MGT 301 CASE INSTRUCTIONS WEEK 3: General Motors Corporation

Essay Instructions:

FOLLOW INSTRUCTIONS FROM THE ATTACHED DOCUMENT PLEASE PROOF READ WORK AND DO NOT HAVE RUN ON SENTENCES AND GRAMMATICAL ERRORS. FOLLOW INSTRUCTIONS FROM THE ATTACHED DOCUMENT Instructions in red below Organizing/Reorganizing at GM GM has gone through a great deal of change in reorganization efforts in the past several years. Part of this restructuring was the result of the company's near collapse several years ago, and the bail out by the . GM's CEO Dan Akerson has continued to expressed concern about the way GM is organized globally. It is one thing to organize a small or medium size business, but reorganizing a global organization is quite another issue. In a 3 to 5 page paper please answer the following question in a well thought out argumentative essay: What do you think the key challenges are for Akerson with respect to the reorganization that has been proposed? Remember to focus on specific challenges that Akerson faces rather than just a summary of actions he has taken. Required Readings Higgins, T., Green, J., (2012). GM Seen Planning Global Reorganization Against ‘Fiefdoms' Bloomberg. Retrieved from: http://origin-www(dot)bloomberg(dot)com/news/2012-08-17/gm-seen-planning-global-reorganization-against-fiefdoms-.html Vlasic, B., (2013). G.M.'s Profit Rises Despite Weakness in Europe. The New York Times. Business Day. Retrieved from: http://www(dot)nytimes(dot)com/2013/02/15/business/gm-hurt-by-europe-still-increases-profit.html?ref=generalmotorscorporation&_r=0 Higgins, T., (2013). GM Considers Brazil Options With Akerson's Global Reorganization. Bloomberg. Retrieved from: http://www(dot)bloomberg(dot)com/news/2013-01-25/gm-considers-brazil-options-with-akerson-s-global-reorganization.html Eisenstein, P., ( 2012). GM Readying Another Major Reorganization. The Detroit Bureau. Retrieved from: http://www(dot)thedetroitbureau(dot)com/2012/08/gm-readying-another-major-reorganization/ This document may provide some useful historical context regarding GM's most recent restructuring efforts to address the loan security agreement with the US Department of Treasury: General Motors Corporation, (2008). GM 2009 – 2014 Restructuring Plan. Presented to U.S. Department of the Treasury As Required Under Section 7.20 of the Loan and Security Agreement Between General Motors and the U. S. Department of the Treasury. Retrieved from: http://graphics8(dot)nytimes(dot)com/packages/pdf/business/20090217GMRestructuringPlan.pdf Please also visit GM's site and conduct further research, for instance by reading some of the latest news about the company. Helpful Tips! - Please first read in-depth the Background Materials. - Identify key concepts (main aspects of Organizing, such as design/structures, teams, etc), make a list of them, and study them. - Study the case presented in the reading materials in-depth and conduct additional research, if necessary. - Identify facts in the case that match the 'organizing' principle of management. - Apply these concepts to facts in the case in order to develop your arguments. - Use Tips for Good Writing! Make sure to have an introduction, a main body with as many sections as identified concepts of reorganization design, etc (see my hints), and conclusions Format In order to develop good business communication skills, it is recommended you write papers using the following structure, using headlines and titles. Introduction (road map, explain main issue and list and main points) Main Body: Develop each point in the Introduction, applying theory to facts, in subsections (one subsection per main point). In this case, subsections should be based upon main GM organizing changes, such as new structure in business groups/units with added responsibilities, new hiring policies, etc. Conclusions: Summarize main paper points Make sure you cite your sources using in-text citations and references. APA Style TUI requires all PhD work to be in APA form. We also encourage all other students to comply with guidelines for proper citation of references. You may use the information found on the following links: http://owl(dot)english(dot)purdue(dot)edu/handouts/research/r_apa.html Other resources you may want to look at to assist you in writing college papers: This is an extensive guide to college writing from the University of Maryland. Pick specific chapters or browse the whole text!http://www(dot)umuc(dot)edu/ewc/onlineguide/chapter1/chapter1-01.shtml

Essay Sample Content Preview:

General Motors Corporation
Name:
Institution:
Introduction
Founded in the year 1908 by William C. Durant and Charles Stewart Mott, General Motors Corporation is one of the renowned motor vehicle manufacturers in the world, hailing from the United States of America. The holding corporation has its headquarters in Detroit, Michigan and does not only deal in vehicles but also offers financial services. Although in the recent past the company has been having some financial woes, since the 1930s it has been at the top of the table with reference to the motor vehicle sales up until late 2007. Until then the company was enjoying the fruits of being the best in unit sales across the globe, but the economic recession and internal affairs have almost brought the once great giant to its knees. It is for this reason that the corporation has been keen to restructure to make sure that they reassert their stature at the global market. The CEO, Dan Akerson has been a key figure trying to get the corporation on the global map once again. In his opinion, which he has expressed every so often, the management of the corporation needs to be tuned through major overhauls (Higgins & Green, 2012).
When corporation approached the government for funds, the senate requested the corporation to table a concrete plan that entails the longer plans, which will see the corporation rise to its former glory. Part of the plan indicates why the corporation requires the government to chip in some funding, as well as how the corporation intends to pay up, as this is taxpayers’ money. The end result of the plan is that the corporation will then turn into a lean, profitable, competitive as well as a self-sustaining entity. This will mean that they will have to beat the challenges of the climatic changes and the dwindling reserves of the petroleum product and a revolutionised market. Hence, it will be forced to adapt to the new technologies in the motor vehicle engineering fronts, which promises sustainable developments and reduced dependencies on the petroleum products.
While the government is in a tight position to assist with the short term loans, due to the catastrophic effect the corporation’s failure would have on the entire economy, the CEO, Dan Akerson has his own set of worries as there are going be challenges in the transition.
Challenges
One of the elements of change is to reduce the cost of production by boosting the rate of productivity as well as reducing employees. As part of acting up the change the CEO has illuminated himself as the agent of change, ousting those that do not perform. One of the employees who was not so lucky is Joel Ewanick, a former chief of marketing at the global stage. While it is crucial that those employees that are not performing are axed, there are repercussions that will result from the negative energy that will develop. While a tough stand is also required to make sure that the employees are in line with the set out goals, there is need of cultural overhaul. Culture one of the aspects that is going to be a challenge for the CEO which the company has maintained for such a long time, with majority of the employees accustomed to it (Vlasic, 2013).
Dan Akerson is looking to bring down the Fiefdom which has been frustration when moving the general consensus, on changes that need to be effected to bring back the company to its feet. Changing from the fiefdoms to the functional heads at the global front is going to be very tricky as it can backfire and lead to catastrophic events, if it is executed improperly. At the current status, there is still need for a lot changes in the management staff, part of who are supposed to effect these changes. While the idea is to make the company as nimble as possible, it may turn out to be ineffective due to the centralization of the company roles. Centralization requires that there be some ve...

Updated on January 26, 2024

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