"Every Purse and Purpose, " named after Alfred P. Sloan's description of the first 'reengineered' General Motors in the 1920s, addresses the history of the automotive business and all the factors that have impacted it. It focuses on GM's rise to industry and world dominance through the 'cradle to grave' strategy. Through a decade-by-decade analysis, it traces the company's dramatic success. It also documents its fall following its second major reengineering during the 1980s largely due to a failure to recognize the emergence of the empowerment of the customer. Then, the industry's strategic comeback in the easly 90s is analyzed. Finally, the book provides a detailed prescription for positioning GM to recapture world leadership in the 21st century, based on a return to its roots in product alignment combined with leadership in total customer service.