Thursday, January 26, 2006

Dumbest Business Moments, all 101 of them for 2005

The Money section of CNN has this list of 2005's 101 Dumbest Moments in Business. Go take a look and have a laugh or two. Here are some of my favorites. These are from the site:

5. So that's why they call it a CrackBerry.
A study by the University of London's Institute of Psychiatry, commissioned by Hewlett-Packard, finds that "an average worker's functioning IQ falls 10 points when distracted by ringing telephones and incoming e-mails ... more than double the four-point drop seen following studies on the impact of smoking marijuana."

11. To leave a message, press ... right ... there ... no, a little lower ... that's it ... ah-h-h-h-h.
In July, Gerald Martin, the founder of a physicians' answering service in Westchester County, N.Y., is charged with computer tampering after a competing service discovers that its system has been hacked. Patients trying to reach their doctors were instead greeted with busy signals or the sounds of sexual moaning.

20. He's a perfect 10 -- a 1, plus 9 glasses of sparkling Lambrini!
Having barred alcohol marketing that associates drinking with sex, British regulators block an ad that shows women imbibing Lambrini sparkling wine while using a fishing pole to hook a hunky guy. The Advertising Standards Authority says the ad violates its guidelines because the guy "looks quite attractive and desirable to the girls." It would pass muster if only he were "overweight, middle-aged, balding, etc." The company then runs a version of the ad using a paunchy, chrome-domed model.
And while on the topic of sex:

21. Sounds OK, so long as all the men are overweight, middle-aged, balding, etc.
Developers announce plans for the London Academy of Sex and Relationships, an $8.3 million sexual theme park. The project, a spokesperson says, is "committed to avoiding the sleazy image that the sex industry usually conjures.... Titillation is not the goal."

I think people get the idea. By the way, they have other lists as well here.

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