Friday, March 16, 2007

To win, everyone else must lose

What is it about Chinese business mentality, where everyone else must fail so that one is able to succeed? Winner by default... that's the way Sam described it. He gave an example where he went to several Parisian souvenir shops selling mini Eiffel Towers for 20 Euros. And he was startled to see one store selling the same souvenir for just 5 Euros. Run by none other than a Chinese.

How did this practice come about? Can we trace it to some apocryphal tale where ancient Chinese got ahead by lowballing the competition to their bankruptcy?

Talking about competition. Recently, the cars known to frequent the workshop were called up for an LTA inspection as they were reported in by an anonymous source. It's pretty apparent that it is motivated by competing business interests because the dates on the letters were identical, and the only time they are ever seen together is at the workshop. Of course there was nothing wrong with the cars. And LTA allowed itself to simply be an instrument of such shallow schemers. As BK puts it, the basis of an open society is to afford the accused the opportunity to face the plaintiff in court. At least reveal the identity of the person who submitted the report. I wonder if LTA has any mechanism to review this process in a more objective manner.

As if that weren't enough, customers themselves contribute in inciting discord among workshops. Casting aspersions of incompetence or even blatantly lying about events. Spreading rumors. Backstabbing. Badmouthing one another.

With such a state of affairs, is it any wonder that our local motorsport scene is unable to raise itself to a higher standard?

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