On 1 Feb 2002, at 0:02, Eric Smith wrote:

> Any time a big corporation has problems, the executives rush to start
> a merger, acquisition, or divestiture.  It rarely achieves the
> promised effect; often the cure is worse than the disease.

An interesting parallel can be drawn to the observation that
governments beleaguered by domestic problems frequently seek
foreign adventures (wars) to divert their citizens' attention from their
own difficulties.  These initiatives also usually end up being
spectacular failures. The most recent example that comes to my
mind is the Argentine War over the Falkland Islands c. 1981.
However, many of the small interventions made around the world
since that time by the USA, the former USSR or current CIS, and
sundry European powers could possibly be explained by the same
motivation.

I have often expressed the opinion that large organizations all share
similar cultural environments at the most senior levels which
frequently leads to remarkably similar behaviour by otherwise
substantially different entities.  Government is usually the largest
and the oldest large organization in a state, but once a certain size
is reached then any organization, whether it be a commercial
enterprise, a church, or a political movement then they all exhibit
similar tendencies.

One can consider the nature of the Enron bookkeeping fiasco as a
representative case. Compare the behaviour of that company's
leaders towards its shareholders with the outright financial
misrepresentation that representative governments habitually inflict
on their own citizens.  Frightening really.

Regards,
Jim
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James B. Byrne                mailto:[log in to unmask]
Harte & Lyne Limited          http://www.harte-lyne.ca
9 Brockley Drive              vox: +1 905 561 1241
Hamilton, Ontario             fax: +1 905 561 0757
Canada  L8E 3C3

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