Module 8-1 Peer Reviews (2 needed)

From Marcel-

As Ford Motor Company (FMC) expands with its plans for global changes, the biggest challenge the company may face is the different working groups within the organization and the unionized group at home. Scaling and expanding is the goal of most businesses along with increasing profit margins and market share but doing these things too quickly can have a dramatic negative impact. Growing too fast can result in a “one size fits all” ideal for the different zones of business activity (McCluskey, 2024, pg. 81). What can be done in South America may not be the best way to do it in Asia or Europe. This is where company culture disconnect can occur, regardless of business need or impact. Of course, the business will need to adhere to the country’s culture, laws, and economic differences all the while still maintaining the company ideals within the country.

FMC has a very robust framework of the  One Ford concept that was developed by Alan Mulally (Module 1 Source). FMC current direction toward electric vehicles (EV) and higher involvement from nations abroad to hit company goals will present two major problems, (1) the scarcity of labor in other countries of skills needed to perform certain work and (2) the nation FMC operates in will be effected in the context of its power in certain markets and vice versa for FMC (Teitel, 2005,  Main “disconnects” between theory and practice, para 1). Assessing the  structural-operational needs to start up in another nation; labors costs, demographic pools, resource abundance, possible differences in required business structure, regional limitations (i.e. movement of employees, product due to landscape and geological events) (Rădulescu & Tîrla, 2014, pg. 484, Table 1).

Further considering the international “reputation” of the nation it operates in as public opinion of the “home nation” will affect sales domestically and internationally as the foreign nation may hold negative ideals over purchasing products from a foreign company (Teitel, 2005,  Main “disconnects” between theory and practice, para 3). To this, FMC should tailor their One Ford concept to fit the respective county and draw parallels from cultural norms and traditions into the company philosophy.

Hajkazemi, et. al. (2024, pg. 1) proposes a six-step process of developing this culture into a marketable form to the masses. Identify the problems and motivations of the local population, define the objectives the company needs to obtain with the population for buy in, design the model and demonstrate it, evaluate the model and its effectiveness, then finally communicate the plan to leaders from the company to implement (Hajkazemi, et. al., 2024, pg. 1). Once this process is developed,  cultural-marketing should then be engaged; work ethics of perspective employees, the geopolitical view of the nation, an internal look at culture, embracement of foreign powers, and the perception of a “need” and how they could fulfill it (Rădulescu & Tîrla, 2014, pg. 484, Table 1).            

References

Hajkazemi, M., Ardakan, M. A., Mohammadesmaeili, N., & Kianie, M. (2024). Designing The Matrix of Transforming Organizational Values into Cultural Artifacts by Design Science Research. Journal of Human Resource Studies, 14(1), 1–33.  https://doi.org/10.22034/JHRS.2024.195961

McCluskey, M. S. (2024). Scaling toward Utopia or Dystopia: Challenges to Preserving Organizational Values through Growth. Journal of Cases in Educational Leadership, 27(3), 70–85.  https://doi.org/10.1177/15554589241238902

Rădulescu, R., & Tîrla, F. (2014 ). Guidelines in the Adaptation of Business Models to Different Markets in the Context of Globalization. Review of International Comparative Management / Revista de Management Comparat International. 15(4). 479–486.

Teitel, S. (2005).  Globalization and its disconnects. The Journal of Socio-Economics. 34(4).

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