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Deadly Disease of Management: Emphasis on Short-term Profits

Deming Institute

In Warren Buffett’s 2010 annual letter to shareholders he mentions the advantage Berkshire Hathaway has because it doesn’t focus on short term results: At GEICO, for example, we enthusiastically spent $900 million last year on advertising to obtain policyholders who deliver us no immediate profits. In Profit Beyond Measure by H.

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Stop Budgeting, Start Improving

Harvard Business Review

Consider ThedaCare , a healthcare system in Wisconsin, which eliminated its budgeting process in 2010. According to ThedaCare's chief financial officer, Tim Olson , top management viewed it as a significant waste of time. But the tight-fisted approach winds up being wasteful, and there is a better way.

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An Insider’s Account of the Yahoo-Alibaba Deal

Harvard Business Review

In May of 2005, Yahoo CEO Terry Semel, cofounder Jerry Yang, corporate development executive Toby Coppel, and I — I was then chief financial officer of the Silicon Valley internet company — went on what would turn out to be a fateful trip to China. The company was owned by management, venture capitalists, and SoftBank.