Innovative Entrepreneurs—Walker and Ford

Here you will focus on the business approaches of Madame C. J. Walker and Henry Ford. Both developed innovative and successful approaches in a time of rapid economic change. You will compare them in the way they started their respective businesses and the key innovative features that made each successful. One might find virtues, problems and successes associated with both. You might see elements of each in strategies of later leaders and related issues even today.

Sources: Schultz, p. 396–7 (only Ford is discussed in our textbook). For Madam C. J. Walker (1867–1919), see http://www.madamcjwalker.com/bios/madam-c-j-walker/; and https://www.pbs.org/wnet/african-americans-many-rivers-to-cross/history/100-amazing-facts/madam-walker-the-first-black-american-woman-to-be-a-self-made-millionaire/ . For Henry Ford, see https://www.history.com/topics/inventions/henry-ford.

• Use Standards (SWS). The format      is different than other formats like APA. Please take a moment to review      the SWS documentation for details.
• Be typed, double spaced between lines, using Times New Roman font, Calibri,      Arial, or Courier (size 10, 11, or 12), with one-inch margins on all      sides; citations and sources must follow SWS format. You must have a Sources      list at the end; each source listed must also be cited in the body of the      paper with an in-text citation. Check with your professor for any      additional instructions.
• The preferred      file software is Microsoft Word (part of MS-Office). Alternatively, a student can use      Windows’ WordPad (not NotePad) or OpenOffice. (Please do not submit files in .pdf format or Apple’s Pages or Google      docs.)
• Include a cover page containing the title of the      assignment, the student’s name, the professor’s name, the course title,      and the date. The cover page and the Sources page are not included in the      required assignment page length.
• The      body of the paper      should be five paragraphs and a total of 500-to-800 words in length. The 500 minimum is firm; you really have      not adequately developed the paper if less than that. The 800 maximum is a      loose guideline. The body of the      paper is to be double-spaced. Typically, if you follow these instructions, the body of your paper      will be 2-1/2 to 3-1/2 pages in length—add a page for your title page and      another for your sources list and that then gets to 4-1/2-to 5/1/2. But,      the length requirement is evaluated by word count.