Do large corporations really work?

[expat]

... an Ercol chair or table doesn’t need beermats propping it up or extra glue in the joins even after 30 years of daily use. My parents have some Ercol; it’s not my taste, but it’s a fantastic example of craftsmanship.

It belonged to my partner's parents, and is not quite as old as I am (57). It's not my taste either, but I'm prepared to adjust my taste a bit because it is just so good.

And as you said about real craftsmen, that's what I meant about our upholsterer. For example, he didn't need to see the chairs themselves, just have us take him the cushions; but he preferred to see one of the chairs, so that he had a picture of what he was working for.

[Mich the Tester]

Bank's fiasco though was slightly different though, while the normal Corp priority list went into force, the accountant's either shut up or got fired

Funny who knew, accountants actually do some good

In this case you have a point. Senior managers stopped listening to the wise counsel of those who saw things going wrong. It doesn’t surprise me; they don’t listen to testers either. Some of the tulipware that’s being used to manage your money is truly abominable. I’ve seen the bugs first hand and I’ve seen what they’ve accepted for the sake of ‘time to market’.

Still, it looks to me like the same phenomenon; the accountants and risk managers were concerned with quality and sustainability and they lost out to the commercial guys who just wanted to expand at all costs.

[minestrone]

Yes maybe, but you missed mine: it is not through snobbery but through appreciation of the importance of quality that I make the difference. It's not a case of "allowing myself" IKEA: it is good enough, for that purpose. I will also eat fast food that is good enough.

OK, you can slander my use of buying budget when it suits and defend your use. It will be out my system in 12 hours but in your house for 12 years.

[expat]

OK, you can slander my use of buying budget when it suits and defend your use. It will be out my system in 12 hours but in your house for 12 years.

Or less!

[Rookie]

You were being snobbish about my range of eating, you seem to allow yourself IKEA though.

My point always was that what you think of as junk and what you think of as quality are actually the same. You missed, or never understood, that point.

I think that you are missing the point. It has nothing to do with 'snobbery'. Why bring this back to your preference for junk food again? Look, it's entirely your choice if you want to eat fast food or not. Why try to argue that fast food and shelving is in some way similar?

[minestrone]

I think that you are missing the point. It has nothing to do with 'snobbery'. Why bring this back to your preference for junk food again? Look, it's entirely your choice if you want to eat fast food or not. Why try to argue that fast food and shelving is in some way similar?

I was chastised yesterday for arguing that buying a range of quality was OK by someone who today argues that buying a range of quality is OK.

[expat]

I was chastised yesterday for arguing that buying a range of quality was OK by someone who today argues that buying a range of quality is OK.

Of course it's OK. In some things. I'd put my daughter's books on an IKEA bookshelf, but I wouldn't force-feed her a BSE-burger. See the difference?

[Rookie]

I was chastised yesterday for arguing that buying a range of quality was OK by someone who today argues that buying a range of quality is OK.

Chastised? FFS. I call it just expressing an opinion. I don't really eat a lot of junk food as I see that as inferior quality to what I can cook at home. I'd really like to buy 'quality' items all of the time but mostly I have to compromise. I would see shelving as something that I would compromise on. My opinion that all.

[Mich the Tester]

I was chastised yesterday for arguing that buying a range of quality was OK by someone who today argues that buying a range of quality is OK.

Pizza is fast food but that doesn’t preclude quality or affordability. It includes the stodgy fatty lump of gloop you can buy at a Pizza Hut, but also the crispy, fresh, light and tasty pizzas you can buy on the street in Campania. I know which ones I prefer.

[expat]

Pizza is fast food but that doesn’t preclude quality or affordability. It includes the stodgy fatty lump of gloop you can buy at a Pizza Hut, but also the crispy, fresh, light and tasty pizzas you can buy on the street in Campania. I know which ones I prefer.

Funnily enough, when I said "I will also eat fast food that is good enough" that was exactly what I had in mind.

(i.e. there is nothing wrong with fast food, a lot wrong with junk food.They are not the same, but alas many in the UK do not seem to be able to tell tghe difference, which is just sad).