I read with interest this morning the next chapter in the Thaksin Shinawatra, the former Prime Minister of Thailand who recently purchased a controlling share in Manchester City Football Club and, as of yesterday, now fugitive in his country of origin following the issue of an arrest warrant by the Thai Supreme Court.
I find this an unusual, and probably disturbing, set of circumstances on several fronts. For those familiar with his reign in Thailand, his reputation as a tyrannical leader is well documented. Brad Adams, the executive director of the Asia division of Human Rights Watch (HRW), branded Thaksin a “human rights abuser of the worst kind”. So, notwithstanding a hugely negative view of his activities in the Far East, he was still allowed to purchase a Premiership Football club, passing the League's Fit and Proper Person Test.
Therein lies a rather contradictory juxtaposition. Clearly anyone dealing with him in a business context in Thailand would be well aware of his reputation and, provided subversion did not come into play, his reputation would necessarily have negatively impacted his ability to do business. So why would the same not apply to his doing such high profile business in the UK ? Even a cursory search on Google for his name brings back copious amounts of negative press. So, does this mean that his money became more valuable than his tarnished reputation ? I'll leave you to draw your own conclusions.
What I think will prove interesting is whether, in buying Manchester City, he is attempting to buy himself a new (and positive) reputation. Success in such a high profile sport brings huge kudos in the UK. Is it possible to use money alone to sweep past wrong-doings under the carpet, and using the very mechanics of the popular press that reported his life in Thailand to achieve his goals ? And will this "Reputation v2.0" be a springboard to new business success ?
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
1 comment:
I couldn't find a link to email you, so I'll leave this note in comments. I admire your blog. You share a lot of concern for issues that we cover and will cover at the How Blogazine (www.HowsMatter.com/blog).
Author Dov Seidman recently posted on the effect Barry Bonds' reputation will have on the way people will view his achievements through history. He compares it to how businesses must learn to deal with the effect of reputation on their efforts. I think you'll find it fascinating.
If you are interested, you'll find it at http://howblogazine.com/barry-bonds-makes-the-number-but-misses-the-mark
We'll be following your work here.
Nelson Handel, Editorial Director
How Blogazine
Post a Comment