Thanks to John Moore (US) for pointing to this - Get Real by David Weinberger. My favourite bit:

The military mentality that pervades marketing and customer service is a result of business's ubiquitous fear. Just as studies show that people are more afraid of public speaking than of dying, organizations are more afraid of being exposed than of failing. They fear that the market will see that their business doesn't run like a clock designed by God; they're composed of fallible human beings. What a shock!

Combine fear and aggression and you end up with companies literally afraid to speak like human beings. It's easier, after all, to plan an attack than to communicate on the fly and—gasp!—listen. So companies talk to customers in language designed to squelch true conversation. And they write statements of purpose that set vainglorious goals to make themselves feel better, such as this from Quaker Oats:

"Our Goal: To be the undisputed leader in the food and beverage industry. We intend to do this by making Quaker a winning company—a place where talented people have opportunities and are rewarded for contributing to an exciting, profitable growth story. Winning means that our products will be those for which consumers hunger and thirst. Winning also means that we outpace our competitive set with consistently strong financial results."

The undisputed leader in the food and beverage industry? Through Cap'n Crunch and Rice-A-Roni?