[David Inc.]

Okay I'm not sure what you're arguing. I was commenting on another post that said "The most important thing is profitability, and the best way to get that is under/cheap staff and cheapest cost for anything that's going to be sold or turned into something that'll be sold."

That's always been the case. What manufacturer of the past was buying or making more expensive stuff than they needed because they wanted to have the best product, regardless of whether or not they made money selling it? That sort of thinking rings of nostalgia for yesteryear more than reality. Edit: If I'm to expand on this--the market allows for some manufacturers to make "the best" product because people with means can afford it and want something of a higher grade never mind the price, but anything mass market has to be value-focused.

Have economic realities shifted drastically such that people can extract even more wealth from companies than they could have in the past? Yes. Is a focus on profitability the same as it ever was? Yes.

Hell, auto manufacturers fought the requirement for seat belts tooth and nail. Seat belts! Too expensive!

Edit: I work for a global, publicly traded automotive process supplier. We're an industry leader developing the cutting edge of technology in ways that most other suppliers only copy.

We constantly lose projects because manufacturers decide they can get it cheaper from China and customers can't tell the difference between products that were made with old technology vs. new technology. They only look at additional capital expense vs. energy and material savings from improved technology. The cutting edge stuff gets saved for high-end manufacturers that want the higher grade product (usually). This is the aspect of "same as it ever was" that I'm talking about.