The Jack Welch Era at General Electric
The Jack Welch Era at General Electric
Abstract
John Francis “Jack” Welch Jr. was Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of General
Electric Company between 1981 and 2001. He was responsible for building a tremendous
reputation for his company and the leadership that helped him achieve that. With combination of
ruthless focus and contradictory commitment to staff involvement, Welsh delivered the growth
figures that could only be dreamed of by smaller companies. Under his leadership, General
Electric thrived like never before and he took the world as he found it, by following basic rules,
broking a few and in those terms performed to his utmost. Within those twenty years he
accomplished things no other CEO had in GE 's history; he fulfilled the company 's primary
economic responsibilities to society and communities around the world by turning it into an
exceptionally profitable conglomerate.
Social Responsibility at General Electric
Jack Welch’s tenure at General Electric is often used as a model for corporate social
responsibility. “Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) refers to operating a business in a
manner that accounts for the social and environmental impact created by the business.”
[1] In Welch’s era, GE fulfilled its responsibilities to society by serving customers worldwide
and stimulating the economy. His popularity was shared with opposing views. There were those
who despised him because of the jobs lost and those who shared his vision because they became
rich off of it. There are many aspects in the way he restructured the company that would play to
the social responsibility tactics. “Welch has gone on record as saying that he believes the time
has passed when making a profit and paying taxes was all that a company had to worry about.”
[2] He stood by his vision and in turn made General Electric a very successful
Abstract
John Francis “Jack” Welch Jr. was Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of General
Electric Company between 1981 and 2001. He was responsible for building a tremendous
reputation for his company and the leadership that helped him achieve that. With combination of
ruthless focus and contradictory commitment to staff involvement, Welsh delivered the growth
figures that could only be dreamed of by smaller companies. Under his leadership, General
Electric thrived like never before and he took the world as he found it, by following basic rules,
broking a few and in those terms performed to his utmost. Within those twenty years he
accomplished things no other CEO had in GE 's history; he fulfilled the company 's primary
economic responsibilities to society and communities around the world by turning it into an
exceptionally profitable conglomerate.
Social Responsibility at General Electric
Jack Welch’s tenure at General Electric is often used as a model for corporate social
responsibility. “Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) refers to operating a business in a
manner that accounts for the social and environmental impact created by the business.”
[1] In Welch’s era, GE fulfilled its responsibilities to society by serving customers worldwide
and stimulating the economy. His popularity was shared with opposing views. There were those
who despised him because of the jobs lost and those who shared his vision because they became
rich off of it. There are many aspects in the way he restructured the company that would play to
the social responsibility tactics. “Welch has gone on record as saying that he believes the time
has passed when making a profit and paying taxes was all that a company had to worry about.”
[2] He stood by his vision and in turn made General Electric a very successful
Cited: [1] As You Sow Foundation. Corporate Social Responsibility. Retrieved from: http://www.asyousow.org/csr/) [2] Corporate Social Responsibility. Arguments against social corporate responsibility. Retrieved from: http://www.mallenbaker.net/csr/against.php [3] Friedman, Milton. (1970) The Social Responsibility of Business is to increase its Profits. Retrieved from: http://www.colorado.edu/studentgroups/libertarians/issues/friedman-soc-resp-business.html