Tags |
|
|
Links |
|
|
Other Added - Our Growing Dependency on Mass Mediocrity
One of the fastest growing sectors of the medical industry is that of home health. There are many reasons for this growth, but most important are:The number of aging and infirm citizens in the country.The lower cost of care in relation to hospitals and long term care facilities.The fact health providers consider home care to be the most humane and compassionate form of care.Because of the rapid growth in this category of healthcare, a variety of employment opportunities have become available. Many hospitals are turning to home health as a method to recapture revenue that would be otherwise lost. Despite the efforts of hospitals to enter the home care market, private companies dominate home health. Since these are primarily businesses that have not been i
Whereas consumers perceived OS/2 as a radical departure from their DOS environment, Windows appeared less threatening and affordable. In reality, people have paid Microsoft more than quadruple for Windows than what they would have paid IBM for OS/2. But Microsoft's forte is in marketing where they carefully spoon-fed their product to the public in smaller mouthfuls and captured the "mindshare" of the middle class. Even when Windows started hiccupping errors, pe
A resume is formal document that contains a summary of relevant job experience and education and is usually created for the purpose of obtaining a job interview. A resume is also called Curriculum Vitae or CV. Curriculum Vitae is Latin for life story.Employers use resumes as the first step in identifying and selecting probable candidates for employment and it is important that your resume present your work experience and educational qualifications correctly. Well written resumes present an impressive image of you to an employer. Employers look at hundreds of resumes for the same job and finally choose only one. It is important that your resume is properly formatted and provides all the relevant information about you. Looking at sample resumes that have been professionally wr
INTRODUCTION
Have you ever been looking through a mega-hardware store/garden shop and not been able to find precisely what you are looking for? Instead, you settle for something else which you take home, try it, and regret having purchased. Instead of returning it though, you think it is not worth your time and throw it in the garbage. Not only is the exact merchandise not available, merchants even go so far as to make the item difficult to return in order to discourage you from doing so. Even if you do, there is a penalty fee associated with it. You're stuck and you learn to live with it.
There is a growing trend to accept second class workmanship. For example, it is no longer a surprise to us if something doesn't work properly or is late in delivery. Instead of finding it intolerable, we simply accept it. And this is the mindset most businesses are hoping for.
Understand this, it is the middle class that fuels a country's economy. It is the middle class that purchases the products and services en masse. As such, the middle class is the impetus for mass production. By carefully manipulating the wants, desires and purchasing attitudes of the middle class, merchants and manufacturers can maximize their profit margins. They also know it is not necessary to sell a high quality product (which adds to costs) but, instead, simply offers what the public will accept.
Years ago, when we purchased something, we expected it to be durable and work according to expectations. We no longer think this way. This is why manufacturers carefully build in planned obsolescence into their products. They don't want you to buy it once, they want you to buy it over and over again.
STATE OF THE ART?
I laugh when I hear people bragging they have the latest from Microsoft. They honestly believe it is the best that money can buy. But is it really? Let me give you an example. Back in the 1990's, IBM introduced its OS/2 operating system for the PC platform. Frankly, OS/2 was years ahead of itself. Not only did it have a fine Graphical User Interface (with a true object oriented desktop), it also included preemptive multitasking, crash protection, a vastly superior file management system, multimedia, Internet access, Java support, etc., etc. Microsoft, on the other hand, offered Windows 3.x which provided a simple Graphical User Interface for DOS (which most people were using at the time). Over time, enhancements were added and the product was superseded by newer versions entitled Windows 95/NT/98/ME/2000/XP, all at ever-escalating prices.
Whereas consumers perceived OS/2 as a radical departure from their DOS environment, Windows appeared less threatening and affordable. In reality, people have paid Microsoft more than quadruple for Windows than what they would have paid IBM for OS/2. But Microsoft's forte is in marketing where they carefully spoon-fed their product to the public in smaller mouthfuls and captured the "mindshare" of the middle class. Even when Windows started hiccupping errors, peo
When tornadoes struck Pettis County, Missouri, last week we received a vivid example of the importance of culture on how we react to situations. According to reporter Chuck Orman of the Sedalia Democrat, Jerry Yoder and family emerged from the farmhouse's cellar to find the second story and room addition were completely destroyed. Extensive rebuilding needed to be done yet their Amish faith doesn't allow for any modern conveniences, such as power tools and machinery.The Amish culture is well organized and devoted to each other. Soon after the tornado had passed members of the local Amish community began arriving to help in the rebuilding. By Thursday more than 72 unpaid volunteers had repaired the Yoder home and put a new roof on his barn.This illustration shows th
There is a growing trend to accept second class workmanship. For example, it is no longer a surprise to us if something doesn't work properly or is late in delivery. Instead of finding it intolerable, we simply accept it. And this is the mindset most businesses are hoping for.
Understand this, it is the middle class that fuels a country's economy. It is the middle class that purchases the products and services en masse. As such, the middle class is the impetus for mass production. By carefully manipulating the wants, desires and purchasing attitudes of the middle class, merchants and manufacturers can maximize their profit margins. They also know it is not necessary to sell a high quality product (which adds to costs) but, instead, simply offers what the public will accept.
Years ago, when we purchased something, we expected it to be durable and work according to expectations. We no longer think this way. This is why manufacturers carefully build in planned obsolescence into their products. They don't want you to buy it once, they want you to buy it over and over again.
STATE OF THE ART?
I laugh when I hear people bragging they have the latest from Microsoft. They honestly believe it is the best that money can buy. But is it really? Let me give you an example. Back in the 1990's, IBM introduced its OS/2 operating system for the PC platform. Frankly, OS/2 was years ahead of itself. Not only did it have a fine Graphical User Interface (with a true object oriented desktop), it also included preemptive multitasking, crash protection, a vastly superior file management system, multimedia, Internet access, Java support, etc., etc. Microsoft, on the other hand, offered Windows 3.x which provided a simple Graphical User Interface for DOS (which most people were using at the time). Over time, enhancements were added and the product was superseded by newer versions entitled Windows 95/NT/98/ME/2000/XP, all at ever-escalating prices.
Whereas consumers perceived OS/2 as a radical departure from their DOS environment, Windows appeared less threatening and affordable. In reality, people have paid Microsoft more than quadruple for Windows than what they would have paid IBM for OS/2. But Microsoft's forte is in marketing where they carefully spoon-fed their product to the public in smaller mouthfuls and captured the "mindshare" of the middle class. Even when Windows started hiccupping errors, pe
Every restaurant can benefit from proper food costing. Food costing is one of the most important elements for making your restaurant more profitable. Costing out your food enables you to have complete control over how much you spend on food and allows you to price your dishes for maximum profit, as well as good value to your customer.Typically, food costs should account for around 1/3 of a restaurant's expenses. The food cost along with labor and overhead costs should account for more than 2/3 of the total expenses. Above that is the profit the restaurant will generate. Since food costs are one of the highest expenses for a restaurant, food costing is viewed as one of the best ways to increase profitability for a restaurant who needs to generate more profits to stay in busin
Years ago, when we purchased something, we expected it to be durable and work according to expectations. We no longer think this way. This is why manufacturers carefully build in planned obsolescence into their products. They don't want you to buy it once, they want you to buy it over and over again.
STATE OF THE ART?
I laugh when I hear people bragging they have the latest from Microsoft. They honestly believe it is the best that money can buy. But is it really? Let me give you an example. Back in the 1990's, IBM introduced its OS/2 operating system for the PC platform. Frankly, OS/2 was years ahead of itself. Not only did it have a fine Graphical User Interface (with a true object oriented desktop), it also included preemptive multitasking, crash protection, a vastly superior file management system, multimedia, Internet access, Java support, etc., etc. Microsoft, on the other hand, offered Windows 3.x which provided a simple Graphical User Interface for DOS (which most people were using at the time). Over time, enhancements were added and the product was superseded by newer versions entitled Windows 95/NT/98/ME/2000/XP, all at ever-escalating prices.
Whereas consumers perceived OS/2 as a radical departure from their DOS environment, Windows appeared less threatening and affordable. In reality, people have paid Microsoft more than quadruple for Windows than what they would have paid IBM for OS/2. But Microsoft's forte is in marketing where they carefully spoon-fed their product to the public in smaller mouthfuls and captured the "mindshare" of the middle class. Even when Windows started hiccupping errors, pe
Those who are in the business, it might be a profession, a manufacturing industry or a service industry, building trust is the utmost factor.If your consumer doesn’t have the faith in you, then you might as well shut shop now, cause eventually that’s what would happen. To market yourself and your product, you must be able to gain confidence of the people to whom you intend to sell.Building credibility is crucial for your success and financial well-being. One-time negative experiences of the consumer can shatter their confidence in you. Consumers also have a peculiar habit. They would spread their experiences whether positive or negative among their friends and family. So be very careful, how you deal with customers. Word of mouth publicity is a strong marketing tool.<
Whereas consumers perceived OS/2 as a radical departure from their DOS environment, Windows appeared less threatening and affordable. In reality, people have paid Microsoft more than quadruple for Windows than what they would have paid IBM for OS/2. But Microsoft's forte is in marketing where they carefully spoon-fed their product to the public in smaller mouthfuls and captured the "mindshare" of the middle class. Even when Windows started hiccupping errors, pe
Capital is normally required for three possible applications, namely:1. Fixed Capital:Fixed capital refers to your business needs to buy fixed assets. This means that you need the capital to buy things like buildings, machines, computers, vehicles and furniture. These items are normally purchased for use in the business and not for resale. The purpose is to generate sales. They do not have a resale value and can be liquidated again, but in most instances lose value over time. This is called depreciation. Depreciation is seen as an expense and is recorded in the income statement. Land is the only item that does not depreciate. Fixed assets on the other hand are recorded in the balance sheet. When planning your business you must determine how much you w
Whereas consumers perceived OS/2 as a radical departure from their DOS environment, Windows appeared less threatening and affordable. In reality, people have paid Microsoft more than quadruple for Windows than what they would have paid IBM for OS/2. But Microsoft's forte is in marketing where they carefully spoon-fed their product to the public in smaller mouthfuls and captured the "mindshare" of the middle class. Even when Windows started hiccupping errors, people were taught that this was to be expected from a high tech product. And people accepted it. Today, OS/2 is all but forgotten and Windows dominates the PC world.
Microsoft has used similar tactics in marketing products that compete with Lotus, Real, Turbotax, and Adobe. Basically, their initial offering can be described as primitive at best but it is sold for next to nothing (thereby setting the hook for the consumer). They then issue subsequent releases of the product at ever-increasing prices until they dominate the market. I would wager you that Microsoft's research and development budget (against gross sales) percentage-wise is vastly lower than their competitors. No, their forte is shrewd marketing to the middle class and controlling its "mindshare." Windows, therefore, is an excellent example of a product tailored to the middle class. It is not necessarily state of the art, it is what the general public perceives as state of the art.
As an aside, to this day, I still prefer the reliability and performance of my OS/2 machines over Windows.
We see similar instances of manipulating the public in other areas as well, from everything from cell phones to automobiles. Foreign manufacturers have taken notice as well. Whereas Japanese and German cars were once considered a joke, they now dominate the industry.
We also see this same phenomenon in the information systems of our companies. System hiccups are commonplace, as are project cost and schedule overruns. So much so, that the end user community hasn't just lost confidence in the IT development staff, they expect such problems to occur.
A lot of this can be blamed on the decline of craftsmanship over the years, but more importantly, the consumer has been conditioned to accept screw-ups.
For example,
- People ACCEPT inferior workmanship; we no longer have high expectations.
- People ACCEPT delays and cost overruns.
- People EXPECT products not to have a long life cycle.
- People ACCEPT shoddy service (heck, we'll even tip people for bad service).
In other words, the intolerable is now tolerable and business is counting on the middle class accepting mediocrity. Is it that we no longer know how to make durable goods anymore or do we not want to?
CONCLUSION
As we should all know by now, business caters to the middle class. And they spend a ton of money on research to know precisely what the public wants and how they perceive things. More importantly
HTTP = HTML link (for blogs, profiles,phorums):
<a href="http://www.otheradded.com/article/22736/otheradded-Our-Growing-Dependency-on-Mass-Mediocrity.html">Our Growing Dependency on Mass Mediocrity</a>
BB link (for phorums):
[url=http://www.otheradded.com/article/22736/otheradded-Our-Growing-Dependency-on-Mass-Mediocrity.html]Our Growing Dependency on Mass Mediocrity[/url]
Related Articles:
Who Comes First - The Customer or Employee?
Earn an Extra Income With These Home Business Opportunities
Bookmark it:
|