I think it's characteristic of our modern society: if top-level
management has any understanding of the things they are supposed to be
managing, that's purely fortuitous. They tend to be specialists in
*management*, not in managing anything specific. E.g., a former
Coca-Cola big wheel became the CEO of IBM; if he knew anything about
computers, that was a pure coincidence; for that matter, if he knew
anything about cola it was likely a pure coincidence too.

I heard this issue raised in a discussion of the Chrysler/Daimler-Benz
merger on the eve of its consummation. Chrysler was run by managers,
whereas Daimler-Benz was run by engineers.

What happened to the practice of having people destined for management
positions spend time working in every department of the company so they
know exactly what the company does and how?

Driving home from Detroit yesterday, we stopped for dinner at a truck
stop, where we overheard a waitress telling another customer that she
was busier than usual because the cook had called in sick so the
managers were having to do the cooking and were not able to help with
serving. But in this case the managers were able to cook. What would
they have done if the managers could not fill in for the cook?

Alan AB2OS


On 07/10/04 04:14 pm Dan/W4NTI put fingers to keyboard and launched the
following message into cyberspace:

You missed my point. It would be just as bad no matter whose

administration

it was and no matter to what party they belonged. If it were a Gore
administration, they'd be just as much a sock puppet to the commercial
interests of that administration.

All true...unfortunatly the REAL problem is the lack of basic, let alone
engineer level, knowledge to even understand what is going on with BPL.
Politics aside.....ain't it a real pity that the FCC has no concept what
they are doing with this BPL crap? No one in the right mind would have let
this get out of the first meeting.

As for the Bush administration pushing this. I think the real situation is
some low level gofer with his computer knowledge decided this is a 'good'
thing. Then he got someones ear to push it at the Prez.

Look at the way the NTIA back peddled.....they came on strong against
it...then all of a sudden they are going backwards. Politics...pure and
simple.

It is up to us and ALL THOSE it trashes to put on a sustained attack against
this BPL. If we don't we are stuck with it.