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Strategies & Market Trends : CXI-Commodore Environmental -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: Czechsinthemail who wrote (532)	4/11/1998 10:46:00 AM
From: Superhawk	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 1755

Are politicians affiliated with a for-profit, public company good for investors? (Incidentally, I've enjoyed the debate on both sides of this issue reflected in recent posts). There are three possible major areas of contribution for folks like Adelman, Nunn, and Kirkpatrick: they could assist with business decisions (how to improve margins, how to increase market share, help analyze the pros and cons of a strategic acquisition); they could help define and refine technological approaches to solving problems (e.g., suggest process engineering changes to SET reactions); or they could provide political muscle. I think the last three posters have suggested their role is the latter: "What some don't seem to realize is that when dealing with the military and/or government entities people with political savvy is an absolute necessity. " Providing leverage via expensive political connections is nothing more than influence peddling, and it has two sides. The positive spin to the government is "If you select our company, our high-level consultants and appointees will assure your program gets the desired national visibility and funding we all desire." The veiled threat is, "If you don't pick us, your future budgetary allocations, indeed perhaps even your career progression, might be in jeopardy." Either way, the message is transparent, shallow, and anathema to the government employees charged with making the contract selection. Political persuasion might have some benefit in the near term, but it is the long term kiss-of-death for any company seriously interested in cultivating a productive relationship with a government entity. How do I know? I retired recently as deputy director for R&D at an Army agency responsible for chemical/biological defense.