Tomas Bata (1876, Zlín – 1932, Otrokovice) ranks among distinguished personalities of the 20th century both in his home country and abroad. The scope of his activities was amazing, and his ideas, acts and initiatives appeal to us even today.

In 1894, when he established his first factory, he started his shoe-manufacturing business. Later, he expanded into many other fields of business: mechanical engineering (1903), tanning (1915), the energy industry (1917), agriculture (1917), forest farming (1918), newspaper publishing (1918), brick manufacturing (1918), wood processing (1919), the rubber industry (1923), the construction industry (1924), railway and air transport (1924), book publishing (1926), the film industry (1927), food processing (1927), chemical production (1928), tyre manufacturing (1930), insurance (1930), textile production (1931), motor transport (1930), sea transport (1932), and coal mining (1932). Airplane manufacturing (1934), synthetic fibre production (1935), and river transport (1938) followed later. Bata sold his products through his own shop network, which started to expand into the whole world (1919). Besides this, new Bata sister companies were built throughout Europe and other continents (1921). Also, there were more and more Bata factories and housing estates abroad – from Germany (1931) to India. Bata employed an increasing number of people: 120 in 1900; 2,440 in 1922; 29,500 in 1931. Later, the number of staff increased to 65,100 (1938). In 1926, the company employed a large group of the blind and a five-day working week for all the company’s staff was introduced in 1930.

Gaining experience in Germany (1899), the USA (1905,1919,1926), India (1925,1932) and many other countries greatly helped Bata to develop his manufacturing and business activities. In his company, he introduced effective methods of staff motivation (participation in the profit and loss, 1924), and supported research (1924) and technological rationalization (production lines, 1927). In 1922-1927, the Bata factories were modernized completely and became an example of modern industrial and business enterprise. The giant Zlín’s company, perfectly managed and attaining amazing results, was often visited and admired by businessmen, politicians, experts, journalists, and participants in educational excursions from Czechoslovakia, Europe as well as overseas.

For the benefit of their staff, the company started to build houses for their people in 1912. Other staff facilities followed: the company’s kindergarten (1918), health and social care unit (1924), Bata hospital (1927) and Bata support fund (1928). The company’s library was available (1918), the staff could join a musical ensemble (1921) and SK Bata sports club (1924). The company’s shoe museum (1930) and a ZOO were founded. Tomas Bata gave constant support to his staff and their education. First he introduced development courses (1919) and then he started the company’s trade schools (Bata School of Work, 1925). This was later followed and represented by higher forms of vocational education: the Study Institute (1936), Technical College (1937), Management College (1938) and College of Arts (1939). As the mayor of town (1923-1932), Bata put through a public education system reform and so introduced the programme of experimental education (1929). To improve the educational conditions, a number of school buildings were built and a large school district was developed in the centre of town.

Tomas Bata used his increasing financial power and his role as mayor for the development and modernization of Zlín. On the basis of the urbanist concepts by J. Kotěra and F. L. Gahura, the town started to get a new face in 1918. Bata, as the town mayor, supported the programme aiming to develop Zlín as a town of gardens (1926). Large residential suburbs were built (1918), the industrial zone was extended rapidly (1923), Zlín’s historical centre got a completely different face (1929). Architects F. L. Gahura, V. Karfík, M. Lorenc and others changed Zlín into a super-modern functionalist town, dominated by a complex of high-rise blocks (1931-1939). The original style of the Bata architecture so typical of Zlín was gradually ‘exported’ to the Bata factories, towns and cities abroad (starting in 1931) – in Germany, Poland, Switzerland, Yugoslavia, France, England, Holland, India, Canada, the USA and elsewhere. While holding his posts within the municipal and other public authorities, Bata tried to implement the economic development programme for the whole region of Zlín and for central Moravia.

Tomas Bata’s activities in various areas of enterprise, national economy and public administration, his initiatives concerning the education system and various forms of education, health and social care, the construction industry, and many other fields have left a permanent legacy – in the faces of towns and cities, in various types of organizational structure, in literature and arts. Numerous books devoted to his personality, system and company, as well as an increasing number of films and other documents provide evidence for this.

After its founder’s death, the company continued to develop its business. Its seat was moved to London (1945) and later to Toronto (1964). The name of the notable Zlín native Tomas Bata was adopted as part of its name by the university founded in Zlín in 2001.

Selection of literature:

• PAGÁČ, Jaroslav. Tomáš Baťa a 30 let jeho podnikatelské práce. Prague, 1926.
• BAŤA, Tomáš. Úvahy a projevy. Zlín, 1932.
• ERDÉLY, Evžen. Baťa – švec, který dobyl světa. Prague, 1932.
• BAŤA, Tomas. How I Began. East Tilbury, 1934.
• BAŤA - Man and Work. Zlín, 1935.
• BAŤA – Les homes, et l´oeuvre. Zlín 1935.
• BAŤA – Menschen und Werk. Zlín, 1935.
• LANGLET, Emil. Thomas Baťa – en skomakare erövrar världen . Stockholm, 1937.
• JANDÍK, Stanislav. Železní tovaryši : sociologická reportáž o zrození nového věku. Prague, 1938.
• GROOT, J. Wie is Baťa : en wat wil hij. Den Haag, 1939.
• BAROS, Jan. The First Decade of Batanagar. Batanagar, 1945.
• LEHÁR, Bohumil. Dějiny Baťova koncernu : (1894-1945). Praha, 1960.
• CEKOTA, Anthony. Entrepreneur Extraordinary : The Biography of Thomas Bata. Rome, 1968.
• CEKOTA, Antonín. Geniální podnikatel Tomáš Baťa. Toronto, 1981.
• BAŤA, Tomas. Knowledge in Action : The Bata System of Management (Reflections and Speeches). Amsterdam-Oxford-Tokyo, 1992.
• VAŇHARA, Josef. Příběh jednoho muže a jednoho města. Zlín, 1994.
• TRNKA, František. Zlínští podnikatelé Tomáš Baťa a František Čuba. Prague, 1998.
• Zlín 1900 -1950 : une ville industrielle modèle = model industriálního města; text by P. Novák, L. Horňáková , J.-L.. Cohen et al. Creusot-Montceau, 2002.
• POKLUDA, Zdeněk. Ze Zlína do světa : příběh Tomáše Bati = From Zlín into the World : The Story of Thomas Bata. Zlín, 2004.
• GATTI, Alain. Chausser les homes qui vont pieds nus : Bata – Hellocourt, 1931-2001. Metz 2004.
• ZELENÝ, Milan. Cesty k úspěchu : trvalé hodnoty soustavy Baťa. Kratochvilka, 2005.
• ERDÉLY, Eugen. Thomas Bata, ein Schuster erobert die Welt. Interna, 2006.
• Fenomén Baťa – zlínská architektura 1910-1960; Ladislava Horňáková (ed.). Zlín, 2009.
• The Baťa Phenomenon : Zlín Architecture 1910-1960; Ladislava Horňáková (ed.). Zlín, 2009.
• ŠEVEČEK, Ondřej. Zrození Baťovy průmyslové metropole : továrna, městský prostor a společnost ve Zlíně v letech 1900-1938. České Budějovice, 2009.

By Z. Pokluda