When: April 2003

What: WorldCom files plan to reorganize and change brand name to MCI.

FUDFactor: This is a new, clean company, but one that you know.

FUDBust: A skunk by any other name still stinks. One has to wonder why WorldCom suddenly saw value in a name it wanted to cast away a short time ago. The answer is obvious: The name WorldCom is synonymous with corporate scandal, while MCI is a known, long-distance brand that predates Bernie Ebbers.

The company seems to be trying to re-create MCI, but the damage has already been done. While people like Ebbers are no longer part of the company, the company is no longer MCI. MCI is dead, and unlike a phoenix, it will not be reborn from the ashes of the takeover that destroyed it.

Some advice to WorldCom: Admit you made mistakes. Fire those responsible along with those who did nothing to stop the implosion. The only way you'll repair the company is by earning the trust of your customers and the general public.

Post a comment or question on this story.