Ford Pinto Case

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Ford Pinto Case In the 1970s, Ford Motor Company wanted to be ahead of the competition in the small car market therefore they were willing to compromise their safety standards for profit. They knew that the low standards would result in the deadly fires but thought that it would be too costly to stop production to redesign the car. They also believed that Safety did not sell cars. The part that would need to be installed in the Ford Pinto would have cost Ford $11 per car. Ford Motor Company was knowingly making cheap Pinto cars that exploded upon rear end collisions. More than 180 people burned to death after the gas tank exploded and still Ford did not want to make any modifications to the Pinto. Ford’s current Mission statement reads, “Improve product and services to meet the customer needs, allowing the business to prosper and to provide a reasonable return for stockholders” (Ford’s Statement of Mission, Values and Guiding Principles). They believe that people are the source of strength, improvement, and teamwork are the core human values, and that products are the results of efforts and should be the best to serve customers worldwide. Profits are often the ultimate measure of how efficient we provide customer with the best products for her or his needs. Guiding Principles are quality first, customers are the focus of everything, continual improvement, and that integrity will never be compromised. In the 1970s, Ford wanted to keep the factories going to make profit, to be ahead of the competition, and keep costs as low as possible. They thought it losing the amount of trunk space needed to put in the safety measures would hurt the Pinto’s sales. Their mission statement was to put their Pinto out on the market first and to battle the Japanese and Germans to control the small car market. Ford sold customers for profit to grow and stay ahead of the

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