General Motors (GM) Case Study: Porters Five

General Motors (GM) Case Study: Porters Five In this given case-study is explained in bits and pieces about how the GM lost its market share owing to a number of factors.GM is an American based company concentrating on a lot of Brands,models and having a large spread of price-bands.So the market focus failure in GM can be related to its portfolio proliferation and replication, which in return has given the company a set of negative effects on cash flow. On the other hand its competitor companies like Toyota and Honda have acquired a huge market share with a limited portfolio and a large acquisition of the market share. So the purpose of this report is to critically analyse the different strategic levels of GM motors with respect to the coroporate, business and operational level. Also to analyse and identify the capabilities that would allow GM to achieve the lost competitive advantage and regain the market focus. CRITICAL ANALYSIS OF THE GM MOTORS CASE-STUDY On critically analysing the given case-study, GM lost $30.9 billion for the year 2008 and around $38.7 billion in the year 2007. So far , GMs market share has fallen to 24 percent from 31 percent last year, while Fords has risen to 18 percent from 15.5 percent. Chryslers Northeast Ohio market share has slipped to 9.8 percent from 10.3 percent a year ago. GMs national market share is about 20 percent, down from 22.5 percent a year ago. Fords national share is about 16 percent so far this year, up from 14.5 percent. A diagrammatic presentation of the financial performance of these automobile companies is as given below: WHERE F-FORD MOTORS DCX- DAIMLER AND CHRYSLER GM- GENERAL MOTORS HMC- HONDA MOTORS COMPANY NSANY- NISSAN TM- TOYOTA MOTORS Business Level Strategy The key elements to be highlighted at the business strategic level are as follows: Integrated BLS [business level strategy] Failed application Trade-off between cost and differentiation Implications of united labour force and legal costs. Corporate Level Strategy They process have a multilayer structure and the key process are all centralised that in turn is having a lot of impact on the company, they do not have any regional head and so there is no one who look are each regain in specify terms they only listen to the manager and then decide what is right and is wrong. From the given data, we can come to a conclusion that the major reason behind the market loss was the lack of entrepreneurial spirit. The important this is that they do not have a specific structure as well, what they need to concentrate is that as different companies such as its competitors concentrate on a specific segment and get there profits, the spirits are low and they are not going in the right direction, they will have to work hard and promote the right segment to the right consumer needs, they are not even sure of what environment they are using the other problem that they are facing is that they are not concentrating on the right consumer product for the right enviro nment and so resulting in dip of the sales and in turn loss for the company. STRENGTHS OF GM TO ACHIEVE COMPETITIVE EDGE The following are the capabilities that are exhibited by GM motors in order to revive back its position and achieve a competitive advantage in the market: 1. Large Market Share Though the General Motors is been struggling to make profits in the past few years and it is running out of cash flow still it hold a very high sales market in japan and United states, the problem is that it is not making profits as it is not allowing a lot of cash flow to occur but still it is one of the largest automobile company in the world and it hold a large amount of market share. 2. Global Experience The company being one of the largest company in the manufacturer of automobiles it has a get a global name for itself as it has a lot of brands, as it has got a lot of brands and thought it all may not be successful it has made a mark in the global market and it has got a global experience and that is again a very big advantage that the company has. 3. Wide range of brands General motors has the highest number of cars it has already got 95 different types of cars and as aware there are around 18 segments in automobile industry and it has got 3 cars for each segments, that is one thing that only General Motors have been able to achieve, thought it has been criticized by lot for not able to concentrate on any specific segment, but if they concentrate each segment properly and put the hard work in right direction they are bound to succeed. PORTERS FIVE FORCES MODEL The competitive structure of an industry is another important component of identifying factors that are a threat to diminish profitability. One of the most efficient ways to assess competitive issues is to consider Michael Porters five-force analysis. Porter (1980, 1985) has highlighted five such factors: (1) rivalry between existing competitors, (2) threat of entry by new competitors, (3) price pressure from substitute or complementary products, (4) bargaining power of buyers, and (5) bargaining power of suppliers http://www.themarketers.in/wp-content/uploads/2010/01/Porter_Five_Forces1.jpg Rivalry between existing competitors: There is always rivalry with other the competitors and that it needs to give a lot of importance, and it is the competitors with a better product that succeed in the todays market, so general motors but give a lot of importance to its competitors and always try and be ahead of them, in the present situation they are lacking being them in a lot of ways, the rivals have got a lot of products which is more competent and that is more of the requirement that the customers are looking for and they are also getting that important as they are quite important that they thing what the rivals are dont and what they are not doing. Threat of entry by new competitors: In the present days market there, in any industry there is a lot of threat of new entrants in the market, s you should always think out of the box and try and be innovative as much as you can so that you have an advantage over your competitors and even if there are any new entrants into the market, The another threat of the entry on a new company or competitors is that they might give you a thought price in the price and so you might need to cut on the prices of your products and this will indeed lead to less profits, Thought an automobile market is not a small market and there are a lot of hurdles for a new entrant into this sort of market that might lead them to trouble and this in turn will not let the new entrant to enter the market as this is require a lot of investment , moreover the new entering will have to capture a large amount of market share to have a good hold of the market. Price pressure from substitute or complementary products For instance the demand will never come directly in play for this section but it will have an impact with a lot of factors that influence it and it will generally be the substitute and the complements. For example in the U.K. when you want to travel to Central London you even though you have a car you will still not consider going with your own car, there are few reasons for not taking your car along with you and firstly you have a substitute that is available as taking a transportation in a form of tube is much easier it will save your time, money and you will not have the hassles of going through all he traffic this a substitute a lot of people use in London, the reason behind this is that firstly the transportation by your own car will be expensive and other thing is that in Central London there are a lot of parking problem and they will charge you congestion, so traveling by the tube will save all this hassles. So that is more beneficial for you, and this days a lot of people fee l that the fuel prices or in other terms the gas prices are rising and so it will be better to find an alternative or substitute to car as so this is reduce the sales of car not directly but indirectly. 4. Bargaining Power of Buyers Bargaining power of the buyer here means that the power of the consumers who are will to buy a car, in this form of bargaining if a consumer who is not aware of the prices and goes for a bargain for a car if the dealer doesnt agree to sell the car on that bargain then the impact will come directly on to the dealer and not to the manufacturer directly, the consumer might go to some other dealer to get his deal done. So it is the consumers who will benefit from that and this will lead the deals to give the customers a good deal and in this form the consumers are not dealing directly with the customers and so the dealers will suffer a less profit and not the manufacturer, so it will not always but might have an impact on the manufacturer. 5. Bargaining power of the suppliers The bargaining power of the suppliers means, the cost of raw material that is being used in the manufacturer, the labour function and the services that is being provided to them, and so in an auto manufacturer the labourer and the raw material, along with the the technology services are being used are playing a very important role, for instance we can go back into the case of General Motors and know that they had serious issues with the powers of the suppliers that is the labour that they had and that a lot of demands and that had to be fulfilled and that they were claiming a lot of pension, medical and seek leave and also wanted their wages to be increase so that was all the troubles of that they were facing in the past and the reason that they lost a lot of business was the reason behind it. ENVIRONMENTAL ISSUES OF GM- 2011 Shanghai   Shanghai GMs Drive to Green strategy, which was launched in January 2008, is aimed at introducing products that offer better performance, consume less energy and generate lower emissions than vehicles currently on the road. The success of the green strategy didnt work out they. They are trying to work on the environment issues that a lot of cars this are using a lot of fuel and this generates a lot of smoke in the air leading to air pollution and so the amount of oxygen in the air throughout the word is decreasing with the increase in carbon-monoxide will lead to a lot of environmental problems, they are there for trying to drive people towards the direction of hybrid cars and they have named the project as green strategy and they are really promoting it, those it has not been a hit it has just been a flop they are still working on different strategies and they and conclude on a high node.

Martha McCaskey

Introduction Martha Mackey had arrived at an Impasse In her career requiring her to confront a decision which put her Integrity and possible career advancement In opposition. Mackey's choice came down to how she handled Phil Devon, an ex- employee with knowledge of proprietary information Mackey needed for a client. Obtaining the information through Devon would earn Mackey a significant promotion and salary increase. However, doing so under the false pretenses she had constructed challenged her ethics, Jeopardized her Integrity, and was potentially illegal.On the other hand, failure to obtain the Information would derail Mackey's career and undermine her efforts toward advancement. Diagnosis Mackey was a highly intelligent individual, as made evident by her success in her undergraduate and graduate career. Her decision to return to school in pursuit of her MBA demonstrates her high ambition and level of investment in her career. In the eighteen months that Mackey had been with Seller s Associates' Industry Analysis Dillon (AID) she had proven her ability as a consultant on multiple projects. Her performance had garnered the attention of key leadership personnel,Tom Malone and TTY Richardson, and raised the bar for expectations at AID. Mackey accomplished this through hard work and long hours, refusing to take the easy way out, and maintaining a high moral standard despite knowing that high morals were not necessarily upheld by all of her coworkers in the Division. Knowing Mackey's dedication and investment In her career It Is easy to understand why the decision around how to handle the Silicon 6 situation was so troubling. The future of Mackey's career with ‘AD would be heavily Influenced by her decision and the success or failure of the project.This was especially true considering the importance of the project's client, a semiconductor manufacturer who supplied twenty percent of Dad's business. The outcome of the Silicon 6 project was of great consequence to Dad's leadership and the Division as a whole: success promised continued and Increased business from their primary client; failure would result In the loss of the client and one fifth of the Dad's business. Mackey faced several challenges exerting pressures on her decision, one of which was time. A meeting had been arranged with the senior management on theSilicon 6 project which only gave Mackey a month to obtain the necessary information and complete the project. Adding to the challenge was the inherent culture within the industry of accepting unethical behaviors which, to Mackey and others In the new guard, was becoming more apparent. In the past Mackey had felt pressure from Malone and Richardson to engage In the ‘standard' unethical practices of the industry, particularly following one project Malone and Richardson felt, â€Å"could have been completed with less time and effort† (p. ). Malone was the one to bring up Mackey's possibly source of information, refe rring to Devon, in conversations with the client for Silicon 6; moreover, Malone was the one to suggest a willingness to use the source. Mackey also needs to consider the Impact her decision and the continuation misalignment developed between Sellers and ‘AD as a function of the distance and independence of ‘AD and its leaders from headquarters. Mackey is aware that corporate policies are not clearly communicated and represented at the Division.The publicity that would result from legal action against the unethical practices within AD would surely impact Sellers as a whole, with consequential impacts reaching well beyond Just the small group at the Division. Leaders at Sellers could turn out to be allies for Mackey in addressing this challenge as they are invested in what is best for the entire company, not Just ‘AD. Another challenge contributing to the problem is the ambiguity surrounding Phil Devotes motivations, intentions, and awareness of the situation. Macke y does not know where Devon stands or how he will react to various situations.Mackey is unsure whether Devon is a disgruntled former employee seeking vengeance against his former employer and is, therefore, willing to share proprietary information, or if the information she is seeking is even proprietary to begin with. There is also a possibility that Devon could alert leadership at the competing company or even the authorities if he discovers Mackey's true identity and intentions. To this point Mackey's decisions and actions have been merely to avoid engaging in behaviors she deemed too unethical rather than to address the behaviors encouraged and practiced within the ‘AD.This has forced her into a corner here she has few options to address the issue without compromising the success of a major project and Jeopardizing her career. Furthermore, her decision to enter into discussions with Devon under the false pretenses she created constrains her to maintaining the lie or risk d amaging relations with Devon by revealing her true identity and motivations. The result of the relationship with Devon has many potential consequences which are unpredictable given how little is known about Devotes interests.Action Plan The objective of the approach to addressing the problem at hand is to prevent rather encroachment beyond Mackey's ethical comfort level while doing as little damage as possible to her career prospects. Mackey first needs to confront Malone and Richardson with her concerns regarding the ethical nature and legal ramifications of paying Devon for potentially proprietary information. In all likelihood Malone and Richardson will dismiss her concerns because it is simply business as usual for the ‘AD.At that point simply handing the project off to Kaufmann would not address the ethical dilemma; it would merely be a means of problem avoidance for Mackey, which is all she has done to this point. Her next step would be to contact the top leadership at S ellers to confirm corporate policies regarding the procurement of proprietary information. Mackey will likely find that company policy prohibits payoffs to obtain proprietary information belonging to other companies in order to protect the greater interests of Sellers.Assuming that this is the case, to protect her integrity, and that of Sellers, Mackey will have to disclose the truth about her identity and motivations to Devon. Subsequently, Mackey will be able to find out whether the information Devon has is proprietary, assuming Devon is still willing to operate. Her actions from that point should be guided by Sellers company policy; the information she obtains should be strictly non-proprietary. Regardless of long term she will still need to address the unethical behaviors that pervade the ‘AD.Her choice then becomes to alert leadership at Sellers of the unethical behaviors of Richardson, Malone, Kaufmann, and others throughout ‘AD, or leave Sellers. Either course ris ks the career Mackey has created for herself; however, it is necessary if Mackey hopes to maintain her integrity. Likely her best option is to notify Sclerosis dervish team of the conditions at ‘AD. In doing so Mackey will help protect Sellers and all employees working in the other branches of the company. It also may reveal other opportunities for Mackey in Sellers and the ‘AD.Failure of this approach would simply leave her where she would have otherwise been, with her integrity intact looking for a new Job as a consultant with ‘AD on her resume. Overall Learning From this case I learned that not all decisions are as simple as right versus wrong, some of the most difficult decisions will be between right and right. It is also often hose right versus right decisions that force us to reflect on our own values and what is most important to ourselves. Right versus right decisions create opportunities for explicitly defining our values.In Mackey's case it would have be en better for her to address the ethical dilemmas she encountered earlier in her career so that she would have been able to operate without a major deadline looming and pressure from the client and her managers. Furthermore, Mackey experienced discomfort while facing her right versus right decision which called into question her deeply ingrained values. This is directly in line with Abductor's theory surrounding defining moments for individuals. It is these feelings and intuitions which translate core values in a time of conflict.The prevailing values, according to Obduracy, will be those that are the most deeply rooted in one's life. Obduracy reasons that, â€Å"a combination of expediency and shrewdness, coupled with imagination and boldness, will help [one] implement [his] personal understanding of what is right. † I would argue that his is not only true, but that, â€Å"a combination of expediency and shrewdness, coupled with imagination and boldness, ill help,† pr eserve the most of one's values when confronted by such a situation.I feel that, in a right versus right defining moment, it is not necessary to abandon one set of values in favor of another assuming an adroit approach is taken to address the situation. Creativity will allow someone to get the most out of a situation. After analyzing this case and the associated material I mostly feel compelled to be more conscious of right versus right cases that may be developing. I also feel that when faced with these types of decisions I will need to be more aware of the message my actions send to those around me.

The Ultimate Guide to Compare and Contrast Essay Topics for College Students

The Ultimate Guide to Compare and Contrast Essay Topics for College Students The New Fuss About Compare and Contrast Essay Topics for College Students At this time you're prepared to write your very first type. In the event the very first section doesn't contain the issue, or isn't self-explanatory enough, or if making the decision is the principal problem, you could pose that question, or problem within the next sentence. In a number of sections of text's key body you are going to demonstrate different contrast or compare points. If reading an example you've got a wish to discover more about the objects' comparison, then its author has done a suitable job. Try to remember, that the ideal thing about compare and contrast essay is the fact that it offers a summary of an issue without convincing anybody that the author's perspective is ideal. You must have valid proof to back up your ideas along with proper analysis that your readers can see and follow all of the way down. What Does Compare and Contrast Essay Topics for College Students Mean? You can't do both, since it's going to be too confusing for your readers. You've got a complete collection of things to compare. You're not restricted to anything, and you may pick any compare and contrast writing topics you're passionate about. Philosophical topics may be controversial since many things have more than 1 explanation for it, therefore it isn't easy to figure out the reality. You see that it's an unusual topic which may be quite hard to imagine or exp lain, but some students might just turn that topic into a masterpiece. Some instructors prefer that you just write about the differences between two things, but others would like you to concentrate on explaining the similarities too. Many teachers before may have told you that when you're. There are plenty of categories of topics for you to pick from. Choosing the right topics might take a while in case you don't have a list of sample topics before you. So now you understand how to pick the best compare and contrast topics and the various segments which you require to address when writing. In the majority of instances, the topics you select should be closely related. Lies You've Been Told About Compare and Contrast Essay Topics for College Students The list of the greatest argumentative essay topics for college students contains nice and versatile tips that will boost your students and make them think. Curriculum proposal topics is a means to try. Students that need over a list of good topics may hire professional academic writers online to acquire the maximum grade with no distinctive efforts. Students who excel in writing about such complex topic can have an opportunity to be enrolled into a number of the very best Art universities to come up with their abili ties and talent. On-line education is like a typical college education. College is a time for students to concentrate on courses that are unique to the student's career targets. College students are our very first category. They should be grateful to their family for the opportunity to go to college. A number of the essay topics below may appear to contain subjects that don't have anything in common. You must be very careful as you decide on a compare and contrast essay. If you don't, read how to compose a compare and contrast essay. Whether you are prepared to compose your compare and contrast essay or you're in the practice of inventing your very own catchy topic it would be useful to check out compare and contrast essay examples to have a very clear picture of exactly what you should write. You can begin with the form of topic you pick for your compare and contrast essay. The sort of compare and contrast essay topic you select should always depict your degree of learning. Your topic needs to be relevant as a way to serve the goal of your essay. You may use any as the subject of your essay particularly when you're not assigned any specific theme. A proposal essay is quite straightforward to comprehend. You are able to restate your thesis statement and point out a number of the arguments used over the whole essay that backs it up. A Thesis statement is easily the most important portion of the essay.

The Civil Rights Of The United States - 2348 Words

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Truman became the first American President to openly challenge segregation, and the first to promise his support for civil rights. The Cold War had a major impact on Truman’s loyalty to civil rights. Truman had believed that America had an ethical duty to encourage freedom across the world. However, he accepted that America could not fight for freedom abroad while segregation oppressed African Americans in the South of America. Truman established President’s Committee on Civil Rights in 1946. Truman asked his committee to create a report which inspected the experience of racialShow MoreRelatedThe Civil Rights Of The United States Essay1653 Words   |  7 PagesThe United states has been called the, â€Å"Land of The Free† since its independence was won from Great Britain, however, until 1965 â€Å"Free† only applied to a select demographic, white, land owning males. The most largely discriminated demographic before 1996 and somewhat even so today is the African American population. 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