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PurposeEntrepreneurship is increasingly recognized as vital for economies to grow and survive in an increasingly competitive world. Studying the critical success factors of entrepreneurial activity is and will continue to be a primary scholarly interest. Factors that have been identified in current times as critical to the success of entrepreneurs can even be seen in the actions of an entrepreneur in nineteenth‐century America. This paper seeks to use historical evidence about the career of Henry B. Plant to illustrate the application of those key factors and to expand knowledge of customer networks in entrepreneurial success.Design/methodology/approachThe recent Kauffman study of successful entrepreneurs identifies 12 characteristics that are associated with their success. Clustered into three groupings in descending order of importance they are: work experience and previous success, management team, and luck; professional and personal networks, university education, and availability of venture capital funding; geographic location, advice from investors, alumni networks, and state and/or regional assistance. Consequently, this article examines the career of Henry B. Plant to provide additional historical evidence for the Kauffman study's classification of critical characteristics of successful entrepreneurs. Moreover, it illustrates the value of strong ties in a customers network as a valued resource for entrepreneurs.FindingsHenry B. Plant was an entrepreneurial pioneer and a visionary leader. Singlehandedly, he made Tampa, Florida by building the railroad to it. His strategy of opening up the state with an integrated rail and ship system necessitated thinking through the interconnections of different modes of transportation, tying together schedules, and making it possible to move people and goods from New York to Havana. By examining Henry B. Plant examples of how he used key success factors, similar to those in Kauffman's study, to create and develop his entrepreneurial efforts can be found. Moreover, his ability to create strong ties with his customer network created a valuable and unique resource in his entrepreneurial success.Originality/valueWhile many studies of entrepreneurs focus on the twentieth and twenty‐first centuries, an example from the nineteenth century remains of value in understanding the key drivers of entrepreneurial success. This is particularly true for Plant who showed that by carefully creating and maintaining strong ties with a customer network he could provide his enterprise with a valuable and unique resource that was a major contributor to his success as an entrepreneur.

PurposeA recovery crisis is an occasion when there is a subsequent calamity after a major crisis such as the recovery crisis following the 9/11 World Trade Center tragedy or the recovery crisis following the devastation in New Orleans caused by Hurricane Katrina. Consequently, this paper seeks to focus on what can be done to prevent or limit the ill effects of a crisis during recovery.Design /methodology/approachAn examination of the details of the great Baltimore fire of 1904 reveals why there was a crisis during their recovery; and by studying the lessons they learned, it will be evident that some of these lessons should be considered for dealing with present day recovery crises.FindingsWhile many people worked together to bring the fire under control during the great Baltimore fire many of the same people fought each other in a crisis that followed the fire during the recovery of Baltimore's 70 block business district. That is, initial passions changed abruptly from working unselfishly together for the greater good during the 30‐hour fire to self‐serving actions during the rebuilding of the city. In fact, the political conflict was so stressful after the fire that Baltimore's mayor committed suicide.Practical implicationsThe findings of this article focus on sound measures that should be considered today.Originality/valueThe paper is an application of historical lessons learned. The experiences described in this paper can be helpful in discussions today about crisis management.

Just‐in‐time (JIT) production methods were popularized by the excellent results achieved by Japanese industry. When it became evident during the 1970s that the Japanese were gaining markets previously dominated by Americans, there was considerable interest in learning how Japanese industry operates. Then, during the early 1980s, Toyota’s highly effective JIT production system had a particular appeal to Americans who were trying to understand Japanese production methods. While Taichi Ohno, creator of Toyota’s production system, credits Henry Ford as the originator, it is now known that Ernest Kanzler, one of Ford’s subordinates, played a major role in developing JIT production methods. This article reports Ford’s and Kanzler’s contributions and explores the possible influence that Frederick W. Taylor may have had on the development of this approach at the Ford Motor Company.

W. Edwards Deming, famous for his work with the Japanese following the Second World War, had a unique set of theories and approaches that were clearly his own. While much has been written about his experience and views, this article will focus on those individuals who made a significant impact on the formation of his views during the 1920s and 1930s and what he gained from each of them. Walter A. Shewhart was clearly the individual who had the most profound influence on Deming’s views and subsequent approaches to quality. But more than an influence, Shewhart was Deming’s mentor. Others who influenced Deming during this period include: Clarence Irving Lewis, Sir Ronald A. Fisher, and Jerzy Neyman. Those who wish to understand Deming’s theories can gain from studying Deming’s experience and views. In addition, a more detailed understanding of Deming can be gained by also studying the work and theories of those who influenced him.

This article discusses the total quality management (TQM) movement and then elaborates about W. Edwards Deming’s experiences and views. Finally, there is a comparison of total quality management and the Deming approach to quality management. The TQM movement was attractive to many organizations during the 1980s and the first half of the 1990s. To succeed, total quality management had many long‐term require‐ments. One of these was that top management must have a passion for the subject. Without this sustained passion top management’s attention and energy towards TQM would be diverted to other pressing needs. While Deming insisted that there was no “instant pudding”, many consultants in establishing themselves with a client suggested short‐term gains. Because of this search for short‐term gains, process improvement and reductions in cycle time became very popular and in some cases a final objective. Unfortunately, after they ran their short‐term course, many efforts collapsed and TQM was often declared a failure.

Just-in-Time production methods were popularized by the excellent results achieved by Japanese industry. While Taichi Ohno, creator of Toyota's production system, credits Henry Ford as the originat...

W. Edwards Deming is famous for his work in Japan and his attempts to transform Western management. A recently established collection in the Library of Congress contains his personal and professional papers. These files help clarify Deming’s profound views. Well organized and properly maintained, this collection is titled The W. Edwards Deming Papers. Those who are searching for an understanding of Deming’s experience and views will find a treasure trove of information and ideas. Obviously, this collection will not answer all of the questions about his philosophy, but it will help significantly. After a short description of his experience this article provides an overview of the collection and then focuses on five examples of potential research that will be aided by The W. Edwards Deming Papers. These examples are not presented as completed research, but rather as research opportunities intended to whet the research appetite of the reader.

While much has been reported about the scientific management movement, some gaps remain. Recently uncovered material from the files of the Williams & Wilkins Company provides new information about ...

Criticism of Frederick W. Taylor's scientific management is often cast within the framework of today's modern workplace. In contrast, this paper furnishes Henry L. Gantt's 1910 argument for scienti...

In the decade before World War I, two American naval officers tried to reform naval manufacturing with the help of Frederick W. Taylor, the foremost management consultant of his time. They failed. Admiral Caspar F. Goodrich was forced to retire in 1909, and Commander Holden A. Evans resigned in 1911 after his career was ruinedfor trying to change a Navy organizational policy by implementing Taylor's management ideas. Yet, the lengthy deliberations about how to manage helped the Navy find its own "best way" prior to World War I. This article, using new evidence, studies their actions as an example in American management history of the eventual success of a consulting effort that initially failed.

This article provides fresh insights into the life of Henry L. Gantt by examining the papers of Duncan C. Lyle (1847-1938), Gantt's confidant, friend, and former teacher at the McDonogh School in Maryland. Lyle's papers at the McDonogh School include previously unrecorded articles and personal letters of Gantt's along with articles about him. These materials reveal new information about Gantt during his collaboration with Frederick W. Taylor and during his later years when he acted independently. Of particular interest are items pertaining to Gantt's involvement with a group called The New Machine and the question of Gantt's sanity in his later years.

The influence of W. Edwards Deming on the Japanese industrial renaissance after World War II has been the subject of much discussion. This paper, which incorporates recent interviews with Dr. Demin...

Newly found papers clarify Henry Gantt's role during the last three years of his life in a group titled The New Machine. Contrary to an earlier view that his ideas in his later years were vague and...

Gantt's attempt at scientific management at Bancroft from 1908-1909 where the idea of welfare work was already in practice, has previously been considered unsuccessful; however, a review of Gantt's...

As Chief of Ordnance for the U.S. Army for over 16 years, Major General William Crozier became closely involved in the implementation of Frederick W. Taylor's scientific management in Army arsenals. Although much has been reported about Taylor and his followers, this article describes the contributions and tribulations of a practitioner who represented one of Taylor's clients during the turbulent implementation of Taylor's ideas.