General Motors : Strategic Strategy And Customer Value Creation

General Motors Corporation (NYE: GM) is the leading American automaker in the world with its operations spanning in 157 countries. The car manufacturer was established in 1908 in Michigan and today it is headquartered in Detroit, the United States of America. Besides the domestic industry of the United States of America, General Motors manufactures cars and trucks in other 30 countries around the world. Among its brand products are Cadillac, Buick, Chevrolet, GMC, GM Daewoo, Hummer, Holden, Opel, Saab, Pontiac, Vauxhall, and Saturn. Besides these brands that are owned by the automaker, GMC also operates joint ventures in China and Japan. That is, Shanghai GM and SAIC-GM-Wuling

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,

Organizations pursuing this type of business strategy try to develop a competitive advantage based on product innovation. The strategy requires employees to continually develop new products and services to create an organization’s advantage in the market. These companies create and maintain an environment that encourages employees to bring new ideas into the company.

General Motors (?GM? or ?the company?) has a rich history longer than a century starting with its corporate organization in 1908. Following its organization, GM acquired its first brand, Old Motor Works, which was followed in 1909 by the purchase of Cadillac for $5.5 million. Two years later, GM organized both General Motors Truck to handle sales of GM?s Rapid and Reliance products and General Motors Export Company to handle export sales out of the US. In 1918, GM purchased Chevrolet Motors. In 1926, GM entered Australia, New Zealand, Japan, Egypt, Uruguay and Argentina through the General Motors Export Company. General Motors Truck became the modern GMC in 1943 when GM acquired the assets of Yellow Truck & Coach. In 1945, GM finally established all of its historical core brands (Buick, Chevrolet, Cadillac, GMC, Oldsmobile, and Pontiac) when the Buick-Oldsmobile-Pontiac Assembly Division, which would be renamed the General Motors Assembly Division in 1965, was formed.

General Motors, the “mother company” has faced many troubles in the past, and surfaced. A research by the National Research Council in the United States has revealed in 1992 that there had many impacts and future impacts in the automotive industry, indeed; it would affect the jobs and the internal economy. However, General Motors understood the threat potential that this and established strategic plans to revert the trend. Furthermore, whether General Motor Company was able to change the trend, and it saw the internal and external factors, prepared a strategic plan, Holden being the first brand in Australia, with at least just the 10 % of the population compared with the USA, the way to get a plan looks easier. In addition, it is easier to see a trend in countries with low population and good policymakers. In 2008 General Motors faced again the limit to bankruptcy. A fierce plan to develop and a new business association with FIAT made that GM avoid the dissolution. Even do all Europe have had a similar crisis( Boudette & Choudhury,

· The Chevrolet (also owned by General Motors) is a product which will bring a lot of opportunities in terms of sales in the future which can help the profitability of Holden/General Motors

Operation is where goods are manufactured or assembled. Individual operations could include organizing the parts to make new cars & the final tune for a new car's engine. Hyundai motors are known for their reliability which comes from efficient operations. Currently, the company has increased its production capacity. Also, they have separate departments for activities like painting, welding etc.

General Motors has defined their organizational culture as "Design, Build and Sell the World's Best Vehicles". In the design portion of this definition, GM focuses on core brands in order to become a leader in research and development. In the build portion of this definition, GM strives to operate in an environmentally and socially responsible manner. In the sell portion of this definition, GM strives to maximize revenues, offer customers high residual value, and lower incentives. GM's mission statement reads, "General Motors is a multinational corporation engaged in socially responsible operations, worldwide. It is dedicated to provide products and services of such quality that our customers will receive superior value while our employees and business partners will share in our success and our stock-holders will receive a sustained superior return on their investment." This mission cannot be more ironic.

General Motors enjoys a major market share in global automotive industry. One of its major strengths is its strong branding and market position. General Motors can be considered as one of the pioneers of modern vehicles. As per data monitor, GM had a leading share in North America and South America and in Europe it held fifth position. Similarly, it holds second position in other major segments. GM bears a strong branding. A lot of prestigious brands are provided by General Motors such as Chevrolet, GMC, Buick, Cadillac and Opal. Like Toyota, GM also has various production facilities in 31 different countries. This strong global presence allows GM to have access global markets way easily as compared to manufacturers with centralized structures. Thus, GM relies less on exports, manufactures its brands locally and is also involved in

The marketplace has been dynamic and competition between companies in the same industry has been increasingly intense (Ranchhod, 2004). Having dynamic capabilities contributes to a company’s “long-term survival or competitive advantage” (Johnson et al., 2008: 84). This is especially essential

Creation, acceleration and emotion are the key components for any automobile industry to deliver its goods to the expected standards. General Motors, popularly known as GM has been a pioneer in the global autoindustry for more than 100 years. Developing from horseless carriages to the latest sports cars, innovations have always excelled at putting the world on wheels. In fact, there are a lot of exciting things to share about the company. GM’s corporation started in 1892 by R.E. Olds, with a solid financial foundation, which enabled him to produce great vehicles for customers and build a bright future for employees, partners and shareholders. GM slowly initiated its staff of experts in the factories which are located in different parts of the globe and acquired the brands like Chevrolet, Pointiac, GMC, Buick, Cadillac(General Motors Corporation, 2015). Leading the way is their tailored leadership team who set high standards for the company so that they can produce the best cars and trucks. This means that GM is committed to deliver vehicles with compelling designs, flawless quality and reliability, leading safety, fuel economy and commercial features. All are intended to create that special bond that can only happen between a driver and a vehicle. General Motors is a customer driven company and aims at earning customers

General Motors Company, one of the world’s largest automakers, estimated in 1908. With its global headquarters in Detroit, Michigan, USA.GM employs 209,000 people in every major region of the world and does business in more than 120 countries. GM and its strategic partners produce cars and trucks in 31 countries, and sell and service these vehicles through the following brands:  Buick, Cadillac, Chevrolet, GMC, Daewoo, Holden, Isuzu, Jiefang, Opel, Vauxhall and Wuling. (Elizabeth, GM, 2009). GM was the largest automaker for 77 consecutive years from 1931 through 2007. It is longer than any other company in the world. In 2008, it was surpassed by Toyota (Elizabeth, GM, 2009).

General Motors (GM) is struggling with its Opel brand in Europe. While the company's North American and Asian businesses posted strong results, it lost $361 million in Europe compared to an operating profit of $102 million a year ago; the European business, which centers on the struggling Opel brand, has been hemorrhaging money for a decade (Vlasic & Ewing, 2012). The question has become whether or not the brand can survive at all. The company is considering many options. It can reduce its production and try to match the shrinking demand by cutting factories and employees. It could also shakeout the entire lineup and try to cut its losses in Europe.

General Motors has always pioneered and innovated whereas its competitors have been more complacent and rested on their laurels. It is because of this that General Motors holds so much of the global auto market and has created so many remarkable and recognisable car brands. Mary Barra, the current CEO of the company, is another in a long line of pioneers and currently has major cultural reforms within the company as a goal.

Based on the current economic climate, only companies which have the ability to adapt to continuous changes, shape their business strategies according to the market and take calculated risks will be able to survive. Attributes such as creativity, flexibility and competitiveness have become of the utmost importance for leading organizations.