Ford Motor Companys Transformation to an e-business Research Paper

Ford Motor Companys Transformation to an e-business Research Paper Ford Motor Company's Transformation to an e Ford Motor Going Online: Benefit and Risk Ford Motor Company saw the importance of the Internet technology in building and maintaining a strong relationship between the company and its potential/actual customers. In the late 1990s, Ford Motor’s CEO named Jac Nasser had devised an ingenuous, if not ambitious, plan in incorporating the advanced technology of the time into the culture of the company. It must be remembered that the 1990s was the time-period of the emergence of the so-called Internet superhighway. Thence, Nasser had predicted the vital role and the benefits offered by the growth of the software technology. In relation to the World Wide Web, he positioned the Ford Motor in such a way that the company attains the â€Å"vision we have for this new technology† (as cited in Greenhalgh, 2000, p. 46). Internally speaking, the Internet technology has provided a leeway for the members of the Ford Motor to have an open dialogue or exchange of ideas with respect to the customer and the product. For instance, the Dealer Web Hub permits the dealers of the Ford car/truck products to communicate among themselves (â€Å"e-Business at Ford,† n.d.). Conversely, what Nasser called â€Å"Internet inside,† the new technology served not only as a business-to-customer application but also as a business-to-business application (as cited in Greenhalgh, 2000, p. 46). Externally, Ford had made an agreement with other car manufacturers such as DaimlerChrysler in integrating the â€Å"supplier exchange† which is accessible to a single Web portal (â€Å"e-Business at Ford,† n.d.). In the year 2000, the Ford Motor Company had pursued a â€Å"Build to Order† model which is similar to Dell Computer model (â€Å"Ford’s e-Business,† 2002). That is, the model allows Ford’s customers to customize the car based from their individual choice or taste. In browsing the FordDirect site, for example, the customer can select and price the car that he or she desires (â€Å"e-Business at Ford,† n.d.). Prior to configuring the selected car design, the customer is asked of his or her zip code in order to determine his or her specific location. Afterwards, he or she can explore and re/configure the car of his or her liking. Ford has several web sites, each of which caters certain customer type. In Ford.ca, for instance, the customers are mainly from Canada such as Hamilton and Carleton. Comparing Ford.ca and FordDirect, the two online sites are relatively the same in relation to the car products viewed for the Internet users. How they are arranged, in the visual sense, makes them different. Perhaps each site is operated and maintained by particular Ford Motor branch/network. Meaning to say, Ford.ca is managed by Ford Motor based in Canada while other sites are operated/monitored by those who are geographically proximate relative to the location of the intended customer. To my mind, Ford’s project on going online was very risky. In the late 1990s, the World Wide Web was not as broad and expansive as it is today. Of course, technology per se is advantageous to organizations such as Ford. However, potential car customers were hardly familiar to the realm of the Internet let alone had the capacity to access it. Perhaps Jurgen Hubbert, one of DaimlerChrysler’s management board, was right in the context of time in saying that there is no need to â€Å"jump into this sort of business when nobody makes money† (as cited in â€Å"Ford’s e-Business,† 2002). References E-business at Ford Motor Company. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://media.ford.com/article_download.cfm?article_id=6598 Ford’s e-business strategy. (2002). Retrieved from icmrindia.org/casestudies/catalogue/IT%20and%20Systems/Fords%20e-Business%20Strategy-IT%20and%20Systems.htm Greenhalgh, L. (2000). Ford Motor Company’s CEO Jac Nasser on transformational change, e-business, and environmental responsibility. Academy of Management Executive, 14 (3), 46+.

ESL Dialogue to Make an Appointment With the Dentist

ESL Dialogue to Make an Appointment With the Dentist In teaching English and a Second Language (ESL) or English as an Alternative Language (EAL)  students how to properly communicate in English, oftentimes specific examples will help them to understand the dynamics of English grammar and usage at play in real life circumstances, though it is important to also emphasize the technical rules associated with each grammatical situation. One such example of a situation an ESL or an EAL  student may encounter outside of school is scheduling an appointment at the dentist- or doctor, but its best to keep these types of exercises simple and one-dimensional to present the clearest message to students. In this scenario, the teacher should begin by playing the role of the dentist office assistant, mining answering a phone that the student, the patient, should voice.   ESL Dialogue for Practicing Scheduling Medical Appoints Dentist Office Assistant: Good morning, Beautiful Smile Dentistry, this is Jamie. How may I help you today? Patient: Good morning, Id like to schedule a check-up. D:  Id be happy to do that for you. Have you been to Beautiful Smile before? P: Yes, I have. My last check-up was six months ago. D: Great. Can I get your name, please? P:  Yes, of course, sorry. My name is [students name]. D: Thank you, [students name]. Which dentist did you see on your last check-up. P:  Im not sure, really. D: Thats OK. Let me check your chart... Oh, Dr. Lee. P: Yes, thats right. D: OK... Dr. Lee has time next Friday in the morning. P: Hmmm... thats not good. Ive got work. How about the week after that? D: Yes, Dr. Lee has sometimes open. Would you like to suggest a time? P: Does he have anything open in the afternoon? D: Yes, we could fit you in on Thursday, January 14th at 2.30 in the afternoon. P: Great. Thatll work. D: OK, thank you for calling Mr. Appleman, well see you next week. P:  Thank you, bye-bye. Key Phrases for Making Appointments to Emphasize The key takeaways from this exercise are the phrases that one might encounter at a doctor or dentists office that may be confusing to new English learners like which dentist did you see? or we can fit you in, which makes no sense in the literal interpretation of the phrase. The most important phrase for an ESL student to learn here, though, is Id like to schedule or make an appointment, but its also important to be able to understand the response, like if the office assistant had said I wish I could help as a rejection- an ESL student may not understand this means there is nothing that assistant can do to match that persons schedule. The phrase check-up and have you been to Dr. Xs before are both unique to ESL students because they present a colloquialism commonly used to describe situations specific to visiting a doctor or dentist.