单选题
Henry Ford
Henry Ford was born in 1863 on a farm near Dearborn, Michigan and is best known for his
pioneering
efforts in the automobile industry. Ford"s beginnings in that industry were humble as he became a machinist"s apprentice in Detroit at age 16 and then worked for much of the 1890s as a mechanical engineer. During his leisure hours, he experimented with the construction of the first automobile, which he achieved in 1896 with the Quadricycle. In 1903, he founded the Ford Motor Company.
Ford is perhaps most famous for producing the Model T in 1913. This car was revolutionary in its use of interchangeable parts and assembly line techniques during its production. While Ford was not the first to use these practices, he was the first to
implement
them on a large scale, and
this
led to the great expansion of the Ford Motor Company and American industry in general.
Ford"s innovative production techniques had their downside, however, as by early 1914 the monthly labor turnover at the Ford plant was almost 50% due to low wages, heavy workloads and the monotony of the assembly line. He responded by doubling the daily wage that was then standard in the industry to almost $5 per day. This stabilized the workforce and resulted in a reduction in operating costs. The increase in workers" wages also raised their standard of living and made it possible for them to be consumers of cars and other durable goods, which further spurred production.
The Model T was discontinued in 1927 after having sold 15 million cars. While Ford was the pioneer in the mass production of cars, he was slow to respond to the trend in the industry for new models to be introduced each year. Consequently, Ford"s position as the
preeminent
producer and seller of automobiles was lost to the competition such as General Motors. Ford did not adopt the practice of yearly changes in models until the 1930s, and by then the company had lost the early lead it had enjoyed over its competitors.
While Ford is best known for introducing the Model T and mass automobile production, his company also manufactured airplanes, particularly during World War Ⅱ. Ford also made a name for himself as a politician as he ran for a seat in the U.S. Senate in 1918, but was defeated. As a private citizen, he took on the role of statesman and traveled to Europe in 1915 with a number of like-minded others with the purpose of trying to persuade the warring European countries to put an end to the First World War. Ford was also a noted philanthropist as he built one of the most expensive hospitals in the world in Detroit in 1919. Upon his death in I947, he left the bulk of his personal fortune of over $600 million to the non-profit Ford Foundation.
Glossary
assembly line:
mechanical system in a factory whereby an article is conveyed through sites at which successive operations are performed on it
apprentice:
one who is learning a trade or occupation
statesman:
a man who is a respected leader in national or international affairs
foundation:
an institution supported by an endowment