Fur Trade Essay

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The American Fur Company

How would you evaluate Astor in terms of his motive, his managerial ability, and his ethics? What lesson does his career teach about the relationship between virtue and success?
Astros was exhibiting megalomania with the scheme he planned. He planned to form a nation called Astoria. He planned to call himself king within the nation he formed. His nation would force competitors away from new fur areas. He did not have the best motives. Astor was mostly greedy. Any competitors in the fur company would be blown away by Astros company. He purposely set up companies next to competitors to do so. His managing abilities were smart but greedy. He was all about making money, and he did anything he could to get that money. He was not professionally ethical when it came to trading. He used inebriation to his advantage when it came to seducing Indians with furs. Virtue and success don’t balance out very well. If Astors motives were geared more towards helping or benefiting others he might have had competitors be an actual threat to his company. He only focused on moving forward to the next big thing.
How did the environment of the American Fur Company change in the 1830s? What deep historical forces are implicated in these changes?
1830 was the peak of fur trading. Their main resource, which were animals were becoming extinct from constant hunting. The fur trade continued across North America until they reached the Rocky Mountains. Trapping in the mountains started to cost more money because of the danger of Indians. Some deep historical forces that were implicated in these changes were the technology, and industrial revolution. The steamboat was introduced but failed when it carried smallpox which killed many Indians. The industrial revolution introduced a faster way to make goods. People were also introduced to gloal markets in North America.
What were the impacts of the fur trade on society in major dimensions of the business environment, that is, economic, cultural, technological, natural, governmental, legal, and internal?
Economic-Created jobs for many people. Made people wealthy. Made settlements and trails.
Technological-Introduced the steamboat.
Natural-Made animals go extinct from too much hunting.
Governmental-Corrupt government. Used alcohol to trade with Indians.
Legal-Government set up trading post. Limited the operation of fur companies.
Internal- Astor controlled fur company and outsmart competitors.
Who were the most important stakeholders of the nineteenth-century fur industry? Were they treated responsibly by the standards of the day? By the standards of today?
Astor was the most important stakeholder of the fur industry. Most workers were treated harshly. Indians were exploited by him. Trappers were underpaid. By the standards of today this would be considered a monopoly. The company would most likely not exist. If it did exist it would be frowned
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