When mergers mean acquisition of headaches: Taking a broader view

As a corporate leader with an impact so remarkable that his name reverberates even outside the business world, Jack Welch’s views should always make people stand up and listen. In a letter to shareholders in 2001, the General Electric Chairman explained his revision of a significant plank in GE’s corporate strategy. Welch wanted business heads to view markets more broadly and look for growth opportunities, rather than taking a narrow view which was concerned primarily with being a market leader in existing market places.