Like a knight of old, Mr Ewing has unhorsed his straw man. The bankrupt was wearing a red necktie; avoid bankruptcy by omitting to wear red neckties or, better, any necktie at all.
That it is possible to misuse new technology is not an argument for avoiding it or for a 'statesmanlike' tactic that adopts only a little of it. The opportunity costs of doing so are high, as we are seeing. The matter can be put in even more forthright fashion. Operational IT costs can be significant for, say, a bank or an airline. IT-development costs and IT-group budgets, on the other hand, are trivial. Their effect on the bottom line is seldom significant, and keeping IT groups on a tight budgetary leash is almost always a matter of posturing. Waste is ugly, but pathological preoccupation with avoiding the appearance of waste is uglier. John Gilmore, Ashland, MA 01721 - USA ---------------------------------------------------------------------- For IBM-MAIN subscribe / signoff / archive access instructions, send email to lists...@listserv.ua.edu with the message: INFO IBM-MAIN
