Toyota VS Ford Options

[tomazws]

A Japanese company ( Toyota ) and an American company (Ford) decided to have a canoe race on the Missouri River . Both teams practiced long and hard to reach their peak performance before the race.

On the big day, the Japanese won by a mile.

The Americans, very discouraged and depressed, decided to investigate the reason for the crushing defeat. A management team made up of senior management was formed to investigate and recommend appropriate action.

Their conclusion was the Japanese had 8 people rowing and 1 person steering, while the American team had 8 people steering and 1 person rowing.

Feeling a deeper study was in order, American management hired a consulting company and paid them a large amount of money for a second opinion.

They advised, of course, that too many people were steering the boat, while not enough people were rowing.

Not sure of how to utilize that information, but wanting to prevent another loss to the Japanese, the rowing team's management structure was totally reorganized to 4 steering supervisors, 3 area steering superintendents, and 1 assistant superintendent steering manager.

They also implemented a new performance system that would give the 1 person rowing the boat greater incentive to work harder. It was called the ”Rowing Team Quality First Program” with meetings, dinners, and free pens for the rower. There was discussion of getting new paddles, canoes, and other equipment, extra vacation days for practices and bonuses.

The next year the Japanese won by two miles.

Humiliated, the American management laid off the rower for poor performance, halted development of a new canoe, sold the paddles, and canceled all capital investments for new equipment. The money saved was distributed to the Senior Executives as bonuses and the next year's racing team was out-sourced to India .

Sadly, The End.

Here's something else to think about: Ford has spent the last thirty years trying to move all of its factories out of the US , claiming they can't make money paying American wages.

TOYOTA has spent the last thirty years building more than a dozen plants inside the US. The last quarter's results for 2007:

TOYOTA makes 4 billion in profits while Ford racked up 9 billion in losses.

Senior managers at Ford are still scratching their heads.

IF THIS WEREN'T SO TRUE, IT MIGHT BE FUNNY.

This post has been edited by tomazws: Nov 13, 2008 - 12:51 PM

[RickJamesBish]

Taskbot, they're redabged for another brand...so technically, they're Australian, but being badged under an American name makes THAT version American.

Same with the Saturn/Opel Astra.

[Taskbot]

Taskbot, they're redabged for another brand...so technically, they're Australian, but being badged under an American name makes THAT version American.

Same with the Saturn/Opel Astra.

Really I wouldn't see it as such and neither would all of the people I have this debate with. Like Domestic and Import are really loosely defined terms and its all about one's knowledge and perception. With badge engineering its like every car is having an identity crisis. Some car's don't know if they're Japanese, English, German, American, Australlian, South Korean or Sweedish. Some days when the Focus WRC is kicking ass its like "Yay American cars" and other days where its doing piss poor its like "Stupid Europeans, sourcing their platform from Mazda and Volvo." Saying you drive a domestic only really serves to alienate most other people, and the people that say that only do it when it serves the purpose of proving their superiority.

Thats my experience anyways.

For the record, I do have this debate a lot and its strage, especially since I am in Canada. Sometimes I need to remind people that they are driving an import too. (You have no clue how satisfying it is to see the look on someone's face when I say that)