General Electric

In the 19th and 20th centuries, many major companies formed after mergers opted for generic or universal names.

Because of backlogs at Boeing and Airbus — and the older fleets airlines are flying as a result — the sky could be the limit for the new company.

In April, General Electric split itself up to focus on wind power, aerospace and health care. Its finance and media divisions are long gone.

GE, Johnson & Johnson and Toshiba plan to divide their operations, saying the units will be more flexible, responsive and targeted.

Separate operations focused on aviation, health care and energy will be more agile — and independent of one another’s weaknesses.

Author Tom Gryta explains how General Electric’s place in the economy fell so quickly.

Once upon a time, GE put share owners last in line for company revenues. That changed in the ’80s and ’90s.

Welch led General Electric for two decades, during which the company’s market value soared from $12 billion to $410 billion.

General Electric is freezing its pensions for 20,000 non-union workers and will offer pension buyouts for another 100,000 former employees. GE said the move will save $8 billion, part of a plan to shed some of the company’s considerable debt. The move, from one of America’s most iconic corporations, is just one more step in […]