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.bloomberg.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.nytimes.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.bloomberg.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.thedetroitbureau.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.nytimes.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