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General Motors, The American Spirit, A Once And Future Symbol Of America 's Success

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General Motors, more commonly known as GM, is considered, “an emblem of the American spirit, a once and future symbol of America’s success” (Harris, 2010). GM was founded in 1908 and attributes its period of Globalization to the 1980s and 1990s. In 2008, GM filed for bankruptcy during the financial crisis. Today GM has reinvented itself as a four-brand company including Chevy, Buick, GMC, and Cadillac. As an American brand, GM has transitioned through periods of Globalization including state-led globalization and Neoliberal Globalization, and struggles to maintain both global and domestic images.
History
Founded By William Durant in Flint, Michigan, GM began by acquiring the Buick Motor Company. In 1920, GM added Chevrolet, Vauxhall, and Opel to its lineup in order to provide its customers with, “a car for every purse and purpose” (GM.com). At one point, GM carried over twenty brands. During the Fordist period, GM expanded internationally by taking on projects including manufacturing, sales, and service in all parts of the world (Townsend, Cavusgil, and Baba, 2010). In the 1970s, during the emergence of Neoliberal Globalization, GM found competition from the global automotive market. In response, GM expanded its market to China, India, Brazil and Europe. Due to a variety of causes including bad financial policies, uncompetitive vehicles, ignoring competition, and failure to innovate, GM found itself in trouble during the 2008 financial crisis. Eventually GM filed for
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