Ford Australia Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3500 words

Ford Australia - Essay Example Next in scheme of things lies Cost and Market analysis, which probe into questions such as the resources FPV has at its disposal, and how well it's able to use them. The key metrics identified are: differentiation of markets, closeness of substitutes, barriers to entry and modes of competition. This presentation is helpful in building a macroeconomic risk assessment module looking into the impact of factors such as inflation, CPI, interest and exchange rates, examining various risk factors, thereby understanding FPV's business development plan. At a micro-level, the analysis would entail studying of internal forces such as manpower, growing opportunities, etc. The ultimate aim of our research is to develop a competitive strategy model, which is done through Porter method. FPV is a force to reckon with, in Australia's segment of high performance cars, with brands such as GT, GT-P, Pursuit, Super Pursuit, F6 Typhoon, F6 Tornado and Force (FPV website, 2006). Its major competitor is Melbourne-based HSV. The current FPV range is a mix of turbocharged inline 6-cylinder and V8-powered Falcons. Each brand has its own conceptual framework and design, and the constant focus of the brand FPV, is to maintain benchmarks set by V8 racing cars. At this point, it is important to lay emphasis on the genetic makeup i.e. the internal structure of the corporate entity called FPV. Initially owned by the UK-based Prodrive company Tickford, FPV joined hands with Ford Australia, as its tuning division to develop itself into the niche category called Motorsport. The major aim of any business organisation is to create and sustain value, through profits. FPV is no different. In very simplistic terms, Value, for any economic entity is measured by a parameter called Economic Value Added, which is defined as the value of an activity that remains after subtracting from it, the cost of opportunity of investing consumed resources, and sovereign debts that accumulate (Stewart III, 1991). In the field of corporate finance, this translates into the following equation (Stewart III, 1991): Return on capital = Net operating profit after Tax / Weighted Average Cost of Capital. As of 2004, Ford Australia recovered a Net profit after tax of $136 mn (Porter, 2004) on shareholder equity of $592 million, and the corresponding return on capital was 26.1% which is a fairly high value in medium-growth automobile industry (Porter, 2004). Thus, it is clear in no uncertain terms, that Ford Performance Vehicles is an enterprising segment in the Performance Cars category, and there is enough scope for organic, and balanced growth in future as demand for faster cars escalate, and infrastructure develops to keep pace with the surge in demand for these vehicles. In upcoming sections, we will elaborate more on the economic analysis of our case study company. Dimensions of the Market FPV has won the 2006 Australian Performance Car of the Year award. For FPV, "diversity" is an essential ingredient in its zeal to retain excellence as laid out by its fraternal organization (FPV website, 2006), for the fiercely competitive Australian business environment. Diversity encompasses its mission-critical drive to transform the

Bruno in the East Village Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Bruno in the East Village - Essay Example The people have the power to dictate the progress and operations of a restaurant as in the case of Bruno. I totally agree with that view as the people who visit the restaurants can determine its present challenges as well as enabling it to overcome them. The challenges that the restaurant faces despites its short stay is a result of their own making if what the author says is anything to go by. The poor conditions at Bruno such as uncomfortable seats marked by a long row of tables with chairs and banquettes have served to keep people away from the restaurant. The author compares the seating arrangements at the restaurant as those in the police cells and that confirms how worse the conditions are. One has to wait for a long time before their meals are served and that indicates poor customer relations. The critics who are quick to criticize all the efforts that are being undertaken by the restaurant in an effort to improve their services should not do so in haste. The restaurant should be given time to adjust to new conditions before they begin to receive negative responses from bloggers, critics, and competitors. I firmly agree that some restaurants just like other businesses are successful in making their advertisement very alluring and catchy to the eyes of the public but very little to show for it when one visits the actual places. The things that a firm shows to the public should not be very different from the actual events within their premises.