Gabriela Cândido
Jeremy Samsoe
Reading and Writing 4
22 May 2014
Henry Ford, a man in front of his time
Henry Ford, one of the most famous people of modern management, he started his life as a simple mechanical that reached the position of chief engineer at Westinghouse company, but his greatest achievement was to build the Ford Motor Company which one of the biggest success was the Ford Model T. (Bushnell, 1922)
Born on July 30, 1863 in the city of Dearborn, Ford lived most of his childhood and youth in his parents' farm. He was a very observant boy who had a huge interest in mechanics. Ford didn’t sympathize with the hard work performed by hand. This increased his sympathy for machines that could reduce human effort in the work. Mrs. Bushnell, who came to interview members of the Ford family says that, Henry had a great interest in the functioning of watches and he loved to assemble and disassemble clocks, which caused him to develop skill in repairing watches and so became known in his village because of this ability. Mrs. Bushnell also tells about how the brothers Ford reacted with all the interest of the brother. They had to hide their mechanical toys from Henry, for he didn't dismount and break it. A story that reflects well the curiosity and audacity of Henri Ford was when he almost lost his finger trying to examine a hay chopper. All happens because “he was fascinated on seeing the steaming tea-kettle jiggling on the stove. So one day he filled and earthenware teapot with water, clogged its spout with paper, tied its lid tight to secure it, and held it close to the fire just to see what the steam could do. The kettle explode and one of its fragments bruised Henry Ford’s head.” (Simply knowledge) Because of the lack of ...
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...n in the company that had created: "Ford Motor Company" and also maintained its legal battle, which lasted about 8 years. Ford won the action in 1911 and became a hero and the largest car manufacturer in America. (History Channel, Bushnell, Encyclopedia, Museum)
During the period of legal battles, Ford innovated its way to management within their manufactures. Created the assembly line, where workers followed a line and each one was responsible for making a part of the car mount. This made their production was much faster. The company came to mount 15 cars per day. And with that he can reduce the workload of their employees for 8 hours daily for 5 days per week. Another feat was to double the wages of their employees, so until their workers could buy the same car they produced.
References:
Bushnell, S. T. (1922). The Truth about Henry Ford. Reilly & Lee Company.
Gerald Ford, the thirty-eighth President of the United States, was born on July 14, 1913 in Omaha, Nebraska to Dorothy Ayer Gardner King and Leslie Lynch King. Ford was named after his father, Leslie Lynch King Jr., who was later divorces by his mother because of domestic violence problems. After divorcing Leslie Lynch King, Ford’s mother moved the two to Grand Rapids, Michigan where she met Gerald R. Ford. Ford’s mother called her son Gerald R. Ford Jr., and his name was legally changed in 1935. Gerald Ford went to South High School where he shined athletically and academically. He then proceeded to go the the University of Michigan in Ann Harbor and majored in economics. Ford excelled at the sport of football and was voted the most valuable player in 1934. Because of his skills in football, Ford received two proposals from the Detroit Lions and the Green Bay Packers. Ford declined and chose to be a boxing coach as well as an assist at varsity football coach at Yale. Ford chose Yale because he wanted to practice law. Ford graduated with his L.L.B. (Bachelor of Law Degree) in 1941 and in the top twenty-five percent of his class. In the April of 1942, Ford joined the U.S. Naval Reserve and practiced physical fitness. Later in life, Ford would marry Elizabeth Anne Bloomer and they would have four children together.
Henry Ford I, the founder of Ford Motor Company, was born on a farm near Dearborn, Mi in 1869. From boyhood, he had a talent for engineering, but it was not until 1890 that he commenced his engineering career as an employee of the Detroit Edison Company. Ford’s superiors at the electric company felt his hobby distracted him from his regular occupation, and despite his promotion to chief engineer, he was forced to quit in 1899.
Henry Ford was a captain of industry. He owned Ford Motors, which was an automobile company. Ford was a man who always wanted his own way and he got it most of the time. The creation he is most famous for is the FORD MODEL T, the car for the commoners. His car became an instant hit amongst the people- the local people and the working class of people because it was very affordable and was not just for the rich. Ford was a very successful businessman but not particularly a nice guy. He expected a lot from his workers but thing is that he also cared for his workers, because he knew that not only were they dependent on him but also that he depended upon them, they were the ones due to which he was gaining popularity and success throughout America. Ford’s great strength was the manufacturing process for his cars. Instead of having people put together the entire car he created organized teams that added parts to the Model T as it moved down the assembly line, this lowered the production prices and also the time and energy required to put together the cars.
Henry Ford was one of the most brilliant entrepreneurs in creating the automobile assembly line, it was his controversial characteristics and unorthodox approach towards administrating the Ford Motor Company which resulted in the conglomeration of one of the most successful corporations in the world. At the turn of the century everything was booming! The growth of the economy and stock market increased the job opportunities as well as morals. As a result of this industrial revolution, out of the woodwork came a humble yet driven man, Henry Ford. Between the five dollar/day plan, his policies on administrating the company, and his relations with his customers, Ford was often presented as a suspicious character. This controversial behavior epitomized the success of the company, it did not lead to his own downfall as many suspect. The Anti-Semitic accusations, and the belief that Ford was taking advantage of his customers, were by far overshadowed by his brillianc!e and strong hand in running his company.
started up in 1903. Of course, it wasn’t all smooth sailing. George Baldwin Selden, an inventor, earned himself a patent for the automobile in 1895. This halted production of the Model A almost entirely. Ford eventually gained the support of other carmakers and eventually shut down the Selden Patent. Henry Ford faced many other challenges including greedy employees, failed model t prototypes and many more things. However, Ford also had his Triumphs in some of the things he's most famous for. First, Ford invented the assembly line. Before, one car would be assembled at a time bringing all the parts around to one place. Ford’s assembly line changed this. Now they could make and mass produce several cars at a time. Heres how it works: a bare chassis would roll down a conveyor. Along the way the engine, wheels, body, and a black paint job would be applied. Going along with the assembly line, Ford was also able to make a cheap, easy to fix,
Famous for being one of the few people to greatly influence the twentieth century, Henry Ford was an innovator with a vision for the future. With his astounding work on transforming the automobile from just a simple invention into a great innovation that people to this day still buy and use, he shaped the twentieth century to a great extent. He was an American industrialist who founded the Ford Motor Company in the early nineteen hundreds. Ever since Ford was a young boy he has always seemed to have an interest in machines. He loved to tamper with machinery and other simple mechanisms. His first job was in a machine shop in Detroit which inspired him to experiment with machines and learn how they work. He learned to fix things like watches by trial-and-error and no matter what he did not give up when trying to learn how to fix things. He was one determined young man who worked hard and turned out to be a great leader with a very creative and imaginative mind. By teaching himself how to put a simple wrist watch together, he was able to use his newly found knowledge to move on to designing machines such as full sized steam engines. A few men who ran the steam engines helped to expand Ford’s knowledge of the engines by teaching him how they operated.
The birth of the automobile was truly something special. Once a far fetched dream is now what many people believe to be the back bone of the American economy. When people think about the automobile the name that comes to mind is most usually Henry Ford. Although he is not credited with the invention of the automobile, Henry Ford played a crucial role in the development of mass production. The automobile was first invented Europe in 1771 with a top speed of 2.3 miles per hour. A man by the name of Gottliech Daimler produced what was known as the milestone car in 1889, this vehicle traveled at 10 miles per hour (Brown, 105). Not more then a handful of these cars were produced over seas. Not many people had ever seen one, let alone had one. It wasn’t until Henry Ford invented the assembly line, that anyone knew what a car was. Henry Ford and the invention of the assembly line altered the American economy and revolutionized travel everywhere.
This radical idea of the automobile permeated throughout America with most, if not all credit renowned to Henry Ford. Observed as a technological mastermind, Ford commenced experiments involving machinery from the time he was adolescent to launching his career working at the Edison Illuminating Company. He examined internal combustion engines and gasoline buggy ideas eventually resulting in removing himself from Edison’s company and his introduction in the emerging automobile industry. Following in 1903, he established the Ford Motor Company, which expeditiously became a leader in the automotive industry and would gain extensive wealth within only a few decades. While other manufacturers strove to produce automobiles to be extravagant and luxurious predominantly for the wealthy, he immensely focused on efficient mass production of durable, affordable vehicles for the expanding middle-class market.
The audience at the North American International Auto Show on Monday in Detroit stood speechless as Ford unveiled its newest GT, a carbon fiber supercar that boasts "race-proven" technology and sleek design. In the company's effort to "redefine innovation in aerodynamics," it now offers the public its latest vehicle that prides itself to have the "most powerful EcoBoost production engine ever," as cited in Ford's press release. "As we at Ford drive innovation into every part of our business, it's worth remembering that our first innovation as a company was not in a laboratory, but on the racetrack," announced Ford President and Chief Executive Officer Mark Fields, as he encouraged the audience to recall Henry Ford's victory in a 1901 car race that prompted financial backers and other businessmen to devote capital to his growing company. "We are passionate about innovation through performance and creating vehicles that make people's hearts pound," added Fields during his unveiling speech.
He received investments from all over to help form the Henry Ford Company in 1899. Ford’s father was proud to see his son’s name on automobiles, but was frustrated when Ford needed to constantly improve the efficiency. Ford left his namesake company in 1902 for financial reasons. After he left, it changed names to the Cadillac Motor Car Company. Later that year, Ford founded the Ford Motor Company. A month after the company was formed, the Ford Model A was built at the Ford Motor Plant in Detroit. Only a couple of these cars were able to be made every day, so sales were slow. There were only about 2 to 3 workers to assemble these cars. But Ford was motivated to create an efficient and consumer friendly automobile. These innovations resulted in the Ford Model T. The Model T was a great liftoff for Ford and his company, and as a result, he practiced techniques of mass production the would change American Industry, including using large production plants. The mass production technique made it easier for people to assemble cars and the rate of producing these cars were much quicker. It was also a cheaper way to produce automobiles, and in 1914, Ford was able to raise the daily wage to 5 dollars. Production skyrocketed for the Model T and by 1918, half of America had purchased these inexpensive and readily available cars. In 1919, Ford made his son Edsel as the president of the company, but Ford still kept control of the company’s day to day operations. That same year, Ford stopped making the Model T and invented the New and improved Model A , which had better horsepower and brakes, and better overall improvements. By this time, Ford had sold 15 million Model T’s and had opened plants that manufactured the Model
Henry Ford became a leader in manufacturing when he perfected the assembly line. He was able to produce Model Ts at a very fast rate. This increased production and decreased labor costs per car, overall making the Model T more affordable for working class Americans. Ford produced Model Ts so that each one was alike. He said, “The way to make automobiles is to make one automobile just like another automobile, to make them all alike, to make them come through the factory alike” (Henry Ford, 1903)
When Henry Ford was born on June 30th, 1863, neither him nor anyone for that matter, knew what an important role he would take in the future of mankind. Ford saw his first car when he was 12. He and his father where riding into Detroit at the time. At that moment, he knew what he wanted to do with his life: he wanted to make a difference in the automobile industry. Through out his life, he achieved this in an extraordinary way. That is why he will always be remembered in everyone’s heart. Whenever you drive down the road in your car, you can thank all of it to Henry Ford. Through his life he accomplished extraordinary achievements such as going from a poor farm boy to a wealthy inventor who helped Thomas Edison. When he was a young man, he figured out how to use simple inventions, such as the light bulb. He then taught himself the design of a steamboat engine. His goal was to build a horse-less carriage. He had come up with several designs and in 1896, he produced his first car, the Model A. When Ford’s first car came out, he had been interviewed by a reporter and when asked about the history of the car, he had said “History is more or less bunk.” Ford worked in Thomas Edison’s factory for years and the left to become an apprentice for a car-producer in Detroit. While working there, he established how he was going to make the car.
Henry Ford was one of the most important and influential inventors and businessmen in the short history of America. He revolutionized the business world and he changed forever the efficiency of factories around the world. One of the reasons that Henry Ford can be considered such an important man is that his ideas and concepts are still used today. Boron on July 30, in the year of 1863, Henry Ford was the oldest child of the family. His parents, William and Mary Ford, were “prosperous farmers” in his hometown of Dearborn. While they we’re well off for farmers, Ford certainly wasn’t spoiled and fed from silver spoons. Ford was just like any other typical young boy during the rural nineteenth century. From early on there we’re signs that Henry was going to be something more than a farmer. He looked with interest upon the machinery that his father and himself used for their farming, and looked with disdain at the rigorous chores of a farmer. In the year 1879, Henry being a meager 16 years old, he moved to the city of Detroit where he would work as an apprentice machinist. Henry would remain in Detroit working and learning about all varieties of machines. Although he occasionally came back to visit Dearborn, he mostly stayed in Detroit, picking up more and more valuable knowledge. This apprenticeship allowed him to work in the factories of Detroit and learn what a hard working blue-collar job was like. When he did return to Dearborn he was always tearing apart and rebuilding his fathers machines, along with the dreaded farm chores. Henry Ford was a hard worker and that was proven by him getting fired from one of his jobs in Detroit because the older employees we’re mad at him because he was finishing his repairs in a half hour rather than the usual five hours. Clara Bryant would represent the next step in now twenty-five year old Henry Ford’s life. The two lovers we’re married in 1888 and would endure good times as well as bad. In order to support his new wife Henry was forced to work the land as he ran a sawmill that was given to him by his father. His father actually attempted to bribe Henry to stay in the farming business as he gave him the land only under the condition that he would continue on as a farmer.
Ford was able to make a reliable and inexpensive automobile primarily because of his introduction of the innovative moving assembly line into the process of industrial manufacturing. The assembly line is a system for carrying an item that is being manufactured past a series of stationary workers who each assemble a particular portion of the finished product.
Henry Ford began a family automobile business in 1903; this was during the industrial revolution. This business has become the most famous automobile brand in the world. Over the years the business structure had adapted to changes in leadership, markets trends and the economic conditions. The Ford family still controls the company through multiple voting shares, even though it owns a much lower proportion of the equity