Information Managment Challenges for Ford Motor Company Research Paper - 1

Information Managment Challenges for Ford Motor Company - Research Paper Example This is a clear challenge for the new millennium, in which the drive to produce cleaner fuel and decrease dependence on foreign oil is huge. Thus, this paper will examine the challenges Ford faces by striving to create greener products, utilizing technology to create a better product and prove to consumers that the company promotes the ideals of a cleaner, healthier world. The Ford Motor Company has the second highest level of sales of automobiles in the United States, with a global presence in more than 500 companies across the globe. More importantly, the innovation that the company has dedicated themselves to accomplishing gives hope that dependency on fossil fuels might someday be a thing of the past. The manufacturing plants are tooled to be flexible, the vehicles that roll off of the assembly line geared toward the fuel option of the country of intended delivery, thus providing their customers with the best options available for fuel economy. As the company is award winning for their ethical policies and implementation of sustainability, the potential for collaborative efforts toward advancing automotive technology seems to be a real possibility within the company. When Henry Ford created the Model T automobile, it was the beginning of a revolution in industry. The philosophies of industrial management that came from his innovative thoughts on the sociological aspects of his business created changes in the way in which workers, business financial strategy and the machinery of work were integrated. Ford was born in 1863 in Detroit, Michigan. His father was from Ireland and his mother was born in Michigan from parents who were from Belgium. At the Edison Illumination Company, Ford was a chief engineer, but he was already working on the development of the gasoline engine. Once he developed the engine, he moved on to fully develop the Model T, build a manufacturing plant, and

Strategic HRM Approach Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Strategic HRM Approach - Essay Example HR experts and researchers (Armstrong, 2009) focus on multiple issues related to human resource management. First, they explored which factors lead an organization to adopt a strategic approach to HRM as well as the consequent formulation of this strategy. This also raises the question of which firms will be more likely to adopt a strategic approach than others are. For instance, do such firms have a specific set of external and internal characteristics and conditions? Secondly, the experts looked into the policies and practices that are characteristic of distinctive HR strategies. Is it reasonable to assume that there can exist, different sets of HR policies with the different models of HRM? Finally, an important issue that they have explored at length is the organizational performance that follows each of these sets of policies and practices. This brings in the question of whether HR strategy is important for organizations, and the answer that it is an essential factor for the HR s taff to consider when refining organizational performance. The main aim of HRM in this respect is to recognize, select, and implement activities that the staff thinks will be helpful in selecting a direction and a course of action, which would in turn enhance the long-term performance of an organization. This will occur if the chosen actions help synchronize the internal capabilities and skills of the company with the growing demands of its external environment. There are three main organizational frameworks (Armstrong. 2009) related to the several broad approaches of strategic HRM. One is universal, which is the best practice according to experts (Ehnert, 2009), s it focuses on broader aspects of business environment instead of narrowing them down, thus enabling the firm to derive competitive advantage from their strategy, regardless of the circumstance. Then there is the contingent approach (Ehnert, 2009), designed based on specific business environments. This is a narrower approa ch as compared to the universal framework, but is beneficial to specific companies as it provides them with competitive advantage, which is ‘contingent’ upon their reactions to situations arising in their strategic environment. Lastly, there is the organization-specific framework, which is unique for the firm, which designs and implements it. This introduces the concept that the individual characteristics of a firm necessitate a unique approach, as its unique resources such as human capabilities will enable it to derive a certain type of competitive advantage through the correct strategy. To explore each of these frameworks further, paper looks at the examples below, which present an idea of how a strategic approach would be designed based upon the framework. If the organization chooses to operate according to a universal framework, they will design their strategy in the light of the ‘best’ practices, which they will then implement into the overall organiza tional structure. This collection of HRM practices, or rather, this ‘HRM bundle’ could include ‘high ground’ components such as the goals of employee loyalty and commitment to the organization, high quality operation, and product, functional flexibility in the company structure. One goal could even be to corroborate the corporate objectives of the organization with the human