Perhaps the biggest indictment of the more paternalistic approach taken by an earlier generation of corporate behemoths is that Kodak is a shell of its former self. After a bankruptcy and many years of layoffs, the company has only 2,700 employees in the United States and 6,100 worldwide.
It's becoming more and more clear over time that this is one of these things that gets put into the "unsolvable problems" category.
Somebody posted that article on FB late last night so I read it early this morning and was left more confused for the effort. The article spent much space with contrary arguments like the one you highlighted. The authors couldn’t seem to pick a thesis and support it consistently. Clearly, the larger issue was attempting to make a comparison when the ground has shifted tectonically underneath the entire employment world. The 80s are not 2017, a person that can speak English as a first language is not one who can only speak the language of a foreign country, KODAK of then is not the AAPL of today, etc.
One of the most obvious conclusions that can be drawn is the universal good advice for success in life:
1) Graduate HS
2) Competently communicate in English
3) Only have children if married
4) Do everything to stay married