A/P Ian Gordon

History

AS

NUS

Back to HY/AS3230

I Introduction

Course Themes:

• The Rise and (Fall) and Rise of American Business
•  Entrepreneurship or Managementl

II The Armory System

    1. Standardized Parts
        Springfield, Massachusetts
        Harpers Ferry, Virginia
        XYZ Affair
        Eli Whitney
        Simeon North
        Roswell Lee
        Thomas Blanchard
        John H. Hall

    2. Driven by Military Needs

    3. Transnational Nature
        Jean-Baptiste Vaquette de Gribeauval

III Standardization of Production

    1. Sewing Machines
        Singer Manufacturing Company
        McCormick Harvesting Machine Company

    2. The Bicycle Industry

IV Ford and the Assembly Line

Ford Motor Company
Model T
Charlie Chaplin's movie Modern Times
Upton Sinclair’s novel The Jungle

VI Conclusion
In this lecture then I have sketched an outline of the transformation of manufacturing from a craft based discipline to the age of mass production. I have pointed to the importance of standardization of parts to promote interchangeability, the importance of some processes such as stamping, and the introduction of the assembly line. I have also pointed to two other themes involved in American Business and Technology: the importance of marketing and the importance of managing the workforce. These are issues we will take up throughout the course.
 

Top of Page