Ford Should Sell Volvo To Honda (While Saving Its Future In The Process)
“Reality” has broken the facade many of us suffer from: Our economy is falling apart. And so is Ford. They just announced an $8.7 Billion loss — Its largest ever — based on write downs and mounting losses in North America. Alan Mulally is not Ford’s “golden ticket”. No one can shield Ford — Or any other carmaker for that matter — From the buying decisions of the markets they serve.
Ford’s trucks — Once the premium money maker for the company — Is no longer. They’ve delayed the launch of their flagship F-150 line and are continuing to take drastic measures to reduce their losses. Still, it’s not enough to save the Detroit automaker from terminal failure in the short-term.
In the middle of this half-floating boat is Volvo. Purchased in 1999 by then Ford CEO Jacques Nasser, the Swedish automaker has been to hell and back with its parent company. Like the neglected child of a careless parent, Volvo has suffered greatly under Ford’s hardships. At last count, Ford has contemplated selling Volvo about a million times now. They’ve already sold Aston-Martin and Jaguar, so why not Volvo?
The sad truth is that Volvo was never a good fit for Ford. There’s too much clutter, corporate politics and bureaucracy which get in the way of allowing Volvo to flourish. The greatest mistake Ford made — Under the direction of Nasser — Was going on an ill-conceived shopping spree for foreign automakers, rather than shoring up and breathing new life into its own brands and products. Why would an automaker like Ford — The world’s most imitated trendsetter in the industry — Ignore its own staple of innovation and history in favor of another?
Now that Ford is in “deep recovery mode”, I think now is the time to bid Volvo farewell, divesting its interest in the company and selling it to a better caretaker: Honda Motor Company of Japan. Honda has all the right things going for it:
- They run a highly efficient and cost-effective company
- Their model lineup isn’t hampered by gaz-guzzling vehicles
- They develop some of the world’s most efficient gas engines
- They have the foresight and business acumen necessary for Volvo’s revival
- They’ve been kicking the living shit out of American automakers for years
I think Ford and Honda should talk. Honda would gain an incredible Swedish brand known for its safety innovation and technology, while Volvo would be in more capable hands to nurture its model line, stained culture and future success. Working together, Honda and Volvo could be the match of innovation and success that no one saw coming. More than a “match made in heaven”, the pairing of these two automakers would create an alliance that would make the likes of BMW and Mercedes drool with envy.
How about it, Honda?
It’s All About The Cloud! Cloud! Cloud! Cloud!
Any day now, I’ll create a spoof of Steve Ballmer chanting the importance of cloud computing. In just months, we’ve witnessed an increasing trend in computing where developers and small businesses are consolidating their IT infrastructure and outsourcing it to the likes of Amazon (EC2). Why is cloud computing becoming a hot topic in technology today? I think I have an easy answer:
Cost effective access to unlimited computing power
Do you have a server farm in your shed or back office? Do you have the latest in high-performing blade servers that are ready to host demanding applications and web sites? Do you have vast amounts of bandwidth to power your global reach?
If you’re a consultant, developer or small business owner, there’s a strong likelihood that you lack the technological resources of an enterprise. Now, thanks to cloud computing, the data center is now virtual and available for any tasks you can throw at it.
This website is powered by Amazon’s multi-billion dollar IT infrastructure. It lives on one of thousands of servers within the company’s vast network of server farms. The only limits are defined by the server you launch and configure. The Digg effect? What’s that? Amazon EC2 is truly a dream come true.
Cloud computing is one of the most exciting developments in technology that I’ve personally witnessed in the last decade. It puts the power of the enterprise in the hands of smaller operations — For pennies a day. I cannot think of a better way to launch new companies, develop new Internet applications or create the ‘next big thing’ in technology.
Imagine all the possibilities of cloud computing and Amazon EC2:
1. Web hosting
2. Software development
3. Telecommunications (Asterisk PBX)
4. Storage
The future of computing and the Internet is “in the cloud”.
Note: I am not endorsed by Amazon Web Services.
A Teary Farewell: Bill Gates Has Left The Building
Credit: REUTERS/Robert Galbraith
It’s official: Bill Gates has retired from Microsoft. Five years ago, he began a slow and transitional path to this day when he handed his day-to-day responsibilities to now CEO, Steve Ballmer. I have many fond memories of Bill and Microsoft. I made many friends at the company, gained the respect of Bill himself and had the pleasure of learning about life, business and success from an incredible individual.
Regardless of whatever opinion you might have of Bill and Microsoft, he certainly deserves the honor and recognition for his contribution to our modern world. He, along with many other role models, helped define my passion for many interests over the years. I am especially grateful for all the wonderful experiences I’ve had with Microsoft over the years. Bill was supportive the entire way.
By Daisuke Wakabayashi
REDMOND, Washington (Reuters) - Bill Gates said a teary goodbye on Friday to Microsoft Corp, the software maker he built into the world’s most valuable technology company based on the ambitious goal of placing a computer on every desk and in every home.
He leaves Microsoft, which he co-founded with childhood friend Paul Allen in 1975, to focus on his philanthropic organization, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, the world’s largest charity, funded in part by his vast fortune.
At an employee event at Microsoft’s scenic headquarters campus here, Gates joined Chief Executive Steve Ballmer on stage to deliver a short speech and field questions from employees.
“There won’t be a day in my life when I won’t be thinking about Microsoft, the great things that we’re doing and wanting to help,” said Gates, who wiped away tears as the group of employees rose to give him a standing ovation.
Ballmer, a Harvard University classmate who joined Microsoft at Gates’ behest, got choked up as he tried to describe Gates’ impact on the company and society at large.
“There’s no way to say thanks to Bill. Bill’s the founder. Bill’s the leader,” said Ballmer. “This is Bill’s baby.”
Gates will leave behind a life’s work developing software to devote energy to finding new vaccines or to microfinance projects in the developing world. He will remain chairman of Microsoft and work on special technology projects.
Ballmer spoke about how he contemplated quitting Microsoft a month after joining the company and return to Stanford University business school. Bill passionately implored him to stay and laid out the vision of the company.
(via Reuters)
Customer Service 2.0: Your Blog
Are you frustrated with long wait times on the phone? Tired of being told how many forms you must fill out? Sick of the excuses? Why put yourself through such inconveniences? The most effective tool in commanding good customer service is a blog.
Why? Blogs cut through all the unnecessary red tape of customer service procedures. It bypasses the scripts and systems which are all designed to make customer service a living nightmare. So, you want to be heard? Blog about it. You want to get the attention of a major company? Blog about it.
The best example of the power of blogging in customer service is The Consumerist. Their success rate in forcing companies to make good on their customer service responsibilities is astounding. They’ve successfully fought back against credit card, airline and retail companies by publicizing their crappy policies.
Never underestimate the power or impact of a blog. When you desire real results from the customer service departments of any corporation, use the power of the Internet to get things done.
EC2 Consulting: Asterisk and Telephony Reinvented — In The Cloud
More than three years ago, I began my experimentation with Asterisk and IP telephony on Linux. I had previously ditched my reliance on POTS (”Plain Old Telephone Service”) in favor of a new player in the VoIP space: Vonage.
Amazed and equally blown away by the feature set and possibilities of VoIP, I began to wonder how anyone could implement this technology for their own use. That’s when I discovered Asterisk.
Today, my implementations of Asterisk no longer reside on a physical server shoved in a closet somewhere. Instead, they now live “in the cloud” within Amazon’s vast IT enterprise environment in Seattle, Washington. I can remotely manage and administer my Asterisk installation from anywhere in the world, including the addition of extensions, troubleshooting the dial plan and much more.
To date, there’s been no downtime in almost 200 days of running Asterisk on Amazon’s EC2 platform. No downtime! What’s even better about implementing Asterisk in the cloud is that it’s painless and hassle free. Servers can be launched almost instantly — and in real-time — without unboxing and installing necessary hardware to “turn up” new installations for service expansion, etc.
As someone with a near 20 year history with technology, the combination of IP telephony with cloud computing is an amazing development in the telecom world. The possibilities are endless and only limited by one’s imagination. Welcome to a new world of telephony — Reinvented in the cloud.
If you’d like to experience Asterisk and IP telephony in the cloud for yourself, I’d be more than happy to welcome your SIP or IAX-based phone into my dial plan for a real-time conversation to test the quality and reliability of VoIP on Amazon EC2. For everyone else, please take advantage of my consulting offer for a 10% discount on Amazon AWS (EC2 and S3) services as mentioned on Amazon’s blog.