A venerable giant sharpens its claws: General Electric's drive to increase profits and market share means drastic restructuring in product lines, employment, and manpower utilization

The announcement by the General Electric Co. last December that it planned to purchase the RCA Corp. seemed to take customers, employers, and the business community by surprise. In reality, the proposed acquisition was just one more in a series of well-planned moves that have been taking place at the giant corporation over recent years.