Research Paper Sources - Any Ideas?

"SaabStutz" (stutz) 01/11/2016 at 23:26 • Filed to: None

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Oppos:

I’m working on a research paper for my APUSH class that is about how US automakers lost the American market in the 1970s after the oil crisis because they weren’t ready for the change yet and how imports (with a focus on the Japanese but certainly not exclusive - VW and others are important too) were able to grab the market share.

I know it’s not the most interesting but my teacher isn’t really interested in cars and cares more about the cultural effects. If you guys could find any sources showing the cultural obstacles that Japanese had to overcome (namely racism) that would be great. I read on Wikipedia (not a source, just background info) that Americans sometimes burned Japanese cars in backlash but haven’t found any other evidence.

Essentially any reputable sources related to the topic will be helpful. Thanks a lot!

NSXs for Your Time

someassemblyrequired > SaabStutz 01/11/2016 at 23:32

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The Machine that Changed the World is a good overview of the lean production methods used by Toyota: Link: http://amzn.com/0743299795

Most libraries have that book, or you can buy an older edition for a couple of bucks on Amazon.

Matthew Keyser > SaabStutz 01/11/2016 at 23:32

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It’s frankly too late for me to look up sources at the moment, but I think given that prompt it could be a very interesting paper. I'm interested to hear what you come up with. When is it due?

crowmolly > SaabStutz 01/11/2016 at 23:35

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Take a look at some of the historical context maybe? There will be a bunch of sources.

We dropped an atomic bomb on Mazda’s headquarters, and Mitsubishi made it’s share of aircraft.

When the cars hit in the 70's there were a lot of WWII veterans that had issues with Japanese, well, anything.

As an example (for Europe) I knew an Englishman that would never drive anything German- ever. He was a small child in London during the bombings.

SaabStutz > Matthew Keyser 01/11/2016 at 23:36

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Next Friday, so I’ve got a bit of time!

someassemblyrequired > SaabStutz 01/11/2016 at 23:39

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Also a lot of good material on Honda’s entry to the US here: http://www.autonews.com/section/honda5…

JGrabowMSt > SaabStutz 01/11/2016 at 23:42

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Do not rely on this completely, but StumbleUpon got me some incredible sources for research papers in college. You just type in your topic in the search box and stumble away. Obviously, you need to narrow the topic just a little more to make it work, but you’d be amazed what the internet has to offer when you use it wisely.

Also, you may consider reaching out to Steve Lehto (provided your professor is okay with that) for some commentary of his, specifically about US automakers stubbornness regarding change, especially not long after Chrysler made the Turbine Car and Ford had been exploring the Nucleon. Additionally, in the 70's and 80's, even the trucking industry was searching for alternatives, and Mack had built a few gas turbine big rigs (I know because I’ve been inside one of the few remaining test trucks). Sadly though, the reason for the trucking industry was because the exhaust ran way too hot and would risk either destroying the cargo in some way, or what was oddly common, taking the paint off of overpasses.

Now, something I would touch on at the end of your paper would be the fact that we’re entering a situation today where our resources have once again been deemed finite, CAFE laws are forcing automakers to create a more efficient fleet here in the US, but only time will truly tell whether an alternative fuel vehicle will take off well enough culturally to save the combustion engine, rather than sending it the way of the dinosaur, in an ironic twist of fate.

CCC (formerly CyclistCarCoexist) > SaabStutz 01/11/2016 at 23:54

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http://www.curbsideclassic.com/automotive-his…

Curbside classic has excellent factual articles and editorials for use.

Show how GM chose to enter the late 20th century emissions by lowering compression standards on their RWD lumbobarges. Also

http://www.amazon.com/Clear-Day-You-…

Is also very good by John Delorean.

Andrew Pascarella > SaabStutz 01/11/2016 at 23:55

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Is there a library near you with Ward’s Automotive News back issues? I found those very useful for contemporary information. Sometimes libraries that focus on finance have them like Dewey Library at MIT. I assume you have a college library database you can search?

slipperysallylikespenguins > SaabStutz 01/12/2016 at 00:00

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Comeback: the Fall and rise of the american automobile industry from 1995

there are a bunch of books if you google failure of the american auto industry but most will focus on bankruptcies, only the older ones focus on the previous decades

promoted by the color red > SaabStutz 01/12/2016 at 00:15

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The folks at Japanese Nostalgic Car can point you in the right direction.

Berang > SaabStutz 01/12/2016 at 00:22

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Use wikipedia to find sources. Seriously. Click on the citations in wikipedia pages and find the sources that the article cites. Super easy.

Berang > SaabStutz 01/12/2016 at 00:48

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Also a lot of what popularized imports in the U.S. was the mini recession at the end of the 1950s. This ensured the failure of the Edsel, and the success of the VW and the Rambler.

Once the VW was established in the late 1950s, it then became a cultural phenomenon which ensured it sold well throughout the 1960s, even though there were much more capable imports around. The success of VW though helped show other makers how they could succeed. Most other imports were sold by either specialists (who pretty much marketed snob appeal and priced accordingly) or by fly-by-night dealers who sold cars but would be damned if they knew how to fix them. This made imports either impractically expensive to maintain, or impossible to maintain. A lot of 1950s imports were bought as novelties and then garaged or junked when something minor broke and couldn’t be replaced. Volkswagen changed that because they had a nationwide dealer network, mandated that all dealers have spare parts and trained technicians, and national advertising.

That seems like no-brainer stuff, but even a big company like Renault fucked up the basics so badly in the 1960s it ruined their image in the U.S. forever. Renault brought the cars over, and they were sold through Ford dealers who often didn’t have parts or mechanics trained to fix them. Additionally, the Dauphine, although cheaper, roomier, and more comfortable and stylish than the VW, had a very small engine. Performance was the same, but the Dauphines engine had to work a lot harder than the VW to maintain highway speeds. So they broke a lot. And couldn’t be fixed.

Subaru nearly did the same thing, only worse, when they brought over the 360 - but the 360's reputation got so bad so fast that they sold a lot fewer of those than Renault did of the Dauphine. So Subaru just swept the 360 under the rug and moved on. Honda’s N600 was not a car for America, but at least they made a better attempt at a dealer network than Subaru did, and when the Civic arrived just in time for the oil crisis, Honda was all set to succeed.

MrDakka > someassemblyrequired 01/12/2016 at 01:11

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That is a good place to start and gives a look into how different the Japanese manufacturing philosophy was compared to American manufacturing at the time. Not sure if the op wants to focus too much as it is more a discussion of industrial engineering than cultural. Maybe mention and discuss how it was factor that helped cause the loss of market share for American automakers along with the fuel crisis and other economic factors?

someassemblyrequired > MrDakka 01/12/2016 at 01:22

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Yeah if it’s not a term paper it’s a little in-depth. It is interesting that guys like Deming couldn’t get traction in the US but we’re worshipped in Japan. It is a big factor in the story though as IIRC at the start of the 80s, GM made something like 16 vehicles per employee, but Toyota made over 40. Product development cycles for Japanese makes were much much shorter. Look at the the number of generations of Accords vs. the number of revisions to the Taurus for example.

71MGBGT Likes Subarus of Unusual Colors > SaabStutz 01/12/2016 at 02:40

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http://search.proquest.com/openview/17b98…

Let me know if any of these papers look interesting http://journals.cambridge.org/action/display…

https://books.google.com/books?hl=en&lr…

Conan > SaabStutz 01/12/2016 at 02:43

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Makes me miss teaching APUSH. I’d suggesting seeing if your teacher can get you some historical database access. I used to be able to do that for my students.

SaabStutz > someassemblyrequired 01/12/2016 at 19:58

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It’s not really a term paper, but I was interested in the book anyway so I went ahead and ordered it. Thanks for your help!

SaabStutz > MrDakka 01/12/2016 at 19:58

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Great things to think about. Appreciate all of your help!

SaabStutz > JGrabowMSt 01/12/2016 at 19:58

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Appreciate your help!

SaabStutz > Berang 01/12/2016 at 19:59

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Thanks for the context. I’ll definitely look into this stuff! I appreciate your help!

SaabStutz > crowmolly 01/12/2016 at 20:28

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Yeah context is definitely important and will be a significant part of the paper. Thanks for your help!

SaabStutz > CCC (formerly CyclistCarCoexist) 01/12/2016 at 20:28

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Thanks I appreciate your help!

SaabStutz > someassemblyrequired 01/12/2016 at 20:28

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This looks great. Thanks!

SaabStutz > Andrew Pascarella 01/12/2016 at 20:29

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Not sure. Would that typically be in a college library?

SaabStutz > 71MGBGT Likes Subarus of Unusual Colors 01/12/2016 at 20:29

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Those look cool. I’ll have some more time to check them out this weekend. I should have access to ProQuest through school too. Thanks!

Robert Welain > SaabStutz 04/25/2017 at 03:33

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And what about Pontiac Firebird? The one that was featured in 80's “Knight Rider” series? Built by Pontiac from the 1967 to the 2002 model years. You can acquire info from the net and from youtube videos, there’s a documentary about the series.

Also, if you wanna write a decent research paper, be sure to check on essayclick.net for tips and advices on writing.

Good luck! Don’t forget to share the result of your work!