While various errors on the part of our management cannot be neglected, the looming economic milieu made it a challenge for us to succeed. Rapidly changing consumer behavior, increasing competition from companies in the emerging markets, and disruptive technology trends are some of the factors fueling the crisis in our business (Dobbs et al., 2015).

The volatility in returns on invested capital for North American firms can be understood as one of the considerations behind our management’s decision to become more flexible in offerings. The decision to cut down on some of the traditional offerings and expand the focus to include the production of autonomous electric vehicles is reflective of a sound understanding of the volatile market and a vision for the future of the industry (CNN Business, 2018).

The graph depicting the trends in working-age population projects Africa as the future leader of the working-age population (Leke & Yeboah-Amankwah, 2018). This puts Africa at the forefront of steering the global economy of the future. Africa’s growing young population would produce a nimble workforce while also making it a thriving market for investments. With only 14.5% of our gross revenue coming from the international market (Statista, 2019) and stringent competition in the Asian markets for both labor and market share, Africa is indeed a potential region for investment.

As we are going through a phase of significant restructuring both at the level of technology and global expansion, increased flexibility and engagement with newer markets will offer us optimal conditions to consolidate our revenue.

5

References

CNN. (2019). General Motors fast facts. Retrieved from https://edition.cnn.com/2014/04/08/us/general-motors-fast-facts/index.html

CNN Business. (2018). GM is reinventing itself. It’s cutting 15% of its salaried workers and shutting 5 plants in North America. Retrieved from https://edition.cnn.com/2018/11/26/business/gm-oshawa-plant/index.html

CNN Business. (2015). GM’s total recall cost: $4.1 billion. Retrieved from https://money.cnn.com/2015/02/04/news/companies/gm-earnings-recall-costs/index.html

Dobbs, R., Koller, T., & Ramaswamy, S. (2015, October). The future and how to survive it. Harvard Business Review, 48–62. Retrieved from https://hbr.org/2015/10/the-future-and-how-to-survive-it

General Motors. (2017). General Motors 2017 Sustainability Report. Retrieved from https://www.gmsustainability.com/

Leke, A., & Yeboah-Amankwah, S. (2018, November–December). Africa: A crucible for creativity. Harvard Business Review, 116–125. Retrieved from https://hbr.org/2018/11/africa-a-crucible-for-creativity

Statista. (2019). General Motors company’s sales and revenue streams in FY 2018, by region (in billion U.S. dollars). Retrieved from https://statista.com/statistics/258057/revenue-by-region-of-general-motors/