<<so as you seem to be intimate with the japanese nation, enlighten me, what is the "consumption mentality" of the japanese people...or are you only quoting some buzz words from an economist?>>
i didn't realize this subject would bother you so. i don't claim to be as knowledgable re Japan as you; nor know as much as you about that region. i did, however, receive both my undergraduate and graduate degrees from Hawaii, principally the University of Hawaii, and (1) lived among the Japanese people relative to this education, (2) studied principally with Japanese students in the business program there, (3) learned first hand, as did you, something about how Japanese businesses operate, and, most importantly (4) dated several oriental women. i understand the Japanese of Hawaii and the Japanese of Japan are very different culturually and behaviorally, though.
off topic: in one of the MBA classes, Operations Research 630somethingorother, one thing that bothered me was we were assigned five problems per five members per group. Each person in the group was to complete one of the problems with input from the other four members as to the best solution (no problem had an "exact" solution, only a "better" mathematical solution). Me and another oriental completed our two problems, leaving three group problems left. One of the two Japanese female members of our group, the one from Hawaii (the other was from Japan) completed her problem late - failed to get together with the remaining team members for review - and the day before the due date photocopied her answer for my friend only. In my and my friend's estimation she missed the "best" solution by a mile. Thus, staying up half the night, I completed her problem and submitted my paper instead of hers - I told her prior to class that I was going to do this. She looked slightly upset, but, her grade counted as the grade for all five members. After class we all huddled together, as prescribed, and she used cussing language I'd never heard before - first in English and then in Japanese - you know, talking about my mother too. The four of us sat and listed to her tirade for over thirty minutes. Thankfully she lost her anger later when my paper received a professorial star and a 90% plus. But, i've never been so maligned in my life.
Why would she do this? I've never understood this.
as for MD graduating from Yale; that must be his real problem (Clinton's from Yale and they think he's visionary too). as for the "d" word not being on my lips: i have no excuse for a poor memory. no, i didn't say direct from Dell was created solely by MD's charisma. i clearly believe Japan has acheived much; and have no illusions for what they've done or not done. as for the "consumption mentality" in Japan; i'll leave that for your subsequent posting since you state you know more regarding this than I; although my simple meaning was that they consume less than the average US citizen per capita and save more - which, to some US corporations, is a bane to the "throw away" mentality engendered here. i know they have better diets over there - they eat a ton of fish; it's too bad the average US citizen hasn't yet discovered REAL fish - seriously. (maybe we should give all Dell investors a year's supply of fish to help get their potential visionary proteins working again.) |
