Willie Sutton, a famous bank-robber during the mid-1900’s, was once asked why he robbed banks. Willie responded, “Because that’s where the money is.” Contrast that with a commercial on television I saw, several years ago (perhaps it was even in the 1990’s) from a major American bank. The President of the bank was speaking to the…
I have been quizzed by some readers, “What do currencies in general – and the challenges facing the Euro and its member countries in particular – have to do with Operational Excellence?” For that matter, what do discussions that involve “geo-politics” have to do with Operational Excellence? Both are very fair questions. Operational Excellence is…
The nation of Greece is bankrupt. Let’s just say it plainly and simply. Let’s not use “poli-speak” words aimed at soothing the sting or trying to maintain someone’s self-esteem such as; “insolvent”, or “challenged”, or “bust”. And let’s be even more plain, any manner of restructuring of debt, other than “arm’s length” transaction, is the…
Most people look at the overall return on an investment – be it personally (as in the “markets”) or professionally (in this instance, a Continuous Improvement program). They look at the budget under their control and the magnitude of the overall return. If the return achieves their goals, they are satisfied – if it does not, they are displeased.
I have been involved with the Mergers and Acquisitions marketplace for several years. I have seen my fair share of the good, the bad, and the ugly when it comes to the orientations, motivations, and activities of the various Private Equity firms (as well as someHedge Funds) to whom I have been exposed and with whom I have worked….
When does a company become too big to fail and by what standards? How can the casual passer-by – not to mention the learn’d industry or government analyst – tell when a company poses too great a risk?Can a government or global / regional economy become too big to fail?If so, then what? In the United…
