Meeting external deadlines is much harder than meeting internal ones. On the other hand, internal deadlines sometimes don't feel real, and are therefore easy to evade. James Surowiecki More Quotes by James Surowiecki More Quotes From James Surowiecki Congressional Republicans themselves have vehemently defended the idea that preexisting conditions should not be used to deny people insurance. James Surowiecki republican people ideas If being the biggest company was a guarantee of success, we'd all be using IBM computers and driving GM cars. James Surowiecki driving car guarantees If companies tell us more, insider trading will be worth less. James Surowiecki insider-trading insiders company If private-equity firms are as good at remaking companies as they claim, they don't need tax loopholes to make money. James Surowiecki making-money claims needs In American politics, 'Europe' is usually a code word for 'big government.' James Surowiecki bigs government europe In confusing stock options with ownership, corporations confuse trappings with substance. James Surowiecki corporations confusing substance In order to work well, markets need a basic level of trust. James Surowiecki levels order needs Most corporate name changes are the result of mergers and acquisitions. But these tend to be unimaginative. James Surowiecki mergers acquisition names Movies' mistrust of capitalism is almost as old as the medium itself. James Surowiecki mediums mistrust capitalism A general principle of good taxation is that similar jobs, and similar kinds of compensation, should be taxed the same way: otherwise, the government is effectively subsidizing some jobs over others. James Surowiecki government principles jobs In industries where a lot of competitors are selling the same product - mangoes, gasoline, DVD players - price is the easiest way to distinguish yourself. The hope is that if you cut prices enough you can increase your market share, and even your profits. But this works only if your competitors won't, or can't, follow suit. James Surowiecki dvds cutting player Critics of consumer capitalism like to think that consumers are manipulated and controlled by those who seek to sell them things, but for the most part it's the other way around: companies must make what consumers want and deliver it at the lowest possible price. James Surowiecki want way thinking Disasters redistribute money from taxpayers to construction workers, from insurance companies to homeowners, and even from those who once lived in the destroyed city to those who replace them. It's remarkable that this redistribution can happen so smoothly and quickly, with devastated regions reinventing themselves in a matter of months. James Surowiecki construction-workers cities matter Flexible supply chains are great for multinationals and consumers. But they erode already thin profit margins in developing-world factories and foster a pell-mell work environment in which getting the order out the door is the only thing that matters. James Surowiecki doors order world I started in business journalism from the outside, so when I started writing about markets and business, I was struck by the fact that markets seemed to work well even though people are often irrational, lack good information and are not perfect in the way they think about decisions. James Surowiecki writing people thinking If we want our regulators to do better, we have to embrace a simple idea: regulation isn't an obstacle to thriving free markets; it's a vital part of them. James Surowiecki simple want ideas If someone really wants my company's business, why shouldn't he be able to do everything he can - including paying me off - to get that business? Because bribery encourages people to make decisions based on the wrong criteria, which means in the business world that it distorts the efficient allocation of resources. James Surowiecki decision mean people If you thought the advent of the Internet, the spread of cheap and efficient information technology, and the growing fragmentation of the consumer market were all going to help smaller companies thrive at the expense of the slow-moving giants of the Fortune 500, apparently you were wrong. James Surowiecki giants technology moving If you work for Google or Apple, stock options give you a chance to share in the increasing value of the company. In the N.F.L., nothing like this happens; the players, though rich, are just working stiffs like the rest of us. James Surowiecki apples player giving In a world where companies increasingly know about their business in real time, it makes no sense that public reporting mostly follows the old quarterly schedule. Companies sit on vital information until reporting day, at which point the market goes crazy. James Surowiecki schedules crazy real
