Comments for Business Strategy Blog

Comment on How your business can survive the looming economic downturn by Michael Fingland

Michael Fingland — Wed, 18 Jan 2012 00:55:48 +0000

Hi Graeme. Totally agree. It never ceases to amaze me that it always takes a crisis to force a change in behaviour. Human Nature I suppose.

Cheers Michael

Comment on How your business can survive the looming economic downturn by Richard Dunks

Richard Dunks — Tue, 17 Jan 2012 00:04:35 +0000

It’s time to start thinking that business as we knew it, will never return. When we look back in years to come, the GFC will be seen as the only possible outcome to turn a world travelling towards massive bankruptcy in another direction. There has been commentary pointing to this economic
cycle being 1 in 400 years revolutionary change. I’ve yet to do more study on this thinking but certainly an interesting thought.

Posted by Graeme C. via the LinkedIn Group Brisbane Business Network

http://www.linkedin.com/groupAnswers?viewQuestionAndAnswers=&discussionID=82471198&gid=2027798&commentID=64726870&trk=view_disc&ut=1SD5wDYq-0ql41

Comment on How Do I Create A Cash Flow Forecast? by Violet

Violet — Mon, 16 Jan 2012 03:24:17 +0000

You mentioned 13 weeks cash flow forcast for a few times in your different post. Do you have a template of it?

Comment on Focus on Cash Flow (Part 2): Optimising Supplier Management by Focus on Cash Flow (Part 3): Optimising Stock Management | Business Strategy Blog

Mon, 16 Jan 2012 01:12:08 +0000

[...] – usually increased focus on debtor and creditor management (the subject of my previous blogs: Optimising Supplier Management and Optimising Debt [...]

Comment on New executive remuneration laws give more power to shareholders by Richard Dunks

Richard Dunks — Mon, 09 Jan 2012 03:39:12 +0000

I think there are a couple of interesting trends in corporations law as it applies to Directors at present. One is the increasing divergence from the ‘innocent until proven guilty’ principle and the other is the move towards what I call a lower democratic hurdle. Very briefly: 25% of shares voted ‘against’ the published Remuneration Report two years in a row requires a Board spill.(Although I believe that this law is under review). Transparency is fine – but should 25% ( note: of votes cast – not of the number of shareholders) ‘rule’? There are also some very significant discrepancies between accounting standards, tax legislation and corporations law and regulations – the result being that KMP remuneration (which is usually these days heavily incentive based) often appears to be excessive. I’m not denying there have been some outstanding cases of excess but I think we have to be careful about this trajectory.

Posted by Maurice Gannon via the LinkedIn Group The Australian Institute of Company Directors Member Group

http://www.linkedin.com/groupAnswers?viewQuestionAndAnswers=&discussionID=85898961&gid=64705&commentID=62376996&trk=view_disc&ut=1mU1o4m1xpfl41

Comment on Stress Testing Can Strengthen a Business (Part 2) by Your Questions About Stress Test : Dealing with Stress and Anxiety

Your Questions About Stress Test : Dealing with Stress and Anxiety — Tue, 03 Jan 2012 21:32:13 +0000

[...] Tomography) for early or undiagnosed cases of Angina/myocardial problems.Powered by Yahoo! AnswersMark asks…Is doing the stress test the best way to find any blockage in the heart?About 1 month ag…div>Is doing the stress test the best way to find any blockage in the heart?About 1 month ago I went [...]

Comment on Should You Sell a Non-Core Business? by Randy Miller

Randy Miller — Tue, 20 Dec 2011 17:31:12 +0000

Your comment on “I am a business genius…” is so right. I have liquidated several businesses where the owner used the cash flow from his successful business to start non-core operations (an internet company that went into real-estate development or a telecom reseller that decided to sell satellite dishes) with the result that the cash and brain drain sank everything.

It is a double-edged sword, the ego and confidence of the owner is what allowed him to build his original success, and the “Midas touch” complex convinces them that they can succeed at anything.

Comment on Should You Sell a Non-Core Business? by Richard Dunks

Richard Dunks — Thu, 15 Dec 2011 06:19:53 +0000

Actually, my point was that sometimes we should quit trying to revive the core business and focus on one or two of the non-core businesses as the much more viable options. It’s just too “unthinkable”, except in the most aggressive turnaround, to realize the core business is either too screwed up too deeply and too many ways to be saved (and that the yield for saving it wouldn’t pay the cost of it even in a decade or more), just dealt with a pair of those while cheap, fast and exciting organic growth was happening with the neglected, cash-starved non-core businesses. Do you send the perpetual addict, self-destructive, bi-polar eldest son to the 9th Rehab facility with a third mortgage on the house or do you co-sign a student loan for your youngest child to augment the scholarship she unexpectedly won to Stanford’s engineering school? A business that guzzles cash, has endless crises and catastrophes, fundamental product flaws long entrenched in both design and production, disappointed key customers, and all kinds of decayed, unsalable physical assets is often the core business. Not just my own experiences many times the past 30 years, Warren Buffett found it with his worn-out textile factory that was the acquisition his whole firm is now named for, Berkshire Hathaway. It’s painful as hell for everyone involved and just about opposite the common wisdom of sell the non-core pieces to strengthen the core, like holding a garage sale for quick cash to fix the hole in the roof.
Posted by Al

Comment on Should You Sell a Non-Core Business? by Barbara Ould

Barbara Ould — Wed, 14 Dec 2011 22:43:23 +0000

Great comments Nermine, I like your fresh take on an age old issue

regards,

Barbara

Comment on Should You Sell a Non-Core Business? by Barbara Ould

Barbara Ould — Wed, 14 Dec 2011 22:40:44 +0000

Thanks for your comments Andrew, I agree vanity can’t be underestimated as a key factor in key business decisions

regards,

Barbara