The Apprentice !

[Russethouse]

Anyone watching the final tonight?

Who do you think is going to win, Michelle or Ruth ?

[hardhat]

wouldnt miss it,and i think the dark horse michelle will win by a head

[Ziggy Stardust]

Yes, we will be watching!

I think Michelle will win, Ruth is just a bit too brash for my liking.

Sir Alan commented last week that Michelle is a bit quiet, but I think she just knows when to keep her mouth shut!  Some of them seemed to think the more they kept talking the better, when in actual fact they were just digging an even bigger hole!

Lou.

[her of ford]

Although I would like to see Ruth win, sadly I think Michelle will win, although throughout the series she has been quiet and I agree with one of the interview panel last week that described Michelle as a 'cold fish' Sir Alan seemed to warm to her after he asked her about her siblings ,

[Russethouse]

 Don't believe it, I think they have all the BF wake up tunes !

[Unknown]

Since moving to France last year, I haven't been able to follow any UK programmes.  I have thought about it a hundred times whether to invest in some equipment in order to receive UK tv. 

I truly miss programmes like The Apprentice and Grand Designs, but these are small sacrifices I will have to learn to live without.  The trouble with me is I would end up addicted to watching everything, a bit like posting on this forum really.

From what I've read though, I reckon Michelle will win.  She seems very similar in personality to last years winner.

Hope you all enjoy it, let me know who wins.

Dotty

[Russethouse]

 You were right Dotty, Michelle won .......

[Unknown]

Oh right.  Now let me check those lottery numbers

[Pip]

I was quite shocked that Michelle won, but thinking about it perhaps Sir A.S. sees a little bit of himself in Ruth and knows she will make it without his help.[;-)]

[Russethouse]

From http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/4758185.stm

'Although she failed to win, Ms Badger may still have a future with Amstrad as Sir Alan said they would be meeting soon to discuss job opportunities'.

I don't think Ruth will be out of work for long.................[;-)]

[Owens88]

Michelle was mouldable/trainable whereas Ruth was seeing herself as someboy who would give him a challenge.

Michelle had the guts to recruit a team to cover her gaps. Ruth was a 'contrarian' within a team but flummoxed when she hasd to lead on her own.

Michelle had shown abilitoies to 'project recover' even in the latest episode. Whereas Ruth is a one-woman rcovery team,.

 

Ruth was head and shoulders above others and would do well, but wasn't the apprentice.

 

Two questions:

q1)    What would tonight's financial result have been if Michelle had recruited Ansil rather than Said ?

q2)    Why did Said last so long anyway ?

 

Answers on a beer mat to..

 

[Catalpa]

[quote user="Russethouse"]

'Although she failed to win, Ms Badger may still have a future with Amstrad as Sir Alan said they would be meeting soon to discuss job opportunities'. [/quote]

Exactly the sort of opportunity I expect she was hoping for when she refused to commit to going back to her previous company if she didn't win. She is the contestant who was offered a sabbatical by her company if she promised to return if she was fired, wasn't she? And was subsequently given such a hard time in the interviews this week about it? In reality, [;-)] shrewd move.

[Ron Avery]

[quote user="Russethouse"]

From http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/4758185.stm

'Although she failed to win, Ms Badger may still have a future with Amstrad as Sir Alan said they would be meeting soon to discuss job opportunities'.

I don't think Ruth will be out of work for long.................[;-)]

[/quote]

 

On BBC News this morning they said that Ruth is now working for Amstrad as a Sales manager , remember the show was actually filmed some weeks ago,

[Ziggy Stardust]

[quote user="Owens88"]

q2)    Why did Said last so long anyway ?

[/quote]

 

I have been asking the same question for weeks!

I couldn't believe it when Michelle picked him for her final team.[8-)]

I agree that even though Ruth lost, she would not have been out of work for long.  Even if Amstrad didn't offer her something it would have been a shrewd move for another big company to take her on.

Lou.

[Dog]

My Big Fat Obnoxious Boss was far more entertaining, told far more about big business and was laugh out loud funny at times.

Sir Alans choice of apprentice was lacking in personality - I cannot even remember her name.

[Ron Avery]

I think Alan Sugar was very pleased to get rid of Saeed in the end, the girl who called him a "merchant banker" was right, he will be on Watchdog in the future.[blink]  The man does not know fact from fantasy,  he lied and cheated so much, what would that have said about Amstrad after the programme had been broadcast,  if he had been hired?

[Ex Forum Admin]

His moments of brilliance never really outweighed the rest. Fair play to him though on the task where he took a couple who were window shopping in the Letting Agents window, got the viewing and signed them up...

 

[Patf]

There was an article in this week's Sunday Times of an interview with

Alan Sugar. Among other things he said he wasn't involved in selecting

the last 14 and thinks some were chosen for dramatic/ entertainment

value rather than business acumen. Next time he wants to be more

involved in the selection. Pat.

[Gluestick]

Apparently, (according to the two finalists interviewed on BBC TV yesterday AM),  two final episodes were made: one with each finalists winning!

Personally, for various business reasons, Sir Alan Sugar is not amongst my favourite "Entrepreneurs", as his recent money has been made 99% in property, rather than re-building Amstrad, after he almost destroyed it, years ago.........................at one time in the 80s, his equity stake was worth circa £800 million; this then dropped to a microscopic value.

In the early 90s, a chum of mine was Amstrad's Logistics Manager: after his nervous breakdown, he had some interesting tales to recount!

Perhaps the original programme after which The Apprentice was modelled (The US TV show with Donald Trump), had more value: but sadly, yet another property wheeler dealer. Sad.

 

[Ex Forum Admin]

Perhaps the original programme after which The Apprentice was modelled (The US TV show with Donald Trump), had more value: but sadly, yet another property wheeler dealer. Sad.

Perhaps the next series will be called The Apprentice - Abroad? [:)]

[KathyC]

[quote user="Gluestick"]

Apparently, (according to the two finalists interviewed on BBC TV yesterday AM),  two final episodes were made: one with each finalists winning!

 

[/quote]

And they've both been working for him for the last 6 months, since the end of the fillming of the tasks. Only the final "you're hired" sequence was filmed this week.

[Deimos]

Re: The “games master”

 

[quote user="Gluestick"]

Personally, for various business reasons, Sir Alan Sugar is not amongst my favourite "Entrepreneurs", as his recent money has been made 99% in property, rather than re-building Amstrad, after he almost destroyed it, years ago.........................at one time in the 80s, his equity stake was worth circa £800 million; this then dropped to a microscopic value. 

[/quote]

In the past I have had some involvement with the man and the company and my own opinion is that he is actually not a particularly good business man.  I distinguish between good business people and rich/successful business people.  He made his money principally by being in “the right place at the right time”.  He is no idiot, but them most people are not and most people given the opportunity will exploit it.  What takes skill is to continue the success when the “right place/right time” runs-out – something he has largely failed to do.

Many of his problems stem from his failure to delegate, particularly when he does not understand things.  A classic example was many years ago when he was offered the opportunity to sell/market/badge a pen computer long before others have moved into the market place.  The company concerned (a company I have nothing whatsoever to do with) presented to him.  He stopped them short, said he could not understand and sent them on their way, missing a fabulous opportunity to get into the market early.  It is not important that he dismissed the opportunity but rather than as he (himself) did not understand he would not take any interest. (In the specific case he did eventually move into that market too late and thus his offering flopped)  To my mind, a true high flying entrepreneur would delegate to people who could appreciate merits and make assessment.  His limiting factor and one that continues to hinder his continued success is that he cannot delegate decently.  Either he has not managed to recruit suitable people to delegate to or does not have the confidence to delegate.

He has made enough money in his early “right time/right place” days that it probably does not matter too much to him anyway as it is now more about fame/publicity than money.

 

 

Ian

 

[Gluestick]

Glad to read your comments, Ian.

I was also introduced to his business in the early 80s, by a significant MP, who was amazingly naive on business matters and seemed to believe that Sugar was some kind of guru.

I spoke at come length to Amstrad's then Technical Director about our world-leading technology and it was quite obvious the man didn't have a clue; the blind leading the blind?

Where Amstrad succeeded in their early days, was in contract manufacture of "Low Fi" amps, tuners etc, all made in Hong Kong. The sales strategy was brushed ally facias and loads of pointless LEDs and controls! They were achieving circa 40% Net on revenue!

After the early word processor (all,designed, made and packaged in Korea by Daewoo: and drop-shipped) was sold to Sears in the USA in volume, Sugar seemed to believe he was untouchable: and went on to laydown the CPU for his abortive 286 PC: and this virtually destroyed the business.

I seem to recall that in the early 90s, it was bailed out by Philips of Eindhoven, who effectively took over management and strategy?

The fax-phone is typical of Amstrad's thinking: I understand in overall terms, it has not yet even amortised front end costs................

Sadly, to me, the programme has as much real world value as that other pointless epic, the Dragon's Den. No real Business Angel or VC would actually go into  a decision meeting, until such time as Due Diligence had been completed; which means they would understand every facet of a product and the attendant business plan, cashflows etc. And if there were no Business Plan, well they would not even discuss any proposal!

To me, the programme seems to be about making would be entrepreneurs look stupid; those who have not already achieved this, of course, with their maniac ideas!

Bring back Troubleshooter!

 

[WJT]

I too agree with Ian and Gluestick, I don't believe Sugar's aptitude would have nor did go down well in the corporate side of things. I personally think he is more of an entrepreneur not a corporate man therefore must be in charge at all times and does not like delegating. Therefore, could never let go enough to become very large or have been capable of creating some sort of major conglomerate. He appears to have the need to be completely hands on, all of this just my opinion of course.  Having said that, there are many people that have had breaks in life but haven't gone from nothing to 800 million pounds.  This may just about be his limit whether it is property or computers perhaps but still pretty darn good.

By the way,  I love Dragons Den as well, it is very interesting to me (again in my opinion ) to see very financially successful people make bad decisions. Perhaps it just gives me hope. [:)]

[Gluestick]

With property WJT, it always helps to be able to start your portfolio with a couple of million quid in the bank!

However, as many other have discovered in the past, when they are riding the wave of idiotic property values, when the tide goes out, things change: rapidly!

I fear that there are many quite arrogant people, sitting on over-borrowed property portfolios, who are going to experience a wake-up call pretty soon!

Personally, I have far more respect for people like Dr Mike Lynch (Autonomy) and the directors and founders of ARM (the silicon chip designers in Cambridge) and James Dyson. They have founded a business the hard way up and have learned business disciplines and management skills to achieve their success: as well as adding back to the community.

But then, I'm old fashioned![blink]