Andy Updegrove: Elliott Associates and Novell: All About a Game of Cat and Mouse [LWN.net]

Andy Updegrove looks at the next steps in Elliott Associates' bid for Novell. He looks at what a tender offer is, what Elliott's and the Novell board's strategy may be going forward, and what other bidders might bring to the table. "There are two things to watch for at this point: the first is whether Novell's board decides to enter into negotiations with Elliott, or to rebuff the offer (you saw Microsoft and Yahoo go through this dance not so long ago). And the second is whether other bidders enter the scene. Such a bidder could be solicited by Novell's management and board (a 'White Knight'), because they don't like the looks of the Elliott bid and what may come afterwards, or there could be further unsolicited bids."

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Andy Updegrove: Elliott Associates and Novell: All About a Game of Cat and Mouse

Posted Mar 5, 2010 4:25 UTC (Fri) by ajft (guest, #52749) [Link]

What is the obsession with adding the words "going forward" to sentences to
make them sound more bureaucratic?

From the redundant stupidity reporting department "what Elliott's and the
Novell board's strategy may be going forward" What are the options, "a
strategy going backwards?"

Andy Updegrove: Elliott Associates and Novell: All About a Game of Cat and Mouse

Posted Mar 5, 2010 5:33 UTC (Fri) by butlerm (subscriber, #13312) [Link]

There is the distinction between one's options at the moment, and the options
that may be advisable in the near future. That is where the idiom comes in
handy, I suspect - to indicate both. It certainly does sound a little silly
when you put it that way though.

Andy Updegrove: Elliott Associates and Novell: All About a Game of Cat and Mouse

Posted Mar 5, 2010 7:35 UTC (Fri) by frazier (guest, #3060) [Link]

I think it's bureaucracy going forward.

Andy Updegrove: Elliott Associates and Novell: All About a Game of Cat and Mouse

Posted Mar 5, 2010 13:32 UTC (Fri) by epa (subscriber, #39769) [Link]

There used to be various 'bullshit detectors' that would scan prose for cliches such as 'going forward', 'solutions', 'proactive', 'pre-prepare' and so on. Perhaps a Firefox plugin could be made.

Andy Updegrove: Elliott Associates and Novell: All About a Game of Cat and Mouse

Posted Mar 5, 2010 15:17 UTC (Fri) by iabervon (subscriber, #722) [Link]

There's obviously a "strategy up to this point" that at least Novell had, that's presumably different and not part of the topic (and may no longer be relevant at all). Elliott presumably had some process that got them to the point of choosing Novell to look at, and that's also not considered here. Considering that there are other companies we might care about that are not the subject of takeover bids now but might want to take steps to avoid being in that situation at some point (or might want to encourage it), looking back on these topics would be a reasonable thing for Andy Updegrove to do in an article (and for the members of Novell's board, although not the board as a group at the moment).