Mergers and Acquisitions

Talking with a former colleague recently we discussed the industries giants and Wall Street. Talking about how Wall Street had moved one company to a buy position that earlier in the year was in trouble financially. Seems as if the reverse has happens among those still forging ahead. Too many mergers and acquisitions, too maybe hostile take overs, too much money wasted on poor executive or board decisions and the bank comes calling. Telephony has seen enough corruption and prison sentences to last a very long time. This industry not unlike health care, energy, mortgages, savings and loan (almost a distinct word not) and on and on and on. Corporate America needs to take care of the good ethical people they employee instead of filling the coffers. Companies need to make a profit and executives need to be rewarded but rewarding executives with millions while lay off workers is very poor judgement on the part of Boards responsible for this recent lack of insight...shame on you.

Only in America can people be so greedy and entire financial system is hurt. As one CEO recently said "the government can't solve it's own problems how can they solve ours (in business)? Leaning on the taxpayers and taxing businesses is not smart. Legislators should have term limits of two terms just like the President. No one deserves a tax free income for 30, 40 or 50 years and the combined health care plan totally free for life when the average worker is paying the tab. We have a very poor legislative system that needs an over-haul.

Understanding the inside of telephone companies

The ordering process is quite difficult and complicated. Forms have dozens of fields and if 1 code is wrong the entire process gets delayed by having the order go back to the originator. Someone has to pick up the telephone and solve the problem. Very few have the skill set to solve the problem which involves talking to the end user many times to find out what they wanted. Then the next hurdle is finding exactly what is holding up the order. The process flow is days and days of electronic feeds while engineering is done from three or four different engineers on both ends of the order including the central office. If the request is big two or three project managers are needed on the receiving end, the equipment end, the central office (s) depending on the path the circuit is taking. The more complex the order the more engineers are involved prior to the electronic mapping in the network. The bigger the pipe, the more complicated the process, the more people are involved including the end technician.

New construction brings even more variables into the picture...but that's another blog.

Creative Musings

Holidays are not fun. With children miles away and no other family in town for holidays even invitations to friends from outside the US where there is no celebration goes to the beach, unable to come upon invitation understandable indeed. Just once if I could hear my sons laughter over a holiday it would be a blessing and joy.

So after the turkey and dressing, five or six vegetables, relish dish, cranberry salad, homemade rolls and apple dumplings served with hot lemon sauce very full tummies I just may blog Thanksgiving day. Christmas will start with prayer followed by modest gifts and another fun feast, without family. Really a ball around here these days with both of us working 10 - 12 hours a day sometimes 14 hours a day.

Holidays without family, suck! Without friends it is a disaster. Some how this will all have a happy ending...all things do, eventually.

No it is not about technology. Who cares, it is from the heart, it's my blog.

Finishing book by year end

As this project ends I am looking forward to more time to blog on my industry and writing other publications. One for my myself, one for my family, but also some more creative ideas. Before all that I need some personal time cleaning this house, finishing some outside projects, resting and enjoying family. With the 2009 holiday season approaching it will be good to reflect on the perils that involved in the many intentional and probably some un-intentional actions that ended poorly or that led this country into the past messes these last few years. I live in a county where two dozen people have gone to prison for brides and all sorts of wrongs including using tax payers money the wrong way. Thinking about how we behave when no one is looking is something to consider especially when raising children. Somehow, somewhere these criminal minds came from some messed up humans called parents. As someone said during these interviews "if God didn't take care of that...I recall it was Susan Mason and I talking about food and theft in her business. This is all so simple. If you can not raise children with morals please just pass on parenting.

Consulting and jargon uses in communication

Interesting about industries, from law to medicine to electronics we all have a vocabulary full of acroymns and phrases sounding confusing to those who do not know the meaning of a term. I try so hard to remember my experience and my background are quite unique from most business people. Understanding all the pit falls in dealing with the arena I call innocent ignorance. We do not know what we do not
know. Nothing is more of a mistake or blunder to assume someone outside the industry can understand telecommunications, the technology, the vocabulary, the acroymns or the workings that cause failures, miss installations, missed due dates, and incorrect billing. Being confusing in this industry is dangerous for end users (clients). Consideration is needed when talking or emailing. If no one understands your verbiage clients may look elsewhere.