"Twelve O'Clock High" -- World War Two or Amazon.com?

Money is not blood. But aside from that significant difference , how is business different from war? Or is it different -- and should it be different?

Twelve O'Clock High was a war movie that came out in 1949. It was a hit both critically and commercially. It has some intricate plotting and characterization, but the film is  based on a very simple question. 

It's the same question I wrote about regarding last week's  controversial New York Times article on Amazon.com. The question is: How far can you push people before they'll quit?

And the answer is: Plenty damn far.

Twelve O'Clock High is based on real events in the Second World War. American bombing raids over Europe were encountering extreme casualty rates. On some missions, as many as two thirds of the planes  were damaged or shot down. What's more, depending on the target, the bomber crews were aware this was going to happen. So if they knew the odds were strongly against their safe return, would they ever refuse to fly?  

The answer was no. Although individual flyers might drop out because of metal or emotional breakdown, no general refusal occurred among the bomber crews.  

Again, there's a big difference between blood and money. But if we look at the business model that is standard operating procedure in many corporations, it's clear that the difference between war and business is only a matter of degree. In both venues, people will just keep going toward the pot of gold....or toward the cliff. 

But is that what we want -- and does it have to be that way? In another great film -- The Godfather, Part Two -- the brutal gangster Hyman Roth famously says, "This is the business we have chosen."

But do you think there's another choice? Maybe that's what Dirty Harry is really asking when he says, "Do you feel lucky, punk?

Here's a follow-up articles from the New York Times that traces the history of the "war of attrition" business model:

http://www.nytimes.com/2015/08/18/business/work-policies-may-be-kinder-but-brutal-competition-isnt.html

And for those who are interested, here's a very comprehensive website on the statistics of WW2 bomber missions:

 http://www.taphilo.com/history/8thaf/8aflosses.shtml