B-School Listens To Henry Ford

"The successful companies in the last third of the twentieth century will be those that look at changes in environment as a chance to get a jump on the competition," Henry Ford H said yesterday at the Business School.

Ford. chairman of the board and president of the Ford Motor Company. spoke on "The Future" to more than 1000 Business School students yesterday afternoon at Carey Cage.

"In the viewpoint of business, profit is the end, and public service is the means." Ford said. "We will need to present genuinely equal promotion opportunities, not only for blacks, but for women andthose without college degrees, he added.

Social Responsibility

Referring to the College community, as opposed to the Business School community, Ford said, "Most people are probably convinced that business will never sacrifice enough profit to meet its social responsibility adequately."

But he explained that "business must sacrifice profit in the short run to build a healthy and grateful society for increased profit in the long run."

Victims of Success

Ford said that auto businesses are being called upon to fight inflation, aid underdeveloped countries, improve rapid transit, and dispose of junk cars. "There is one reason why everyone expects more from us than everyone else." Ford explained. "We are victims of our own success."