Case Study - General Electric

Essay by bren_bren85College, UndergraduateA-, March 2009

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IntroductionThomas Alva Edison is accredited for his brilliance as an inventor. Often people are unaware about his business acumen and entrepreneurial drive. The General Electric Company traces its beginnings to the Edison Electric Light Company which was founded in 1878 . The Edison Electric Light Company was facing intense competition from the Thompson-Houston Electric Company , run by Charles Coffin . It was increasingly difficult for both companies to co-exist and hence the two merged in 1892, to form the General Electric Company.

Today GE is a diversified media, technology and financial services company with products and services ranging from medical imaging, industrial products, business financing and media content to water processing, security technology, power generation and aircraft engines. GE is one of the largest organizations in the world, operating in over 160 countries with over 300,000 employees (including over 2500 researchers in their four global research centers) and yearly revenues reaching US$163 billion (2006) .

Over the last five years GE has grown its earnings on an average of over ten percent per annum. GE earned US$20.7 billion in 2006 and has returned over US$18 billion to its shareholders in the form of dividend increases and stock buyback .

Headquartered in Fairfield, Connecticut, GE has been noted to attract the finest human talent.

Over the past 129 years, some of the world's most effective business people have served at the helm of GE, including their current chief executive Jeffrey (Jeff) Robert Immelt.

Our project paper will analyze General Electric in terms of their Destiny, Strategy, Culture and Experiences, and how these components have impacted their success. We will then conduct a brand valuation of GE and analyze their financial performances over the last few years.

DESTINYGE's destiny is not explicitly stated anywhere. Moreover the size of the company and...