Unlock document.
This document is partially blurred.
Unlock all pages and 1 million more documents.
Get Access
1. Assume you are part of a Ford focus group. The interviewers are interested in your comments
about what features you would like in your next automobile. Describe three features that you
think they should incorporate in their future automobiles.
a. As a mother of two children, it was always my greatest fear that one day I would be
extremely exhausted and forget a child in the backseat. There should be a sensor built in
that when a backdoor is opened prior to starting the car (such as loading in a child or
children in at home or at the store) it is tripped and when the engine goes off because a
destination is reach- the senor alerts the driver to check the backseat by a light or sound.
Similar to the sound you have if you drive without being buckled up.
b. On the frame of the vehicle there could be some painted areas to show someone who may
not know where to place the jack if and when they need to jack up their vehicle to change a
tire.
c. A full roadside emergency kit in each car.
2. Great ideas don’t automatically become a reality! Ideas must be transformed into actual
products. How will the information discovered by Ford’ s research and development activities
affect Ford’s planning for production?
Based on the information in the story, each time ford finds out a new trend in people, medicine,
or the world, they can relate it to their vehicles to give them the edge above others and then try
to implement it into their future car models. They saw that the elderly are being more active
and living longer, so they want to make sure that the cars Ford make are going to be more user
friendly, comfortable and helpful to the elderly.
3. Research indicates that customers are driving their cars longer and expect higher quality than
ever before. What steps can Ford take to increase quality in its automobiles?
The reason why we still see old “beater” cars on the road is because they are built strong or as
Ford likes to say “built tough”. If Ford can focus on test parts and ensuring they can withstand
the test of time and are strong, not cheap then that sets them on the right path. The issues
begin when cheaper parts are used to increase the bottom line and the cost people pay for cars
only increases. Ford should go back to their slogan of “Built Ford tough” and give us their strong
