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- Faculty Publications (185)
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- All HBS Web (358)
- Faculty Publications (185)
Henry Ford II
When Ford took over Ford Motor in 1945, the company was losing $9.5 million per month. Ford implemented an audit system for the company, while automating company plants. As a result of Ford’s leadership, the Ford Motor Company boasted net profits of $265 million in... View Details
Keywords: Automotive & Aerospace
Robert J. Eaton
Following Lee Iacocca as head of Chrysler, Eaton led the company to a banner year in 1994 with earnings of $3.7 billion and sales of $52.2 billion, both far above previous records. In 1996, Eaton’s Chrysler led auto makers in profits thanks to its newly innovative and... View Details
Keywords: Automotive & Aerospace
William Durant
Beginning his career as a carriage and wagon manufacturer, Durant made the switch to automobile manufacturing in 1904 by reorganizing a failing Buick Motors. He believed that the key to success in the automobile industry was creating an organization that made a wide... View Details
Keywords: Automotive & Aerospace
John L. Collyer
In 1940, Collyer brought to market the first tire with a substantial man-made rubber content. Goodrich’s tire was 50% synthetic rubber at a time when man-made rubber was not yet cost competitive with crude rubber. However, shortly thereafter, with the outbreak of World... View Details
Keywords: Automotive & Aerospace
Walter P. Chrysler
In 1924, Chrysler created a car, which bore his name, and offered new innovations to the automobile, including the four-wheel hydraulic brakes and a high compression engine. In 1928, Chrysler purchased the Dodge Brothers Company for its manufacturing facilities,... View Details
Keywords: Automotive & Aerospace
Roy D. Chapin
In 1919, Chapin introduced the “Essex,” a popularly priced car that was an immediate success. In 1922, Chapin offered closed cars at virtually the same price as the touring car. The closed car became the industry standard while the touring car rapidly disappeared from... View Details
Keywords: Automotive & Aerospace
- Profile
Brittany Williams
Every summer from 7th grade through her senior year in high school, Brittany Williams went to science camp. “I was the kid who went to the NASA space camp—for fun!” Brittany enrolled at the University of Virginia to study aerospace... View Details
Keywords: Financial Services
- Profile
Marie Kyle
Late in her undergraduate career at Northwestern University, Marie Kyle experienced a dramatic shift in priorities. Her original enthusiasm for engineering and aerospace design had been tempered by her initial career inquiries. "Most... View Details
- 01 Dec 2003
- News
Flex Time
say that owning a company and working together has been a lifelong dream (they met while working at a GE Aerospace plant in Syracuse, New York). “Linda’s better at clearly defining goals and responsibilities and then holding people to the... View Details
Keywords: Manufacturing
- 10 Oct 2007
- Research & Ideas
“Blank” Inside: Branding Ingredients
Harvard Business School professor John Quelch writes a blog on marketing issues, called Marketing Know: How, for Harvard Business Online. It is reprinted on HBS Working Knowledge.Why do we pay more for an orange with a Sunkist sticker? Because inspecting the outside of... View Details
Dwane L. Wallace
In 1936, Wallace took complete control of Clyde Cessna Aircraft and set out to make it the #1 light plane manufacturer. Wallace’s sharp engineering skills allowed him to create high quality, low cost planes that could be made on efficient assembly lines. Securing an... View Details
Keywords: Automotive & Aerospace
Thomas E. Braniff
Braniff received his first airmail contract from the federal government in 1934, four years after founding Braniff Airways. In 1952, Braniff acquired Mid-Continent Airlines, which made Braniff Airways the sixth largest airline in the U.S. and the twelfth largest in the... View Details
Keywords: Automotive & Aerospace
W. Michael Blumenthal
When Blumenthal took over Bendix, it had become a gigantic conglomerate producing a bewildering variety of products. Blumenthal sold several of the company’s unprofitable divisions, and doubled company sales during his tenure to more than $3 billion. Under his... View Details
Keywords: Automotive & Aerospace
Charles M. Pigott
Pigott was instrumental in leading the growth of his family’s business, Pacific Car & Foundry. Sales of heavy trucks under the Peterbilt and Kenworth names increased from $320 million to $4.3 billion. Part of that growth was generated through a series of... View Details
Keywords: Automotive & Aerospace
Ransom E. Olds
Olds was one of the early pioneers of the automobile industry. He is credited with the design of the “curved dash” which was both functional (keeping passengers warm) and stylish. Olds’ first car, the “runabout,” was mass produced in 1901 and was considered the first... View Details
Keywords: Automotive & Aerospace
Glenn L. Martin
Martin created the largest pre-World War II airplane manufacturing firm in America. He was the creative inventor of numerous airplanes mostly designed for military purposes (e.g. the famous B-10 bomber, B-26 and huge “Clipper” seaplanes). He also developed special... View Details
Keywords: Automotive & Aerospace
Henry B. Joy
Under Joy’s leadership, Packard Motor’s automobile became one of the most respected cars in the 1900s. He was also prominent in the development of the Liberty airplane motor. View Details
Keywords: Automotive & Aerospace
Lido (Lee) A. Iacocca
Iacocca, former president of Ford Motor Company, took over Chrysler when it was leaning towards bankruptcy. He asked Congress for a loan, arguing that if Chrysler filed for bankruptcy, the government would have to spend more on unemployment compensation than on keeping... View Details
Keywords: Automotive & Aerospace
Henry Ford
In 1908, Ford introduced to the market the Model T automobile. Through cost-cutting production methods, Ford was eventually able to reduce the price of the Model T to $260, making it affordable for the mass market. Establishing the continuously moving assembly line,... View Details
Keywords: Automotive & Aerospace
Frederick J. Fisher
Fisher produced auto bodies specifically designed for autos rather than as modifications of horse-drawn carriages. When Cadillac placed an order for 150 closed bodies in 1910, it was the first volume order of its kind in the U.S. In 1919, General Motors, under the... View Details
Keywords: Automotive & Aerospace