Billion Dollar Lessons

November 5th, 2009

Billion Dollar Lessons
Welcome to Business Failure 101
In the 1960s, IBM CEO Tom Watson called an executive into his office after his venture lost $10 million. Watson asked the man if he knew why head been called in. The man said he assumed he was being fired. Watson told him, aFired? Hell, I spent $10 million educating you. I just want to be sure you learned the right lessons.a
In “Billion-Dollar Lessons,” Paul Carroll and Chunka Mui draw on research into more than 750 business failures to reveal the misguided tactics that mire companies again and again. There are thousands of books about successful companies but virtually none about the lessons to be learned from those that crash and burn.
Lesson One: The Cold Hard Facts
Between 1981 and 2006, 423 major publicly held U.S. companies with combined assets totaling $1.5 trillion filed for bankruptcy. Hundreds more took huge write-offs, discontinued major operations, or were acquired under duress. Again and again, companies follow the same wrong-headed strategies that brought down businesses in the past. The sub-prime mortgage crisis that cost companies tens of billions of dollars in 2007 and 2008 echoes the ill-conceived strategies that pushed Green Tree Financial and Conseco into bankruptcy years earlier. Tom Watsonas executiveas $10 million lesson seems cheap by comparison.
Lesson Two: Failure Patterns
Carroll and Mui found that the number one cause of failure was misguided strategyanot sloppy execution, poor leadership, or bad luck. These strategic errors fall into seven categories, including:
*Pursuing nonexistent synergies: Quaker Oatsa purchase of Snapple was supposed to capitalize on distribution synergies but insteadled to a $1.7 billion write-off.
*Moving into an aadjacenta market that isnat really adjacent: Avon decided its aculture of caringa qualified it to operate retirement homes. Subsequent write-offs totaled $545 million.
*Buying more problems than efficiencies through misguided consolidation: Despite pioneering the discount department store years before Sam Walton came along, Ames Department Stores flubbed consolidation efforts, landing in bankruptcy twice before eventually liquidating.
Lesson Three: Avoid Making the Same Mistakes
But thereas light at the end of the tunnel: “Billion-Dollar Lessons” provides proven methods that managers, boards, and even investors can adopt to avoid making the same mistakes. While thereas no way to guarantee success, this book draws on vivid, off-the-beaten-track examples to help you avoid failure by showing you how to thoroughly assess potentially disastrous strategies before they bring your company down.
Required Reading
Think of “Billion-Dollar Lessons” as the flip side of “Good to Great,” but just as eye- opening and essential as that business classic. Thereas enormous value in learning from companies that lost millions (if not billions) in pursuit of strategies that led to spectacular flameouts. Everyone makes mistakes, but why make the same mistakes over and over?

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ISS International Space Station 1 / 2

February 9th, 2010

Computer animated video.. Burj Dubai also aviable in computer animated.. MUST SEE..!! Most beautiful documentary ever.. By RoccProduction.. Watch part 2.. Part 2 is even better. ALL FREE ..!!!..The International Space Station.. (ISS) is an internationally developed research facility, which is being assembled in low Earth orbit. On-orbit construction of the station began in 1998 and is scheduled for completion by 2011. The station will remain in operation until at least 2015, and likely 2020. With a greater mass than that of any previous space station, the ISS can be seen from the Earth with the naked eye,[9] and, as of 2010[update], is the largest artificial satellite orbiting the Earth. The ISS serves as a research laboratory that has a microgravity environment in which crews conduct experiments in biology, human biology, physics, astronomy and meteorology.. The station has a unique environment for the testing of the spacecraft systems that will be required for missions to the Moon and Mars. The ISS is operated by Expedition crews, and has been continuously staffed since 2 November 2000—an uninterrupted human presence in space for the past &0000000000000009.0000009 years and &0000000000000097.00000097 days, which is approaching the current record, set aboard Mir, of 9 years and 257 days. As of 1 December 2009 (2009 -12-01)[update], the crew of Expedition 22 is aboard. The ISS is a synthesis of several space station projects that includes the American Freedom, the Soviet/Russian Mir-2, the European Columbus and the Japanese Kibō. Budget constraints led to the merger of these projects into a single multi-national programme. The ISS project began in 1994 with the Shuttle-Mir programme,[19] and the first module of the station, Zarya, was launched in 1998 by Russia.[17] Assembly continues, as pressurised modules, external trusses and other components are launched by American space shuttles, Russian Proton rockets and Russian Soyuz rockets. As of November 2009[update], the station consisted of 11 pressurised modules and an extensive integrated truss structure (ITS). Power is provided by 16 solar arrays mounted on the external truss, in addition to four smaller arrays on the Russian modules.[20] The station is maintained at an orbit between 278 km (173 mi) and 460 km (286 mi) altitude, and travels at an average speed of 27,724 km/h (17,227 mph), completing 15.7 orbits per day.[21] Operated as a joint project between the five participant space agencies, the station’s sections are controlled by mission control centres on the ground operated by the American National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), the Russian Federal Space Agency (RKA), the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA), the Canadian Space Agency (CSA), and the European Space Agency (ESA). The ownership and use of the space station is established in intergovernmental treaties and agreements[24] that allow the Russian Federation to retain full ownership of its own modules, with the remainder of the station allocated between the other international partners. The station is serviced by Soyuz spacecraft, Progress spacecraft, space shuttles, the Automated Transfer Vehicle and the H-II Transfer Vehicle, and has been visited by astronauts and cosmonauts from 15 different nations. The cost of the station has been estimated by ESA as €100 billion over 30 years, and, although estimates range from 35 billion dollars to 160 billion dollars, the ISS is believed to be the most expensive object ever constructed. The financing, research capabilities and technical design of the ISS programme have been criticised because of the high cost. RoccProduction..

Duration : 0:10:16

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A Transfer out of Poverty Part 1

February 9th, 2010

Part 1 of a documentary on the use of Cash transfers to address chronic hunger, poverty and vulnerability in southern Africa, as a component of comprehensive, government-owned, national social protection programmes. Produced by the Regional Hunger and Vulnerability Programme (RHVP); narrated by Redi Direko; and with an introduction by Archbishop Desmond Tutu.

Duration : 0:9:25

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Johnny Cash – The Mercy Seat

February 9th, 2010

Johnny Cash – The Mercy Seat by Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds

Duration : 0:4:36

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1 Billion Dollar Pay Off To Taliban

February 9th, 2010

http://www.infowars.com/1-billion-dollar-pay-off-to-taliban/
Al Jazeera is reporting what readers of this blog already know.

Our criminal government funds and arms the insurgent movement in Afghanistan.

The US Constitution defines treason:

Treason against the United States, shall consist only in levying War against them, or in adhering to their Enemies, giving them Aid and Comfort. No Person shall be convicted of Treason unless on the Testimony of two Witnesses to the same overt Act, or on Confession in open Court.

Our criminal government is proposing:

a plan is being considered to pay up to $1bn to Taliban fighters to persuade them to lay down their arms.

In advance of an international conference in London to discuss Afghanistans future on Thursday, Japan, the United States and Britain are said to be leading the proposal.

The scheme would offer Cash, jobs and other incentives to the Taliban and fighters in other armed groups.

The sum could be as much as between $500m and $1bn over the next five years, Al Jazeeras James Bays, reporting from London, said.

Can any one tell me how this is not high treason?

I can actually taste the outrage in my mouth right now as I read this. Pretty much a first for me. The level of brazen hubris and open contempt for the American troops is absolutely stunning.

Arming the insurgents and openly funding them by paying off supply routes just isnt enough! We need a billion dollars in bribe money to ensure the war continues forever.

Duration : 0:4:41

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Payday Cash Online Loans Quick Payout of Cash

February 6th, 2010

Do you know where to look back in times of emergency? When you are tied up by financial hardship and are seeking a way out of your financial hardship, payday Cash online loans come to your rescue. How difficult would it be, to cover up your financial emergencies with out this? It’s definitely a blessing in disguise. Moreover, a borrower in need of such cash need not necessarily own a house or property as there’s no collateral required.

All that you need is a checking account to transfer your loan amount. You get your urgent cash on the same day and are approved with out any credit verification or collateral checks done unlike a traditional loan which is based on the equity of your collateral and your credit score. Make use of your short term, unsecured loan which offers easy finance when you need. Just ensure that you repay your loan on time as you may incur a high rate of interest, in case you delay your loan. You must have sufficient income to facilitate repayment of any funds advanced and you must have adequate security to offer to secure your cash advance. The amount will get transferred automatically from bank account to the lender on your payday. This makes possible two things and puts you at ease. Thus, two of your most important problems will be solved very easily. First of all, you can manage money immediately and secondly, the repayment is very easy. Isn’t it simple. Then, why pledge your asset and wait for long for your loan approval. You get cash when you need it the most. There’s no difficult procedure or strict loan criteria which you need to fulfill, you will be able to easily qualify for loans top meet your medical bills, child’s examination fees, home installments, loan installments, repayment of impending debts, car repair and electricity bills. Apply for instant pay day loans, payday in spite of having credit records like late payment, bankruptcy, arrears, CCJs, defaults or skipping of installments. It’s not a tough task to qualify for your loans.

The no credit check feature in the pay day cash advance loans attracts a huge number of borrowers towards it. There are no lengthy procedures and no delay in the loan delivery. This feature has helped every person irrespective of any credit record. A silver lining in your financial cloud, truly a friendly solution!

Kirthy Shetty
http://www.articlesbase.com/loans-articles/payday-cash-online-loans-quick-payout-of-cash-689483.html

About Making Cash On The Internet

February 6th, 2010

You have probably viewed all of the stories about earning money online. The media is filled with accounts of those lucky people who have become rich with a few clicks of the mouse and still more articles about folks using the internet to generate a sustained and long term business. Can it work for you? If you’ve have been pondering about making money online, here are some tricks of the trade and tips that can help you commence on your path to internet home business riches.

When it comes to online businesses, there is a lot of bad ideas out there you have to sort through and a lot of chance for falling victim to a scam. Numerous websites promote internet business opportunities that require or request a large upfront investment from you, and these are usually to be stayed away from.

Avoid any online business opportunity that sets you up and wants you to mass email people for reimbursement or that asks you to make a website to attempt to get others to buy into a business project rather than buying a specific merchandise. These internet scams are just pyramid scams, and they’re not a good (or in some cases, legal) way to earn money online. One of the best ways to educate yourself about making money online is to ask for the advice of others who have done it. Do a little research and question asking and see how some online businesses you’re comfortable with have set up their operations or website, or seek out some online business magazines that have articles with internet entrepreneurs business people.

See what you can learn and glean from them and from their errors. If you know anyone who does business online on the internet, see what advice they have to give you. Since so many entreprenuers have been successful at this online business thing by trial and trying different things at this point, you can learn from their articles what they learned the hard way and avoid some of the same bumps without making the same mistakes in the world.

Apart from seeing the technological sides of doing business online and understanding some unique logistics problems, like shipping or sending out to all of your consumers instead of having a storefront if you’re selling a merchandise, online advertising selling, and the ins and outs of online writing articles, some parts of online commerce or selling are not so different from starting beginning a business in the real world. You should settle on a business that interests you,that you like and that you have some specific competency to bring to the table. Instead of chasing the “next big thing” and easy money (these kinds of ideas go boom, bomb out and then disappear all the time on the net), look for a business idea or option that you will like working on and that can bring you long term sustainability and opportunities.

Do research and look into your market, look at your overhead costs and search for who your rivals will be. These things will all provide you the best chance at being successful in the internet home business world. When it comes to knowing about making money online, there are a lot of resources to help you decide on the best path for you. There is also many sources of potential opportunity for turning your home business into a success if you do your homework and research first. Get to know your online business neighborhood competition and start enjoying the money rolling in.

Charles Chege
http://www.articlesbase.com/internet-articles/about-making-Cash-on-the-internet-696884.html

Cash Advance Loans: Speedy Funds to Cover Small Gaps

February 6th, 2010

Cash advance loans are a great financial solution and an easy way to grab quick financial help. If you need speedy monetary relief then you can easily apply for cash advance loans. There is no need to fax documents or pledge asset. Just apply and get financial assistance within the same day of applying.

Cash advance loans have no credit check feature. This allows even bad credit holders to apply and get qualified. Those with adverse credit such as arrears, defaults, late payments, bankruptcy, IVA and CCJs can all apply for cash advance.

Through Cash advance loans you can borrow an amount ranging from $100-$1500. The repayment term is small and ranges from 2-4 weeks. Being short term in nature, the funds are offered at relatively higher rate of interest.

Cash advance loans are free from lengthy and time consuming formalities. You don’t have to fax documents and no paperwork formality is required. The loan amount is approved quickly and credited to your bank account within 24 hours, so that you can get the amount instantly to meet financial needs on time.

Cash advance loans can be easily entailed by those who fulfill the following minimum eligibility criteria:-

  • Must be 18 years or above
  • Must have an active valid bank account
  • Must be earning a regular income

Cash advance loans can be applied online and offline. Applying online is very simple and convenient. You just have to fill up a simple online form and the processing starts immediately. You can even search for lower rate deal easily by doing a little market research.

Cash advance loans can be acquired for fulfilling small financial requirements such as paying medical expenses, electricity bills, utility bills, tuition fee and car repair costs. Such small and unplanned expenses can be easily met with the help of cash advance loans effectively.

Charles Robbins
http://www.articlesbase.com/loans-articles/cash-advance-loans-speedy-funds-to-cover-small-gaps-715712.html

Today’s Christmas – 40 Holiday Hits: Various Artists (3 CDs)

February 5th, 2010

Today's Christmas - 40 Holiday Hits: Various Artists (3 CDs)

Click here to hear 30 second samples before you buy! You need Windows Media Player installed on your computer to listen. DISC 1: 1. Jingle Bell Jamboree – Keb’ Mo’ 2. Christmas Through Your Eyes – Gloria Estefan 3. December – Kenny Loggins 4. Canyon Road On Christmas Eve / Hark The Angels Sing – Ottmar Liebert 5. That Special Time Of Year – Gladys Knight & The Pips 6. Christmas Gift I Want, The – Jon Secada 7. New York City Christmas – The Cover Girls 8. First Noel, The – Tramaine Hawkins 9. It’s The Most Wonderful Time Of The Year – Donny Osmond 10. Go Tell It On The Mountain – Kirk Whalum 11. Christmastime In The City – Mary Chapin Carpenter 12. Little Drummer Boy, The – Babyface 13. Merry Christmas Darling – The Fabulous Thunderbirds DISC 2: 1. Rockin’ Around The Christmas Tree – Cyndi Lauper 2. Merry Christmas – Johnny Mathis 3. Do You Hear What I Hear – Destiny’s Child/Kelly Rowland 4. It Came Upon A Midnight Clear – Rosanne Cash 5. Tomorrow Is A Holiday – Luis Enrique 6. I Wonder As I Wander – Grover Washington Jr. 7. Kissin’ By The Mistletoe – Aretha Franklin 8. Christmas In September – Darden Smith 9. Shining Star – Nancy Wilson 10. Ice – Shelleyan Orphan 11. Jingle Bell Rock – Billy Gilman 12. Toyland – Maureen McGovern 13. Santa Claus Is Coming To Town – Michael Bolton 14. Silent Night – The Hooters DISC 3: 1. Happy Holiday / The Holiday Season – Manhattan Transfer 2. Miracles – Kenny Lattimore 3. Winter Wonderland – Macy Gray 4. Greensleeves (What Child Is This) – Peter White 5. Peace In Our Time – Eddie Money 6. In The Bleak Mid-Winter – Shawn Colvin 7. Merry Christmas Baby – Dr. John 8. Mele Kalikamaka – Poi Dog Pondering/Dirty Dozen Brass Band 9. Christmas Spirit, (I Long To Feel The) – Donna Summer 10. O Come All Ye Faithful – Luther Vandross 11. I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus – Pete Fountain 12. Little Road To Bethlehem, The – Judy Collins 13. Christmas Song, The (Chestnuts Roasting On An Open

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Burton Cashed Long Sleeve

February 5th, 2010

Burton Cashed Long Sleeve

Sierra says: Long sleeve button front shirt to either dress down or dress up an outfit.

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