Talk:Alfred P. Sloan
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What does NPOV mean in the context of this article? Surely not a Neutral Point of View, but that's where the link goes. DanKeshet
Several problems with this paragraph: Under his leadership, a NPOV was adopted by General Motors during the 1920s and right through World War II, despite the alleged human rights violations by the German government of the time (commonly referred to as the Holocaust) - the corporation produced trucks for both the United States and the German armed forces, without favouring one or the other. Sloan allegedly defended this NPOV, on the basis that GM's operations in Germany at that time were "highly profitable" (see US Senate report below).
First the linked Senate report doe not include that quote or any indication that GM controlled its plants or profited from them during the war. If true it needs to be included but the quoted Senate report is by an anti-GM activist whose work on GM and tram systems is widely questioned. Rmhermen 17:40 18 Jul 2003 (UTC)
How about something about Sloan's personal life: family, avocations, etc.?
Norm
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[edit] Three main innovations
According to what I know (mainly from visit to Ford museum in Dearborn, ironically, backed up by Britannica) Sloan introduced 3 main innovations - the annual model change already mentionned, plus his slogan of "moving from a mass market into a mass class market", though already touched on in relation to the harmonised ranges, does not touch on the introduction of aspirational marketting (i.e. first use of billboards) to different sections of the consumer market. Plus the provision of consumer credit for the first time ever (had only existed as mortgages in relation to built property before). The main point of these was that Ford had exhausted the market for people who didn't have cars - everybody that wanted a Modelt T in the US now had one, Sloan aimed to sell new cars to people that already had a car - a replacement market overtaking a "virgin territory" one. With these innovations Sloan is the father of modern consumer capitalism.
[edit] Streetcar consipiracy
I removed the following sentences because they lack citations. At the least, they should have excellent citations before being included, but I think they should be omitted altogether -- readers can follow the link to the streetcar conspiracy if they want more info.
Many of the trams themselves were literally burnt in order to prevent any reversal in public transport policies.
Frequencies of bus services were decreased on less profitable routes, helping to encourage people to buy their own automobiles and travel independently.
--66.92.53.49 17:26, 9 November 2006 (UTC)
[edit] The Third Reich
I have removed the following from the article:
Under Sloan's direction as CEO, General Motors is known to have made large profits off of the rearmament of the Third Reich. General Motors Overseas Corporation was led by director James Mooney, who held various business visits with Adolph Hitler, along with senior executives of GM's German division Adam Opel A.G. GM and Opel were eager, willing and indispensable cogs in the Third Reich's rearmament juggernaut, a rearmament that, as many feared during the 1930s would enable Hitler to conquer Europe and destroy millions of lives. For GM's part, it has steadfastly denied for decades, even in the halls of Congress, that it actively assisted the Nazi war effort.[1]
This is a rather serious charge, and may be libelous if it cannot be proven. While there is a reference provided, it is that of a website, neither a tangible nor a peer-reviewed source. Can anyone provide a better reference? Otherwise, this should probably be left out, or at least rephrased. 64.118.220.131 (talk) 20:59, 29 November 2007 (UTC)
