While GE started acquisitions even before 1981, the real wave of expanding GEs business was experienced from 1981 to 2001 in which GE acquired 600 businesses. We would be delighted to get to know your friends, to see who they are, to learn about their lives. So we invited eight friends and then watched them grow increasingly frustrated as the dinner progressed: They were eating with Jack Welch and wanted to learn from Fortune magazines leader of the century but he was asking all the questions. Cost leadership strategy involves gaining a competitive advantage by lowering the cost. Commercializing GEs technology and IP to accelerate growth and achieve market differentiation. We remain on track to achieve our long-term financial goals and were confident about where we stand today and where we are headed.. Title: The Evolution of GE's Product Innovation Strategy Authors: Heath Downie and Adela J. McMurray (both RMIT School of Management) Publisher: Proceedings of the 19th International Business Research Conference Date Published: November 2012 Of the 12 firms that constituted the original Dow Jones Industrial Average in 1896, General Electric Company (GE) is the only one still on the list. GEs competitive advantage has always been driven by research, producing countless incremental improvements and more than a few major breakthroughs, the authors conclude. Product Diversification - Learn About the Strategies of Diversification In this strategy, the company's goal is to attract target customers to products that are special and unique. More broadly, this is the next phase of building a world that works. By 1941, GE light bulbs and home appliances had become Cash Cows. GE's Business Strategy. It could sell those products at lower cost than many of its competitors, thanks to efficiencies in production and knowledge from R&D that had accumulated over the years. var year = today.getYear() Gradually diversify to include industries where digitization is significant. Tesla, Inc. (formerly Tesla Motors, Inc.) applies its generic strategy to achieve competitive advantage against other firms in the global automotive industry. . Summary. Thus, the companys strategies must prioritize these factors according to their significance in the business. Japan's Honda outlines global strategy for electric cars Also, GE aligns its intensive growth strategies with the competitive advantage targets based on strategic differentiation objectives. His aim was to sponge up as much information as he could. . Market Penetration (Secondary). In 1997, GE acquired Greenwich company that dealt in jet engine maintenance and overhaul services principally in the United States and Scotland. In 2007, GE acquired Smiths Aerospace an aircraft engine and parts manufacturer for 2.4 Billion. In 2012, General Electric managed to increase its segment profits to $22.9 billion (by 11%), $17.8 billion of which were generated from its operating activities.