j_e_o (6/19/2012)
The bottom line is that if a company does not take sufficient risk to maintain or increase their market share then ultimately they will spiral down into oblivion and be forced to put up the "Going out of business" sign. Therefore, to avoid insolvency, companies must ask their employees to identify strategies, that involve risk, to improve or maintain the bottom line.Lehman Brothers is a great example of companies that "gambled" rather than take calculated risks. What they did was criminally irresponsible and, quite frankly, stupid. Their methodology was comparable to any pyramid scheme: the "value" of the mortgage backed securities could only be sustained if the properties that backed them "never" depreciated. That expectation was patently ridiculous over time but it sure looked good in the short term.
As Forrest Gump used to say, "Stupid is as stupid does". That is very different from calculated risk taking and or taking a calculated gamble. For example, if someone decided to rob a bank, or burglarize someone's house, or pull a Bernie Madoff or Scott Rothstein, well thats' just stupid decison making. Nothing more. 😀
"Technology is a weird thing. It brings you great gifts with one hand, and it stabs you in the back with the other. ...:-D"