Skip to main content
ACLS Humanities EBook

ACLS
Humanities Ebook

Browse Books Help
Get access to more books. Log in with your institution.

Your use of this Platform is subject to the Fulcrum Terms of Service.

Share the story of what Open Access means to you

a graphic of a lock that is open, the universal logo for open access

University of Michigan needs your feedback to better understand how readers are using openly available ebooks. You can help by taking a short, privacy-friendly survey.

  1. Home
  2. Books
  3. Trust and power : consumers, the modern corporation, and the making of the United States automobile market

Trust and power : consumers, the modern corporation, and the making of the United States automobile market

Sally H. Clarke
Restricted You don't have access to this book. Please try to log in with your institution. Log in
Read Book
  • Contents

  • Reviews

  • Related Titles

  • Cover
  • Title Page
  • Copyright and Permissions
  • [Dedication]
  • List of Illustrations
  • List of Tables
  • Film Clip
  • Acknowledgments
  • Abbreviations: Archives, Collections, and Libraries
    • 1 The Henry Ford Collections
    • 2 Archives and Collections (Other than the Henry Ford)
    • 3 Records and Briefs of Court Cases
  • Introduction
  • Part I A New Market, 1896–1916
    • [Intro]
    • 1 Risks of Innovation, Risks of Injury
      • [Intro]
      • Prologue: The Auto Market in the 1890s
      • Innovation in a New Market: Risk-Takers
      • Images of Risk-Taking and Other Motives for Buying Cars
      • The Virtues of Sociability
      • Risk-Takers and Litigation
      • Conclusion
    • 2 New Firms and the Problem of Social Costs
      • [Intro]
      • The Privity Requirement and the Structure of the Modern Firm
      • Toward a Commercial Market: 1908–1916
      • Persistent Defects: 1911–1914
      • MacPherson v. Buick: Demonstrating Liability in Court
      • Conclusion
  • Part II A Mass Market, 1916–1941
    • [Intro]
    • 3 Corporate Strategies and Consumers’ Loyalty
      • [Intro]
      • The Demise of the Model T
      • GM’s 1921 Product Policy
      • Walter P. Chrysler’s Company
      • Putting Management on a “Scientific” Basis: Statistical Controls
      • Consumers as Abstractions: A Managerial Dilemma
      • Conclusion
    • 4 Engineering a Mass Product
      • [Intro]
      • Corporate Research and Consumers’ Risks in a Mass Market
      • MacPherson v. Buick and the Ambiguous Nature of Inspections
      • Public and Private Oversight
      • Public Relations and Shaping Risks
      • Products Liability Insurance
      • Conclusion
    • 5 A Machine Age Aesthetic
      • [Intro]
      • An Institutional Basis for Styling at GM
      • GM’s Art and Colour Section
      • Managing Design for a Machine Age Aesthetic
      • The Cord 810
      • Conclusion
    • 6 The Franchised Car Dealer and Consumers’ Marketing Dilemma
      • [Intro]
      • Franchised Dealers and the Market for Autos
      • Franchising in the Mass Market: Divergent Interests
      • Trying to Reshape the Demand Side of the Market
      • Rethinking the Relationship between Dealers and Consumers
      • Conclusion
  • Part III A Mature Market, 1945–1965
    • [Intro]
    • 7 Automobiles and Institutional Change
      • [Intro]
      • Prelude: The Postwar Market
      • Marketing Automobiles: A Quantitative Portrait, 1945–1965
      • The Firm: Producing Cars
      • The State: The Fed’s Liberalized Credit Terms
      • The Family: Women’s Work and Women’s Credit
      • Conclusion
  • Conclusion
  • Appendix Automobile Dealer Agreements and Sales Manager Contracts, 1900–1914
  • Notes
    • Introduction
    • Part I [Intro]
    • 1 Risks of Innovation, Risks of Injury
    • 2 New Firms and the Problem of Social Costs
    • Part II [Intro]
    • 3 Corporate Strategies and Consumers’ Loyalty
    • 4 Engineering a Mass Product
    • 5 A Machine Age Aesthetic
    • 6 The Franchised Car Dealer and Consumers’ Marketing Dilemma
    • Part III [Intro]
    • 7 Automobiles and Institutional Change
    • Conclusion
    • Appendix Automobile Dealer Agreements and Sales Manager Contracts, 1900–1914
  • Index
    • [A-G]
    • [H-O]
    • [P-Z]
  • About the Author
Reviews
Journal AbbreviationLabelURL
TC 49.1 (2008): 275-277 http://muse.jhu.edu/journals/technology_and_culture/v049/49.1wells.html
Related Titles
HEB IdTitleAuthorsPublication Information
heb04041.0001.001 The Art of American Car Design: The Profession and Personalities. Armi, C. Edson . University Park: Pennsylvania State University Press, 1988.
A Consumer's Republic: The Politics of Mass Consuption in Postwar America. Cohen, Lizabeth. New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 2003.
heb04043.0001.001 Exit, Voice, and Loyalty: Responses to Decline in Firms, Organizations, and States. Hirschman, Albert O. Cambridge: Harvard University Press, 1970.
heb04049.0001.001 From the American System to Mass Production, 1800-1932: The Development of Manufacturing Technology in the United States. Hounshell, David A. Baltimore: The Johns Hopkins University Press, 1985.
Twentieth-Century Limited: Industrial Design in America, 1925-1939. Meikle, Jeffrey L. Philadelphia: Temple University Press, 1979.
heb04045.0001.001 Ford: The Times, the Man, the Company. Nevins, Allan, and Frank Ernest Hill. New York: Charles Scribner's Sons, 1954.
HEB94045.0002.001 Ford: Expansion and Challenge, 1915-1933. Nevins, Allan, and Frank Ernest Hill. New York: Charles Scribner's Sons, 1957.
heb04045.0003.001 Ford: Decline and Rebirth, 1933-1962. Nevins, Allan, and Frank Ernest Hill. New York: Charles Scribner's Sons, 1964.
My Years with General Motors. Sloan, Alfred P. New York: Doubleday, 1963.
Citable Link
Published: c2007
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Copyright Holder: Cambridge University Press
ISBN(s)
  • 9780521120388 (paper)
  • 9780511098697 (ebook)
  • 9780521868785 (hardcover)
Subject
  • American: 1900-present

Resources

Search and Filter Resources

Filter search results by

Creator

  • Cambridge University Press
Filter search results by

Format

  • image53
  • video2
Your search has returned 55 resources attached to Trust and power : consumers, the modern corporation, and the making of the United States automobile market

Search Constraints

Filtering by: Creator Cambridge University Press Remove constraint Creator: Cambridge University Press
Start Over

Not finding what you are looking for? Help improve Fulcrum's search and share your feedback.

« Previous | 1 - 20 of 55 | Next »
  • First Appearance
  • Section (Earliest First)
  • Section (Last First)
  • Format (A-Z)
  • Format (Z-A)
  • Year (Oldest First)
  • Year (Newest First)
Number of results to display per page
  • 10 per page
  • 20 per page
  • 50 per page
  • 100 per page
View results as:
List Gallery

Search Results

From the Collections of the Henry Ford. Negative number P.833.49148.

The Fifteenth Millionth Model T (the last one) with Henry and Edsel Ford, 1927. Henry Ford was forced to shut down production because the Model T’s market share had slumped. The experience served as a painful lesson that the low price of the Model T did not sustain the brand’s sales.

Figure 3.1 The Fifteenth Millionth Model T (the last one) with Henry and Edsel Ford, 1927. Henry Ford was forced to shut down production because the Model T’s market share had slumped. The experience served as a painful lesson that the low price of the Model T did not sustain the brand’s sales.

Courtesy of the Detroit Public Library, National Automotive History Collection.

Olds Motor Works Factory, circa 1901.

Figure 1.01 Olds Motor Works Factory, circa 1901.

Sources: For the market share of GM’s five brands, see Ronald Henry Wolf, “General Motors: A Study of the Firm’s Growth, Its External Relationships, and Internal Organization” (Ph.D. dissertation, Vanderbilt University, 1962), Appendix C, Table 2, 479-80; for the 1954 median prices of the five brands, see Table .

Market Share and Median Prices for General Motors’ Five Brands, 1954 Notes: The pyramid represents the market share for new cars held by the five GM brands in 1954, beginning with Chevrolet and moving up to the top brand, Cadillac. GM’s total market share was 50.7 percent, and the five brands each claimed the following shares: Chevrolet, 25.6 percent; Pontiac, 6.5 percent; Oldsmobile, 7.4 percent; Buick, 9.3 percent; and Cadillac 2.0 percent. The pyramid is stylized since the market shares do not represent an exact pyramid. My pyramid is based on a revised model of a price pyramid created by James M. Rubenstein in Making and Selling Cars: Innovation and Change in the U.S. Automotive Industry (Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press, 2001), 206.

Figure 7.2 Market Share and Median Prices for General Motors’ Five Brands, 1954 Notes: The pyramid represents the market share for new cars held by the five GM brands in 1954, beginning with Chevrolet and moving up to the top brand, Cadillac. GM’s total market share was 50.7 percent, and the five brands each claimed the following shares: Chevrolet, 25.6 percent; Pontiac, 6.5 percent; Oldsmobile, 7.4 percent; Buick, 9.3 percent; and Cadillac 2.0 percent. The pyramid is stylized since the market shares do not represent an exact pyramid. My pyramid is based on a revised model of a price pyramid created by James M. Rubenstein in Making and Selling Cars: Innovation and Change in the U.S. Automotive Industry (Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press, 2001), 206.

From the Collections of the Henry Ford. Negative number P.O. 18458.

General Motors Art and Colour Section, late 1920s. Although the Art and Colour Section went on to be a large division within GM, it began with a modest staff of ten designers.

Figure 5.3 General Motors Art and Colour Section, late 1920s. Although the Art and Colour Section went on to be a large division within GM, it began with a modest staff of ten designers.

Courtesy of the Detroit Public Library, National Automotive History Collection.

Volkswagen, 1965.

Figure 7.02 Volkswagen, 1965.

Courtesy of the Detroit Public Library, National Automotive History Collection.

Buick Automobile Dealership, circa 1909. This photograph was taken around the time when Donald MacPherson purchased his Buick runabout.

Figure 2.3 Buick Automobile Dealership, circa 1909. This photograph was taken around the time when Donald MacPherson purchased his Buick runabout.

Courtesy of the Auburn-Cord-Duesenberg Museum.

Cord 810.

Figure 5.05 Cord 810.

Courtesy of the Auburn-Cord-Duesenberg Museum.

Cord 810.

Figure 5.03 Cord 810.

Adam Smith

Adam Smith

Figure I.01 Adam Smith

Courtesy of the Detroit Public Library, National Automotive History Collection.

Walter P. Chrysler, 1924. Chrysler had mimicked GM’s marketing strategy, but he also counted on close ties to suppliers to break into the low-price, high-volume segment of the market.

Figure 3.3 Walter P. Chrysler, 1924. Chrysler had mimicked GM’s marketing strategy, but he also counted on close ties to suppliers to break into the low-price, high-volume segment of the market.

Courtesy of the Detroit Public Library, National Automotive History Collection.

Women’s New York to Philadelphia Run, 1909.

Figure 1.06 Women’s New York to Philadelphia Run, 1909.

Courtesy of the Detroit Public Library, National Automotive History Collection.

Automobile Accident.

Figure 2.01 Automobile Accident.

Courtesy of the Detroit Public Library, National Automotive History Collection.

A Curved-Dash Oldsmobile, 1902. Manufacturers conducted many stunts during the early 1900s. The events served different purposes which ranged from displaying vehicles’ novelty to convincing potential car buyers of the machines’ sound operation.

Figure 1.1 A Curved-Dash Oldsmobile, 1902. Manufacturers conducted many stunts during the early 1900s. The events served different purposes which ranged from displaying vehicles’ novelty to convincing potential car buyers of the machines’ sound operation.

Courtesy of the Detroit Public Library, National Automotive History Collection.

Importing VW Bugs, 1962. As an affordable and sturdy vehicle, the Bug offered an important alternative to Detroit’s price ladder of brands.

Figure 7.4 Importing VW Bugs, 1962. As an affordable and sturdy vehicle, the Bug offered an important alternative to Detroit’s price ladder of brands.

Courtesy of the Auburn-Cord-Duesenberg Museum.

Cord 810.

Figure 5.02 Cord 810.

Courtesy of the Detroit Public Library, National Automotive History Collection.

Roy D. Chapin, with curved dashed Oldsmobile.

Figure 1.02 Roy D. Chapin, with curved dashed Oldsmobile.

Sources: For the distribution of income in 1954, including the lower limit income for each quintile, see Table ; and for purchases of cars by income groups, see “1955 Survey of Consumer Finances: Purchases of Durable Goods in 1954,” Federal Reserve Bulletin 41 (May 1955): 475.

Distribution of Car Sales by Income Groups, 1954. Notes: New cars were concentrated among the richest thirty-eight percent of the population; families in the top and middle income groups accounted for most used car sales; and families in the bottom twenty percent of the population bought few cars. My pyramid is based on a revised model of a price pyramid created by James M. Rubenstein in Making and Selling Cars: Innovation and Change in the U.S. Automotive Industry (Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press, 2001), 206.

Figure 7.3 Distribution of Car Sales by Income Groups, 1954. Notes: New cars were concentrated among the richest thirty-eight percent of the population; families in the top and middle income groups accounted for most used car sales; and families in the bottom twenty percent of the population bought few cars. My pyramid is based on a revised model of a price pyramid created by James M. Rubenstein in Making and Selling Cars: Innovation and Change in the U.S. Automotive Industry (Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press, 2001), 206.

Courtesy of the Detroit Public Library, National Automotive History Collection.

A Packard’s 1903 Transcontinental Tour.

Figure 1.04 A Packard’s 1903 Transcontinental Tour.

Canongate Church

Canongate Church

Figure I.02 Canongate Church

Courtesy of the Detroit Public Library, National Automotive History Collection.

Chicago Floral Parade, 1910.

Figure 1.08 Chicago Floral Parade, 1910.

  • « Previous
  • Next »
  • 1
  • 2
  • 3
ACLS Humanities Ebook Contact Us

Twitter

ACLS Michigan Publishing

ACLS HEB is a partnership between ACLS and Michigan Publishing

ACLS HEB

  • Browse and Search
  • About ACLS HEB
  • Impact and Usage

Information For

  • Librarians
  • Publishers
  • Societies

Quicklinks

  • Help/FAQ
  • Title List
  • MARC Records
  • KBART Records
  • Usage Stats
© 2023 ACLS Humanities Ebook · Accessibility · Preservation · Privacy · Terms of Service
Powered by Fulcrum logo · Log In
x This site requires cookies to function correctly.