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Technology Stocks : SAP A.G. -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: Sam Citron who wrote (2507)	9/9/1998 4:07:00 PM
From: MulhollandDrive	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 3424

>>It suggests an oligopolistic market structure and the possibility of an unhealthy power in the hands of huge MNCs(multinational companies)...<< Sam, A good example of the "unhealthiness" of this persistent, seemingly inexorable march toward this oligarchy is in the banking industry. I currently use an independent bank in our area and my daughter banks at one of the former regional banks that was assimilated into Nations Bank. She showed me a letter from the bank detailing the "new" list of transaction charges that were to be instituted (the most egregious of which was a $25 fee if you cancel your account) and of course she was quite annoyed at the ever dwindling list of choices for her banking needs. As the market capitalization of these banks (and other business sectors) become so disparate between the "haves and the have nots" it becomes increasingly difficult for the lesser capitalized entities to maintain their market share and many eventually succumb to acquisition. This leaves the door open for more and more industries to have defacto pricing control and less attention to service or product quality. Once the competitors have been successfully assimilated or driven out of business we have a situation that is detrimental to growth and innovation. The stock market is more than just a means to personal asset appreciation, it's how businesses are funded. If we continue to give short shrift to the emerging companies because "they're not worth the risk" we may ultimately be eroding away those "opportunities". BTW, being the capitalist purist that I am, I advised my daughter to vote her dissatisfaction with her bank with her feet and move her business elsewhere (preferably before they get a chance to tag her for the $25!). bp