External and internal forces
i. Brief History of the company
FORD foundation was found in 1938 by Edsel Ford, the son of Henry Ford who was the founder of the Ford Motor company. Edsel established FORD foundation with the amount of $25,000. The company operated in Michigan City at the time of its inception and was operated by Ford family (Fundinguniverse.com.,2018, np.). The initial purpose of the foundation was to raise resources used charitable, educational and scientific purposes aimed for the public welfare. In the 1940s, Edsel and the directors of the foundation turned the organization into the largest social service organization in the world. In 1949 the trustees approved the institution for the advancement of human resource through reducing poverty and promoting democracy (Henry and Edsel:, 2004,np.).
ii. Current Location
The organization is all over the world. Ford Foundation seeks to advance policies and practices to reduce inequalities in Michigan state and whole over the world. The foundation partners with the government and civil society to ensure that they achieve their main agenda of reducing inequality. To achieve their goal of addressing inequality in various parts of the world, the organization they need sustainable and robust in dealing with the various issues which bring inequality (Page, 2013, np.).. The organization has programs and operations that help them accomplish their work. The need for support from various sectors and other humanitarian organizations to ensure that they are focusing will be achieved in the best way possible (Ruiz Castro and Holvino, 2016, np.).
iii. List of Competitors
The competitors of Ford Company include not governmental organizations and other non-profit making organizations which practice in social justice activities such as the United Nations and churches.
iv. Current CEO and the Founder of the Businesses
Darren Walker is the current president of FORD foundation. The company was started by Henry Ford, who was also the founder of Ford Motor vehicle company Henry’s son Edsel Ford began to the foundation with a gift of only $25000. Edsel Ford became the president of Ford Motor vehicle and later established FORD foundation (Ford Doolittle, 2004 pp. 45).
1. Strategies
i. Strategic Plans and goals
a. Mission, Vision and Value Statement
Mission
The mission of Ford foundation states, “We believe in the inherent dignity of all people. But around the world, too many people are excluded from the political, economic, and social institutions that shape their lives”. To address this mission, the organization is guided by social justice vision in a world where all people and people work in a pursued of achieving human rights expression and protect in various places. The foundation aims at providing resources to organizations which aims at providing equality in various places around the world. The organization aims at achieving a society where people share; knowledge, resources and wealth in achieving their full potential. The foundation has strongly believed in its leadership, programs and innovative ideas which aim at achieving its mission.
b. Corporate plans
The organization is expanding towards achieving equality in many parts of the world. The foundation does this through increasing of partners and grants to support the foundation. This also divesting in businesses which enable it to create enough resources to run its programs in different parts of the world. The foundation also has programs provide scholarships to students which will allow them to get leadership skills from the students after the graduation (Peck, 2018 pp. 57).
Current CEO and the Founder of the Businesses
c. Business or tactical plans
The organization uses a tactical model in achieving goals. The organization provides support t the organizations which support equality and democracy in most parts of the world. It is tactical since the organization focuses on specific plans in achieving its missions (McGregor and Davies, 2018, np.).
d. Operational level
The organization has a program committee in different areas to help the trustees to understand the operations in its area of operation. Economies, markets, free expression, justice and democracy committees ensure that operations in various regions are operated (Bruce and Hopkins, 2015. P.7).
ii. Recommendation for Strategic change
The foundation prioritizes in ensuring that guarantees have resources necessary major social justice problems. This requires proper operations and good management of financial resources. It is a timely financial report to create trust among the trustees and explains the policy payout. Ensuring the foundation’s management is good in achieving the organizational goals.
3. Organization structure
i. Organization chart
The business locations include; Andean Region, Brazil, China, China, Eastern Africa, India, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Indonesia, Mexico and Central America, Middle East, and North Africa, South Africa, United States, and West Africa. The organization has grant makers who makes a grant, and they come from all over the world. It also has chief officers of the committees led by Warren Walker.
The board of trustees comprises the chairman of the board of trustees, 12 trustees and the president of Ford Foundation which is currently held by Darren Walker. The chairman of the board is the president of Africa- America Institute, Kofi Appenteng.
ii. Ford as an organic organization
Ford organizations invest in organizations as partners and help them in achieving the inequality reduction agenda. It provides the organization with flexible funding, assessment tools, peer learning, and rigorous evaluation. By doing these, it ensures that organizations achieve their roles of ensuring that there is social justice in the world and ensures that human rights are protected and exercised around the world.
iii. Suitability of Ford Organizational Structure.
The structure of the organization is suitable because the operations of the company are strategic and the decision making is faster since various operational departments have their own officers. The leadership of Ford foundation has a president who is I the trustee and officer committees (Organization Has Exemption Revoked Because of Close Operational Ties With Telemarketing Company, 2015, np.).
iv. Recommendations on the organization structure.
The foundation has ensured that there are innovative ideas, visionary leaders, increasing partners and respect of human right around the world. Harts, however, the organization needs more emphasis on arts and culture, urban development, civil rights and education in the regions which the organization has not reached.
2. Financial performance
The foundation has made investments to further charitable purposes. The investments used by the company include; real assets, venture capital funds, real assets and other forms of investments. The investments by the company are aimed at achieving social justice across the world and aiming at advancing the performance of charitable activities started by the Ford foundation company (Martin, 2010 pp. 56).
The fixed assets of the organization focus on 5-8 years assets, which the company leases and uses in the operations of the foundation’s activities and ensures that the company achieves its operations in the various parts of the world. The foundations qualify as a tax-exempt organization under section (501) of revenue code. The company monitors risks when undertaking its operations in various countries so that it maximizes on the resources of the company. It includes in its incomes all factors that are an integral part of the programs and supporting activities (Yang and Park, 2011, pp. 189).
Ford Foundation grants have supported various organs from the public defenders to the human rights activities.
In 2014 the foundation allocated $125b million to Detroit’s Grand Bargain, to help resolve the bankruptcy of the city. The grand helped the city to change the situation over years of financial mismanagement, weak democracy, and political instability in order to create an opportunity for all citizens (Foundation, 2018, np.).
Generally, the foundations perform well in almost all the organizations from the; Education, arts and cultures, security, human rights, and democracy. The organization is underperforming in; natural resource and climate, civic engagement, just cities, gender, and Ethnic, racial justice and internet freedom.
To achieve the strategic goals of the foundation, the management should focus on the areas which are underperforming and allocate grand for those areas. The organization should focus on the areas which have more influence on the human life like the climate and internet.
References
Ford Doolittle, W. (2004). W. Ford Doolittle. Current Biology, 14(5), pp. 176-R177.
Foundation, T. (2018). History of The Ford Foundation – FundingUniverse. [online]
Fundinguniverse.com. Available at: https://www.fundinguniverse.com/company-histories/the-ford-foundation-history/ [Accessed 7 Sep. 2018].
Henry and Edsel: the creation of the Ford Empire. (2004). Choice Reviews Online, 41(07), pp.41-4131-41-4131.
Martin, G. (2010). The Long-Horizon Benefits of Traditional and New Real Assets in the Institutional Portfolio. The Journal of Alternative Investments, p.100610100424026.
McGregor, J. and Davies, S. (2018). Achieving pay equity: Strategic mobilization for substantive equality in Aotearoa New Zealand. Gender, Work & Organization.
Bruce, R. and Hopkins (2015). Organization Has Exemption Revoked Because of Close Operational Ties With Telemarketing Company. ‘ Nonprofit Counsel, 32(12), pp.7-7.
Page, S. (2013). Achieving Shared Aims through Organizational Networks. Public Administration Review, 73(6), pp.891-893.
Peck, A. (2018). Mapping Career-Ready Skills Through Student Leadership Programs. New Directions for Student Leadership, 2018(157), pp.71-83.
Ruiz Castro, M. and Holvino, E. (2016). Applying Intersectionality in Organizations: Inequality Markers, Cultural Scripts and Advancement Practices in a Professional Service Firm. Gender, Work & Organization, 23(3), pp.328-347.
Yang, M. and Park, K. (2011). Self-Service Technologies (SSTs): determinants of adoption and its post-usage outcomes from a focal company perspective. International Journal of Services and Operations Management, 8(3), p.305.