[lbo-talk] Junkyard dog hits Motown

Mr. WD mister.wd at gmail.com
Thu May 17 05:11:45 PDT 2007


On 5/17/07, Jim Straub <rustbeltjacobin at gmail.com> wrote:


> ????? Taylorism has been around for 100 years.

Does that mean the Japanese automakers don't practice it better than the Big Three? Or that it doesn't result in a higher quality product?

Mind you, I'm not saying it's good for workers (although I can see why it would help pass the time easier, so it might have a worse reputation than it actually deserves) but it could explain why everyone thinks the American companies are making shit cars these days.

Another possible explanation for the Big Three's failure: if I recall correctly, Who Killed the Electric Car mentioned that GM didn't like their electric model because it didn't have as many moving parts and so it wouldn't break down as much, thereby meaning GM and its suppliers would sell fewer replacement parts for repairs. If your business model involves making products that are supposed to break down, that's a good way to piss your customers off.

-WD



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