Analysis of the General Electric Company
Institutional Affiliation
Date
Task One
Strengths and Weaknesses of the Company
Strengths
The ability to possess a highly sturdy research and development process (R&D) has made the company a highly competitive one. They have enabled the firm to come up with the necessary products as demanded in the market hence pledging healthy competition amongst its rival firms. Their innovative developments of required goods to their prompt customers guarantee a strategic improvement of the company’s abilities. Their R;D process has been utilized in stabilizing the effectiveness of GE Healthcare enabling it to introduce the demanded high tech equipment. The effectual influence of this concept should be maintained so as to ensure a progressive success of the company (Bonissone., et al 2015).
In a 2012 research, many staunch customers for GE confirmed that its brand is a great attraction to them. It has been proved to be a source of success for the firm as it strives to develop as well as integrate its strategies to higher competitive levels (Bonissone., et al 2015). These practices certify an intensive progress of the company as the firm management diversifies through its generic strategies. Proper management on the generic as well as the intensive strategies of the firm guarantee appropriateness in the approaches of management of the company hence is enabling it to lead unanimously against its two major competitors, 3M together with Siemens (Henderson ; Evans, 2010).
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General Electric operates on the scheme of diversification of its products. Most of the internal factors in the firm are linked to other related companies hence easing the functionality of the business. This portfolio provides the company with a strong platform for sharing the risks involved in the production of its goods. It as well reduces the termination or pause which might occur in the production process as a result of vulnerable risks hence certifying the company with a promising type of market.
Weaknesses
Some of the internal strategic factors in GE Company limit its operations as well as increasing its cost of production. The fact that this company depends on other firms to supply its segments especially in the navigations and lighting products with raw materials act as a boundary to its efficiency. GE’s Aviation, Energy Connections together with the Transportation segments indulges into poor marketing strategies as a result of inconveniences from their raw material suppliers (Suzuki, 2017). This exposes the firm to either fluctuating supply of raw materials or drastic increment in the costs of production as a result of increased prices of the materials. Such challenges demand a tactical measure so as to reduce the losses incurred in the firm.
The marketing strategic plan of General Electric Company focuses on the areas from which the company acquires larger numbers of customers. This act of concentration in only the promising zones limits the market size of the company. As analyzed in a previous report, GE Company obtains better sales from the United States hence they have seemingly ignored marketing in the Asian regions. This norm can reduce the growth of the market sizes of the company hence limiting its latent capabilities of obtaining a massive market around the globe.
Though highly addressed in the previous documents concerning the company, the Oil, as well as the Gas segments of the company, still performs poorly in their operations. It has been listed as a result of lacking sufficient marketing strategies of these products as well as the stiff competition faced from other oil and gas producers. Better strategies for coming up with the best ways in which this weakness can be curbed should be established. Balancing the market condition for these two products require superb analysis as well as outstanding strategic planners so as to reduce such challenges in the near future.
Opportunities and Threats
Opportunities
The vision of GE as stated in its corporate documents (Bonissone., et al 2015) states that it aims at being the global “premier digital industrial company.” Such an aim within such a promising firm can be easily achieved as the world technologists provide a basement for its success. With the rate of growth in demand for digital products as well as the availability of technologies in the market, GE possesses a great opportunity of becoming mightier through adverse customer satisfaction. Grabbing such an opportunity can perceive brighter progress and development of the company.
As an environmental stipulate, the demand for renewable energy installation in all aspects requiring such power has risen to its peak point. Most of the global zones which do best in terms of business profit margins are in the rush to saving energy costs through adopting this type of energy. In addition to this, the global environmental organizations keep on informing the public on the essence of using such types of energy. Having such a segment within it, General Electric should grab the opportunity through expansions in the Renewable Energy section hence a guaranteed access to better profit margins since the market is assured.
The Asian market is currently improving as a result of the increased population as well as the realized business potential in the region. A big market opportunity for most of the products fabricated by this company avails itself within the area. General Electric, being a poor marketer in the region, has the opportunity of going against this norm and realizing the hidden golden chance within the area. Coming up with well-stratified measures of grabbing this opportune moment and making Asia a promising market just as the United States can ascertain a superb progress in General Electric Company (Ocasio & Joseph, 2016).
Threats
General Electric Company has been experiencing stiff competition landscapes as a result of the types of products they use as well as the extreme advancement in technology. In accordance with Porter’s Analysis of the challenges facing GE, 3M together with Siemens emerge as threats to the company due to their unbeatable innovative strategies. The arising increment in the demand for high technology products, as well as the emerging strength within such companies, sound as a great menace to the General Electric (Bonissone., et al 2015). This calls for an urgent development of fully effective strategies within which the drastically changing competition scenery can be curbed.
Technology has again threatened the peaceful operations of this company through advancing the digital ways within which some services can be obtained from. In the health sector, the ability of patients to receive necessary information from their mobile phones via mobile apps threatens GE. Such digital ways of handling matters give chances to the opportune firms which are able to provide such services to customers hence reducing the market sizes for this firm. The firm might, therefore, lose a lot of its customers to its competitors as it has no ability to adopt such methods.
Among the many segments of the company, GE’s Oil together with Gas segments provides the greatest parts of profits for the company. However, they have been the least promising as a result of the expected rise in the use of renewable sources. Due to this reason, their demise from General Electric might be experienced in the near future. This, therefore, threatens the immense sources of revenue hence an immense challenge to the strategic planners of the company. Such challenges require urgent address so as to minimize the dangers related to any forms of assumptions within the internal together with the external strategic factors influencing the strength of General Electric.
Task Two
Stakeholders of GE and the Major Issues Affecting Them
Jeffrey R. Immelt joined the firm in the year 1982 so as to delegate in the corporate marketing sector. He served as the chairman of the General Electric Company board as well as a CEO until his retirement dates in early August 2017 (Suzuki, 2017). During his service, Jeffrey fought against the will of the governor of Connecticut who was by then Daniel P. Malloy, of increasing the amount of taxes paid by the company to the government. Jeffrey managed to push away the challenge leading to a drastic positive change in the profit margins of the company. Before his retirement, this CEO was confirmed to be in possession of total shares amounting to 2.4 million of General Electric (Suzuki, 2017).
Immelt was succeeded by John Flannery after his retirement in 2017. Having stayed with the company for twenty-five years, Flannery managed to secure an enormous amount of shares from the company hence managing to reach the topmost post of General Electric CEO. Though he had served the GE Healthcare as the Vice President as well as the President of the segment, Flannery only managed to own 575 000 General Electric shares hence boosting his search for CEO post. His leadership has rare cases of challenges through the advancement in technology are quite frustrating to the strategic plans of the company (Suzuki, 2017).
John G. Rice, in possession of 559 000 General Electric shares joined this company in the year 1978 and served in several areas of the globe. Currently situated in Hong Kong, the company’s Vice Chairperson works intensively so as to ensure the company serves its global customers effectively. Rice has been in the first line in researching the best ways in which the company can tap the growing Asian market (Groves, 2012). Having worked from different continents around the globe, Rice believes in his ability to define the best corners for marketing General Electric products. His efforts on redefining the market size GE should have are likely to bear worthwhile fruits in time.
On the fourth rank of shareholders in General Electric in accordance with the 2017 SEC filing, David L. Joyce registers a total of 497 872 shares. David joined the firm in the year 1980 and in June 2008, he secured a chance as the CEO of GE Aviation segment as well as serving as the vice chairperson of the company. At the time he joined the company, David acted as a product engineer. During his leadership in the GE Aviation, production, as well as marketing within the firm, has been well managed hence enabling the firm to realize superb income from the Aviation segment. He has as well managed to stabilize the set strategies as per the technological advancement demands (Groves, 2012).
Being the division giving the company the biggest share of revenue, the GE Power has as well been the greatest challenge unto the shareholders. The efforts of CEO Immelt drained empty as his plans led to fewer yields than expected. The segment’s production has remained a challenge as Flannery states that the future remains undefined for this division. Power has remained a great challenge unto most of the shareholders as it even led to a reduction of the workers by 12000 individuals, as recorded in a report dated August 2017.
Another challenge the firm’s shareholders go through are the strategic measures the company should undertake in order to widen the profit margins hence enable them to share the benefits. Trian Fund Management endorsed the idea onto Immelt as well as Flannery during their regimes, requesting for more strategic ways on how the firm can be expanded.
Task Three
Ethics and Corporate Social Responsibility Issues
In a previous research, the Sustainability and Resource management summoned the GE management in a case whereby 70% of the pollution realized within their working environment result from the industrial work performed by the company (Suzuki, 2017). Most of the wastes from the production process within the firm had been poorly managed with greater percentages being released to the environment. As a result of such challenges, the firm opts to adopt natural sources of production as well as reducing the careless release of sewerages into water carriages hence assuring a balance in the aquatic ecosystem. Laying traps on the released gases so as to reduce air pollution as well as minimize the ozone layer destruction has been a great step in environmental conservation measures adopted by GE (Groves, 2012).
In accordance with the reduced taxation values together with governmental benefits from the company as petitioned by a CEO in the earlier years, the firm has highly come across a lot of negative responses from individuals as well as governmental agencies. Its seclusion from receiving raw materials from the high revenue zones such as DRC in 2013 increased the attacks from people (Ocasio ; Joseph, 2016). As a big firm in the globe, GE has taken the initiative of equally sectioning its profits to the government as well as to its stakeholders. Reduction of the selfish behavior from the firm’s strategic planners ensures its success together with utmost acceptance within the society.
Having sacked more than 12000 workers in 2014 from the GE power section, the firm received a poor behavioral credit reaction from the communal people (Suzuki, 2017). Though it was as a result of poor performance together with fewer profits, the firm realized that it was the worst mistake it had made. In turn, employees have assured health as well as job security covers once employed in the company. Better terms of employment, as well as a more favorable working environment, have been ensured by the company.
Features of GE Stance on Corporate Social Responsibility
The company has been highly considerate of giving back to the society as it has strained in providing better terms, environment as well as services to the universe. Its functionality has been performed in accordance with the dire demands of the customers. The company works towards providing the best to their consumers as well as making the lives of the employees more comfortable. Better percentages of taxes prove the selfless character of the stakeholders as well as the urge to give the best of them to the society (Suzuki, 2017). The efforts made by the firm in ensuring the easier provision of improved living standards of the common people provide the best return a company can gift the society.
The firm has been in the run to supporting as well as ensuring a minimal or no pollution environment in the universe. Despite the great challenge GE faces as a result of the heavy industrial production processes they perform, the company has been in the move striving to minimize the amount of waste it releases to the environment. Though highly costly, GE has adopted more recycling as well as purifying processes within the production areas as a way of showing how great they value a clean environment. Their transportation sector as well as adapted the norm and reduced the amount of air pollution percentages as well as the land degradation moves it makes through adapting the sea method of transportation as an environmentally friendly measure. The use of larger containers, as well as lightly manufactured vehicles, reduces the many trips the department used to make so as to efficiently supply its customers.
GE has proven to be in the first line in ensuring that the lives of individuals, as well as the environmental status, has been maintained favorably for living things to dwell in comfortably.
Task Four
Analysis of the Intended and the Emergent Approaches of GE Strategy Formation Process
The utilization of the SWOT analysis outcome of the firm in accordance with the 2017 reports marked the first step in handling the evident challenges facing General Electric. Adapting the Strength practices as well as grabbing the provided Opportunities foresee better position of the firm. Coming up with the best ways in which the firm can curb its weaknesses together with the threatening factors can guarantee better levels of the company’s abilities in production. Such an approach fits suitably in the strategic demands of assuring the firm a superb future.
Although General Electric company has been ranked the best selling firm in most of the prominent countries especially in electronics (in the United States of America), the firm’s efforts in expounding its market boundaries portray another mentionable effort of the strategic planners. In a previous research which indicated the low levels of market provision in Asia, the strategic planners of this company realized the need of grabbing the opportunity as well as moving towards maximum efficiency of its capabilities (Suzuki, 2017). Efforts on how such measures can be used to grab the growing Asian market for their products ensure a promising future for General Electric.
The marketing strategies have enabled the firm to be known all over the globe. With the accelerating rate of customer increment, the firm’s strategic planners have come up with the best ways of curbing the greatly increasing demand of their products. Raising their production percentages as well as increasing the manufacturing boundaries mark the beginning of the efforts of meeting the customer requirements. In order to balance the Production cost, the firm has planned to opt out the option of being supplied with all raw materials and adopted the reuse and recycling of the possible parts of their solid products (Groves, 2012).
Merits and Demerits of the Approaches
The current strategic plans of General Electric can highly assist in realizing most of the company’s goals. Increasing the market size will foresee the prosperity of the firm as the major aim of any business is growth and expansion of profits. Expansion of the manufacturing zones as well as striving to meet the great customer demands can sufficiently curb the firm’s challenge of underproduction. In the GE Power division, the firm’s plans of adoring the renewable energy sources alternative stab it right as its likely to obtain massive profits in regard to the rising demands of renewable energy.
Since the firm is still in a crisis for products, increasing the market margins might not be a good option as it will, in turn, lead to an increased demand. Closure of some of its divisions such as Oil and Gas might as well result in drastic loss of revenue as well as diversification of most of the customers. Adopting the installation of renewable energy might as well reduce the power of production considering the heavy machinery which demands boosted energy in order to run effectively. Such plans within the strategic lay downs of the firm might not be the best options for them to adopt.
General Electric requires a well-analyzed strategy on how to manage the market demands. An increment in the production percentage requires a responsive increment in the market boundary. As the firm seeks to look for a larger readily available market in Asia, it should as well come up with the best ways in which it will be able to curb the deficiency of products to the growing customer demands. Expanding the business branches can assist in producing the required percentages of products. The size of expansion demands equal assurance of a ready market. Therefore, coming up with the exact demand can help in calculating the exact supply GE should produce.
References
Bonissone, P. P., Badami, V., Chiang, K. H., Khedkar, P. S., Marcelle, K. W., & Schutten, M. J. (2015). Industrial applications of fuzzy logic at General Electric. Proceedings of the IEEE, 83(3), 450-465.
Groves, J. N. (2012). U.S. Patent No. 3,367,332. Washington, DC: U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. General Electric
Henderson, K. M., & Evans, J. R. (2010). Successful implementation of Six Sigma: benchmarking general electric company. Benchmarking: An International Journal, 7(4), 260-282.
Ocasio, W., & Joseph, J. (2016). Rise and fall-or transformation?: The evolution of strategic planning at the General Electric Company, 1940–2006. Long range planning, 41(3), 248-272.
Suzuki, H. (2017). Dislocations and mechanical properties of crystals. General Electric Company, 368-73.
