Assignment 4.1 Model T Henry Ford has become an icon of American society. His dream was to build a car for the masses during a time when cars were a luxury only available for the wealthy. Ford created the Model T in 1908, igniting a revolution in America that changed manufacturing, transportation, and everyday life for the common man. When Ford first began producing the Model T, they were individually constructed by hand and took over twelve hours to complete. In order to make automobiles more accessible, Ford developed a way to automate the manufacturing process by using an assembly line to construct parts and assemble the chassis, thus lowering the price and highly increasing the efficiency.
One very large contribution Ford made to the public was the Model T automobile. This car gave the public an efficient and affordable car which they so very much needed. Another one of his contributions was a new way to assemble cars. The assembly line. This new and improved assembly line required the workers to stay in one spot and put on a part as the vehicle moved past them (Ford Museum).
Henry Ford was very famous for promoting this wonderful commodity that represented a new kind of freedom. It was a symbol of the American Dream, and everyone was striving to have the new product. “The automobile was the backbone of economic growth.” The first real automobile appeared in Middletown in 1900; however, it wasn’t until Henry Ford came around and created a mass production of automobiles that the machine that would provide easy travel would become popular. Although the automobile created such a wonderful freedom, many adults thought that it was tearing families apart. Teenagers were spending more time with their friends driving around instead of staying at home with their family.
When he was younger he planned on creating something for the rich as well for common man that would involve engines. He created the Ford Model T, which was affordable for the poor, and continued to create Model A and other modeled cars (Joans 2010). By the end of World War I half of Americans owned the model T car. The affordable cars like those Ford produced transformed America (Roak et al., 2011). Ford created the automobile industry, which employed thousands of workers and inspired new industries as well (Heritage, 2010).The new industries included but were not limited to: gas stations, mechanics, fast food restaurants drive-ins (pig stands) and motels (A&E, 2006).
The production of the assembly line gave the Ford Motor Company a huge advantage in succeeding in the U.S. market. Within ten years of producing the Model T, in 1923 it made up nearly half of all cars sold in the United States. For the time being Ford was the largest and one of the few automobile producers at the time therefore having very little competition which allowed it to flourish. Ford Motor Company eventually grew so large to establish itself as the worlds largest automobile producer. Businessmen came to Detroit from all over the world to see the operation for themselves and to try and take Ford’s methods to use themselves.
Rob Johnson, IMF executive director said, "Telling the whole story about unionization is important and if more companies put as much effort into working with unions in a proactive way rather than spending millions on preventing unionization the results would be evident." (Fortune, 2012, p. 1). As part of the Automaker's union, Ford Motors family has grown extensively in the last several decades. The employees at Ford, as unionized workers with the UAW, successfully have developed Ford into one of the largest manufacturers in the United States. Fords benefits from unionization because the union contracts can be negotiated and any work issues can be resolved, such as workplace safety, wages, and benefits.
Although the 20s brought new ideas, these ideas might not always have been in the interest of providing a free nation for all and indeed may have caused increase hatred in society. The first world war did not directly damage American society and in fact was beneficial as demand for American goods increased. As a result of this there was a huge amount of technological and industrial progress. An example of this is the motor car industry which provided huge amounts of freedom. The Ford production line meant that prices could be kept low and this, coupled with a generous credit system, led to huge numbers of cars being sold; in 1929 there was one car for every five Americans.
What Ford dreamed of was not merely increased capacity but complete self-sufficiency. World War I, with its shortages and price increases, demonstrated for him the need to control raw materials; slow-moving suppliers convinced him that he should make his own parts. Wheels, tires, upholstery, and various accessories were purchased from other companies around Detroit. As Ford production increased, these smaller operations had to speed their output; most of them had to install their own assembly lines. It became impossible to coordinate production and shipment so that each product would arrive at the right place and at the right time.
This concept is best exemplified by the causes and effects of Henry Ford’s Model T. Undoubtedly, The Model T was a great advancement in Technology, but it also marked a major turning point in the advancement of the middle class in the United States. The Model T improved the lives of rural families, urban middle class families and industrial worker and also created a more defined
This group of consumer not only bought the cars, but also exploited more utilities of the car unexpectedly. Thus the Prius benefited from the first group of consumer and gained the reputation. Then Toyota made countless improvements in the second-generation Prius including better looking, more fuel efficiency, more room and luxury equipments. Apparently, the second-generation Prius successfully made all types of consumers to be interested like people who pay attention to the environmental protection. Therefore the Prius had been consolidating its status as the dominant green car in the world, even the other green car with the different brand nameplates as BMW could not exceed it.