Listen up, biz leaders: It's time to rethink everything

• Recession recovery blues

  If the downturn is receding, why is my mood indigo?

  By Stanley Bing

  FORTUNE -- Spring has sprung. The grass is riz. So it's reasonable to ask where the birdies is. Because I don't know about you, but I don't see no birdies. I'm tense. I'm nervous. I guess you could say that my consumer confidence is sort of ... leaky. Why should that be? All signs point to a slow MORE

  May 2, 2012 5:00 AM ET
  Posted in: Bing, Consumer Confidence, Economic recovery, Recession, stock market, unemployment

• Don't fight the last recession's war. You'll lose.

  Opening the managerial toolbox from the 2008 recession to tackle today's economic turmoil will only get you into trouble. That's because the critical elements that affect companies are sharply different today. By Geoff Colvin

  Aug 15, 2011 5:00 AM ET
  Posted in: Late-2000s recession, Recession

• Class struggle

  Writing a check for a soccer uniform, I thought, Gee, when I was a kid, my school had money for that.

  Most of the time I feel okay with the way things are going. I'm not part of the half of our nation that seems to think everything is heading to hell in a handcart. But sometimes I get grossed out by wild discrepancies. A sense of dislocation overwhelms me, and MORE

  Bing - Nov 12, 2010 11:44 AM ET
  Posted in: class struggle, Recession, schools, Stanley Bing

• How Wall Street Is Screwing Up The Recovery

  I had to laugh the other day at the way the Market is behaving, but it wasn't a good laugh.  It was one of those dark laughs, full of phlegm and bile, a laugh that dies in the back of your throat, turning before it fades away entirely into a short, sharp growl.

  One day up. Two days up. Then down, down 150 or 200 points.  It's like psychoanalysis. Two steps forward. MORE

  Bing - Aug 19, 2010 1:31 PM ET
  Posted in: Add new tag, Capitalism, Recession, Wall Street

• The uncatered lunch meeting is not worth having

  Just a little note to get the summer started off right. I have noticed a disturbing, post-recessionary trend developing that should, I believe, be killed in its cradle.

  It's the uncatered meeting that takes place during what in civilized societies would be considered lunchtime.

  When I was a lad, I worked for a guy I'll call Walt. Walt was a wonderful guy, except he had one (well, actually more than one, but MORE

  Bing - Jun 1, 2010 11:56 AM ET
  Posted in: Business Lunch, Recession

• This just in! Survey finds surveys superfluous!

  According to a new survey conducted in late January by Charles Schwab, 85% of all independent advisors believe that the recession will be over in a couple of years. Two or so, they think. Perhaps a little more. Or less.

  Some believe that it will be over by the end of this year, but not many.

  Others think it's going to be bad until late 2011, although they are in the minority, MORE

  Bing - Mar 4, 2009 1:41 PM ET
  Posted in: Recession, Surveys, Warren Buffett

• One store closes, another opens

  Everywhere you look: gloom. But maybe not.

  Gloom, of course, isn't hard to spot. The other day I looked outside my office window, which fortunately, the way things are going some days, is hermetically sealed and made out of extremely strong plate glass. Outside on the sidewalk, on the other side of the avenue, was a long, long line of people that grew as the morning progressed. By 10 AM, it was tripled MORE

  Bing - Feb 27, 2009 9:32 AM ET
  Posted in: Brooks Brothers, Hope, Recession

• Our morning analyst reports

  From: Investor Relations
  Sent: Thursday, January 22, 2009 9:26 AM
  Subject: Morning Security Analyst Notes

   

  Overall Industry

   

  • Mark Putznick at Boardman Frakes (which reported a fourth quarter 2008 loss of $4.97 per common share) commented on the U.S. revenue environment stating that everything will decelerate significantly during 1Q'09, although "visibility into the overall picture is murky." He downgraded everything he could get MORE

  Bing - Jan 22, 2009 12:23 PM ET
  Posted in: fruitless exercises, Recession, Security Analysts

• The Consumer Electronics Show gets underway

  Vegas, January 8 -- You wouldn't believe the portions they serve you here. It's almost like they sit planning the menu for people who are looking to keep their weight at a nice, round 300 pounds. Who wants a pizza with scalloped potatoes on it? It's the house specialty where we had dinner last night. The drinks are small and expensive. A vast majority of the waiters look like potential MORE

  Bing - Jan 8, 2009 11:08 AM ET
  Posted in: CES, Consumer Electronics Show, conventions, Las Vegas, NATPE, Recession