Morale would suffer at HM Riverdeep Harcourt Educational Materials Publishing Group Minnowish Whale if everyone from Harcourt were given the sack. Any good commander knows that morale is everything when going to war. Harcourt's Jennifer Haller has been retained in the children's division, to lead her team in the Harcourt manner, to speak Harcourtese as she rallies her troops for the coming battle.
Irish history is replete with tales of warriors, of great fights waged against impossible odds. Ninety years ago, the Cork Flying Columns struck fear in the hearts of those in favor of the treaty that gave the Six Counties to England and led to the partition of the island. Barry O'Callaghan will have the Cork Flying Columns in his heart as he faces the first big competition war, and wouldn't you know but it's the Brits again.
Macmillan UK has shaken up their education unit. Julian Drinkall will have his fingers on all the buttons in his Oxford office, directing Macmillan Education International. It's a coordinated strategy he's after, and it's educational publishing that's his game. Digital educational materials publishing.
No partition treaty, not for a man from Cork. He wants all the educational materials business, not part of the publishing island.
Time to re-label the sales staff. You're now the HHM Flying Columns. Go sell and show Macmillan UK no mercy.
6 comments:
That'd be "HMH Flying Columns," to match the official new name: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt.
Poor Greenwood has been left out of the mix. How about the Greenwood Band as an East Coast brigade?
Unfortunately, it's a sad day at Harcourt in Orlando as the droves (23 and counting) of employees are asked to leave the company. The atmosphere here is not to stand up and fight anymore. We did fight. We fought hard. But the axe was larger. Those of us left, after the layoffs end, will, I'm sure, be leary of any charge we need to make.
All along, Barry O'Callaghan has spoken of synergies that yield savings, and it's people who are his synergies. People being let go from their jobs, to be specific.
It's a sad day indeed, and everyone is on edge because you don't know who the next synergy might be.
So, the total from Harcourt yesterday was about 40 and those are coming from IT and School. Not sure yet about finance and shared services. Apparently the same ratio was let go at Houghton. It's sad, it's exciting, it's new and hopefully we'll be able to make a difference.
It's but a matter of time and more lay-offs will be announced. Such was corporate strategy from the outset, to reduce personnel.
Plenty of stress in the air, with everyone waiting to see if their name comes up for redundancy.
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