On September 11 2001, several young men turned our airline industry into a devastating weapon of mass destruction. What immediately followed were the inevitable recriminations, political posturing, and finger pointing about what woulda-shoulda-coulda been done. Then came the spew of regulatory goo from the maw of the US Congress.
We all know the result. Long lines at the airport, shoes on the conveyor, confiscated shampoo, and body scans of menacing grandmothers. Hollywood couldn’t stage a more convincing impression of safety if they tried. Registered voters are duly impressed. They think “Brownie’s doing a helluva job.” But how safe are we?
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Scene: Executive conference room. CEO and management team huddled around a table evaluating a Transportation Management System proposal presented by VP of Operations: “… so in conclusion, by investing $2.5m in an enterprise TMS system, we will reduce our overall transportation spend by $6m over the next 5 years. Savings will go straight to the bottom line and we’ll meet the threats by global competitors more effectively”. Golf claps by the management team. Except for the CFO and VP of IT who exchange nervous looks like Patriots fans during the 4th quarter of a Colts game.
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I don’t know how you felt but when UPS released their earnings yesterday I was shocked. I literally had to take a Xanax to calm my nerves. Every one of my customers believes it is getting the best deal but guess what? None of them really know for sure! Read on.
How Was Your Profit?
During Q4, [...]
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In the long run, Wall Street is the most rational place on earth. It rewards one thing: earnings and more earnings. Think GE in the Jack Welch era. In the short run, Wall Street is the most irrational place on earth. It trades on rumor, innuendo, hunch, wild ideas concocted over drinks or other mind enhancing agents and the opportunity to kick someone while he’s down or apparently so, commonly called short selling. Think Enron.
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