Ford Motor Company Annual Report: Ford Motor

Ford Motor Company Annual Report:

Ford Motor Company is one of the leading firms in the global automotive industry that produces and distributes automobiles in six continents. Currently, the company has approximately 164,000 employees working in its 70 plants across the globe. While Ford Motor Company headquartered in Dearborn, Michigan, it has several automotive brands including Ford and Lincoln. Apart from its engagement in the automotive industry, the firm provides financial services through Ford Motor Credit Company. Ford Motor Company completed another year of enhanced annual operating profits resulting in its announcement for reinstatement of paying quarterly dividends. Through its delivery of best-in-class vehicles to customers worldwide, Ford Motor Company had an improved cost structure and strengthened balance sheet in 2011.

Main Sections of the Report:

The 2011 annual report for Ford Motor Company has been divided into various sections based on the different aspects of its businesses. The major sections of the report are great products, strong business, better world, financial contents, shareholder information, and global overview. Great products section explains the firm's product strategy and development team while the strong business section covers its initiatives towards strengthening its balance sheet. The company's corporate social responsibility initiatives are examined in better world section while the financial contents division gives an overview of its finances and the shareholder information section provides necessary information like annual general meeting to shareholders. On the other hand, the global overview shows some of the major business segments and operations of Ford Motor Company across the world.

Factors Influencing Ford's Financial Performance in 2011:

The strong financial performance, improved cost structure, and strengthened balance sheet of Ford Motor Company can be attributed to various factors. First, the firm enhanced its product investments to meet the increasing demands in the rapidly growing global automotive market. Despite of the difficult economic conditions it experienced, Ford Motor Company continued its heavy investment in new products as part of consolidating its regional automotive operations to leverage global resources and exploit economies of scale. Secondly, Ford reinstated its repayment of quarterly dividends to shareholders as a vital sign of progress in attaining profitable growth for all. Third, as part of its business strategy, the firm's involvement in corporate social responsibility initiatives through the environmental and social goals contributed to its 2011 financial performance ("2011 Annual Report," 2012).

Primary Assets Held By Ford Motor Company:

The success of this company in the global automotive industry emanates from the tangible and intangible primary assets that is possesses in the automotive and financial sector respectively. The basic tangible assets within Ford's automotive sector is net property that includes machinery and equipment, land, special tools, building and land improvements, and other assets used for its normal operations. On the other hand, the financial services sector are the intangible assets held by Ford Motor Company including patents, licensing and advertisement agreements, customer contracts, technology, and land rights.