General Electric
...s to grow its pipeline of diverse, global business leaders”. (GE.com) They employ more than 315,000 employees worldwide. General Electric has many values that they work and live by but they “respect always the three traditions of GE...Unyielding Integrity, Commitment to Performance and Thirst for Change”. (GE.com) The Company traces its beginnings to Thomas Alva Edison, who established Edison Electric Light Company in 1878 from various businesses. Their main competitor was the Thomson-Houston Company led by Charles A. Coffin. As Businesses expanded it became increasingly difficult for either company to produce everything they needed by relying solely on their own technology. In 1892, Edison General Electric Company and Thomson-Houston Electric Company combined to create the General Electric Company. GE is the only company listed in the Dow Jones Industrial Index today that was also included in the original index in 1896. “With more than a century innovations and inventions that have changed modern life GE has always been there. From Edison's first incandescent lamp to Neil Armstrong's first steps on the moon, this uniquely diverse company has progressed greatly over the last 125 years”. (GE.com) Since 2001 Jeffery R. Immelt has been the Chairman of the board and CEO at General Electric. Immelt is the 9th Chairman succeeding John F. Welsh who was Chairman for twenty years. “He was previously the CEO of GE Medical Systems, an 8 billon dollar part of General Electric, and the worldwide leader in Medical Services”. (GE.com) Immelt received his B.S. degree from Dartmouth College in 1978, and his MBA from Harvard in 1982. The Board of Directors consists of sixteen members and the Chairman. The Board of Directors meet approximately 10 times a year. General...