Is there more to this story? I get the feeling that for some companies, failure comes even if the company shifts gears. The more interesting story (for me), is to know when those running the company should make the decision to let the investors know that failure is unavoidable. I also think that no CEO or management team should run alone, instead someone on the board or the investment group should provide additional oversight and direction. Have you ever seen an example of a company that increased it business for more than a few years only to fail to shift gears when it was necessary?

Editor’s Note: In the simplest sense, no story is complete – there is always more – particularly than can be included in a short note. Investors should know in real time what is going on within the company – they should not wait until management gets around to telling them. Inadequate oversight is one of the most common reasons that companies fail. I agree that the board should be aggressively involved in such oversight. Investors that ‘call in’ oversight, get what they deserve – lots of losses.

Thanks!