Alfred P. Sloan's 1921 repositioning strategy

Powers, Thomas L.; Steward, Jocelyn

doi:10.1108/17557501011092475

Cited by 4 publications

(2 citation statements)

References 14 publications

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“…What is of interest is the complexity in these reversals in thinking. While not without critics – for example, O’Toole (1995) argues Sloan’s focus on organisation structure was detrimental to personnel considerations – the divisional structure not only reversed Henry Ford’s valorisation of scale, but facilitated a decentralisation in decision-making as well as a ‘repositioning strategy’ over marketing (Powers & Steward, 2010). In all this, however, the common portrayal of Sloan as inventing decentralisation misleads.…”

Section: The Person: Creating the Modern Managermentioning

confidence: 99%

Creativity, Organisation and Entrepreneurship: Power and Play in the Ecological Press of Money

Munro

2017

Organization Studies

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Drawing on how Marx reverses consumption perspectives (C-M-C) to capture the money-orientation of entrepreneurs (M-C-M), the paper addresses ways the 'ecological press' of creativity (Rhodes, 1961) is affected by money-orientations becoming internalised deeply into institutions. Accepting Hjorth's (2005, p.389) critique that managerialism aims at producing 'today's ideal of self-managing enterprising employees', the pressing issue is to understand how organisation, when re-configured around budgets, targets and other metrics, can be opened up to passion, carnival and play without augmenting the 'power of place'. Asking how 'spaces of play' get foreclosed by the 'ecological press' of creativity being turned towards moneymaking, particular scrutiny is given to the ways in which 'institutional logics' (Thornton & Occasio, 2008) get altered by internalising money-orientations. Three paradigm cases of innovation are examined: namely Edison's supply of electricity, Sloan's use of ROI to grant autonomy, and JIT's lead towards the flexible factory. While suggestive of the role money may play in limiting creativity to the possible and the potential, the analysis shows how change towards the virtual can be triggered by complex modes of reverse-thinking. While the analysis challenges 'market logics' that put creativity in the hands of the 'chance and caprice' of internal competition, I conclude that negative effects on the ecological press of creativity, such as 'making play pay', might be better countered by more research over how money's presence and absence is created and tempered.

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Section: The Person: Creating the Modern Managermentioning

confidence: 99%

Creativity, Organisation and Entrepreneurship: Power and Play in the Ecological Press of Money

Munro

2017

Organization Studies

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“…for the great multitude", as an example of phase 2 mass marketing. It was Alfred Sloan's 1921 segmentation of the automobile market and re-positioning of General Motors' product line that laid bare the weakness of Ford's mass marketing strategy (Powers, 2010). However, some brands of cyclecars during the mid-1910s offered a line of models with price lining that anticipated Sloan's 1921 strategy at General Motors, and used model names that reflected targeted market segments through varying seating or quality levels, or the intended use for each model.…”

Section: Segmentation and Positioningmentioning

confidence: 99%

Origins of sports car marketing: early 20th Century British cycle-cars

Jones

Richardson

2017

JHRM

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Purpose The aim of this study is to explore the attempts by early twentieth century cyclecar manufacturers in the UK and USA to segment the personal transportation market and to position early cyclecars through the development of unique product attributes and advertising. More specifically, the authors speculate about early twentieth century British cyclecar marketing strategies that implicitly recognized a sports car segment and positioned cyclecar brands to meet the needs of that segment. Design/methodology/approach The primary source material for this research is a sample of 205 print ads and articles from the early twentieth century (1912-1921) specialty magazines devoted to cyclecars in the UK and USA. We combine the content analysis of the sample of ads with a critical reading and interpretation of a sub-sample of those same ads. Findings Between 1910 and 1921, a new form of personal transportation was developed that combined the technology of motorcycles with the utility of automobiles. Known as “cyclecars”, these vehicles were typically constructed from off-the-shelf motorcycle parts and assembled in small batches by a myriad of manufacturers. Current scholarship suggests that the cyclecar craze of the 1910s ended with the introduction of low cost “real” automobiles such as the Ford Model T, Austin 7 and Morris Oxford. We use the content analysis of cyclecar advertisements to construct a brand-positioning map of this emerging segment of the transportation market. We argue that while the core cyclecar positioning was in direct competition with small economically positioned cars such as the Ford Model T, a significant part of the market, primarily centered in the UK, could be considered as for sports cars. That segment of the cyclecar market, along with the development of cyclecars into urban delivery vehicles, continued over time and has re-emerged today in a range of three-wheeled sports cars, including the updating and continuation of the British Morgan 3 Wheeler model which was launched during the heyday of cyclecars. Research limitations/implications The authors can only speculate about the impact of the Ford Model T in this study. Further research on that issue is needed. Originality/value This is the first historical study of cyclecar marketing. Most of what little has been published about cyclecars focuses on their design and technology.

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Toward sustainable automobility: Insights from a stewardship literature review of the industry

Dodd,

Cheong,

Hoffmann

et al. 2024

Bus Strat Env

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The automotive industry is actively pursuing a course of sustainable development; however, to date, progress has been limited. This is because a truly sustainable future requires a substantial and transformative approach to automobility. Some scholars argue that this transformative approach might be found by exploring an industry transition based on stewardship rather than the current status quo of incremental change. Hence, as a way of offering new insights to stimulate action for sustainability, this study presents the first comprehensive review of stewardship in the automotive sector. From an analysis of 161 peer‐reviewed articles published between 1990 and 2022, we identified two underconceptualized forms of stewardship—environmental and social—both of which have an interconnected relationship. Environmental stewardship involves actions that address ecological challenges, while social stewardship pertains to broader, positive impacts on communities. We argue that understanding the interplay between these different forms of stewardship is crucial for achieving comprehensive sustainability outcomes. Additionally, this research identifies gaps in the literature and outlines areas for future research to help both managers and society navigate the complex sustainability issues facing the automotive industry.

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Alfred P. Sloan's 1921 repositioning strategy

Cited by 4 publications

References 14 publications

Creativity, Organisation and Entrepreneurship: Power and Play in the Ecological Press of Money

Creativity, Organisation and Entrepreneurship: Power and Play in the Ecological Press of Money

Origins of sports car marketing: early 20th Century British cycle-cars

Toward sustainable automobility: Insights from a stewardship literature review of the industry

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