industrial conglomerate

The industrial conglomerate, embodied by General Electric , achieved prominence in the 1960s as managers and business academics preached the power of "synergy." When seemingly unrelated businesses are bundled together under the umbrella of a parent company, cost-saving and cross-promotional opportunities arise.

It's official. The new NBCUniversal is finally open for business. Cable company Comcast and industrial conglomerate General Electric announced Saturday that their deal to merge Comcast's cable networks with GE's NBC Universal entertainment unit was complete.

When it comes to energy, General Electric is all about big: big coal plants, big nuclear plants, big wind towers.

So why would the $183-billion a year industrial conglomerate bother to invest in a small company that makes wind turbines so small they can be erected in your backyard?

A unit of industrial conglomerate Textron Inc. on Thursday named Ian Walsh chief innovative officer and Tom McNamara chief technology officer.

Shares of General Electric Co. rose sharply Thursday after Goldman Sachs upgraded the stock and said it appears unlikely the industrial conglomerate will have to split off its giant lending arm due to a financial sector reform proposal in Congress.

Industrial conglomerate General Electric gave investors a close look at its troubled GE Capital finance arm Tuesday, part of its broader effort to be more transparent about the operations of the unit that offers loans ranging from office buildings to overseas mortgages.

Industrial conglomerate Siemens AG said Monday Michael Reitermann will lead the company's U.S. organization.

Industrial conglomerate General Electric Co. says it has reduced its greenhouse gas emissions and is making a growing amount of money from its environmentally conscious business plan launched in 2005.