The relativity of values causes us to use money irrationally. I go to the supermarket to buy a $15 pen, and the clerk smiles and says, “You can buy this pen for $7 if you walk 5 minutes from here.” Then, most people walk five minutes and buy a $15 pen for $7. But if you want to buy a $1,000 jacket and the clerk smiles and says, “You can get a $992 jacket in five minutes from here,” most people simply buy the $1,000 jacket. Reasonably, walking for 5 minutes equals the effort, and the profit of $8 is the same. However, people might go to a store that sells pens cheaper, but not for the jacket, because the discount rate is too low. In other words, the relativity of comparing values makes us act irrationally. The pen’s discount rate is 55%, and the jacket’s is only 0.8%. Yet, the total amount is the same for all $8, and the effort to gain that profit is identical. Attitudes and misconceptions about consumption influence how we build wealth. - Joseph’s “just my thoughts”
Questions. Who is the biggest threat to GM? 1. Hyundai Motor 2. Tesla 3. Google 4. Consumer Well, how about this? 1. Which gasoline car should I buy? (Competitor: Hyundai Motor) 2. Should I buy an electric car or a gasoline car? (Competitor: Tesla) 3. Should I buy an autonomous car? (Competitor: Google Waymo) 4. Should I buy a car? (Destroyer: Consumer) In this context, the biggest threat to GM is a shared car service company like Uber. Innovative technologies trigger market change, but business models are ultimately the most creative and disruptive. Innovative technology comes next. The biggest causes of business problems are business models first, and the second is business models too. In other words, the key to success is the same. The original business model has to change and evolve. - Joseph's "just my thoughts"