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Just not cutting it


You hear this expression a lot in corporations.  He or she is just not cutting it.  It is a typical symptom of the corporation working with someone who has lost their edge.

An edge that would have given said business an edge when it comes to their competition.

Well in this case I refer to the dilemma faced by the world's largest manufacturer of shaving blades.  The name that has become synonymous with the function it provides Gillette is running out of ideas to sell more blades.  Hairy problem that.

You see the business that was founded at the turn of the 20th century (pretty much when Daimler was inventing the Benz) by a fella called Gillette, has now found itself scraping the top of the their collective heads.  This because much like Daimler the Gillette company, part of the much larger entity named for Messrs. Proctor and Gamble itself has reached revenues similar to what Daimler has selling cars.

The problem stems not because there are less hirsute men being created but rather a demographic trend, a zeitgeist where facial hair is cool again.  Who would have thunk?

From a practical standpoint today's office going dude does not need more distractions in their already cluttered life to groom additional strands than necessary to keep an appearance lest it adds to the notion that they are losing their edge.  Their lack of work ethic is enough to accomplish that without the ignominy of having a bad shave confirm their apathy.

But apparently today's youth has begun to have a born again infatuation to maintain a hairy front.  Having dogs and toys at work also seems to go with the bohemian look at work where your primary skills is knowing JSON or Python and not the topography of your face.

So while Gillette made the expression 'the best a man can get' popular in its heyday, the wall street brokers seem to disagree who are now shopping for something else to keep their edge.
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