Historical Inquiry

Part 1: Column Proposal Work Document

Using your understanding of historiography, explain how a company perspective like Quantigration’s can affect the study of the history of manufacturing. In other words, how might historians examine these blog posts in 20-30 years?

A perspective is generally a way of seeing or viewing things. It is the attitude held about something. People have different ways of seeing, interpreting, and understanding various phenomena. In the business world, companies embrace certain perspectives that are part of their visions. Having a strategic perspective gives any business company a competitive advantage. It enables it to overcome various business obstacles that interfere with brand recognition and penetration into the market. Some of the main perspectives held by business companies and organizations include customer perspective, financial perspective, perspective pertaining to internal process, and perspective on learning and growth opportunities.

There are many ways in which the perspective of a company like Quantigration can affect the study of manufacturing history. To begin with, adding the perspective of the company to historical literature will help to enhance the positioning of the company. Positioning involves the creation of a distinct image of the products of a given company in the mind of its targeted customers (Chernev, 2019). The undertaking is beneficial in the sense that it helps to differentiate a company from its potential competitors. Embracing a trend of new product development in Quantigration can enable historians to have an appropriate tool for remembrance of the company. New developments in product production give new value to customers (Mayrl et al., 2012; Schönherr & Martinuzzi, 2019). Any company product or service that gives overwhelming value tends to attract many customers. This is one of the strategies used to promote company growth.

Creating a regular history column for Quantigration can help to promote an understanding of changes in customer dimensions and market dynamics. Whereas customer dimension is dependent on the quality of products and services, market dynamics tend to be influenced by the behaviors of both manufacturers and consumers (Chernev, 2019). These forces play an important role in the demand and supply of various products and services. Quantigration’s blogs will be an important source of data for historians in the near future. They will give them key frameworks through which they can narrate the manufacturing history of the company. A company’s history makes it easy for its past to be understood (Micklethwait & Wooldridge, 2005; Scranton, P & Fridenson, 2013). The past history of a business is necessary for shaping the future.

Quantigration’s perspective will make an important contribution to the reconstruction of the histories of manufacturing practices. Future advancements in the manufacturing industry will probably be influenced by the current manufacturing processes (Roser, 2017). Therefore, it is important to ensure that future generations understand all these processes. It is also important to note that Quantigration’s subjective interpretation of its blog posts will enable the historians to understand the company’s short-term and long-term goals. Business goals help to set the direction of a company (Schönherr & Martinuzzi, 2019). They emphasize on activities that can lead to profitability and other desirable business outcomes.

Outline a research process for future bloggers to follow.

The following is an outline of the research process that future bloggers can follow in the process of collecting and reporting information pertaining to the history of manufacturing:

• Identify the research question or topic (Berg & Lune, 2012).
• Carry out a background literature review (Berg & Lune, 2012).
• Refine the selected research idea and the associated questions (Berg & Lune, 2012).
• Determine the kind of historical methods to be used (Berg & Lune, 2012).
• Identify and try to locaTe both primary and secondary sources of information (Berg & Lune, 2012).
• Evaluate the accuracy and authenticity of various source materials (Berg & Lune, 2012).
• Analyze dates and create a narrative exposition of all the findings (Berg & Lune, 2012).

Part 2: Sample Article

Research Question

How did the Ford Assembly Line contribute to the development of the automobile industry?

Description of Sources

Bankston, J. (2016). Henry Ford and the assembly line. PowerKids Press.

This book examines Henry Ford’s accomplishments. Bankston notes that Ford not only changed the automotive industry, but also all industries. The resource a secondary source of information.

Beetz, K. H. (2003). Assembly Line. Dictionary of American History, 1: 334-336.

The article examines the invention and use of the assembly line in the motor vehicle industry. The author tries to show how the technology has revolutionized the industry. The article is a secondary source.

Benson, S. G. et al. (2006). Workers in the Industrial Age. Development of the Industrial U.S. Reference Library, 1: 117-132.

This article explores the life of workers during the industrial era. The authors look at their working conditions. The source is secondary.

Stokes, R. P. (1999). Excerpt from I Belong to the Working Class. World War I and the Jazz Age. American Journey

The current book looks at the characteristics of the working class. Stokes also examines the roles and duties of various members of the working class. This resource is a primary information source.

Ford Motor Company. (1919). Ford Model T Assembly Line. [Video]. YouTube.  

This video describes the structure of Ford’s Model T car. It also looks at how the assembly line technology has contributed to the growth of the automobile industry. The video is a primary source of information.

Ford, H. (2015). Henry Ford Comments on the Assembly Line. Gale.

The source contains information on Ford’s views about the Assembly Line. It highlights the benefits of this technology. This resource is secondary.

Ford, H. & Crowther, S. (1922). My Life and Work. Garden City Publishing.

The book contains valuable information on a worker’s life and duty. The resources emphasizes on the importance of balancing work and life. The book is a primary information source.

Schlager, N., & Lauer, J. (Eds.). (2001). Model T: The Car for the Masses. Science and Its Times, 6. Gale.

The current source provides important information on the reason behind the massive production of automobiles. As far as the authors are concerned, the objective of this trend was to produce efficient cars that everybody can afford. The source is secondary.

 Narrative Description of Events  

The use of assembly line in mass production of automobiles is credited to Ransom Olds who first tested the technology in 1901 by applying it to the Olds Motor Vehicle Company. His effort led to mass building of cars. The assembly line idea was introduced to Ford Motor Company in 1913. Henry Ford, the owner of the company, installed an assembly line which was propelled by various conveyor belts. The technology led to mass production of vehicles within a short time. Ford’s assembly line method evolved rapidly and its impact in the car manufacturing industry spread quickly around the world. The purpose of this article is to examine the role that the Ford Assembly Line played in improving the automobile industry.

The Ford assembly line was a revolutionary invention that improved the automobile industry in significant ways. This method was faster than the previous technologies. During the assembly, Ford’s cars went through the line at an interval of three minutes. The process helped to reduce the number of hours taken to completely assemble a car. Previously, the task took over 12 hours. However, with the invention, manufacturers were now able to build a car within just 1 hour and 33 minutes (Schlager & Lauer, 2001; Bankston, 2016). Thus, the technology helped to save time as car assembling took place within a short period of time.

Since it was faster, Ford’s method helped to increase production. The rate of production increased eight times. This explains why Ford came to be known as a mass production father although he was just a mere sponsor of it. Between 1908 and 1913, Ford Motor Company produced many cars than any other automobile company of the time (Bankston, 2016). The application of the principle of direct line of succession in the manufacturing process helped to ensure that work flowed faster and smoothly within the production units until they became finished products. Workers at the different manufacturing units of the company coordinated well in order to ensure that everything went on well.

Apart from increasing the rate of production, the assembly line of Ford helped to enhance the productivity of workers. The industry emphasized on efficiency. Workers in the assembly lines were required to embrace a certain pace of working that involved repetitive motions and procedures (Ford, 2015). These efforts helped to increase the output of every worker. Since the previous technologies were less efficient, the employees of the automobile industry used to work at their own pace. They did not care about their productivity. However, the advent of the assembly lines changed everything since it focused on the outputs of individual workers.

Ford’ technology reduced the cost of production. It led to the production of more cars with the use of less manpower. Ford was preoccupied with the idea of manufacturing cheap vehicles. In order to achieve this, he always worked on how to build them in an efficient way. In the year 1908, his effort led to the production of Model T. This motor vehicle was simple but strong. It was very cheap to the extent that the American middle class could comfortably afford it (Ford Motor Company, 1919; Schlager & Lauer, 2001). In 1912, the car went for only $575. By the year 1914, most assembly line workers could easily buy the vehicle with a pay of four months.

The Ford assembly line adopted complex safety measures in order to ensure that workers were effectively protected from harm. For instance, each worker was assigned to a specific wok location. This prevented the workers from roaming around. Such measured played an important role in reducing injuries among workers (Benson et al., 2006). The workers found it safe to work in the assembly lines. They fully concentrated in various production activities they were assigned to do. This was unlike in the past when the automobile industry often raised safety concerns that scared away those who were interested in the work of manufacturing cars.

The improvements introduced in Ford’s motor industry helped to create more job opportunities. Majority of those who were employed in the industry were immigrant workers. The company had many jobs that anyone could do. This situation led to the recruitment of both male and female workers. The industry as well did not require the workers to undergo any form of special training before getting employed. As a result, it attracted both skilled and unskilled workers (Ford & Crowther, 1922; Stokes, 1999). While the skilled workers provided relevant expertise required in the production of vehicles, the unskilled workforce provided the required manufacturing labor. This form of collaboration helped the automobile company to grow rapidly and enjoy great success

Ford introduced an altruistic strategy of reducing employee turnover in the automobile industry. Since his company enjoyed gains in terms of employees’ productivity, it became necessary to increase the daily pay of a worker from $1.50 to $ 5 (Stokes, 1999; Benson et al., 2006). This act encouraged many skilled workers to come and work in the company. Ford also reduced the number of working hours in a week for workers who stayed with his firm for more than three years. This approach motivated the workers to continue providing their services to the company for a long period of time.

The success of Ford’s technology in the automobile industry became dominant and it spread quickly to various parts of the world. By the year 1919, the assembly line idea had reached in countries such as Britain and France (Beetz, 2003). It became fashionable to incorporate the technology into the process of producing motor vehicles. Most automobile companies around the world chose to have the assembly lines in order to continue having a competitive advantage and avoid getting broke. By the year 1930, over 200 companies that were reluctant to adopt this method became extinct (Beetz, 2003). This demonstrated to the world that the assembly lines were now the way to go in the car manufacture industry.

During the Second World War, there was a high demand for military equipment. Ford’s assembly line technique found its way into aircraft production and construction of ships. It made it possible for various pieces of military hardware to be produced just within weeks. For instance, the United States manufactured over 300,000 war aircraft during the war (Benson, et al., 2006). The large number of war equipment enabled the United States to dominate in the war. Thus the assembly lines gave the country a huge competitive advantage over its rivals.

In conclusion, it is evident that the Ford assembly line indeed made a significant contribution to the automobile industry. The technology facilitated mass production of motor vehicles within a short time. It improved the productivity of workers since it focused on efficiency.  The assembly line method improved the working conditions in the car manufacturing industry since it led to an increase in wage payment and it reduced the risk for injuries. The effectiveness of the technology saw its application spreading fast to other parts of the world. In the World War II, it was used to build military equipment.

References:

Bankston, J. (2016). Henry Ford and the assembly line. PowerKids Press.

Beetz, K. H. (2003). Assembly Line. Dictionary of American History, 1: 334-336.

Benson, S. G. et al. (2006). Workers in the Industrial Age. Development of the Industrial U.S. Reference Library, 1: 117-132.

Berg, B. L. & Lune, H. (2012). Qualitative Research Methods for the Social Sciences.Pearson

Chernev, A. (2019). Strategic Marketing Management: Theory and Practice. Cerebellum Press.

Ford Motor Company. (1919). Ford Model T Assembly Line. [Video]. YouTube. Retrieved on July 18, 2018 from https://youtu.be/Pf8d4NE8XPw

Ford, H. & Crowther, S. (1922). My Life and Work. Garden City Publishing.

Ford, H. (2015). Henry Ford Comments on the Assembly Line. Gale. Retrieved on July 12, 2018 from http://link.galegroup.com/apps/doc/DHFOSM987208216/UHIC?u=nhc_main&sid=UHIC&xid=e35ecd10

Mayrl, P., Boutellier, R., Baschera, P., Boutellier, R., Boutellier, R., Baschera, P., & Baschera, P. (2012). Creating Customer Value in Product Development: Towards an Understanding of Lean Product Development. ETH.

Micklethwait, J., & Wooldridge, A. (2005). The Company: A Short History of a Revolutionary Idea. Modern Library.

Roser, C. (2017). “Faster, Better, Cheaper” In the History of Manufacturing: From the Stone Age to Lean Manufacturing and Beyond. CRC Press.

Schlager, N., & Lauer, J. (Eds.). (2001). Model T: The Car for the Masses. Science and Its Times, 6. Gale. Retrieved from http://link.galegroup.com/apps/doc/CV2643450688/UHIC?u=nhc_main&sid=UHIC&xid=8bdee597

Schönherr, N., & Martinuzzi, A. (2019). Business and the Sustainable Development Goals: Measuring and Managing Corporate Impacts. Springer International Publishing, Imprint Palgrave Pivot.

Scranton, P., & Fridenson, P. (2013). Reimagining Business History. Johns Hopkins University Press.

Stokes, R. P. (1999). Excerpt from I Belong to the Working Class. World War I and the Jazz Age. American Journey. Retrieved on July 12, 2018 from http://link.galegroup.com/apps/doc/EJ2164000039/UHIC?u=nhc_main&sid=UHIC&xid=48f02d0b