RE: Education and Presidential Candidates

["Nimon, Harry H SSI-GRCA" <HN202460@MSXSSC.SHELL.COM>]

		An excellent point, but one in which I disagree.  There were
many other factors involved in the stagnation of design and production
quality which have been analyzed in numerous case studies.  Demand was so
enormous during this period, that complacency set in.  Your own post
indicates that the major driver in the paradigm shift came from competition
(the introduction of foreign sources with ever increasing quality of design
and production).  It was, in fact, competition from an 'outside' source that
provided the consumer with the ability to go 'elsewhere' for a better
value...driving the need within the American industry.  Government
regulation has only succeeded in driving up cost in the interest of assumed
'safety,' some of which has succeeded, others have not.  

		Technological equality is also a factor today.  There is
only so much one can do to these vehicles given the current status of
maturity of the internal combustion engine.  Gas-electronic hybrids are now
hitting the market using everything from internal generators to the kinetic
energy produced by braking to supply power to the batteries...but the
batteries have changed little.  Now, with the increasing popularity of such
hybrids, research will begin to show improvements in these areas as well to
show a 'difference' significant enough to draw consumers.

		To see some instances of competition-based change, one must
examine a larger picture...
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		Harry I. Nimon,
		Business Analyst, Change Management Group
		Shell Services International
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