Joe the Car Dealership Owner

Last one. "The Death of a Salesman" After 60 years of business, Jo Pepper of Belville, New Jersey says, it is "an utter and complete debilitating shock" to close his business. He never ever saw this coming. Money not be available for loans or for business combined with the rise in gas prices forced Jo to close the doors on his dealership. The borrowing from Peter to pay Paul process was completely haulted, prevent Jo from buying cars and having a payroll. Two major parts of a business product and payroll. He had 26 employees in the parts department alone a total of 87 people worked for him. Functioning for the last time on a skeleton staff of 17 who was shipping parts back to Chrysler. In the last year, 600 new car dealerships have gone out of business. 2000 are expected to close over 18 months and within that time 70, 000 people in the car dealership business will lose thier jobs.
Today our Governer Paterson says that there will be a loss of 160, 000 jobs and within 4 years New York will be at a $47 billion deficit. The future looks extremely glim for Jo the plumber, the dealership owner, the teacher, the CEO, the Receptionist, etc.

Persuasion By Guilt

The plea is now about the loss of jobs and local businesses if GM and Chrysler continue to be "locked out of the credit markets" as they continue to burn cash rapidly. It is interesting watching the tactics they will use to get what they want. I really hope that they don't forget about the people who make this whole thing happen. You just have to wonder if they honestly care about the lives they are affecting. Is caring too much? Are you suppose to care about the people that work for you? Does it make it easier if you don't? I guess not if you are an ethical business person and/or you have a conscience.

Go Green!

Here is the link http://www.nytimes.com/2008/10/26/business/26jane.html to a profoundly clear breakdown of the possible demise of General Motors. It focuses mostly on the Janesville, WI plant. It really makes it clear that GM acted on greed. They thought that remaining the leader meant producing the most vehicles so that they would saturate the market and be the leading choice for consumers. They did not put the consumer first and create vehicles that would change with the times. Drops in sales after Katrina was their glimps at the future. Everybody is "going green" and GM should have been the innovators of saving the earth. Instead they are late because they went for the green and now they are losing so much green,it is possible they won't be around much longer.

The pendulum is getting closer.

GM will "temporarily stop company matching of its 401(k) program. They will suspend tuition reimbursement and adoption assistance programs as of the end of this year." That is truly messed up. A woman on the news said she lost $42,000 from her 401 (k). This is disturbing. We all need to check in with Suzy Orman. The pendulum is getting closer.

Hot Mess

I know we all knew this was a hot mess, but I just had to write it. It is really unfortunate, but again, if we mess up we lose. These companies, GM & Chrysler and so on, have messed up and should deal with the consequences. There is no one to save my ass so why do they think they can force the federal government with the guilt of having the responsibility of pension obligations. This doesn't guarantee that these companies are not going to mess up and that the Federal Government is not going to be responsible in the end. I just don't understand why this is going round and round. Everyone is losing money, decisions need to be made by now.

Kirk Kerkorian Gave Up

Kirk Kerkorian is a billionaire who is known as "one of the important figures in shaping the city of Las Vegas, Nevada." He planned on Ford back in April, especially with the loss the motorvehicle industry has suffered due to the increase in oil prices. The current economic situation has pushed Kerkorian to sell his shares for one third of what he paid. He gave up. It looks like there is no hope insight. I wonder if Ford, Chrysler or GM will be around if they don't get the help they seem to need from the US Treasury.

Drame De La Journée

News of the day: GM doesn't have all the funds to buy Chrysler. The economic drama continues. Also, in today's news, pictures of the the movie Cadillac Records have been released. The film will focus on the "rise and fall of Chess Records" where Elvis Presley, Etta James, Chuck Berry and several other artist came from. Beyonce Knowles is a producer on the film and will play Etta James. There is some controversy regarding this depiction of the truth http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/the_big_picture/2008/10/chess-records-m.html The drama never ends. Nonetheless, I can't wait for the film. It comes out December 5, 2009.

Saving Money Through Efficient Management

Many businesses lose sight of the big picture and lose lots of money because they think that if they create positions with multiple responsibilities it will cut expenses. From being one of those people who have been responsible for more than my share, I most certainly able to testify this truth. In the long run the job is not done to the best of the individual, department or companies ability. The work does need to be spread out to those who do have the skill or specialize in the whatever the task or goal. "GM realized a 30 percent reduction in chemical use and a 30 percent reduction in its cost of purchased chemicals and associated management activities" by sticking to what they know; vehicles. They allowed a chemical management services provider to take on the task of managing chemicals. I wish others would take a hint.

Completely Gratuitous. Okay maybe not.

Today is my birthday and I have decided to focus on a company that has been around since 1941; Coach. They are an American brand that crosses all levels of income just as GM does and has an “all American style” from wallets to bags to jewelry to footwear. As an American company, their quality is unmatched.

Unlike GM, they are just beginning their global journey, starting with Japan. They have “over 900 department store locations in the US, 167 international department stores; retail store and duty free shop locations in over 20 countries, 149 department store shop-in-shops and retail and factory store locations operated by Coach Japan, Inc.” This quarter they have lost just as many businesses around the world are losing.

Just as cars are a luxury; a Coach bag is of equal comparison to many. There is a sense of pride and status with each design. They thrive on classics and classics with a twist. Meet the New OP ART INLAID LARGE LEATHER...JULIANNE:




Yes, she absolutely beautiful. She is on my birthday list. I have already started the campaign for this classic timeless beauty. The equivalent of a Cadillac, it is an experience like no other. She represents, "Life. Liberty. And The Pursuit."

Is the Union Really Helping or Just Talking?

First GM went to Ford. Now it looks like they are getting further with Chrysler to save the companies and merge. The Union leaders say that they oppose the merger if it will cause a loss of jobs. Business is business and I don't mean to be harsh, but either way people are going to lose jobs. So the Union reps are really not protecting anyone. They're just talkin' out their ass.

Bargain Shopping This Holiday Season During an Economic Downward Spiral

In my finance class, we learned about vendors and credit and net 30 etc. All businesses run this way. No one pays for anything in cash from the manufacturer to the vendor to the business to the customer. Its like lay-away, but not so much. I really can't tell, but I am curious to see what the Holiday season will play out like during an economic downward spiral. Will we get flat screen tv's at phenominally low prices? or Will it be too much for middle America to afford? While plants are shutting down at GM, does that mean we can get cars at a much cheaper price during the holiday season because they need to make room for the newer models which will be more valuable being that there are so few. I may not shop for a car, but I think there are going to be some truly unbelievable deals and I am saving up just incase Santa's gonna allow it to be one of the last best Chistmas' ever!

We're Goin' Down

The Dow has fallen 9 points. One year ago today, the Dow was at its all time high of 14 points. They are saying that this is a really sad day for anyone with a retirement fund. Our future is not secure and there is no assurance as to what our future will be. It looks like we haven't reached the bottom yet. That's terrifying. What could the worse case scenario be?

All Dried Up?

The Federal Reserve will "buy large amounts of short-term debt in an effort to stimulate the credit markets, which have all dried up." I am truly confused by this. This $700 Billion bailout is one thing, but a strategic plan on how to prevent this from happening again should go hand in hand. Why is it that I know better? If that is the case I have to assume they know better, but may not be changing the system. I keep hearing people say the "American Dream" of owning a home is over because the rules are gonna change.

Who Moved My Cheese?

The leaders at Publicis' Starcom Media Vest Group have decided to trim the fat by letting go of about 150 employees. They have decided to "relinquish planning and buying chores for GM dealers. This will now be handled by two other groups under their umbrella. There is reorder happening in all areas of GM and any business affected by the economy. Everyone is saying, "Who Moved My Cheese?" I believe that of the many; GM will get the cheese back. The problems are the people who will lose their jobs due to the reorder. They will have to go from Caciocallo cheese to American cheese.

Global Warming is a "Crock of Shit"

GM's Vice Chairman, Bob Lutz once said that "global warming is a crock of shit." He refused to acknowledge what he said. When he first made the statement, he said his views and opinions had nothing to do with GM. It was quite reckless of him to make that kind of statement. It could be the one thing that can destroy most of the work GM has done so far. Its like a cop or doctor, even if you are off duty, you are still a cop or a doctor.

Isuzu says no to GM

Isuzu says no to GM on an offer to buy its medium-duty truck operation. On January 30, 2008 the Isuzu website says that on January 31, 2009 it will discontinue distributing new Isuzu passenger vehicles in North America and it results from the prospective cessation of production by General Motors Corporation of the
Ascender Sport Utility Vehicle, and the i-290 and i-370 pickup trucks.

Its interesting that after stopping production which would clearly affect Isuzu that they would try to sell to them. There was obvious tension.

The Arts will suffer.

GM pulled out on renewing their contract with the Youngstown, OH Arena for naming rights. This is all due to the economy and declining revenues. This is all part of the trickle down affect. The arts will suffer in terms of programs supported by corporations because companies and the city and state are trimming the fat. This is gonna be really really interesting.

The Nancys have it right!

I think Nancy Pelosi and I have the same idea. Majority should rule, but it seems he's getting what he wanted from the Senate. The House will vote on Friday.

The New York Times

Wednesday, October 1, 2008 -- 9:56 PM ET

The Senate strongly endorsed the $700 billion economic

bailout plan Wednesday, leaving backers optimistic that the

easy approval, coupled with an array of popular additions,

would lead to House acceptance by Friday and end the

legislative uncertainty that has rocked the markets.

Written September 23, 2008 for the Business 200 Exam:

Our environment has completely changed in the past eight years. Globalization has wholly changed the ways we all do business. When bad choices are made, we deal with the consequences. This addition to our spiral downward doesn't add value to the U.S. The contrast between business and government is, in business, if you mess up, you are fired. President Bush is not effectively working through his administration to achieve organizational objectives in this changing environment that has been unstructured and doomed from the beginning. He has obviously been mismanaging the administration. There was and is no planning.

He effectively wants to erase the mess by passing billions of dollars of debt on to our pockets. The central element in the process of management that entails achieving a stated organizational objective seems to be, “f*(% it.” It’s like President Bush wants to try one last dumb thing before he completes his run.

This is definitely not a balance. In his entire run he never served the U.S. He served his ego. Most managers fail with this derailed way of thinking. President Bush has not exercised control in any of the situations this country has been placed in. This example of decision making is unethical and reckless. This choice is definitely not an example of the best business practices or even a strategy. There is no “get out jail free” card, his choices have consequences.

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