Jeroen Smit

De overname en opsplitsing van ABN AMRO is zonder meer de meest opzienbarende gebeurtenis in de Nederlandse economie van de laatste jaren geweest. In dit belangwekkende boek reconstrueert Jeroen Smit de teloorgang van de bank sinds de fusie tussen ABN en AMRO in 1990. Aanvankelijk leek Nederland hiermee een bancaire wereldspeler van formaat gekregen te hebben, maar door interne ruzies en beleidsmissers raakte de bank het spoor bijster. Uiteindelijk wist de raad van bestuur niets beters te doen dan het bedrijf te koop te zetten. Smits gedetailleerde relaas schildert dit drama op onthullende wijze, persberichten, interviews en archiefmateriaal vaardig tot een boeiend geheel smedend. Het boek bevat (spaarzame) foto's van de hoofdrolspelers, een literatuurverwijzing en een persoonsregister. Het boek is verfilmd als televisieserie* met Pierre Bokma in de rol van Rijkman Groenink. Deze herdruk is voorzien van een foto uit de serie op het omslag.… (altro)

Very typical book, bestseller in NL, certainly among managers, captains of industry, and people like Wouter Bos (former Minister of Finance). I tried to read it to gain a better understanding of the life worlds and prevalent thinking amongst bankers and captains of industry. The book is as disgusting as expected. It doesn’t take a critical view of the banking world, rather it gives a boyish account of how the biggest Dutch Bank came to be ripped apart. It is all about men, hunting, scoring, winning, national pride, keeping up appearances, and some basic managerial wisdoms about the clash of organisational cultures during mergers. The two sets of pictures in the book tell it all: they all portray elderly men trying to look intelligent in board room settings. Not a single woman appears in the pictures. Also in the story women are just some kind of background music (muzak or wallpaper). When Rijkman Groenink starts an affair with the secretary of the board and he is forced to divorce from his wife of 15 plus years, the secretary, who is clearly the most knowledgeable of the two, has to look for another job (at Randstad) because the affair is considered an embarrassment to the Bank’s establishment. What does transpire clearly in the book is that the investment bankers with their eternal demand for higher and more secure bonuses radically changed the name of the game. A shift occurred from client satisfaction as the principle means of increased performance and standing, to shareholder satisfaction through increased turn-over, share price and profit margins as the ultimate decider of scales. The key players in this game demanded to be paid royally or else they would move on and play for another team.… (altro)