General Motors ' Demise Of Automobile Manufacturing

General Motors, an American borne company established in 1908, designs, builds and distributes a wide range of cars, trucks, crossovers and automobile parts worldwide. The company’s automotive operations adhere to the demands of consumers stationed internationally through its four primary automotive regions: GM North America, GM Europe, GM International Operations and GM South America. GM North America targets and serves the demands of customers based in North America with vehicles manufactured and marketed under the Buick, Cadillac, Chevrolet and GMC brands. The demands of consumers outside of North America are primarily met with vehicles manufactured under the brands Buick, Cadillac, Chevrolet, GMC, Holden,

This company was created to challenge the Ford Motor company in the twentieth century. General Motors created automatic transmissions, practical air conditioning, and the very first version self start. These creations gave General Motors the edge over Ford and other car companies at the time. “In the early years, GM's marketers added style and color to cars, putting Henry Ford and his industry-leading Model T's on the defensive” (Woodyard 03).With knowledge and advancement General Motors performed well and gained from it. But in recent years General Motors started to cut corners and build things of a cheaper quality making mistakes. These mistakes and corner cutting created problems for General Motors. It eventually lead to General Motors filing for bankruptcy on June 1st in 2009. General Motors was eventually saved from their bankruptcy but the damage was done. The General Motors plant in Moraine Ohio was shut down causing a lot of people to lose their jobs. The mistakes General Motor made did not just hurt themselves but the people who relied on those jobs. There are people who are now homeless and are struggling. The knowledge General Motors had helped them reach their success but the creators lost sight of their morals. They took the easy route and failed hurting plenty of people destroying hundreds of families and people's

The American automobile and the foreign car manufacturers were battling in 1960-70s attempting to create a more efficient car at bargain prices. Another problem that was haunting the industry was the gas consumption, which, in the period of the Arab oil embargo in 1970s, became a really critical issue. The survival for the American automobile industry was in designing and building of subcompact cars, which would be affordable for masses, consuming as less gas as possible. Such car for the Ford Motor Company became Ford Pinto that was presented to public in September of 1970.

General Motors (GM) was one of the premier automakers of the world. Firmly planted as the leader of the big three automakers, GM, Ford, and Chrysler, years of success grounded GM as an economic and cultural icon of American business. As the Japanese auto market grew and became more efficient, turning out improved vehicles that the public wanted, GM was becoming a lumbering behemoth of inefficiency and corporate gluttony. Many circumstances contribute to GM’s road to bankruptcy including high legacy costs in union owned contracts, largely poor design, inferior quality, and low productivity.

William Durant founded General Motors on September 16, 1908. He was already a leader in manufacturing horse-drawn carriages, so it was only to be expected that his new company would be a leader in vehicle manufacturing. There was only one company under their name at the beginning, but the company would go on to have Oldsmobile, Chevy, Hummer, Cadillac, Pontiac, and many more. With every vehicle and company they added their philosophy became to have “a car for every purse and purpose.” In 1927, an advancement came that would shape the way we know cars today, the Cadillac LaSalle was released. This car featured curves rather than the sharp edges Ford’s Model T people knew. However, an increase in price and competition led to a downsizing of vehicles in the 60’s and 70’s. They searched for ways to use low to unleaded gasoline in their vehicles. General Motors was the first to offer air bags in the vehicles in 1972. However, as foreign importation began to increase, GM lost their hold on the American market. During the 80’s and 90’s, General Motors focused on expanding their market outside of America. In September of 2015, Volkswagen, a company under General Motors, came out that their cars had violated the Clean Air Act. This scandal caused a loss in investors, which cause their stock price to go down ("General Motors History & Heritage GM.com.”). However, on October 23, the Wall Street Journal

General Motors is faced with a dilemma. In the face of economic depression, competition from foreign players was driving down profits and the market’s preference was changing to efficient cars due to

General Motors was founded in September of 1908 by William Durant during a time that there were less than 8,000 in the United States. Durant was already known in Flint, Michigan for his horse drawn vehicles. “At its inception GM held only the Buick Motor Company, but in a matter of years would acquire more than 20 companies including Oldsmobile, Cadillac, and Oakland, today known as Pontiac.”(History & Heritage-Creation,” 2014) General Motors set the tone in the automobile industry with design, production and marketing. “With the philosophy and strategy of “a car for every purse and purpose,” and a series of landmark innovations that changed the automobile itself, GM’s vehicles went beyond transportation, becoming statements and

In 1982, General Motors closed “The Worst Plant in the World” in Fremont, California. In 1984, General Motors and Toyota opened up a joint venture operation in the same plant General Motors had closed just two years prior. The joint venture was called New United Motor Manufacturing Inc. (NUMMI). The concepts used for this new venture are those of Frederick Winslow Taylor and his time-and-motion regimentation. NUMMI’s newly implemented Taylorist procedures appear to encourage along with satisfaction and increased worker motivation.

The General Motors (GM) Foundation was fashioned in 1976 by its parent company, General Motors, with a purpose to support and strengthen communities across the country. However, in the past year GM has decided to take the foundation in a new direction renaming it GM Philanthropy and Corporate Giving with the transition taking place at the end of the 2016 calendar year (Cain, 2016). The foundation focuses on donating money to projects in the areas of sustainability, STEM education, safety, and to teamGM Cares which is comprised of employees who volunteer in the communities where GM operates (General motors, 2016). “In the last decade alone, the GM Foundation has provided more than $261 million in grants to American charities, educational organizations and disaster relief efforts worldwide,” reports the foundation’s parent company, General Motors (General motors, 2016). All funding for the GM Foundation is provided by General Motors unless in cases where the foundation matches donations given by its employees.

Of all the corporate rivalries from Airbus versus Boeing to Huggies versus Pampers, Ford versus General Motors continues to remain the oldest and the most compelling. It has lasted for more than a century and we’re still counting more decades in addition to those hundred years.

After WW2 Japan was in an economic crisis which continued until 1949 when the company obtained a loan from several banks. In June 1950 the company only produced 300 trucks and management announced layoffs and wage reductions and in response, the union went on strike which last for two months. While the strike did eventually end and layoffs and wage reductions did occur the union stipulated that the president Kiichiro Toyoda must resign. Kiichiro Toyoda resigned from his company and the company then came under the leadership of Taizo Ishida CEO of Toyoda Automatic Loom. In 1950 a separate sales company Toyota Motor Sales Co was established (lasted until 1982). In 1956 the Toyota dealership chain was established. In 1957 the Crown motor vehicle became the first Japanese car to be exported to America thus establishing Toyota’s American division. In 1960s Toyota began to expand with a new research and development facility in Thailand. The first Toyota motor vehicle built outside Japan was in April 1963 in Melbourne. From 1963-1965 Australia was Toyota’s biggest export market. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wuki/History_of_Toyota)

As residents of Southeast Michigan, we all share one common connection, the auto industry. For people in this area, it is almost impossible to not to work for or at least know someone that works for one of the big three or one of their many suppliers. Because of this very intimate relationship we have with the auto industry, we are all greatly affected by their success or failure. If the industry succeeds, jobs are created, and economy boosted. However, if it fails, people lose their jobs and the economy crashes. For this reason, the leadership in this industry is important to all of us. The leaders do not only determine the fate of their company but the fate of the region with each decision they make. One company that has been doing very well is Ford. Ford managed to make it through the 2008 recession relatively unscathed compared to the other auto giants and has continued on a successful path. The current leader of Ford is Mark Fields. While Fields was not at the helm of Ford during the 2008 recession, his mentor was. Living and working through that crisis helped to instill many great leadership qualities into Fields that he now uses to lead the company and all of southeast Michigan down a successful path.

Comparison and Contrast of General Motors and Toyota Motor Thomas Hong, Ph.D. The Impact of Technology on Organization University of Phoenix November 12, 2007

Toyota Motor Corporation was founded by a man named Kiichiro Toyoda in 1937. The company was a spinoff that was created from his father’s company which was named Toyota Industries. This was done so that he could manufacture automobiles. Today Toyota has more than 50 plants in over 25 countries and regions and remains the world’s largest automaker by the amount of cars sold. In 2014 Japanese company sold 10.23 million vehicles allowing them to beat out both Volkswagen and General Motors. Toyota has not always been perfect throughout their long journey. Toyota experienced a large amount of recalls within the United States. After the recalls the President of the company put a stop on the expansion and directed all focus on quality control, worker training and improved proficiency at existing plants.

General Motors was found by William “Billy” Durant on September 16, 1908. Starting with Buick, GM acquired Oldsmobile, Cadillac, and Pontiac. From 1910-1929, GM set the pace of production, design, and marketing innovation for others to follow and added Chevrolet, Vauxhall, and Opel. During World War II, GM still committed on innovation. A majority of GM production was involved in supporting the war including airplanes, trucks and tanks. Due to the environmental concern and increases in gas prices, GM created the largest reengineering program ever, with an age of lighter, aerodynamic, and more fuel-efficient vehicles. From 1980-1999, GM re-invented itself as an integrated global team and focused more on innovation growth by opening a big