I'm a business owner. Whatu you cunts on about?
I'm a business owner. Whatu you cunts on about?
Sadly the sanctity of the working week has been well screwed by the "market economy" with many people forced to work at the weekend with little compensation and have their days off during the week.
I don't think NZ worker productivity is a disgrace. We don't enjoy a very high ranking on the "league table" (28th GDP per hour worked) but that is to some extent due to the "low value" exports e.g a logging crew would have to work VERY hard for a LONG time to fill a ship with raw logs. (which may be why so many of them die on the job). A modern plywood mill could turn those into a ship load of ply that would earn MUCH more. It would be nice if Ohlins opened a factory here - (a nice clean safe one)
There is plenty of anecdotal evidence to suggest that Kiwi's in foreign countries enjoy a good reputation as "good workers"![]()
"You never understood that it ain't no good, you shouldn't let other people get your kicks for you" - Bob Dylan
At the risk of turning a sporting forum into one with a political agenda, Wharfy is well right. In general terms the perceived productivity per capita of NZ is of course in part due to the labour units (umm, that would be the workers) themselves, but in much larger part it is due to the low value labour those workers are expected to perform and the absolute disgrace that is the investment in plant and capability by large sectors of the business community.
By and large in NZ, businesses believe (and I am sorry to say, even Robert has fallen foul of this) that the only route to increased productivity is through more hours worked per labour unit, rather than more widgets or product produced per labour unit via investment in new, better, faster, more efficient equipment, or indeed hiring more labour units, or more importantly, the development of higher value widgets or products or services through research and development within their own businesses or sectors.
NZ business has a terrible reputation for believing that R&D is something that is done by universities and paid for by the government that can then be had for free by "those lucky buggers in those flash companies over there, somewhere". This narrow viewpoint can be patently (excuse the pun) dismissed by taking even the most cursory look at many of NZs most successful tech-based busineses such as F&P, F&P Healthcare, Gallagher, Tait, Fonterra, BSL and many many others who invest significant amounts in developing more $ per hour worked, rather than more hours worked per $. They former is a route to the top table, the latter is a route to the 3rd world.
Ahh, sometimes I dispair at the attitudes towards those that actually earn the $ by those who suggest they control the $.
"Life is what happens to you while you're busy making other plans." John Ono Lennon.
"If you have never stared off into the distance then your life is a shame." Counting Crows
"The girls were in tight dresses, just like sweets in cellophane" Joe Jackson
Everything is political - especially motorcycling!! Of course I turn every discussion into a political one...
Like the hippies say "If you're not part of the solution, you're part of the problem..."
The problem is the current economic model is based on unlimited growth. Most of the major players appear to have failed to grasp that we live in a closed system that has developed some amazing features that support life "as we know it, Jim" and we are trying our hardest to destroy that balance.
No "simple" answer but we could start with:
Making women equal in all aspects of life. - give them control of their bodies (reproduction completely their choice - would go a long way to solving dire population predictions - we are already past the sustainable point) and enable them to fully participate in work,play and politics - we are restricting half the worlds population from helping solve the problems we have !! (and of course the colour of their skin should be irrelevant).
Adopt "cradle to cradle" technology - everything manufactured has to go back to the manufacturer at the end of its life to be "reborn" instead of shipping it to 3rd world countries to poison the workers who extract the good bits and poison the country with the shit left over.
Develop a more "collegial" society where people care about their fellows and not just aspire to become one of the 1% who have all the goodies (I remember when 1%' ers were bad ass bikers)
As the big sign on the garden nursery entering Taihape says "There is no planet B"
I'm not a hippy but I'm trying to help a bit with items one and three and will support item two where available (oh and listen to Bob Dylan and smoke a bit on occasion...)
" Three days man..."
"You never understood that it ain't no good, you shouldn't let other people get your kicks for you" - Bob Dylan
I do largely agree with your sentiments about the market economy, where we have to try and compete with third world labour rates etc. We are all in part guilty though because we like paying the minimum possible for goods
As a small employer I am always the first at work and always the last away. 7 days per week for the last few weeks and plenty more to come. This is a not untypical situation and if I treated my workers like myself Id smartly be marched off to an employment tribunal . Its certainly not all ''beer and skittles'' and Im not becoming wealthy because theres always some American prick offshore to ''compete'' with who is willing to dump product at as little as 2-3% margin. ( Yes you read that right )
Adding value to our exports and levelling the playing field by taxing EVERYTHING that comes across the border I can agree with. Personally I am instinctively a tory but I believe in a sense of fairness. Businesses provide employment and the economy must place business endeavour ahead of sporting endeavour, the point I was eluding to
And yes I agree about how Kiwi workers are seen in other countries. Experience of that myself, turned up in a recessioned UK in 1981 with 3.5 million unemployed and got the job I wanted straight away because I was prepared to work hard. The lazy arse poms I was working with had a habit of not turning up and when they were present their speed of work was as slow as a wet week. The reality is though here in the homeland we do have plenty of ''drones'' as well.
As long as women get there on merit ( same for ethnicity ) and not by imposed quota such as espoused by those Labour party morons. And The National party are not free of criticism given how theyve assisted a minority ethnic grouping in wielding a disproportionate amount of power, on the pretext of some dodgy never ending treaty settlements. Now youve made me both angry and sentimental. Angry about that butch bitch named Helen and sentimental about Maggie!!!
Maggie would have sorted out appropriate road race dates and also told people to get back to work.
That sort of comment is woefull and is exactly why misogynisyts need to be educated. I presume you are reffering to:
Helen Elizabeth Clark, ONZ SSI (born 26 February 1950) is a New Zealand politician, who was the 37th Prime Minister of New Zealand serving three consecutive terms from 1999 to 2008. She was the first woman elected, at a general election, as the Prime Minister, and was the fifth longest serving person to hold that office.[4] She has been Administrator of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), the third-highest UN position, since 2009
Helen Clark is a savy politician, VERY intelligent. Resorting to calling her names is, well... childish and is the very reason that "quotas" are required. Half the population (about 50%) are women, yet they are under represented in all of the top positions in all spheres of influence so unless you truely beleive that somehow men are naturally superior to women there is obviously something wrong with the system (women make up about 30% in NZ Parliment). Go to an IT "what am I worth" web salary guide and the first question asked - what is your gender ? Not much heavy lifting required in that job...
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"You never understood that it ain't no good, you shouldn't let other people get your kicks for you" - Bob Dylan
Intelligent yes, butch yes, bitch yes. Undeniable.Misguided pacifist yes, look what she callously did to our Air Force. Given that we are a democracy I wholeheartedly ( and if you like childishly ) reserve the right to make less than endearing comments about ( in my opinion ) the worst woman priminister we have had and one of the worst irrespective of gender. The Laborious party has also dished up its share of very decent people E.g Geoffrey Palmer, Mike Moore etc
She is obviously comfortable with her commo mates in the UN and is in a position to further spread her poison.
As far as gender percentage that will and steadily has been ''correcting'' itself over time and shouldnt be artificially manipulated by meddling left wing politicians.
Maggie was for a long time the only woman in her cabinet, I dont think that fact bothered her in the slightest. She got on with the job.
Just as Billy has , not to everyones satisfaction. Nothing personal despite his decisions or your opinions Wharfy, some of which I concur with
That's this thread fucked.
"You never understood that it ain't no good, you shouldn't let other people get your kicks for you" - Bob Dylan
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