Two examples demonstrate. The phrase which is the touchstone for organizational success is in search of excellence . Second, the new democracies of the former Soviet empire are requesting not just capital from the West, but also managerial 'know how' to establish profit-making enterprise and a market economy. The former Soviet Union might have been a world leader in the physical sciences, but its organizational technology was simply inadequate to survive the, post-modern era. Just as the physical and social sciences are the source of distinct technologies, art is the source of aesthetic technology.
Aesthetic technology is different from technical or functional design.
It contributes elegance. If a consumer, in any given culture, does not like the way a product looks, she or he may not even try it. The fact is that the best looking things that work tend to come from abroad, particularly from Europe. Given capital plant and equipment in North America is as good as that in Europe, the answer is not superior European production technology. In fact, it results from a feedback between skilled consumers and producers resulting in superior design.