Реклама. ООО «ЛитРес», ИНН: 7719571260.
Speak to the Man Called Hope
Chapter 1 Time for a change
Chapter 2 Dreams and expectations
Chapter 3 Rent before buy before build
Chapter 4 Doing Due Diligence
Chapter 5 Tick Tock
Chapter 6 One Door Closes
Chapter 7 Fit For Purpose
Chapter 8 The Stakes are Going Up
Chapter 9 Behind Closed Doors
Chapter 10 Wheeling and Dealing
Chapter 11 The Big Fish
Chapter 12 Swings and Roundabouts
Chapter 13: The Gloves are Off
Chapter 14: Pre-Work and Prep
Chapter 15: DD Time Again
Chapter 16: The Dead Deal
Chapter 17: A New Day
Chapter 18: Project Minerva
Chapter 19: Do Not Spit
Chapter 20: The Knock
Chapter 21: Out and About
Chapter 22: Milestones
Chapter 23: Jack the Builder
Chapter 24: Through the Mud
Chapter 25: The Jackpot
Chapter 26: One More
Chapter 27: Missing
Chapter 28: Gossip
Chapter 29: Power
Chapter 30: Insiders
Chapter 31: Hope is a Good Thing
Buongiorno! How are you? A sombre face but pleasant morning voice greets early morning visitors. The Roman barista’s length of eye contact varies by each customer. It’s the early morning coffee call and Michelangelo’s has just opened for business. The sandstone tiles announce all visitors, its hard stone exterior identifies the softest of sole wearers. He looks around at the simple but appropriately fitted room and identifies the morning papers already laying available for reading on top of the wine barrel. The tables are small, brown and square with four chairs although they are only suited to two people hence the popularity of the tables against the wall. Bottles of Italian wine line the walls and are separated by photos of the pantheon, the foro italico, the colloseo and the trevi fountain, all at night. They are a time passed. No doubt they are valuable memories to Giovanni, the store owner, from his days gone by in Italy. Another wall hangs drawings of Leonardo da Vinci completing the identity of the cosy café.
He meanders to the counter, not enveloped by anything particular, there is no waft of cooked food in the air, it is too early. The smooth aroma of roasted beans massaged through the grinder poses a familiar and refreshing enough scent to draw the mind away to greener pastures. Marcelo is playing with the stereo, their latest addition to the ambience at Michelangelo’s albeit only for the early morning venturer. The tone shifts from Italian music for an audience of five to a humming thrawl of keen coffee drinkers and their mid-morning work discussions. Foreign music sometimes feels more exotic and uplifting and provides a loud but tolerable background to a coffee and paper. ‘Have you seen the score?’ asks Marcelo in his roman accented English. Marcelo enjoys his futbol. Roma used to be a great team and in his mind still is. He misses his youth days singing in the stalls of the stadio olympico with one hundred or so of his closest friends of which he knew all their names. He is a tall figure, imposing with his bald head, sharp brown eyes and blonde beard. He leans often and his stance though casual probably reflects the long hours standing at the coffee machine. His t-shirt frequently has a striped colour print and rarely with brands, words or symbols emblazoned upon it. His once dark blue jeans washed and worn for years, or for look, are clean. The empty cabinet beckons the plethora of pastries to be crafted by Giovanni shortly. The donuts, like arancini balls rather than rings of dough are called bombolini although yesterday Marcelo advised Ro its pronounced bombolino not bombolini – only because Ro buys one and not many. These have become a regular indulgence as part of the morning coffee. He knows he shouldn’t be eating them but they are irresistible and he feels a sense of obligation sitting in the café so long and just buying a coffee. Soon the coffee bean aroma will be complimented by the decadent smell of baking pastry.
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The next day Ro receives an email flagged ‘Private & Confidential’. Its from Sam and only contains a document and a note saying ‘I’ll call you shortly about this’. Upon opening the document Ro reads that it is a non-disclosure agreement or NDA for short. It basically precludes Ro from discussing the deal with anyone apart from those whom have also signed the NDA. ‘What deal?’ Ro thinks to himself. He reads on. There are no details, only a name, Jonathan Forest Discount Brokers. Ro’s heart quickens. A host of emotions and thoughts hit him. ‘What’s going on?’, he thinks alarmingly to himself. His phone rings, it's Sam.
Sam discusses the development in his usually I’m in a hurry manner and I’m too important to spend time with you attitude. He outlines that buying a business would be the best way to transition away from Atkins Robertson now that its being bought by Wilson Jamieson. Very large corporates often work on the adage of ‘rent before buy before build’. Renting refers to outsourcing, licensing and offshoring services from a provider or vendor who is specialised in that field. Their overhead is likely to be lower and they are likely to be more efficient in providing that service. Buying, as it says, refers to buying a business. Usually one that provides a service which the organisation deems is now more strategic and owning it would enable synergies to be obtained or that business may have high profitability which would add value to the organisation and complement the organisation’s service offering. Build, also as it says, involves building the capability in question. The organisation deems that building provides the best bang for buck, suits its business profile and allows for the best return on investment. In terms of complexity and risk, however, this is usually the biggest risk as cost blowouts can occur.
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