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Excellent editorial (re: US company competitiveness)
Posted: Fri Jul 15, 2011 7:30 am
by Pwns
http://www.time.com/time/magazine/artic ... 30,00.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
Rana Foroohar nails the bulls eye on this one. It's the same theme from the article about Germany's revival of manufacturing I posted a while back. They didn't get manufacturing back on track by trying to be more efficient, they did it by supporting innovation and making good quality stuff. Kick these MBA douches to the curb and let the Steve Jobs' of the country lead the way in America's top industries.

Re: Excellent editorial (re: US company competitiveness)
Posted: Fri Jul 15, 2011 7:36 am
by SDHornet
To get the U.S. economy growing again, Lutz says, we need to fire the M.B.A.s and let engineers run the show.
I’m convinced that if engineers were running this country for the past 80 years, we’d all be living like the Jetsons right now.
Re: Excellent editorial (re: US company competitiveness)
Posted: Fri Jul 15, 2011 8:20 am
by ∞∞∞
SDHornet wrote:To get the U.S. economy growing again, Lutz says, we need to fire the M.B.A.s and let engineers run the show.
I’m convinced that if engineers were running this country for the past 80 years, we’d all be living like the Jetsons right now.
Yup. I've seen a lot of my friends transfer from engineering to business because it's easier (no offense to anyone here) and a lot of time nowadays, the starting pay is as good. When you see that, it turns kids away which sucks.
I say stop all this bullshit of telling kids to do what they love, make the sciences an attractive profession again, get our young minds into the math, science, and engineering fields, and let the innovators lead this country instead of Wall Street. Most engineers have a legitimate mindset to make the world a better place in the most efficient way. I can't really say the same for business people, at least not at the top.
Re: Excellent editorial (re: US company competitiveness)
Posted: Fri Jul 15, 2011 10:29 am
by D1B
SDHornet wrote:To get the U.S. economy growing again, Lutz says, we need to fire the M.B.A.s and let engineers run the show.
I’m convinced that if engineers were running this country for the past 80 years, we’d all be living like the Jetsons right now.
If Mary had an abortion, we'd have a Stuckeys on Mars.
Science flies us to the moon, religion flies us into skyscrapers.
Re: Excellent editorial (re: US company competitiveness)
Posted: Fri Jul 15, 2011 10:30 am
by D1B
∞∞∞ wrote:
Yup. I've seen a lot of my friends transfer from engineering to business because it's easier (no offense to anyone here) and a lot of time nowadays, the starting pay is as good. When you see that, it turns kids away which sucks.
I say stop all this bullshit of telling kids to do what they love, make the sciences an attractive profession again, get our young minds into the math, science, and engineering fields, and let the innovators lead this country instead of Wall Street. Most engineers have a legitimate mindset to make the world a better place in the most efficient way. I can't really say the same for business people, at least not at the top.

Re: Excellent editorial (re: US company competitiveness)
Posted: Fri Jul 15, 2011 10:50 am
by Rob Iola
D1B wrote:
If Mary had an abortion, we'd have a Stuckeys on Mars.
Science flies us to the moon, religion flies us into skyscrapers.
Then why the fuck aren't the commies there yet? Hell, they should be speaking Chinese in orbit right now...
Re: Excellent editorial (re: US company competitiveness)
Posted: Fri Jul 15, 2011 11:06 am
by ASUG8
MBA's and Engineers are a check and balance within an organization. An Engineer may come up with a really elegant solution to a problem, but it might take an MBA to realize that the cost of production and market demand don't warrant pursuing the idea. Conversely, MBA's might stifle creativity by saying that every project submission must meet an ROI of xx%.
Re: Excellent editorial (re: US company competitiveness)
Posted: Fri Jul 15, 2011 11:08 am
by Grizalltheway
Rob Iola wrote:D1B wrote:
If Mary had an abortion, we'd have a Stuckeys on Mars.
Science flies us to the moon, religion flies us into skyscrapers.
Then why the fuck aren't the commies there yet? Hell, they should be speaking Chinese in orbit right now...
Just give it 20-30 years.

Re: Excellent editorial (re: US company competitiveness)
Posted: Fri Jul 15, 2011 11:12 am
by ∞∞∞
Grizalltheway wrote:Just give it 20-30 years.

Probably sooner:
http://abcnews.go.com/Technology/wireStory?id=14043200
This year, a rocket will carry a boxcar-sized module into orbit, the first building block for a Chinese space station. Around 2013, China plans to launch a lunar probe that will set a rover loose on the moon. It wants to put a man on the moon, sometime after 2020.
The story is only 4 days young.
Re: Excellent editorial (re: US company competitiveness)
Posted: Fri Jul 15, 2011 11:29 am
by Rob Iola
∞∞∞ wrote:Grizalltheway wrote:Just give it 20-30 years.

Probably sooner:
http://abcnews.go.com/Technology/wireStory?id=14043200
This year, a rocket will carry a boxcar-sized module into orbit, the first building block for a Chinese space station. Around 2013, China plans to launch a lunar probe that will set a rover loose on the moon. It wants to put a man on the moon, sometime after 2020.
The story is only 4 days young.
Only 51 years after judeo-christian USA did it...
Re: Excellent editorial (re: US company competitiveness)
Posted: Fri Jul 15, 2011 11:33 am
by Grizalltheway
Rob Iola wrote:
Only 51 years after judeo-christian USA did it...
And? They've been around for 4,000 years, and will be dominating the world long after the US becomes a distant memory.
Exit ralph.
Re: Excellent editorial (re: US company competitiveness)
Posted: Fri Jul 15, 2011 12:57 pm
by D1B
Rob Iola wrote:D1B wrote:
If Mary had an abortion, we'd have a Stuckeys on Mars.
Science flies us to the moon, religion flies us into skyscrapers.
Then why the fuck aren't the commies there yet? Hell, they should be speaking Chinese in orbit right now...
Because communism is a religion and it's about 150 years old. Christianity has been killing scientists, suppressing free thought, and generally fucking people over for at least 2000 years.
Re: Excellent editorial (re: US company competitiveness)
Posted: Fri Jul 15, 2011 12:59 pm
by D1B
Rob Iola wrote:
Only 51 years after judeo-christian USA did it...
All of humanity are victims of religion, asshole.
Re: Excellent editorial (re: US company competitiveness)
Posted: Fri Jul 15, 2011 1:24 pm
by Rob Iola
D1B wrote:Rob Iola wrote:
Then why the fuck aren't the commies there yet? Hell, they should be speaking Chinese in orbit right now...
Because communism is a religion and it's about 150 years old...
What? The official religion of communism is atheism - opium of the people and all that, right?
Or are you claiming that atheism is a religion and therefore is preventing progress?
Re: Excellent editorial (re: US company competitiveness)
Posted: Fri Jul 15, 2011 1:46 pm
by D1B
Rob Iola wrote:D1B wrote:
Because communism is a religion and it's about 150 years old...
What? The official religion of communism is atheism - opium of the people and all that, right?
Or are you claiming that atheism is a religion and therefore is preventing progress?
Blow me.
Re: Excellent editorial (re: US company competitiveness)
Posted: Fri Jul 15, 2011 2:27 pm
by Cap'n Cat
Re: Excellent editorial (re: US company competitiveness)
Posted: Fri Jul 15, 2011 5:03 pm
by JohnStOnge
I've thought for many years that there are a number of problems with the "quarterly profits" and "increasing profits" culture. As indicated in the article a company can't really think in terms of the long run. Also, the pressure to keep increasing profits factors against having a long term, stable country that generates stable profits. You can have a company that does great in terms of what it produces and maintains a substantial profit but if the profit doesn't keep increasing it's considered a failure.
Re: Excellent editorial (re: US company competitiveness)
Posted: Fri Jul 15, 2011 5:09 pm
by houndawg
∞∞∞ wrote:
Yup. I've seen a lot of my friends transfer from engineering to business because it's easier (no offense to anyone here) and a lot of time nowadays, the starting pay is as good. When you see that, it turns kids away which sucks.
I say stop all this bullshit of telling kids to do what they love, make the sciences an attractive profession again, get our young minds into the math, science, and engineering fields, and let the innovators lead this country instead of Wall Street. Most engineers have a legitimate mindset to make the world a better place in the most efficient way. I can't really say the same for business people, at least not at the top.
If you want to know what is happening in a factory ask the IEs. The folks in the front office are too busy writing reports that will snow the guys back at corporate to actually know what the real story is.
Re: Excellent editorial (re: US company competitiveness)
Posted: Fri Jul 15, 2011 5:12 pm
by houndawg
JohnStOnge wrote:I've thought for many years that there are a number of problems with the "quarterly profits" and "increasing profits" culture. As indicated in the article a company can't really think in terms of the long run. Also, the pressure to keep increasing profits factors against having a long term, stable country that generates stable profits. You can have a company that does great in terms of what it produces and maintains a substantial profit but if the profit doesn't keep increasing it's considered a failure.
The largest impediments to corporate America are the quarterly p&l statement and the annual review.
Re: Excellent editorial (re: US company competitiveness)
Posted: Fri Jul 15, 2011 5:30 pm
by D1B
All our strong minds have been going into finance (AZ, Tbags, Alphapussy...) and becoming parasitic fucks who don't produce a goddamn thing.
We couldn't make anything here if we tried. No engineers, no skilled labor, no balls, no hard workers, no John Galts, no Hank Reardons, no patience, no focus. America sucks dick - thanks conks!

Re: Excellent editorial (re: US company competitiveness)
Posted: Fri Jul 15, 2011 5:35 pm
by Rob Iola
D1B wrote:All our strong minds have been going into finance (AZ, Tbags, Alphapussy...) and becoming parasitic fucks who don't produce a goddamn thing.
We couldn't make anything here if we tried. No engineers, no skilled labor, no balls, no hard workers, no John Galts, no Hank Reardons, no patience, no focus. America sucks dick - thanks conks!

OK - I'll bite - what do you do?
FWIW I'm in IT for a govt contractor (HHS/CMS contractor - used to be at Commerce and EPA before that), so I spend your tax dollars...
Re: Excellent editorial (re: US company competitiveness)
Posted: Sat Jul 16, 2011 2:34 am
by houndawg
D1B wrote:All our strong minds have been going into finance (AZ, Tbags, Alphapussy...) and becoming parasitic **** who don't produce a goddamn thing.
We couldn't make anything here if we tried. No engineers, no skilled labor, no balls, no hard workers, no John Galts, no Hank Reardons, no patience, no focus.
America sucks dick - thanks conks! 
Quit exaggerating Jeffro, it's not all conks, and only a few airport bathrooms.

Re: Excellent editorial (re: US company competitiveness)
Posted: Sat Jul 16, 2011 2:35 am
by houndawg
Rob Iola wrote:D1B wrote:All our strong minds have been going into finance (AZ, Tbags, Alphapussy...) and becoming parasitic **** who don't produce a goddamn thing.
We couldn't make anything here if we tried. No engineers, no skilled labor, no balls, no hard workers, no John Galts, no Hank Reardons, no patience, no focus. America sucks dick - thanks conks!

OK - I'll bite - what do you do?
FWIW I'm in IT for a govt contractor (HHS/CMS contractor - used to be at Commerce and EPA before that), so I spend your tax dollars...
Spend all you want, we'll make more.......
Re: Excellent editorial (re: US company competitiveness)
Posted: Sat Jul 16, 2011 9:27 am
by Pwns
What? Cappy complaining about political correctness and JSO complaining about profit-driven approach to running corporations? What kind of upside-down world did I wake up in this morning? At least D1B is complaining about religion or else I'd think I was totally losing my mind.
ASUG8 wrote:MBA's and Engineers are a check and balance within an organization. An Engineer may come up with a really elegant solution to a problem, but it might take an MBA to realize that the cost of production and market demand don't warrant pursuing the idea. Conversely, MBA's might stifle creativity by saying that every project submission must meet an ROI of xx%.
Agreed. But I don't think anyone can't say that when it comes to manufacturing that the US is totally obsessed with efficiency and has forgotten about a little thing called
innovation.
