Using Public Relations to Make the Safest Cars on the Market:
Toyota Car Companies Analysis

By: Devin Golden

Intro to Public Relations
Professor Gem
December 15th, 2014

The Start of an Empire: The History of Toyota Every company starts out the same. It takes a leader, a visionary, and someone with the passion to get the company started. This man was named, Kiichiro Toyoda, a business man that used his spirit for invention that was bestowed onto him by his father Sakichi Toyoda to expand into the automotive business. It is necessary to go back to the founder of Toyota, Kiichiro, and his father, Sakichi in order to understand this business fully (Toyota). The father Sakichi was born on February 14, 1867 in the village of Yamaguchi (now part of the city of Kosai) in Shizuoka Prefecture (Toyota). Sakichi had been a very intellectual man, and a big fan of reading. It was actually a book called Saigoku risshi hen that had inspired Sakichi (Toyota). The book had described an inventor who designed textile machinery such as spinning machines and power looms, had given Sakichi the passion to learn about being an inventor. What helped this inventor to start proceeding with his ideas, was the Monopoly act of April 1885. This act was to help encourage more actors to start producing their ideas, and protected them at that (Toyota). He started to help out with his father's carpentry business, and it gave him the idea to improve the tall loom. In 1890, Sakichi moved to Yokohama to submit his patent for the improved loom design (Toyota). The patent application for this wooden hand loom was accepted in November that year, and was awarded patent No. 1195, "Loom", the following year on May 14, 1891 (Toyota). In 1894, Sakichi Toyoda had his first son, Kiichiro. Kiichiro spent his childhood in company housing located on the premises of the factories of the various companies his father operated. It is safe to say that Kiichiro being around the machines as a young child allowed him to find our for himself how things worked in the business his father was involved with. In 1908, Kiichiro graduated from an Aichi Prefecture prefectural elementary school and entered Meirin Middle School (Toyota). Kiichiro entered Tokyo Imperial University, at this University, he became aquainted with some friends, who would play a huge part in the business he would soon pursue. At first when Kiichiro first made a new automatic loom, he used his father's principle in designs, but added some modifications to the project. Astonishingly by the summer time in 1923 Kiichiro had up to 30 looms running at full capacity (Toyota). For Kiichiro, September 1 would always be a day he associated with automobiles. Ten years later, on September 1, 1933, the Automotive Production Division, which would eventually become the Automotive Department, was established within Toyoda Automatic Loom Works, Ltd (Toyota). In May 1930 the Domestic Production Promotion Committee, an advisory body to the Ministry of Commerce and Industry, presented a plan for establishing a domestic automotive industry. At this point in time, Kiichiro was looking to expand his business. In October 1933 Kiichiro took apart a 1933 model Chevrolet passenger car and sketched the parts (Toyota). He used the basics from this car to create a prototype engine for his future company. By 1937, Kiichiro had founded the company Toyota Industries.

Values of the Company: Values are essentially the corner stone of a company. It is crucial for any company to have a set of values because, they determine the company. The company goes in the way they have their values set up. It starts with most companies mission statements. A mission statement is, written declaration of an organizations core purpose and focus that normally remains unchanged over time (business dictionary). The mission statement of Toyota is no different stating: "Toyota will lead the way to the future of mobility, enriching lives