Page 148 - merged.pdf
P. 148
•128 The 100 Greatest Business Ideas of All Time
to achieve immortality.’ As long, says Pat Robertson, as you are not a homosexual
or come from Scotland, which he describes as a ‘dark land.’
Religious business opportunities arise also from inter-religious feuds. They have
a habit of destroying each other’s religious sites when they are at war or trying to rid
their country of other religions. When and if the Serbs leave Kosovo, they are going
to try to get Nato to agree that they can leave some of their troops behind for the
task of guarding their religious sites.
This brings us logically to the next idea.
Idea 72 – War and the pieces
‘To found a great Empire for the sole purpose of raising up a people of customers,
may at first sight appear only a project for a nation of shopkeepers. It is, however,
a project altogether unfit for a nation of shopkeepers; but extremely fit for a nation
that is governed by shopkeepers.’
Adam Smith (1723–1790)
The impact of war on business is very profound. From the industrial opportunities
involved in building weapons and ammunition to prepare for it, to the need for
repair and rebuilding after it, there is really no equal.
The economics of war are bound up with the theory of late starters. Late start-
ers are countries whose economies have gone through rapid growth later than oth-
ers. The argument goes that they can leapfrog technologies and not only catch up
but also outdo their competitors. In this century Italy, Germany and Japan incurred
huge amounts of war damage and the late starter theory saw them building a new
stock of capital incorporating the latest technologies. Indeed, the allies systemati-
cally dismantled and shipped to their countries the entire industrial base of Ger-
many. This led to very rapid growth with the most modern plant and equipment.