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Ford Motor Company

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Ford Motor Company

Corrie Madison-White

MGT/521

August 13, 2011
Andrew Rosenberg

Abstract

A mutual funds manager is trying to decide whether or not they would be willing to invest in the Ford Motor Company. In order to make an informed decision the potential mutual funds manager will look at how recent economic trends are influencing the business, strategies the company has used or could use for adapting to changing markets, tactics the company has implemented to achieve their strategic goals, and the role human resource management plays in helping the company achieve its business goals.

Ford Motor Company

Ford Motor Company is an American automaker that was founded by Henry Ford. The company was incorporated on June 16, 1903. The headquarters is located in Dearborn, Michigan. It is currently the fourth largest automaker in the world. Ford Motor Company not only produced the Ford brand, they produce Lincoln and Mercury brands. Recently Mercury was discontinued. They acquired Jaguar, Volvo, and Land Rover. They have since sold all three brands. The company also has a small stake in Mazda and Aston Martin (History of Ford Motor Company, 2011). Recent Economic Trends Gas prices have been on the rise since 2008 and have even gone above $4.00 a gallon. Even though gas prices have gone down slightly, some consumers are still opting to park their cars and use public transportation. Some have decided that riding bikes and scooters are for them, while others are getting together and forming carpools (Franchise Direct, 2003-2011). Another recent economic trend is buying used cars instead of new ones. Consumers are passing on purchasing new cars in favor of buying used ones because they cannot afford them. Because of the economy consumers are unemployed or they are taking

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