Page 56 - MA - May 2017

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started showing up in different the concerned economies to order generated all over. The corrective
quarters of the industrial world and generating both income and process thus required dealing with
within the USA as also elsewhere. employment , on the other. All this a pervading effect that respected
He played his cards so deftly acted as a morale booster in facing no usual approaches to the issue
with such a degree of assurance the multiple challenges posed, and it was repeatedly demonstrated
that convinced not only Obama transgressing the automobile that the burning issue was no
administration but also employees industries in both Italy and USA to ordinary matter that admitted any
in the related companies that the industrial sectors not only in the delay or dilly-dallying. Admittedly,
something real was in the offing. All two countries – Italy and the USA - the stepping in by the Obama
this was a stupendous task throwing but also posed a challenge to the administration was crucial but only
up a challenge that awaited a head economic downturn experienced by after the President was convinced
to head combat, literally. The act the world as a whole. Marchionne that the leadership of Marchionne
of rerailing a derailed automobile all this while demonstrated what could be a decisive factor as his
chain required a Herculean effort the nature of the problem was, how submissions oozed confidence
with millions of workers, suppliers to approach it for an acceptable in dealing with the problem of
and users waiting expectantly in a solution, considering the largeness bringing the corporations and their
market situation which lacked guts. of the problem and the relief it would products back on track. The issues
The inevitability of gradualness was bring in a reaction pattern akin to were unique and the correctives also
sidelined for the moment and work the chain-link system underlining had to be equally unprecedented. As
started in full swing in both Italy that loss of faith in the market was demonstrated later, the dealing
and the USA, under the personal system has the knack of catching with the recovery process in all
supervision of the captain of the up like wild fire. The approach to its dimensions called for courage,
team who had no fancy for the text- the problem by Marchionne seemed confidence and calculated moves
bookish approaches to finding audacious at times that made which Marchionne had shown
solutions. One singular quality former Italian Prime Minister Mr aplenty. The recovery process
demonstrated by Marchionne was Silvio Berlusconi furious when he initiated by him had to have
faith in his team, as much as faith remarked that ‘Europe needs better sensitivities in regard to all the steps
in himself, instilling confidence in a leaders’. The comments were not he had taken, while he insisted on
situation which was anything but taken kindly; he became furious. teamwork, regular eyeing of the
encouraging, to say the least. And progress in all the related directions,
his leadership was demonstrative The Indian Connections so that all the promises made earlier
enough to the effect that he To restore order thus had to took a practical shape. This was not
knew what he was doing, in an have a conscious effort towards an easy task at all but he saw to it
atmosphere of gloom that he sought streamlining the entire chain of that the disciplined steps towards
to wipe away. And all this was in reactions. A word about the Indian fulfilment of the objectives with
the face of a challenge on which connections regarding Fiat should be fixed time-dimensions marked the
depended not only the recovery of considered in order. It is interesting progress of the work undertaken.
the automobile industry but also to note that even India was deeply
the national economies of both concerned with the solution to the The Process of Resurrection
Italy and the USA, nay, the world crisis; Fiat has been on the Indian The process of resurrection of
economy as a whole. As is well- roads for a considerable period, Chrysler and Fiat is an interesting
known, the psychological impact thanks to Premier Automobiles story. The first one relates to what is
of gloom has had a pervading having its offices and factories in technically called aetiology, stressing
effect. Primarily, the reforms also Bombay, now Mumbai. The stake the reasons behind the debilitating
impacted all the related activities on thus was huge both in regard to problems of different dimensions
both sides of the Atlantic in terms of Italy and the USA, in the main, affecting the normalcy of operations
generation of income, employment but also to India, among other concerned, as it were! The downturn
and restoration of faith of the countries, the overall effects being gulped not only in the automobile
team in successfully meeting the pervasive enough particularly industries in Italy and the USA, but
challenge, on one side, and restoring because of the fear psychosis the world economy as a whole. Once

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