Application of the General Electric Model to the strategic business units of the DaimlerChrysler AG

Seminar paper from the year 2005 in the subject Business economics - Offline Marketing and Online Marketing, grade: 1,0, Mount Union College, language: English, abstract: When Gottlieb Daimler and Karl Benz built their first car in 1886, neither of them would have imagined what a global company would arisen from their invention. The brands Maybach, Mercedes Benz, and Smart are known worldwide. They all belong to the subdivision Mercedes Car Group. In 1998, Daimler-Benz AG merged with the American Chrysler Corporation to form DaimlerChrysler AG. Since then, the well known brands Dodge, Chrysler, and Jeep were added as to the DaimlerChrysler AG as the Chrysler Group division. DaimlerChrysler bought Fuso, the truck division of the Japanese Mitsubishi Motors Company, for its Commercial Vehicles Division in March 2004. Also, Mitsubishi is DaimlerChrysler's strategic partner and has already developed new engines and compact cars in several joint ventures. The company's Commercial Vehicles Division also includes well-established brands such as Setra (buses), Freightliner (trucks), Sterling Trucks, Western Star Trucks, as well as Mercedes-Benz buses and trucks. Not only does DaimlerChrysler AG offer vehicles but it also offers various services through its DaimlerChrysler Services and DaimlerChrysler Bank divisions. The former offers services like insurance services or toll collection solutions while the latter specializes in leasing, financing, financial investment, and even offers three different VISA credit cards. [...]