“Commercial Awareness Is Global.”
By: Ainsley Brown The US securities regulator, the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), has extended its long arm yet again. This time it was as a part of an operation to locate and then freeze the personal and company assets of Sir Allen Stanford and his Stanford International Bank (SIB). Mr. Stanford – oh sorry I should say Sir Allen
By: Ainsley Brown In what would be the largest acquisition in IBM’s history, talks to take over its rival Sun Microsystems have collapsed. The deal worth an estimated $7 billion broke off after Sun Microsystems’ dissatisfaction with the share price IMB was offering consequently it terminated IBM’s exclusive negotiating status. In response IBM withdrew its offer. All of this could
By: Ainsley Brown It is situations like these that simply go to fuel the general public distain for multinational. I guess the one positive thing that comes out of this and other similar situations is that it provides ample material for Michael Moore– esque films – just great entertainment. Despite the entertainment value of such films they often depict the
By: Ainsley Brown It is an understatement to say that the English take their tea very seriously. And it is little wonder why a small teashop in Surrey, England, even when faced with potential financial ruin, would not back down from a much larger German multinational. This is a tale about tea better yet teapots; a David and a Goliath;
By: Ainsley Brown The Suncor Energy Inc. attempted take over of Petro-Canada is going to prove to be the first test of the amended and some would say controversial Competition Act. According to the new rules the Competition Bureau has a 30 day tome frame in which to either approve the C$19.2 billion deal or issue a second request from
By: Ainsley Brown The Jamaican Coffee Industry Board (CIB) launched its new website last week. The site, according to The Gleaner, promises to be the main source of comprehensive information on Jamaican coffee for buyers and stakeholders. The CIB, a quasi-independent statutory body, is charged with the responsibility of having oversight over the various players in the Jamaican coffee industry.
By: Ainsley Brown Hey it’s Friday and after a long week of work I can be forgiven if my mind I s drifting – oh the joys of a nice ice-cold-beer. MMMMMMMMMM. Anyway before I get too ahead of myself, I still have the day to complete before I can enjoy said beer. However, I can at least think about
By: Ainsley Brown The troubled – nationalized – UK mortgage lender is back in the news yet again. I guess the headline should have been: Northern Rock, The Never Ending Story. However, the good news this time is that it’s not about shareholders trying to use the Human Rights Act to bring a case against the government for compensation. No,
By: Ainsley Brown I must say that I consider myself a relatively intelligent person – though admittedly not an economic guy – I believe myself able to grasp practically any concept once explained. And the Obama toxic asset plan, I just don’t get it. Please do not read this as either a general criticism of the President or the specific
By: Ainsley Brown No, no this is not a joke nor is it a case of a 007 mission gone awry. Its is a simple case of two British engineers; a British company and its subsidiary; a mobile phone; an American tire company’s secret equipment; and a Chinese tire company. Oh all so simple, indeed. The two engineers, Mr. Clark