Gene,

I agree.

Almost everyone I know needs to be a minimum of a CEO... Well someday many of these friends of mine will wake up to reality, and realize, not everyone can be a CEO. OK, well maybe CEO of their own kitchen. 😁

It's our own fault as you say. It's not Chinas fault.

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/01/22/business/apple-america-and-a-squeezed-middle-class.html?_r=1&pagewanted=1

Related to Apple, but very interesting ...

Chris wrote:

My oldest friends boyfriend worked for Rover(Pressed Steel) in Swindon, and the horror stories you hear of the feckless staff and their almost sabotage of cars and equipment makes your blood boil. My first ever job leaving school was as the 91st employee at Honda, again in Swindon. What a bench mark those Japanese workers including Mr Honda himself set to me as a young man. Never have i since seen workers with so much commitment and a great commitment to perfection.

 

Chris,

Are you talking about Honda taking over Rover and producing that 216 model in the mid to late 1980's?

I can appreciate the Japanese workers having a much better work ethic than the 'old school' trade-union riddled UK workers of the 70's and 80's - but that definately did not work it's way through to the final product. Those so called 'Rover' 216's were absolute garbage, absolutely terrible cars that rusted through within a few years, terribly made and a total travesty for the Rover name. Rover cars of the 50's, 60's and early 70's were a proud british marque, proper quality often used as Police cars, and cars that chauffeured cabinet ministers etc. They were comparable to the Mercs and Beemers of the day, then I think British Leyland had involvement and quality standards declined sharply through the 70's, before Honda getting involved and 'trading' on the Rover badge heritage for a while, whilst producing real rubbish in the form of that 216 model. The old P5's and P6's were great cars of the day - the 216 is best forgotten about!

The damage to the Rover name unfortunately was ir-reversable, they could not be saved and Rover the brand was all but defunked by the turn of the century (late 90's early 2000's).

Gene wrote:

The only people who are willing to work in factories are the up and coming people who live in countries like China. It's not their fault, it is ours.

But that will change. It's not our "work ethic" that's at fault, it's because we all believe we're better than working in a factory. For kids these days it's all about what looks great on Facebook. That's why lots of <25 year olds have 400+ friends on Facebook. It's all about their image.

I asked a young kid who plays for our Wednesday team, which team he supports. He said "I'm warming towards Man City" (ie. now they are doing well, he can associate with them). He asked me the same and I said "Boro". He couldn't stop laughing. His response? "Why would you want to support them?". As I grew up supporting them? Kids now worry about how it looks to their mates, rather than defining their own way in life. Ironically Facebook doesn't bring us together, it pushes us to be more insecure about ourselves.

This is the point. Kids now don't see it as cool to work hard, work in factories. Our culture has shifted.

However, the more westernised China becomes over time, the more they embrace Facebook/social networking, the more consumer-driven they become, then their culture will also change over time. We're already seeing it now - they are becoming more wealthy from western consumerism and, as a result, they are becoming more consumer-driven, coming over to Europe to buy our brands.

I read recently, for example, that the British brand Mulberry's biggest market is now....China.

Moxxey,

You are also right. 🙂

You can't imagine the problems I have getting people to work for me. Working at a bar, or a restaurant isn't what young people think is "5exy", they know it's hard work.

Summer means a lot of work for me, and thus I need to hire more people, so most of my staff are "summer workers". It's getting harder and harder to get workers, as who would want to work at a restaurant? "I'm too precious" or "too high on the social ladder for that".

Even if the pay is very good for a 18-year old. 

So what do these 18-year olds do all summer when school/collage/university is off?

They are free! They live off their parents.

How their parents want to or even afford to support these young grown-ups is beyond me.

And the really funny (actually sad) social behaviour to me, is that in most of the cases the "I'm too good to do dishes" youngsters are from middle or lower-middle class families. The ones that actually work their butts off all summer are from middle-to-high or some are even from high classes! Makes you think what the uppbringing is to do with it.

The kids who can actually afford to jet-ski all summer at the summer house do the dishes, serve tables, work 12h days 5-6 days a week, and don't complain, as nothing is more valuable than work-experience! Whatever you might study or whatever your future line of work may be.

moxxey wrote:

.................and I said "Boro".

😂😂😂😂😂😎

😁

Puncher wrote:

moxxey wrote:

.................and I said "Boro".

😂😂😂😂😂😎

😁

I don't know what it means, but I'll laugh anyway!

😂😂😂😂😂😂

moxxey wrote:

But that will change. It's not our "work ethic" that's at fault, it's because we all believe we're better than working in a factory. For kids these days it's all about what looks great on Facebook. That's why lots of <25 year olds have 400+ friends on Facebook. It's all about their image.

I asked a young kid who plays for our Wednesday team, which team he supports. He said "I'm warming towards Man City" (ie. now they are doing well, he can associate with them). He asked me the same and I said "Boro". He couldn't stop laughing. His response? "Why would you want to support them?". As I grew up supporting them? Kids now worry about how it looks to their mates, rather than defining their own way in life. Ironically Facebook doesn't bring us together, it pushes us to be more insecure about ourselves.

This is the point. Kids now don't see it as cool to work hard, work in factories. Our culture has shifted.

However, the more westernised China becomes over time, the more they embrace Facebook/social networking, the more consumer-driven they become, then their culture will also change over time. We're already seeing it now - they are becoming more wealthy from western consumerism and, as a result, they are becoming more consumer-driven, coming over to Europe to buy our brands.

I read recently, for example, that the British brand Mulberry's biggest market is now....China.

Yes, I totally agree with you.

And with the explosion of facebook/social networking happening so fast, the culture change is speeded up so much. It's not a gradual culture change over a few generations any more, its much quicker with the advent of the internet and the popularity of social networking sites amongst the young generations.

bayerische wrote:

Puncher wrote:

moxxey wrote:

.................and I said "Boro".

😂😂😂😂😂😎

😁

I don't know what it means, but I'll laugh anyway!

😂😂😂😂😂😂

Middlesbrough supporter -

Moxxey,

 a very recent case in point.

The unemployed geology graduate being forced to work in Poundland for 2 weeks,in order to continue to receive benefits,is suing the Government for breach of her human rights.