Interesting Times

There is a Chinese curse that goes like this; "May you live in interesting times." The curse appears to me to be coming true. Toyota is about to crowned the new NUMBER ONE in auto sales. A Chinese company bought IBM's PC and Laptop divisions. An Indian company is buying the Nuclear Division of Westinghouse. The "Baby Bells" are quietly re-uniting under the AT&T banner, and soon the Death Star will rule the telecom universe fulfilling the prophecies first predicted in the movie "The President's Analyst."

Bankrupt US Airways is trying to buy Bankrupt Delta Airlines starting a rush of airline mergers that will eliminate competition allowing the airlines to soon begin charging fares based on a customer's weight and credit rating.

German soccer fans are reeling over the fact their games have been "fixed" by the Croatian Mafia. The hottest new star in Major League Baseball is Japanese. North Korea is the newest nuclear power. Vietnam in one of the fastest growing economies in the world right now, and the United States is building a fence to prevent the huddled masses south of the border from yearning to breath free. And the ongoing Nigerian "Money for Nothing" Scam is estimated to be collecting $2 Billion dollars a year making it one of the top sources of revenue for the country exceeded only oil and IMF loans.

One of the top shows on TV features Internet predators lured to house to be interviewed on National Television before being arrested. Kenneth Lay's conviction in the Enron fraud case is overturned on the basis that dying has prevented him from exercising his legal right to appeal his conviction.

And just when you think things couldn't get any stranger; Guidant Corporation recalls 50,000 heart defibrillators of which about 75% had already been surgically attached to patient's hearts

These are indeed interesting times.

The economic landscape is rapidly changing. The competitive landscape is rapidly changing. Business models are rapidly changing. The technology is rapidly changing. The customers are rapidly changing. With so many changes taking place at so many levels, it often seems like the universe is rolling dice.

It is no wonder that companies often appear to a constant state of chaos.