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Images of Change

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Submitted By lapratt2
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Course Project Proposal
The ideal of this project proposal is to compare and contrast General Motors and Ford which have undergone fairly substantial change in the recent past; and how they handled the pressure of change.

Lapratt04@yahoo.com
HRM-587-12043 Managing Organizational Change
Professor Joseph Phillips
Due September 7, 2014

Abstract Ford and GM experienced serious issues during the pre and post TARP causing them to restructure and change how they do business. Each of them reacted to these pressure differently. Ford Motor Company as one of the greatest automobile manufacturers of all time started under the leadership of Henry Ford in Detroit, Michigan. His first production was in 1903, the Model A, with an under the floor engine selling for $850. In the first season it sold 1,708 cars (HISTORY of Ford Motor Company, 2014). Whereas General Motors was founded in 1902 by William Durant, who saw that the automobile would one day replace the horse-drawn carriage. The company did not really catch on until 1908, and at first, it was just a Buick holding company. At the end of 1908, however, GM had acquired Oldsmobile, and in 1909, they bought Cadillac, Elmore, and Oakland. The early 1900s were a difficult time for auto manufacturers; the market crash of 1907 adversely affected a lot of small companies, which relied on the banks for credit. Durant saw the economic downturn as an opportunity; he bought smaller car makers, as well as companies that built auto accessories and parts. In 1908, these were all folded into the GM stable (The History of General Motors, 2014).

Business problem statement
The continuous transitions within the structure of General Motors and Ford has resulted to a devastated inflation and downturn but with the organizational and new leadership capabilities these companies have increasingly improved over the years. The 2008

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