My Life and Work - Henry Ford | 
 enlarge | Manufacturer: LeClue22
Category: EBooks
Buy New: $0.99
Avg. Customer Rating:  13 reviews
Sales Rank: 42173
Format: Kindle Book
Media: Kindle Edition
ASIN: B0013PTQ4M
Publication Date: February 8, 2008
Availability: Usually ships in 24 hours
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| Editorial Reviews:
Product Description
The Autobiography of the founder of the Auto industry Henry Ford. One of the most successful, influential and controversial businessmen of the twentieth century.
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| Customer Reviews: Read 8 more reviews...
 The Classics of Management September 21, 2008
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
Henry Ford is the classical writer on management. He stands on a same line with Sun Tzu, Niccolo Machiavelli, Robert Owen, Frederick Taylor and Henri Fayol.
This is the foundation of all the management literature, and every modern manager should be aware with the works of the authors above mentioned.
In the book "My Life and Work", Henry Ford presents his view on different things: management philosophy, social life, human abilities and capabilities, the role of the bankers in the production, good debt and bad debt, the labor and the speculation, the roots of poverty and the ways to solve it, the role of the government, and other important topics.
You will also find an autobiography in this book, but there is a lot of things that Henry Ford avoids in this book, e.g. how did he took the controlling stake in the Ford Motor Company. He didn't write in the book that he have started another company, Henry Ford and Son, and made a show of taking himself and his best employees to the new company; the goal was to scare the remaining holdout stockholders of the Ford Motor Company to sell their stakes to him before they lost most of their value. The ruse worked, and Henry and his son purchased all remaining stock from the other investors, thus giving the family sole ownership of the company.
 The best business and economics book ever written April 13, 2008
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
Anyone who has read "My Life and Work" will understand exactly what is wrong with our country today. There are three ways to create wealth--grow it, mine it, or make it--and activities like flipping houses or trading carbon credits do not qualify.
Ford developed what is now known as the Toyota production system, and readers will see a very explicit description of just in time manufacturing (and its benefits) in "My Life and Work."
Ford also summarized effective labor relations in one sentence: "It ought to be the employer's ambition, as leader, to pay better wages than any similar line of business, and it ought to be the workman's ambition to make this possible."
Henry's thoughts in todays world December 10, 2007
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
In reading the book I keep thinking what Henry was saying in 1922 could be said today. War profiteering, patriotism, interest rates, bureaucracy, education are all topics that sound so familiar in today's news. Henry had it right then in lots of ways and I think a lot of what he put forth it could be used in today's society.
A must read October 31, 2007
"A manufacturer is not through with his customer when a sale is
completed. He has then only started".
"Even as late as 1910 and 1911 the owner of an automobile was
regarded as essentially a rich man whose money ought to be taken away
from him. We met that situation squarely and at the very beginning. We
would not have our distribution blocked by stupid, greedy men."
You will read dozens of frases like this, reminding us that great ideias can become lost in time, that stupid people can if fact take control of our companies, media and what not, and we can slowly drift into oblivion.
An eye opener.
A Surprise from the Past May 12, 2007
3 out of 3 found this review helpful
I read about this book while doing some research into Lean management. Taiichi Ohno, "father" of the Toyota Production System noted that he learned many lean principles from Henry Ford. After finishing this book, I would recommend that EVERY CEO in this country be REQUIRED to read it. It is a wonderfully clear description of management and leadership principles that all companies should embrace. Mr. Ford is clear on the purpose of a company - to build products and provide services that meet the needs of its customers. If we do this, as he notes, the money will follow. We get it backwards so often these days - we think the purpose of a company is to make money or increase its share price.
As opposed to most business books where one idea is promoted and beaten to death, Mr. Ford's book is full of good ideas on all aspects of managing a business. It's a delightfully refreshing read!
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