The corporate environment is characterized by a whole of variables: competition, dynamism, turbulence, complexity and change. All organizations must organize potential to continuously and consciously transform themselves and their contexts. Such contexts contain restructuring for optimum effectiveness, reengineering key processes and streamlining functions that are able to furnish a source of contentious advantage. The aim is to adapt, regenerate and most important, survive. (McLean, 2006).
For a enterprise to thrive today, strategists must find ways to increase the organization's potential to read and react to industry and shop changes. They must know their goal to boost the company's strategic flexibility by recognizing disruptions earlier and responding faster.
Strategic flexibility or adaptability can be defined as the organization’s capacity to recognize major changes in its external environments, quickly commit resources to new courses of operation in response to such changes, and to recognize and act abruptly when it is time to halt or reverse existing reserved supply commitments. Being adaptable means leaders must not get stuck in a too-rigid way of looking at the world. The organization must view change as an safe bet and needful part of an organization's growth, in order to achieve this adaptability.
forces and Trends in company
When there is uncertainty or unpredictability in the environment, managers tend to focus almost all their energy on successfully executing the current strategy. What they also should be doing is preparing for an unknown future. Flexibility stems from the potential to learn; managers tend to overlook the negative and emphasize the positive. They need to understand not only what led to the safe bet outcomes but also what led to the negative ones. This will optimize their learning experience. Agreeing to Ford (2004) four points to nurture and sound adaptability contain interesting complacency, giving all employees a voice, encouraging participative work and driving fear out of your group.
The companies chosen for this task vary by industry: a preeminent automobile builder (Ford) a bank going through a merger (Compass) and a start-up software enterprise (DawningStreams). Ford and Compass have been in enterprise for a long time; it is likely they have changed their strategic plan based on changing forces and trends. DawningStreams is new (established in 2005 and incorporated in 2007). Even though they have not had their first sale and have no staff, the owners have devised some iterations of their strategy.
There is a diversity of stakeholders all that are concerned in the operation of enterprise organizations. Emphasis must be located on their adaptability in strategic analysis and their adaptability in strategic management of enterprise organizations. The organization must have a strategic management model.
Each enterprise might scan the same areas, but for separate reasons. inspecting technological advances, Ford would put in order itself to lead the shop by having varied electronic equipment in their vehicles, as well as robotic equipment with which to build them and the furnish chain technology to keep all in check. Compass Bank is going through a merge and addition globally; therefore they will need to keep abreast of transportation technology. DawningStreams is a software company; they will need to monitor those companies who would be their competition to ensure their goods offers better functionality. All three companies would make sure possible customers would be able to get good information from internet websites and advertisement, which encompasses yet an additional one area of technology the organizations may need/want to scan. In this instance, many members of the organization must be enrolled: upper management and finance, who will rule budgetary factors; the It department, who will be responsible for the implementation and maintenance of some of the technology; the staff who must be trained to use the technology; a sales force who will sell the technology.
To the surface observer, it may seem unnecessary for any but Ford to scan the (actual) environment when it comes to issues such as emission control, fuel efficiency and hybrid cars. That is true however; Compass Bank and DawningStreams can plan a strategy to be friendlier to the environment (and their pocketbooks) by practicing paper allowance (through the aforementioned technology). Lastly, DawningStreams’ goods may be useful as a file sharing service to environmental groups.
With regard to the legal environment, all three must be acutely aware of laws, which influence their respective industry among others. To Ford, legal applies, among other areas, to environmental protection laws and group of transportation protection laws. To Compass Bank, they would abide by the rules of the Federal withhold (www.federalreserve.gov) and the Federal guarnatee and Deposit Corporation (www.fdic.gov). DawningStreams must effect laws as they pertain to the transfer of files, which have intellectual asset and also the export of products, which have algorithms. All three companies are global and will need to monitor those laws in other countries, which could effect the strategic planning.
At one enterprise after another--from Sears to Ibm to Hewlett-Packard to Searle, strategy is again a major focus in the quest for higher revenues and profits. With help from a new generation of enterprise strategists, companies are pursuing novel ways to hatch new products, improve existing businesses, and create the markets of tomorrow. Some companies are even recreating full-fledged strategic-planning groups. United Parcel service expects to spin out a new strategy group from its marketing department, where strategic plans are now hatched. Explains Chairman Kent C. Nelson: ``Because we're production bigger bets on investments in technology, we can't afford to spend a whole lot of money in one direction and then find out five years later it was the wrong direction.''
In such a world we need a planning model that allows us to anticipate the future and to use this anticipation in conjunction with an analysis of our organization--its culture, mission, strengths and weaknesses--to define strategic issues, to chart our direction by developing strategic foresight and plans, to define how we will implement these plans and to specify how we will value how well we are implementing these plans. The fact that the world is changing as we move forward in the future demands that the process be an iterative one.
Ford Motor enterprise – Socio-cultural
Ford Motor enterprise embraces the socio-cultural changes taking place to allow the enterprise to move in the right direction with respect to attitudes in the society. Two areas that stand out in terms of socio-cultural attitudes would be that of fuel economy and smaller cars. The growing concern by the collective for better fuel economy has influenced the company’s introduction of the Ford fly Hybrid and Mercury Mariner Hybrid. The organization is committed to the hybrid to improve fuel economy as a global strategy to meet buyer demands. The increased quiz, in community for such environmentalism has assisted in the decision for Ford Motor enterprise to look forward to adding the hybrid feature to the Ford Fusion and Mercury Milan and continue in such a strategic planning direction.
The customers that use these vehicles get a ample break on their guarnatee in many states and a tax credit as well while enjoying the increased mileage of a vehicle that runs on gasoline and capabilities for 100 percent electric power. The environmental scanning by Ford Motor enterprise has allowed the enterprise to be knowledgeable of the fact that the people in the United States are buying more small cars today than any other type of vehicle segment. The lifestyles changes have been monitored and there is good data that shows that such a trend will continue in this direction and the predicted increase in this segment will continue. The enterprise has redesigned the inside and surface of the Ford Focus to set the car apart from the competitors in the small car segment while addition upgrades and features to contact safe bet outcomes. The direction that the enterprise is taking is based on a contentious advantage and being a leader in the industry. The vehicle line has both a sedan and a coupe to attract targeted markets along with younger buyers at an entry level to build upon brand loyalty and buyer retention. Ford Motor enterprise will continue to use the socio-cultural factors to drive the enterprise and enjoy future success.
Ford Motor enterprise – Legal –
Ford Motor enterprise with regard to the Environmental protection group adheres to the legal aspect of environmental scanning. Ford Motor enterprise standard an award in March 2007 from the Environmental protection group called the energy Star 2007 Partner of the Year Award in energy Management. The enterprise is the first automaker to have ever been awarded the award two years in a row. The award has come to be presented due to the commitment made by the enterprise to increase energy efficiency and to sacrifice the greenhouse gas emissions from all of the facilities in the company.
The organization is committed to the responsible use of resources and energy efficiency. The leadership realizes that the environmental protection laws are of great significance and use the environmental scanning to move in the right direction to gain future success in the company. In 2006 alone the enterprise has improved the energy efficiency in the United States operations by five percent and saving almost million with sufficient energy saved to equal 220,000 homes. The efficient energy management protects the environment and reduces the greenhouse emissions. Some of the actions taken by the enterprise contain replacing lighting fixtures that use 40 percent less energy and using separate low-energy, long-lasting contract fluorescent lamps in the properties to contain the plants, corporate offices, distribution centers, and investigate and improvement campuses. Due to the environmental scanning that takes place at Ford Motor enterprise the enterprise will use the information that is collected and continue in this direction. New projects for the enterprise contain Fumes-to-Fuel that is a system that converts paint fumes into electricity that is being performed with Detroit Edison along with attempting to integrate the application of primer, base and clearcoat paint applications into a particular application to eliminate the need for detach applications and ovens. In addition to the paint booth emissions Ford Motor enterprise will continue to rely on alternative energy sources such as landfill gas and wind and solar technologies to power their manufacturing facilities.
Ford Motor enterprise – Technology –
Another environmental scanning tool that Ford Motor enterprise monitors and uses would be the technological portion. The enterprise has invested billion in the newest technology for flexible manufacturing. The technology that is involved is in many forms to contain wireless technology that is installed on the delivery trucks with supplies to the plant as a monitoring status and improved efficiency to sacrifice inventory. The flexibility of products in the same plant allows the organization to use the same machinery and process for all areas from body assembly, paint facility, and final assembly. The improved efficiency at the manufacturing facility allows for some vehicle platforms to be built on the same line to furnish multiple models and quickly change the vehicle mix, the volume, and options based on buyer demand.
The technological changes that are being embraced by Ford Motor enterprise through environmental scanning enables the enterprise to contact huge cost savings through new goods launches and 50 percent reductions in cycle changeovers along with waste reduction. Robots are among the technological changes that are being experienced within the organization to contain the 400 from the project that are used to weld and assemble the metal body of the vehicle for stamping and assembly. artificial brain in the form of advanced visions systems and laser tracking systems are used to ensure potential through accuracy and size abilities. A multi-million dollar training facility is used to ensure that the workforce has the knowledge, skills, and potential to reap the benefits from the new technology that is being used by the company. The training that is administered includes the new servo-electric weld gun system that identifies the perfect town for welding that has replaced the older and loud air-powered system that used a less sophisticated spring system. The environmental scanning of technology that is performed by Ford Motor enterprise has allowed the enterprise to have safe bet outcomes in efficiency while remaining a contentious enterprise in the industry through cost savings and continuous improvement.
Compass Bank- Political -
On February 16, 2007, Compass Bancshares, Inc., the parent enterprise of Compass Bank, announced the signing of a definitive bargain under which Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria, S.A. (Nyse: Bbv Madrid: Bbva) ("Bbva") will gain Compass for a composition of cash and stock. Compass will come to be a thoroughly owned U.S. Subsidiary of Bbva and will continue to operate under the Compass name. The transaction is predicted to close during the second half of 2007, pending former windup conditions, along with needful bank regulatory approvals in the U.S. And Spain and the approval of the stockholders of both Compass and Bbva.
Bbva, which operates in 35 countries, is based in Spain and has ample banking interests in the Americas. The transaction will facilitate Bbva’s prolonged increase in Texas and will create the largest regional bank across the Sunbelt. Upon completion of the transaction, Compass will rank among the top 25 banks in the United States with almost billion in total assets, billion in total loans and billion in total deposits. In addition, the combined enterprise will rank fourth in deposit shop share in Texas with .6 billion in total deposits and 326 full-service banking offices.
Compass is a billion Southwestern financial retention enterprise that operates 415 full-service banking centers in Alabama, Arizona, Colorado, Florida, New Mexico and Texas. Compass provides a broad array of products and services through three former lines of enterprise – Corporate Banking, retail Banking and Wealth Management. Compass is among the top 30 U.S. Bank retention companies by asset size and ranks among the top earners of its size based on return on equity.
Under the terms of the definitive agreement, which has been approved by the board of directors of Compass and the relevant bodies of Bbva, Compass will come to be a thoroughly owned subsidiary of Bbva. After closing, Bbva intends to merge its U.S. Based banking affiliates – along with the former operations of Texas Regional Bancshares, State National Bancshares and Laredo National Bancshares – with Compass.
The composition notice is composed of a fixed whole of almost 196 million shares of Bbva common stock and almost .6 billion in cash. The merger is field to former windup conditions, along with needful bank regulatory approvals in the U.S. And Spain and the approval of the stockholders of both Compass and Bbva. The transaction is predicted to close in the second half of 2007.
The merger between both companies will be carefully by the political factors fluctuating from implications of laws and regulations to the state of world politics along with the notice of wars which may be going on in separate parts of the world. New laws, regulations, tax programs and collective policy create forces and trends, which may furnish challenges and barriers or opportunities for any enterprise or organization.
Compass Bank – Technology –
Ford is in the process of implementing a laser marking system on its production line to ensure the top standard on each transmission assembled. The system will be checking for potential on separate points on the assembly line. Ford is teaming up with a enterprise called Mecco to implement this process and a trial run of the new system will last for 3 months. Mecco is a leader in its industry when it comes to laser technology. The decision to implement this new laser marking system came because it is more cost- efficient and safer than former ways of marking checkpoints for quality.
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