No. of Recommendations: 0
Here's an example of "management" at British Leyland. In 68, Austin introduced a specific trim of the ADO16, known as the "America". Road & Track tested one, and noted that every nut and bolt on the car was loose. As their mechanics went from one end of the car to the other, tightening all the fasteners, they kept thinking how they never had to do that on a VW.
I tucked that tidbit in the back of my mind.
Years later, I found a video on YouTube, about product quality, produced by British Leyland, in the 70s. The film admitted that the machine tools were worn out. The film admitted their factories were obsolete. But the film still put the burden for producing a quality product on the line worker.Plenty of blame to go around, but the point is, nationalizing the company did nothing to make it more efficient or its products better. It was a disaster. It would be again.
program.dsausa.org: DSA Program - Workers Deserve More!Establish public ownership of the largest corporations and essential industries to ensure democratic control and accountability to the people. Anecdote: I bought a 1979 Morris Marina in 1985 for 200 pounds. It was only 6 years old, rusted through, a shit-box. Managed to get it through the annual MOT safety test, somehow (my dad knew a guy).
The Morris Marina was a mixed success. As a simple, cheap family and fleet car launched in 1971 by British Leyland, it sold over 1.2 million units. However, rushed development, poor build quality, fast rusting, and vague handling earned it a reputation as a cultural punchline.About that handling...I killed mine.
