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Factory orders are a very "mechanical" economic indicator. The "sex appeal" of a countries manufactoring sector seems quite unrelated to me. Perhaps that is why

Factory orders are a very "mechanical" economic indicator. The "sex appeal" of a countries manufactoring sector seems quite unrelated to me. Perhaps that is why you are getting some down-os?

rm_-rf_slash 11y ago
Not sex appeal of manufacturing, but culture. I have discussed this in length in the subsequent replies.
- olalonde 11y ago
  I think you are overestimating the strength of "country of origin" biases and underestimating how quickly those biases can shift or be "worked around" (e.g. Lenovo and Volvo Cars are companies with strong brands despite being Chinese owned). Also, it would seem to me that positive "country of origin" bias is an effect rather than a cause of economic development (and the same could be said of culture).
  - rm_-rf_slash 11y ago
    I live in Ithaca, NY, which has the highest rate of Volvo ownership per person in any city outside of Sweden. I had an XC70 for years, loved it. My mom bought an S80 a year after they moved production to China and we had to do expensive electrical work because of shoddy construction every season. As long as Volvo is manufactured in China, I'll never buy one again. I'm not the only one: Volvos are falling out of favor for Subaru, and largely for the same reasons. So as far as I'm concerned, China cheapens brands.
    - olalonde 11y ago
      Your comment has confirmation bias written all over it. How can you be so sure that the car wouldn't have had problems if it had been manufactured in Europe? Volvo car sales have been going up globally since the acquisition though you might be right about Ithaca, NY. Nationality/"made in" bias does have some effect on purchasing behaviours but I doubt the seemingly strong effect it has on you is representative.
      - rm_-rf_slash 11y ago
        It's not confirmation bias, it's literally engineering. My XC70 and every Volvo our family had before it (3, mind you) were all built outside of China and each worked excellently for over a decade. In fact you can still see old Volvos proudly plodding around Ithaca, though not so much the new ones. A couple of years after buying the (Chinese-built) S80 it was clearly suffering from repeat electrical defects that were expensive and regularly required. I'm not sure how that fact can be any less biased.

Factory orders are a very "mechanical" economic indicator. The "sex appeal" of a countries manufactoring sector seems quite unrelated to me. Perhaps that is why you are getting some down-os?

rm_-rf_slash 11y ago

Not sex appeal of manufacturing, but culture. I have discussed this in length in the subsequent replies.

olalonde 11y ago
I think you are overestimating the strength of "country of origin" biases and underestimating how quickly those biases can shift or be "worked around" (e.g. Lenovo and Volvo Cars are companies with strong brands despite being Chinese owned). Also, it would seem to me that positive "country of origin" bias is an effect rather than a cause of economic development (and the same could be said of culture).
- rm_-rf_slash 11y ago
  I live in Ithaca, NY, which has the highest rate of Volvo ownership per person in any city outside of Sweden. I had an XC70 for years, loved it. My mom bought an S80 a year after they moved production to China and we had to do expensive electrical work because of shoddy construction every season. As long as Volvo is manufactured in China, I'll never buy one again. I'm not the only one: Volvos are falling out of favor for Subaru, and largely for the same reasons. So as far as I'm concerned, China cheapens brands.
  - olalonde 11y ago
    Your comment has confirmation bias written all over it. How can you be so sure that the car wouldn't have had problems if it had been manufactured in Europe? Volvo car sales have been going up globally since the acquisition though you might be right about Ithaca, NY. Nationality/"made in" bias does have some effect on purchasing behaviours but I doubt the seemingly strong effect it has on you is representative.
    - rm_-rf_slash 11y ago
      It's not confirmation bias, it's literally engineering. My XC70 and every Volvo our family had before it (3, mind you) were all built outside of China and each worked excellently for over a decade. In fact you can still see old Volvos proudly plodding around Ithaca, though not so much the new ones. A couple of years after buying the (Chinese-built) S80 it was clearly suffering from repeat electrical defects that were expensive and regularly required. I'm not sure how that fact can be any less biased.