{domain:"www.qualitydigest.com",server:"169.47.211.87"} Skip to main content

User account menu
Main navigation
  • Topics
    • Customer Care
    • FDA Compliance
    • Healthcare
    • Innovation
    • Lean
    • Management
    • Metrology
    • Operations
    • Risk Management
    • Six Sigma
    • Standards
    • Statistics
    • Supply Chain
    • Sustainability
    • Training
  • Videos/Webinars
    • All videos
    • Product Demos
    • Webinars
  • Advertise
    • Advertise
    • Submit B2B Press Release
    • Write for us
  • Metrology Hub
  • Training
  • Subscribe
  • Log in
Mobile Menu
  • Home
  • Topics
    • 3D Metrology-CMSC
    • Customer Care
    • FDA Compliance
    • Healthcare
    • Innovation
    • Lean
    • Management
    • Metrology
    • Operations
    • Risk Management
    • Six Sigma
    • Standards
    • Statistics
    • Supply Chain
    • Sustainability
    • Training
  • Login / Subscribe
  • More...
    • All Features
    • All News
    • All Videos
    • Contact
    • Training

Chasing Cheap Instead of Quality

Reflections on snakes, GM, engineers, and wine

Kevin Meyer
Mon, 07/22/2013 - 16:39
  • Comment
  • RSS

Social Sharing block

  • Print
  • Add new comment
Body

It’s time to clear out some thoughts on an eclectic mix of articles I've been reading, so please pardon the potential mental whiplash. What does your company do to keep an eye on competitors? Perhaps it’s an informal process handled by the sales department, or perhaps there’s a database of some sort. If you’re GM, you of course create a committee. Seriously.

“GM forms committees to keep an eye on Tesla,” reports CNNMoney. “General Motors dwarfs Tesla Motors in virtually every way—number of cars made, sales, and profits. But that doesn’t mean GM isn't worried about the upstart electric car maker. GM has confirmed that CEO Dan Akerson has formed a task force within the company to look at the impact from alternative automakers. The only alternative car company it named: Tesla.”

Mark Graban reminded me that this is exactly what the “old GM” used to do—to the amusement of its nemesis, Ross Perot. As Perot put it back in 1988:

“At GM, if you see a snake, the first thing you do is go hire a consultant on snakes. Then you get a committee on snakes, and then you discuss it for a couple of years. The most likely course of action is—nothing.”

 …

Want to continue?
Log in or create a FREE account.
Enter your username or email address
Enter the password that accompanies your username.
By logging in you agree to receive communication from Quality Digest. Privacy Policy.
Create a FREE account
Forgot My Password

Comments

Submitted by kmohror on Thu, 07/25/2013 - 18:45

Inverse tuition

"Oh, wait; that would be market-based...." Exqusite insight, Kevin! But too much common-sense for today's educators in non-technical schools. "The liberal arts must be supported" as school execs talk on their peerless smart phones between pad/tablet-enhanced meetings.

"Plain on the nose on your face" it isn't.

Thanks for the good article.

Kel Mohror

  • Reply

Add new comment

Image CAPTCHA
Enter the characters shown in the image.
Please login to comment.
      

© 2025 Quality Digest. Copyright on content held by Quality Digest or by individual authors. Contact Quality Digest for reprint information.
“Quality Digest" is a trademark owned by Quality Circle Institute Inc.

footer
  • Home
  • Print QD: 1995-2008
  • Print QD: 2008-2009
  • Videos
  • Privacy Policy
  • Write for us
footer second menu
  • Subscribe to Quality Digest
  • About Us
  • Contact Us