silvrsvt Posted December 16, 2013 Share Posted December 16, 2013 Yet another Mullay watch article http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/12/16/us-autos-ford-culture-insight-idUSBRE9BF12D20131216 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kyle Posted December 16, 2013 Share Posted December 16, 2013 Great article and I am sure everyone hopes AM stays forever but the good news is he has changed the culture of the company. I love the fact that the leaders of the company have been there for years and are committed to moving forward. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ice-capades Posted December 19, 2013 Share Posted December 19, 2013 Let's look back for a minute and then forward to Ford and AM's futures... First, give Bill Ford a tremendous amount of credit for realizing back in 2006 that he wasn't the right CEO to deal with the anticipated challenges facing Ford's future. When word got out that he was looking outside the automotive industry for the right CEO to lead Ford he was widely criticized. Put simply, the claim was that no one outside the industry could possibly understand the complexity of the automotive industry. Well, I'd already followed Boeing for many years as an aviation enthusiast and knew all about AM's contributions at Boeing. Here we are now seeing the results of what AM has accomplished and Ford has completely changed its internal culture. Most importantly, it has senior managers in place that have been with the company for many years, yet now have shown that AM's vision is what will continue to lead the company successfully going forward. Enough credit can't be given to AM for the impact he's had on changing the internal culture at Ford. For many years, if not decades, Executives rose through the ranks based on seniority and not results and did everything possible to "protect" their own turf so that they could rise further within the Ford corporate structure. Their focus was individual and not the long term focus on what is best for Ford going forward. AM changed all that and now Ford has the best product portfolio in its history. Sure there are still problems to be solved related to quality issues, etc. but management is showing that they're addressing the issues and continuing to move the company forward in a way that will continue to improve Ford's market position and success. AM has continued to be non-committal in his responses to the media's questions about his future plans and Ford has let it known that the speculation on AM's future plans is detracting the media from Ford's product attention in the media. Many will disagree with me but this is actually the right time for AM to leave Ford and take the CEO position at Microsoft if it's his for the taking. He's basically done all he can at Ford and he's put a management team in place that can continue to exercise his plans for Ford's future. And Microsoft needs someone with his talents desperately! MS doesn't need to promote another senior executive from within the ranks that is beholden to the past and current MS operating policy and culture. MS had AM act as a consultant for their most recent reorganization yet they felt that his recommendations went too far so they only implemented his plan partially. As CEO at MS, AM can really transform Microsoft in the same way that he's done at Ford. It won't take more than a few years and then AM can retire on top of the world as one of the most respected CEO's ever! 8 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fordmantpw Posted December 19, 2013 Share Posted December 19, 2013 Excellent post ice! 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frankenford Posted December 23, 2013 Share Posted December 23, 2013 Stock down again. A company known for beating the trend and not taking money to survive is once again down in the stock market. The whole "Ford did it" lasted 5 years. The American investor has a short memory. It doesn't matter what happened to keep you in the game, you are only as good as what you have recently reported. Everything else is now in the past. Based on media reports this Ford leadership situation needs to be resolved now. You can't keep having someone as "being in the running" for another position and keep a company as a viable investment. This is ridiculous. Enough. Sh*t on the pot or get off. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fastronaut Posted December 23, 2013 Share Posted December 23, 2013 It's still not clear that AM will leave and go to Microsoft, even though he is from the Seattle area and is personal friends with Steve Ballmer. It would be a logical assumption, but not a guaranteed outcome at this point. MS just announced that selection of their new CEO would be moved to early 2014. AM is 69 and also may want to only spend a few years preparing the next leadership at MS if he does go. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RichardJensen Posted December 23, 2013 Share Posted December 23, 2013 Stock down again. A company known for beating the trend and not taking money to survive is once again down in the stock market. The whole "Ford did it" lasted 5 years. The American investor has a short memory. It doesn't matter what happened to keep you in the game, you are only as good as what you have recently reported. Everything else is now in the past. Based on media reports this Ford leadership situation needs to be resolved now. You can't keep having someone as "being in the running" for another position and keep a company as a viable investment. This is ridiculous. Enough. Sh*t on the pot or get off. Who cares? As long as Microsoft's CEO spot is open, there's nothing Mulally can do to stop speculation. Further, companies that try to manipulate their stock price generally either fail or break the law. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frankenford Posted December 24, 2013 Share Posted December 24, 2013 (edited) Who cares? As long as Microsoft's CEO spot is open, there's nothing Mulally can do to stop speculation. Further, companies that try to manipulate their stock price generally either fail or break the law. Edited December 24, 2013 by Frankenford Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
akirby Posted December 24, 2013 Share Posted December 24, 2013 Companies that make business decisions based on short term stock prices are doomed to failure. Good companies make good business decisions for the long term viability and profitability of the company and the stock price will eventually follow. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
theoldwizard Posted December 24, 2013 Share Posted December 24, 2013 (edited) I don't want to sound to negative, but possibly part of Alan staying until the end of 2014 is to "shield" Mark Fields from any potential "Oh Snap !" that can happen with 3 major launches. Transit Connect - Big problem with the "chicken tax". Ford needs to figure this out FAST ! America is waiting for these small delivery/service vehicles. Quality will be a big issue on this vehicle as this will be the most complex vehicle to ever come out of Valencia Body & Assembly. F150 - a "bet your company" launch. Transit - There has been "yet another" delay of the launch do to supplier issues (chosen by EU). This vehicle has been battling delay after delay. It has big shoes to fill, replacing the E-Series van and wagon. Edited December 24, 2013 by theoldwizard Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RichardJensen Posted December 24, 2013 Share Posted December 24, 2013 Fields is in charge of those launches. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Edstock Posted December 24, 2013 Share Posted December 24, 2013 Companies that make business decisions based on short term stock prices are doomed to failure. Good companies make good business decisions for the long term viability and profitability of the company and the stock price will eventually follow. Ah, but Mr. Kirby, you are a rational, intelligent person. Then there's the “Stock down again.” mind-set, for whom the present is all-consuming. And so it goes . . . 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frankenford Posted December 24, 2013 Share Posted December 24, 2013 Ah, but Mr. Kirby, you are a rational, intelligent person. Then there's the “Stock down again.” mind-set, for whom the present is all-consuming. And so it goes . . . Was my comment above directed at you? Was it directed at any person on this board? Were you somehow personally offended by what was written to the point where you felt the need to be sarcastic? Is this how comments are to be responded to here? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
akirby Posted December 24, 2013 Share Posted December 24, 2013 Was my comment above directed at you? Was it directed at any person on this board? Were you somehow personally offended by what was written to the point where you felt the need to be sarcastic? Is this how comments are to be responded to here? When you make the kind or post you made, insinuating that Ford is in trouble because the stock price is down and that they need to do something about it now - yes, that's gonna get you sarcasm every time. Why do you think Ford should worry about short term changes in stock price? How does it impact Ford? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Edstock Posted December 24, 2013 Share Posted December 24, 2013 Was my comment above directed at you? Was it directed at any person on this board? Were you somehow personally offended by what was written to the point where you felt the need to be sarcastic? Is this how comments are to be responded to here? It was directed at your "stock down again" mind-set. Ford is over 100 years old and is planning product for the next decade. So, try owning the stock for five years or a decade or so, and the "stock down again" POV is ridiculous over the long term. Capisce? One unique feature of the Ford company is that the Ford family controls it and can make decisions that are anathema to that aforementioned POV. This also does not appear to be changing anytime soon. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
akirby Posted December 24, 2013 Share Posted December 24, 2013 I've seen fortune 100 companies almost go out of business catering to short term stock prices. Why? Because you make decisions to placate current investors that are diametrically opposed to long term success. You stop long term investing to make this year's profit look better. You stop doing maintenance to make this year's profit look better. Before long your products are no longer competitive and your current infrastructure is old. Short term stock fluctuations should be ignored. Do what's right for the business and the stock price will eventually catch up. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SoonerLS Posted December 26, 2013 Share Posted December 26, 2013 Why do you think Ford should worry about short term changes in stock price? How does it impact Ford? The way Ford's stock is structured, the only stock that counts is held by the Ford family, and I guarantee you that they don't give a hoot about the short-term stock price. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SoonerLS Posted December 26, 2013 Share Posted December 26, 2013 F150 - a "bet your company" launch. Funny, that's the same thing they said about the then-all new Taurus launch in '96, and Ford still seems to be in business--and they have a significantly better management team in place now. Seems to me that it's not nearly so much a gamble as a risk, and there's always a risk in changing a model... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
akirby Posted December 26, 2013 Share Posted December 26, 2013 I don't think any vehicle is a bet your company vehicle thanks to better balance across the entire lineup. They survived a huge downturn in F150 sales and they're in much much much better shape now. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mark B. Morrow Posted December 26, 2013 Share Posted December 26, 2013 Companies that make business decisions based on short term stock prices are doomed to failure. Good companies make good business decisions for the long term viability and profitability of the company and the stock price will eventually follow. Short term vision limited to the next quarter is what is killing American business in general. The single best argument in favor of the Ford family's outsized control is that they are in it for the long term. Just look at all the GM and Chrysler managers over the last decade for comparison. They continuously ignored the long term structural problems in order to keep getting their bonus money. How many times did GM reorganize the deck chairs after it was clear they had hit the iceberg? 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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