It would be funny if it wasn't true.......
 

Toyota, a Japanese company and GM, an American company decided to have a
canoe race on the Missouri River. Both teams practiced long and hard to
reach their peak performance before the race. On the big day the Japanese
won by a mile.

Afterward, the American team became very discouraged and morally depressed.
The American management decided the reason for the crushing defeat had to be
found. A Management Team made up of senior management was formed to
investigate and recommend appropriate action.

Their conclusion was the Japanese had eight people rowing and one person
steering, while the American team had eight people steering and one person
rowing. So American management hired a consulting company and paid them an
incredible amount of money.

After six months of hard work, they advised that too many people were
steering the boat, while not enough people were rowing. So the American Team
acted: To prevent losing to the Japanese again next year, the rowing team's
management structure was totally reorganized to four steering supervisors,
three area steering superintendents and 1 assistant superintendent steering
manager.

They also implemented a new performance system that would give the 1 person
rowing the boat greater incentive to work harder. It was called the "Rowing
Team Quality First Program," with meetings, dinners and free pens for the
rower. Even new paddles and medical benefit incentives were promised for a
winner. "We must give the rower the empowerment and enrichments through this
quality program."

The next year the Japanese won by two miles. Humiliated, the American
management laid off the rower for poor performance, halted development of a
new canoe, sold the paddles and canceled all capital investments for new
equipment.


The money saved was distributed to the senior executives in appreciation for
a job well done.

Re: It would be funny if it wasn't true.......
 

Or maybe the spectators (the average American sheep) all rooted for the Japanese and against the Americans.

No mention of them, of course they're faultless. :rolleyes:

If the French and Italians can buy their own cars, we can buy our own.

That's great! So, so true....that sounds like every bloated bureaucracy I've ever worked for, including where I am now. I need a new job...

capitalism strikes again...gawd damn that free market.

Re: It would be funny if it wasn't true.......
 

The problem is obvious. They should have hired another consultant to verify the first consultant's work.

Just noticed that yesterday Ford Motor Company banned all competitors cars from parking in its parking lots. That means that if anyone buys any non-Ford car that they have to park out in the boonies and walk forever to get to the building.

This is really a good method to build morale and teamwork....

I have not owned an American car for years and as long as they continue in this mode, it will not happen anytime soon either...

Joe A

http://money.cnn.com/2006/01/27/news/companies/ford_parkinglot/index.htm?section=money_latest

Hmmmm. This isn't new. Henry Ford did the same in the 20's, except he fired those driving competative products...

So the people who have been working, designing and building at Ford were the people who were forced to buy and drive their own product in order to keep their job?

Yeah, that worked.

No, not true, not even close.

And you can park Mazda, Volvo, Land Rover, Jag in the close lot.

You park across the street with anything else.

And this is not new, and it is mostly the Union that started this, not Ford.

Re: Re: It would be funny if it wasn't true.......
 

I'd have expected techweenie to say something like that.

Actually, Kev, Tech is right this moment researching a perfectly plausible, yet sensible approach to resolve all of Detroits' problems which he will post here shortly.

It involves small German cars.

Aston Martin? :D

Hey, they are getting paid enough...

Yes, if only we had a small, simple car for the masses...

Re: Re: It would be funny if it wasn't true.......
 

LOL

All the press reports do not agree with the above. What do you know that we do not? Serious question and wonder if the news reports are correct or not.

Joe

More likely it involves Bush being strung up then tarred and feathered!

Re: Re: Re: It would be funny if it wasn't true.......
 

Yes, ubiquity0, I own a 20 year old Porsche. I didn't buy new. It's my only car. It didn't hurt Ford, DCX, or GM 1 penny. I do my own work on my car, so the dealers wouldn't profit much by me owning a secondhand American car, either.

Buy a used foreign car and you won't hear a word from me.

In general most people do this already... Keeps the long key marks off the side of your non ford (GM,etc..) car.

It would be funny if it wasn't true.......http://www.pelicanparts.com/support/smileys/pray.gif

Wrong. It's attitudes like this that are responsible for our *****ty quality. If we made a decent quality product to begin with, there wouldn't be an issue. Does Ford think that requiring their employees to drive Fords or park elsewhere will somehow magically solve their quality problem? Right. If the product you're making (which you didn't design or approve) sucks, you should not be required to be a second class citizen at your job simply because you're too smart to buy it.

Screw Ford,

ianc

Wooo, just a note inac. It's not "our" *****ty product, it's the UAW and all their old laws and procedures that got us into this mess in the first place. Paying someone 95% of their wages for " 3 fuc!ing years to sit on their ass and do nothing does not help the ecomomy. But, it's the UAW, so I guess its" GOD" talking. The big 3 have so much overhead that it would be impossible to come out looking good without bankruptcy. I know that the Big 3 agreed to this insane pay scale, but the rest of the world is watching and catching up real fast. But you're right, SCREW FORD. GM, AND DAMILIER. If they cant build a car that we can afford, then someone else will.

http://www.cnn.com/2006/AUTOS/01/23/american_cars/index.html

I also quote:
Even the most biased mag in the business is forced to concede it.

When you make the most of something, you contribute more to an average than anybody else. Ford and Chevy will never be much better than average for that reason. When you see them below average like in the past, you know there's something wrong.

I have to say that I like the Saturn Sky after seeing one in the flesh. There isn't a Toyota or Honda near that price that measures up. Porsche has forgotten the affordable market. Only Mazda and Pontiac have affordable alternatives.

Strupgolf,

I have to admit I don't really understand what you're trying to say in your post. However, if Ford mgmt didn't agree with such a policy, it wouldn't have gotten off the ground.

This idea is just wrong on so many levels it's incomprehensible. What is the underlying message behind it? Us, right or wrong, or be relegated to second classness and suspicion? I'm surprised the ACLU (although I'm not a big fan of them) hasn't gotten up in arms.

The interviewed employee is right: it's a free country, and what car you buy shouldn't be a factor in anything to do with the workplace. You should be treated equally if you're black, white, asian, or whatever. Why should what car you drive be any different? If I worked for Ford (right...) and drove my Porsche to work, parking remotely would chap my ass. I wonder what they do to offenders, tow them? Pink slips?

Screw Ford,

ianc