End of the Road: BMW and Rover - A Brand Too Far Book

The thriller begins with the ill-thought through merger and acquisition , and implementation of a misplaced strategy, taking place on the last big battleground for the old-style British unions. Then followed a clash of the titans - Germany versus Germany in the BMW boardroom; and Germany versus England on the larger playing field. The disastrous decisions, clash of cultures, and ultimately the European Union meddling which led to the eventual downfall of the relationship. The book is based on unparalleled and officiallly sanctioned access to all the major players including: Berndt PishetsriederFormer chairman of the management board Wolgang ReitzleFormer deputy chairman of the management board. Tony WoodleyChief negotiator for the T&GWU Manfred SchochDeputy chairman of the supervisory board Von KuhnheimFormer chairman of the supervisory board Walter HasselkusFormer CEO of Rover John TowersFormer CEO of Rover Tom BowersFormer personnel director of Rover An insider at the DTI Joachim MilbergCurrent chairman of the management board "I hope that, by the time I leave, Rover s success will have made it the focus of a Harvard Buisness School case study. Of course, if we fail I suppose we will also be the subject of a cast study." Walter Hasselkus, former CEO, Rover End of the Road is the case study. But it is far more than that. This is the definitive untold story of the entire eight year saga of BMW s ownership of Rover from acquisition to sale and subsequent aftermath. Andrew Lorenz was commissioned by BMW to write the official history of Rover. As the story unfolded, he and Chris Brady had unparalleled, officially sanctioned access to all the key players both at BMW and Rover. Together they interviewed virtually all the major names in the BMW and Rover camps, plus other involved individuals including an exclusive interview with Jon Moulton. In this book, Brady and Lorenz bring together all the interwoven threads and reveal the full story. Witness the clash of cultures, battle of executive egos, disastrous decisions and boardroom bloodshed. The BMW purchase of Rover was seen as the end of a great British Industry. It was also the start of a great British drama.Read More