How Jeff Immelt Redirected the Strategy of GE? 

Description

How has Jeff Immelt Redirected the Strategy of GE? 

This paper attempts to answer the following questions?

1. In what ways has Jeff Immelt redirected the strategy of GE? 
2. To what extent is the strategy aligned with
         a. The requirements of the 21st century business environment?
         b. GE’s resources & capabilities?
3. What organisational changes has the new strategy necessitated? Will GE         be able to successfully execute the new strategy?
4. What alternative strategies should GE consider?

This paper answers these questions and makes use of the source: Grant, R. (2015) Contemporary Strategy Analysis. You will find this paper useful in answering these questions. Here is a preview of the paper .

Code: 29-45.

Alternative paper on the same topic: Read more … (code 30-64). 

The Strategy of General Electric Under the Leadership of Jeff Immelt

Introduction

Strategy, according to Chandler (1963), relates to the determination of long term business objectives and goals and the adoption of actions and allocation of resources that are necessary if these objectives and goals have to be achieved. Johnson and Scholes (2011) define the term as the long-term direction taken by an organisation. Strategy has been linked to the pattern of decisions made by an organisation. The strategy that a firm assumes and applies is meant to help it gain competitive advantage in the market in which it operates. This paper focuses on the strategy that Jeff Immelt applied during his time as CEO of General Electric. Among other issues, the paper discusses how Jeff Immelt redirected the strategy of GE.

How Jeff Immelt Redirected the Strategy of GE

Jeff Immelt greatly changed the strategic direction of General Electric during his time at the helm of the company. Soon after assuming the role of CEO of GE, the business environment experienced shocks as a result of major events including a financial crisis, 9/11, and the collapse of energy giant, Enron. Even though the company’s performance under the leadership of Jack Welch was commendable, changes in the business environment necessitated changes in the company’s strategies if its performance as a top performer had to be maintained. In appreciation of this fact, Immelt made a number of strategic changes to the company and how it operated.  

One of the strategic changes that Immelt made to GE related to its shift in focus from the maximisation of shareholder value to growth in long-term earnings. Before Immelt, the company put a lot of focus on short term earnings and in maximising shareholder value such as through ensuring the company had high stock prices. Immelt, however, emphasized that the way to go was to manage the company properly which would ultimately drive the company’s stock prices (Grant 2015¹).   This move by Immelt was driven by the realisation that traditional sources of value such as the elimination of under-performing assets and cost reduction had been exhausted. Read more … (code 29-45).