the cult of shareholder value maximization...good phrase, that.

I, Cringely » Blog Archive » Neutron Bomb - Cringely on technology:

Newsweek recently reported that IBM, HP, Accenture, and others are finding it profitable to detach from the United States (even patenting the process).

“IBM is one of the multinationals that propelled America to the apex of its power, and it is now emblematic of the process of creative destruction pushing America to a new, less dominant, and less comfortable position,” Newsweek said.

This is the HR equivalent of a neutron bomb, which kills people but leaves structures unscathed. So all these companies will be leaner and meaner — mean enough that there may be nobody left to buy their products.

It comes back to the common perception that the sole function of public companies and their CEOs is to “maximize shareholder value” — a phrase that is interpreted to mean “maximize next quarter’s earnings-per-share.” This philosophy works beautifully with the slightly less than four year average tenure of a U.S. public company CEO. Long before the effects of these bad decisions can show the CEO has bailed, descending beneath his golden parachute toward some retirement heaven.

Where did this cult of shareholder value maximization come from? And who says that’s the prime directive and nothing else ought to matter? Not me. In fact it is bad policy both for the companies and for our society in general. [...]

Companies like IBM that take this position are hurting America.

And someone came up with a brilliant Henry Ford story:

Henry Ford pissed off the rest of his capitalist friends when he raised the wages of his workers. He said why: they could then buy his car. Today’s capitalist isn’t even as smart as Henry Ford.

pop.

The Infamous Brad - Spotting Bubbles:

Simon Johnson said it succinctly in an online Q&A on the Washington Post website today:

"This is the key issue. Spotting bubbles is very hard - one person says 'bubble' and another says 'new fundamentals are emerging' ...."

See that? That right there? That's number one. That is how you spot bubbles.

The single most reliable way to predict a bubble is when the business press, passing along what mainstream economists are telling them, say that the reason you can believe that we're not in a bubble is that "new fundamentals are emerging," or in other words, "the old rules don't apply any more because (fill in the blank)."

One of Hicks's better essays, I think.

free shipping: finally getting what you pay for?

Ok, so which of these was shipped UPS and which was shipped USPS?