Talk:Alfred P. Sloan/Archives/2013

Three main innovations

According to what I know (mainly from visit to Ford museum in Dearborn, ironically, backed up by Britannica) Sloan introduced 3 main innovations - the annual model change already mentionned, plus his slogan of "moving from a mass market into a mass class market", though already touched on in relation to the harmonised ranges, does not touch on the introduction of aspirational marketting (i.e. first use of billboards) to different sections of the consumer market. Plus the provision of consumer credit for the first time ever (had only existed as mortgages in relation to built property before). The main point of these was that Ford had exhausted the market for people who didn't have cars - everybody that wanted a Modelt T in the US now had one, Sloan aimed to sell new cars to people that already had a car - a replacement market overtaking a "virgin territory" one. With these innovations Sloan is the father of modern consumer capitalism.

Streetcar consipiracy

I removed the following sentences because they lack citations. At the least, they should have excellent citations before being included, but I think they should be omitted altogether -- readers can follow the link to the streetcar conspiracy if they want more info.

Many of the trams themselves were literally burnt in order to prevent any reversal in public transport policies.

Frequencies of bus services were decreased on less profitable routes, helping to encourage people to buy their own automobiles and travel independently.

--66.92.53.49 17:26, 9 November 2006 (UTC)

More about the streetcar conspiracy as it relates to Sloan http://www.verdant.net/natlcity.htm

Also http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_American_streetcar_scandal —Preceding unsigned comment added by Joe2832 (talk • contribs) 06:04, 22 June 2010 (UTC)

@[User:Joe2832 - no offense intended, but don't you think you're whitewashing Sloan's direct involvement in the since quite well proven and documented fact that Sloan deliberately bought up all the nation's streetcar municipal services? Done so to FORCE Americans to all buy GM cars, and ride GM buses? They even had Congressional hearings in 1973 about this, and GM executives were found guilty! Something tells me you probably work for General Motors, have family in the car business, or otherwise have a vested interest in covering up the truth about Sloan and GM's extremely damaging, law breaking involvement in ridding most of USA's cities with affordable, effective, efficient public transit. I think the above quotes should be put back in, because they provide factual, anecdotal evidence of extremely damaging actions taken by a corporation against Americans, so it could completely monopolize transportation in USA. This offense committed by GM and Sloan is especially extremely important today, as the USA is in serious trouble due to the fact that it has NO public transit infrastructure now, to be able to compete with China, Europe, and other modern industrial societies which have much better transit systems than in USA. Therefore for the public's benefit, and to hasten awareness on this pressing issue of today I say put those quotes back in! — Preceding unsigned comment added by 90.181.172.29 (talk) 16:32, 26 September 2011 (UTC)

The Third Reich

I have removed the following from the article:

Under Sloan's direction as CEO, General Motors is known to have made large profits off of the rearmament of the Third Reich. General Motors Overseas Corporation was led by director James Mooney, who held various business visits with Adolph Hitler, along with senior executives of GM's German division Adam Opel A.G. GM and Opel were eager, willing and indispensable cogs in the Third Reich's rearmament juggernaut, a rearmament that, as many feared during the 1930s would enable Hitler to conquer Europe and destroy millions of lives. For GM's part, it has steadfastly denied for decades, even in the halls of Congress, that it actively assisted the Nazi war effort.[1]

This is a rather serious charge, and may be libelous if it cannot be proven. While there is a reference provided, it is that of a website, neither a tangible nor a peer-reviewed source. Can anyone provide a better reference? Otherwise, this should probably be left out, or at least rephrased. 64.118.220.131 (talk) 20:59, 29 November 2007 (UTC)

Criticism

This section seems somewhat harsh, given GM's dominance in manufacturing for so many years (although it is fair to point out that it has been declining for some time). Recommend a more balanced approach.

Criticism → Accounting system drawbacks: needs work

This subsection will need more work from someone who is well versed in current inventory management and accounting, and who has read Waddell & Bodek 2005 (which I have not [yet, as of this writing]). I know there's something wrong with the way it's worded right now, because Sloan 1964 chapter 8, "The development of financial controls", makes very clear that GM in the 1920s understood quite well that excess inventories are financially damaging and that inventories must be kept continually minimized to the lowest level feasible without leaving the production lines short of materials/parts/tooling to do their jobs to whatever amount that actual current market demand requires. In other words, they were pretty darn forward-thinking for the 1920s. I suspect that the argument that Waddell & Bodek 2005 actually makes must be more subtle and financially technical than just "inventory is bad and GM didn't realize it." If anyone can beat me to it (figuring out the answer and fixing the section), please do. Thanks, — ¾-10 16:57, 19 February 2011 (UTC)

I am the 'Waddell' of Waddell and Bodek cited. I suggest that the wording of this passage is indeed accurate. While Sloan did write the piece in his book described by Three-quarter-ten, Bodek and I put more faith in his actions. We criticized Sloan both for the DuPont ROI model that mathematically puts inventory and cash in exactly the same bucket; and the dismal inventory turns achieved by GM under Sloan's leadership. While he may have intellectually understood that excessive inventories were problematic, he routinely achieved inventory turnover of 6 or less annually, compared to turnover in excess of 20 times annually under the Ford management system of the day. I say, let the passage stand as written.

Sounds good, Bill. I think I will add a sentence that says something like "Although Sloan's memoir suggested that he intellectually understood that excessive inventories were problematic, inventory management during his tenure never reflected the goal ..." or something like that. This way anyone who reads Sloan's memoir will understand why what he said was kind of a theory that did not get implemented. Thanks, — ¾-10 03:14, 9 August 2011 (UTC)

PS: Many thanks for answering this question! — ¾-10 03:19, 9 August 2011 (UTC)