盘点2011-年世界十大商业失误

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　　1. Netflix失去Mojo
        　　Netflix有着拒绝延迟付费的政策和巨大的库存，是亲和消费者的公司中的极致。但今年7月，随着其最大竞争对手百视达（Blockbuster）的破产，Netflix将DVD每月最低租赁费和视频流服务费提高了60%，从9.99美元涨到了15.98美元。该公司试图告诉顾客他们仍在获得“极大的价值”。顾客则告诉Netflix该在哪里挤出这份价值并开始取消订阅。为修复这一损害，CEO里德 黑斯廷斯在一封惊人的电子邮件中宣布：Netflix将一分为二，新公司Qwikster将接管Netflix传统的DVD租赁业务。但是，Netflix忘记了在推特上保护Qwikster的名称，结果这个名称已被喜欢性暗示的某些人利用了。顾客们抱怨这次拆分只会使应用公司的服务更加麻烦。黑斯廷斯一个月后放弃了这次拆分。在变相涨价后的三个月里，Netflix总计流失了至少800 000顾客。该公司股价曾经高企，但已从7月304美元的高位跌至近期的66美元。今年（2011年）11月份，公司称其短缺资金，而且几乎肯定在2012全年将负债运营。

       

               

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                里德-黑斯廷斯，Netflix的CEO

        　　1. Netflix Loses Its Mojo
        　　Netflix, with its no-late-fee policy and huge inventory, was the ultimate in consumer-friendly companies. But in July, with its biggest competition, Blockbuster, in bankruptcy, Netflix raised the minimum monthly cost of its DVD-rental and streaming-video service 60%, to $15.98 from $9.99. The company tried to tell customers they were still getting a "terrific value." Customers told Netflix where to shove that value and began canceling subscriptions. To repair the damage, CEO Reed Hastings announced in a surprise e-mail that Netflix was splitting in two, with a new company, Qwikster, taking over Netflix's traditional DVD-rental business. Netflix, though, had forgotten to secure the Qwikster name on Twitter, which was already in use by someone who liked sexual innuendo. Customers complained the split would make using the company's services only more complicated. Hastings aborted the split a month later. In all, Netflix shed at least 800,000 customers in the three months following the fee hike. The company's stock, once a highflyer, has plunged recently to $66 from a high of $304 in July. In November, the company said it was short cash and that it is almost certain to remain in the red through 2012.
         
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         　　2. 美国银行的5美元借记卡费
        　　九月底，美国银行显示了它与美国到底有多脱节。该公司宣称计划向许多顾客收取每月5美元的借记卡使用费。这项收费为不断扩大的占领华尔街运动提供了力量和弹药——一家由纳税人支撑的银行攻击顾客激怒了人们。抗议者们突袭了这家银行在全美的分支机构。华盛顿特区22岁的莫利 卡切波发起了谴责该银行的在线请愿，征集到了300 000个签名。奥巴马总统称这次收费“并非良好商业行为”。11月初，美国银行投降了，但损害已经造成。信贷联盟称它们在一个月内获得了多达650 000个来自美国银行和其他大银行的账户， 大约和它们2010年全年签下的账户一样多。

       

               

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                莫利-卡切波，她发起了针对美国银行借记卡费的请愿。这是2011年10月6日，她在华盛顿的一次新闻发布会上剪碎了自己的信用卡。

        　　2. Bank of America's $5 Debit-Card Fee
        In late September, Bank of America showed just how out of touch with America it was. The company announced a plan to charge many customers $5 a month to use their debit cards. The fee added momentum and ammunition to the growing Occupy Wall Street movement — outraged that a bank bailed out by taxpayers would turn on customers. Protesters stormed the bank's branches around the country. An online petition started by a 22-year-old, Molly Katchpole of Washington, D.C., denouncing the bank got 300,000 signatures. President Obama called the fee "not good business practice." In early November, Bank of America capitulated, but the damage was done. In one month, credit unions said they gained as many as 650,000 accounts from Bank of America and other large banks, about as many accounts as they had signed up in all of 2010.
            
            

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        　　3. 科尔津将他的经纪公司带到了悬崖边
        　　乔恩 科尔津，高盛前领导人，最近才被免去新泽西州长的职务。当他2010年在几乎不为人知的经纪公司——曼氏集团经济部门（MF Global）任领导时，很多人认为这个位子对这位著名金融家来说太低了。很明显，事实刚好相反。去年10月，MF Global提出破产申请。此外，科尔津似乎对这家公司的死亡负有直接责任。科尔津逼迫这家公司在欧洲债券上打了个115亿美元的赌，大部分用的是借来的钱。随着今年秋天欧元危机加剧，债券价值大跌，促使MF的借款人要求更多的钱来掩盖其正在失败的赌局。正是这场赌局最终彻底摧毁了这家公司。更糟的是，MF或曾试图掩盖利用客户的钱弥补现金不足的行为。顾客账户中有超过10亿美元消失了。据报道FBI正在调查此事。

       

               

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                乔恩-科尔津，居中者，MF Global的首席执行官

       
        3. Corzine Leads His Brokerage Firm off a Cliff
       
        When Jon Corzine, the recently deposed governor of New Jersey and former head of Goldman Sachs, took the top job at little known brokerage firm MF Global in 2010, many thought the position was beneath the well-known financier. Apparently, it was just the opposite. In late October, MF Global filed for bankruptcy. What's more, Corzine looks to be directly responsible for the firm's demise. Corzine pushed the firm to make an $11.5 billion bet on European bonds, much of it with borrowed money. As the Euro crisis intensified this autumn, the value of the bonds dropped, prompting MF's lenders to demand more money to cover its failing bets, which eventually wiped the firm out. Worse, MF may have tried to cover some of the cash crunch using client money. Over $1 billion is missing from customer accounts. The FBI is reportedly investigating.
            
            

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        　　4. 邮件黑客导致索尼网络关闭一月
        　　你会认为世界上最大的技术公司之一能防住黑客。 很明显不是这样。四月中旬，索尼不得不关闭了其PS（Playstation）网络。这个网络可以让用户购买游戏，与其他玩家连线。 当时网络受到了恶意黑客行动主义者LulzSec的攻击。公司花了一个多月、近1.75亿美元才备份了游戏网络并让其恢复运营。更糟的是，黑客们能接近1亿用户的账户信息，很可能还有他们的信用卡号。黑客行为发生了，但索尼让事情变得更糟。他们将用户的密码和账户信息以未加密方式储存，LulzSec高兴地指出了这一点。

       

               

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                一只索尼PS控制手柄

       
        4. Post Hack, Sony's Network Goes Dark for a Month
       
        Read more: http://www.time.com/time/specials/packages/article/0,28804,2101344_2101318_2101323,00.html #ixzz1i1ephHp6You would think one of the world's largest technology companies could play defense against hackers. Apparently not. In mid-April, Sony had to shut down its Playstation Network, which allows users to purchase games and connect with other gamers, when it was attacked by notorious hacktivists LulzSec. It took the company more than a month and nearly $175 million to get its gaming network back up and running. Worse, the hackers were able access account information and possibly the credit-card numbers of 100 million users. Hacks happen, but Sony made matters worse by storing its user passwords and account information in unencrypted format, which LulzSec gleefully pointed out.
            
            

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        　　5. Groupon的IPO由于可疑的会计问题打了折扣
        　　Groupon7月提交首次公开募股申请。这家社交购物公司当时声称，依据自有会计制度，2011年第一个季度它获利8200万美元。 实际上，该公司损失了近1亿美元。怎么了? Groupon的会计师们恰当地忽视了近2亿美元的营销成本。美国证券交易委员会逼迫Groupon8月重新用标准的会计方法提交IPO申请。9月底，Groupon称它正在重申财务报表以“改正错误”。该公司一直在将代表商人收集的资金记为收入——这种做法有效地宣称了自己的销售额是实际的两倍。会计上的诡计增加了GrouponIPO的费用，本来这办法能让公司市值7月就达到200亿美元。到Groupon最终完成IPO，已是11月初，公司估值缩至130亿美元。三周之内股票就跌至20美元的发行价之下。

       

               

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                安德鲁 梅森Groupon首席执行官，居中者。摄于2011年11月4日，当时他正在纽约纳斯达克市场讲话。

        5. Groupon's IPO Gets Marked Down on Questionable Accounting
       
        Read more: http://www.time.com/time/specials/packages/article/0,28804,2101344_2101318_2101324,00.html #ixzz1i1ezysLAIn July, when Groupon filed its initial public offering, the social-shopping company claimed that, based on a proprietary accounting metric, it had earned nearly $82 million in the first quarter of 2011. In reality, the company had lost close to $100 million. What happened? Groupon's accountants had conveniently overlooked nearly $200 million in marketing costs. The Securities and Exchange Commission forced Groupon to refile its IPO in August using standard accounting methods. In late September, Groupon said it was restating its financials again to "correct an error." The company had been counting as revenue the cash it collected on behalf of merchants — effectively claiming its sales were twice the actual number. The accounting shenanigans took their toll on Groupon's IPO, which was expected to value the firm at $20 billion in July. By the time Groupon eventually completed its IPO, in early November, the company's valuation had sunk to $13 billion. Within three weeks the stock had fallen below its $20 offering price.
            
            

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        　　6. 约翰 保尔森赌上经济并输掉
        　　2008年，对冲基金掌管人约翰保尔森因其在住房市场上的赌博被认为是整个时代最伟大的交易商之一。这次赌博为他和他的投资者创造了200亿美元。2011年，在打赌经济会大幅复苏后，保尔森看起来更像个一击即垮的奇迹。即使你不是美国的1400万失业者之一，你也知道这并未发生。保尔森今年也因投资中国公司嘉汉林业而被套，这家公司受到诈骗指控的困扰。以上各条新闻使保尔森最大的基金之一2011年下跌了47%，意味着三年内他已从市场表现最佳者变成了最差者之一。

       

               

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                2011年10月11日，纽约上东区的一场游行中，占领华尔街运动成员留下的一张大支票靠在对冲基金经理约翰 保尔森家门口。

       
             In2008, hedge funder John Paulson was deemed one of the greatest traders of all time for his wager against the housing market. It generated $20 billion for him and his investors. In 2011, Paulson looked more like a one-hit wonder after betting that the economy would stage a big recovery. Even if you are not one of the 14 million unemployed in the U.S., you know that hasn't happened. Paulson also got stung this year by an investment in Chinese firm Sino-Forest, which has been dogged by allegations of fraud. All told, that has left one of Paulson's largest funds down as much as 47% for 2011, meaning he has gone from the market's best performer to one of its worst in just three years.
            
            

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        7. 高盛笨拙处理Facebook募股
        　　1月初，高盛发起了新年最热门的交易之一，管理对社交媒体巨人Facebook来说价值500亿美元的私募配售。这笔交易除了产生数百万美元的费用，还将高盛置于领先地位，最终将引向Facebook非常有利可图的首次公开募股，只要高盛没有把私募配售搞砸——但这正是它所做的。高盛没能为此保密，相反很多细节被透露给了新闻界。高盛受到了美国证券交易委员会有关募股的质询，在极力赞扬这笔交易对它的顶级客户有多伟大后仅几天，就最终被迫将它的美国顾客排除在外。据报道Facebook和高盛的关系也走了下坡路。
        7. Goldman Fumbles Facebook OfferingIn early January, Goldman Sachs landed one of the hottest deals of the new year, managing a private placement for Facebook that valued the social media giant at $50 billion. The deal, besides generating millions in fees, looked to put Goldman in pole position to eventually lead Facebook's very lucrative initial public offering, as long as Goldman didn't screw up the private placement — which is exactly what it did. Instead of keeping the transaction private, many of the details were leaked to the press. Goldman was questioned by the Securities and Exchange Commission about the offering and was eventually forced to exclude its U.S. customers from participating, just days after touting how great the deal was to its top clients. Relations between Facebook and Goldman have reportedly gone south.
            
            

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        　　8. 惠普中止TouchPad平板电脑项目，随后解雇了推进该项目的CEO
        　　惠普或许有着生产最短命消费电子设备的纪录。六月，HP开始销售其大肆宣传的触摸屏平板电脑，它应该会逼苹果的iPad竭尽全力。六周后TouchPad消失了，因糟糕的销量而被惠普撤下。其实，惠普宣称它正在一并退出平板电脑业务。The TouchPad 的失望或许也减短了公司CEO的工作时间预期。九月，惠普解雇了CEO李艾科并用前eBayCEO梅格 惠特曼取代了他，这个人随后撤销了放弃惠普平板电脑的计划。
        8. Hewlett-Packard Discontinues TouchPad Tablet, Then Fires the CEO Who Pulled It Hewlett-Packard may have the record for producing the shortest-lived consumer device. In June, HP began selling its much-ballyhooed TouchPad tablet, which was supposed to give Apple's iPad a run for its money. Six weeks later the TouchPad was gone, pulled by HP because of poor sales. In fact, HP announced it was exiting the tablet business altogether. The TouchPad disappointment may have cut short the job prospects of the company's CEO as well. In September, HP fired CEO Leo Apotheker and replaced him with former eBay CEO Meg Whitman, who then reversed HP's tablet withdrawal.
            
            

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        　　9. 伯克希尔 哈撒韦的内幕交易丑闻
        　　当你在美国这个大企业即将得到一份众人垂涎的工作时，最好远离自己的经纪账户。大卫 索科尔曾被广泛认为是替代沃伦 巴菲特掌舵伯克希尔 哈撒韦的最主要竞争者。他三月份在承认购买化学品公司Lubrizol股份后辞职，而这次购买距该公司同意被伯克希尔收购仅剩两个月。伯克希尔的审计委员会发表了一份报告，结论是索科尔破坏了公司规定，在有关他在Lubrizol股份的问题上错误引导了伯克希尔的管理人员，而他却否认了这一点。这次事件对好人巴菲特来说是个伤痕（熊猫眼），他由于在索科尔辞职时支持其而受到批评。从那以后，伯克希尔声称它可能因违反规定而起诉索科尔。巴菲特也承认他本来能把情况处理得更好。　
        9. Berkshire Hathaway's Insider-Trading ScandalWhen you are in line for the one of the most coveted jobs in corporate America, best to stay away from your brokerage account. In March, David Sokol, who was widely considered a leading contender to replace Warren Buffett at the helm of Berkshire Hathaway, resigned after admitting that he had bought shares of chemical company Lubrizol just two months before the company agreed to be acquired by Berkshire. Berkshire's audit committee released a report concluding that Sokol had broken company rules and misled Berkshire officials about his stake in Lubrizol, which he denied. The incident was a black eye for good guy Buffett, who was criticized for backing Sokol at the time of his resignation. Since then, Berkshire has said it might sue Sokol over the violations. Buffett admitted he could have handled the situation better.
            
            

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        　　10. AT&T 尝试购买T-Mobile，但目前失败了
        　　AT&T购买竞争对手T-Mobile的尝试正在接近于一次巨大的失败。11月底，AT&T从联邦通讯委员会撤回了并购申请，该委员会正在质疑这项390亿美元的交易将使全国大部分移动电话服务集中到两家大公司手中。司法部也行动起来阻止这项交易。AT&T和T-Mobile的管理人员称他们仍在探索可能的选择，但多数观察者正式宣布这项交易已停止。这项并购是三月宣布的，当时距AT&T失去苹果iPhone专属销售权仅几个月。人们认为它应当能使全国第二大无线服务提供商复兴，并支撑其不断收缩的网络。相反，AT&T将不得不在别处收购带宽，而它没有那么多钱来做这件事了。作为交易的一部分，AT&T 同意，如果交易不成功，它将支付给T-Mobile's 的所有者德国电信40亿美元的分手费。
       
        10. AT&T Tries and, so far, Fails to Buy T-MobileAT&T's attempt to purchase rival T-Mobile is amounting to one gigantic dropped call. In late November, AT&T pulled its merger application with the Federal Communications Commission, which was contesting the $39 billion deal, an arrangement that would leave most of the nation's cell phone service in the hands of two large companies. The Justice Department has also moved to block the deal. Officials at AT&T and T-Mobile said they were still exploring their options, but most observers were officially declaring it a dead deal. The merger, announced in March just months after AT&T lost its right to be the exclusive seller of Apple's iPhone, was supposed to revive the nation's No. 2 wireless service provider, and bolster its increasingly constrained network. Instead, AT&T will have to acquire bandwidth elsewhere, and it has less money to do so. As part of the deal, AT&T agreed to pay T-Mobile's owner Deutsche Telecom a $4 billion breakup fee if the deal didn't go through.
       
         
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