It is a bedrock American belief: the 1950s were a golden age of prosperity for autoworkers. Flush with high wages and enjoying the benefits of generous union contracts, these workers became the backbone of a thriving blue-collar middle class. It is also a myth. Daniel J. Clark began by interviewing dozens of former autoworkers in the Detroit area and found a different story--one of economic insecurity caused by frequent layoffs, unrealized contract provisions, and indispensable second jobs. Disruption in Detroit is a vivid portrait of workers and an industry that experienced anything but stable prosperity. As Clark reveals, the myths--whether of rising incomes or hard-nosed union bargaining success--came later. In the 1950s, ordinary autoworkers, union leaders, and auto company executives recognized that although jobs in their industry paid high wages, they were far from steady and often impossible to find.

This monograph adresses the challenge of the environmental assessment of leightweight electric vehicles. It poses the question whether the use of lightweight materials in electric vehicles can reduce the vehicles' environmental impact and compares the environmental performance of a lightweight electric vehicle (LEV) to other types of vehicles. The topical approach focuses on methods from life cycle assessment (LCA), and the book concludes with a comprehensive concept on the environmental assessment of LEVs. The target audience primarily comprises LCA practitioners from research institutes and industry, but it may also be beneficial for graduate students specializing in the field of environmental assessment.

Cordoba is Argentina's second-largest city, a university town that became the center of its automobile industry. In the decade following the overthrow of Juan Peron's government in 1955, the city experienced rapid industrial growth. The arrival of IKA-Renault and Fiat fostered a particular kind of industrial development and created a new industrial worker of predominantly rural origins. Former farm boys and small-town dwellers were thrust suddenly into the world of the modern factory and the multinational corporation. The domination of the local economy by a single industry and the prominent role played by the automobile workers' unions brought about the greatest working-class protest in postwar Latin American history, the 1969 Cordobazo. Following the Cordobazo, the local labor movement was one characterized by intense militancy and determined opposition to both authoritarian military governments and the Peronist trade union bureaucracy. These labor wars have been mythologized as a Latin American equivalent to the French student strikes of May-June 1968 and the Italian "hot summer" of the same period. Analyzing these events in the context of recent debates on Latin American working-class politics, Brennan demonstrates that the pronounced militancy and even political radicalism of the Cordoban working class were due not only to Argentina's changing political culture but also to the dynamic relationship between the factory and society during those years. Brennan draws on corporate archives in Argentina, France, and Italy, as well as previously unknown union archives. Readers interested in Latin American studies, labor history, industrial relations, political science, industrialsociology, and international business will all find value in this important analysis of labor politics.

The life and history of Pirelli encompass three centuries - a remarkable period of time. This extensive study by Professor Carlo Bellavite Pellegrini explores the corporate values and the managers' profiles that have made this extraordinary outcome possible. With exclusive access to the Pirelli Foundation archives and previously unseen correspondence and interviews, Pirelli: Technology and Passion provides a never-before-seen window into the construction of this global corporation. This striking hardback follows the company history of Pirelli and illuminates the key ingredients of its lasting success. From the incorporation and the establishment of the first factory in Milan in 1872, through rapid international development, and up to its current status as a multinational corporation with 22 factories in 13 different countries around the world, Pirelli: Technology and Passion tells a story of entrepreneurs, managers, engineers, researchers and workers who all contribute to an enduring corporate identity.

This is the first book on the global auto industry viewed through the lens of technology. It starts by tracing how innovation shaped the first century of its history, then it examines the industry's shifting footprint in Europe and North America, and the rise of new producers, particularly China. Succeeding chapters emphasize the role of suppliers in what is now a high-tech industry. This book describes new forms of collaboration that challenge traditional supply chain relations, analyzing regulation as a driver of innovation, and the enabling role of the materials science revolution, such as the shift of steel from a commodity to a highly engineered product. It covers innovations in management, from computer-aided engineering, roadmapping, and just-in-time methods to the evolving role of workers and public policy. The authors finish with an overview of electric vehicles, shared mobility, and autonomous vehicles, concluding that they will not prove disruptive.

The application of systems theory to today's businesses is a direct result of the enhancements that stem from globalization. In order to remain competitive in the new global environment, companies must alter their managerial methods and strategies. Systemic Approaches to Strategic Management: Examples from the Automotive Industry addresses the issues that industrial companies face in the current era of globalization and how the application of systems theory has affected their performance. Highlighting issues such as theoretical approaches of systems theory, production strategies, and organizational structure, this book is a pivotal reference source for practitioners, students, engineers, technicians, business managers, and economists interested in systems theory application in the management of industrial companies.

The motor vehicle industry is one of the world's largest. More than 1 billion vehicles are in use around the world, and 80 million are produced and sold annually. Motor vehicles including passenger cars, trucks, and commercial vehicles such as buses and taxis are the principal means by which people and goods are transported within and between most communities in the world. The motor vehicle industry includes corporations that design, develop, and manufacture cars and trucks. These carmakers, such as Ford and Toyota, are among the world's most-familiar corporate brands. The motor vehicle industry also encompasses less well-known businesses including several thousand parts makers, tens of thousands of retailers, and specialized lending agencies. The importance of the motor vehicle industry transcends even its central role in the global economy. The industry was responsible for many of the fundamental innovations of twentieth-century production, such as corporate organization, manufacturing processes, and labor relations, as well as sales innovations, such as product branding and consumer financing. In the twenty-first century, the motor vehicle industry has been a leader in adopting new production strategies and expanding into new markets. This book will cover the history, operations and manufacturing processes, organization, supply chain, key competitors, market and ultra-market forces, regulation, recent innovations and challenges, and the future of the industry.

This book is about my experiences at a, now closed, General Motors metal casting plant in the Buffalo, New York area. It follows my journey from apprenticeship training in a skilled trade, to becoming a journeyman in the trade, to going back to school for my college degree, and finally being promoted to supervisor of a critical department in the plant.

When most people key the ignition switch or push the start button, they really do not have any idea what is involved in the engineering, technology, equipment, and human labor required to produce a motor vehicle. Heavy manufacturing, especially casting facilities, were and are dangerous places to work. I reluctantly have given the reader examples of several instances of human suffering which took place during my eighteen years of employment as well as many stories from within that GM plant.

For the better part of three decades I carried the material for this book with me and did nothing until our Government decided to bailout GM and Chrysler. At that point I dusted off the attache case and began this journey. You see, GM was not going to go out of business but going into bankruptcy would mean revamping retiree pay and medical benefits for the UAW and that was not going to happen. Six decades of questionable management and union relations at the corporate and plant levels had finally caught up with them.

This book is about my experiences at a, now closed, General Motors metal casting plant in the Buffalo, New York area. It follows my journey from apprenticeship training in a skilled trade, to becoming a journeyman in the trade, to going back to school for my college degree, and finally being promoted to supervisor of a critical department in the plant.

When most people key the ignition switch or push the start button, they really do not have any idea what is involved in the engineering, technology, equipment, and human labor required to produce a motor vehicle. Heavy manufacturing, especially casting facilities, were and are dangerous places to work. I reluctantly have given the reader examples of several instances of human suffering which took place during my eighteen years of employment as well as many stories from within that GM plant.

For the better part of three decades I carried the material for this book with me and did nothing until our Government decided to bailout GM and Chrysler. At that point I dusted off the attache case and began this journey. You see, GM was not going to go out of business but going into bankruptcy would mean revamping retiree pay and medical benefits for the UAW and that was not going to happen. Six decades of questionable management and union relations at the corporate and plant levels had finally caught up with them.

The authors point out the entire business orientated automotive value chain. With regard to the finance perspective these elements of the value chain are scrutinized chapter by chapter. Current trends in new mobility concepts, cross-industry strategic alliances as well as requirements for product launch, especially in the BRIC countries, are highlighted. The book provides the link between science and business practice in the automotive industry.

Velocity 2.0: Paint, Pixels, & Profitability is the second book from retail automotive industry expert, entrepreneur and former dealer, Dale Pollak. The book picks up where Dale's Velocity: From the Front Line to the Bottom Line leaves off, revealing new ROI-based management metrics and processes dealers can use to operate more efficient and profitable used vehicle departments. The book flows from the recognition that today s used vehicle marketplace is more challenging and volatile than it s ever been a tough reality driven by the power of the Internet and a troubled economy. Velocity 2.0 offers a playbook of best practices and processes to help dealers become more successful.

While we are cognizant that carbon dioxide emissions from cars are having a lasting and negative impact on our climate and human health, we continue to do little to mitigate the harm.It became increasingly clear that the parties contributing to the emissions problem are a set of interacting players. It also became evident that the portrayal of this system and the related environmental and resource issues as described in this work is a unique interdisciplinary synthesis of philosophy, scientific data related to climate change, automotive technology, domestic policy, and socio-historical information. "Mary Gresens makes important contributions to our society's effort to understand the consequences of the continuing degradation of its physical environment caused by some of the very technologies that made modern society possible." - Jay Reuscher, Professor, Georgetown University "This analysis represents a serious and substantive attempt to deal with a pressing economic and ecological concern." -Terrence Reynolds, Chair Department of Theology, Georgetown University "This book addresses a real problem by using information from several disciplines, presenting the scientific evidence clearly and convincingly, and making concrete policy proposals. It points to alarming responsibility for future generations." -Wilfried Ver Eecke, Professor, Georgetown University

In Outraged, an auto insider provides an inspiring account of what it means to lose your rights, property, and, in essence, the American dream. It begins with roughly two thousand men and women whose companies were destroyed by two automakers, General Motors and Chrysler, during their government-led corporate restructurings in 2009. Authors Tamara Darvish, vice president of DARCARS Automotive in Maryland, and Lillie Guyer, a Detroit area automotive journalist, show the collapse of the American dream from the perspective of an entrepreneur who was affected by the automotive industry bailout. In this featurized business story, Outraged details the founding of the activist group Committee to Restore Dealer Rights and its efforts to regain the economic rights of auto dealerships throughout the United States. It tells how they took their fight to Congress and to the steps of the White House. Outraged candidly examines the battles between dealers and the entities that engineered their demise. It also details the pain and the high points in government as its temporary power brokers ignore the significant role of Congress in lawmaking and the rights of ordinary citizens. This personal, controversial account shows what can happen when people unite in a common cause and stand up for what they believe is right.

In Outraged, an auto insider provides an inspiring account of what it means to lose your rights, property, and, in essence, the American dream. It begins with roughly two thousand men and women whose companies were destroyed by two automakers, General Motors and Chrysler, during their government-led corporate restructurings in 2009. Authors Tamara Darvish, vice president of DARCARS Automotive in Maryland, and Lillie Guyer, a Detroit area automotive journalist, show the collapse of the American dream from the perspective of an entrepreneur who was affected by the automotive industry bailout. In this featurized business story, Outraged details the founding of the activist group Committee to Restore Dealer Rights and its efforts to regain the economic rights of auto dealerships throughout the United States. It tells how they took their fight to Congress and to the steps of the White House. Outraged candidly examines the battles between dealers and the entities that engineered their demise. It also details the pain and the high points in government as its temporary power brokers ignore the significant role of Congress in lawmaking and the rights of ordinary citizens. This personal, controversial account shows what can happen when people unite in a common cause and stand up for what they believe is right.

American Business Abroad: Ford on Six Continents documents the first sixty years of Ford Motor Company's international expansion. Ford Motor Company introduced Americans to the first affordable car. Based on Ford's extraordinary company archives, this book traces the company's rise as a multinational enterprise. Following the export of the sixth car produced by the company, Ford opened its first plant abroad in its second year of business and quickly expanded around the world, building a business that by the mid 1920s spanned six continents. It faced wars, nationalism, numerous government restrictions and all the perils of operating across borders. First published in 1964, this book has lasting value in reminding readers of the long and uneven path of globalization. This new edition includes a new introduction by the author examining the impact and legacy of the study. It remains a major contribution to global economic history. In addition, Ford's history offers useful lessons today for both participants in the global economy and students of international business.

What really goes on behind those service department garage doors?
Do women really get treated differently at the dealership?
Steve Shaw, author, former service manager and AUTO INDUSTRY INSIDER reveals these TOP SECRETS and more...
What is the secret on saving money on your regular maintenance?
How do mechanics figure the price of your repair bill?
How can you get a free world class inspection?
Can you get a free upgrade on your rental car?
Can you really get free repairs from the dealer?
Can you use competitor coupons at the dealership?
Are extended warranties a rip off? Which ones should you buy, more importantly which ones should you stay away from?
What is the ultimate secret to saving money?
It's all inside. The answers to these and many more questions are just a flip of the book cover away. Many consumers are reporting saving hundreds if not thousands of dollars on their repair bill. Get Cheating The Dealer today for yourself or a friend. It will be the easiest money you ever saved.
Every car owner needs to read Cheating The Dealer. The information is so secret that no one wanted it published. The auto manufacturers should give this to every consumer It is a must read.

"This book will enlighten individuals to the experience of purchasing a vehicle. It is a great way to get families started on their auto-buying journey and shows the experience as a relationship and not just a vehicle purchase." ~ Automobile Dealership Owner My Automobile Dealership is an inspirational story which reveals how a young mother benefited from a long-term relationship with her automobile dealership on her road to success. While this story is a joy to read, it represents the major commitment dealerships have to provide quality vehicles, superior service and customer satisfaction. The story, coupled with educational materials in the back of the book, are designed to support individuals and families as they go through the auto-buying experience.

Part of the Government Series, Energy: from TheCapitol.Net

Biofuels have grown significantly in the past few years as a component of U.S. motor fuel supply. Current U.S. biofuels supply relies primarily on ethanol produced from Midwest corn. Today, ethanol is blended in more than half of all U.S. gasoline (at the 10% level or lower in most cases). Federal policy has played a key role in the emergence of the U.S. biofuels industry in general, and the corn ethanol industry in particular. U.S. biofuels production is supported by federal and state policies that include minimum usage requirements, blending and production tax credits, an import tariff to limit importation of foreign-produced ethanol, loans and loan guarantees to facilitate the development of biofuels production and distribution infrastructure, and research grants.

Since the late 1970s, U.S. policy makers at both the federal and state levels have enacted a variety of incentives, regulations, and programs to encourage the production and use of agriculture-based renewable energy. Motivations cited for these legislative initiatives include energy security concerns, reduction in greenhouse gas emissions, and raising domestic demand for U.S.-produced farm products.

Agricultural households and rural communities have responded to these government incentives and have expanded their production of renewable energy, primarily in the form of biofuels and wind power, every year since 1996.

Ethanol and biodiesel, the two most widely used biofuels, receive significant government support under federal law in the form of mandated fuel use, tax incentives, loan and grant programs, and certain regulatory requirements.

Ethanol plays a key role in policy discussions about energy, agriculture, taxes, and the environment. In the United States it is mostly made from corn; in other countries it is often made from cane sugar. Fuel ethanol is generally blended in gasoline to reduce emissions, increase octane, and extend gasoline stock.

U.S. policy to expand the production of biofuel for domestic energy use has significant implications for agriculture and resource use. While ongoing research and development investment may radically alter the way biofuel is produced in the future, for now, corn-based ethanol continues to account for most biofuel production. As corn ethanol production increases, so does the production of corn. The effect on agricultural commodity markets has been national, but commodity production adjustments, and resulting environmental consequences, vary across regions. Changes in the crop sector have also affected the cost of feed for livestock producers.

Complete Table of Contents at www.TCNEthanol.com

Autos and Progress studies the automobile as both a tool and a cultural symbol of Brazil's status as a modern "developed" nation. As such it addresses debates on state-making, the role of multi-national corporations in the region, middle-class consumerism, working-class politics, and sports and leisure in the crafting of national identity, among others. Such a study is key for understanding the twentieth century because auto-based transportation became the central facet of Brazilian attempts to gain control over its massive national space. The most obvious expressions of this include the building of Brasilia to be the new, interior national capital, the extensive road building throughout the Amazon in the 1970s, the nation's development of one of the world's leading alternative fuel industries, Brazilian dominance in world Formula One racing, and the fact that the current president, Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, is a former auto worker and trade union leader. This focus on Brazilians' fascination with automobiles and their reliance on auto production and consumption as keys to their economic and social transformation, explains how Brazil - which enshrined its belief in science and technology in its national slogan of Order and Progress - has differentiated itself from other Latin American nations. This embrace of automobility allowed the Brazilian elite to use industrialism and the increased mobility of an auto-based society to attempt to remake the nation's poor into a more homogeneous population. Autos and Progress engages key issues in the Brazil around the meaning and role of race in society and also addresses several classic debates in Brazilian studies about the nature of Brazil's great size and diversity and how they shaped state-making. Autos and Progress unifies Brazilian economics, politics, and culture in the twentieth century. It provides a unique historical context for understanding Brazilian modernism in politics and culture. Moreover, by analyzing the origins of auto-oriented industrialism and consumerism, the book is an economic, cultural and social history of Brazilian attempts to remake the nation into a middle-class democracy. This aspect of the study presents a new interpretation for the rise of Brazil's New Unionism, which was born in Brazil's auto, truck, and bus factories. It also provides important context for understanding the place of the Partido dos Trabalhadores (Workers' Party) in national politics and culture, and the rise of President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, a former auto worker.

Trust and Power argues that corporations have faced conflicts with the very consumers whose loyalty they sought. The book provides novel insights into the dialogue between modern corporations and consumers by examining automobiles during the 20th century. In the new market at the turn of the century, automakers produced defective cars, and consumers faced risks of physical injuries as well as financial losses. By the 1920s automobiles were sold in a mass market where state agencies intervened to monitor, however imperfectly, product quality and fair pricing mechanisms. After 1945, the market matured as most U.S. families came to rely on auto transport. Automakers sold a product suited to the unequal distribution of income. Again, the state intervened to regulate relations between buyers and sellers in terms of who had access to credit, and thus the ability to purchase expensive durables like automobiles.

This is the story of struggles against management regimes in the car industry in Britain from the period after the Second World War until the contemporary regime of lean production. Told from the viewpoint of the workers, the book chronicles how workers responded to a variety of management and union strategies, from piece rate working, through measured day work, and eventually to lean production beginning in the late 1980s. The book focuses on two companies, Vauxhall-GM and Rover/BMW, and how they developed their aroaches to managing labour relations. Worker responses to these are intimately tied to changing patterns of exploitation in the industry. The book highlights the relative success of various forms of struggle to establish safer and more humane working environments. The contributors bring together original research gathered over two decades, plus exclusive surveys of workers in four automotive final assembly plants over a ten year period.