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Why do most restructurings fail to save companies?  The answer is because management, the board of directors, and the shareholders fail to take timely action.

Can the company still be saved?  I tend to be an optimist.  I believe the company can be saved but only if Balsillie and Lazaridis go.

Part of saving a publicly traded company is dealing with the public’s perception and perception is reality.  The company has a large customer base now but its numbers are dwindling.  Blackberry sales are off.  I do not care what folks are saying about Blackberry 7 phone sales.   Do you know what keeps most white collar professionals from giving up their Blackberry handsets?  My best guess is the pain and agony of having to transfer the phone contact list from one handset to another and I am guessing a lot of people are set in their ways.  All guess work on my part.  I am, wondering whom RIM has been getting advice from.  What market research studies has RIM conducted?  What is on the company’s product roadmap?  What application developers’ conferences has RIM participated in or even held or even better how many apps developers even show up at their conferences?

To begin the process of saving RIM, the shareholders first need to accept the fact that this company is going to need time to save itself.  RIM cannot be saved in 4 quarters.  The timeline to save RIM is most likely a 2 year effort.  Furthermore, the board will need to defend the company in the media and hire a large outside firm to guide the turnaround.

I can tell you that a complete and total change in executive leadership is needed and that means both Balsillie and Lazaridis need to physically leave the company and cannot even have a board seat in the company.  As long as either of them can even remotely influence the direction of the company, RIM will be finished as a company.

The company does not have the support of the applications development community.  Without the support of apps developers no matter what RIM does in terms of the operating system, Blackberry will be looking at declining sales.  RIM’s stash of cash means one thing – NOTHING.

The QNX phone is due out sometime next year that is a huge problem for RIM.

RIM is in deep trouble, the company either needs a complete dedication to change or it needs to find someone willing to buy it.  I am leaning towards selling off RIM.  In order for a turnaround to be successful, the company needs time and that is something the company is running out of.