That would be take a push to buy American-made products and turn it into a cover for turning out shoddy goods.
You know that I have a less than exalted opinion of the professional managers. If there was a campaign to bring jobs back and buy good made in this country, then I would fully expect to happen what did over thirty years ago: Such a campaign was used to hide the truth that, at the time, a whole class of American-made products sucked.
In the 1970s and 1980s, the automakers got behind a "Buy `Murrican, Y'all" campaign. They saw that, at the time, as the way to combat the bitter pill that Datsun, Toyota and Honda were making better cars. That was a time when Ford stood for "Found On Road, Dead", Dodge meant "Drips Oil Drops Grease Everywhere" and Chrysler meant "Company Has Recommended that You Start Learning Engine Repair". Detroit made crappy cars and they continued to make them because customers had no choice. So if you wanted a car that ran reasonably trouble free, you had to trade in that POS within three years.
That didn't bother Detroit. Less Quality = More Profits!
But when consumers realized that they had a choice and they could buy a well-made car for the same price, they did so, in droves. An entire generation came to associate "made in Detroit" with "dogshit on wheels". Whether or not the Formerly Big Three learned their lesson is another question, but they have had to battle a well-earned reputation for making gasoline-powered garbage.
That was the professional managers' doing. Would you want to buy a car that was made by company run by Mitt Romney?
You can't trust those guys. Not now. Not ever.
Caught In The Christmas Crunch
1 hour ago
4 comments:
To your point it's not just Mittins, it's the Must Be Assholes degree/thinking of short term profits above all else. It doesn't matter what business one is in - it's all Next Quarter, Next Quarter!! Product/service is not the important thing, profit is.
Those who hold MBA's tend to be one of the problems in the country. Most I have known are not qualified to run a sno cone stand.
The relevance of George W. Bush's academic credentials to this thread is left as an exercise for the reader.
I earned an MBA back in the 80's. GI Bill was paying, I like school, so I figured, why not? Many of the others in my classes either appalled or disgusted me. The general attitude was summed up by something one prof said, regarding getting a job as a "consultant": "It's a good-paying and easy gig, if you have the morals of a lawyer." I was a salesman then, and still am, as I had no intention of going into management (ever!) after 4 years as a lieutenant (ROTC). Most managers I have known were not capable of performing their jobs well, but a handful have been quite good. It's an attitude problem; people who enjoy ordering (pushing?) other folks around gravitate to managerial jobs. That seems to be their only qualification for the position.
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