I don't think it is an issue, plus I'm not sure if it's accurate. Setting aside the automobile industry there are still some extremely successful manufacturing companies in the US.
Eliyahu M. Goldratt wrote an interesting book on the subject in the 1980s.
I think I missed the part where he had the leverage to make that kind of demand. Perhaps even the brand-name consulting firms have figured out that ridiculous severance packages don't make a whole lot of sense.
What I'm talking about isn't that ridiculous. Paying 6 months' salary is a small cost compared to the cost of a termination lawsuit or a negative article being written about the firm.
I'm guessing they gave him 2 months pay and nothing for the move back, from Dubai (which is a dangerous place to lose your job, by the way). They also seem to have given him nothing in terms of exit counseling.
To answer the question you raised: his article and the fact that it got published is the leverage he had. I bet it's circulating around BCG right now. It has the potential to be a morale and image problem, and not the Goldman Sachs style of image problem (where people hate GS but consider them good at what they do).
There are rational reasons for firms to pay decent severance packages. It's not just something they do to be nice.
To summarize in English: Stewart started an unnamed firm, and tried to exit mid-bubble four years later; his partners didn't want to buy his equity, so he sued them. By the time he got his shares bought three years later the firm had imploded.
Although I agree with most of the premises of the article, I was dumbfounded by the assertion that marketing is a creative role that doesn't require mathematical skills. Marketing is quite analytical in nature, and is not about dreaming up ad campaigns (that is advertising). So Google's sins in this case were: 1) an inexperienced interviewer; 2) a rude interviewer. Despite these flaws, Google accomplished its goal, which was to rule out a candidate with poor analytical skills.
In business school we were taught to incorporate uncertainty into projections and models, at the very least by including multiple scenarios. I'm surprised this isn't done in the real world as it doesn't require that much additional effort once you've set up a baseline and identified your assumptions.
I think the comparison with housing is interesting, especially given the social status implications. RE: tuition vs. CPI, I think it has been pretty well documented that tuition increases have far exceeded CPI, at least over the last 20-30 years.
It would be interesting to also examine what educational institutions will have to do should they come under pricing pressure. If tuition has to go down, how can they increase revenues from other streams or cut costs?
And as Howard Lindzon alludes to in the comments, is there a social cost? Is there an important element of kids achieving quasi-independence in the shelter of a university setting apart from the educational material itself, and if so how can this be replaced?
Maybe signing up for a few years of service work helps replace this. A number of my peers made the decision to pursue a year or two of service after graduating from undergrad, where a wide range of jobs are available (working at an orphanage, teaching at an inner city school, etc). Not only does this give you some social awakening (albeit, not quite the same as party school xyz), but now you're benefiting society a bit more too.
I hope your peers aren't unaware of the class privileges they are enjoying. Getting an undergrad and then going into a low-paying service job is tough if you're poor.
1. Google "POSE Running". The site has lots of information and drills for changing your form to accommodate a mid-foot strike.
2. Consider transitioning by using racing flats instead of immediately going to barefoot/Vibrams. Or get both and run in the flats but do all your walking around in the Vibrams. This will allow you to gradually strengthen your feet, ankles, and calves.
3. Start on grass with short distances, focusing on form.
I'd also reccomend wearing flops as much as possible for your walking around shoes. Midfoot strike is not just a running thing, it's also a walking thing. Flops help this. Barefoot is better, but glass is a bitch.
I can't agree with that... Yes, it hurts, but if you start off with shorter than usual sessions you will keep up eventually. Talk to whoever is running the classes and don't be afraid to leaave half-way through a class!
