getAbstract

Home | Knowledge Packs | Travel Packs |
Blog | RSS Feeds | Free Summaries

Billy, Alfred, and General Motors

The Story of Two Unique Men, a Legendary Company, and a Remarkable Time in American History

by William Pelfrey

AMACOM, 2006

Category: Leadership & Management

Get the summary
Billy, Alfred, and General Motors

getAbstract rating

Overall (?)

rating 8 (8)

Applicability

rating 6 (6)

Innovation

rating 8 (8)

Style

rating 7 (7)

Level of Expertise (?)

rating 5 (5)

User rating

  (1 rating)

In this summary you will learn

  • How Billy Durant contributed to the evolution of the American auto industry
  • How the industry and General Motors developed
  • What role Alfred Sloan played in building GM and the U.S. industrial sector

Why you should read Billy, Alfred, and General Motors

In this book you’ll find eccentrics, misfits and geniuses who made and lost fortunes, founded and lost companies, gained brief fame and were eventually forgotten by just about everyone except automotive industry historians. Although the book purports to focus on Billy Durant, Alfred Sloan and General Motors, its scope is actually much wider, since the evolution of the automobile industry exemplifies the evolution of U.S. industries in general. getAbstract recommends this lively, readable saga to history buffs and managers. It is a highly instructive take on the parallels between boom and bust in the car industry of the 1910s and in the high-tech industry of the 1990s.

About the Author

William Pelfrey is a veteran U.S. Foreign Service Officer and former director of executive communications for General Motors.

Comment on this summary

Be the first to write a comment! Sign in to share your opinion