Business Failure - DHL

Essay by ramosmiltonUniversity, Master's July 2010

download word file, 6 pages 0.0

Business Failure � PAGE \* Arabic �8�

Running Head: Business Failure DHL

Business Failure DHL

Milton Ramos

University of Phoenix

LDR/531 Organizational Leadership

Group: PA10MBA02

Instructor: Margaret Ettenheim

July 1, 2010

Workshop 1, Assignment 1

DHL is considered to be one of the leading logistics and parcel delivery service providers in the world with delivery services in more than 200 countries. DHL was founded in 1969 by Adrian Dalsey, Larry Hillblom, and Robert Lynn. The company name DHL came to be by taking the first letters of each founding member. The company started by delivering door to door air service between San Francisco, California and Honolulu, Hawaii (DHL, History, 2010). Before DHL there were no express delivery services capable of offering the quick overnight delivery service. With no other company offering the express delivery services DHL expanded quickly to employing more than 30,000 people with more than 4000 offices world wide (DHL, History, 2010).

In 2008 Deutsche Post AG became part of DHL as part of DHL's strategic plan to align with the European ground base services (DHL, History, 2010). By 2002 Deutsche becomes the majority shareholder and ne year later decides to purchase Airborne Express in an effort to compete in the United States market against FedEx and UPS.

Five years after the purchase of Airborne Express DHL reported losses of $10 Billion dollars (DHL, 2008). Despite the dominant market share in the rest of the world DHL could not gain enough market shares and tale business away from UPS and FedEx. DHL decided to suspend and withdraw operations from the United States, lay off more than 9,500 employees, post a $1 billion dollar loss for the operating year and writedowns totaling $3.5 billion dollars for severance payments and other restructuring costs (DHL, 2008).

DHL's advertizing and...