Case Study: Alliance between Swatch and Mercedes Benz

The process of making Smart car started in 1994 after a deal was sealed between Daimler-Benz, maker of Mercedes-Benz and Swatch, Swiss watchmaker. A joint venture of the two companies created a firm known as Micro Compact Car AG whose headquarters were located in Biel, Switzerland. After announcing the deal, three co-directors were appointed to head the new company, which was later to be known simply as the ‘Smart’ after moving to Germany from Biel. The directors were engineer and designer Johan Tomforde and financial administrator Christopher Baubin from Daimler-Benz and swatch marketing manager Hans Jurg Schar. SMH (makers of the swatch watches) contributed 49% of the initial capital of 50 million Swiss francs while Daimler-Benz contributed the remaining 51%. The company comprised of two branches namely MCC GmbH based in a suburb of Stuttgart known as Renningen charged with the responsibility of designing the car. Hayek’s SMH Auto SA, was to Continue reading

Case Study of Coca-Cola: Performance Management System (PMS) and Training

The growth of businesses depends on the strategic plans, goals, values, cultures, and norms implemented within a given institution. Multi-national companies like Coca-Cola have dominated the global markets for the past five decades based on adopting performance management and training principles in running activities since its inception in the beverage industry. The organization has an ongoing process of job clarification and open communications within the workspace, a decision that promotes the productivity of workers and the profitability of the firm at large. Performance management promotes coordination between managers and workers through an open-aided communication approach to achieve organizational objectives. Training employees to align with organizational strategic goals starts with clarifying job responsibilities, workplace expectations, developmental planning, and priority setting. Analyzing the strategies of planning, monitoring, developmental, rating, and rewarding employees at Coca-Cola exposes the impact of performance management systems in improving workers’ performance. The Current System in Coca-Cola Coca-Cola’s management values Continue reading

Case Study: Chrysler’s Merger With Fiat

Among the most attention-grabbing dramas to come out of the Great Recession was the marriage of Fiat and Chrysler. Financed and brokered by the United States government in an unmatched market intervention, the amalgamation brought two outstanding companies together whose histories were strangely similar but whose prospects had recently diverged. Chrysler is an American symbol one of Detroit has framed titanic three in the auto industry. Chrysler is a company with a turbulent history having experienced several cycles of booms and busts. The company fell on hard times and needed a government bailout in the year 1979. Chrysler managed to pay up the government loan and continued to be successful in the auto industry for a better part of the years.  This improvement in its activities was under the leadership of the legendary Lee Lacocca. In the mid 1990s, Chrysler was a strong and growing company, and this aspect led it Continue reading

The Advantages of Using Mycom Reciprocating Compressors in Industrial Applications

The industrial landscape demands machinery that is not only powerful but also reliable over long periods of heavy use. Among the critical components that drive efficiency in various industries are reciprocating compressors, particularly those from Mycom. Known for their robust performance and adaptability, Mycom reciprocating compressors are a staple in settings where precision and durability are non-negotiable. Below, we delve into what makes these compressors superior and how they benefit diverse industrial applications. Understanding Mycom Reciprocating Compressors and Their Role in Industrial Settings Mycom Reciprocating Compressors use a piston-driven mechanism to deliver high-pressure air or gas, making them essential in industries like refrigeration, oil refining, and chemical processing. Their robust design ensures efficiency and adaptability, allowing them to handle various gases without requiring major system modifications. With a strong focus on sustainability, Mycom engineers its compressors to optimize energy use while minimizing environmental impact. This balance of performance and eco-friendliness makes Continue reading

Post-Fordism – A Critical Evaluation

It is widely argued that the era of Fordism began with the development of the model T motor car, the world’s first successfully mass-produced car, at Henry Ford’s Piquette Avenue manufacturing plant in Detroit, Michigan. From this, a new age of production developed, changing both the economic and the political landscape of manufacturing globally, and establishing the progression to a new form of capitalism. The key characteristics of Fordism center around the major industrial paradigm of mass production that involves production of standardized goods by unskilled labor through the use of assembly-line techniques. This principle of ‘continuous-flow production’ as a new regime of accumulation inherently involved a rise in mass consumerism, that was encouraged by the supply of relatively cheap products, intelligent advertising and, arguably most importantly, through changes to social conditions of low-skilled employees. This originated from Henry Ford himself, who notoriously raised minimum pay to $5 a day Continue reading

Grounds for Refusal of Trademark Registration

A trademark, is a unique symbol or sign that can be used by a person or an organization to uniquely identify its services and products. Trademarks should be unique and should not replicate any other existing trademark. A registered trademark is that trademark which has been registered with the appropriate trademark office in a particular jurisdiction. It is not a legal obligation for a trademark to be registered. Some of the trademarks are not registered with the appropriate legal office. Registering a trademark has some advantages. They include a notification to the general public about the right of ownership of the trademark, exclusive rights to the use of the mark and a legal conjecture of ownership nationally. Various countries and states have different legal frameworks and guidelines that determine to what extent a trademark is considered legally owned. Trademark infringement is considered a serious crime in most jurisdictions and the Continue reading