IN-CLASS EXERCISE: Company Histories Questions and

Answers.

1) What was Boeing’s first two business lines?

Boeing’s first two business lines were employed the plan for mail delivery and pilot
traing .

2) What major products did Boeing produce during WWII?

During WWII Boeing led the way in developing sing-wing airplanes. They were
constructed completely of metal to make them stronger and faster ;more efficient
aerodynamic desings were emphasized ;retractable landing gear and better wings
were developed,along with multiple ‘power plant’ technology;and directional radios
were installed which enabled beter navigaion and night plying.
.

3) What products did Boeing contribute to the development of space exploration?

In 1969 Boeing began building the Lunar Roving Vehicle ,which was used to
explore the moon in the early 1970s on the final thee Apollo missions.

4) What did Boeing do to become the world leader in the aerospace industry in the
late 1990s?

In August 1997 Boeing completed a $14 billion acquisition of McDonnell Douglas.

McDonnell had been the world’s number three maker of commercial aircraft,with
its MD series of jet;the acquisition therefore increased Boeing’s share of the
world maeket for large commercial jetliners to more than 60 percent and it left
Boeing with just one major competitor in that sector:the European Airbus
consortium, which held about one-third of the world mrket.

5) Which company is Boeing’s main competitor and which product are they
competing to commercialize?

Boeing’s main competitor is Aeronautic Defense & Space Company. They had in
the planning stages a brand-new jet, the A-308, envisioned as the largest
 jetliner ever, featuring four engines, double decks running the length of the
fuselage, a rang of 8,800 miles, and passenger capacity of 555 to 655.

1) How did Rolex revolutionalize the watch industry in its early years as
Wilsdorf &Davis?

Founded by Hans Wilsdorf in 1905, the Swiss company is credited with marking the
wristwatch popular. Rolex – the first to create a waterproof, airtight, and dustproof
watch. In 1908, Rolex was founded by Mr. Hans Wilsdorf. Initially the company was
named Wilsdorf & Davis as Wilsdorf founded company together with his brother in
law.

2) What technology breakthroughs did Rolex develop in the watch industry?

Rolex`s big breakthrough came in 1926, when Wilsdorf developed a case that was
impervious and waterproof.

3) What did Rolex do to survive the Japanese invention of the quartz watch?

Rolex stuck resolutely to its mechanical guns.

Wilsdorf created a private trust run by a board of directors to insure the company
would never be sold.

4) What corporate philosophy has Rolex always adhered to?

Where will we be in five or ten years’ time.

1) What was Hitler’s and Porche’s visionary goal for Volkswagen?

The world’s third largest automobile company.

2) How did Volkswagen enter the US market with its Beetle model?

Doyle Dane Bernbach coined the name ‘Beetle’ for the Volkswagen.In a series of
award-winning advertisements,the ad angency took what had been the car’s
drawbacks and turned them into selling points with such slogans as ‘Think Small’
and ‘Ugly Is Only Skin-Deep.’

3) What business activities did Volkswagen undertake to avoid bankruptcy in the

mid 1970s?

They instituted a development program to create a successor to the Rabbit, the

company’s major automobile after the Beetle.

4) What two business strategies is Volkswagen pursuing to compete in the auto

industry at the turn of the century?

To take Volkswagen upmarket. Rather than taking the more time-consuming route
of building a new high –end models,Piech went the acquisition route.
They used magnesium as automotive design material.