Final answer:
Henry Kaiser made a crucial difference to the war effort by adapting his steel company to shipbuilding, employing over fifty thousand workers, including a substantial number of women, and creating Kaiser Permanente for his employees' health care.
Step-by-step explanation:
Henry Kaiser significantly contributed to the war effort with his industrial prowess. During World War II, he adapted his steel company to shipbuilding, a critical aspect of war production, given the necessity to transport troops and materials overseas. Kaiser employed innovative production techniques, such as using standardized parts for quick assembly, allowing his shipyards to produce ships at an unprecedented rate. Notably, he employed more than fifty thousand workers, including women, at his shipyards. This massive workforce was part of the broader mobilization of the American economy which included 15 million new workers, half of whom were women, contributing to the production superiority utilized by the U.S. during the war.
Kaiser also created Kaiser Permanente, one of his lasting impacts, to provide health care for his workers, highlighting the integration of employee welfare into his business model. This was a forward-thinking approach to managing a large workforce during a time of intense industrial demand.
Moreover, Kaiser's embrace of employing a significant number of women, more than twenty-five thousand during the war years, reflects the broader shift in the workforce where women were essential to meeting the manufacturing needs for the war effort. While the question explicitly does not mention Kaiser's involvement with aircraft production, the industry itself saw massive expansion, with companies like the Ford Motor Company shifting from consumer goods to war materials, contributing to America's status as the arsenal of democracy.