Strategic challenges and opportunities for the Northwest Baltimore Automotive Association

Running head: NORTHWEST BALTIMORE AUTOMOTIVE ASSOCIATION 1 NORTHWEST BALTIMORE AUTOMOTIVE ASSOCIATION 4

The Northwest Baltimore Automotive Association Question 1 The NBAA was formed with the aim of advancing the interests of the automotive repair industry within the Baltimore Park Heights community, especially with respect to environmental regulations. The association specifically seeks to promote environmentally healthy practices via safe disposal of waste materials, equip its members with ecological knowledge, and to negotiate with the EPA as well as state and local stakeholders on matters affecting the industry and the community (Wilbon & Crump, 2008). For the NBAA to be influential, it is imperative to expand its role beyond the Park Heights community. The association should target automotive repair shop owners within not only Park Heights, but also the entire Baltimore City. Using various mechanisms, such as consultative forums and industry conferences, the leadership of the association can expand its voice past the local community. This, however, would require greater financial strength. The organization presently faces funding challenges, underscoring the need to identify more funding opportunities. Beyond automotive repair shops, the association can target automotive manufacturers to sponsor its activities. As automotive manufacturers are increasingly conscious about the environment, they are likely to lend support to the association. Question 2 The NBAA has employed a number of strategies that have yielded quite impressive outcomes. Under the leadership of the Executive Director, the association has undertaken regulatory compliance training for all its members, engaged in lobbying to enhance the relationship of the industry with local, state, and federal regulators, equipped members with occupational health and safety knowledge, and enhanced information sharing amongst members (Wilbon & Crump, 2008). These initiatives have improved members’ ecological literacy and the industry’s environmental performance, while at the same time boosting members’ financial performance. More importantly, the perception of the industry has improved in terms of environmental consciousness. These initiatives seem to have worked quite well. Even though challenges still remain, sustaining these initiatives would be prudent. Nonetheless, there is need for the association to do more to recruit more members within the Park Heights community. For the industry’s efforts to achieve more impact, more auto repair shop owners ought to come on board. Out of more than 100 auto repair shops, only 46 have joined the association, which is less than a half of the total number of auto repair shops in the community. The association should engage in more persuasive techniques to increase membership. This would ultimately enhance its bargaining power. Question 3 The NBAA has without a doubt achieved tremendous success with respect to overcoming the threat of shop closure. Even so, the association still grapples with a number of internal and external issues it must give greater attention to ensure sustainability and attainment of its goals. First, the organization lacks in-house strategic management expertise. Though the current Executive Director has helped the association achieve impressive outcomes, he lacks knowledge of strategic management (Wilbon & Crump, 2008). The association without a doubt needs a more long term strategic plan if it is to sustain its existence in an increasingly dynamic industry environment. Rather than always relying on external expertise, the association should consider building its internal expertise, especially with respect to strategic planning. Attention to strategic planning will be particularly crucial given environmental laws and regulations are likely to become even more stringent in the future. The organization must also consider the influence of non-member shops. As described in the case study, non-member shops are using the association’s shortcomings to criticize it (Wilbon & Crump, 2008). Going forward, the association must consider how to collaborate with both members and non-members to enhance self-regulation. This would be crucial for persuading local, state, and federal regulators that the industry as a whole is indeed committed to environmental sustainability.