New York auto-show 2010 and US global competitiveness: the lesson to learn

There are three universal principles of global competitiveness:

 1. Whatever they do, we do it cheap

 2. Whatever they do, we do it better

 3. We do something that they cannot do

Recent New York international auto-show gave an excellent proof of this cornerstone principles

Whatever they do, we do it cheap: it is hardly achievable goal, mostly due to tremendous cost of living in the US (which includes such “heavy weights” as housing costs and medical expenses) vs. major developing countries. These compounded costs are negatively affecting all our product and services, rather limiting our competitive advantages on the global low-end and middle-class markets. It was just amazing to see the tremendous progress made by South Korean automotive companies, especially in the light of the fact that their auto industry is very young (30-40 years) comparing with our brand names, like Ford (tracing its roots back to 1903; in other words, its history spans for more than 100 years), Chrysler (1925) or General Motors (1908).

Whatever they do, we do it better: this goal is achievable, but in order to succeed in this strategic approach we should overcome certain existing physiological stereotypes. There is a strong consumers’ perception of engineering brilliance and production quality associated mostly with European brands: notably, German automakers like Daimler-Benz, BMW, Audi, VW; also, Rolls-Royce/Bentley and Aston-Martin luxury brands from England; Ferrari, Lamborghini and Mazerrati sports car from Italy and Japanese auto-manufactures (though the latest Toyota recalls due to sporadic acceleration of some model resulted in lesser consumer confidence).

We can do something that they cannot do: this must be considered the most promising, winning strategy for the US global competition. In order to succeed we should maintain and extend the talent pool in the utmost important math, engineering, technology and science area.

Knowledge is power”: strategic value of math/science education

One of the primary goals of current education reform is to preserve the US technological and economic leadership. It should be clearly stated and recognized by proper authorities and education policy makers on federal and state levels that math/science education (frequently referred as METS: math, engineering, technology and science) is serving the strategic national interests. Global market is becoming increasingly talent-driven one. The ability to compete globally is not just a simple function of high-school drop-outs; it also rooted in our ability of early identification, recognition and promotion of highly gifted and talented math/sciences students, who must be viewed as the national treasure of much higher importance than all material resources of the country. In simple words, the future of US global competition is heavily correlated with the percentage of our domestic math/science geniuses in the global allocation matrix. In recognition of this fact, it is strategically important to implement the effective mechanism of finding and supporting the highly-talented METS students and providing them with high-quality educational resources and the necessary material and organizational support.

Copyright © 2010 Alexander Bell

References to video resources online

1. New York international auto show, April 2010: US cars
   
2. New York international auto show, April 2010: European cars
3. New York international auto show, April 2010: Cars from Asia