Quelle Surprise !

[Gluestick]

Reuters: See Here:

Loved this particular bit!

[quote] Hollande was elected in May 2012 on a promise to

tax the rich and help the poor while also declaring a war on finance.

But many voters have been disappointed by his shift to a pro-business

stance in 2014 and an attempted security crackdown that was ultimately

shelved.[/quote]

Typical bloody "Socialist". Owns a villa on the Côte d'Azur reputed to be worth €1 million.

Sniffs some corporate cash and he's off like a dammed dog chasing a bitch on heat!

[:-))]

[EuroTrash]

This is as clear as mud to me.

What do they mean by his shift to a pro-business stance? What do they mean by "business"? Unless we are specifically talking Amazon and the like, there is a difference between the business sector and the finance sector (ie W- sorry, Bankers), and between business and the rich. Is it not a Good Thing if the business sector prospers, so that it can better fuel the economy? If business fails, the poor will only get poorer?

[Gluestick]

The word "Business", is a generic, EuroTrash and intended to encompass all capitalist activities in which the core focus is profit.

You are, of course, spot on in your conclusions. It is mainly, the SMEs (Small and Medium Sized Enterprises) who create most of European nation's wealth and employment. Not the tax-evading mega-sized multinationals, courted by government ministers on a pan-European basis.

Socialism is, from its earliest days, the ideological political and socio-economic concept of sort of tolerating - not encouraging or courting - commerce, which includes banking, but trying to reduce all economic activity to a state-owned reality. i.e. the Labour Party's original Clause IV.

"To secure for the workers by hand or by brain the full fruits of their

industry and the most equitable distribution thereof that may be

possible upon the basis of the common ownership of the means of production, distribution and exchange, and the best obtainable system of popular administration and control of each industry or service."

In other words, State Ownership of all capital earning activities.

Dr Karl Marx, of course, actually concluded early on he would need to include the bourgeoisie in his plans to wrest control of capital for the benefit of those who earned it: which included the bourgeoisie.

Read more Here:

 Cristobel Columb (Columbus) was the World's very first Socialist.

When he set out, he didn't know where he was going;

When he arrived, he didn't know where he was.

And when he returned, he didn't know where he had actually been!

And he did it all, on other people's money!

[EuroTrash]

"It is mainly, the SMEs (Small and Medium Sized Enterprises) who create most of European nation's wealth and employment"

I'm not sure France's PMEs create a lot of employment, they can't afford the social charges and the long term commitment. Catch a micro employing anyone on a CDI, not many would dare.

"The word "Business", is a generic, EuroTrash and intended to encompass all capitalist activities in which the core focus is profit."

Oxymoronically, in France, in contrast to eg the USA, the accepted rationale for being in business is - even these days - not to make a profit, it's to contribute to society and to the economy. It was one of my favourite discussion topics when I used to teach English to French businessmen - I used to give them a US company mission statement to read and comment on (it was all about how the company had identified a product, intended outsource production to the third world, undercut its competitors, make a quick profit and then sell the company to one of the competitors it had damaged) and the expressions of incredulity that spread across their faces as they read it was a sight to behold. Usually their first comment was along the lines of "Is this a joke? In France, you could never say this!"

And yet - France makes it so hard to create employment.

[Gluestick]

Since a MAJORITY of French "businesses" are SME, and many are what are classified (BY the EU no less) Class Sized Zero - or One Man (or Woman) bands -  then it just demonstrates what muppets the French are, then. Perhaps it is an overhang, mentally, of the Revolution?

[:D]

Still as Dubya Bush once quoth, happy and wallowing in his objective and linguistic ignorance, "The French don't have a word for Entrepreneur"...........

[quote]it was all about how the company had identified a product, intended

outsource production to the third world, undercut its competitors, make a

quick profit and then sell the company to one of the competitors it had

damaged[/quote]

Bit tricky for Joe the plumber? Or Fred the painter and decorator?

Some years back I carried out an intensive market survey for the software company I founded.

Most interesting of all, I found a majority of the 15 original EU states and would you believe the USA too, accorded to the baseline.

Copyright: SSSS Ltd 2001 to 2016 inclusive:

1.      

 Market Statistics: (Excluding Agriculture)

 Europe: Total

businesses: 18 million with 112 million people 

employed

USA:            ditto                   5 Million          100  ditto

Europe: 2/3rds of

Total Employment in EU created by SMEs'.

In the USA,

enterprises with less than 500 employees, accounts for over 50% of employment.In Europe 55% of

total turnover of 17, 586 Billion ECU, (i.e. 9,672 Billion ECU) is created by

SMEs'

SMEs' create more

jobs in Europe than the large companies.

% of Total Enterprises	% of Total Employment	% of Total Turnover	Size of Enterprise in Employees
0.1%	34%	45%	Large: >250
0.9%	14%	19%	Medium< 250
6%	19%	18%	Small: 10 - 49
41%	23%	14%	Very Small 1 - 9
52%	10%	4%	No Employees*

 

*Sole

Traders/Proprietors only

 

Source:

Eurostat

 

This it will be seen, that our prime target market, equates to businesses employing a total

of 58.24 million people and representing 47%

of all

EU business!

©

[EuroTrash]

FWIW, my own take on this is that in a strong economy, the French model has to be the best social model. But, obviously we are not in a strong economy so it's struggling. But again, once you sacrifice those high ideals - companies looking after their workers, putting people before profits, emphasis on long-term stability and sustainability and discouraging shoe-string fast-buck businesses because precarity isn't good for anyone and especially not the customers - in favour of encouraging people to put profit in pocket first and sod everyone else - you can never restore them. So the question is, how long can you hold out in the hopes that things will get better. And the elephant in the room is the public sector in France which is out of all proportion and is a great burden on the private sector. You don't give any figures for employment in the public sector, it would be interesting if you did. That is what France needs to slim down first, because that in itself would help the private sector as the business charges could then be reduced.

[Gluestick]

It is mainly the fast buck outfits that treat workers so appallingly.

Interesting how extremely stable and long lived companies, treat workers well and are so very successful...

JCB as just one example. John Lewis as another.

(Sir Anthony) or Tony as we used to call him in motor racing days of yore, the founder, Joe's son has built on his later father's creation, eschewed going public and has built manufacturing plants in India and Brazil, amongst other locations. When heavy plant manufacturers were posting huge losses, years after year, JCB have never ever failed to make profits. They are also the most roboticised  manufacturer in Britain and one of the leaders in Europe.

You can thank the City of London for this short-termistic venality and corporate myopia.

France: number of public servants: check Eurostat online.

[quote]That is what France needs to slim down first, because that in itself

would help the private sector as the business charges could then be

reduced.[/quote]

Could not agree more! However worth remembering, M. Le President Wobbly Jelly Hollande expanded it as one of his first steps!

[EuroTrash]

"Interesting how extremely stable and long lived companies, treat workers well and are so very successful..."

Absolutely - I worked for TOTAL in the UK, and the company ethos came direct from the French parent company in terms of management style, honesty and transparency, access to training, working conditions, employee benefits etc. After previous UK employers it was like a breath of fresh air.

The problem is, how are small companies in France ever going to turn into big companies when they're being stifled by the public sector. The government pays lip service to wanting to help them grow and to be fair it does have a few subsidies available to encourage firms to employ more staff, but I don't think the trust is there - what happens if you take advantage of the subsidy, expand your workforce, and then the initiative is abandoned and the incentives and subsidies vanish and you're stuck with more staff than you can afford to pay the social charges for?

[Gluestick]

[quote user="EuroTrash"]

Absolutely - I worked for TOTAL in the UK, and the company ethos came direct from the French parent company in terms of management style, honesty and transparency, access to training, working conditions, employee benefits etc. After previous UK employers it was like a breath of fresh air.[/quote]

I have known a number of ex-TOTAL employees who have espoused the same view.

There were a number with an identical ethic, for just one example, Hewlett Packard.

Once a week at ALL HP facilities, globally, HP held a meeting for 30 minutes, prior to official opening time. ALL employees were there: from the CEO down to the cleaners. They were paid overtime for being in early. Coffee, soft drinks and doughnuts whatever were provided by HP.

Everyone was encouraged to speak, with comments on the company; problems and ideas for new products. HP's Mantra was "Doing things the HP Way!"

Then the company was run by recruited execs, after Bill Hewlett and Dave Packard retired, having firstly ensured they endowed their kids and grandkids to ensure they could afford college etc. The bulk of their common stock they gifted to the HP Foundation, for charitable purposes.

Then the company came "Into play": venal market parlance for wonderful money making short-term Wall Street games.....

And was effectively destroyed by idiots such as Carla Fiorini, with her greedy eye on the main chance; personal mega-millions.....

Which these value destroyers amass by stock options and obscene exec pay, plus "Golden Parachutes": clauses in their contracts which ensure once they have ruined the business and the board fire them, they receive massive separation payments...

[quote]The problem is, how are small companies in France ever going to turn into big companies when they're being stifled by the public sector. The government pays lip service to wanting to help them grow and to be fair it does have a few subsidies available to encourage firms to employ more staff, but I don't think the trust is there - what happens if you take advantage of the subsidy, expand your workforce, and then the initiative is abandoned and the incentives and subsidies vanish and you're stuck with more staff than you can afford to pay the social charges for?[/quote]

Aha, ET, the nub!

Mega-corporations tend to grow from tiny companies, or if you like, tiny SMEs...

Apple; HP; Microsoft; JCB; Dyson; Ford; Chrysler; etc. And more so where tech is concerned.

I have written much on this and am still banging the drum and trying to reason with brick walls!

Point of fact, is, ALL Western governments are utterly ignorant and suffer from Megacorp Myopia © PDD (R) Ltd 1989 thru 2016.