Germany once admired British workmanship – but that was a long time ago: Guardian

kabayiri

Kennyboy66 wrote: »

A thinly disguised "failed to get my leg over that night" story.

:rotfl:

Was it that obvious ?!

They were nice, but they started it. Fancy opening conversation by asking what someone does ! I think there are more pressing questions to be answered

adouglasmhor

kabayiri wrote: »

:rotfl:

Was it that obvious ?!

They were nice, but they started it. Fancy opening conversation by asking what someone does ! I think there are more pressing questions to be answered

You should have bullshtted.
No one is just an engineer or proccess controll scientist etc. You do research or design.

macaque_2

Generali wrote: »

That is completely meaningless. There are loads of types of steel.

It's rather like saying, 'Rolls Royce is the best car'. Well it's pretty hopeless for driving round a track or for parking in central London.

A chronic weakness with business strategy for listed companies in the UK (and US) is that shareholder value has to be maximised over very short time cycles. This contributes to asset stripping and low levels of R&D. Would Rolls Royce engines be here today if short term objectives had been adhered to and would Berkshire Hatherway (who flatly refused to get involved with the dot com bubble) have been as successful if it had been a listed company?

The distinction between best and worst often has as much to do with transient or cyclical factors as underlying performance. If the market responds by shutting companies down with every cyclical downturn, the inevitable consequence is industrial atrophy.

Other cultures take a different view. The story has it that when Nixon asked Chou En Lai what impact the French Revolution had had on Western civilisation, Chou is reputed to have replied "It's too soon to tell"

kabayiri

adouglasmhor wrote: »

You should have bullshtted.
No one is just an engineer or proccess controll scientist etc. You do research or design.

I reckon bullsh*tting is part of what got UK into this mess.

Everyone wants to be a management consultant, or image management specialist these days.

In the past you were served by a bank clerk. Now you are seen by a 'consumer financial affairs specialist'.

Good manufacturing and design practise comes from years of slog coupled with a level of ingenuity; and an acceptance that you will make mistakes now and then. Not really glamour.

Why would an Oxford grad want to do that when they can push buttons in the City, and make numbers whizz about the computer screens.

We all want success on the cheap; just look at the X factor contestant queues.

kabayiri

macaque wrote: »

A chronic weakness with business strategy for listed companies in the UK (and US) is that shareholder value has to be maximised over very short time cycles. This contributes to asset stripping and low levels of R&D. Would Rolls Royce engines be here today if short term objectives had been adhered to and would Berkshire Hatherway (who flatly refused to get involved with the dot com bubble) have been as successful if it had been a listed company?
...

It was indeed the RB211 aero engine which sucked in so much money for its development which nearly dragged the company under.

The engines following in the RB211 series have been a significant contributor to the company's success.

I reckon a modern day government would have told the company to cut its losses!