Inspirational Quotations

Inspirational Quotes by Roger B. Smith (American Businessman)

Roger Bonham Smith (1925–2007) was an American businessperson. He was the chairman and C.E.O. of General Motors (GM) 1981–90. His attempts to modernize GM and streamline its operations during the 1980s were largely unsuccessful, and he became associated with its decline.

Born in Columbus, Ohio, Smith moved to Detroit as a youngster. He received his undergraduate and MBA degrees from the University of Michigan. After serving in the U.S. Navy in World War II, he joined GM and spent his entire career there, rising through its financial ranks to become C.E.O. in 1981.

Seeing that GM had become complacent in its success and was losing share to imports, Smith instituted sweeping changes and reorganization at GM, including launching strategic joint ventures with Japanese and Korean automakers. He introduced the Saturn car and led commonization (“GM-10” cars initiative.) Investing heavily in robotics, electronics, data processing, automation, and other new technologies, GM bought companies such as EDS and Hughes.

Overall, Smith was criticized when these changes struggled to earn consistent profits for GM The United Automobile Workers union organized several strikes during his tenure, notably shutting the company for several weeks in 1984. Smith was nonetheless credited with putting GM back on the path to success. Smith became the subject of filmmaker Michael Moore’s début documentary, Roger & Me (1989,) which overstated the socio-economic impact of the closure of several auto plants in Flint, Michigan.

More: Wikipedia READ: Works by Roger B. Smith

Anything that you do to increase job security automatically does work for you. It makes your employees a closer part of the unit.
Roger B. Smith
Topics: Business

You don’t just stumble into the future. You create your own future.
Roger B. Smith
Topics: Future, The Future

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