Conference 7.286::digital

re Note 2839.0 by CSC32::C_LEE:

>           -< "Challenge to America" in PBS is a good show to watch. >-
  
        Yes, when I watched the first half last night, at least two
        things stood out:

        1) We (DEC) did become a lot like IBM, :-}

        2) Some of the things we Americans generally believed about
        Japan were not completely true:

        - Japanese (auto) manufacturers are not extremely automated
        with robots,

        - Japanese (elementary) schools do not stress academic
        performance far more than American schools.

        As a result of the above misconceptions, some of the things
        Americans have been doing to "catch up" are probably
        misguided (one example given in the show is GM's extreme
        automation of its factories).

        Bob

    The one comment I have about the show was that I thought it was somewhat 
    dated.  The Japanese economy is in a shambles right now while the US
    economy is coming back strong.  The US car makers are supposed to
    produce more cars this year then any other country for the first time
    in 14 years.  The sopposedly super smart Electronic Companies in Japan
    speant billions in developing HDTV while US firms developed Digitalized
    TV. The Boston Sunday Globe Business section had an article about how
    the US is still the Technical leader in the world and improving.  Yes
    the US economy got the crap kicked out of it by Japan/Germany in the 70's 
    and 80's, but it is coming back strong now. 
    
    Dan
    
    

    Re: .2
    
    	>>>> The Japanese economy is in a shambles right now while the
             US ecomony is coming back strong.   The US car makers are
             supposed to produce more cars this year than any other
             country for the first time in 14 years.
    
    	True.   However there are certain things to worry about.
    The increase in US auto manufacturing is directly related to
    international companies (Toyota, Honda, BMW, among others) setting-up
    companies here in the US.   It is also true that the 'big three' have
    increased their market share, but mainly here in the US, they are not
    doing that well outside (international market).
    
    	Definitively right about who still has the technological advantage.
    Now on last week's TIME magazine there is an article about the best
    technological products of 1993.   Rated at number 1, there is a product
    marketed by PANASONIC (Japanese).   This product was developed by a US
    company out of California.    This is the real problem, we still got
    the technology, however Japanese companies are taking the lead in
    marketing solutions.

    
    
    Agree with regards to the marketing situation.  And I think the problem
    with the car industry has a lot to do with unfair trade practices
    levied by other nations.  I have always been an advocate of a
    reciprocal trade policy.  Our policy towards you will mirror your
    policy with us.  

    
    	Japanese? Marketing? Sounds like an oxymoron to me...
    
    	a couple of ads I saw while in Tokyo in 1991:
    
    	A Coca-Cola ad with the slogan  "I feel Coke!"
    
    	A TV commercial showing a young Japanese man standing in a cave,
    	wearing a shirt & tie & slacks..the young man is solemnly staring
    	in the direction of the cave opening, his arm outstretched toward
    	the light, holding...a container of yogurt.
    
    	These are typical Japanese ads. I think that they might employ the
    	sharpest U.S. marketing firms when they advertise in the U.S.,
    	though.
    
    

    Let's be careful about further misconceptions about Japan. True,
    there's the appearance of a market in "shambles" relative to the
    dramatic growth that occurred for several years. In fact, Japanese
    companies have institutionalized the term "bubble burst" as the event
    this recession occurred in their corporate histories.
    
    But the computing market there is not dead -- just leveling. The
    hardware market's expected to be static while software and services
    grow for several years. Our competitors are well aware of opportunities
    there are we should not "shrug them off."
    
    /L

    As the show strived to point out the Japanes are in for the 
    long haul. They can weather a downturn or two much more 
    successfully then the U.S. can. I really enjoyed the partnerships
    portrayed between the foreign companies and their employees
    versus the U.S. companies. We could still learn a lot from our
    friends across both oceans.
    
    			-Jim-

    I agree.  I just am getting sick of the Chicken Little  Mentality in
    the US Media.  Bad News sells.  So news about the US becoming a third
    world nation does better then news saying that the US is doing pretty
    well.  US productivity is still the better then Japan and Germany. 
    German automobile manufacturers are considering a 4 Day work week, not
    out of the goodness of their hearts but to prevent layoffs.  Japanese
    employers are laying off people for the first time.  I would just like
    to see a more positive slant on the US once in a while.  By the way I
    thought last nights show was a little more positive.
    
    Dan

    re: .5 and Japanese Marketing
    
    Please don't make the mistake of confusing marketing with advertising.
    Marketing encompasses so much more, like figuring out what the buyer
    wants in a product. This is where I think Japan has done an outstanding
    marketing job in the auto and electronics industries.
    
    On another note: The series spent a lot of time on the educational
    differences between the U.S., Germany, and Japan. I really felt that
    they hit home on the problems with the U.S. educational system. As
    an ironic followup to the program, the local school board meeting
    was playing on a cable access channel. I watched it for about 30
    minutes. During those 30 minutes, I heard the school board wrangle
    about textbook censorship (take out sex ed and put in creationism),
    "feelthy" books in the school library, and how much of the federal
    and state funding was being spent on administrators, not teachers.
    It made me sick to my stomach.
    
    Geoff

    Re: .8-
    
    >German automobile manufacturers are considering a 4 Day work week, not
    >out of the goodness of their hearts but to prevent layoffs.  
    
    	VW moved Jetta and Golf assembly to Mexico in mid 1991. Labor
    problems there later made the inventory of these cars effectively 
    disappear last year. Any chance this revenue loss lead to the potential
    for layoffs in Germany? 
    
    	Also, if productivity goes up, layoffs are supposed to happen. The 
    world's production capacity now generally exceeds demand. This was
    supposed to result in more leisure time in people's lives- produce more
    with less effort. Problem is the employed often work excessively 
    while others are idle/ unemployed. The employed don't gain much since
    they're taxed more to support the system and have less leisure time.
    The unemployed have no money and all the time they want. More employees
    working less hours at reasonable wages might work but the pain of
    transition and uncertain result make it too risky to implement as
    policy. Thus, corporations downsize and force this shift onto
    individuals to "test the waters". Result: often the former employee 
    works for the same corporation as a consultant at higher net cost
    while keeping more of the pie and working less hours.
    
    	Is something wrong here/did I miss something?
    
    Phil

    Re; 10
    
    	Phil if you have this week's TIME magazine they discuss this 
    Productivity Up = Employment Down syndrome (of the 90's) problem.
    The TIME economists argue that larger corporations such as GM, FORD
    DIGITAL, IBM, among others will continue the layoff scenario until
    1995, while other smaller, lower paying jobs, such as service
    industries, restaurants and the like will increase their manpower.
    The other trend they see continuing is the contract/part-time employee.
    
    	The TIME economists are also predicting a strong 94/95 and a
    weakening 96 (election year).   Right now I'm particularly cautious
    about 94, because the world economy as a whole is experiencing an
    extremly slow recovery.    We (US) need to export more for our economy
    to increase at the rates that the TIME economists are predicting.
    
    	They are also predicting an extremly low inflation rate, I sure
    hope so.

re Note 2839.8 by DELNI::WALSH:

> US productivity is still the better then Japan and Germany. 
  
        I assume that this is for the overall economy, but how does
        productivity compare in different segments?  This TV series
        was concentrating on what was described as the middle tier of
        jobs -- is US productivity still best if just manufacturing
        is considered?

        Bob

    Did anyone record the show?  I called my local PBS station and the
    going rate for the 5 hours of programing is $130.00!
    
    /ed