A presentation on a strategic marketing case study on General Motors Corp.

1. General Motors Corp.
CASE STUDY STRATEGIC MKTG.
BY AMIT VYAS AND ADITI SINHA
(MARKETING – MIT SCHOOL OF BUSINESS, PUNE)

2. Case Facts:
Headquartered in Detroit Michigan, USA
Founded in 1908, 108 years back
Current CEO is Mary T. Barra
Current Business Divisions involves: Buick, Cadillac,
Chevrolet, GMC
Discontinued Brands: Saturn, Hummer, Pontiac
Case time frame is 2000 to 2010

3. Core Issues:
Accumulation of weak car brands
Gargantuan pension plans which has resulted into huge
amount of fixed cost payment which is perpetual in nature
Saturation of similar car models amongst GM’s own
brands
Lag in alternative fuel technology
Lack of customer appeal

4. Case Analysis

5. What then CEO George Richard Wagoner
did?
Moved back to basics
Implemented cost control measures in various functional aspect of
business
Closed down non productive plants
During the automotive crisis of 2008-2009 GM appealed the US
govt. for support in order to avoid bankruptcy
However the company suffered losses of USD $85 Billion under his
tenure

6. What went wrong under Wagoner’s
regime?
Wagoner was praised for implementing operational effectiveness
and improving car’s build quality
However, was criticized for not implementing drastic cost cuts
He was defined as “a leader who lacks making tough calls during the
need of hour when GM was on the verge of filling bankruptcy
His attitude towards change was incremental in nature which was
not the right approach considering the need oh hour (axing down
the hybrid car plan)

8. Existing Strategic
Outlook

10. New Strategic Moves
As part of recommendations and suggestions

12. References
GM report published by : Keith Bergh, Stephen Scotti, Blair
Warner and Justin Lefkovitch
Various articles and blogs
Interviews by Richard Wagoner then CEO of GM Corp.