Browse Categories

Why GM Matters: Inside the Race to Transform an American Icon

In Association with
  • List Price: $26.00
  • Our Price: $16.74
  • You save: $9.26 (36 %)
  • Studio: Walker & Company
  • Availability: Usually ships in 24 hours
  • Avg. Customer Rating: 4 Stars
Buy from Amazon.com
 

Product Details

Editorial Reviews

Product Description: In November, GM CEO Rick Wagoner appeared before Congress to ask for $25 billion to bail out the struggling Big Three automakers. To critics like Thomas Freidman and Mitt Romney, it was a sign that the American auto industry should be led out to pasture; if the Japanese are better at making cars, they said, then we should let them do it. To defenders, the loss of the country's largest manufacturing sector would be an incomprehensible disaster. Nearly every day, the debate rages on the op-ed pages. Billions of dollars and millions of jobs hang in the balance.

In Why GM Matters, William Holstein goes deep inside GM to show what's really happening at the country's most iconic corporation. Where critics say that GM has sat on its hands while the market changed, Holstein demonstrates that GM has already radically retooled its entire operation, from manufacturing and cost structure to design. Where pundits say we'd be better off without GM, he shows how inextricably linked GM and the nation's economy still are: The country's largest private buyer of IT, the world's largest buyer of steel, the holder of pensions for 780,000 Americans, GM accounts for a full 1 percent of our country's GDP. A dollar spent on GM has profoundly different consequences from a dollar spent on Toyota.

Following a diverse cast of characters--from Rick Wagoner, the controversial CEO, to design director Bob Boniface, to Linda Flowers, a team leader on the line in Kansas City--Holstein examines the state of GM's health and builds a persuasive argument that GM is essential to our nation's well-being and, with the right economic climate, ready to compete with Toyota as one of the biggest global automakers.

Customer Reviews

 
Why GM Matters.
Reviewer: Jose Lopez (Miami,Florida USA), Date of review: May 04, 2010
Avg. Customer Rating: 3 Stars
Should be re-titled to Why GM Doesn't Matter Anymore or Why GM once Mattered. I read the book and it makes a good case for A Once Great Company. Me Being A Very Loyal GM fan I read it. However, Saving like it has been "Saved" Now is not the right thing. GM should Remain A Private Enterprise in Order to thrive, forget the Chevy Volt and Nevermind the "Green" Cars, Bring Back EXCITING cars. Keep the Exciting Cars,Corvette,Camaro. Focus on a way to reach the Youth Segment without comprising and selling out to a radical Unimportant Global warming sect. That's what GM should Do.
Puff Piece
Reviewer: John Mccarrier (Ohio, USA), Date of review: December 19, 2009
Avg. Customer Rating: 2 Stars

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

The price of ongoing access to high level GM corporate officials and mid-level managers for this author is treating them and their company gently in your book. Holstein spends most of the book arguing that GM is made up of bright, competent, hard working people who deserve a chance to succeed. He points out that they are finally listening to their critics, implementing neat ideas like OnStar, building neat cars like the new Cadillacs, and finally building higher quality cars.

In addition to being too easy on Rick Wagoner, the author chooses to minimize decades of gross mismanagement. He glosses over the expensive strategic errors made by GM executives like their aborted alliance with Fiat and the purchases and sales of shares of various Japanese manufacturers. Instead he characterizes management errors by highlighting tactics like using cheaper upholstery material.

This book needs a lot more data and a fewer conversations with executives and department managers in manufacturing plants.
GM
Reviewer: James M. Kennedy (Philadelphia, PA), Date of review: May 27, 2009
Avg. Customer Rating: 4 Stars
Overall, I enjoyed this book. The book describes GM's operations, history, and how they got into their crisis. Holstein supports all of his views of GM suceeding in the future. Ironically, I started reading this book the day I read that Wagnor was removed as CEO of GM. This made it a little difficult to read Holstein's compliments to Wagnor throughout the book. Note: Holstein does mention Henderson taking over the day to day operations(which happened). This book does a good job of describing how GM acknowledges their past failure and are preparing themselves to compete in the future.

I believe that GM will always be around in one form or another, however I find it hard to believe that they will be a powerful U.S. company again. I am having a hard time believing that the Volt is the car of the future (I do like how they are promoting it though). Amazing how management of the 90s may have damaged this company forever. I personally see Ford as the only Detroit survivor but we will see.

One other note, the title of the book really intrigue me to purchase this book. After reading the book, I can say GM matters to the communities where GM facilities however I do not believe it matters nationwide. I do not really believe in the ripple down effect because the suppliers will supply the automakers that are producing cars in the country. Just my opinion as of 5/26/09; we will see.
Good to understand GM's efforts.
Reviewer: Samuel Valdes Montemayor (Monterrey, N.L., México), Date of review: April 10, 2009
Avg. Customer Rating: 3 Stars

2 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

This book helps understand the efforts that GM has made in the last decade to improve its quality, car's design and operations. This book does not have the needed detail to understand the complex situation GM is in. No single book can cover it, though. I disagree with the author's point of view. He believes that GM has gone a long path of improvement and now is on the same competitive edge as Japanese cars, and that the current problem is customer's perception. I disagree. I believe GM has to go through a complete restructure and downsizing (with or without Chapter 11) on the next decades to come. If they drop the boll once more, they will be out forever. This book helps understand what are the things that GM has done correctly in the past 10 years, specially about Lean Manufacturing(GMS)and better desing on the newer launches.
Why GM Matters
Reviewer: C. Piel (Baltimore, MD USA), Date of review: March 23, 2009
Avg. Customer Rating: 5 Stars

1 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

This book is an easy read and dives into the intracacies of how Rick Wagoner and the current management have gone about remaking GM. The public mistakenly believes the current management at GM has caused many of their problems. In fact, in alignment with the premise of this book, current management under Wagoner has taken key steps that avoided GM's demise long before the current crisis. Wagoner is part of the solution, not part of the problem. Having done business with GM over the last 5 years, I find many of Holstein's conclusions and premises to be, in fact, true. Before anyone passes judgement on the auto "bailout" and the current GM management, they should read this book.