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Post by Daidoji Satoru on Jan 16, 2018 23:59:35 GMT -5
"It's a form of manipulation," the Daidoji concludes from the diatribe. He didn't expect this sort of thing coming from Mako of all people, but it goes to show you she's actually serious about all this. "Marketing is, has been, and always will go hand in hand with manipulation. Yes, people are always going to need food, clothes, and the like. They are constants. But whether it is a necessity or a commodity, suppliers will have competition and they need to come out on top somehow." He gestured to her box of chocolate coins. "If you tried to sell me that box when I have no interest in it whatsoever, but you really needed to be rid of it because it cost resources to put together and you cannot afford to come up short, how would you go about it? Everyone else here has a box. Tarik has two. What makes yours so special?" He wasn't trying to be hostile, but he sounded like he was getting tired of this discussion. He's trying to dismantle the evils of the merchant's game and they're all natural born merchants. Otomo Mako |
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Post by Shibatsu Eito on Jan 17, 2018 0:08:48 GMT -5
Eito's eyes sparkle at Mako's answers. "Hah! Very clever indeed. I think you have a very good sense of the way of the game. Your insight into this is quite spectacular." he then looks to the Akodo. "Well I could have kept the ruse but, it would have been mean. However do also remember that when I killed the value of my supply, I killed the value of yours too. Tarik-san was willing to trade actual currency for these coins worth a tiny fraction of the cost. Now your own supply is worth only as much as your enjoyment of fine chocolate allows it to. Do you think Akodo-san, that it is possible to be a successful but honest merchant?" he then nods. "Ah, that is also a good point Daidoji-san. It can indeed be a manipulation, so how would somebody go about creating a demand for an item that our freind here willingly gave up and has no interest in?"
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Post by Otomo Mako on Jan 17, 2018 0:25:40 GMT -5
"Why bother trying to sell something to the one person who is opposed?" She raised her eyebrow at the Sensei, part of her wanting to retort straight to Sato but instead choosing to respect the Sensei after his praise to her, "There were how many if us who did show interest? It's better to sell to two people who show interest than it is to try and force one to be interested. Even if it also wasn't a horrible thing to do, to try and force someone to buy something." Okay so maybe not fully respecting the Sensei and his lessons.
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Post by Tarik al-Menjari on Jan 17, 2018 0:49:56 GMT -5
He wasn't planning on speaking further, it seemed rather unproductive. He gave his box to Hoshiko, since yeah, he knew she loved candy and pushed the other towards Mako. Then he laid back and closed his eyed, trying to not think of the impolite Lion.
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Post by Doji Hoshiko on Jan 17, 2018 2:22:59 GMT -5
Hoshiko frowned, taking notes. This ws going to be a tricky class! Then she suddenly got a second box of chocolate, and she looked at Tarik as if to ask why
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Post by Asahina Momiko on Jan 17, 2018 3:25:32 GMT -5
Momiko looked at the odd looking student; Maybe giving them away was a good idea. But maybe this was all a test?
She glanced at the sensei before looking back down at the chocolates.
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Post by Otomo Mochihiko on Jan 17, 2018 4:09:01 GMT -5
Damn it! He has failed. Tragically! He must be Eito's favorite student. At all cost! Tarik and Mako seem his more important 'enemies' right now. They have to go down!
"There are flaws." He begins smoothly and smirks. "In all our answers and in this scenario." Let's go with a challenge. Shourido lovers like a good challenge, no? "We are all, including our sensei, refusing to see the truth. Economics go hand by hand with a lot of different sciences. Advertisement was already mentioned in a way. We have to create needs, sure. But what about logistics?" He looks towards Tarik for a moment. "The cost of shipment and storage can raise the prices quite a lot. Will the merchant absorb this cost and earn less koku? The customers are used to a certain price. How many of those customers will turn to other candies no matter how much they like chocolate, just because the prices have risen. And," his eyes go to Mako, "even if you think that you can trust a merchant, don't. Just don't. All of them out there? A grave mistake." The Otomo chuckles. "The moment that a deal for co-operation would be signed, half of them would be already texting for an urgent board meeting and they would just do anything in their capacity to profit by screwing everyone else that signed along them." A bright smile appears on his face. "My point is that it was a good introductory scenario, but it missed quite a few things that define the market, which made it... less useful in the end." A shrug. "Unless we are being prepared to run our neighbourhood's grocery shop and not real companies."
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Post by Akodo Uuen-Xiang on Jan 17, 2018 8:42:52 GMT -5
Uuen-Xiang shrugs. She has heard her phone go off in her bag somewhere, but be damned if she is going to spend time on that during class. Whoever it is will have to wait. As will the gaijin, since he is apparently not smooth enough to work retorts into the topic of the class. So uncivilized, really.
"True, I could have taken advantage of his doing so, but that comes with hindsight, and hindsight is essentially useless in commerce, is it not?" She crosses her arms. "In the situation, it seemed as if he was trying to control the market, which, though maybe accepting his offer would have been a short term win... Who knows how the prices would've been from another monopoly?"
"My point is, sensei is correct, but would require me to be a seer to take advantage of. By that logic, only shugenja can be proper merchants."
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Post by Shibatsu Eito on Jan 17, 2018 11:47:56 GMT -5
Eito nods at Mako again. "It isn't a wise strategy, but sometimes a needed one. In this case there is no scarcity but it is good to consider how to create demand for when it occurs. What if, for example, our Daidoji freind had an ancestral piece of land we wanted? Or a rare material we need? Or control of port we need. If all we have is chocolate Koku how would we make a deal he was happy with?"
Then to Mochiko, there he was, he was worried about him. "True, this is not a perfect simulation. There is an entire class worth of other factors to consider. I simply wanted to simulate one tiny micocausom. Still there is trust among even the least honorable of merchants Otomo-san. Enlightened Self-interest is a powerful force and Mako-san could have used it. Also remember you deal with Samurai, most of whom have honor despite being merchants. Still good eye on the other issues."
He turns to the Akodo thoughtfully. "Hindsight is useless. Forsight is not. Does the General know the moves of his opponent on the battlefield? Does the Courtier know what the other courtiers have been asked to gain in court? Of course not. There is an art to guessing but as I believe Akodo said, A general must know the measure of the field on which he stands. Please do correct and forgive me if I misquoted, it has been some time since I read Leadership. It is the same for us. In this class I will teach you the battlefield. I will teach you the katas and schools. And in time with this knowledge you will have the Insight necessary to serve Empire, Clan and Lord in the markets."
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Post by Daidoji Satoru on Jan 17, 2018 12:27:33 GMT -5
This is all some kind of nightmare, isn’t it? These practices simply proved his point. He could see clearly how someone who practices and praises the tennents of Shourido would gravitate towards marketing. It only managed to increase the sort of disgust he felt towards his father’s company. How could a true samurai serve under the tennents of Bushido and the Empire if they are participating in this rat race? Maybe that’s the paper he’ll end up submitting—how it’s impossible to live up to both standards.
Satoru needed to bear in mind that maybe they weren’t trying to be samurai anymore. You can still serve the Empire as a merchant, but recognize it for what it is.
He stayed quiet and put, and had it not been for his mask, his irritation would have been visible. Well, at least he wasn’t falling asleep.
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