Information flow and Y2K.

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If you have ever worked for a large corporation you know that it takes a very long time for problems to surface to the leval of the decsion makers/management, let alone to become coherant to anyone outside the firm. People are scared at all levals in corporate America to take responsibility for problems and approach their higher ups. The ticket is not to make waves at all costs and let it be someone else's problem. I think this mindset is pervasive in our society and is being reflected in the non-reporting of any and all Y2K problems. We as consumers actually see or understand very little about how corporations work; all we know is a bill in the mail or a product sitting on the shelf...we know nothing about the inner workings of a massive corporation, let alone the computer systems. I would also say this goes for most employees of any large corporation. The amount of people that do know what is going on is very, very small and they are very interested in keeping their jobs; so they are not going to talk. Hence no news. Any thoughts anyone?

-- Terry L. (wingstp@345.com), January 25, 2000

Answers

Terry, only one thought.

You're right on :-) except that I even see problems like this at little corporations/SMEs.

Heck...I'm a one man shop and I lie to myself ALL the time just to get by :-)

Mike

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-- Mike Taylor (mtdesign3@aolx.com), January 25, 2000.


Terry, I see that you are ready to read the book: The Law and the Profits by C. Northcoate Parkinson. It is a book about corporate behavior, very informative reading. you'll have to search for it in used bookstores however, I think most of his books (excellent) are out of print.

-- (formerly@nowhere.zzz), January 25, 2000.

This is why we've been telling people to wait until March or so to sound the "all clear". Major faults won't surface until the first EOM about a week from now, and reruns and quick (but invalid) workaround attempts will soak up about two weeks. So in mid-February lots of companies might be looking bankruptcy in the face, with the realization working its way up to the CEO. Around early March the first wave of repercussions (bankruptcies, cash stoppages, failure to meet payroll) will be in the news, if these failures themselves happen.

Or maybe none of this will happen, and all companies (whether they did y2k remediation or not) will run along as if there were no date change. Uh-huh.

The question is not whether companies will fail, but how many will fail, and will it burst the bubble (if the bubble is still going then) and will it start a depression. My guess is that by June we'll have an idea how long it will take to recover from y2k.

-- bw (home@puget.sound), January 25, 2000.


The true gage of Y2K: The true gage to judge Y2K are the gas pumps, heating oil, grocery check out, and the unemployment lines. These will be the true readings for Y2K, which in no fashion can be found in the news media. In six months from now, by this time next year the true picture can be seen by the misery that fills the land. None of that will be newsworthy to the public. Also it is of no importance unless it effects you personally. How sad this society is, how sick it is, how corrupt it is. How rotten to the core it is. Money, power and fame rule the roost of this nation. The rich are elected, and the rich are protected and the rich rule, and to hell with everybody else.

-- Notforlong (Fsur@aol.com), January 25, 2000.

Terry, I agree woleheartedly with your Y2K June timeline. Information will continue to be suppressed and covered up by the media. However, I believe eventually the problems globally will be so pervasive that even our wonderful media will be unable to stop the flow of Y2K information.

-- NoJo (RSKeiper@aol.com), January 25, 2000.


Keep in mind that there are two sound and fundamental reasons as to why little is being mentioned by those experiencing problems.

1) Pride-Since the crisis does not exist there are many companies who do not want to report problems.

2)Fear-By not releasing information about Y2K related problems the possibility of losing a customer, if you are a supplier, is not possible. It is best to keep the problem as quiet as possible if you want to maintain the status quo.

-- Richard Markland (newsman@bright.net), January 25, 2000.


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