3 ms·

And look at Japan now. They're currently in 2 decade-long recessions and they're in even worse shape than us. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lost_Decade_(Japan)

by chugger 15y ago

And look at Japan now. They're currently in 2 decade-long recessions and they're in even worse shape than us. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lost_Decade_(Japan) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lost_Decade_(Japan) http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/10/10/AR2008101002928.html http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/10...

jgamman 15y ago
considering what's going on at the moment i think one could make the case that they were just two decades ahead of you... ;-)
- chugger 15y ago
  What's happening now is nothing like what's happening in Japan.
danmaz74 15y ago
That's not at all because of a lack of global brands or innovative products though: Toyota, Sony, Honda, Hitachi, Panasonic, just to name the first ones that came to my mind...
chugger 15y ago
@danmaz74 there were very little innovation that came out of Japan in the last 20 years. They were overtaken by their Korean counterparts (LG/Samsung > Sony/Panasonic/Toshiba/etc.) and American (HP/Dell/Apple/etc.). Ok you have Toyota/Nissan/Honda,etc. but their success was not due to innovation but was mostly due to GM/Ford/Chrysler's inability to make good cars.
- danmaz74 15y ago
  @chugger: Just to clarify, I'm not talking about the last 20 years. I'm talking about the transition from me-too/copycat productions based on low prices of the 50s and 60s to the innovative, high-tech, high-quality branded production of the late 70s and 80s (Sony Walkman, VHS and Betamax, Space Invaders and Mario Bros...). My point is that China could do that same transition, even if now Chinese brands are mostly me-too.
- Aga 15y ago
  That is a horribly limited view of innovation. Innovation is not limited to only consumer end-products but happens through the whole design-manufacture-logistics-market chain. This is where e.g. Toyota has famously excelled. There is more to this world than mobile phones and computers. A lot of innovation happens in b2b end products also, with less fuzz.

by chugger 15y ago

jgamman 15y ago

considering what's going on at the moment i think one could make the case that they were just two decades ahead of you... ;-)

chugger 15y ago
What's happening now is nothing like what's happening in Japan.

danmaz74 15y ago

That's not at all because of a lack of global brands or innovative products though: Toyota, Sony, Honda, Hitachi, Panasonic, just to name the first ones that came to my mind...

chugger 15y ago

@danmaz74 there were very little innovation that came out of Japan in the last 20 years. They were overtaken by their Korean counterparts (LG/Samsung > Sony/Panasonic/Toshiba/etc.) and American (HP/Dell/Apple/etc.). Ok you have Toyota/Nissan/Honda,etc. but their success was not due to innovation but was mostly due to GM/Ford/Chrysler's inability to make good cars.

danmaz74 15y ago
@chugger: Just to clarify, I'm not talking about the last 20 years. I'm talking about the transition from me-too/copycat productions based on low prices of the 50s and 60s to the innovative, high-tech, high-quality branded production of the late 70s and 80s (Sony Walkman, VHS and Betamax, Space Invaders and Mario Bros...). My point is that China could do that same transition, even if now Chinese brands are mostly me-too.
Aga 15y ago
That is a horribly limited view of innovation. Innovation is not limited to only consumer end-products but happens through the whole design-manufacture-logistics-market chain. This is where e.g. Toyota has famously excelled. There is more to this world than mobile phones and computers. A lot of innovation happens in b2b end products also, with less fuzz.