Influence, Power, And Leadership 2

I think Bill Gates is a good example of influence, power, and leadership. In order to go from where he was to where he is now, he had to have been able to use all 3. Whether or not he is capable of using all 3 now is a bit of a mystery. Well, now that I am thinking about it, I take that back, because once you've utilized all 3 in the past effectively and efficiently, you should always be able to use all 3.

Influence, Power, And Leadership

Influence, power, and leadership, independently, are strong. But combined together, then you have a force to be reckoned with. Anyone (or thing) exhibiting all these can be all but feeble. The seemingly impossible may be a possible task for the possessors of I, P, & L.

No More Blogging About GM??!!

Why??!! They were the perfect backdrop. I was really getting into them and their history. Plus this entire blog was practically suppose to be about them. Anyway, business always changes so you just have to change along with it. Well GM, it was fun keeping tabs on you. Till we meet again and may you make it through all your problems single, smarter, stronger, and safer (I'll leave my blog in your namesake).

Merger May Be Funded By The Government?!

GM is, once again, asking the government for money. This is truly amazing as the $50 billion they wanted hasn't been (fully) approved yet. If the merger actually occurs and the government does pay for it, the money would be coming straight from the controversial $700 billion package originally intended to bail-out the banking system. The next thing you know, they're gonna be asking for money to split up. They should just handle their business on their own. The government should practice more of a laissez-faire approach with these companies (and the banks/wall street) and have them learn (the hard way) from their mistakes.

GM Once Faced With A Difficult Decision

A while back, GM had to stop producing their full-size sport utility vehicles. Now this is really hard for me to believe. The popularity of the Escalade and the Hummer were phenomenal. And all this time, I didn't even know it was GMC making these SUVs. I know they made quite a profit off them and they still can. All they have to do is make them (more) fuel efficient.

Detroit's Big Three In Big Trouble

GM may not make it to 101 years old (single and/or alone). Chrysler is also talking with Nissan about merger. Ford, who/which is older than GM (and I though GM was the oldest motor company), celebrated the 100th anniversary of the Model T, but that was the only thing they had to be excited about. The big three are suffering big time as sales are braking quickly. This month is expected to be a historical one since sales are (almost) at their lowest level in 25 years. That's a descent of more than 15% from last year and if they can't pull through this current period, things are sure to get worse for a long, long time.

GM Is Out To Cut Employee Benefits

In a greater effort to save even more money, GM will be suspending matching payments to employee 401K plans as of Nov. 1. Additionally, they are reducing the salaries of their North American workers by 15%. This is almost as bad as them cutting retiree health care. It's not fair to those hard workers who are dedicating their precious time and energy into the company. But on the other hand, if GM doesn't do this, they may become unable to compensate these workers. This is also a part of GM's plan to raise $15 billion in liquidity throughout 2009.

Midtronics To Supply Tools For GM Hybrids

After coming to an agreement, Midtronics will be supplying a new essential tool for GM's 2-mode Hybrid vehicle programming support. Never heard of the supplier. I guess they are a small company on the rise. It seems they are providing an advanced tool, which is needed for the new GM hybrids. Service Programming System (SPS) Programming Support Tool EL-49642 is what it has been branded. It's based off on an earlier Midtronics Power Supply Charger that did very well.

GM's Third Quarter Sales Results

GM's sales are doing better this year than last. Call me crazy but how is this possible? They are facing all sorts of situations that aren't necessarily positive. Talk about combining the good with the bad. Announcing that sales went up 121% in September 2008 compared to September 2007 sounds way off. I know I'm coming off rather relatively rash right now but all this just doesn't make sense to me as of yet....

GM's U.S. Dealers Could Lose About 18% Profit

Well, GM is losing more money. Based on their normal sales, they are losing about $199,000 a store this year. Add this all up and you get a total that quite a huge loss. They claim to be doing what they have to do to secure their future. They're still big enough to come back, though. "General Motors is here to stay," said Troy Clarke, GM's North American president, which is quite true.

Citi And GM Have Money But No Worth

Citi has about 2 trillion under its belt. GM has about 180 billion (and decreasing) under its belt. As you can see both these firms have some serious money but no market value. Both are being traded for a lot less than are usual. Of course, this is because of our worsening economy. Other large companies are also suffering greatly, but, history repeats itself, which means they may take off again and flourish some time in the future.

Effective And Efficient Management Saves Time And Money

I just finished reading an interesting article on "chemical management." Never even heard of this until I read that article. In general, car manufactures don't care about chemicals used or not used in the manufacturing process. But GM does, and have contracted out the management of their chemicals to an expert company. This save GM both a lot of time and energy, which allows them to focus on more tasks. The whole aspect of chemical services, to me, is really interesting and important but is something you hear about rarely, if ever.

A GM Supplier To Close Down

Logistics Services Inc., a supplier to GM, is shutting its local operations down on December 23 of this year. 50 people will lose their jobs because of this. I though that there were far more people working at this place. I guess it's not that bad since a lot more people have been losing their jobs at once. And almost all instances were (in some shape or form) linked to GM. As a matter of fact, this supplier is closing because GM's Moraine plant is closing.

Problems Here In The U.S. Not Affecting GM's Business In India

GM's Indian operations are running smooth. I find it funny that they aren't appealing to their own people. Then again, in today's world, outside and unfamiliar things appeal to people more than what they are used to. They are going to invest $200 million to set up an engine and transmission facility at Talegaon in Maharashtra. They also have a $300 million small car plant there. The Indians seems to admire GM's vehicles and GM is happy to facilitate them.

The Final Debate

I wasn't really paying attention to any of the previous debates until now. There's no special reason for this or anything. I just happened to come home today to the TV on CNN and got caught up in the battle of the candidates (plus it was all over the internet). I think they both did a fair job. Obama did better overall, though, because he remained professional and calm throughout his presentation as McCain got far too angry and emotional during his short speeches. Well, anyone with a brain knows that Obama is our next president, but this has to be made official on November 4th, 2008, where surprises are the norm and anything goes.

No Merger If It Means Job Losses

Unions aren't too happy about the continuing talks between GM and Chrysler about a (possible) merger. They said they'll oppose any deal that would reduce the work force. I see no problem with that. The more people who retain jobs, the better off the economy. As I stated before, this whole "merger" thing looks to be more of a negative move than a positive move. Anyway, Chrysler is practically (fully) owned by Cerberus, a vicious private equity firm.

New NBC Series May Be GM's Best Friend

NBC and GMC have teamed up in a very special way for "My Own Worst Enemy," the networks new drama/thriller series. GM is considered "the exclusive automotive integration partner" for the show. This is a smart move by GM, and they could spark early interest in their new vehicles. In the series, the main character has two separate personalities, and ironically, two separate cars. The two automobiles that will be featured are the 2009 Chevy Traverse and the 2010 Chevy Camaro SS. This unique approach was first attempted by GM in the blockbuster film (and classical cartoon) "Transformers," where the cars were the stars.

GM Approached Ford About Possible Merger?!

Now this is definitely a surprise. After reading about GM and Chrysler (possibly) teaming up, the next day, I'm reading about GM and Ford (possibly) teaming up. Well, Ford rejected the idea, which was the best thing to do, if you ask me. If GM and Ford were to merge, it would be worse than if GM and Chrysler merged. They were always both bigger than Chrysler and, while all of them are suffering, are still larger than Chrysler. Like I said before, they are all better off alone.

GM And Chrysler Discuss Potential Merger

At first, I though that this (merger) was a great idea. Both firms are struggling and being former heavyweights in the (game) auto industry, together they could "rise again." But on second thought, this could create more problems than solutions. While they aren't doing as well as they could be, this merger may make things worse. It would result in too much of everything: factories, cars, car brands, dealers, and a host of unnecessary things already in excess. I think they may be better off alone and confused than together and lost.

GM Retirees To Lose Company Health Care Coverage

GM will cease to provide health care coverage for more than 100,000 retirees and their dependents, on the first day of next year. Instead, the company will add $300 to their monthly pension check, to allow them to purchase insurance. That's outrageous! If I were a retiree I would form a team and go on strike (or a mild mannered rampage), for I know that I'm not the only who feels that this is unfair. And while they are offering an alternate solution, I would still deny that plan because good and cheap health care is hard to come by and being a retiree, I don't have a lot of time on my hands to be searching around for a new health care provider. GM would either have to continue to cover me (and my peoples) fully or increase that (our) small sum of extra money to about a grand (or half a grand to be nice to the lapsing corporation), or face the wrath of the retiree rebellion!

Stocks Fall Is Not Good At All

Towards the close of trading, stocks declined today, sending the Dow Jones industrial average down more than 675 points. That's more than 7%! This brings the Dow to it's lowest level in 5 years after a major credit ratings agency said it was considering cutting its ratings on General Motors Corporation. The Standard & Poor's 500 index also fell more than 7%. GM is currently under review by the Standard & Poor's Rating Services. Maybe GM will be able to keep a decent rating despite struggling with weak car sales in North America.

GM's Lowest Shares In More Than 50 Years

Since the 1950's, GM shares hasn't been as low until recently. GM shares fell as much as 33% to $4.65. This plunge is serious! A leading forecaster even warned that the global auto demand could "collapse" in 2009. I don't think it will affect the "whole auto industry" as bad as it will GM. This is sure to cause issues for others, though, as the "whole economy" is still in a ditch.

Federal Reserve To Buy Huge Amounts Of Short-Term Debt

Well, it isn't over (sounds familiar?). The city is still putting their feet forward (or so they think; they're actually going two feet backward) and is coming up with yet another solution to the wobbly economy. This is just another plan that may or may not work. While Bush has signed the $700 billion financial bailout package into law on Friday, people are saying it's not enough. Too little, too late is what's running through a lot of peoples heads I guess. Even though this plan was beefed up to do so much more than the original.

GM Spends Millions On Engines

GM Chairman and CEO Rick Wagoner announced that the company will invest a whopping $370 million. This money is going towards a new manufacturing plant where the global 4-cylinder engines will be developed. The location is in Flint, Michigan. For them to put so much towards this must mean they're really confident. Maybe they'll be special , "gas friendly" engines. The plant itself will be a Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) certified facility.

Isuzu Turns Down GM Offer

GM is desperately trying to sell its medium-duty truck operations. They first attempted to get Navistar to buy their manufacturing sites then Isuzu. But neither of the two accepted the offer. All three companies have history together, but I guess they don't want to be bothered with GM right now, since they are going through so much. Or it could just be the fact that they can't afford to purchase the factories. Anyway, GM just has to deal with the situation and/or attempt to sell them to another company.

GM To Cut Vehicle Output In Brazil

In October and November, GM and Fiat Spa's Brazilian units will cut vehicle production in the country. This is a result of them asking workers to take early leave. About 1,700 of a total 15,000 workers will take at least 10 days of vacation. I know some of these workers are quite pleased with this decision. Others might want to stay on site and do more work. Nonetheless, it will only be for a short span and things will be back to normal in due time.

GM To Keep Factory Running Overtime

As we all already know, GM is having problems keeping up with demand for fuel-efficient small cars. So in an attempt to stable sales, they have decided to keep their only U.S. compact-car factory running on overtime for the rest of the year. It doesn't seem like they have much of a choice. They're also running short on Chevrolet Cobalt cars. This decision should yield a plus deviation for GM. Then, they can focus on more serious problems, something they should be doing more often.

GM Urges Support Of Bailout

GM's CEO Rick Wagoner is encouraging employees to talk with their Congress members to support the bailout. I thought that this would have already been done. Then again, some may not support the bailout for their own reason. Automakers, in general, are supporting the move because of the credit crisis, which is making it difficult for many car buyer to qualify for loans. Well, it only makes sense for them to support something that will help them. If passed, the new bill may totally get them out of the gutter.

Senate Revives The Grand Plan

Wow, what a surprise! The $700 billion Wall Street bailout plan is back. Senate revamped the bill and hopes the House approves by Friday. Anyway, not much else to say. I knew it wasn't over and it might not be over anytime soon. If this one fails, they're just gonna try again, and then it becomes a continuous cycle until some sort of plan is put into effect officially.