Research Paper (Ford Motor Company) Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

(Ford Motor Company) - Research Paper Example The company’s customers are brand loyal and keep returning to it. Ford has also created good will in the society through its efforts in community relations. It started a breast cancer awareness campaign in which numerous celebrities were roped in. more-over, the company has extensively donated to charities and has held fund-raisers. Ford’s employee base is very strong. It offers various incentives to its employees who are motivated and deliver quality work. For instance the â€Å"thumbie† award is handed over to employees who are proficient, show strong commitment to work and to customers. The company is also known to offer high wages. As a result the staff remains content and happy. Ford has also maintained good relations and is well communicated with its current and prospective investors. The company is very prompt in its reporting’s of earnings and losses all of which can be publicly accessed. Ford’s network of distributors is very dense and has many dealers spread world over. The Weaknesses: Economic recession has worried investors at Ford about dipping sales and profits. The cash position of the company has fallen down to $4 billion from $15 billion in just a year. It also faces the possibility of a credit downgrade. As a result share-holders are not getting their desired return on investment. Ford used a â€Å"voluntary separation program† to lay off its employees during recession times. The workers were not informed about the possibility of job cuts before hand. As a result, motivation levels got affected. Even though the HR at Ford, downplayed this, but layoff hit employees hard who become insecure of their jobs. Ford also cut down on their overtime after 2001. This led to rising frustration amongst the workers for being worker and not being compensated appropriately. Around 10 plants work over time in Ford today. Ford’s relations with its customers have also been rocky. Last year it recalled around 2 mil lion vehicles which coasted the company billions of dollars. (Drucker, 1995) Performance Gaps Ford’s relationship with its customers has severed over the years. Its customer benefit program’s performance should have driven revenues home but they did not. Ford’s management was also under the wrong impression that it was handling its employees well. The performance of its employees should have improved over the years to dramatic results but it did not. Ford’s HR felt that they understood employee needs but they failed to realize that employees were more desirable of flexible benefits and communication existed within the Ford. There is a severe lack of motivation at the moment. Ford’s revenue should have been past 20 billion dollars but it is not Addressing the Gap Role of Human resource department is very important to bridge any gaps between performance expectations and performance delivered. In-order to address the weaknesses Ford needs to revamp th e morale of the employees. Conduct one-on-one performance appraisals with the employees, have a thorough understanding of employee expectations and set expectations of the company. Employees should be regularly compensated with bonuses and awards. This will automatically boost their confidence and their belongingness to the Ford. HRD should also work on good relations with the customers. For this the employees who are directly in touch with the clients should be sent through a training program on relationship management. Conferences and seminars should be conducted to groom and train the employees on this aspect. Thirdly, HR needs to hire people who are pro at their communication and bargaining skills

Imigration Policy Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Imigration Policy - Essay Example Yet, their policies towards immigration are surprisingly similar. Both candidates have shifted their policies from the polarizing liberal and conservative stance to a middle of the road approach in hopes of gaining a national consensus. One of the initial problems that needs to be addressed in the immigration issue is how to secure the border. There are additional questions of costs and departmental responsibilities for stopping the flow of illegal entry. Both candidates voted for the Secure Fence Act of 2006, which calls for the construction of 700 miles of fence along the Mexican border (Carter et al.). While both candidates profess securing the border as a priority, McCain is more detailed in his planning. McCain has said that securing the border is the "first and foremost priority" (qtd. in Carter et al.). He has called for the Governors of border states to be the responsible party for certifying that the border is secure (McCain). However, the republican candidate makes no mention of how this would be enforced or what federal legislation would enact this requirement. Both candidates call for increasing the viability of the existing infrastructure as a means to enforce border security. McCain states that he will divert funding to US Attorney's offices, implement Homeland Security software and infrastructure, and deploy unmanned aerial drones to patrol the border (McCain). Obama's policy would "support additional personnel, infrastructure and technology on the border and at our ports of entry" (Obama and Biden 2). Obama and Biden additionally believe that we require "additional Customs and Border Protection agents equipped with better technology and real-time intelligence" (Obama and Biden 2). Neither candidate tells the public the cost of their programs nor how they would be funded. Public policy debates often become polarized on either right wing or left wing interests. In fact, conservatives have been critical of the traditional liberal policy positions on immigration. Newt Gingrich has stated, "The elites on the left oppose border control, oppose English as the official government language, want to find a way to allow everyone here illegally to stay, all while prohibiting illegal immigration in the future". Yet, these remarks made in January 2008 may only be indicative of how far the right has moved towards the center on immigration during this election year. The very positions that Gingrich criticizes are very similar to both the Obama and the McCain stances on these issues. McCain "Supports a path to legalization for illegal immigrants that includes learning English and paying fines" (qtd. in Carter et al.). Obama's policy states that he will "support a system that allows undocumented immigrants who are in good standing to pay a fine, learn English, and go to the back of the line for the opportunity to become citizens" (Obama). Both candidates "Co-Sponsored the Development, Relief and Education for Alien Minors (DREAM) Act of 2007, which would allow states to give illegal immigrants in-state tuition for higher education and let the homeland security secretary confer legal resident status on some illegal immigrant students" (Carter et al.).Both policies are nearly identical and are in some agreement and some opposition to what Gingrich criti