General Motors
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Table of Contents Introduction 3 Background 3 Competition and Industry Dynamics 5 The Global Financial Crisis and Automobile Industry 6 SWOT Analysis 7 Strengths 8 Weaknesses 8 Opportunities 9 Threats 9 Strategic Measures Taken By General Motors 10 Conclusion 11 References 13 Appendix 15
Introduction
General Motors is an automobile manufacturer that held the title of the largest American automobile company until 2008 and for 77 years held the title of the largest automobile manufacturer in the world (General Motors, 2012). The production of the company is established in 35 countries around the world and its automobiles are sold in 192 countries. The headquarters of the company is located in Detroit, USA. The automobiles manufactured by General Motors were marketed under many brands – most renowned among them were Buick, Cadillac, Chevrolet, GMC, Holden, Hummer (which was discontinued in 2010), Opel, Pontiac and Saturn. But in the context of the restructuring of the group, which officially began in June 2009, only six brands are kept by the company, and the rest are either sold or discontinued.
In a difficult environment for the American automobile industry and the economy in general, General Motors is currently on the verge of bankruptcy. Since the year 2000, General Motors had lost $86 billion, while the balance sheet of the company had lost more than 90% of its value. The group had received $50 billion through the federal government protectionism, in the form of loans or increase in equity. Since 2010, the head of GM is Dan Akerson.
Background
The company was founded in 1908 by William Crapo; however, it was his successor Alfred P. Sloan who transformed it into the largest car manufacturer in the world. Initially, the company’s headquarters was located in Flint in