluation of the impact of demographic forces (e.g., age, gender, ethnic origin, race, sexual orientation, and social class) of your selected organization and what it could be