Marx was a genius
Lenin was clueless
Stalin was a monster
In the upper levels of corporateville, they seem to have forgotten who it is that keeps them in business... customers and employees. They keep moving toward these mindsets that all customers are "consumers" and will pay any price for whatever thing they're marketing this week, and that these consumers are also the enemy somehow, and constantly trying to rip them off and keep them from making as much profit as they did last week.
Consumers are so much of a threat to the corporate world, that they have to band together and lobby the government for protection from the consumers of America!
Employees are also seen as the lowest form of life. An employee is nothing more than one of those evil consumers that happens to be on your payroll, which somehow makes them even worse than those dreaded consumers.
Innovation for most firms has come down to who has the better marketing team (marketing is about as low as the law profession these days). There are a few examples of firms that still produce quality and original products, but for the most part... they don't.
edit: is it this way in the EU? every example of European companies in the States I see gives me the impression of a company that makes quality products and stand behind them, supporting their customers.
[ October 14, 2002: Message edited by: The Jimmy James / Bob ]
[ October 14, 2002: Message edited by: The Jimmy James / Bob ]
