The Company Men

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The Company Men

Postby Jimmy_041 » Sun Dec 11, 2011 7:02 pm

Saw this on Foxtel last night
Although fictitious, it was a poignant example of what has happened in the USA since the start of the GFC.
And, a glowing example of what is wrong in the big companies when they lay off 3,000 but the CEO is still the 16th biggest earner in the US and wants to push on with the new HQ at the expense of further jobs.
All star cast and I highly recommend it

It really was thought provoking
Having worked for multi-national companies most of my life, I've seen a lot of what they talk about.
I worked for a UK company for 18 years that was taken over by the "Barbarians at the Gate" and effectively taken over by a New York management.
We were subjected to a NY woman that resembled Mimi Bobeck (Drew Carey Show) who's job was to "cut waste"
She cut everything in sight regardless of profitability or relative cost.
She brought in a "global" rating based on NY so, for example, in Adelaide, you were only allowed so much sq. metres per office based upon New York.
People were made to fly, for example, from London to Australia, economy class, by the cheapest airline regardless of stopover.

I could go on.... but there is a punchline.........

I met this woman in London on one of my trips.
She was standing outside one of our office in Bishopsgate having a smoke.
I had a chat with her (brown nosing) but then her driver turned up :shock:
"OK, have to go back to HQ" she said

1 km away if the fat cow walked................

I thought of her last night
dedja: Dunno, I’m just an idiot.
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Re: The Company Men

Postby Hondo » Sun Dec 11, 2011 9:22 pm

I watched it on DVD a few months ago and had similar thoughts to you Jimmy

I haven't worked for a multi-national but I have had enough exposure to the corporate world to understand the points that movie was making. I have seen minor budget line items slashed while OTT consultant fees get let through.

There's quite a few movies coming out on the topic of the GFC impact in the US. If they truly represent how tough things got over there, then Australia has been spared a lot of the pain of the GFC. "Larry Crowne" has some of the same themes of "The Company Men".

Great story about the CEO needing a driver to travel one KM!
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Re: The Company Men

Postby Jimmy_041 » Sun Dec 11, 2011 10:57 pm

She wasn't the CEO
She was the Director in charge of eliminating waste - fat cow was 120 kgs, a big mouthed New Yorker and on GBP500k pa
She use to have one set of finger nails painted with the stars & stripes and the other with the Union Jack.
Her family still lived in NY & her package included monthly trips home - first class.

The CEO (and was also Chairman) is another story........
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