Ditching national pride for a sale

Anytime a producer needs to sell a product or a service, the one entity that matters most and matters all, is the consumer. Imposing restrictions on how the product must be, in line with the producer's psyche, will get the product nowhere.

Culture has always been an important factor while designing products and services. But the culture that 'matters' is the one held dear by the consumer not the seller or the producer.

Italy today, is no longer insisting on maintaining the 'Italianness' of Alitalia. All it wants is a buyer.

Italy is happy to sell Alitalia to anyone willing to turn the loss-making national airline around - no matter whether the new owners are Eskimos or Chinese, an Italian minister said.
Embarrassed by the collapse of Alitalia's auction last week when the last bidders pulled out, Rome is now scrambling for new options to sell the airline and prevent it from being shut down.

Several bidders in the seven-month auction had pulled out citing restrictive terms imposed by Rome on the sale -- which include maintaining the "Italianness" of the airline. The final contenders included Russia's Aeroflot and a U.S. private equity group.

Pic : www.airlines.blogfa.com