>>3. When everyone else is doing it, DON'T !
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>Unfortunately, this isn't always best for either the producer or consumer.
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True and I agree with you. But, I think this law refers to the 'herd approach' to society. For example, why would you list your company in the Yellow Pages of hte phone book and then refer your customers to that ad (in literature or business cards, TV advertisements, etc.)? In doing that you've just given your customers the phone numbers and ads of your competitors. "Don't follow the herd" Lots of management classes use this as an example. You could always say that you don't mind the competition and your products/services are better. But that's not the point. We've ALL seen that the 'best' product doesn't always win. Why tempt fate? :)



>>4. Too much Quality can ruin you
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>This is absolute nonsense! I'm going to seriously consider selling the stock I own in the company. How can you have "Too much Quality"? I doubt if the man even knows the definition of "quality". Quality is simply conformance to requirements. Period. End of story. You cause quality to happen by doing things right the first time. Producing quality products and services is actually cheaper than doing otherwise. The company I work for produces carpet. We are the largest manufacturer in the world. We consistently are the low price leader, while at the same time the leader in quality. If Damier-Benz/Chrysler held as much of the market as we do, they'd easily have to sell 10 times the number of cars that they do. This is utter rubish.
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As far as the automotive industry (and I'm sure MANY others), quality is a fine line that they have to walk. If 'quality' is simply your statement "Quality is simply conformance o requirements." then I completely agree. There can't be too much quality!

The fact is that the REQUIREMENTS (read: specifications) on the parts in the automotive industry have preset lives that have nothing to do with what *could* be achieved. IOW: That brake-pad *could* last 10 times (just a guess here) longer than it does. It's simply that that brake-pad has been MADE (and designed) to last only 50,000 miles (again, a guess here). To me, that's bad quality. I want it the best it *could* be (at a given price) and not what they have preset the life of it to be.

So, quality *can* be bad (in my sense of the term) because you could build that brake-pad to last 1 million miles (guessing!) and sell four brake-pads to every car on earth JUST ONCE because it was SOOOO good. OR you could sell that brake-pad (with the preset life of 50,000 miles) to only 1/4 of cars on earth 20 TIMES. So, in this case, quality (my meaning) does hurt.


- A Hilton