Billy, Alfred, and General Motors: The Story of Two Unique Men, a Legendary Company, and a Remarkable Time in American History
| Author | : | |
| Rating | : | 4.96 (593 Votes) |
| Asin | : | 0814433871 |
| Format Type | : | paperback |
| Number of Pages | : | 336 Pages |
| Publish Date | : | 2013-06-15 |
| Language | : | English |
DESCRIPTION:
The book includes vivid, warts-and-all portraits of the legends of the golden age of the automobile, from "Crazy" Henry Ford, Ransom Olds, and Charles Nash to the brilliant but uncredited David Dunbar Buick and Cadillac founder Henry Leland. Together, this odd couple built perhaps the most successful enterprise in U.S. The impact of Durant and Sloan on their contemporaries and their industry is matched only by the powerful legacy of their improbable and incredible partnership. Billy Durant was the consummate salesman, a brilliant wheeler-dealer with grand plans, unflappable energy, and a fondness for the high life. Alfred Sloan was the intellectual, an expert in business strategy and management, master of all things organizational. You couldn't find two more different men. Characters, events, and context -- all are brought skillfully and passionately to life in this meticulously researched and supremely readable book.. Billy, Alfred, and General Motors is the tale not just of the two extraordinary men of its title but also of the formative decades of twentieth-century America, through two world wars and sea changes in business, industry, politics, and culture. history, General Motors, and with it an industry that
Keith M. Baker said understand the rise of the United States as a great industrial power then read this book. If you want to understand the rise of the United States as a great industrial power then read this book. It is a well written and interesting read. At the very end the book corrects a very long standing misquotation of a GM executive who became President Eisenhower's Secretary of Defense.. Real People -- Real Life HAL in NY This book is well-written with professional editing. As far as I can tell it does not take sides. It's an older book and covers the founding and rise of General Motors. IT was written before the total realignment of the auto industry as we know it today. It's a good read.
William Pelfrey (Beverly Hills, MI) spent 15 years at General Motors Corp., most recently as Director of Executive Communications. His first book, The Big V, won him a National Endowment for the Arts fellowship. A former journalist, he reported from Vietnam, Appalachia, and Pakistan for The New York Times, Atlantic Monthly, and The New Republic .
But it masterfully tells about GM's past and, in doing so, helps explain what recently went wrong at the company.” -Washington Post “entertaining and instructive… masterfully tells about GM's past and helps explain what recently went wrong at the company.” -Washington Post “…easy to read and extremely well researched.” -World Business Review. "Business Times (New Haven, CT): ""Through the lens of history at its most gripping, this book reveals why American business needs both intuitive, risk-taking Billys and logical, bottom-line conscious Alfreds."" ForeWord: ""The author tells an amazing story, previously largely untoldthis is an illuminating, yet little known saga of the clash betwee