speaking of GM, anyone remember when Ross Perot worked with them to realign their business model? Seems there was a heated parking garage for the board of director's parking needs that cost $140K to heat. Ross saw waste everywhere he looked and yet the GM board was insulted by his suggestions for developing a more efficient business model. This is the same crew that flew in their private rather large and luxurious business jet to Washington, DC to ask for a bail out.


from the following article;

To: corporate managers, re: bureaucracy; don't send memos! | Washington Monthly | Find Articles

"Ross Perot captured the spirit while he was at General Motors: 'In Pontiac [Michigan], GM executives' parking garages are heated, while the poor guys who work in the plant freeze their tails off walking to work in the snow. It costs $140,000 a year to heat one parking garage. I'd shut that thing down.'"

"During a visit to Columbus in 1986, a Worthington employee and I struck up a conversation about the American steel industry. It was right after LTV declared bankruptcy. The guy just couldn't fathom how the chairman of that company had the nerve to bring home a $700,000 salary, and pay himself a whopping bonus to boot, for driving a firm over the edge. Neither could I. In fact, the final break between Ross Perot and GM came when that firm's problematic performance in 1986 led it to refuse to pay $1,000 profit-sharing bonuses to hourly workers--while giving executives all they were "entitled' to by traditional practice. "You can't look the troops in the eye and say, "It's been a bad year; we can't do anything for you,' but then say, "By the way, we're going to pay ourselves a $1 million bonus,'' Perot said."