Leftfield

Three Dumb Things Foreign Companies Do in China

Dumb things will continue to happen more than necessary by any entity with overpaid leaders who are insulated from unvarnished truth. That is certainly true of most American multinationals whose CEOs receive 10x-20x more than CEO's in other nations.
Ebay can't figure out American consumers, forget about Chinese.

Three Myths About Business in China

I know two people who went to China and aren't coming back. There must be a dynamism and opportunity there that has been lost under the sediment of our "service" economy where it's nearly impossible to get good service. Just, double-talk, complex steps, rules and procedures and stifling taxation and costs.
Just as the dollar is going to get nibbled away at the edges through increasing bipolar deals without it in the world, then fall, just as GM went from the longtime pinnacle to a well-deserved fall, the US will fall absent a return to reality.
It's sad that we have the best foundation ever, in the Constitution, and are, so far, willing to throw that away for bread, circuses and lies.

AT&T: The (Apple) Brand Destroyer

Great points about "brand destroyers." With unconscionable upper management compensation comes a greater tendency to treat ordinary people (customers) as fools. They create and perpetuate organizations that it sucks to do business with.
To pay themselves ever more, managements have cut corners wherever possible and that includes completely unaccountable, nearly inaccessible "help desks" reached through lengthy, insanely-designed "help menus" in nearly all American companies now.
The experience dealing with such companies as ATT&T are too well-known to increasingly harried and squeezed customers. Those companies have cultures that perpetuate a miserable experience that never improves as management arrogance is the problem. Bad upper managements seem to perpetuate themselves no matter the gathering storms of reality and even demise of their companies, like GM and Chrysler. Long before a company goes under, they have failed to address serious problems, but CEO's never take a paycut.
Apple seems not immune to the short-term greed of using ATT&T and apparently not addressing a real danger with iPhones. They have been a cut above almost all others in innovative products and a quality user experience with more on the way, I hear. ATT&T has not changed. Apple can afford to fix these problems with the rewards they've reaped and this article points out well the consequences of failure.

Wall Street Breakfast: Must-Know News

Next Congress will specify nonbinding political elections.

Microsoft Needs Some New Ideas

You might as well expect innovation from Washington. I'm sure their ossification is cultural. I figure CYA abounds. I can't imagine someone with a revolutionary idea successfully selling it to management. They would have to leave Microsoft like Microsoft left IBM.

Living with the Real Time, Now, Generation

I want to know, will this generation which is being sent into the world with unprecedented debt from greedy, stupid forbears will actually throw off the shackles that imprison them. When they get jobs as suits passing edicts and requirements around in an office, with a mortgage and whatever to pay, they may follow their parents into cognitive dissonance.

Learning from Apple: Supplier Innovation and Huge Margins

Detroit was once like that. With hundreds of competitors in a hotbed of machine shops and factories. Henry Ford was perhaps the most in-demand of engineers who were the Steve Jobs of the day.

Later on it all turned to process and bean counting. Dull, and lethargic, run by "professional managers" with politician payoffs and interference completing the destructive stew. It took a long time and endless harebrained mistakes by the professional empty suits to run Detroit fully into the ground.

Inspiration, innovative thinking and enthusiasm were once considered our birthright. If all the "brains" go into Wall St. financial engineering, and law and politics are the other areas the money is (redistribution), we're going to run the country into the ground for good. Throwing good trillions after bad is a particularly ominous development.

This article shows how great synergies can work for everyone. Let's remove as much deadweight as possible imposed by our dysfunctional legal and financial systems and government to let inspired people shine. Even Detroit could be reinvented and come back.

Amazon: King of the Retailers - Barron's

Amazon has done an amazing job since a near-death experience at the dot-com boom. There they had made the mistake of financing via bonds rather than issuing stock and they were really on the hook.

Great execution and decisions since. I have the misfortune of doing lots of my business on Ebay and they wish they could somehow copy Amazon. So, they have eradicated countless small sellers and thereby lost buyers as many do both, favoring large purveyors of Chinese dreck.

Jeff Bezos is the founder of Amazon. He deserves the rewards he gets. Ed Donohoe (Ebay) is a typical MBA manager milking a company for hoped-for short-term gains for himself. Arrogantly pursuing stupid policies with his unwise use of power. Calling small sellers, "noise."

Ebay is going the opposite direction of Amazon because Donohoe didn't recognize Ebay's unique model and strengths. He is doing damage to the company and many others livlihoods until a compliant board wakes up. Small sellers could be raising needed cash selling to strapped buyers needing to save.

This illustrates what's gone wrong with American business. You can't justify paying obscene compensation to management that is just hired hands. They, unlike a founder who has his all invested, are just playing with other people's money.

The results in the entire economy are now evident: Obscenely paid management takes risks and plays games with OPM to satisfy its greed and eventually gain enough power to bring everything down.

Commoditization and the Demise of Customer Support

Computer systems and help menus all seem designed by nerds without a command of normal english language. I read here things are even worse than I knew. I don't buy much new stuff.

I did get a used Apple powerbook on Ebay. I had/have problems with it and was struck by the way I felt treated almost like a criminal. Or at least a fool (you bought it on EBAY??). Isn't shopping on the net an accepted application for Apple? I will try going to the Apple store soon, though, to try to get this thing right, see what happens.

Business by MBA means commoditizing the help and giving them limited training and authority. Of course, customers long ago ceased to be loyal at all. Plus very entitled and demanding. I get the idea lousy help options are also a response to this.

I noticed recently at a local Home Depot and on a helpline I can't recall people going out of their way to be personable and helpful. I think they're a bit scared, but maybe better consideration for others will come of our economic travails.

Apple Netbook Will Fill Newspaper Void

I don't know where actual reporting will come from, but the interactivity here is a good example. Sites can have input and readers/viewers can react. Perhaps dedicated news source sites will develop. Much better than the tired product handed from on high that's dying.

The arrogance of the mass media in promoting agendas has been too obvious for a looonnngg time and their reporting has suffered greatly for awhile. Due to their mental constipation, media concentration by only a few owners and increasing financial constraints.

They have reacted like GM and what's left of them needs to change or die. How about innovate? But, what value have they had bringing on any advance information about the looming financial meltdown before it happened? Where are whistleblowers? A thing of the past with the industry in it's present decadent, dying state.

Apple SEC Investigation: Rotten to Core

Don't forget, one year ago our Congress was loudly investigating.......Ro... Clemens.

Apple's Steve Jobs Isn't Sick - Argus

I meant, "leaders," rather than owners, but, pick your poisen.

Apple's Steve Jobs Isn't Sick - Argus

Ironically, I think Steve Jobs is so highly valued because he is so rare as an inspired leader. In this era of uber-compensation of the owners which they attribute to market forces, most of them just suck.