Analytical Report Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Analytical Report - Essay Example Alexander Malcomson encouraged his own business partners to invest in Henry Ford’s recently established business which was mainly viewed with skeptcism by the public. It was only the efforts of Malcomson that allowed Ford to be registered as a legitimate business. At its first stockholders’ meeting, John Gray was elected as the company’s chairman while Henry Ford took over the vice-presidency. Moreover, the three initial starters of Ford would not long remain friends and partners. Subsequent disagreements led to John Gray resigning his post and Henry Ford taking over as president of the company. While Henry Ford was quite successful in managing the company, the real profits came with the outbreak of World War One. As a pacifist, Henry Ford joined other leaders in Europe in trying to avert the outbreak of war. Even though his efforts were unsuccessful, his reputation as a pacifist served him well when the Allied Powers turned to American car manufacturers for mili tary vehicles for the war. Ford’s phenomenal success would continue right through the First World War, but would start to wane before the Second World War because the company was being run as a personal fiefdom and not a multinational corporation. In addition, Henry Ford did not pay much attention to the needs of customers, but was more interested in building vehicles that were to his tastes. In addition, the great Depression suffered by America in the late 1920s affected Ford. To keep afloat, the Ford Corporation had to implement cutbacks and fire many employees. During the Second World War, Henry Ford would be criticized for allowing the Ford Corporation’s branches in Germany to produce war machinery for the Nazis; even though he also supplied engines for the Allied forces. Moreover, from a business point of view, Ford was merely trying to stop his German plants from being nationalized by Adolph Hitler. Ford suffered from low sales after the Second World War due to n ational economic issues as well as problems caused by internal strife, but still managed to remain afloat. To a great extent, Ford’s survival through the years has also been the result of financial assistance received from the American government during its worst crises. Today, more than a hundred years after the Ford Corporation was launched, it is the second largest manufacturer of automobiles in the world. Ford has been able to maintain its position in spite of issues such as globalization, and aggressive competition. In the early years, American car manufacture was basically the forte of Henry Ford (Geyer, 2011). Ford’s method of mass production was copied by many recognized industries of that era, and was soon also adopted by other industries around the world. Global Overview of Issue The Ford Corporation today has branches in Asia, Europe, Africa, South and Central America, the Middle East, and the Caribbean (Geyer, 2011). When Ford first launched operations outs ide the United States, the newly established foreign branches were only authorized to deal in sales and distributions. The economic integration that was brought by the initial episodes of globalization allowed Ford to be able to produce and distribute vehicles from 108 branches stationed across six continents (Geyer, 2011). Ford's operations in foreign nations

UK Construction Industry Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

UK Construction Industry - Essay Example Currently, this industry is faced with a shortage of skills as well as safety and health issues. The relationship between contractors and clients, together with the supply chains are very complex. Additionally, a number of firms are moving towards a modern manufacturing approach but others are still traditional. Among the main factors driving the construction sector is the government's Public Private Partnership (PPP) for main infrastructure projects. Private Finance Initiatives (PFI) have also been widely adopted. These projects include prisons, schools, and hospitals. The private sector then takes responsibility in running these projects. PPP and PFI have brought in the discipline of private sector management, ownership and financing. This has greatly improved efficiency and value in the public sector. There is an acute shortage of houses particularly in South East of England. It requires a big infrastructure and housing projects emphasising on brown field sites and high density houses. The UK construction industry will continue to grow. Its output is expected to rise to about 12.7 per cent by 2010. The construction industry in the UK is growing very fast. Experts expect construction to shift from the North to the South and East. This is driven by the strong growth in the housing sector including 36 billion pounds of big projects. East London is expected to undergo a high employment rate at about 18.6 per cent by 2010. London's will be 11 per cent while the South East will be at 14 per cent (Weaver, 2002). Growth in the North is expected to be slower. Construction employment in the North West is estimated to grow by 5 per cent from 2006 to 2010, Scotland by eight per cent, Humberside by six per cent, Yorkshire and Humberside by six per cent and the North East by 6 per cent. Northern Ireland and Wales will also experience strong growth. The construction sector employment in Wales is expected to increase by 12 per cent. This is attributed to the 3.2 billion pound Welsh Quality Standards Scheme. Northern Ireland's 13 per cent growth is associated mainly with the public investment programme planned for the next ten years. Generally, the future of the construction industry in the UK is expected to show the following characteristics: Private output growth will exceed publicly funded construction programmes Public housing is expected to experience the biggest growth since private and government housing developers will seek deliverance of affordable and key worker housing, specifically in the South East and London. The commercial sector is also expected to grow due to the continued recovery for offices market and also further increases in PPP/PFI education and health projects. Infrastructure output is expected surpass the industry average. This will be due to projects like widening of M1 and M25 among other projects. The problems The construction industry in the UK is currently faced with many problems. These problems are threatening to lead this industry into a crisis. Meeting the industry Challenges In spite of its drawbacks, the UK construction sector experiencing increased demand and growth. This offers good employment opportunities. However, the rapidly changing environment has placed a lot of challenges in its bid to deliver new developments. Skills Shortage The construction industry has forecasted that 348,000 more workers will be required by 2010 to