Goldman Sachs

Bankers: Don't fret. Harvard Biz School still loves you.

Despite growing fears that Harvard Business School has turned its back on financiers and consultants, it's more likely that recently rejected applicants to the elite MBA program fell victim to common application fumbles. Here are a few tips to avoid the pitfalls.

By Shawn O'Connor, contributor

An anxious buzz is sweeping through the ranks of analysts and associates at the country's premier private equity firms and investment banks.

"Why doesn't Harvard MORE

Harvard Biz School to Wall Street: Rejection!

In what may be a marked appeal to diversify its ranks and soften its image, Harvard Business School sent out several surprising rejections and wait list notifications to candidates from some of the most prestigious financial firms in the world.

By John A. Byrne, contributor

(poetsandquants.com) -- Several high-performing private equity and financial stars were dumbfounded, outraged, or just perplexed to be rejected or waitlisted when Harvard Business School released its round MORE

A shout out to lobbyists

The Daily Beast today reports that "As Congress debated the financial reform bill, 850 business, trade groups and other corporate interests threw over 3,000 lobbyists at Capitol Hill and spent over $1.3 billion in 2009. The U.S. Chamber of Commerce led the way with its contingent of 85 lobbyists with the Securities Industry and Financial Markets Association tossing in another 54 of their own. Around 175 groups involved in the MORE

The lesson of Goldman Sachs, or How the lizard will shed its tail

It's amazing what expensive messaging can buy. The first wave of publicity surrounding the SEC case against Goldman was fierce and damning. Now what we're seeing is their Public Relations dollars at work. The conversation has shifted, have you noticed? What was huge, solid outrage against Goldman has moderated, and thoughtful (if bald) heads are prevailing.

Of course Goldman took short positions against its long bets on the real estate market. Wasn't MORE

Note to Lloyd Blankfein: Stupidity is the best defense

Things look pretty blank and far from fine for Lloyd this morning. But buried within the situation is a strategy that may serve him well in the days to come. Ken Lay explored it to some effect. It's called executive ignorance, and anybody who has worked in the upper echelons of corporate life knows it's a very credible defense indeed.

I'm not saying it's true, mind you. Just credible. At least MORE

Things To Do This Week

1. Fix Greece. Nobody can have any fun until they break out the Ouzo. Perhaps Goldman Sachs can help, since they made so much money betting on the bazoukis to fail.

2. Pick up dry cleaning.

3. Get media to declare the recession is over. No, it's not over, but if they say it is at least they'll be doing something constructive.

4. Requisition dumpster. Clean out credenza.

5. Pay Federal income tax.

6. Pay MORE

Blankfein vs. Dougan -- Compensation Smackdown!

Word comes from Credit Suisse that Brady Dougan, the Chief Executive of that fine fiduciary institution, earned $17.9 million in 2009, which is six times more than he made in 2008. This makes good sense. 2009 was a much better year than 2008, and any fair evaluation of compensation should account for that. Also, Mr. Dougan's comp is pretty much consonant with the nuts and berries that were paid to execs MORE

On Accountability

What do any of the predictors, prognosticators, seers, sooth-sayers and other artists of that sort have to say for themselves in the wake of all the failed predictions, prognostications, visions and general collapses of sooth we've got going on right now?

Buddy, can you spare $250 billion?

As society grows and changes, then, our idea of the proper role of Government -- what it needs to do to protect the needy, the weak, the powerless, the downtrodden, the huddled masses and their friends -- mutates and shifts along with it. Today we can add another group to the list of those who require intercession by We the People: Big Banks