Bob skipped into the boardroom one morning in June of 2000 with an idea that would rocket the company stock value to heights unseen since the Internet was open for use by the public.Bob shut the door behind him so quickly that his coat was almost caught in the door. The secretary listened intently at the door but only heard the boss utter expletive in utter astonishment at Bob's proposal.
Suddenly the door swung open and the board members poured out like patrons from a burning movie house.
Meanwhile at the Central Intelligence Agency, Mark was pouring over satellite photographs of the Cayman Islands. Frank, Mark's supervisor, walked by and asked "Why are you looking at the Cayman Islands"? "The computer alerted us to some very large structures" said Mark. "Oh, you didn't get the memo on those because you don't have clearance yet. You don't have to worry about those, I'll take them. Here. Start looking over the drug traffic reports" said Frank.
Mark handed over the satellite photos and dismissed the whole affair. Frank went to lunch early and called Bob from the company on a pay phone. "We had a close call about the warehouse in the Cayman Islands, but it's under control now." He said, then he immediately hung up the phone.
Bob pushed the off button on his cell phone, tipped a Mai-Tai to his lips and dug his toes into the warm white sand of the Cayman Island Beach. Then he raised his glass to a passing cargo ship in the distance. "Here comes the first of many shipments of many orders from the company". Bob glanced around him and muttered under his breath "It's still expensive to ship a bunch of empty boxes but it sure beats paying inventory taxes on nonexistent products".
Three Years Later
The company reported a rapid surge in orders. Production and inventory was keeping up at a steady pace. As a result, the stock price went up forty percent. Bob checked his calendar. 'Six more months and I can finally sell all of my stock.' thought Bob.Meanwhile, Market analysts were scratching their heads and speculating about the unusual "jobless recovery" of 2003.
Going through the motions is more expensive that just cooking the books, but the effect it has on the stock value and the rest of the "affluent" economy is quite spectacular. Bob frowned as he wondered how on earth he was going to signal his friends when the time came to sell the stock.
And, what the heck is he going to do with a warehouse full of empty boxes in the Cayman Islands?
The End