Automotive Industry Essays (Examples)

While the political climate is not nearly as turbulent and disruptive as the auto industry, the fact remains that this industry that thrives on disposable income and the availability of easy credit, both of which are constrained by current economic conditions.
Opportunity and Threat Analysis

The greatest opportunity for the industry today is in creating more energy-efficient, highly customizable cars that also meet the needs of car buyers who want eco-friendly engines that have very small carbon footprints (Oliver, Lee, 2010). The broader trend of mass customization, where consumers are dictating their own brands or personas by their purchases, has invaded auto marketing and car buying. To make this selling strategy effective however, the supply chains of auto manufacturers must be synchronized to build-to-order requirements. The entire value chain of the industry is going through a shift due to this requirement today.

The greatest threat to the industry is consumer confidence coupled…

Other monetary policies that can affect the automotive industry in the U.S. include mandated price ceilings on the price of gasoline (Mankiw, 2004). These approaches, though, have not proven particularly effective in the past and created more problems than they solved. In this regard, this author also emphasizes that, "Eventually, the laws regulating the price of gasoline were repealed. Lawmakers came to understand that they were partly responsible for the many hours Americans lost waiting in line to buy gasoline. Today, when the price of crude oil changes, the price of gasoline can adjust to bring supply and demand into equilibrium" (Mankiw, p. 117).

Finally, U.S. foreign policy initiatives that use import tariffs and isolationist policies can increase the cost of the raw materials used by the automotive industry in ways that can also have a profound effect on their ability to remain competitive and profitable. According to Carlos Ghosn, CEO…

Consumers at the same time are much more knowledgeable of technology factors within the industry and thus demand much more from their cars than in previous generations. Which means that automobile companies must simultaneously focus on producing efficient vehicles, but also provide all the new commodities that make the driving experience safer and more entertaining at the same time?
Finally, legal aspects of the worldwide landscape have molded the automotive industry primarily through the breakdown of barriers. The greater globalization seen in contemporary world politics means that standards across countries are becoming the same, which makes it much easier for competitors to enter foreign markets. Emission standards, gasoline standards, and general safety standards have all become much more uniform from country to country, and this helps automobile companies to manveur on the global stage. Traditional methods of import/export laws to protect domestic corporations are much a thing of the past…

U.S. Automotive Industry
Chosen industry:

automotive industry is the focus of this analysis. More emphasizes are made on the large -- scale automobile manufacturers. This is because of the inherently interesting industry as a result it being competitive and projected to go through a major restructuring due to globalization in the near days to come. The issue of decreasing oil reserves is the other reason that is going to trigger this restructuring. This analysis is carried out by a team of experts who have had extensive experience in the industry and have the right qualifications for the industry.

Analysis Methodology:

An historical overview of the U.S. automotive industry forms the introductory part of the report. Using the Porter's % forces model as the analysis framework, industry's structural characteristics is made carried out providing the current state of the U.S. automotive industry. An analysis of some of the leading companies is then carried out…

United States Automotive Industry and Porter's Five Forces Model
American Automotive Industry

United States Automotive Industry and Porter's Five Forces Model

United States Automotive Industry and Porter's Five Forces Model

The purpose of this report is to analyze and discuss the automotive industry of the United States in the light of Five Forces of Competition presented by Michael Porter. The report starts with an in-depth introduction to the U.S. automotive industry; including its profile, present structure, major participants, evolution, and future outlook. The main body of the report discusses the competition present in the U.S. automobile industry from five different perspectives. The manufacturers in the U.S. automobile industry face a dual competition from the local and international competitors and from the substitute transportation mediums. The entry of new competitors in the industry is also a big threat for these manufacturers.

In the U.S. automobile industry, the customers make their purchase decisions according to certain preferences;…

4).
2.4 Effects of Environment:

Concerns related to carbon emission were heightened in mid-2000s and in 2007 Al-Gore in his book 'An inconvenient Truth' condemned the big three saying "They keep trying to sell large, inefficient gas-guzzlers even though fewer and fewer people are buying them." In comparison to other developed countries in Europe and Asia, American standard for distance covered in one U.S. gallon was only 25 mpg (miles per gallon). We see a sharp contrast here as Japan has a standard of 45 miles per U.S. gallon followed by 35 miles per U.S. gallon in China and 47 miles per U.S. gallon in European Union. Having least concerns for environment when the state of California raised its standards the big three went to courts. An amount of USD 25 billion was provided to the big three in October 2008 to upgrade themselves and produce vehicles with a standard of at…

Microeconomics on the Automotive Industry
A Study of Elasticity and Demand Generation

Global and national economic cycles have a direct effect on demand for the majority of durable goods consumers purchase, with the automotive industry being the most influenced by the cost of capital, interest rates, and elasticity of demand that varies by type of auto and market segment. The intent of this analysis is to evaluate how pricing strategies can be defined to attain the optimal level of profitability in the auto industry given specific microeconomic conditions. Included in this analysis is an assessment of how economic and liquidity impact the purchase of vehicles over the long-term, and how automotive manufacturers strive to attain lower costs of manufacturing through lean production and Six Sigma methods of production. In addition, the aspect of consumer behavior and its impact on the economic cycles of elasticity are also discussed. Favoritism or ethnocentric-based approaches to…

Introduction A manufacturing system includes four different components together with the production machine, material handling system, computer control system, and human resources (Lee, 1998). In recent times, due to the technological advancement, automation of manufacturing systems has continued to become prevalent. A key aspect in the contemporary automotive manufacturing systems and automotive industries is automation. An automated manufacturing system alludes to an intersected or interrelated system of material processing stations with the capability of automatically processing an extensive range of part types simultaneously under computer control. Imperatively, the system is not just interlinked by a material transport system but also interconnected by a communication network for assimilating all aspects of manufacturing. This sort of system portrays flexibility in handling, routing, processes, and changing of tools. Also, an automated manufacturing system demonstrates key features, including a high magnitude of automation, integration, and flexibility (Swamidass, 2000). This paper examines the four different parts…

(Das; Puri, 2003)
Innovation Management systems are also able to generate structured processes for evaluation and sharing ideas, such that decision makers are able to target those who possess the maximum potential. Nevertheless from the perspective of a manufacturing industry, the two costs which are important are material cost and processing costs which together accounts for 60% to 70% of the cost of goods sold. Material cost reduction in this perspective is defined as any attempt to lower the cost of bought-out components/raw materials through procedures like value engineering, part rationalization, competitive standardization, alteration in packaging, enhanced transportation etc. Normally, the suggestions emanate from several components in the value chain like customers, suppliers, staff in charge of procurement and designers of products as well as stores personnel. Productivity improvement signifies modifications of any processes which can be core manufacturing process or support processes like material handling. Various challenges can be…

Thus, it is clear that one of the major reasons why the Edsel failed to sell or become as popular as Ford had anticipated was because it was really nothing new as compared to the dozens of models offered by Ford's competitors, such as GM and Desoto. In essence, the people in charge of sales at Ford did not have the foresight to understand that the American consumer had changed after the war years.
In his excellent study on the Edsel, Rob Daines provides several reasons which supports the idea that the Ford executives responsible for sales did not know what they were doing in relation to selling the Edsel to the American public. First of all, "the market for medium-sized cars" which stood at about 40% when the Edsel was introduced, "had dropped to 25% by 1957 because of the inroads made by imports and smaller American cars," such…

TeslaThe company that I identified in this case is Tesla. In basic terms, Tesla is U.S. company that concerns itself with not only the design and development, but also the manufacture and sale (as well as lease) of electric vehicles and energy generation and storage systems, and offers services related to its sustainable energy products (Reuters, 2021). The company operates in the automobile industry. In essence, the U.S. automobile industry happens to be rather competitive and comprises of a number of players with the main players being inclusive of Ford Motor Company, General Motors Company, and Chrysler. Collectively, these are referred to as the big three automobile manufacturers in the U.S. Having been incorporated in the year 2003, Tesla has been in operation for the last 18 years. It is, however, important to note that it was not until Elon Musks entry (via purchase of majority stake in the…

Chrysler-Fiat alliance has been particularly fruitful and this has likely come as a surprise to many, considering that in the international automotive environment both companies have lost significant ground at particular times in their history. Managers on both sides of the Atlantic seem to have a complex understanding of the attitudes required in order for the company to be successful and make use of these respective behaviors effectively. Chrysler in particular experienced a lot of progress as a consequence of its role in the alliance. This is likely due to the general public starting to perceive the company differently from how it was until recent years (Chrysler is no longer the typical American motor company that has trouble integrating in other markets).
Question 2

Fiat was typically seen as an auto company focused on producing small cars for the European market. As the company comes to put its logo on larger and…

Introduction Automatic vehicles are used across the globe for transportation from one point to another. The automotive industry comprising of passenger vehicles and heavy-duty trucks are a key source of pollution the in the world, comprising of ozone, particulate matter, in addition to other smog-forming emissions. Notably, passenger vehicles are a key contributor to pollution, generating substantial amounts of nitrogen oxides, carbon monoxides, in addition to other pollution. Statistics indicate that transportation constituted more than 50 percent of the carbon monoxide and nitrogen oxides, as well as approximately 25 percent of the hydrocarbons discharged to the air (Holdsworth, 2018). In this regard, in recent years, automotive corporations have made significant efforts to develop innovations and technologies that provide means of diminishing transportation-associated air pollution and climate change emissions. An emission reductions level from automotive vehicles is pivotal for attaining air quality standards and safeguarding the environment.
One company that has been on…

Industry Specific
My industry of choice is the auto industry, and I will analyze it using the PESTEL framework. The political environment is critical to the auto industry for a couple of reasons. In most countries, the auto industry is significant, and therefore becomes politicized. The bailouts of GM and Chrysler are just two examples -- albeit extreme ones -- of the intense government involvement in the shape and size of the automotive industry. Another good example is NAFTA, which has resulted in production shifts to Canada and Mexico, but also the opening of the Mexican market. The current climate holds that the governments of the U.S. And Canada are divesting some of their control over GM and Chrysler, but will remain heavily involved in the industry, with the objective of supporting the Big Three, as well as major foreign automakers. The political environment also shapes demand conditions. For example, high…

Industry and Firm Analysis
Bennett, J. (2016). Fiat Chrysler to Build Parts Distribution Center in Virginia. Wall Street Journal. etrieved 25 May 2016 from: http://www.wsj.com/articles/fiat-chrysler-to-build-parts-distribution-center-in-virginia-1463662804

Fiat Chrysler Automobiles NV is investing $12.2 million to build a new distribution center in Virginia amid growing demand for parts used by its dealerships to both repair and customize its vehicles.

The 400,000-square-foot Mopar distribution center, located in Winchester, will employ about 70 people and ship more than 9.2 million parts and other items annually. This will be the 22nd center Fiat Chrysler has in operation in North America. It will primarily supply more than 200 dealers in the mid-Atlantic region after it opens sometime in the fourth quarter.

Mopar is the hidden gem of the Fiat Chrysler operation. Currently, the unit distributes more than 500,000 different parts and accessories to more than 150 markets around the world. That number is only expected to continue to grow since…

Automative Industry and Computers
Management Information

How computers (over the years) have affected and changed automotive industry and auto sales.

How computers (over the years) have affected and changed automotive industry and auto sales.

History of Automotive Industry

Time Line of Developing Technologies

Emergence of Flexible Manufacturing Systems (FMS)

Kaizen

The ole of Computers in Sale and Marketing

How computers (over the years) have affected and changed automotive industry and auto sales.

Current essay is a discussion of the role and impact of computer on manufacturing and sales of autos. To better understand how and why the automotive industry is where it is today, a brief historical background of the automotive industry is offered. The development of the automobile can be tracked back to 1769 when Nicolas Joseph Cugnot of France built the first vehicle, (Olsen 2002). Cugnot is recognized by the British Automobile Club and the Automobile Club de France as being the first producer of a car. The…

Use of single version of the truth and single information

Balanced set of strategic metrics (Financial and non-financial).

New methods of cost accounting (ABC, Target Costing).

Internal vs. External Focus (Benchmarking and Self-Assessment).

Process Management and Measures (value delivery).

Stakeholder value measures

Uniform set of measures

Causal relationships between measures across all levels.

Source: Lieberman; (1994; et.al.).

Automotive Industry Analysis

Entering 2007 it is clear that Japanese firms, lead by Toyota, will be at parity with and potentially surpass the Big Three automakers' market share in the U.S. And globally. The Big Three automakers, all in various phases and strategies of restructurings today, will continue to look towards significant cost reduction strategies over time. General Motors and Ford specifically are offering early retirements and incentives to further decrease payroll, pension and healthcare costs. It is anticipated Ford will consider selling Land over, as the sales of Austin Martin is pending. General Motors' efforts to integrate their production systems and processes…

Auto Bailout
In the years leading up to the auto industry bailout, all of the so-called Big Three automakers were struggling. They had been losing market share for many years as more import companies had entered the American market. Some of these companies, notably Honda and Toyota, were able to deliver better cars at lower prices, putting the Big Three at a significant competitive disadvantage. hile the automakers had some good years, by the last 2000s they were losing money. They did not have competitive products, and were saddled with substantial retirement costs. These companies had tens of thousands of employees at one point and need to pay retirement benefits to those workers; the problem is that there are fewer workers today because of automation to cover those benefits. The automakers headed for bankruptcy, and successive contract restructurings with the unions had failed to reverse the trend. The federal government stepped…

According to Leuilette the only way of accomplishing this is if the, "auto industry flexes its lobbying muscle and pushes Congress to enact a gas tax to pay for research and development. Otherwise, according to Leuliette, the United States will become even more dependent on shrinking foreign oil supplies. Toyota is the second-largest carmaker worldwide and reported that it intends to increase its' lead over Ford. Toyota is expected to remain the worlds most profitable carmaker after making a net profit last year of double its' nearest competitor. Further stated is that, "Japanese manufacturers have been able to steal market share from the American producers in their home market, recently starting to compete against U.S. pick-up trucks and large offroaders, the most profitable vehicles.
Toyota is also rapidly gaining share in Europe and is building new factories there as well as in China and the U.S. On Tuesday the scale…

auto parts industry on a global level and highlight potential opportunities as well as problems facing manufacturers. The industry has undergone a number of significant changes in recent years, including the globalization of automobile use in developing world nations such as China and India. Environmental concerns and regulations have also impacted the industry.
Global Industry Selection

As car use becomes more and more ubiquitous throughout the world, the significance of the global auto industry will increase exponentially. To better understand developments within automobile manufacturing, it is also essential to better understand how components of automobiles are sold and sourced internationally. Just as automobile companies are subject to radical shifts in consumer demand, so are the organizations which manufacture auto parts.

Industry Description and Competitive Environment

The auto parts industry is more competitive given the current downward pressure upon prices. American consumers are growing less enamored with high-cost luxury vehicles and are instead more…

Japanisation in the United Kingdom:
Experiences From the Car Industry

This report aims to analyze and compare the systems of power and control in the Japanese and western automobile manufacturing industries. The method was to use a wide range of theory and to support the analysis. The world has become an extremely competitive global economic battle ground. Automobile manufactures from both the east and the west continue to search for opportunities that will allow them to strategically reduce overhead but not affect market share or profitability. Consider that In the 1990's the solution was to literally cut or reduce the labor force and therefore reduce inherent costs of labor. The buzz words of the time were 'they just laid off X amount ... ', or 'they are downsizing ... ' These terms were regulars on the media circuit or on the front page of the morning's business section. These phrases were really…

ITT Supply Chain
Evaluating ITT Industries' Supply Chain

ITT Industries (NYSE:ITT) generated $2.1B in revenues during their latest full calendar year of results with a Net Income of -$130M. For the latest calendar quarter ending September 30, 2012 the company generated $555M in revenues and earned a Net Income of $73M. This transition in financial performance is attributable to several factors incouding better coordination, collaboration and integration of suppliers into their manufacturing operations, more efficient use of existing manufacturing assets, and greater use of analytics and IT systems to streamline complex processes (ITT Investor elations, 2012).

ITT's diversified operations include engineer-to-order, configure-to-order and build-to-order production strategies that have a multiplicative effect on the complexity and extent of collaboration with suppliers (Boon-itt, Himangshu, 2006). Using these product customization strategies the company competes successfully in energy, infrastructure, electronics, aerospace and transaction. Supply chain locations and their corresponding operations are tightly integrated across the four divisions…

A large body of literature has treated many different aspects of these influences on Asia, Europe and the United States (Busser & Sadoi, 2003). The importance of the study relates to the current trends taking place in Libya where aggressive steps have been taken in recent years to normalize relations with the international community. For example, Libya opened up its programs to develop weapons of mass destruction to international scrutiny and renounced terrorism as a political tool (Libya, 2010). Moreover, the country's political leadership has been equally forthcoming in its efforts to normalize their relations with Western nations since 2003 (Libya, 2010). More recently, Libya has been removed from the U.S. State Department's list of states that sponsor terrorism in 2006 and in 2008, Libya joined the United Nations as a nonpermanent member on the UN Security Council during the 2008-2009 term (Libya, 2010).
Other signs that clearly point to…

Introduction The automotive industry segment within the economy of the United States is a fundamental employer as well as a key donor of the American Gross National Product. The automotive industry segment is one that faces intense and comprehensive competition not only locally but also internationally. In recent times, the automotive industry has experienced deterioration in the revenues and profits generated and a decline in the market share as well as a lack of major employment opportunities. Within this similar timespan, the automotive industry has experienced major problems owing to the increases in the level of importation of vehicles and their corresponding parts from Europe and Asia as they have attained a greater market share as well as sales volumes. The purpose of this report to is to examine the different strategies and tactics employed by General Motors and Toyota Motor Corporation. These two companies are some of the biggest automotive…

Trade Theory
Intra-Industry International Trade

Standard trade theory and its deviations

The classical theory of international trade can be traced back to the founding father of capitalism Adam Smith: Smith's 1776 Wealth of Nations theorized that free trade would be beneficial to all nations. Smith stated that much like merchants, nations should specialize in the particular goods and services which they could produce most efficiently and trade with other nations who could produce alternate goods and services equally efficiently. Thus free trade resulted in advantages for both trading parties. Smith's theory was later fleshed out by David icardo in his Principles of Economics. iccardo stated that free trade could optimize efficiency for every country on a global level by reducing the inefficiencies generated by the excess resources involved in producing the goods and services the nation was not suited to produce (Sen 2010: 2).

This common wisdom remained relatively consistent for many years: the…

The resulting legal ramifications have created an environment of sensitivity to all types of potential discrimination through pre-employment testing procedures.
The ADA Act of 2008 became effective on January 1, 2009. A significant change in the way "disability" is defined is incorporated in the language, so the EEOC is preparing to evaluate the impact of how the language affects the ADA and how it is enforced. Pre-job testing, even though it is done for the right reasons, may now be affected.

The National Institute on Disability and ehabilitation esearch (NID) has established 10 regional centers providing information, technical assistance and training to people with disabilities, employers, and others having responsibilities under the ADA (Nester, Mary Ann, 2008). Even though historically, job applications and interviews could request information concerning an applicant's mental and physical condition, because it was used to discriminate against and even exclude applicants with disabilities, it has created legal…

Significance of the Study

This study is significant because it sheds light on a very important contributor to local and international trade. Trade fairs have a long history in providing a meeting place for buyers and sellers. They are an important channel of communication for B2B buyers and sellers. This is a significant area for study because there are limited channels of communication between B2B buyers and sellers. The previous sections have diversified the importance of communication to trade. B2B buyers and sellers cannot use mass channels of communication such as television advertising or newspaper advertising. In this market usage of personal visits and demonstrations are the common channels of marketing and communication. The B2B selling and marketing activities are less highlighted in research than B2C activities. Therefore, this study is significant because it explores a very important channel of marketing and communication in the B2B market.

The study is important for…

orporate Mission

As the largest mass merchandiser in the world, Wal-Mart's work in supply chain execution, research, and policies defines best practices for the broader high volume retailing industry worldwide. Wal-Mart is comprised of three operating segments including the Wal-Mart stores, Sam's lub and the International Stores. The typical Wal-Mart discount store as 50 departments or more and a few are offering groceries in addition to apparel, fabrics, stationery and books, shoes, house wares, hardware, electronics, home furnishings, small appliances, automotive accessories, gardening accessories, sporting goods, toys, and pet food. Wal-Mart moved into the Superenter retailing concept in the 1990s and has at this point 1,700 of these Superenters worldwide (Sampson, 2008).

These Superenters range in size from slightly over 90,000 square feet to 260,000 square feet. These are substantially larger than its normal stores, ranging in size from 90,000 square feet to 261,000 square feet. Wal-Mart also runs smaller stores called…

VD industry, located in Singapore, offers manufacturing services of components for the auto industry in both GM in the U.S., Europe and other U.S. automakers. In the recent past, this industry expanded in the exporting its products to GM in China. This illustrated a massive growth in terms of marketing for its business. The VD industry operates as a three product divisional strategic businesses, located within the same business complex, which includes; electrical and energy, automotive parts and infotainment (Burnes, 2000, p. 15). As an external change consultant for the VD industry, several factors or assumptions based on the problems experienced by the industry develops acting as an aid in boosting the growth of the company at a much higher scale. Several assumptions emanate from the group level, individual level and the organizational level of the VD industry, thus, the need to develop ideas, which in turn helps in improving…

Nuclear energy possesses perhaps the largest potential for growth over the next few decades. The reason for this is the simple fact that it creates a relatively small amount of environmental pollution and can be adapted for use in nearly any part of the world. It certainly poses some security risks if it this technology is misused or mishandled, but the benefits certainly outweigh the costs. This type of energy production does not create smog, or direct environmental wastes, and many scientists, entrepreneurs, and engineers are looking at low cost, micro-nuclear solutions for small cities and towns (Kruger, 2006). Instead of building huge, multi-billion dollar power plants, the focus has shifted to creating small, sustainable, community nuclear power plants. The sustainability level of nuclear power is quite high given that a very small amount of nuclear waste is created for a huge amount of power output, unlike coal-fired power plants…

downsizing on Manufacturing Industries
The amount of information on the effects of down sizing on manufacturing was not plentiful, however one main point that flows through all of the articles is that even though down sizing may be done to help a company it can end up hurting them in the long run. In the paragraphs to follow we look at the effects that downsizing has on people and companies as well as look at whether or not downsizing is truly the answer.

Parker (2003)eports that in 2003 the expected job losses among the manufacturing industries in Great Britain would create the effects of rising input costs and oil price increase on the job cuts; Downturn of the purchasing managers' index for manufacturing; Decrease in the rate of manufacturer's orders. So even though these cuts may be necessary he pointed out that it would have an overall negative effect.

The Midwest may…

General Motors was founded in 1908 and has been the largest manufacturer, designer, building and marketer of cars and trucks throughout the world since 1921. It sells vehicles in more than 200 countries worldwide and maintains assembly, manufacturing, distribution or warehousing operations in 53 of these countries. In 2000, it sold 8.6 million cars and trucks - constituting 15.1% of the entire world vehicle market (the world's biggest share) at $4.5 billion net sales and $184.6 billion in revenues. (General Motors). It envisions itself as the enduring world leader in transportation products and related services, whose goal is "to maintain this position through enlightened customer enthusiasm and continuous improvement, driven by the integrity, team work and innovation" of its employees. (General Motors)
The organization operates in four regions. The first, which has the largest market at 27%, is the GM North America. This region designs, manufactures and markets vehicles for the…

Internet Strategies Adopted by Automobile Companies in a Changing Business Market
This is an article on the Internet strategies adopted by automobile companies in the changing business scenario.

hat is the most recent fad that is tempting, informative and dangerous? The author would have loved to hear the responses from an audience, because none would have mentioned the Internet as the answer, and that is exactly what it is. Tempting because companies fall for the hype that the Internet has the potential to increase their profits by huge unrealistic percentages. Informative because the company is soon informed by its event managers that the virtual world is not what it was originally thought of, and dangerous because even after burning their fingers, they keep coming back for more! The reason why the come back is plain simple: the Internet is not directly responsible for the drubbing they received, It is their strategy that…

Xing Yun Lucky Automotive Into China
XingYun is an automobile manufacturer based in Australia, looking to further expand its operations in China. This strategy is based on the increased operational efficiencies the company would register within the Chinese market place, including the access to technological advancements, as well as the access to hard working and cost effective labor force, which is also accustomed to international operations and manufacturing. Aside from the actual operations with manufacturing, XingYun's decision to expand globally is also based on the increasing economic status of the Chinese buyers; China, for instance, registers the second largest gross domestic product, after the European Union (Central Intelligence Agency, 2016). This virtually means that the company would not only produce its vehicles in the more cost effective and skilled region, but also that it would sell its automobiles in China, as this becomes a greater consumer market.

Other aspects of the environment…

Products and Product Lines Manufactured and Industry in Which the Organization Operates
Wal Mart was founded based upon the belief of providing customers with something more. Started in 1945, the company began as a single store in Bentonville, Arkansas. Out of this location, the owner (Sam Walton) sought out producers and suppliers who could offer him lower prices by purchasing in bulk. This savings was passed onto consumers in order to increase their bottom line results. ("Wal Mart Stores," 2012) (Soderquist, 2005)

Over the course of time, this basic formula was used to sell various products to consumers and increase the total number of locations. As a result, Wal Mart began offering a variety of goods to cliental to include: health / beauty aids, baby products, household chemicals, paper goods, pet supplies; electronics, toys, cameras, photo processing services, cellular phones, books, stationery, automotive accessories, hardware, sporting goods, clothing pharmacy / optical…

globalization increased and standards of living around the world went up and with the expansion of industrialization in many less developed countries around the world, the demands of the automotive industry around the world increased significantly. This resulted in a worldwide boom in the international automotive sector with many individual countries entering the global automotive market as potential producers. As a result, the international competition in the automotive sector grew more aggressive over a period of time.
The sharp increase in international competition in the automotive industry during the recent years and the fact that automotives are not a 'Fast Moving Consumer Good' made, the countries involve in automotive production realized the growing need to stay competitive. The need to maintain an absolute competitive advantage and constant innovation, research and development was inevitable. Moreover, the international automotive industry was dominated by a handful of big players of the likes of…

For this reason, they have stepped out to pursue alternatives, especially foreign cars. On the contrary, as consumers become price oriented, they have minimal purchasing power because they are not buyers of large volume automobiles (Porter, 1985).
3.3 Threat of New Entrants

It is extremely difficult for new entrants penetrate the auto industry because of the existing high level of brand loyalty. Nevertheless, the few popular overseas firms and entered the American auto industry easily. For example, Honda Motors entered Ohio by opening a new office. This marked the beginning of a major stiff competition in the industry. Foreign entrants have expanded leading to decreased markets for American auto companies (ubenstein, 2011).

3.4 Bargaining Power of Buyers

In the current marketplace, consumers have been given various options, models, and brands to make their selection. However, various factors affect the buying decisions of consumers. They include price, appearance, and effect on the environment. Customers…

" In those manufacturers who are attaining lean enterprise-level performance, the cultures of their companies have become incredibly focused on metrics, and in fact the organizations themselves have become so metrically driven that the culture itself embraces the concept of measuring performance and improvement (Nash, Poling 2007).
Lean positioned for cost cutting vs. customer-driven change. This is also a critical mistake many manufacturers make, and often becomes the main focus these companies continue to pursue, as opportunities to better integrate their strategies with customers, suppliers, buyers, and service organizations present themselves.

Evolution of the Lean Enterprise

Manufacturers have continually struggled to gain the advantages of lean manufacturing, starting first with manufacturing processes at the shop floor level and progressing to a vision of implementing an entire lean enterprise. What's become essential in the pursuit of the lean enterprise are the creation of strategies for driving waste of all types (time, logistics, costs) out…

automotive materials imported from a foreign manufactures to the local market. It will also emphasize on the effects it caused to the economy of the United States. Finally, the study analyzed the effect of import of materials from foreign manufactures to the people of the United States.
It's more likely to find that, in every household in the United States, almost sixty five percent (65%) of the households for example utensils, clothes and even cars are not produced in the United States. They are manufactured somewhere in China, India, Mexico or Bangladesh, or the materials used to manufacture then were imported and assemble back here in the United States (Bill Canis, 2006). Since the year 2006, the automotive industries in the United Sates have witnessed a steady growth on import of materials from foreign manufactures. Industrial experts further expect that domestic vehicle manufactures will lose their market share to U.S.…

Jaguar Land over Automotive PLC
Company Profile:

Jaguar Land over Automotive PLC is a British multinational corporation that designs, develops, manufactures, promotes, and sells automobiles under the brand names of Jaguar and Land over, including ange over brand. Jaguar Land over is the United Kingdom's largest automobile corporation that took its roots from a couple of strongest automobile brands: Jaguar and Land over. Currently, Jaguar Land over Automotive PLC is a renowned subsidiary of India's most successful automobile group -- Tata Motors. It is headquartered in Whitley, Coventry, United Kingdom. Tata Motors acquired Jaguar Land over in 2008 from Ford Motor Company. The major subsidiaries of Jaguar Land over Automotive PLC include: Jaguar Land over Holdings Limited, Jaguar Land over Limited, Jaguar Land over India, and Chery Jaguar Land over. Jaguar Land over was the result of a union between Jaguar Cars and Land over which Ford Motor Company did in 2002…

As compared to carbon steel, the development of high speed steel has many advantages over carbon and is therefore more popular in high speed applications (lack, 2010).
This type of steel works due to several very important factors such as the type of metals used, high treatment temperatures and its ability to melt metals. eing an alloy that combines several metals, high speed steel can be kept hard even under extreme temperatures because the steel can provide heat resistance. The steel also remains hard even under intensive high temperatures due to the high temperature treatment.

This steel is an alloy which combines several metals such as tungsten, molybdenum, chromium, cobalt and others. The most commonly used type of steel in high speed steel products is tungsten. Nonetheless, various types and designations of high speed steel exist with each of these steels having their own special combinations. Due to its ability to…

Yet, today, they sell only about 47% and this market share loss has accelerated over the past decade (Sullivan, 2008). The major issue, according to Sullivan, is the inability of the ig Three to effectively compete with their more efficient and market savvy Japanese rivals, even on their home turf. Opponents of the auto industry bailout feel that placing more money into a failed business strategy makes no sense and that everyone is better off if the free market, not the federal government, choose the winners and the losers in the economy (Moran, 2008). The end result of the auto bailout could well result in a return to protectionism which could unfairly impact other American industries' ability to compete in a global market. A policy analyst at the German-Marshall Fund voices a common concern that a bailout of the auto industry has the potential "to be the torch that…

Distribution Strategy:
Distribution plays an important role in the success of a business because it ensures that a firm can deliver products and/or services to customers efficiently and at effective costs. Generally, the members of a firm's distribution channel offer a significant marketing resource that enables the company to increase market share and expand to new markets based on the established business relationships and local knowledge. Notably, distribution provides various opportunities for the marketer that could normally be linked with the other elements of the marketing mix. Nonetheless, the same distribution strategy is unlikely to be effective for every company because of the need for markets to be balanced. Therefore, companies are required to make decisions regarding the most effective and appropriate distribution strategy. The main focus of distribution decisions is to establish a system that basically permits customers to gain access and buy a marketer's product.

Distribution Strategy for Automobiles:

The basic…

Human esource Management at the Ford Motor Company
The Ford Motor Company is one of the largest economic entities at the global level, with sales and operations across the entire globe. The organization is reputable as the first company to make automobiles accessible to the people through the usage of the production and assembly line. In more recent times, Ford is recognized as one of the largest employers in the United States and a global leader of the automotive industry.

During 2008, the company was hit by the internationalized economic crisis, which raised new financial concerns, but also exacerbated the problems already existent within the firm. For decades, Ford had invested in large size and luxurious vehicles as an emblem of American consumerism. Throughout the past recent years however, the preferences of consumers have changed to reflect the shifting international price of oil and environmental concerns. More and more smaller size and…

Ethics and Social esponsibility
General Motors

General Motors (commonly known as GM) is an American multinational automobile manufacturer. It is the world's largest corporation in the automotive industry with respect to unit sales. GM is headquartered in Michigan, United States and operates with fully-owned subsidiaries as well as joint ventures in 157 countries of the world. The manufacturing units are being operated in 31 countries. It employs more than 202,000 people who work in its 158 different operational areas in all six operating regions of the world. General Motors was established in 1908 by William C. Durant. It has a very well-established brand image across the Globe with a high level of brand acceptability and loyalty by its customers and stakeholders (General Motors, 2012).

Having business operations at the Global scale, General Motors operates in a highly complex and uncertain business environment. There are a number of environmental factors that affect its business…

The marketing mix has many variables that can be changed and adapted in every company, but in this process it is important to keep in mind the position the company wants on the market and its objectives.
The marketing mix planning is the process of developing long-term strategic plans that can help the company to achieve its goals. Each element in the marketing mix - product, price, promotion, and place -should be very well used in the attempt to satisfy the needs of consumers.

ibliography

Ford Parts (n.d.). Retrieved March 6, 2007 at http://www.innerauto.com/Ford_Parts/

FW15-MARKETING MIX (n.d.). Retrieved March 5, 2007, at http://www.freeworldacademy.com/newbizzadviser/fw15.htm

Marketing mix (n.d.). Retrieved March 5, 2007 at http://www.answers.com/topic/marketing-mix

Marketing mix (Price, Place, Promotion, Product) (n.d.). Retrieved March 5, 2007, at http://www.thetimes100.co.uk/theory/theory.php?tID=243

Overview (n.d.). Retrieved March 5, 2007, at http://www.ford.com/en/company/about/overview.htm

The marketing mix (n.d.). Retrieved March 5, 2007, at http://www.thetimes100.co.uk/theory/theory.php?tID=185

Volker Mike, MARKETING & 4Ps of MARKETING (1998). Retrieved March 5, 2007, at http://www.sfu.ca/~mvolker/biz/mktintro.htm

Marketing mix…

(Reich, 2009)

The Japanese Government to usiness Model

The Japanese government has more direct control of private business. The difference is that it is doing so, as a partner to ensure that the business is able to maintain successful long-term economic growth. The government does not offer subsidies or any kind of bail outs. Instead, they help companies through loans, tax breaks and other forms of assistance. This helped to contribute to the success of the Japanese auto industry by allowing executives to focus on how their organization can grow in the future. (Johnson, 1985)

usiness, government and the Liberal Democratic Party in Japan

The Liberal Democratic Party helped to liberalize the relationship that the government would have with the auto industry. As it would be successful in helping Japan to eliminate protectionism; this is something that would allow Japanese cars to become more competitive in markets around the world. (Johnson, 1985) at which…

Collapse of the Big Three
America was once the leader and pioneer in the auto industry, a title that the country had for decades and a title that was so dear to America's heart that it was unfathomable to think that title might ever be lost. It's commonly misconstrued that America invented the automobile, when in reality that honor goes to German Karl Benz in 1885 (ozema, 2010). "Americans did, however, industrialize the love of the automobile. America loves big, fast cars, and for many decades American car companies shared the biggest slice of the auto industry pie" (ozema, 2010). America made having a car and the business of making cars firmly entrenched in American culture. This was a fact which kept the economy stimulated and which provided a consistent level of financial stability for the nation and the civilians within it. However the decade of the eighties marked the time…

Global Warming: Why it is not the greatest fear of the industrializing world, why it is such a great fear for the industrialized world
There is a threat that currently looms upon the horizon, in danger of choking the fragile health of the developing economies of the so-called Third World. This threat is not the so-called global warming phenomena. The long ranging environmental results of the build up of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere still remains unknown, and the data is far from conclusive. What is known by international economists is that the threat of global warming, as deployed as a kind of buzz word and media scare tactic of the environmentalist movement could impede the growth of industrialized nations and reduce the chance of Third World countries improving their living standards.

Despite the words 'Trade not Aid,' as bandied about by corporations such as the Body Shop, there is little likelihood…

S. In sales and innovation and quantity will likely continue to dominate sales as consumers seek cheaper alternatives, either in fuel economy or sticker price, especially in the wake of a downturn of the U.S. economy. It is clear that in the wake of change, and especially growth of competitive systems profitably tends to decrease in all traditional markets. ("Japan's Car Giants Escape" NA)
4.hich companies are likely to be most successful over the next 5 years?

Emerging markets, i.e. foreign competitors are likely to be most profitable over the next five years and in second any existing corporation who has foreseen the massive changes in auto manufacturing and implemented effective and economical models. hen discussing emerging markets one must also consider the fact that the traditional auto industry (mainly in the U.S.) has been historically resistant to the development of ecofriendly autos, short of developing a scrap/recycling industry that has made…

The last century has seen an increase in the level of international purchases which has been supported by the developments in transportation and technology. Goods can move faster than before with developments in logistics. The negotiation and forming contracts for purchase with companies and communicate with potential suppliers in distant countries is also easier than in the past with the internet and tools such as video conferencing and emails. This facilitates the use of international suppliers. However, other firms may choose local suppliers believing strategy will best suit their needs. Local suppliers may be able to provide where there is an increase in the transparency of the supply chain, less exposure to risks such as interruption and exchange rate risks and proximity may allow closer collaborative relationships to develop. Both procurement strategies are viable, to assess the advantages associated with each approach the procurement from international and local suppliers…

2007 Economic Crisis on American Car market
Effect of the 2008 global economic crisis on automotive industries

Crisis in the United States

Crisis in Canada

Crisis in ussia

Crisis in European markets

Crisis in Asian markets

Effects by other related crisis events

In this paper, we will review the effects of 2008 global automotive crisis. Our main focus will be on the American car manufacturers and the negative impact they suffered due to the crisis. We will also have a look at how this crisis had affected car manufacturers in other major markets around the world notably Europe, Canada and the prominent Asian markets such as China and India. Finally, we will look at some of the other factors which were important to this event namely the energy crisis since the cost of fuel is directly related to the car industry.

Introduction

The automobile industry is a very important part of the global economic structure, in many of the…

5. How have the trade unions in the industry responded to the changes in employment relations in the industry?

Since 1991, both Labor and Liberal-National governments have encouraged enterprise bargaining, marking a major shift away from a more centralized approach to employment relations. On the other hand, there is still an aspect of external regulation in the automotive sector and more generally, across the industrial relations system. The AIC, a tribunal established by the Commonwealth Government at the turn of the twentieth century continues to have the power to settle disputes through conciliation and arbitration, to certify enterprise agreements and to establish minimum standards across the workforce. The ongoing role of the AIC has meant that the legacy of external directive continues to have an influence in the automotive assembly division, as do other third parties such as trade unions (Lansbury, Wright and Bairdi, 2006).

Over the last two decades, there has…

Policy Extension
General Context

The company was established in 1886 and since its inception the technology developed by Daimler has revolutionized the automotive industry (Daimler AG, 2014). Daimler's initial product line started with a motor carriage and a three wheeled vehicle. The quality, safety and comfort of Daimler's vehicles have impressed their customers, establishing the standards of the industry.

With automotives being a physical product, it is very easy to measure them. Standards of the industry are established and brought to public notice, allowing all customers to understand them and rapport to them. In this industry products are physical received by customers and they enter customers' possession once all contractual and financial aspects have been attained. Product reception takes place under the terms established by the seller and agreed by the buyer.

There are several ways customers can address in order to find out information about the price and characteristics of Daimler's auto vehicles.…

Garmin Corporate Strategy
You are now the CEO of Garmin Incorporated. You've watched your industry and your business rise to prominence and you've watched as your competitors have slowly eaten away at your share of the market. At the same time, you've witnessed your bread and butter automotive opportunity erode before your very eyes.

Company Overview

Garmin has been an innovator in Global Positioning System (GPS) technology as well as a worldwide provider of navigation, communication, and information devices which are all somehow related to GPS systems. Garmin is a global company that operates through a global network of subsidiaries and the parent organization and home office is located in Taiwan. There are four broad categories in which Garmin's products are produced in; the automotive, outdoor/fitness, marine, and aviation products are the respective product lines.

ithin 5 short years, the GPS manufacturer went from a small niche producer to a publically traded mass producer…

Merger, Acquisition, And International Strategies
Ford Corporation: The Volvo takeover

It's imperative for the automotive companies to attain benefits of scale whilst developing latest products which is costing exceedingly high in the present business environment. Compared to the 90's the chances of attaining benefits of scale while saving costs has altered quite a bit. Model volumes have declined which creates difficulties for companies to attain economies of scale, while saving costs. Hence, as a last resort, companies merge with each other, acquire and form alliances with each other to save rising costs while developing new technology and products (Lundback, 2002).

Ford Motor Company

The Ford Motor Company is the second leading profitable automaker in the world. Ford has recently acquired the Swedish-based Volvo for $6.45 billion. Fords profits last year were a bit more than that with $6.57 billion. It's yet another quick acquisition among many others. Ford at present has 80 assembly plants…

In general, Product Development at Ford involves three major stages, all leading up to the manufacture of the vehicle: Plan, Design, and Verify -- then manufacture. To do this, though, functional areas need to manage costs, plan marketing programs, ensure that needed parts are available, plan manufacturing schedules, hiring (if needed), shift changes, and numerous other data (a/p, a/r, payroll, etc.). The model for Ford is:

(ource: Murthy and Desai)

Thus, on a daily, or ongoing basis, employees in numerous functional areas are able to pull up historical data on models, features, issues; find out stages of development for new models or new programs; chart advertising effectiveness using detailed database parameters, preplan tooling, resource, and supplier needs; access accounting and invoice functions, and, system wide, use the available information for appropriate levels of knowledge management (Maynard 2004).

By department, a needs analysis shows that each individual department has both similar and quite different…

falling into a functional rut. This is exemplified in the approach Kuiper Leda also takes with regard to optimizing lead times throughout the productions scheduling and fulfillment processes as well.
In summary, Kuiper Leda has many of the foundational processes, systems and roles in place to enable an efficient demand-driven supply chain network (Barrett, 2007), including the ability to synchronize suppliers, inbound quality management and inspection, production scheduling, manufacturing, and fulfillment. The maturation from MP to EP is evident in the same factors which illustrate how the company is becoming more adept at accomplishing its lean manufacturing objectives, beginning with attainment of JIT. Outsourcing excess demand for the ECUs also indicates a relatively high level of process maturity, knowledge management (Ferdows, 2006) and quality management expertise as well (Yamazaki, 2003). Kuiper Leda shows the potential to scale into more collaborative processes with their suppliers, opening up the opportunity to create…

In the case of industrial products, as is the example with AANX, the contract between the purchaser and the seller will need to include elements such as the seller's capacity to deliver a certain amount of the supplied parts over a period of time, as well as quality limits for these.
The case of AANX had an additional requirement, because of the restricted access to the e-marketplace and many other industries most likely practice this approach as well, so as to protect data and information: the need for privacy. This was provided by the fact that the e-market was a private one, with access given only to members of the Australian automotive industry and the suppliers part of the production process.

The figure above presents the different e-marketplace situations that can occur, depending on the total number of buyers and sellers participating in the process. The marketplace model, present as a…

TOYOTA'S PIUS
With the increased level of awareness of the environment, automotive car manufacturers vie on the viability of selling environmentally hybrid cars. Leading this group are Honda and Toyota. The following is a market analysis of the position of Toyota's Prius. It analyzes the following factors:

Situation of the firm in the market

The industry of hybrid cars

The strategy adopted by Prius and how it is faring in the market

The barriers of the market

Some alternative strategies to rectify the weakness of Prius and The implementation of one of its alternatives.

SITUATION ANALYSIS

Firm

Toyota Motor Corporation with its subsidiaries all around the world reports $5,447 billion for the fiscal year 2001. With more than 5.5 million cars, trucks, and buses worldwide sold annually, the company boast of high profits and symbolizes the ideal in automotive industry. Spread to 24 nations and regions worldwide, Toyota with its new innovative concept of business has recently introduced Prius,…