{"id":2699,"date":"2015-04-28T07:48:00","date_gmt":"2015-04-28T11:48:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.trustacrossamerica.com\/blog\/?p=2699"},"modified":"2015-04-28T07:48:00","modified_gmt":"2015-04-28T11:48:00","slug":"a-case-study-in-trust-comcast-time-warner","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.trustacrossamerica.com\/blog\/?p=2699","title":{"rendered":"A Case Study in Trust: Comcast &#038; Time Warner"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.trustacrossamerica.com\/blog\/?attachment_id=1005\" rel=\"attachment wp-att-1005\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"aligncenter size-medium wp-image-1005\" src=\"http:\/\/www.trustacrossamerica.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/TAATAW_LOGO_H_color-tagline-300x122.jpg\" alt=\"TAA_R2_EDIT-CS3\" width=\"300\" height=\"122\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><strong>Low trust comes with high costs.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>We have just been presented with a\u00a0great\u00a0year-end lesson for every business professor to teach as\u00a0many graduating students head into corporate America.<\/p>\n<p><strong>What happens when two of the most disliked companies in America try to merge?<\/strong> <strong>NOTHING<\/strong>.<\/p>\n<p>Thanks to Tom Wheeler at the FCC, Comcast&#8217;s Brian Roberts is licking his wounds.\u00a0Years of Washington lobbying and deal making just weren&#8217;t enough to seal the Comcast\/Time Warner deal.<\/p>\n<p>And when all is said and done, every stakeholder loses. What a perfect case study in trust, and it can be taught in one hour!<\/p>\n<p><strong>Assignment #1:<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Read TIME Magazine <a href=\"http:\/\/time.com\/3833466\/comcast-time-warner-cable\/?utm_source=feedburner&amp;utm_medium=feed&amp;utm_campaign=Feed:+timeblogs\/nerd_world+(TIME:+Techland)\">article<\/a> providing overview of the players and events leading up to the failed merger.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Assignment #2:<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Read <a href=\"http:\/\/Slate.com\" class=\"autohyperlink\">Slate.com<\/a> <a href=\"http:\/\/www.slate.com\/articles\/business\/moneybox\/2015\/04\/comcast_time_warner_cable_merger_why_it_fell_apart.html\">article<\/a> on the most hated merger in America<\/p>\n<p><strong>Assignment #3:<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Read the <a href=\"http:\/\/blogs.wsj.com\/moneybeat\/2015\/04\/23\/j-p-morgan-skadden-lose-out-big-if-comcast-deal-falls-apart\/\">Wall St. Journal article<\/a> on how the big investment banks lost out on $380 million in fees<\/p>\n<p><strong>Assignment #4:<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>A <a href=\"http:\/\/www.sfchronicle.com\/opinion\/editorials\/article\/Failed-Comcast-Time-Warner-merger-a-win-for-6223037.php\">big win<\/a> for consumers? Not so fast.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Assignment #5:<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.newyorker.com\/news\/john-cassidy\/stopping-the-comcast-time-warner-merger-is-only-the-start\">Entrenched local monopolies<\/a> are not a &#8220;win&#8221; for consumers.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Assignment #6:<\/strong> (this could also be Assignment #1)<\/p>\n<p>The Washington Post <a href=\"http:\/\/www.washingtonpost.com\/blogs\/the-switch\/wp\/2015\/04\/24\/comcast-chiefs-last-minute-pleas-to-a-former-ally-fell-on-deaf-ears\/\">spends time discussing<\/a> Roberts leadership and the role it played in this failed merger.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Assignment #7:<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Read\u00a0<a href=\"http:\/\/www.trustacrossamerica.com\/blog\/?attachment_id=2714\" rel=\"attachment wp-att-2714\">Return on trust 4-9<\/a>\u00a0and \u00a0my article on <a href=\"https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/pulse\/how-cut-your-greatest-expense-barbara-brooks-kimmel\">How to Cut Your Biggest Expense<\/a>. (Maybe someone can deliver copies\u00a0to Brian Roberts.)<\/p>\n<p><strong>Questions to ask your students:<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>What is the role of the Board of Directors\u00a0in building stakeholder trust?<\/li>\n<li>What is the role of the CEO?<\/li>\n<li>Why are companies like Comcast and Time Warner hated by their customers?<\/li>\n<li>What societal &#8220;good&#8221; could have come out of the merger? Hint: investment\u00a0bankers getting wealthier and larger monopolies don&#8217;t count.<\/li>\n<li>What should Comcast and Time Warner leadership do now to begin\u00a0to earn the trust of their stakeholders?<\/li>\n<li>What companies do you consider trustworthy and why?<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong style=\"color: #444444;\">Barbara Brooks Kimmel<\/strong><span style=\"color: #444444;\">\u00a0is the Executive Director of\u00a0<\/span><a style=\"color: #4f81d8;\" href=\"http:\/\/trustacrossamerica.com\/index.shtml\">Trust Across America-Trust Around the World<\/a><span style=\"color: #444444;\">\u00a0whose mission is to help organizations build trust, and runs the world&#8217;s\u00a0<a href=\"http:\/\/trustacrossamerica.com\/cgi-bin\/alliance.cgi\">largest membership program<\/a>\u00a0for those interested in the subject. She\u00a0is also the editor of the award winning\u00a0<\/span><a style=\"color: #4f81d8;\" href=\"http:\/\/trustacrossamerica.com\/order.shtml\">TRUST INC.<\/a><span style=\"color: #444444;\">\u00a0book series and the Executive Editor of\u00a0<\/span><a style=\"color: #4f81d8;\" href=\"http:\/\/trustacrossamerica.com\/magazine.shtml\">TRUST! Magazine<\/a><span style=\"color: #444444;\">. In 2012 Barbara was named \u201cOne of 25 Women Changing the World\u201d by Good Business International.<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"color: #000000;\">Our annual poster,\u00a0<a href=\"http:\/\/trustacrossamerica.com\/poster.shtml\">52 Weeks of Activities to Increase Organizational Trust<\/a>\u00a0is available\u00a0to those who would like to support our work by making a small donation.<\/p>\n<p style=\"color: #000000;\">The Spring issue of TRUST! Magazine, celebrating trustworthy organizations, \u00a0is now available. It&#8217;s free by\u00a0<a href=\"http:\/\/trustacrossamerica.com\/magazine.shtml\">signing up at this link.<\/a><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.trustacrossamerica.com\/blog\/?attachment_id=2671\" rel=\"attachment wp-att-2671\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"aligncenter size-medium wp-image-2671\" src=\"http:\/\/www.trustacrossamerica.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/04-15-Trust-Magazine-cover-235x300.jpg\" alt=\"04-15 Trust Magazine-cover\" width=\"235\" height=\"300\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.trustacrossamerica.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/04-15-Trust-Magazine-cover-235x300.jpg 235w, https:\/\/www.trustacrossamerica.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/04-15-Trust-Magazine-cover-805x1024.jpg 805w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 235px) 100vw, 235px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>Copyright 2015, Next Decade, Inc.<\/p>\n<div class=\"wp-best-social-bookmark\"><ul class=\"socials\"><li class=\"oknotizie\"><a href=\"http:\/\/oknotizie.virgilio.it\/post.html.php?url=https:\/\/www.trustacrossamerica.com\/blog\/?p=2699&title=A Case Study in Trust: Comcast &#038; Time Warner\" title=\"Share this on oknotizie\"> <\/a><\/li><li class=\"twitter\"><a href=\"http:\/\/twitter.com\/home?status=A Case Study in Trust: Comcast &#038; Time Warner &raquo; https:\/\/www.trustacrossamerica.com\/blog\/?p=2699\" title=\"Share this on twitter\"> <\/a><\/li><li class=\"delicious\"><a href=\"http:\/\/del.icio.us\/post?url=https:\/\/www.trustacrossamerica.com\/blog\/?p=2699&title=A Case Study in Trust: Comcast &#038; Time Warner\" title=\"Share this on del.icio.us\"> <\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>What happens when two of the most disliked companies in America attempt to merge? NOTHING.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[45],"tags":[122,18,359,13,136,116],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.trustacrossamerica.com\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2699"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.trustacrossamerica.com\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.trustacrossamerica.com\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.trustacrossamerica.com\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.trustacrossamerica.com\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=2699"}],"version-history":[{"count":6,"href":"https:\/\/www.trustacrossamerica.com\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2699\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2717,"href":"https:\/\/www.trustacrossamerica.com\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2699\/revisions\/2717"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.trustacrossamerica.com\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=2699"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.trustacrossamerica.com\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=2699"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.trustacrossamerica.com\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=2699"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}