Restructuring the US economy [VIDEO & CHARTS]

Kodak [VIDEO]: "You only find out who is swimming naked when the tide goes out"

Kodak will undoubtedly survive its bankruptcy. It will probably be reborn as a B2B company with focus on its division in printing, ink etc. 

But for a company that literally invented the digital camera, and set it aside, just so it can ride out the film business is a tragedy. 

This is really corporate risk-averse go-to-market strategy run amok. When does a company with such a rich history of innovation, and a patent portfolio to prove it, just set aside all these wonderful inventions and continue its day-to-day routine as if the World is not going to change. 

Warren Buffett summarized it all when he said "You only find out who is swimming naked when the tide goes out"

CLICK HERE TO WATCH VIDEO

The nth restructuring of IBM...and it keeps on ticking

When Sam Palmisano retired as CEO of IBM on Dec. 31, it marked the end of one of the most remarkable tenures in corporate history. Over his decade as IBM's leader, he made a number of moves, each instructive, but their power came from their cumulative effect in the transformation of a good company back into a great one.

Palmisano became leader of a great company that had stumbled badly in the 1980s and had been returned to health in the 1990's by Lou Gerstner. When Palmisano took over in early 2002, IBM had four main businesses each organized on a global basis: hardware, software, services (such as back-office outsourcing), and personal computers (PCs). The company was led — as it had been for decades — by a corporate executive committee (CEC) of the top 11 officers of....read more here Sam Palmisano's Transformation of IBM

Houlihan Lokey tops restructuring rankings

US advisory firm Houlihan Lokey replaced Lazard at the top of the global completed restructuring league table in 2011 following a weak year for the sector, according to new data from Thomson Reuters.

The US firm was the strongest performer in a poor environment in which total volumes fell by more than two fifths. It moved up from second place in the previous year's league table.

Lazard, meanwhile, slipped to second place with Rothschild third. Moelis and Blackstone Group made up the rest of the top five globally.

In the US, Lazard ranked top of the league table with $27.2bn in deal activity, ahead of Houlihan Lokey and Blackstone Group. In Europe, the Middle East and Africa, Rothschild ranked top with $33bn of deal activity, ahead of Houlihan Lokey and Goldman Sachs, which moved from 15th in 2010 to third in the rankings in 2011.

Goldman's rise up the rankings in Emea helped it break into the top ten globally. It stood in sixth place, a big leap from 13th the previous year. 

Other new entrants to the global top ten included Alvarez & Marsal, the US firm handing the liquidation of Lehman Brothers, which moved from 25th to seventh, and PwC, which ranked eighth, up from 36th.

Read More: Houlihan Lokey tops restructuring rankings

Surviving by Returning the Company to its Roots

The Problem LoanBright had grown too fast for its own good. The company, which generates sales leads for mortgage lenders and brokers, had five years of rapid growth and made the 2005 Inc. 500 list with three-year revenue growth of 659.4 percent and 2004 revenue of $4.5 million. LoanBright, based in Evergreen, Colorado, sold the homebuyer data it collected on its website. Originally, its clients were small brokers and individual loan officers. By 2004, however, the company... Click here to continue: Returning To Its Roots - Going Downmarket - Company Restructuring | Inc.com

My 7 top Posts of 2011

My 7 top posts of 2011 - [in English]

1.       Tech Valuations - back to big $$$ per eyeballs

2.       Steve Jobs, our prayers are with you

3.       Lightning strikes Eiffel Tower - incredible photo

4.       Top 10 outrageous statements made by entrepreneurs to VCs

5.       Turnarounds - why? why? why?

6.       Tech Founders - overcome your fear of public speaking

7.       Top 10 excuses used by salespeople

My 7 top posts of 2011 - [in French]

1.       Vente Privée contre Groupon, un David contre Goliath

2.       Lettre ouverte à Nicolas Sarkozy par Fabrice

3.       Lettre ouverte à l'écosystème des startups en France par Cédric

4.       Rory McIlroy flambe le record de Tiger Woods à l'US Open

5.       Valos tech - facebook, linkedin, skype - des ARPU faibles pour des valos indecentes

6.       Vaincre la peur de parler en public

7.       Les Business Angels s'essouflent...

Rankings were done according to traffic data.

US ALERT: On the Verge of Bankruptcy

You didn't think US consumer confidence could be bought for free now did you?

• U.S. TREASURY SAYS DEBT LIMIT TO BE RAISED BY $1.2 TRILLION
•  U.S. DEBT TO BE $100 BLN WITHIN LIMIT ON DEC. 30, TREASURY SAYS
•  STEPS FOR INCREASING DEBT LIMIT UNDER 2011 BUDGET CONTROL ACT

And the piece de resistance that 100% debt to GDP brings:

• OBAMA ON DEC. 30 LIKELY TO ASK CONGRESS TO RAISE DEBT LIMIT

Just as we thought the circus was over if only for a few weeks. Also, this means that in a few days, the US debt ceiling will be raised from $15.194 trillion to $16.394 trillion. As a reminder, US GDP was just revised down to $15.176 trillion.

Thanks to Tyler for the heads up!