onstrated that to improve its market performance, GE has embarked on a program of so-called "green development" which presents to the public environmentally safe and responsible products that are composed of (at least in part) recycled components and which operate in an environmentally sensitive manner.
GE consists of six specific businesses, each of which contains a number of individual units. According to GE (2006a, p. 1), the following core business segments have been developed by the firm in recent years:
GE Commercial Finance provides loans, operating leases, financing programs, commercial insurance, and an array of other products and services aimed at enabling business worldwide to grow.
GE Industrial provides a broad range of products and services throughout the world, including appliances and lighting; plastics and silicones products; and equipment services.
GE Consumer Finance is a leading provider, under the GE Money brand, of credit services to consumers, retailers and automotive dealers around the world.
GE Infrastructure is one of the world's leading providers of fundamental technologies to developing countries, including aviation, energy, oil and gas, rail and water process technologies.
GE Healthcare is a leader in the development of a new paradigm of patient care dedicated to detecting disease earlier and helping physicians tailor treatment for individual patients.
NBC Universal is one of the world's leading media and entertainment companies in the development, production and marketing of entertainment, news and information to a global audience.
Each of these core businesses operates internationally to one degree or another, with an established presence in many countries and regions of the world with respect to marketing and distribution as well as research and development and manufacturing.
GE (2006b, p. 1) described its key 2005 performance indicators and company successes...