Have you ever wondered why it takes so long for new products to be available for purchase? Maybe you hear about some fancy new gadget that you’d be interested in buying, and then see that the release date is two years in the future. It makes sense that it would take time because there would have to be legal issues to take care of. There must also be extensive testing of the product to make sure it meets certain quality standards. Companies need to make sure their products are safe enough so that they can avoid lawsuits and damage to their reputation. But these aren’t the only reasons.
I believe that there is something that companies won’t admit to because it would make them look bad, even though it’s probably something every company partakes in when trying to sell a product. I call it the equilibrium theory, not because it’s a real theory or because it has anything to do with the equilibrium of anything, but because it sounds smart.
Companies try to cut corners wherever they can in the production of their goods. The less it costs to make something, the more they profit in return. I’m one of the idiots who pay $130 for a pair of Jordan’s that probably cost Nike under $30 to make. Words such as “advanced” and “premium” are used to fool us into thinking we’re buying something that is of the highest quality.
The equilibrium theory states that one of the reasons it takes companies a long time to develop products is because they have to strike a balance between making a product good enough to sell in a competitive market but shitty enough so that it’s cheap to make and doesn’t last forever. It wouldn’t make good business sense for a company to make a product that lasts forever. Imagine buying a pen that lasts forever; you would never need to buy another one.
Plastics are used so heavily today. It makes fiscal sense to use plastic because it’s so cheap, never mind the negative health and environmental effects plastics pose on our world. The plastic on my laptop is a metallic silver color, making it look sturdy, but if I dropped it like it was hot, it would break like the Jabbawokeez.
Everyone is motivated by the chance to come out on top in every exchange. We are selfish by nature. Businesses take this trait and run with it. Our health insurance industry is a for-profit entity that ruins lives everyday. Oil is still our primary energy source even though we have had the technological capacity for alternative sources since before we were even born. The people in power in this country have longstanding ties with oil corporations. It’s more profitable for them if we continue to rely on oil.
Businesses lack integrity because it isn’t in their makeup. The purpose for the existence of a business is to profit. It has little room for compassion, honor or integrity, no matter how much it pretends to in order to maintain a modicum of legitimacy in society. Maybe this is why there seems to be a depreciation of values in our society. It’s a dog-eat-dog world where business is cutthroat and you can’t get ahead without being selfish. Go find a crotch to sniff.