Robber Baron Vs. Captain of Industry.

Although some of these criticisms are well founded, men like Andrew Carnegie and John D. Rockefeller were, in fact, Captains of Industry because they employed millions and created new ways of doing business. Before all these industrialists can along, America was just another country that had little significance to the world. If it was not for them, we as a nation would not be where we are today. The industrialists prospered mainly due to their wit, and the many innovations that they brought to their various fields of business. They created monopolies because they were the most effective forms of enterprise, and there were no laws that prohibited or restricted their use. As John D. Rockefeller himself said, "I believe in the spirit of combination and cooperation when properly conducted….It helps to reduce waste, and waste is a dissipation of power."(Danzer 424) Critics say that these men ruthlessly took over their fields of business, and "did not play fair". What's wrong with striving for success? What's wrong with being efficient? What's wrong with making a product that no one can equal? What's wrong with besting your competitors? Nothing.

J. P. Morgan was a robber baron because he was born into a wealthy family and did not have to completely start from the bottom and build his success from there. However, A. Carnegie, C. Vanderbilt, and John D. Rockefeller were Captains of Industry because they were not derive from a family where financial support, a solid education, and a business where handed to them. Also the three men, A. Carnegie, C. Vanderbilt, and John D. Rockefeller all substantially donated back into the community. Carnegie Library, Vanderbilt University, Rockefeller University, and foundations such as the Rockefeller foundations were due to the generosity of these three men who donated back to the community. Therefore, A. Carnegie, C. Vanderbilt, and John D.

Ida Minerva Tarbell was born on November 5, 1857, in the oil-rich region of northwestern Pennsylvania. Her father was an oil producer and refiner whose livelihood—like many others in the area—was negatively impacted by an 1872 price-fixing scheme concocted by the Pennsylvania Railroad and HYPERLINK "http://www.biography.com/people/john-d-rockefeller-20710159" John D. Rockefeller’s Standard Oil Company, who were operating under the guise of the South Improvement Company. Like many young journalists of her era, Tarbell had become concerned by the proliferation of monopolies and trusts. In 1900, she proposed a series of articles in which she would use her experiences as a child during the South Improvement scandal to illustrate her points and

A "robber baron" was someone who employed any means necessary to enrich themselves at the expense of their competitors. Did John D. Rockefeller fall into that category or was he one of the "captains of industry", whose shrewd and innovative leadership brought order out of industrial chaos and generated great fortunes that enriched the public welfare through the workings of various philanthropic agencies that these leaders established? In the early 1860s Rockefeller was the founder of the Standard Oil Company, who came to epitomize both the success and excess of corporate capitalism. His company was based in northwestern Pennsylvania.

Throughout her lifetime, Ida Tarbell served as an outspoken, strong-willed and controversial figure in American History. Her harsh exposés of the Standard Oil Company in McClure’s magazine, later culminated into The History of the Standard Oil Company (1904) earned her volumes of attention as an investigative journalist, also known as a “muckraker”. As a Progressive Era reformer she acted out of her appetite to change society, and in her case, squash trusts which were hurting America’s independent businesses. Directed by her father’s experience of being driven out of the oil business by the Standard Oil Company as well as her persistent persona, Tarbell was able to disclose Rockefeller’s corrupt trust through her incessant investigations leading to general awareness of corporate trusts and a major supreme court ruling utilizing the Sherman Antitrust Act. Above all, Ida Tarbell’s ruthless muckraking resulted in society’s awareness of toxic trusts and Rockefeller’s Standard Oil Company to be crushed.

Rockefeller was an American business tycoon. His early life made an impact on him with his father’s odd habits and parenting. His father was a traveling salesman who regularly cheated on his wife; even cheating on her when he was home. His father regularly “ cheated” his children by lying to them. He made the excuse that it would make them strong. John did not let this affect him. He got a job at an early age and used this experience and knowledge to become a business partner. By the end of the year the company had made half a million dollars. He used this money to open an oil refinery. He and a few others created the Standard Oil Company, in 1870. Within two years they had owned a majority of the oil refineries in Cleveland. They, in nearly a decade, had a monopoly on the US oil refinery

He talks about how the Standard Oil company offered the same quality of oil for lower prices than he could do. Other situations like this was the Credit Mobilier scandal were railroad companies got paid a lot of money but built little railways with the money keeping the rest.

The monopolizing system ran almost every single oil company out of business putting more and more people and their families through poverty. Finally, in 1904 Ida M. Tarbell daughter of Franklin Tarbell (owner of a targeted oil company that Rockefeller eventually ran out of business) wrote “The History of Standard Oil”, this book exploited all of Standard Oil 's ruthless business practices. In 1911, the corporation was found to be in violation of the Sherman Act and ordered out of business. Yet this wasn’t the only company in violation of the Anti-Trust Act.

Everything Rockefeller had done when it came to his position in the oil business led to America’s first monopoly or “trust” that served as a guideline for other businesses behind him. Standard Oil’s moves were quick to sweep control of almost all of the refineries in Cleveland in just two years. With Standard Oil’s size and control in the region it made favorable deals with railroads to ship its oils. At the same time, Standard got into another business with a purchase of terminals and pipelines which set up a system to transport its own product. The business got

In 1870 business was so good that Rockefeller, along with several partners, decided to incorporate a new firm under the name Standard Oil. ("John D. Rockefeller Forms the Standard Oil Trust: 1882.")A young englishman named Clark did the fieldwork while Rockefeller controlled office management, bookkeeping, and relationships with bankers. ("Rockefeller, John D..")Rockefeller introduced techniques that totally reshaped the oil industry. He sold one byproduct paraffin to candlemakers and another byproduct petroleum jelly to medical supply

One example of this is John D. Rockefeller and the Standard Oil Trust. When his trust was under investigation, one man by the name of George Rice came forward and spoke about how the Standard Oil Trust conspired with the railroads to make freight rates higher for smaller companies with shorter hauls, therefore squashing Rice’s business and further helping Rockefeller’s grow. This was not an uncommon statement against big businesses. Even the president spoke about this idea of big businesses becoming too big. In President Grover Cleveland’s 4th Annual Address to Congress, he stated that trusts and dishonest companies had been taking advantage of people and becoming the “peoples’ master.”.

     True, Andrew Carnegie and John D Rockefeller may have been the most influential businessmen of the 19th century, but was the way they conducted business proper? To fully answer this question, we must look at the following: First understand how Andrew Carnegie and John D. Rockefeller changed the market of their industries. Second, look at the similarities and differences in how both men achieved domination. Third and lastly, Look at how both men treated their workers and customers in order achieve the most possible profit for their company.

J.P. Morgan was considered by many a robber baron, and there are many reasons for this. Pierpont was the richest man in the world in the early nineteenth century, he got to that position by doing things that nowadays would be considered as shady. He owned the biggest monopolistic business ever owned, that means that

The image as well as the operational business reputation of a corporation is critical to the survivability of the corporation in today’s business world. This reputation is even more critical when a business has is known globally with holdings and operations around the world. Such is the case with British Petroleum (BP) as it actively explores for oil in 26 countries around the world. BP is renowned as an industry leader in oil production and the refinement of oil related products such as gasoline, kerosene and motor oil products. In 1999, BP acquired American Oil Company, also

British petroleum (BP) is one of the seven super major oil company in the world. BP are the fourth largest gas and oil company in the world. BP has a hand in every aspect of the oil business from exploring for new oil to marketing and distribution. BP originally started as the Anglo-Persian Oil Company in 1908, established as a subsidiary of Burmah Oil Company. The Burmah Oil Company. Would capitalize on discoveries they made in Iran and the middle east. The company would take its current name as British a petroleum in 1954. The company slowly started to expand from their roots in the middle east. BP chose to expand to Alaska in 1965. BP would continue their expansion in America when the gain the majority control of Standard Oil of Ohio in 1978. Also during the time BP would continue their ongoing exploration for new sources of oil. They became the first company to strike oil in the North Sea. The British government gradually privatized Standard Oil of Ohio for 1978-1987. In the last half of the 20th and the beginning of the 21st century BP took two major steps to expand their company. BP first major expansion occurred when they partnered with Amoco during this time they also acquired and absorbed Burmah Castrol in 2000. Also for 2003 to 2013 BP had a joint partnership with the oil company TNK of Russia. BP tireless effort towards expansion have made them highly successful and one of the top four oil and gas companies in the world. BP turned a profit of 6.48 billon U.S.