If he were to conclude that it is pretty difficult to create a homogenous culture of putting the customerfirst in an organisation that contains both a giant retail bank and a giant investment bank - and my impression is that he is sceptical such a culture can be nurtured and firmly rooted - would that reinforce the case for breaking up Barclays?
By putting the customer, or the employee, first, Ford rejected the obsession with shareholder returns that, much later, brought companies such as Enron to grief.
In a previous article, I looked at marketing innovators who are creating engaging brand experiences putting into practice the first of four marketing principles that together build the kind of long-term customer loyalty that has become increasingly hard to achieve.