An interesting article in Business 2.0 lists the 101 dumbest moments in business development… I’ve extracted a few of them here:
5) So that’s why they call it a CrackBerry. – A study by the University of London’s Institute of Psychiatry, commissioned by Hewlett-Packard, finds that “an average worker’s functioning IQ falls 10 points when distracted by ringing telephones and incoming e-mails … more than double the four-point drop seen following studies on the impact of smoking marijuana.”
40) Just google him. We hear it really ticks him off. – “F—ing Eric Schmidt is a f—ing pussy. I’m going to f—ing bury that guy, I have done it before and I will do it again. I’m going to f—ing kill Google.” — Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer, in response to the departure of Mark Lucovsky, a former Microsoft “distinguished engineer” who left last year to work at Google.
66) No late fees. Honest. Sort of. – In January, Blockbuster kicks off a “no late fees” policy. The catch? If customers keep their movies more than a week past the due date, their credit cards are charged for the full purchase price; when they return the items, their refund comes minus a “restocking fee.” By March the company settles with 47 states for $630,000 and agrees to pay refunds to consumers who felt misled.