The (economic) winter of our discontent

[JeremyF]

Re: Mortgage rates

Ouch.

Firstly, the C&N rate increase was advised by the marina manager, not a fellow bertholder or the 'office'

Secondly, I was not suggesting that MDL was operating a cartel. I was suggesting that their market share means that the market will exhibit traits of a complex monopoly. Look it up, if you don't know what this means.

Thirdly, I have, on a number of occasions defended the actions of John Watson as he tries to turn around a business with a poor reputation for customer care.

What I have been saying is that the actions he takes about pricing next year will be a good indicator of how succesful he has been in getting the board, and owners of MDL on side. I have no expectation of him sharing any more of his business strategy than he has already done in the print media.



<font color=green>Jeremy Flynn/forums/images/icons/crazy.gif
Dawn Chorus</font color=green>

 

[Iota]

Re: Mortgage rates

Definitions that I use : A scale monopoly exists where one firm has at least 25% of a market. A complex monopoly exists where two or more firms together account for at least 25% of a market and engage in similar conduct. I will ignore your patronising quip about knowing my definitions in point 2, but ask you to substantiate your statement that a complex monopoly exists.

 

[Badger]

The IT Bubble bursting has not helped

I think the other factor in all this has been the busting of the IT bubble. I know at least 20 people personally in IT who sail and it's generally recognised that a high proportion of this group are sailors. Many of us left established players like IBM, Oracle, SAP etc and joined "startup" IT companies around September 2000 most of which have now run out of money or failed or the stock price has gone from $98.00 in once case to .20 cents ! For those of us lucky enough to be accepted back by the few companies hiring it is usually on a 1/3 drop in base salary and bonus/comission plans put together by the Finance department. In one case I know, they are planning to pay 50% of the commission on an annual basis rather than the normal quarterly plan. Guarantees are a thing of the past and stock options are used as novelty wallpaper . The really worrying things is no one can see the "next big thing" coming down the technology escalator that will drive sales up again. None of this has stopped me just ordering a new boat at Southampton to replace the one I sold In January this year when my last company failed but as Redhead mentioned we funded it out of the equity in our house rather than bonus/ commissions etc. Also, I have a horrible feeling that the golden days of IT have gone forever. Lets hope I'm wrong but the new term for the IT Industry is the TECH Wreck

 

[Guest]

Re: Not an attack on John

Jeremy
I have never met John so I can only comment on his posts here in this forum, and from those, I'm pretty sure he is only to aware of his influence and responsibilities to the industry he works in. He is (I believe) trying to turn around a companies image that to say the least has come in for a right drubbing at various times on this forum. He at least comes here and gives us answers to our questions where he possibly can, given the constraints impossed on any MD of a large company. However one poster above makes a very valid point about charging by meterage. Why should a guy with a boat 1 mtr longer pay more for a berth, after all a berth is filled whether the boat is 5 mtrs long or 15 mtrs long. Maybe John would like to look at what could be a revolutionary approach to marina charging i.e Split the berths into 3 catagories small boats up to say 7 mtrs and then 7 - 12 mtrs and then the rest and charge one price for each.

 

[JeremyF]

Re: Not an attack on John

I agree re John, and have said as much a couple of times before.

Campers is moving to pricing by berth length for new contracts, Ive been told. I'm not sure its a positive move, as we'll see increasingly large boats on short pontoons, and even less room to manoevre

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Dawn Chorus</font color=green>