Monday, July 19, 2010

“Simple philosophy feeds Ford's 'dramatic' recovery” plus 2 more

“Simple philosophy feeds Ford's 'dramatic' recovery” plus 2 more

Simple philosophy feeds Ford's 'dramatic' recovery

Posted: 19 Jul 2010 01:28 AM PDT

DETROIT — More than four years into its turnaround plan, Ford has not only exceeded many of its own goals, it is now breaking through as a global industry leader — especially on image and quality.

Credit has largely gone to President and CEO Alan Mulally, who believes that a big, global corporation must be guided by a clear plan with just a few basic goals.

"The more that you can have a point of view about the future and clarify what you are about ... the more it just unleashes all the creativity," Mulally told the Detroit Free Press in an exclusive interview last week.

Mulally has driven Ford to simplify almost everything since arriving in 2006: communications, management, brands and even the cars and trucks sold in showrooms. By the end of this year, Ford — the nation's second-largest automaker by sales — will consist of a very simple business: Ford and Lincoln.

That has sharpened the focus for a company once consumed with eight brands: Ford, Mercury, Lincoln, Jaguar, Land Rover, Aston Martin, Volvo and Mazda.

Said Mark Fields, Ford president of the Americas: "When we walk in the door in the morning, we are thinking now about Ford and Lincoln."

Plans for Lincoln are growing, too. "It could go worldwide," Mulally said.

Ford still has challenges. It must catch up to rivals in Asia and pay down nearly $27 billion in debt.

But for now, Ford is on track to be solidly profitable in 2010 — a year ahead of plan, despite a tough economy.

Rod Lache, an automotive analyst for Deutsche Bank, said Ford's turnaround is "the most dramatic" he has seen. "Ford is not only profitable — I think it is actually the most-profitable mass-market automaker in the world."

Options reduced

Just two years ago, consumers could buy a Ford Explorer in 76,000 different configurations.

Now, after a multi-year effort to simplify how Ford packages its vehicles, with different models and options, Ford has cut that number to just 1,500.

"If you roll the clock back two to three years ago ... one of the things we realized is we just had too much complexity," said Ford Division Marketing Manager John Felice.

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"What is Philosophy?" A Discussion with St. John's Tutors

Posted: 17 Jul 2010 12:55 PM PDT

Iranian scholar to lecture on World Philosophy Day in French

Posted: 18 Jul 2010 07:46 AM PDT

"By giving the lecture in French, I want to prove to Westerners the depth of wisdom and philosophy that exists in Iran," he told the Persian service of Fars News Agency on Sunday.

The congress will be held from November 21 to 23 on the occasion of World Philosophy Day which will be celebrated on November 18, 2010 worldwide. It is sponsored by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO).

"Knowledge should have depth and the pretense of knowledge is not a proof of possession. Using foreign words can be considered as a pretension as well but this is not my intention for delivering a lecture in French," he said.

"I would like to have two 20-minute periods during the congress; one to lecture in Persian and the other to lecture in French. However, as English is the primary language used at international events, I doubt that officials will allow time to give the lecture a second time in French," he added.

He said that his article would be probably be published under the title of 'The Impact of Islamic Philosophy in the West with Emphasis on the Medieval Era'.

In France, works by Mollasadra on philosophy is suggested alongside with books by Western philosophers like Meister Eckhart and Immanuel Kant for further reading by high school students, he mentioned.

"I am confident that holding the congress in Iran will lead to further introduction of Islamic philosophy in the West," he remarked.

World Philosophy Day is observed annually on the third Thursday of November to honor philosophical reflections from around the world, as is mentioned on the UNESCO website.

SB/YAW
END
MNA

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