Chevrolet Runs Deep Online

   

   The first use of web2.0 tools, by General Motors, that I was able to locate in terms of internal communications was an article i found where they designed and tested a Capability Maturity Model Integration for Acquisition process. While collaborating with the Carnegie Melon Software Engineering Institute and the Department of Defense, GM developed a study where they looked at teenagers usage to communicate via web 2.0 technologies. The results of the study revealed an undisclosed web tool that allows collaboration between the main oil supplier and the manufacturing plants in real-time while utilizing common terms between said suppliers and CIOs. 

  Through research I was able to find the user policy for GM employees that applies to all who utilize media such as blogs, wikis, podcasts, user-generated video, and other technologies collectively known as social media....the following are their guidelines:

1. Follow GM’s established business conduct policies as outlined in Winning with Integrity, and the Corporate Policy Manual.
2. Identify yourself. Be transparent.
3. Make it clear that you’re speaking for yourself and do not officially represent GM.
4. Be aware of the legal liabilities involved.
5. Don’t discuss GM Information that is not already publicly disclosed, and don’t discuss GM’s financial performance, competitors or GM Dealers. Keep all GM Information confidential.
6. Do not comment about GM financial performance -- ever.
7. Respect and protect GM customers, employees, business partners and suppliers.
8. Respect copyright and fair use laws.'
9. Be the first to respond to your own mistakes.
10. Be judicious about using GM Information Resources.

 As for external representation and utilization of web2.0 resources, GM has a twitter account, facebook fan page (for multiple vehicles and brands), myspace account, Youtube account, in addition to their website. Chevrolet has its own facebook page as well as multiple model fan pages. Fans of certain models of GM cars have also created forums online that are reviewed by GM for discrepancies. Camaro5 is a good example where fans of the fifth generation Chevrolet Camaro can meet online and discuss mods or problems they experience. Podcasts for GM cars and the company in general can also be found on iTunes. General Motors (Chevrolet) is seriously invested into the web 2.0 concept.

   An interesting discovery I came across while conducting research was a blog that GM created. It is called the GM Fastlane Blog. This Blog allows executives from multiple departments to blog about innovative ideas and discoveries or even promote the company or models through event announcements. For the smartphone application of the web2.0 aspect, GM offers applications such as MyChevy or MyCadillac, basically any of the 4 major brands they make in the US. The application allows the owner to interactively mark their car on a Google map mashup on their phone to remember where they parked. Also available for smartphones is the OnStar application which allows the GM cars equipped with OnStar to be located via GPS for parking purposes as well as remote start and for certain models, it can do a diagnostic of the vehicle. This application, however is limited only to iPhone and Android users. Other than the smartphone application of the web2.0 benefits, GM uses the web to simply advertise and educate the public.

Sources:

Web 2.0 lessons and GM

www.camaro5 

FB-GM 

FB-Chevrolet 

twitter
FastLane Blog 

iTelevision

   With Apple's successful iPhone 4S mowing down the smartphone competition, it seems that Apple has decided to enter a new market....The Television market. Although there is a current Apple-TV product, this Apple TV is quite different. Rather than the setup of the current Apple TV, which is a set-top box add-on to third party televisions, this new product (still in development) is a standalone Television offered by Apple. Recently Apple has acquired a few patents related specifically to television screen and broadcasting menus. Included in these patents are Digital Video Recorders, Personal Video Recorders, browsing software, and a fully functioning display. The former CEO, and late Steve Jobs was quoted by Walter Issacson, his authorized biographer that he (Jobs) would like to create an integrated television set that synced seamlessly with all Apple devices the user owned via the iCloud technology. Current;y the iCloud technology allows iPhones, iPads, iPods and Apple computers to share information and store data off site.

   With the passing of Steve Jobs and the release of the iPhone 4S this further proves that Apple will continue to maintain it's greatness. However, it should be noted that this product was in the process of development before Steve Jobs passed. The question Apple must answer is, will it have other great ideas that Jobs did not coin before passing. Stakeholders must think about these factors while dealing with Apple in both the computer and IS/IT industry, smartphone industry and possibly in the near future the television industry.

Also below id Siri's first TV commercial:

Sources:

Apple Developing TVs

Chevrolet's Web 2.0 footprint

*The main website home: note the twitter, facebook and youtube links at the top

   

   Chevrolet's main website, www.chevrolet.com, focuses on their newest accomplishments or events. Currently the 5 topics that scroll across the main page are: 1) The new Chevrolet Sonic going skydiving, 2)The Chevrolet Volt winning 2011 Motor Trend Car of the Year, 3) The Silverado HD winning 2011 Motor Trend Truck of the Year, 4) Chevrolet's investment and policy for reduction of their CO2 footprint across the nation, and 5) Thier Celebration of turning 100 years in November. At the top of the website they have different tabs that can be hovered over revealing their Cars, Corossover/SUVs, Trucks/Vans line ups, Pricings and special offer, culture and owners features. To clarify the Chevy Culture tab includes the following: innovation, history, environment and news links. The owners features are: owner's customized login, certified service, warranty explanation, accesories, manuals and videos, my volt and track your order. 

*What the website displays after selecting the 2011 Camaro model

    The owner links are pretty much all the support an owner needs online, the links have manuals for every car since 2008 in PDF format, warranty information is clearly explained, the certified service center helps owners locate dealers and certified auto repair shops, as well as gives special deals for savings on service. The accesories link takes you to another website that allows owners to select thier car and view all available acessories that General Motors makes for thier automobile, complete with photos and pricing. 

*What the website displays after selecting the 2011 Camaro Coupe model/trim

    The pricing and offers links contains links that allow potential buyers to: view current Chevrolet offers, calculate their monthly payments on a viehicle, an estimated trade in appraisal (via blackbook), view an estimated credit score, apply for credit through ally.com, and finally it has a buying guide. The pricing and offers tab is essentially for non Chevrolet owners but are potential Chevrolet owners. Utilizing these other website and service providers, Chevrolet.com is able to provide links to the companies that offer the services, putting customers and potential customers in touch with the right companies. This allows Chevrolet to leave an impression on future and current customers, in turn building loyalty. As previously stated the other links have the line ups of all the categories of automobiles manufactured by Chevrolet and outlines the models. The links allow potential customers to build models and get a quote as well as locate dealerships for the specific model they desire. Once a model is selected, the different trim levels are introduced and a potential consumer can read on the highlights offered by each trim level. Models can be compared and once the potential consumer decides on the trim level, the next step is to build and customize the model and locate a dealer. The website also offers an estimated price for the specific model with all the add-ons the consumer has selected. Also limited editions are displayed under the main page of the selected model. 

*Chevrolet's Youtube Channel

   As for other web 2.0 participation, if a potential owner or  a current owner has a Facebook, one can log in using facebook credentials. There is a facebook fan group for General Motors, Chevrolet and multiple individual models. Chevrolet has a youtube channel that any youtube user can subscribe to. Also Chevrolet and General Motors have twitter.com accounts. In addition to the company created web 2.0 channels, many owners have created wikis and blogs for different models.

*Facebook group screen shot

Sources:

Youtube

Chevrolet.com

Facebook Group 

iResults are in!

   Monday, Apple announced that it had sold over 4 million iPhones which is an 135% increase over the previous iPhone 4 model. This was better than analysists had predicted, most analysists projected around little over 3 million was to be the number sold by now. The features included with the iPhone 4S have been a highly effective marketing feature, the biggest of which is Siri. Siri is a virtual assistant that helps you set up appointments as well as remind you to do things. Siri will also literally text via voice recognition. Other features such as the iCloud and other iOS 5 features are available for iPhone 4 users to upgrade to, however the iPhone 4S brings more to the table. Besides Siri, the iPhone 4S also has the dual cored A5 processor, making it the fastest iOS 5 3g capable device. The iPhone 4S also is capable of switching antenna sides for better reception, a problem that was prevalent with the iPhone 4.  The iPhone 4S comes in 3 models both available in either black or white for a suggested retail price of $199 for the 16GB model, $299 (US) for the 32GB model and $399  for the new 64GB model. The carriers are: AT&T, Sprint, and Verizon. Branching out to Sprint and making the iPhone international has helped the numbers grow as evident in the statistics.

  This is important information because even after Steve Jobs passed away, this proves to shareholders that the company is still worth value. Many thought the company would suffer in sales from the passing of Mr. Jobs, however this does not seem to be the case. The iPhone is also currently being utilized as an option for smartphones by the US military. I am also a current iPhone 4 user and have upgraded my phone to iOS 5 which comes standard with the iPhone 4S and I must say with the features includeds and the upgraded hardware I am not surprised the iPhone 4S is selling so well.

Sources:

Apple 2.0

Chevrolet can't be stopped

   The major competition that General Motors (Chevrolet's mother company) has to deal with consists of both fereign and domestic automotive companies. For the domestic market the major competitors are the mopar companies (Dodge, RAM, Jeep and Chrysler) and the Ford Motor Company (Ford, Lincoln and Mercury). In terms of the foreign market the major players for competition include Toyota (Toyota, Lexus and Scion), Hyundai, Nissan, Mercedes-Benz, BMW and most other mid-level priced cars and trucks to upper-level luxury cars and sports cars. Rather than cover all competition I will focus on the direct competition of Chevrolet's, hybrid vehicles, affordably priced cars, trucks and thier more expensive sports cars. Chevrolet does not manufacture a car classified as luxury as Cadillac (chevrolet's sister company) is General Motors's main luxury company. 

   For  the hybrid category the main competition for the Volt comes from the Toyota Prius line and the Nissan leaf electric car. For the subcompact category Chevrolet's compact Sonic and Cruze get competition from automobiles such as the Ford Fiesta, Ford Focus, Dodge caliber, Nissan Versa, Hyundai Accent, Toyota's Yaris and Matrix as well as other vehicles that fit the subcompact class. The crossovers and SUVs of Chevrolet compete with Ford's Escape, Edge, Explorer and Expedition, Dodge's Caliber and Nitro, Nissan's Rogue, Juke, Pathfinder and Armada, Toyota's 4Runner, Land Cruiser and Sequoia, and many other large SUVs and crossovers. For Chevrolet's full and midsize cars category  Malibu and Impala major competition comes from BMW,  Volkswagen, Chyrsler's 300 and 200, Ford's Fusion and Tarus, Dodge's Charger and Avenger, Nissan's Sentra, Altima and Maxima, Hyundai's Elantra and Sonata, and Toyota's Corolla, Camry and Avalon, in addition to any other foreign auto manufacturer of full size and mid size cars. Chevrolet's Colorado and Silverado competes in the small and fullsize truck category against Ford's Ranger and F-150, RAM's trucks, Nissan's frontier and Titan, and Toyota's Tacoma and Tundra. For the musclecar/pony car category Chevrolet's Camaro competes with only Dodge's Challenger, Ford's Mustang, Nissan's 370 Z and Hyundai's Genesis. For sports cars Chevrolet's Corvette competes with highend automobiles such as Dodge's Viper, Lamborghinis (owned by Volkswagen), Ferraris, Porsches (owned by Volkswagen), Nissan's GTR, BMW and Mercedes-Benz. 

   The corporate structure of Ford and Dodge are similar to General Motors in terms of them consisting of a chain of command of executives. The foreign automakers, however are ran more like regimes. The Asian auto makers Nissan, Hyundai and Toyota are all more of a centralized government structure. This also helps them manage their partnerships better as well as maintain the market shares in other countries. The Asian automakers tend to create partnerships with American Automakers and hire representatives and liaisons to coordinate agreements between both parties. The European Automakers are somewhat ran similar to the American Industry in that they have a chain of command of executives, however the companies are not as free to make decisions. This is due because of the European Manufacturers being so structured from prior that the executives are more like elitists or elected and appointed rather than earning the spot they are more elected. This is true with Mercedes-Benz, Ferrari, and Volkswagen as their executives are appointed, not promoted. Also European automakers tend to buy out other companies opposed to creating partnerships.

 

Sources:

Toyota
Nissan USA

Hyundai USA 

Dodge 

Ford 

Volkswagen AG 

MB USA 

Chrvrolet 

iOutsell My Predecessor

   

   The iPhone 4S was officially released today, October 12, 2011. Many are on thier way to Verizon, Sprint and AT&T stores and pre-order customers. Today's topic is about the number of pre-orders of the iPhone 4S. The new iPhone 4S sold over 1,000,000 in only 24 hours of being anounced. The previous record was 600,000 for the iPhone 4. This is an interesting point because the iPhone 4 was a whole new unit, whereas the iPhone 4S was simply an improvement on an existing product. The new iPhone 4S has a faster processor, longer lasting battery, an improved camera, Siri the smartphone assistant and comes with iOS 5 installed already. Although this is 67% increase over the iPhone 4, it should also be noted that the iPhone 4S was made available to foreign markets as well as the domestic market, a factor that the pre-orders of iPhone 4 lacked.

  The iphone 4 will also be able to update to iOS 5 and have some benefits that the iPhone 4S has. This brings me to my second topic for today's blog. The iOS 5 Update is done by simply plugging ones iPhone 4, iPad, or iTouch into their computer and updating via iTunes. The major issue with this is that the server has been overloaded almost since the update has been out. Error 3200 is wreaking havoc on Apple's idealistic worldwide update of iOS 4 to iOS 5. The problem that Error 3200 is in simple English is the Apple updating servers are becoming overwhelmed by the multiple users trying to update their devices. 

   With the iPhone 4S's high pre-order numbers, this can prove to Apple stockholders that the company is still worth some money. Also the market share in the smartphone industry has shifted to iPhone as more users have signed up and bought the product. The days of RIM's "Crackberry" (Blackberry) are coming to an end and Apple has its targets set for those Android users. As for the iOS 5 error, this is simply a setback for those who want the update now. Once more and more people get their devices updated the demand will drop and the servers will not be overwhelmed. Personally I had to try to update for 30 minutes before I was able to update. Was the wait worth it? I guess I will have to address that question on my next blog. So far it seems to have the benefits of a notification center and a few updated apps that work with the cloud.

Sources:

iPhone Sales

iOS 5 Problems

GM: Chevrolet's Mother Company

   

   Chevrolet is a division of General Motors Company. The structure of General Motors is a centralize hierarchy. The current key players in the North American hierarchy are: Daniel Akerson- CEO, Stephen Girsky- Vice Chairman, Corporate Strategy, Business Development, Global Product Planning, and Global Purchasing and Supply Chain, Thomas Stephens- Vice Chairman Global Chief Technology Officer (CTO), Mark Reuss- Vice President and President, North America, Mary Barra- Senior Vice President, Global Product Development, Daniel Ammann- Senior Vice President & Chief Financial Officer, Cynthia Brinkley- Vice President, Global Human Resources, Nick Cyprus- Vice President and Chief Accounting Officer and Controller, Robert Ferguson- Vice President, Global Public Policy, and Terry Kline- Vice President, Information Technology and Chief Information Officer. There are others within the corporate structure that are key players in the company's sucess but for the global sucess. I wanted to focus on the North American structure. The CEO, Daniel Akerson took his position January 1, 2011, prior to joining General Motors he was a managing director of The Carlyle Group. Akerson's resume displays that he served as chairman, chief executive officer, or president of several major companies, including General Instrument, MCI, Nextel, and XO Communications.

   Chevrolet being a divison has cetrain products that General Motors wanted the company to focus on for a market share. The goal of Chevrolet was to introduce new customers to General Motors products with affordable prices and to give said potential customers the best value for thier money. This strategy leads to gaining loyal customers. General Motors hopes that younger customers or lower class customers will fall in love with thier Chevrolet and as thier incomes grow, the customers will be loyal and  inturn purchase the more expensive General Motors (GM) brands (such as Cadillac). The vehicle line up is as follows:

Cars- Sonic, Camaro, Corvette, Cruze, HHR, Impala, Malibu, and Volt.

Crossovers and Sport Utility Vehicles (SUV)- Equinox, Traverse, Tahoe and Suburban.

 Trucks and Vans- Colorado, Silverado, Avalanche, and Express.

These vehicles are all offered in multiple colors, and with a plentiful number of options that can be added for reasonable prices. Engines range from inline 4, V6 and V8 with intelligent cylinder technologies for fuel efficiency purposes. 

   Due to the North American Free Trade Agreement, some of the vehicles are assembled in both Canada and Mexico. Most of the parts are shipped from factories in the United States, if the vehicles are assembled in the foreign countries. The majority of the vehicles are built in the United States by Americans in the Detroit plants. For example the pickup trucks and SUVs are generally built in Michigan. Also, the proving grounds for their test vehicles is in Arizona, and in my opinion this proves that of all the "American" car brands, GM has the most impact on the American way of life by being one of the biggest employing American Workers. Partnerships are primarily for the purpose of gaining global market share. For example GM has partnerships Daewoo, Wuling, and Jiefang for the Asian Market, Isuzu for the Japanese and Indian market, Holden for the Australian Market, Vauxhall for the United Kingdom Market, and Opel for the European Market. Due to those partnerships, GM can sell their products globally, however those partnerships employ the citizens of the areas in which they are established.

   Financially GM was bankrupt recently and was given assistance by the United States Government, however recently the Company has fully repaid it's debt. Currently a share in the company is worth $21-$22 a piece. Last year according to the financial records (10-k report) GM had a net income of: $6.172 billion and it's total assets were valued at: $138.898 billion. They currently employ 209,000 employees globally. For a recession in the United States, in my opinion although they filled bankrupcy, they are recovering well and display the true spirit of what an American Automobile Industry giant feels during a national hard time.

  

sources:
http://www.gm.com/company/aboutGM/GM_Corporate_Officers.html
http://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar
http://investor.gm.com/stockholder-information/

Steve Jobs 1955-2011

Originally I was going to blog about the release of the "iPhone 5" or iPhone 4S but after today's headlines of Steve Jobs passing away I decided to make today's blog in honor of him. . Steve Jobs was 56 years of age when he passed away, he was suffering multiple health issues. His illnesses included pancreatic cancer, hormone imbalances due to medical treatments and a liver transplant. Jobs served as the CEO for Apple, Inc. for 15 years (1996-2011) and was credited for leading the company to the current state it is in via multiple successful products. Among the Apple co-founders company leading achievements: Apple I 1976, Apple Macintosh 1984, iMac 1998, iPod 2001, iPhone 2007, and Macbook 2010. His last statement as CEO when he stepped down in August this year was: “I have always said that if there ever came a day when I could no longer meet my duties and expectations as Apple’s C.E.O., I would be the first to let you know. Unfortunately, that day has come.” -Mr. Steve Jobs

Steve Jobs was such an influence on the company that upon his resignation as CEO, many of Apple's stockholders began to sell. His selected successor Tim Cook was Job's fill-in CEO while Jobs had pancreatic surgery (2004) and the liver transplant (2011). This event will definitely change the industry in terms of innovation and breakthrough thinking, as Jobs was seen as the forerunner for both. Most companies in the IT/IS industry maintained the status quo when compared to Apple. It is now up to Mr. Cook to carry the torch of Apple and lead the company to similar successes. The first product released under the new CEO was the iPhone 4S. Due to the fact that I dedicated this blog to Steve Jobs rather than my original theme, I felt it necessary to  include a video from Apple on the iPhone 4S:

Also my favorite video blogger talking about Steve Jobs (warning vulgar language but its dedicated):

sources:

NY Times: Steve Jobs Dies at 56

Apple: iPhone 4S