Innovation
Henry Ford
Innovation of products and services:
'If I asked people what they wanted, they would have said faster horses' -- Henry Ford
Knowing the customer is critical when introducing innovative customer requirements. While conventionally-minded companies may survey customers, asking them what they think they want and need, ground-breaking companies try to anticipate consumer desire. That is what Henry Ford meant when he said: 'If I asked people what they wanted, they would have said faster horses'. Steve Jobs has also been praised for leading rather than following consumer's technological tastes, such as when he created smaller, portable music devices that could be easily carried when working out and did not 'skip' like old-fashioned CDs. The Apple iPad was much mocked, yet consumers lined up to buy this device that was smaller than a laptop yet larger than a PDA. When creating all of his devices Jobs famously distained market research (Barry 2011). Steve Jobs was a master of so-called lateral thinking and was an innovator who learned from his (few) mistakes (Chang 2010: 120). Combining different elements of different products like Jobs did (the smallness of a PDA with the capabilities of a laptop in the case of an iPad) can create new, synergistic thinking.
The example of both Ford and Jobs is illuminating because there are many parallels between the two innovative entrepreneurs. Neither 'reinvented the wheel' (no pun intended). Ford did not invent cars; Ford invented a way to make cars affordable to ordinary consumers. Jobs did not invent the personal computer, but he did create a computer that was uniquely...
The Taurus and Aerostar were star performers in their respective segments, as were the F-series trucks. The Explorer took advantage of the growing SUV market. The company's modern-era market share peaked in the mid-90s, and has come down steadily over the past decade and change. By the mid-00s, Ford was in financial trouble and undertook the leveraging of its assets in order to get the company through a multi-year restructuring
Leadership of Henry Ford-Ford Motor Company. It gives a corporate and organizational history. It discusses the company's culture as a result of Ford's influence and includes comments of leadership theories. LEADERSHIP OF HENRY FORD: THE FORD MOTOR COMPANY As the twentieth century drew to an end, Time magazine named the Model T. The "automobile that defined the twentieth century from start to finish" (Alvarado 9). Henry Ford's Model T. mass production
Ford Motors Company Ford Motor Company is an American Multinational company that was founded by Henry Ford in the year 1903. Ford's headquarter is in Dearborn Michigan in the United States where it specializes in the production of automobiles both commercial and luxury. Under its commercial category of vehicles, it trades under the Ford brand while its luxury cars trade under the Lincoln brand. Ford Motors is a well established company
Ford Motor Company Analysis Ford's History, Development and Growth As Ford Motor Company itself proudly declares, "The dream became a business." The inception of Ford is one of the critical steps in the industrialization of America and the West in general. According to Ford's public relations department, "Ford Motor Company entered the business world on June 16, 1903, when Henry Ford and 11 business associates signed the company's articles of incorporation. With
Ford Pinto What happened to the Ford Pinto? Ford Motor Company had intended to compete with other automobiles on the market that were smaller and used less gas. But something went terribly wrong along the way. This paper explores the details that led ultimately to the demise of the Ford Pinto -- and to the deaths and injuries of innocent consumers. Why was the Pinto developed in the first place? Ford Motor
(Ford Motor Company: eRoom enables Ford to drive into new technology) II. Marketing Strategies: Target Market: Target Market 1 This market consists of institutional sales with large manufacturers or independent manufacturing divisions of corporations having a huge network of broker, dealer or distributor network. For these categories the ideal vehicle suited will be the sports wagon and minivans. Only last January, the managers publicized the Ford Fairline concept at the Detroit Auto
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