Jeff Immelt Case Analysis

1535 Words4 Pages

Right from the get-go, Jeff Immelt had an uphill battle taking over as CEO of GE. Several factors caused this to be a more difficult time than might otherwise have been. First, he assumed the role on September 7th, and of course a few days later, the United State was attacked. Immediately, he had to deal with GE casualties and donate cash and equipment towards the efforts at the World Trade Center. Second, Immelt came in on the heels of an economy that was cooling from the internet bubble a few years earlier. In September of 2000, the S&P 500 was over 1500, and a year later it was just above 1000. The attack on 9/11 further destabilized the weakened economy and sent investors scurrying for cover. According to the article by Christopher …show more content…

Well, from 2001 to 2005, revenues grew by 39%, and in 2004 and 2005 GE had double digit revenue growth. Earnings grew by 41% from 2001 – 2005 and also had double digit growth for 2004 and 2005. Immelt was also able to increase organic growth from 5% to 8%. The numbers for the revenues and earnings clearly indicate that Immelt was successful in achieving his objectives and it seems that his strategy was well implemented. While he achieved certain success with growing his revenues and earnings, the market failed to recognize this and the stock closed 2005 at $35.05, down 12.5% from 2001. If I were Immelt, I wouldn’t worry too much about the stock price. The S&P has had a similar experience declining 12.1% from the end of 2001 to 2005. It is likely that GE’s stagnate stock price may be a symptom of the overall economy and not an indication of unique problems within GE.
Certainly, Immelt’s success in growing revenues and earnings is a great achievement, especially given the fact that he didn’t have the looser accounting standards that Jack Welch enjoyed. But I also think that Immelt introducing the “imagination breakthroughs” and “dreaming sessions” with other CEOs is a big achievement. Those are two things that will likely have huge impacts for years to

More about Jeff Immelt Case Analysis

Open Document