The Coca-Cola System Announces New Global Targets for Water Conservation and Climate Protection in Partnership with WWF

The Coca-Cola Company, in partnership with World Wildlife Fund (WWF), have new ambitious targets to improve water efficiency and reduce carbon emissions within its system-wide operations, while promoting sustainable agricultural practices and helping to conserve the world's most important freshwater basins. It looks like Coca Cola recognized the rising awareness for the world turning green, and in that way i think they will be able to market to various cultures that keep the world green.
http://www.marketwatch.com/news/story/The-Coca-Cola-System-Announces/story.aspx?guid=%7B6B4906F9-4328-44C7-B8BC-3F82CAD35233%7D

Panicked Traders Take VW Shares on a Wild Ride

Last Tuesday, Volkswagen became the most valuable company in the world, one with a market value greater than Apple, Philip Morris and Intel combined.
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/10/29/business/worldbusiness/29volkswagen.html?em

America: Still number one

United States is suffering the worst financial crisis since the great depression. Will United States lose its world financial superpower?

Nearly 1 million Americans have lost their jobs since the start of the year and a deep recession now seems unavoidable.
Plus, the government is borrowing ever more money as it attempts to stem the crisis, adding to a mushrooming national debt. Meanwhile, baby boomers are retiring, drawing huge amounts of money from Medicare and Social Security and threatening to bankrupt the federal government.
With mounting debt and fewer jobs, many American's feel their country's best days are behind it.
"America is no longer an economic superpower - it is following the path of the Romans and the British". "This country has no real future and no real leadership."

http://money.cnn.com/2008/10/29/news/economy/america_superpower/index.htm?postversion=2008102908

Fading future

Chrysler's possible merger with GM will could hurt Indiana's industrial economy.
Thousands of jobs are at stake in independent factories in Indiana that supply Chrysler with auto parts. GM wants Chrysler for its $11 billion in cash, not its plants or vehicles, so a merger would trigger plant closings.
http://www.indystar.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20081026/BUSINESS/810260321/1003/BUSINESS

GM's Chevrolet `Significantly' Cutting Sports Sponsorships

GM's Chevrolet brand, is reducing spending on sport sponsorships due to a down fall on sales.
Per Chevrolet, due to the economy situation chevrolet must cut on promotion.
http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601079&sid=a5Zjz_AUnMMQ&refer=home

Apple’s iPhone ‘firing on all cylinders’

Apple has announced that the IPhone has reached its sales goal for 2008 with 2 months extra. I guess, people are more interested in phones than cars...

http://www.macworld.com/article/136369/2008/10/iphone_bb.html

GM, Chrysler cut costs, global auto outlook dims

GM and Chrysler have started to take steps towards closing jobs and plants. In addition, automakers from Europe to Asia forecast a serious downfall in the future. Per GM, they have been forced to cut down costs more aggressively, as they are struggling for their survival. The economy has a part of it off course, but I think that GM is using the economy as an excuse for not marketing themselves properly.
http://www.reuters.com/article/newsOne/idUSTRE49M2KF20081023

GM signals more cuts

GM will reduce the salary for its employees by 20% . Moreover, it even looks like GM will cut even more in the near future due to worsening sales. are we looking at great depression II?

http://money.cnn.com/2008/10/23/news/companies/gm_cuts/index.htm?postversion=2008102309

Sales In Jordan

GM sales are up by 121% in September 2008 in Jordan. In July, GM consolidated its activities in Jordan, with AbuKhader Automotive, the Cadillac, GMC and HUMMER dealer, adding Chevrolet to their portfolio. After this move GM's sales were up by 121%.

Maybe GM should invest its efforts in the middle east?

http://www.albawaba.com/en/countries/Jordan/236920

GM, Chrysler aim to wrap up merger within two weeks

The automakers aim to merge both corporations in two weeks. The companies will also ask for the government's assistance in order to close the deal. It looks like the companies are desperate and trying to survive.

GM starts Camaro price at $22,995

GM has published the price for the Chevrolet Camaro. The LS model vith a V-6 engine will cost $22,995, including shipping. The 6.2 liter V-8 powered SS performance version will cost $30,995. I think that with all the economy crisis, this is not a good time to bring out the price of those 2 models.

GM to close Grand Rapids stamping plant

GM is to cut $10 billion in costs . The first step of this reduction will be shutting down the 73 year old plant in Grand rapids. That is just one of many that will be closed in the future...

http://www.freep.com/article/20081013/BUSINESS01/81013075

GM Plus Chrysler Equals Survival?

GM and Chrysler have had discussions about merging their firms into one, assuming that this will save them from going out of business. The reason they thought about the merge is because of the economic melt down that occurs these days. I think it is a bit strange, but this is the kind of acts you do when you are desperate.

http://www.businessweek.com/bwdaily/dnflash/content/oct2008/db20081011_136156.htm?chan=top+news_top+news+index+-+temp_news+%2B+analysis

GM may cut production soon

GM will probably cut production soon and will probably close plants from next week. It make a lot of sense to me, and this process should have happend 30 years ago when the gas prices went higher and GM had a downfall as well. GM ignored from it then, but now they have no choice but to close plants and cut production.

http://www.iht.com/articles/ap/2008/10/10/business/NA-US-GM-Factories.php

Alec Baldwin's Best Scene

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y-AXTx4PcKI&eurl=http://studentmailnyc2.blogspot.com

GM workers eligible for grant funds

GM workers are now eligible for funds that were awarded from the U.S department of labor.
The department of labor granted 1 million dollars in order to help workers as a result from GM canceling the second shift on local assembly plant. The intention is thoughtful, but I think that one million dollars is not enough, especially if you divide it by 800 GM employees.
http://www.shreveporttimes.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20081008/NEWS05/81008022

GM official talks up new Volt at Mansfield event

Tom pyden, GM North America's vice president of communications discussed about the thought that GM put on their costumers.

The Volt is a good example that shows how GM is thinking about the needs of the consumers. But my question is: why did GM waited till Toyota will have a hybrid car? I guess GM had no choice but to think about what the costumer really needs, instead of dealing with mass production of big cars.

http://www.mansfieldnewsjournal.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20081008/BUSINESS/810080302

Gm is Cutting production in europe

GM is cutting production in europe because the company wants to make cars out of demand.
I think that this is a smart action, over production is not something that is smart to do as a conclusion from the U.S crisis.

http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/4fff8b54-948f-11dd-953e-000077b07658.html

GM tumbles to 54-year low as overall market drops

Shares of General Motors Corp. dropped to its lowest level in more than 54 years Monday, amid a global sell off that sent the Dow Jones industrials down more than 500 points to fall below 10,000 for the first time in four years.
In morning trading, GM shares fell 58 cents, or 6.5 percent, to $8.42. They earlier dropped as low as $8.24.
That low marked the automaker's lowest share price since April 22, 1954, according to the Center for Research in Security Prices at the University of Chicago.
http://money.cnn.com/news/newsfeeds/articles/apwire/21270dbb9b76acf0f835070c78b22e77.htm

Isuzu says no to GM

General Motors is trying to sell its medium-duty truck operations first to Navistar and then Isuzu. But neither of these two has taken up the offer to buy.
Isuzu president Susumu Hosoi has stated that "There will be no such acquisition happening" from his company either, suggesting that the market for heavy-duty trucks has not yet hit the bottom.
There has been a long-standing partnership between the two companies. They have jointly built and developed the Durmax engines that are in GM most powerful full-size trucks. Why should any one be interested in medium duty trucks?

GM doesn't rule out more restructuring

General Motors Corp. said it can't rule out the need for more restructuring if the economic crisis will get worse, per GM it was vital that U.S. lawmakers pass a financial bailout to shore up confidence in the economy.
"We'll take the actions that are necessary," Fritz Henderson, the automaker's chief operating officer. I think that the situation in United States is affecting GM's production, but we must not forget that GM's crisis was before the fall of economy in United States.

http://www.businessweek.com/ap/financialnews/D93IFTRG0.htm

Red Ribbon week

Each october different communities unite with the cause for raising a drug free generation. It is a good example for cause marketing for a non profit organization. This organization calls the citizens to stand out for the cause against drugs.
http://www.positivepromotions.com/red-ribbon-week/c/3061/g/3/

Hummer Takes H3T to the Extreme (Sports)

Hummer will promote the H3T till the end of the year while the brand will emphasize the utilities the vehicle has. The ads will show the vehicle's capability of carrying extreme sports equipment. The target market will be 75% men instead of 50%. It looks like GM is still investing their money on the wrong things.

http://www.adweek.com/aw/content_display/esearch/e3i5452d1396a606a413b8ce6ab9f85ae4d