Labor Relations - Union Management - 805 Words

Weekly Written Assignment, Week 2, Chapters 4, 5 and 6 Union and Management: Key Participants in the Labor Relations Process Why and How Unions are Organized Negotiating the Labor Agreement October 30, 2014 Case 5-3, Did the Company Violate....?, p. 232; and Case 5-5, Bulletin Board Use, p. 236. Answer the questions at the end of each case in typewritten format, 3 - 5 pages. 1. Was this matter within the jurisdiction of the National Labor Relations Board? The statements made by the employer appear to coincide with an unlawful promise of benefits, and therefore, are unacceptable in relation to the act. The concept of â€Å"positive coercion† is addressed in the case study, and these actions directly influence the manner†¦show more content†¦An employer may not interfere with its employee’s ability to communicate union messages or discriminate between union communications and non-union communications. Barry Marcks violated Section 8(a)(1) of the Act by barring union employees from using the employer’s e-mail system for union business. Case 5-5, Bulletin Board Use p. 236 1. Is an employer required to have bulletin boards at the workplace? No, I do not believe an employer is required to have a bulletin board. My company does not have a bulletin board; with the use of technology such as email and intranet websites, a traditional bulletin board is not needed. 2. If an Employer did not provide bulletin boards at the workplace, would employees have a right to provide and mount their own bulletin boards? I do not think an employee would have the right to bring in a bulletin board. I think if they want a bulletin board they should discuss it with their supervisor and if agreed, let the company provide it. If the employee brings in the board, they may feel like they can dictate what is posted and it may not be work appropriate. It could cause conflict if other employees want to post something on the board. Items posted could violate a non-solicitation policy and other workplace rules. To avoid this situation, employees should not be allowed to bring in their own bulletin board. 3. If there are company-provided bulletin boards at the workplace, does the Employer have a right to restrict the purpose orShow MoreRelatedLabor Relations Paper1115 Words   |  5 PagesA union is an organization of workers who join together in order to have a voice in improving their jobs and the quality of work within the organization. In many occasions, unions help employees of an organization negotiate pay, benefits, flexible hours and other work conditions that may arise. Unions have a role because some degree of conflict is inevitable between workers and management (Noe, 2003). In this paper, I will be discussing the impact of unions and labor relations within an organizationRead MoreLabor Relations Paper1101 Words   |  5 PagesA union is an organization of workers who join together in order to have a voice in improving their jobs and the quality of work within the organization. In many occasions, unions help employees of an organization negotiate pay, benefits, flexi ble hours and other work conditions that may arise. Unions have a role because some degree of conflict is inevitable between workers and management (Noe, 2003). In this paper, I will be discussing the impact of unions and labor relations within an organizationRead MoreWalmart Corporation s Labor And Employee Relations1700 Words   |  7 Pagesagainst labor unions and this issue has prompted public outrage, (Johansson, 2005) which is of great concern for the market. The company has also faced criticism for being anti-union, but it has claimed that it is rather pro-associate, whereby employees can report their grievances with the company through their open door policy (Greenhouse, 2015). This research paper will examine the validity of this claim as well as look into how well the Walmart Corporation has been managing their labor and employeeRead MoreRelationship Between Labor And Management843 Words   |  4 PagesLabor Relations â€Å"The keystone of successful business is cooperation. Friction retards progress† (Penney, n.d., para. 1). Stagnant relationships between labor, management and the unions at Ellard Williams, Incorporated (EWI) is causing employee motivation to decrease while the number of union-filed grievances increases. This paper will describe how unions can add to the success of an organization, the causes of turbulent relationships between labor and management, and offers three strategies toRead MoreEssay on Union and Labor Relations,1229 Words   |  5 Pagesof this paper is to provide the history of Union and Labor Relations, outline the advantages and disadvantages of working in a union environment, and to identify ways in which management can successfully manage in a union environment. Today only one in eight Americans belong to a union and even though Labor Relations has declined in the past 30 years, unions still have a major influence in the lives of millions of Americans. A mericas 15.3 million union members represent a cross section of peopleRead MoreUnderstanding Labor Relations And Collective Bargaining1019 Words   |  5 PagesUnderstanding Labor Relations and Collective Bargaining In the video, â€Å"Understanding Labor Relations and Collective Bargaining†, Donald Carty, CEO of American Airlines at that time, expresses the disappointment of the many executives in a union environment face in regards to labor costs. Shortly after this video, Mr. Carty had announced executive-retention bonuses and pension protection right after most union members had already voted to accept over $1 billion worth of wage and benefit concessionsRead MoreManagement and Union Relationships in an Organization1720 Words   |  7 PagesManagement and Union Relationships in an Organization In today’s business environment, the relationship between management and union can play a vital role in the success of an organization. My research of the roles of unions and management will enable me to present concrete information of how these two entities perform in an organization. The Role of Management in an Organization â€Å"Management is the process of working with people and resources to accomplish organizational goals† (BatemanRead MoreRelationship Between Management And The Labor Union Essay776 Words   |  4 Pages!!!Labor Relations Mexa Manufacturing has heard rumblings of employees wanting to join a union. A __union__, is a labor organization appointed to act on behalf of the best interest of workers. Companies where unions are present, the relationship between management and the labor representatives are called __labor relations__. John, a consultant was hired by Mexa Manufacturing to explain the labor relations process. The company in its current structure is considered non-unionized; which means employeeRead MoreManagement Should Have the Right to Allow a Union in the Workplace or Not1484 Words   |  6 Pages History shows that there has been conflict of power within the workforce between union and management. This essay will discuss if management should have the right to determine whether a union should operate within their workplace. It is necessary first to discuss the roles of unions and management in the workplace and discuss both points of view on the power distribution between unions and management in the workplace. The rise of industrial age led to the rise of industrial factory systems. AsRead MoreLaw of the Jungle Essay1394 Words   |  6 Pagesperiod prior to the Wagner Act enacted in 1935. A time in which collective bargaining existed in theory but not fairly practice between unions and employers. When practiced fairly, collective bargaining allows workers to achieve a form of democracy within the workplace; thus allowing for a form of rules to be upheld by both the employer and the employees. Unions have given employees a platform in which their voices will be heard. This paper will provide an overview of both the pre-Wagner Act days

Erik Erikson s Stages Of Psychosocial Development

This theory is the third of eight parts to Erik Erikson’s stages of psychosocial development. Erikson states that we progress through these eight stages of development in a fixed order with each stage involving a crucial event or predicament that must be overcome in order to progress to the proceeding stage. This event takes place during a critical period within the individual’s development, thus if it is negatively resolved then it will prevent optimal development into the following stages however if it is positively resolved then the individual will advance normally. The manner in which we progress through each stage shapes our personalities and abilities, as even if we negatively complete a stage, we still pass through it, however the consequences are revealed later on in the next stage and so forth. This particular stage of development, initiative vs. guilt refers to the time where children during the ages of 3 to 6 begin â€Å"asserting control and power over thei r environment by taking initiative through planning activities†. In addition, the initiatives â€Å"allow them to begin to view and understand the cause-effect relationships between their actions and the consequences of them† (Children’s Life Online, Avi Luxenburg). During this stage, the child feels a sense of guilt when they take a negative initiative and are punished for it. The goal of this stage is for â€Å"feelings of guilt to be transformed into feelings of remorse† (Children’s Life Online, Avi Luxenburg). TheseShow MoreRelatedErik Erikson s Stages Of Psychosocial Development1695 Words   |  7 Pages Erik Erikson was born in Frankfurt,, Germany, in 1902. He was raised by his mother and stepfather and never knew his biological father. Throughout his life he struggled with his identity and felt that his stepfather never fully accepted him. After meeting Anna Freud the daughter of Sigmund Freud in Vienna, he decided to pursue a career in psychoanalysis. He received a diploma from the Vienna Psychoanalytic Institute however he never received a formal degree all of his knowledge was based on hisRead MoreErik Erikson s Stages Of Psychosocial Development1318 Words   |  6 Pagesbe discussing is Erik Erikson’s ‘Stages of Psychosocial development’ theory and Diana Baumrinds ‘Parenting Styles’. Stages of Psychosocial development Erik Erikson’s theory emphasizes the search for identity during the adolescent years (Feldman, 2013). His ideas were greatly influenced by Freud, going along with Freud’s (1923) theory regarding the structure and topography of personality (McLeod, 2008). Erikson’s theory is broken down into eight different stages. The first stage is ‘Trust-vs.-mistrust’Read MoreErik Erikson s Stages Of Psychosocial Development891 Words   |  4 Pagespeople still treat you like a child. Since high school, I’ve been interested in psychology, a topic many people engage in because as humans, we all naturally try to learn more about ourselves as a whole, but also as individuals. Erik Erikson’s stages of psychosocial development mark the eight points people go through from infancy to elder hood. Based on Erikson’s theory, twenty year olds are at the end of adolescence where we wonder who we are and what we can be, as well as being at the beginning of Read MoreErik Erikson s Stages Of Psychosocial Development1756 Words   |  8 PagesCurrent Developmental Stage: According to Erik Erikson’s stages of psychosocial development, Neveah is in middle adolescence, which is focused on the conflict of identity verses role confusion (Ashford LeCroy, 2010). The developmental characteristics of middle adolescents include sexual identity, role experimentation, moral development, and self-discovery (Ashford LeCroy, 2010). Adolescents are evaluating how they fit into society and more specifically their social sphere. During this time,Read MoreDevelopmental Psychologist Erik Erikson s Stages Of Psychosocial Development1729 Words   |  7 PagesDevelopmental psychologist Erik Erikson changed the way that people viewed the psychosocial development in humans throughout their lifespan. Using the foundation provided by Freud’s psychosexual stages, he modified the concepts to where they demonstrated external impacts on development as well as making it more about emotional conflicts than necessarily physical drives. This eight-stage theory is sequ ential, and requires the person to overcome conflicts in each stage to become a productive memberRead MoreCognitive Development And Erik Erikson s 8 Stages Of Psychosocial Development1788 Words   |  8 Pages Jean Piaget’s 4 stages of Cognitive Development and Erik Erikson’s 8 stages of Psychosocial Development Developmental is understood as the act or process of developing; progress such as child developmental. When children go through the process of developing, they all develop the same regardless of what state or country there from. The way children develop has been studied by two psychologists’ name Jean Piaget and Erik Erikson and they both develop a theory of how children developRead MoreErik Erikson s Eight Stages Of Psychosocial Development1428 Words   |  6 PagesErik Erikson’s eight stages of psychosocial development are very well known in the world of psychology. These eight stages deal with critical situations that we go through in life from infancy to late adulthood. â€Å"Throughout life we go through various stages during which we meet ever changing psychosocial challenges – the completion of these stages prepares us to move on to the following stages (Erikson’s Stages Through Identity).† This makes sense because we go through life making decisions in orderRead MoreErik Erikson s Theory Of Psychosocial Development884 Words   |  4 PagesErik Erikson Erik Erikson was born June 15, 1902. Erikson is best-known for his famous theory of psychosocial development and the concept of the identity crisis. His theories marked an important shift in thinking on personality; instead of focusing simply on early childhood event, his psychosocial theory looked at how social influences contribute to personality throughout the entire lifespan. Erik Erikson died May 12, 1994 due to prostate cancer. (Erik Erikson, 2015). Stages of Psychosocial DevelopmentRead MoreErikson’S Contributions To Human Development. Erik Erikson1033 Words   |  5 PagesErikson’s Contributions to Human Development Erik Erikson was a man whose interests varied widely. He studied art and a variety of languages during his schooling. He did not prefer the atmosphere of formal schooling and decided to travel around Europe instead of going to college (â€Å"Erik Erikson†, 1997). He then returned to Germany for art school and later on taught to children who had come for Freudian training. He became Boston’s first child analyst and obtained a position at Harvard Medical SchoolRead MoreErik Erikson s Stages Of Development1608 Words   |  7 Pages The Psychosocial Development The View on Erik H. Erikson s Stages of Development Frank Phan Cosumnes River College Psychology 300 Abstract This paper will touch over the aspects of Erik H Erickson s eight stages and how they affect everyday lives from infancy to adulthood. The paper will go over the approximate ages and the psychosocial crisis that they will eventually come to. Neglecting a child can lead to a cause of mental negligence in the form of Arrested Development. Within different Erik Erikson s Stages Of Psychosocial Development 20 is a strange age, you don’t have the excuse of being a teenager to fall back on but people still treat you like a child. Since high school, I’ve been interested in psychology, a topic many people engage in because as humans, we all naturally try to learn more about ourselves as a whole, but also as individuals. Erik Erikson’s stages of psychosocial development mark the eight points people go through from infancy to elder hood. Based on Erikson’s theory, twenty year olds are at the end of adolescence where we wonder who we are and what we can be, as well as being at the beginning of early adulthood where we have formed most of our identity but are also now trying to find love and where we fit into the world. Much of my work revolves around identity, domestic spaces and human condition because they are elements that everyone is forced to deal with in their lifetime, which brings me to the first artist, Rene Magritte. I officially fell in love with Magritte in 2013 at his retrospective at MoMA. I was really drawn to Magritte because he used everyday scenes and objects and alters them in a way that was obviously unnatural but not to the point of being considered fantastical. By depicting these common moments or objects in a minimalistic way, Magritte forced people to take notice of the world around them yet not in an overwhelming manner. In a sense, I feel like Magritte and myself both are literally and conceptually making a world of our own based on the reality thatShow MoreRelatedErik Erikson s Stages Of Psychosocial Development1695 Words   |  7 Pages Erik Erikson was born in Frankfurt,, Germany, in 1902. He was raised by his mother and stepfather and never knew his biological father. Throughout his life he struggled with his identity and felt that his stepfather never fully accepted him. After meeting Anna Freud the daughter of Sigmund Freud in Vienna, he decided to pursue a career in psychoanalysis. He received a diploma from the Vienna Psychoanalytic Institute however he never received a formal degree all of his knowledge was based on hisRead MoreErik Erikson s Stages Of Psychosocial Development953 Words   |  4 Pagesthird of eight parts to Erik Erikson’s stages of psychosocial development. Erikson states that we progress through these eight stages of development in a fixed order with each stage involving a crucial event or predicament that must be overcome in order to progress to the proceeding stage. This event takes place during a critical period within the individual’s development, thus if it is negatively resolved then it will prevent optimal development into the following stages however if it is positivelyRead MoreErik Erikson s Stages Of Psychosocial Development1318 Words   |  6 Pagesbe discussing is Erik Erikson’s ‘Stages of Psychosocial development’ theory and Diana Baumrinds ‘Parenting Styles’. Stages of Psychosocial development Erik Erikson’s theory emphasizes the search for identity during the adolescent years (Feldman, 2013). His ideas were greatly influenced by Freud, going along with Freud’s (1923) theory regarding the structure and topography of personality (McLeod, 2008). Erikson’s theory is broken down into eight different stages. The first stage is ‘Trust-vs.-mistrust’Read MoreErik Erikson s Stages Of Psychosocial Development1756 Words   |  8 PagesCurrent Developmental Stage: According to Erik Erikson’s stages of psychosocial development, Neveah is in middle adolescence, which is focused on the conflict of identity verses role confusion (Ashford LeCroy, 2010). The developmental characteristics of middle adolescents include sexual identity, role experimentation, moral development, and self-discovery (Ashford LeCroy, 2010). Adolescents are evaluating how they fit into society and more specifically their social sphere. During this time,Read MoreDevelopmental Psychologist Erik Erikson s Stages Of Psychosocial Development1729 Words   |  7 PagesDevelopmental psychologist Erik Erikson changed the way that people viewed the psychosocial development in humans throughout their lifespan. Using the foundation provided by Freud’s psychosexual stages, he modified the concepts to where they demonstrated external impacts on development as well as making it more about emotional conflicts than necessarily physical drives. This eight-stage theory is sequ ential, and requires the person to overcome conflicts in each stage to become a productive memberRead MoreCognitive Development And Erik Erikson s 8 Stages Of Psychosocial Development1788 Words   |  8 Pages Jean Piaget’s 4 stages of Cognitive Development and Erik Erikson’s 8 stages of Psychosocial Development Developmental is understood as the act or process of developing; progress such as child developmental. When children go through the process of developing, they all develop the same regardless of what state or country there from. The way children develop has been studied by two psychologists’ name Jean Piaget and Erik Erikson and they both develop a theory of how children developRead MoreErik Erikson s Eight Stages Of Psychosocial Development1428 Words   |  6 PagesErik Erikson’s eight stages of psychosocial development are very well known in the world of psychology. These eight stages deal with critical situations that we go through in life from infancy to late adulthood. â€Å"Throughout life we go through various stages during which we meet ever changing psychosocial challenges – the completion of these stages prepares us to move on to the following stages (Erikson’s Stages Through Identity).† This makes sense because we go through life making decisions in orderRead MoreErik Erikson s Theory Of Psychosocial Development884 Words   |  4 PagesErik Erikson Erik Erikson was born June 15, 1902. Erikson is best-known for his famous theory of psychosocial development and the concept of the identity crisis. His theories marked an important shift in thinking on personality; instead of focusing simply on early childhood event, his psychosocial theory looked at how social influences contribute to personality throughout the entire lifespan. Erik Erikson died May 12, 1994 due to prostate cancer. (Erik Erikson, 2015). Stages of Psychosocial DevelopmentRead MoreErikson’S Contributions To Human Development. Erik Erikson1033 Words   |  5 PagesErikson’s Contributions to Human Development Erik Erikson was a man whose interests varied widely. He studied art and a variety of languages during his schooling. He did not prefer the atmosphere of formal schooling and decided to travel around Europe instead of going to college (â€Å"Erik Erikson†, 1997). He then returned to Germany for art school and later on taught to children who had come for Freudian training. He became Boston’s first child analyst and obtained a position at Harvard Medical SchoolRead MoreErik Erikson s Stages Of Development1608 Words   |  7 Pages The Psychosocial Development The View on Erik H. Erikson s Stages of Development Frank Phan Cosumnes River College Psychology 300 Abstract This paper will touch over the aspects of Erik H Erickson s eight stages and how they affect everyday lives from infancy to adulthood. The paper will go over the approximate ages and the psychosocial crisis that they will eventually come to. Neglecting a child can lead to a cause of mental negligence in the form of Arrested Development. Within different Erik Erikson s Stages Of Psychosocial Development Current Developmental Stage: According to Erik Erikson’s stages of psychosocial development, Neveah is in middle adolescence, which is focused on the conflict of identity verses role confusion (Ashford LeCroy, 2010). The developmental characteristics of middle adolescents include sexual identity, role experimentation, moral development, and self-discovery (Ashford LeCroy, 2010). Adolescents are evaluating how they fit into society and more specifically their social sphere. During this time, friends, social groups, and cultural trends greatly impact the adolescent. According to Gibbs (2015), at this stage in development it is critical to be valued and accepted by a peer group. To evaluate Neveah’s stage of development, her ethnicity, immigration, and history of childhood abuse must be taken into consideration. According to Ashford and LeCroy (2010), adolescent immigrants face the unique challenge of fulfilling their sense of belonging, while facing issues of acculturation and minority status. As t hey seek to develop their own identity, they must combine the norms, values, and culture of their minority status and the dominant Caucasian culture (Ashford LeCroy, 2010). Adolescent immigrants face more discrimination as well as are hyper-cognizant of their differences in appearance and language (Ashford LeCroy, 2010). According to Chicchetti and Toth (1995), child maltreatment effects the development of attachment and affect regulation. They further state that studiesShow MoreRelatedErik Erikson s Stages Of Psychosocial Development1695 Words   |  7 Pages Erik Erikson was born in Frankfurt,, Germany, in 1902. He was raised by his mother and stepfather and never knew his biological father. Throughout his life he struggled with his identity and felt that his stepfather never fully accepted him. After meeting Anna Freud the daughter of Sigmund Freud in Vienna, he decided to pursue a career in psychoanalysis. He received a diploma from the Vienna Psychoanalytic Institute however he never received a formal degree all of his knowledge was based on hisRead MoreErik Erikson s Stages Of Psychosocial Development953 Words   |  4 Pagesthird of eight parts to Erik Erikson’s stages of psychosocial development. Erikson states that we progress through these eight stages of development in a fixed order with each stage involving a crucial event or predicament that must be overcome in order to progress to the proceeding stage. This event takes place during a critical period within the individual’s development, thus if it is negatively resolved then it will prevent optimal development into the following stages however if it is positivelyRead MoreErik Erikson s Stages Of Psychosocial Development1318 Words   |  6 Pagesbe discussing is Erik Erikson’s ‘Stages of Psychosocial development’ theory and Diana Baumrinds ‘Parenting Styles’. Stages of Psychosocial development Erik Erikson’s theory emphasizes the search for identity during the adolescent years (Feldman, 2013). His ideas were greatly influenced by Freud, going along with Freud’s (1923) theory regarding the structure and topography of personality (McLeod, 2008). Erikson’s theory is broken down into eight different stages. The first stage is ‘Trust-vs.-mistrust’Read MoreErik Erikson s Stages Of Psychosocial Development891 Words   |  4 Pagespeople still treat you like a child. Since high school, I’ve been interested in psychology, a topic many people engage in because as humans, we all naturally try to learn more about ourselves as a whole, but also as individuals. Erik Erikson’s stages of psychosocial development mark the eight points people go through from infancy to elder hood. Based on Erikson’s theory, twenty year olds are at the end of adolescence where we wonder who we are and what we can be, as well as being at the beginning of Read MoreDevelopmental Psychologist Erik Erikson s Stages Of Psychosocial Development1729 Words   |  7 PagesDevelopmental psychologist Erik Erikson changed the way that people viewed the psychosocial development in humans throughout their lifespan. Using the foundation provided by Freud’s psychosexual stages, he modified the concepts to where they demonstrated external impacts on development as well as making it more about emotional conflicts than necessarily physical drives. This eight-stage theory is sequential, and requires the person to overcome conflicts in each stage to become a productive memberRead MoreCognitive Development And Erik Erikson s 8 Stages Of Psychosocial Development1788 Words   |  8 Pages Jean Piaget’s 4 stages of Cognitive Development and Erik Erikson’s 8 stages of Psychosocial Development Developmental is understood as the act or process of developing; progress such as child developmental. When children go through the process of developing, they all develop the same regardless of what state or country there from. The way children develop has been studied by two psychologists’ name Jean Piaget and Erik Erikson and they both develop a theory of how children developRead MoreErik Erikson s Eight Stages Of Psychosocial Development1428 Words   |  6 PagesErik Erikson’s eight stages of psychosocial development are very well known in the world of psychology. These eight stages deal with critical situations that we go through in life from infancy to late adulthood. â€Å"Throughout life we go through various stages during which we meet ever changing psychosocial challenges – the completion of these stages prepares us to move on to the following stages (Erikson’s Stages Through Identity).† This makes sense because we go through life making decisions in orderRead MoreErik Erikson s Theory Of Psychosocial Development884 Words   |  4 PagesErik Erikson Erik Erikson was born June 15, 1902. Erikson is best-known for his famous theory of psychosocial development and the concept of the identity crisis. His theories marked an important shift in thinking on personality; instead of focusing simply on early childhood event, his psychosocial theory looked at how social influences contribute to personality throughout the entire lifespan. Erik Erikson died May 12, 1994 due to prostate cancer. (Erik Erikson, 2015). Stages of Psychosocial DevelopmentRead MoreErikson’S Contributions To Human Development. Erik Erikson1033 Words   |  5 PagesErikson’s Contributions to Human Development Erik Erikson was a man whose interests varied widely. He studied art and a variety of languages during his schooling. He did not prefer the atmosphere of formal schooling and decided to travel around Europe instead of going to college (â€Å"Erik Erikson†, 1997). He then returned to Germany for art school and later on taught to children who had come for Freudian training. He became Boston’s first child analyst and obtained a position at Harvard Medical SchoolRead MoreErik Erikson s Stages Of Development1608 Words   |  7 Pages The Psychosocial Development The View on Erik H. Erikson s Stages of Development Frank Phan Cosumnes River College Psychology 300 Abstract This paper will touch over the aspects of Erik H Erickson s eight stages and how they affect everyday lives from infancy to adulthood. The paper will go over the approximate ages and the psychosocial crisis that they will eventually come to. Neglecting a child can lead to a cause of mental negligence in the form of Arrested Development. Within different

Immelt Reinventing General Electric Free Essays

This case study was part of a strategy assignment taken at the SDA Bocconi School of Management. I’d like to thank my fellows Gouri Wagle, Felipe dell’Oro, Andrea Masina, Paolo Cerchiario, Ashna Suri-Sasmal and myself for the insights that contributed to put through this work. The issue: In September 2009, Ge’s Board of Directors reappointed Jeff Immelt as CEO. We will write a custom essay sample on Immelt: Reinventing General Electric or any similar topic only for you Order Now My team was asked to prepare a memo providing guidance on the following four qustions: 1. The key features of Immelt’s strategy for GE, in compariso to that of his predecessor, Jack Welch. While Jack Welch was mainly focused on short-term objectives, his successor, Jeff Immelt was more concerned about the long-term strategy. Welch’s leadership was characterized by risky projects that led to technological revolutions, aggressive cost cutting schemes and accurate performance measurements. On the other hand, Immelt emphasized organic growth, technological innovations and exploiting emerging opportunities. 2. To what extent has Immelt’s strategy been aligned (a) with developments in the external business environment since 2001 and (b) GE’s resources and capabilities? Jack Immelt’s strategy was very much aligned with the external business development and its key resources and capabilities. External business events that occurred during the period 2001-9 included: the destruction of the Twin Towers, Enron’s collapse, the Tyco International Scandal and the 2008-9 financial crisis which brought to light an increased awareness in corporate governance issues. The investment community believed GE hasn’t been transparent with the sources of their profits and subsequently short GE’s shares. GE was then downgraded from AAA to AA+. GE’s response was two fold with the aim of restoring investor confidence and maximizing their value. Firstly, GE improved communication with investors through more detailed financial reporting. Secondly, GE leveraged on its diversified portfolio in order to exploit strategic synergies that would lead to growth in emerging economies. Some of the initiatives included using brand reputation to gain floor in emerging economies such as India and China. In addition, its massive investments in RDresulted in new products such as â€Å"Smart Grid† and sodium battery. GE also exploited itsmanagerial capability to increase efficiency and reduce costs. Consequently, customer satisfaction and coherency within the organization ensued. 3. How well is the strategy performing? Complexity remains a significant challenge for many mega-institutions. The larger and more complex the company, the harder it is to perform extremely well. When Immelt took over from Jack Welch almost 8 years ago (as of April 2009), GE stock was trading at $53 a share. 8 years later, it’s at around $12. The company’s rating was AAA, the best, awarded to only a handful of enterprises, now it’s AA+. Looking at GE’s share price may give the impression the company destroyed value, but a close look at the company’s ROE shows that over the period, GE registered an average 19% ROE, which is quite impressive taking into consideration the company’s exposure to external business environments. Figure 1: GE’s stock against the SP 500 and Siemens AG (2001-2009) Immelt may have made some mistakes during his tenure as GE’s CEO. GE’s financial arm invested into too risky businesses, including consumer credit cards and real estate. But one should note that before the financial crisis, GE made considerable profits coming primarily from the now-questioned investments in its financial division and no one could have predicted that the financial crisis could have been so pervasive. GE has been investing heavily in RD and focusing in what it believed would be the business of tomorrow. Since his appointment, Immelt has been busy reshaping GE into one of the world’s biggest problem solvers through its infrastructure, energy, transportation and health care divisions in a broad, high-payoff scope. Immelt made some smart divestitures. GE got out of subprime mortgages in 2007 and exited insurance before the sector depressed. Though GE Capital unit suffered huge reversals during the financial crisis, it never registered a loss and the company was able to limit its exposure. Overall, if we take into account the dividends GE paid to investors and all the meltdowns that occurred between 2001 and 2008, Immelt’s performance looks respectable and the company external and forward focus strategy may pay-off. 4. Is there a case for a radical change in strategy—specifically, should GE be broken up into a number of more specialized businesses (some of which would be floated as independent quoted companies, others might be sold to existing competitors)? A radical change wouldn’t be a solution for GE’s fate. GE is surely suffering a conglomerate discount because there’s a lack of tangible and intangible interrelationships among some of its business units. The emergence of GE Capital has created another significant business for GE. GE should therefore try to focus on its two core businesses and get rid of what is not related either to the industrial or to the financial businesses. GE Capital should be horizontally integrated to GE’s industrial business. In addition, GE should keep divesting underperforming and non-core businesses unless they create synergies within the conglomerate. GE should divest NBC Universal, the commercial lending and leasing, and the consumer and industrial businesses, which have registered negative growth since 2004. This could provide required capital to invest in high growth businesses. GE’s future as a successful conglomerate depends on its ability to harness cross-selling and cross-promotion between divisions, exploit scale advantages, differentiate itself from its direct competitors, maintain its role as a national champion, and be coherent with its culture and brand. How to cite Immelt: Reinventing General Electric, Papers