Observable Artifacts

GM is described as an organization with a dysfunctional company culture that somehow still manages to have amazing results in its work, on a global scale. The key attributes of GM, were primarily in the changes initiated by Mary Barra after the GM ignition switch recall crisis. Some of those attributes include her willingness to openly acknowledge the undesirable aspects of the GM culture and her efforts to take action towards a resolution. There are also several noticeable strengths and weaknesses within the organization. One of the biggest weaknesses is the company’s repeated inability to acknowledge that, lack of functional culture and leadership are truly the root cause of the company’s issues. Based on my reading I would describe the current behavioral organizational model as a Custodial Model. I chose this model because the managerial orientation is money, employee orientation is security and benefits and performance results are passive cooperation. All of these attributes were described in the reading.

Camaro, a car that is easily recognizable on the streets today is probably one of the most iconic and controversial cars that hit the streets in 1967. For over 45 years the Camaro has exceeded expectations and often surpassed the likes of its adversaries, the challenger and the iconic mustang. Critiques often thought that the Camaro would fall short especially to the mustang due to the fact that it has a 3-year jump on the Camaro, but sales records and Trams Am racing titles might mean that the Camaro is doing just fine. Even though the Camaro is still going strong for over 45 years it hasn’t been easy. Workers strikes, recalls, even ending the production of the Camaro were just a few of the Camaro’s

We all know that Detroit has had its ups and downs, Detroit maybe making a comeback but it will never be the Detroit it once was. People have had to move out of the city to find jobs. The big buildings maybe pretty to look at but they don’t hold the high paying jobs that it once had. The jobs that are taking place in them building are jobs that pay enough for one to pay their rent and that’s about it now. For Detroit to be great like it once was the big companies like GMC need to come back and start plants again and make careers for the people that live there.

The expansion of the big three auto producers, Chrysler, Ford, and General Motors led the charge. In addition to dominating the auto industry, the big three were largely responsible for the success of local business throughout Detroit. Direct suppliers towards the auto companies themselves, and the subsequent services provided to the auto workers and their families composed the majority of Detroit business. The rapid expansion of the auto industry resulted in the industry’s decentralization with the city limits of Detroit and caused the expansion of the outlying areas surround Detroit. The decentralization of industry had profound effects on the geography and on the population of the city. The movement of jobs out of the city accelerated the process of suburbanization, as autoworkers who could move followed their jobs. This trend is demonstrated by Census data, showing that following the creating of new auto plants outside the city of Detroit resulted in the total population dropping by nearly 300,0000 citizens by 1960. Following this decentralization, the auto industry suffering from international competition and rising oil prices, was unable to sustain the levels of economic output seen in years prior; and as a result, became a less desirable place to live for both workers looking to relocate and current residents.

Firstly, allow us to thank and acknowledge you for the important work you are doing to develop and measure employment opportunities for Detroiters and those employed by Detroit-based businesses. For some, the story of Detroit’s recovery will be framed by real estate development or tales of political maneuvering but the Detroit Employment Solutions Corporation understands that the true measure of Detroit’s resurgence will be getting Detroiters into jobs that afford them the opportunity to invest in our collective economic future.

Today Chrysler is the ideal American brand. Through marketing efforts and engineering innovation, Chrysler continues to stand for style, quality, and affordability. In 2015, Chrysler designed the Chrysler 200 from the ground up which featured high quality design both on the interior and exterior (This is Chrysler, 2017). Mr. Marchionne delivered his promise to turn Chrysler around through changing the workflow and the organizational

Cars have been a primary means of transportation for many people for a long time. Similarly, Oshawa has been a part of the GM family for a long time, from factories to dealerships. For my materiality assignment I will be looking at the Canadian Automotive Museum that is located in downtown Oshawa. Before the Museum took over in the 1960’s, the building was home to a dealership and created in 1921 (‘Canadian Automotive Museum - History’, n.d.). Interestingly for me, in 1924 Ontario Motor Sales – another GM car dealership, operated within the same building. After a few years OMS left their Simcoe office and relocated down Bond Street, still in Oshawa. This company is actually where I got my current car from, a 2014 Chevy Cruze

Farfan, B. (2012, February 9). Chrysler Mission Statement - Cars, Customers, and Returning to Profitability. Retrieved from About Retail Industry: http://retailindustry.about.com/od/retailbestpractices/ig/Company-Mission-

It is definitely no secret that jobs have left the city of Detroit, which of course would be one of the more obvious reasons as to why the people left. Many people who left did have many valuable resources and connections that could have helped Detroit better it, instead of going down. Although that is the case, it does not mean that all of the people with resources have left. Some people have put forth their plans and are now working towards getting results. Some don’t have funds needed but they know exactly what needs to be done for the city. There are also some who have the funds and resources but don’t care enough to put forth effort. Compared to the 1950s and 1960s the workforce has taken a loss resulting in only one quarter of what it

Observable artifacts is defined as the physical manifestation of an organization's culture not limited to the company’s manner dress, awards, myths and stories told about the organization, public lists of values, observable rituals and ceremonies, decorations and so on (Kreitner, Kinicki, 2013). Mr. Marchionne attempted to create a new culture for Chrysler. A negative observable artifacts was discovered by Mr. Marchionne occurred when Mr. Fong was the Sales Chief in 2009. At that time,Chrysler was known for giving out a matching rebate of $4500 along with the government incentive given with the same value.(Kreitner, Kinicki, 2013) This created financial issues for Chrysler as they struggled with profits gain. Mr. Marchionne wanted a more positive

For Chrysler’s plan advancement they are planning on discontinuing the Chrysler 200 sedan and Dodge Dart sedan. Instead of shifting their attention to cars they are going to focus on making the Jeeps and Ram pickup trucks better. Since the gas prices have dropped by 2 dollars Americans are selling their cars and are starting to buy crossovers and trucks. If Chrysler Focuses on making the Jeeps and Ram trucks better more people will want to buy them which will bring them in a lot of profit which will make the company thrive.

Henry, Jim. "Engineering a Comeback." n.d. Success.com. 10 1 2013 . Hochleutner, Mike. "Ford CEO, Alan Mulally, on remarkable turnaround: It took leadership, courage, and

Ford in 2011 is on the rebound, having recovered from the darkest hours in the late 2000s. The company for the company is that many of its competitors are also rebounding, and there are significant long-run changes in the automobile industry. Ford needs to determine a strategy that will take the company through the next decade, and improve the company's competitive position. The company has four of the top fifteen best-selling cars in America, but also needs to set strategy globally, as many of the best automobile growth markets are overseas. Another strategic consideration is that CEO Alan Mulally remains in the process of changing the organizational culture at Ford, which had become stagnant and unresponsive to the changes in the industry environment.

In 2009, Chrysler and General Motors has filed for bankruptcy protection. As part of the reconstruction process the automobile company Fiat merged with Chrysler. Because of the restructuring proceeding, almost 800 dealerships had to be closed, employees’ wages were slashed and pensions for new hires were cut. The reorganization of the two failing companies resulted in lowered variable and fixed costs at a disadvantage to its creditors, employees, dealers, and management. The new management set out to improve the culture of

Under the leadership of Lee Iacocca and with the support of federal loan guarantees, Chrysler managed to turn itself around one more time, returning to profitability in 1982. While the late 1980s proved tough for the industry as a whole, the introduction and meteoric rise of the family minivan (a market controlled 47% by Chrysler as of 1996), coupled with the 1987 acquisition and subsequent exploitation of the Jeep brand name, left Chrysler the envy of the U.S. auto market by the mid-1990s. As Fortune magazine stated in late 1996, “If a vehicle is in demand and generates high profit margins, you can bet Chrysler’s making it.”4 While Chrysler’s success and relatively conservative management style attracted praise from industry observers, it also attracted the attention of Las Vegas billionaire Kirk Kerkorian, who with the help of retired Lee Iacocca, mounted a hostile bid for Chrysler in 1995. The (U.S. dollar) $55 per share ($27.50 today following a 2-for-1 stock split in 1996) not only failed to win the approval of Chrysler’s board, but also turned out to be largely unfinanced, leaving Chrysler to continue under its current management. Chrysler products Chrysler focused heavily on trucks in its product offering. In 1997, trucks, including minivans, accounted for about two-thirds of Chrysler’s vehicle sales in the United States and cars accounted for about one-third. Chrysler’s trucks