Aerial refueling bids from Northrop Grumman and Boeing were both “technically outstanding” but Boeing’s bid came in almost $3 billion more, the Pentagon’s top weapons buyer told the Washington Post.
John Young, the undersecretary for acquisition, said the tanker proposal from Northrop Grumman and partner European Aeronautic Defence & Space, the first 68 tankers would have cost $12.5 billion, compared to $15.4 billion under Boeing’s bid.
Northrop also promised earlier delivery and that its aircraft “provided more tanker capability and offload rate,” Young told the Washington Post.
I’m here to endorse the point made below by my colleague Carrie Rengers, and to amplify on it a little more.
I just finished a 40-minute interview with one of the most fascinating business leaders I’ve met in Wichita. Not going to tell you who, because of the competition, but it’s something for you to be looking forward to in the coming days in the Eagle.
Candid. Funny. Sincere. Down-to-earth. All the things that help a reporter understand an interview subject better.
And proof that Carrie’s right: The better we as reporters know you, the happier you’re going to be with the context of the reporting we do on you.
It’s become an American spectator sport among pundits – a Latin word for “talks constantly, knows nothing” – to paint the media as Satan. We all have agendas. We all are liberals. We all hate America’s institutions. Blah, blah, blah.
The truth is: Sit down with us. Get to know us. Let us get to know you.
You’ll be pleasantly surprised with the results.
I know it goes against most people’s instincts when talking to a reporter, but I’ve found time and again it’s best to be as open and frank as possible.
I was reminded of this while at lunch with a businessman this week. He’s someone who’s been in the news a lot through the years, and not always in a positive way. We had an off-the-record lunch, so he felt more free to speak. I came away from our meeting with a new understanding of him, his partners and what they do. It seemed to me if they had been this open all along — with everyone — their business dealings might have played better in the press.
I certainly understand the need for privacy in business transactions. But sometimes secrecy leads to more questions and misperceptions than would exist if someone simply said, look, here’s the deal, and explained it frankly.
Just a thought.
To call what has been happening in the stock market this week crazy is an understatement.
In fact, it’s stupidity.
No where is that more clear than what is happening to Morgan Stanley, one of the nation’s two remaining independent investment banks.
Yesterday, Morgan Stanley turned in a good quarter. Not stellar, mind you, but its results beat analysts’ expectations and, more important, it posted a profit.
Stanley’s results were positive enough that officials of the company released results a day early, maybe thinking they could bring some calm to an industry that’s besieged by bankruptcy and forced mergers.
But guess what? Despite turning in an admirable performance, Morgan Stanley’s stock price tanked. And because of that, it’s having to look at a merger.
Incredible.
Perception, in this case, truly is reality. Even though that perception among investors is deeply misguided.