Managing capability Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2750 words

Managing capability - Essay Example It is also utilised in order to evaluate the corporate image of Ford within the minds of its customers. In addition, strategic capability of Ford has also been evaluated with the help of varied strategic tools namely benchmarking and balance scorecard. 1.2 Introduction In the significantly competitive automobile market of South Africa, the main objective of every organisation is to enhance their brand equity and uniqueness in order to retain competitive advantage in the market. This can be done with the help of the core competencies and resources of the organisations in order to sustain their brand image and customer relationships in the long run. Ford is a multinational conglomerate and a leading name in the automobile sector, for past number of years. It is an American based organisation possessing a history of offering exceptional automobile products ranging from small personal vehicles to lavish brands to its target customers. The head office of Ford is situated in Dearborn regio n of Michigan in the United States (Ford Motor Company, 2012). Ford was established in the year 1903 by Henry Ford. It has positioned itself as the second leading producer of automobiles in the market of the United States and in the fifth place all across the globe. In terms of recent financial competencies of Ford, it can be observed that it has earned revenue of US$136.26 billion and a net income of US$20.21 billion in the year 2011 (Ford Motor Company, 2011). 1.3 Capabilities, Strategy, Competitive Advantage of Ford Ford is recognised as a Fortune 500 listed organisation with a market share of 13.4 percent in the global perspective. Is depicted in the below diagram. Market Share of Ford in Global Market Source: (Online Marketing Trends, 2012) In order to retain its brand loyalty in the global automobile markets, the management of Ford has developed a well planned set of competencies, with the view to augment the capabilities of their individual assets. The organisation has desire d to enhance the capabilities of four segments namely human resources, production department, marketing and sales and engineering (Scribd, n.d.). Integrity is the prime competency or capability of Ford. This signifies that the employees of Ford are entirely devoted to their assigned tasks, resulting in accomplishment of organisational objectives. Moreover, team-spirit and courage are the other underlying capabilities which can be observed within the workers that help in enhancement of uniformity and consistency within the organisational hierarchy. It is essential for the employees of Ford as it facilitates in development in the level of performances, resulting in achievement of varied rewards and recognitions. In order to do so, mutual communication is also extremely essential, bringing about augmentation of knowledge and skills of the employees which are vital for development of new products. Ford also attempts to utilise inventive methods and tools while producing innovative produ cts to satisfy altering customer needs and demands in the global market. These dynamic mechanisms employed

Technical report on hydrogen experiment Assignment Essay

Technical report on hydrogen experiment Assignment - Essay Example figures Figure 1 preparation of the electrolyzer module 6 Figure 2 Filling the syringe with distilled water 7 Figure 3 Placing inner containers 7 Figure 4 Connecting tubes 8 Figure 5 Using fuel cells and solar panel 8 Figure 6 Inserting batteries 10 Figure 7 Assembling electrical fans 10 Figure 8 Connecting the motor to reversible fuel cell 11 Figure 9 Using solar panel 11 Introduction Hydrogen derived from renewable sources such as wind and solar is clean, self-sufficient and a permanent energy solution for sustainable development. A kilogram of hydrogen is roughly equivalent to a gallon of gasoline in energy content. (Johanna L, 2007) This makes hydrogen a technology of the future in reducing reliance on imported fuel and greenhouse gas emissions. Hydrogen could be produced from fossil fuels using steam reforming, which emits CO2 and expensive ways such as catalytic cracking without CO2 emissions. This pathway is more cost-effective. Water electrolysis is an efficient and expensive way because of its high electricity requirement. For instance, a study (Khan M.J., Iqbal M.T., 2005) stated that assuming an electricity cost of $0.05/kwh, nearly nowadays price of wind produced electricity; hydrogen made from water electrolysis costs more than $2.84/kg based on higher heating value. Hydrogen produced from photovoltaic is also expensive because of high PV electricity cost.( Sherif S.A. et al, 2005) Wind produced electricity, on the other hand, is becoming more competitive nowadays. Therefore, it can produce less expensive hydrogen. Electrolysis: The general principle in electrolysis is that water is supplied to an electrochemical cell, and hydrogen evolves at the anode while oxygen evolves at the cathode when the supplied energy is greater than the zero current cell potential. Alkaline electrolysis is commercially available technology. It takes place at a temperature around 800C and pressure of 1-30bar.( US department of energy, 2010) Fuel cells: Fuel cells are ele ctrochemical devices that convert chemical energy in fuel to electrical energy with high efficiency and low environmental impact. Because combustion is avoided, they produce power with minimum pollution. They contain electrodes anode and cathode separated by an electrolyte. Fuels such as hydrogen or hydrogen rich synthesis gas, are supplied to the anodes while the oxidant is fed to the cathodes. The most common oxidant is oxygen from air. Electrochemical reaction occurs in the electrolyte producing current while deriving external load.( Fuel cell Handbook, 2010) Materials and Methods Preparation of the Electrolyzer Module and Solar Powered Hydrogen Production 1. Insert the reversible fuel cell, terminals on top, into the slot on the base. Cut 2 x 4cm length pieces of rubber tube and insert a black pin into the end of one tube. Place the tube with the black pin into the top pin on the hydrogen side (with black terminal). Place the other tube firmly onto the top input nozzle on the ox ygen side. Figure 1 preparation of the electrolyzer module 2. Fill