I have just returned from a short trip to Bergen in Norway, to visit an old university friend who now works over there. The region around Bergen, including Øygarden, the Jotenheimen Mountains and Balestrand (the architecture of which was 'borrowed' by Disney for the film 'Frozen') was awe-inspiringly beautiful, but the prices were eye-blisteringly high - just to look at a restaurant menu might leave scorch marks on your retina.
On my way back, I picked up a postcard (published by www.naturkultur.no) which purports to give 'Viking Laws'. These laws, which are grouped under 'Be brave and aggressive; Be prepared; Be a good merchant; and Keep the camp in order,' might be a perfect list of edicts to conduct good business, including business in the cement industry, and might also be usefully applied to our own lives.
'Be brave and aggressive' has certainly worked for Lafarge and Holcim, and has now worked for HeidelbergCement in its takeover of Italcementi. We now have to wait to see what Cemex will do. 'Attack one target at a time' is not an edict that CRH has followed, having taken over LafargeHolcim's obligatory divestments, while at the same time pursuing the takeover of CR Laurence, a large glazing company in the US (and possibly an odd fit with cement-focussed CRH). We will see if breaking the Viking Law on this will come back to bite CRH. Perhaps they were following the next rule, of not planning everything in detail (and leaving some things to chance). 'Use top-quality weapons' might be interpreted in the cement industry as having top executives and the best advice in terms of tax, accounting and banking: certainly Lafarge and Holcim's advisors must now be enjoying the benefits of some large fees for their work on the admittedly impressive, complex and challenging merger between the two giant companies.
'Be prepared' is a good rule for anyone - As an old Spanish saying goes, 'When they bring you the donkey, be ready with the rope.' 'Find good battle comrades' is a fine adage, but difficult in practice. The oft-derided HR ('human resources') departments of the multinationals are actually critically important in steering the ship - after all, they determine who will be the oarsmen on the vessel. Choosing one chief is obvious - but it is peculiarly often that we see more than one chief in charge - particularly after a merger...
Being 'a good merchant' includes finding out what the market needs and then charging a fair price. I think that for the most part the cement industry does this well... apart from when it involves itself in cartels, which, as shown by the continuing fines levied around the world by cartel-busters, are still common.
Does the cement industry 'keep its camp in good order'? For the most part it does - often with the lash of the local or national regulators at its back - and in some countries it even leads in environmental technology in industry. However, there are still places where the cement dust lies thick on the ground, and where the camp cannot be said to have been kept in good order. 'Consult all members of the group for advice' sounds like good practice, but is impractical in a group with 100,000 employees.
Now, can any of these Viking Laws be applied to how we might conduct ourselves - and how we interact with our families? 'Arrange enjoyable activities which strengthen the group' sounds like a good start!
