Category: Failure

  • How important is Brand? Three phases in dealing with product recall.

    How important is Brand? Three phases in dealing with product recall.

    The concepts of brand value and equity are well established. We all relate to brands to a greater or lesser degree. Marketing colleagues are seen as the ‘owners’ of the brand and regularly discuss brand health based on customers’ perceptions of their satisfaction with products and services. The marketing team will always take the lead…

  • HSE ‘Blue tape’​ initiative – Part 3

    HSE ‘Blue tape’​ initiative – Part 3

    In two earlier posts, Part 1 and Part 2, I discussed the work that the HSE initiated on the business burdens introduced by consultants et al to UK PLC, particularly small businesses. Businesses have had the small matters of Covid lockdowns, a war in Europe and financial chaos to deal with since the meetings began…

  • Post Office internal investigation

    On the BBC website there is a news story about the Post Office hiring ex-police officers to investigate its internal investigators. This looks to be a valid attempt to do a deep dive into what went wrong with the process. Hopefully, it is not just a smokescreen to take the spotlight off senior management at…

  • The Great Post Office Scandal

    Over the weekend media outlets were focused on the pay taken by senior Fujitsu executives over the period covered by the Horizon scandal. I am ashamed to say that ‘The Great Post Office Scandal: The story of the fight to expose a multimillion pound IT disaster which put innocent people in jail’ by Nick Wallis…

  • Boeing 737 Max 9

    Footage from the Alaskan Airlines flight landing at Portland, Oregon over the weekend was dramatic. Images showed a refrigerator-sized hole in the side of the craft, with terminal building lights visible through the gap as the plane landed. The cause of the emergency was a cabin door exit plug had blown out and the aircraft…

  • Post Office Horizon IT Scandal

    The TV series Mr Bates vs the Post Office portrays the shameful treatment of Sub Postmasters and Postmistresses by Post Office Ltd. The systemic failings of governance and assurance led to the persecution of innocent individuals, impacting hundreds of lives. The Horizon software’s quality was questioned, highlighting the miscarriage of justice. This drama sheds light…

  • Lessons learned

    Business leaders and politicians frequently vow to “learn the lessons” from disasters such as election upsets, corporate failures, and tragedies like the Grenfell tower fire. Despite these promises, there is little evidence of meaningful change. The cycle of rhetoric and repetition continues, raising questions about when tangible action will follow.

  • Shabby operators

    Another holiday, another example of a #shabbyoperator. In this case it is car hire company @Europcar and their franchisee – @interrent_ES, operating out of Palma airport on the beautiful island of Majorca. It’s the usual story of picking up a hire car and needing to run round it with a fine tooth comb and I…