End of the Road
The True Story of the Downfall of Rover
2nd edition
By Chris Brady & Andrew Lorenz
Financial Times / Pearson Education
December 2005
ISBN: 0273706535
256 Pages, Illustrated
$42.50 Hardcover
BMW promised a bright new future for Rover. In turn, Rover was to keep BMW as the independent car dynasty it wanted to remain. But it all went wrong. Badly wrong. From M&A through a battle of executive egos, to union in-fighting and boardroom bloodshed. The clash of cultures, disastrous decisions and ultimately European Union meddling that led to the sale of Rover and end of an era for industrial Britain.
Then along came the white knights - the Phoenix consortium, comprising four car industry veterans, who promised a bright future for MG Rover. They beat off the other contender for ownership, Alchemy's Jon Moulton, who wanted to considerably strip down the company and run a much more focused sports car manufacturer as a way forward.
But five years later, when the white knights declared the black day had arrived and MG Rover was finished, the crowns of the saviors looked increasingly tarnished, as they stood accused of betraying the trust placed in them, and walking away rich men as the Rover workforce streamed off to the benefit office. This is the full story, with unparalleled access to all the key players. It reveals where the errors were made, who is to blame, and along the way tells one hell of a riveting story of the events that will go down in history as the end of Great British car manufacturing.
Contents
Before BMW
1 A coup for whom?
Strategy without reality
2 The honeymoon
3 The Rover legacy
4 The challenges
5 The tactic
6 Dawn breaks
7 Evaluation
8 Overlapping strategy
9 Rapids ahead!
10 Did the earth move for you?
11 The holy grail
12 The evaluation
No return
13 Every man for himself
14 Last chance saloon
15 Escape to Alchemy?
16 Escape to Phoenix?
17 Lessons? What goes round…
18 The Phoenix and the Scorpions
Features
-It really is the End of the Road now. Time for the full, no holds barred story to be told.
- Dramatic production - a compelling account from the leading commentators based on full-access interviews and featuring photographs of the key players.
- It's very likely that more revelations will make the story run and run.
- This landmark event, the failure and closure of the last British owned car manufacturer, will provoke great interest in the full story
- Authors are the leading commentators on the story (Chris Brady this year has so far been on BBC TV several times, Radio 5 Live, and on Sky also).
Authors
Dr. Chris Brady is currently the Director of Studies for the General and Strategic
Management MBA at the City University Business School, London, and Head Business
Coach at Cape Consulting. He has published on topics as varied as US foreign
policy, Cabinet government, teamwork, education, the environment, intelligence
failures and the United Nations.
Andrew Lorenz, former Business Editor of the Sunday Times, is currently the
Director of Financial Dynamics, Business Communications. His previous roles
have included Deputy City Editor of the Sunday Telegraph, City correspondent
on The Scotsman as well as Industrial Editor at The Journal, Newcastle. Andrew
has published many articles and columns, and has had contributions broadcast
on BBC Radio and ITV television.