Re: Automotive News

Posted by Pack120c On 2009/9/25 12:20:31

Yes, I remember when quality became all the rage in American industry in the mid-1980's. Sat through a lot of seminars and read books by Peters, etc. And for a while it looked like it would take hold. But then came the 1990's and the rise of the "markets". Investment bankers started buying companies and shareholder return became holy grail.

I heard someone say that "Everything rises and falls on leadership". Where are the Alvan Macauleys, George Masons, Roy Chapins or even Lee Iacoccas of today? Guys who could face adversity, roll up their sleeves, and get to work producing a quality product that the public wanted and have the patience to slug it out for 3-5 years to bring the company from the brink.

Oh well, as Jim Nance was quoted as saying in the Kimes book "....sooner or later everybody ends up at the bank".