Marios-Nicolaos Charalambous

Consulting made simple

Something’s Gotta Give #42: Culture and M&A

M&A is easily one of the “catchiest” things around. The mere reference to the term can make lots of heads turn to your direction, looking at you as if you are about to recite some sort of holy text. But the truth of the matter is that M&A is a tough world to live in. Read more about Something’s Gotta Give #42: Culture and M&A[…]

Something’s Gotta Give #41: The coach’s Ponzi scheme

You are all aware, I am sure, of the countless coaches that exist out there. Basketball coaches, football coaches, business coaches, life coaches, cockroaches (sorry, I couldn’t help myself!). Apart from the first two and the last, which are self-explanatory categories, we have something like “sort of” coaches in the middle. Business coaches are OK Read more about Something’s Gotta Give #41: The coach’s Ponzi scheme[…]

Something’s Gotta Give #40: Returning the favor?

The banks here in Cyprus decided to raise their charges. “All of them?” those of you who don’t live here I’m sure will ask. “Well only those that collectively control about 90% (my estimate) of the market” I will reply. “Really? At the same time? This sounds like a cartel practice that should be prohibited Read more about Something’s Gotta Give #40: Returning the favor?[…]

Something’s Gotta Give #39: If you have nothing to fear…

This is an argument that is oftentimes employed by those who call for stringent, more draconian laws. “If you haven’t done anything wrong and have nothing to fear, then why don’t you support this initiative?” I will not go into the details of whether laws are good to be very punishing or not and why Read more about Something’s Gotta Give #39: If you have nothing to fear…[…]

Something’s Gotta Give #39: Moving on

In the old days, when hydraulic wheels weren’t omnipresent, being on the move while in your vehicle, or being stationary, made a world of difference. And the reason was none other than the fact that while stationary, it took a disproportionately larger amount of strength to turn. I think I have mentioned in a previous Read more about Something’s Gotta Give #39: Moving on[…]

Something’s Gotta Give #38: What really qualifies as bias?

I had the chance to go over Information Memorandums, or “Teasers” as some people call this kind of documents sometimes, quite a few times throughout my professional career as a corporate financier. For those who may not be aware, these are sort of “advertising flyers” that companies prepare and distribute to potential investors, when they Read more about Something’s Gotta Give #38: What really qualifies as bias?[…]

Something’s Gotta Give #37: The big bad humans

I overheard a conversation between two people in the gym, commenting on how other gym members were “saying things about them behind their backs.” Although I am not very much into… gym politics (I mean really? This is the last place I was expecting to hear such a conversation) it always amazed me to no Read more about Something’s Gotta Give #37: The big bad humans[…]

Something’s Gotta Give #36: People vs finance

I was giving a ride to friend the other day. I always keep a book on the co-driver seat since it’s usually empty (yes, I know, not very eco-friendly to a drive an empty car daily – in my defense, public transportation in Cyprus is practically non-existent and I am scared of motorbikes, so…). My Read more about Something’s Gotta Give #36: People vs finance[…]

Something’s Gotta Give #35: The greedy whiner

…Is not a good combination of epithets for someone’s character. Following the collapse of Thomas Cook last week, a number of hoteliers begun to ask for temporary(?) tax cuts from their governments in various countries, as well as credit readjustments from their bankers. Effectively, they were trying to transfer their losses further down the chain. Read more about Something’s Gotta Give #35: The greedy whiner[…]

Something’s Gotta Give #34: God save the hospitality industry

Hello again everyone! After some intense business travelling which I masterfully aligned (more like pure coincidence but who can prove so, really?) with my website migration to a new hosting service, I am back with some great experiences and insights to share. Before we go into today’s main topic, here’s a general observation: Business travelling Read more about Something’s Gotta Give #34: God save the hospitality industry[…]