Received: by alpheratz.cpm.aca.mmu.ac.uk id PAA16759 (8.6.9/5.3[ref pg@gmsl.co.uk] for cpm.aca.mmu.ac.uk from fmb-majordomo@mmu.ac.uk); Tue, 5 Feb 2002 15:24:07 GMT X-Originating-IP: [137.110.248.206] From: "Grant Callaghan" <grantc4@hotmail.com> To: memetics@mmu.ac.uk Subject: Re: ply to Grant Date: Tue, 05 Feb 2002 07:18:26 -0800 Content-Type: text/plain; format=flowed Message-ID: <LAW2-F70AgjHXwKHvyo000002c8@hotmail.com> X-OriginalArrivalTime: 05 Feb 2002 15:18:27.0032 (UTC) FILETIME=[5C338580:01C1AE58] Sender: fmb-majordomo@mmu.ac.uk Precedence: bulk Reply-To: memetics@mmu.ac.uk
> >If we "built our culture around us" as you suggest, then it is engineered
> >rather than evolved. As Aaron wrote recently the mastery of memetic
> >manipulation could be "worth billions", or it may just preserve something
> >for our children's children.
> >This is an important field of research whatever your "take on it" is.
> >Jeremy
> >
It IS worth billions. Just look at the culture that Bill Gates built and
the billions he collected for his efforts. The same goes for Hewlett
Packard, Apple and Intel. They didn't just invent new products. They also
invented new ways of organizing labor and management so that labor was able
to share the riches and become totally involved in the work they were doing.
Tom Peters propagated these ideas in his books on how these ideas changed
big business.
In another example, look at an American engineer named Deming who was called
to Japan by Douglas McArthur to teach his methods to Japanese manufacturing
organizations. He revolutionized manufacturing in Japan and introduced such
concepts as Total Quality Control and letting the workers decide what
changes need to be mande to improve the manufacturing process in the areas
where they worked. Every year the Japanese award medals to the companies
that have made the most progress in implementing Deming's ideas. It's
called the Deming prize.
In essence, though, the methods and ideas the Japanese adopted turned Japan
into the manufacturing and financial powerhouse we know today. The
strangest part is that it took American automobile manufacturers another 20
years to adopt these methods invented by an American engineer. Until China
woke up, Japan had the largest amount of foreign reserves outside the U.S.
and Taiwan, which adopted the Japanese and American philosophies wholesale
was financially larger than China.
So, yes, the engineering of cultural change IS worth billions to both the
individuals who do the engineering and to the populations that adopt his
ideas.
Grant
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