An opaque, book-value accounting system made judging performance difficult, and bureaucratic dictat ensured that such returns turned out pretty similar anyway.

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Whereas Boards, CEOs, CMOs and corporate marketers are fairly adept at judging and managing the value, efficacy and quality of conventional marketing and media strategies, because they are essentially uncertain about what is going on in social media they can be easily led astray.

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There was controversy when Russia's Nikolai Kruykov lost his place in the final of the men's high bar after his start value was downgraded using a new video judging system.

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The rapid loss of market value so soon after a bullish comment from a chief executive may, judging by one reading of Enron's experience, get prosecutorial juices going, should the financial crisis get so bad that the public demands locking up some prominent Wall Streeters.

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"As the Government goes down the route of championing vocational education they need to make their mind up as to whether all qualifications are of value, or if it is simply particular academic subjects which carry weight when judging a school, " said general secretary Christine Blower.

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But judging by the tents parked outside Walmart, I am pretty certain that we have forgotten the value of time.

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