Radiodog (![[info]](http://l-stat.livejournal.com/img/userinfo.gif){kind=small} radiodog) wrote,@ 2008-08-14 20:44:00 |
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Ha Ha Ha America
Short film from China poking (sharply) the boneheaded moves of American business.
A story from my family:
(Background: My grandfather moved from England to Shanghai in the 1930s. He worked as a Unilever executive for many years before moving to Hong Kong after the War.)
Soap flakes. A "simple" product sold widely by Unilever to the Chinese. They sold very well due to their easy of use compared to traditional soaps which came in a much more cumbersome format. Like any businessmen, the Chinese manufacturers tried to copy this idea, but failed due to a simple matter of geometry: If the soap flakes did not have the right thickness throughout, they'd go rancid within a very short shelf life.
While many attempts were made at learning the soap flake secret, they failed to produce workable flakes. It wasn't until a factory tour, that a Chinese business man asked the executive giving the tour (not my grandfather!) a series of questions. With an inflated ego and a sense of cultural superiority, he proceeded to reveal key aspects of the manufacturing procedure.
Suddenly, the Chinese manufacturers started producing non-rancid soap flakes, forcing Unilever into completion with multiple local brands. The twit in question had, like many others of the time, held that their position was unassailable. He'd not considered the line of questioning or even the risk of taking possible competitors through the factory, because he simply could not belive the Chinese would be able to work out the formula with being handed the completed work.
I don't know what happened to the arrogant executive, but I do know that Unilever lost a decent chunk of their market, competitors got rich and the Chinese consumers suddenly had very cheap soap flakes.
Short film from China poking (sharply) the boneheaded moves of American business.
A story from my family:
(Background: My grandfather moved from England to Shanghai in the 1930s. He worked as a Unilever executive for many years before moving to Hong Kong after the War.)
Soap flakes. A "simple" product sold widely by Unilever to the Chinese. They sold very well due to their easy of use compared to traditional soaps which came in a much more cumbersome format. Like any businessmen, the Chinese manufacturers tried to copy this idea, but failed due to a simple matter of geometry: If the soap flakes did not have the right thickness throughout, they'd go rancid within a very short shelf life.
While many attempts were made at learning the soap flake secret, they failed to produce workable flakes. It wasn't until a factory tour, that a Chinese business man asked the executive giving the tour (not my grandfather!) a series of questions. With an inflated ego and a sense of cultural superiority, he proceeded to reveal key aspects of the manufacturing procedure.
Suddenly, the Chinese manufacturers started producing non-rancid soap flakes, forcing Unilever into completion with multiple local brands. The twit in question had, like many others of the time, held that their position was unassailable. He'd not considered the line of questioning or even the risk of taking possible competitors through the factory, because he simply could not belive the Chinese would be able to work out the formula with being handed the completed work.
I don't know what happened to the arrogant executive, but I do know that Unilever lost a decent chunk of their market, competitors got rich and the Chinese consumers suddenly had very cheap soap flakes.
