Gerard J. Brandon
Articles by Gerard J. Brandon
October 20, 2008
As we face the worst recession in decades the credit crunch restricts company growth for those with the ability to repay debt while private equity firms are flush with cash but with no access to leveraged debt. An innovate business model may be one way to solve the problems faced by global corporations and the private equity industry.
August 10, 2006
If European governments believe that they can realise the dreams of Entrepreneurs and create more indigenous jobs by flooding the market with soft-grants, loans and incubator units then they are very much mistaken. While it may result in more start-ups it will inevitably lead to more start-up failur...
August 08, 2006
Whether you are a mother of a young screaming child demanding sweets in a supermarket, a builder with a reluctant paying customer who claims overcharging, or the ceo of a multinational company attempting to avoid what appears to be the loss of a major contract to a competitor, it all comes down to o...
May 22, 2006
From iTunes to iTeach, podcasting provides educators a unique opportunity to compete in a global economy rather than just their local community.
Taking Education to the next level means removing it from the classroom and into the iPods and MP3 players of students who can learn sitting in their car...
May 21, 2006
From Ancient Greeks to Recent Geeks
George W. Bush said that ‘Entrepreneur’ is such an American characteristic that the French don’t even have a word for it. ‘Entrepreneurship’ was in fact a phrase used as long ago as Ancient Egypt where it meant “in-between-pyramids” or “we’re-down-sizing-you’r...
May 21, 2006
Having found a haven of smooth jazz tranquility in a corner section of the busy Belfast, Ireland, Castle Court Shopping Mall - Starbucks cafe to be exact - on a beautiful saturday afternoon (well beautiful day to an Irishman is a few degrees above freezing, without a windchill factor and with the su...
May 19, 2006
Cultural elements to doing business in China:
Just like Confucious and Lao Tsu (who was the inspiration for Taoism) when negotiating with or marketing to the Chinese you must remember that they are more conscious of seeking 'the way' rather than the truth.
There is always an underlying need to...
May 19, 2006
With 1.2 billion consumers China poses many lucrative opportunities. Before you take your company into the Chinese market the following considerations are worth considering.
The consumer tends to seriously browse as this is seen as a treat and not a chore. Most households find new products more ...
May 18, 2006
Hiring a car in the Airport I decided to indulge in the addition of a GPS Navigation system. So loaded up, plugged in and stuck to the windscreen I read the instruction sheet (with the pictures, as simple instructions would be too complicated being man with a big picture kind of philosophy).
St...
May 16, 2006
Every individual...intends only his own gain....By pursuing his own interest he frequently promotes that of society more effectually than when he really intends to promote it."
Adam Smith - Wealth of Nations - 1776
Over 330 years after Adam Smith made that statement we are still debating the i...
May 16, 2006
Reading the letters in Fast Company April edition about an article "The Man who said no to Wal-Mart" struck me how naive people can be and how subsequent generations rarely learn from the previous one.
"You can't beat Wal-Mart on Price and China on cost" Tom Peters.
The article refers to the US...
May 12, 2006
Back to the Future ? Commodity inflation pressure
I remember trading equities in the early 90?s and listening to Jim Rogers (a founding partner in the Quantum Fund with George Soros) on CNBC that commodities were the only place you could guarantee constant rising prices. It was not foresight or ps...