In the early phases of American business, workers had control over their entire work process and were inclined to improve it since rewards were immediate. As sole proprietors or small partnerships, business owners had direct contact with customers and depended on customer satisfaction to succeed. There was accountability, as owners could not blame others for issues and had to address customer complaints directly. This translated to a need to keep local customers satisfied, as mass media and wide distribution did not yet exist.

1. ChapterOne extractoriginal)
In orderto understandmuchof what we are
seeinginbusinesstoday,itisimportanttoknow
where we have come from.
In itsearlyphases,Americanbusinessoperated
froma paradigmtotallydifferentthanthatof
today. Before the Industrial Revolution,workers
controlledtheirentireworkprocessandwere
thusnaturallyinclinedtoimprove itbecause
the rewardswere immediate. The cobbler
made the whole shoe,sohe wasprone to
constructinga betterqualityshoe forwhichhe
couldgeta higherprice.
He couldmake hisproductmore efficiently,
enablinghimtosell more of it,andhe could
provide goodcustomerservice,thus
encouragingrepeatbusiness.Insuch
circumstances,there wasa directcause and
effect.A pride inworkmanshipexistedintime
past,but thispride hasbeenlostinmany
segmentsof ourcontemporaryworkforce.
Most people whowere inbusinesswayback
thenoperatedas sole proprietors or,from
time to time,insimple partnerships.
Thishistorical closenesstothe customer
demandedacertainlevel of quality,service
and value because the customerhaddirect
contact withthe supplierandroutinely
expressedsatisfactionand/or
dissatisfactiondirectlytothe personperforming
the work. There was no place to hide!
Blame wasnot an optionforthe producers.If
theywantedsomeone toblame,theymightjust
as well have lookedinthe mirror.Also,inthe
past,there existedvirtuallynomassprint
media,noelectronicbroadcastmedia,and
practicallynomulticity,county,state,or
national distributioncapability.
All of thistranslatedintoa needtokeep
customerssatisfiedatthe local level.
ChapterOne extract(improved)
To understandmuchof what we see inbusiness
todaywe needto know where we’ve come
from.
In itsearlyphases,Americanbusinessoperated
froma paradigmtotallydifferentthantoday.
Before the Industrial Revolution,withworkers
controllingtheirentire workprocess,they
naturallyinclinedtowardimprovingdue tothe
immediate rewards.The cobbler,makingthe
whole shoe himself,couldtherefore geta
higherprice byconstructingthemof better
quality.
He couldbe more efficient,enablinghimtosell
more,and withgoodcustomerservice
encourage repeatbusiness.Such
circumstancesevidenceddirectcause and
effect.However,the pride inworkmanshipin
timespasthas noticeablydisappearedfrom
today’sworkforce.
Most people inbusinessbackthenwere sole
proprietorsor,fromtime to time,insimple
partnerships.
Thishistorical closenessresultedinacertain
level of quality,service andvalue because the
customercoulddirectlyandroutinelyexpress
satisfactionand/ordissatisfactiontothe
supplier. Therewasno placeto hide!
Blame wasnot an optionforthe producers.For
someone toblame,theymightjust
as well have lookedinthe mirror.Also,
withvirtuallynomassmedia – print,
electronic,orbroadcast – andpracticallyno
multicity,county,state,ornational distribution,
the needwassolelytosatisfylocal customers.