tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4519319818452068646.post6300823304897605833..comments2024-02-16T18:32:38.635-05:00Comments on The Back 40K: The Vice That's Squeezing GWFarmpunkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09622091234212120598noreply@blogger.comBlogger21125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4519319818452068646.post-13815816687890116022012-11-12T19:16:19.665-05:002012-11-12T19:16:19.665-05:00I wouldn't be impartial to starting up fan-bas...I wouldn't be impartial to starting up fan-base mutual funds designed to seize control of the companies we love back from people who couldn't give less of a gak about preserving our favorite pastimes. If we could get a serious share of the public stock, we could influence more money being put into cost-reducing R&D, for example.<br /><br />Unfortunately I don't think Kickstarter would cover this sort of crowdfunding cause :(Janus Julianhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07892297536446113971noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4519319818452068646.post-15292022443225783472012-11-07T06:59:54.543-05:002012-11-07T06:59:54.543-05:00It will never change. Companies go public to surv...It will never change. Companies go public to survive, to grow, to ensure long term investments from others. Regardless of how you or I or even Sandwyrm feel that is the way it is. <br /><br />And size does matter Sandwyrm. As you stated your self with FOW they started conducting business practices similar to what GW did. It is the evolution of business. As the a business grows it gets more 'top heavy' meaning it has to pay more people at the top more money to run the business. As it grows and expands, sales has to cover the increasing costs of running the business. You also say that it's not about long term. That is true and untrue. Yes a public company wants it's quarters to be positive because reporting numbers is so important to investors, but companies also plan years ahead of time.<br /><br />I was with a company that was public then went private. Did the reporting of of numbers, my budgets, my sales and profit goals change? Not a bit. The same pressure to perform was always there. Business is about making profit. Putting money in someone's pocket. More people will invest in you if you show consistent stead growth over long periods of time. I mean when you pick your 401k, do you pick options that are poor performers? Come on man!<br /><br />You mad bro?<br /><br />It's all business. You can remember the good ol' days but they ain't comin back! ;)Spaguatyrinehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09459803772469387289noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4519319818452068646.post-86566792657957864032012-11-07T06:37:15.131-05:002012-11-07T06:37:15.131-05:00Really interesting article, thanks for taking the ...Really interesting article, thanks for taking the time to write it! <br /><br />Hopefully the situation will change at some point, there are those of us who still remember what Games Workshop was once like :)Pacifichttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16474407197167592680noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4519319818452068646.post-3848041147728923422012-11-06T19:53:14.545-05:002012-11-06T19:53:14.545-05:00Probably. But he's an adult and knows how his ...Probably. But he's an adult and knows how his company works. SandWyrmhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02265244938930651317noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4519319818452068646.post-20795047197728551162012-11-06T19:51:50.968-05:002012-11-06T19:51:50.968-05:00It's not about size Spag, it's about corpo...It's not about size Spag, it's about corporate structure and incentives. A privately held company (one that never sold any shares publicly), could release whatever it wanted whenever it wanted. Because the only people they would have to satisfy are their own owners and management. Who not only see and talk to each other (and their customers) all the time, but are often willing to forgo short-term gain for long-term investments and strategies that they hope will pay off with bigger rewards later.<br /><br />Public companies, on the other hand, have a very hard time thinking even a year ahead. Have you seen the bad press Apple has gotten over selling 'only' 1.5 million of the new iPad mini last week? ANY of their competitors would be celebrating numbers like that, but the investment community now has inflated expectations of what Apple should be able to deliver. They did X last quarter, so anything less than X+(X/2) this quarter is seen as a failure, and the stock price drops. Which is exactly the problem that GW is trying to avoid. Because they don't have Apple's ability to shrug off investor jitters with the next big hit product.SandWyrmhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02265244938930651317noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4519319818452068646.post-20388732032579763362012-11-06T19:42:12.761-05:002012-11-06T19:42:12.761-05:00Maybe we should do a Kickstarter for a GW takeover...Maybe we should do a Kickstarter for a GW takeover. :)SandWyrmhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02265244938930651317noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4519319818452068646.post-54832733988570554812012-11-06T19:29:29.693-05:002012-11-06T19:29:29.693-05:00This was a very written article and well thought o...This was a very written article and well thought out... Thanks for sharing. I am wondering if Robin will come to regret what he said publically.Terminus Esthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14216648052452417162noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4519319818452068646.post-53075224763443853892012-11-06T19:24:17.743-05:002012-11-06T19:24:17.743-05:00Good Points Sandwyrm.
So a I read it...everyone ...Good Points Sandwyrm. <br /><br />So a I read it...everyone stop complaining because that is the way business works. IF any competitor gets this big they will do the same thing. As I am aware of the hobby I hear sale are up from FLGS locations. <br /><br />You should write more often.... :) Spaguatyrinehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09459803772469387289noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4519319818452068646.post-60220180365134331642012-11-06T18:29:46.202-05:002012-11-06T18:29:46.202-05:00Awesome read, Sandy!Awesome read, Sandy!Gonewild40khttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03288386569896024651noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4519319818452068646.post-16466912873621829452012-11-06T18:13:30.939-05:002012-11-06T18:13:30.939-05:00Maybe if we bought GW stock instead of models they...Maybe if we bought GW stock instead of models they could pay us our dividends in toys! If more wargamers invested in GW stock then we would have more of a say in GWs operations.Col. Dracushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02601253673747158251noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4519319818452068646.post-81339513972945454802012-11-06T17:44:44.149-05:002012-11-06T17:44:44.149-05:00Cheers SandWyrm, well said! :)Cheers SandWyrm, well said! :)Col. Acklandhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14103880865894526372noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4519319818452068646.post-67160814293852568222012-11-06T17:23:55.345-05:002012-11-06T17:23:55.345-05:00THANK YOU! For explaining this so clearly and conc...THANK YOU! For explaining this so clearly and concisely. I'm sick of having to explain this on the Chaos of the Warp pod-cast ever other week. Now I'll just drop a link to this page into the conversation every time it comes up. Lead Legionhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12700198528204457272noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4519319818452068646.post-49132051945741638582012-11-06T17:06:05.599-05:002012-11-06T17:06:05.599-05:00Fantastic article. Really puts a lot of things int...Fantastic article. Really puts a lot of things into perspective. I would love to see more on the subject. Couchatronhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07837183791975956576noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4519319818452068646.post-21844457266262576772012-11-06T16:49:42.615-05:002012-11-06T16:49:42.615-05:00As for 'market forces', you're talking...As for 'market forces', you're talking about the sum total of all decisions made by real people. Some of which are nice, some of which are malicious. Many or most of which are simply amoral. Meaning that morality doesn't enter into their decisions in any significant way. Good? Bad? It's just business dude.SandWyrmhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02265244938930651317noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4519319818452068646.post-16715956854143578742012-11-06T16:41:27.112-05:002012-11-06T16:41:27.112-05:00Mittens is topical, as the US Elections are today ...Mittens is topical, as the US Elections are today (For the record, I hate both candidates.).<br /><br />Why would a company need an infusion of capital if the share price goes down? I think you're confused here. A company's finances aren't affected in any way by their share price. They get their money during the IPO or later share sales. The day-to-day trading of their already-sold shares between investors doesn't affect their bottom line one bit. Apple's stock could drop to $1.00 tomorrow and it wouldn't affect their profits or the cash they have in the bank. <br /><br />The threat is simply one of control. If the share price drops, then a competitor or a vulture firm could buy the company on the cheap through the market (hostile takeover) and kick out the existing management. Or, the company could buy back it's own shares and reduce the amount of stock in circulation. Thereby increasing the control of it's existing shareholders. Or the existing investors could get cranky and call for a management change. But it's not like anyone is going to show up with a bill because the stock drops.<br /><br />Whether being bought and broken up by a venture firm would be good for GW or not depends on the circumstances and the firm doing the buying. But it's the interests of the firm that would be served first. not ours or GW's. Remember that.SandWyrmhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02265244938930651317noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4519319818452068646.post-4415482304024403602012-11-06T16:38:20.243-05:002012-11-06T16:38:20.243-05:00Have a read of this:
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/n...Have a read of this:<br /><br />http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2227876/Comet-investors-walk-away-profit-despite-guiding-electrical-firm-administration.html<br /><br />Also, as an aside and an open question, what does 'market forces' cover?Porkyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00604351052444947490noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4519319818452068646.post-89133436301333212412012-11-06T16:13:30.981-05:002012-11-06T16:13:30.981-05:00You make a good point that GW needs to make their ...You make a good point that GW needs to make their shareholders happy and that investment funds prefer to have a steady return which prompts GW to avoid sales spikes that can't be consistently duplicated and therefore cause the stock price to flunctuate. I'm not sure why you seem to have Mitt Romney confused with Gordon Gecko. If a public company's share price plummets then the company will fold unless it gets an infusion of capital to keep it running. When a venture capital firm buys a company they do so to make a profit and nobody would profit from buying a company to watch it fold, that's why venture capitalists restructure companies so they stay in business so share prices go up and dividends get paid. I'd be ecstatic of a failling GW got "victimized" by a company like Bain so they could keep supplying me with plastic crack. Your explanation of why GW benefits from timing their Codex releases to keep sales and stock prices even is excellent but your decision to ascribe sinister malicious motivations to market forces is gratuitous. But it's your blog so write whatever makes you happy.MallRathttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01208719473132906984noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4519319818452068646.post-13842600917613019582012-11-06T14:58:49.834-05:002012-11-06T14:58:49.834-05:00I have my moments. :)I have my moments. :)SandWyrmhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02265244938930651317noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4519319818452068646.post-58792351825979157822012-11-06T14:58:24.965-05:002012-11-06T14:58:24.965-05:00GW has more problems than who their investors are....GW has more problems than who their investors are. But at least their release schedule would be free to speed up. Assuming their outdated development methods could keep pace.SandWyrmhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02265244938930651317noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4519319818452068646.post-91967845454656552422012-11-06T14:40:29.689-05:002012-11-06T14:40:29.689-05:00Excellent article. Well articulated, and gives me ...Excellent article. Well articulated, and gives me a better understanding of the situation GW has found themselves in. This is probably the highest caliber post I've seen on this blog.BoxerSainthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05092420315975041509noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4519319818452068646.post-28001616092647819092012-11-06T14:35:25.994-05:002012-11-06T14:35:25.994-05:00Nice explanation of the situation. I'm hoping...Nice explanation of the situation. I'm hoping they can eventually shift to a more consumer-centered model, but that requires investors who are either apathetic in the short term or investors who trust the designers. Can't say I've been displeased with the rules they've been writing recently, but we'll see if this trend continues.Heretichttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14998180583172670653noreply@blogger.com