Even Mr Klaus, a wily operator, may struggle to find excuses to stall for eight months.

ECONOMIST: Ireland and the Lisbon Treaty

So notice whether you write, or find excuses not to write.

FORBES: How To Figure Out If You Could Write A Business Book...

It is getting harder to find good excuses for being offline: this week the European Union allowed airlines to offer in-flight mobile-phone service, and several carriers have Wi-Fi.

ECONOMIST: A wireless world

Yet boards find many excuses for doing nothing.

ECONOMIST: Firing the boss

"The fact that the airlines are already working actively to find loopholes and excuses to avoid compliance with new consumer protections before the regulations even go into effect demonstrates their continued hostility to consumers and new laws and policies designed to protect them, " Hanni said in a statement Tuesday.

CNN: Air traffic jams in New York likely to jump

There may be obstacles in accessing both sites in China, but companies should find solutions instead of excuses.

FORBES: Short-Seller Attacks Highlight Chinese Companies Social Media Shortcomings

Besides, a politician can always find half-plausible excuses in which he can half-believe.

ECONOMIST: Lexington

And executives can find reasons, or excuses, for keeping the status quo.

NPR: Late-Night Network Shows Still A White Men's Club

The survey collected about 2, 500 outlandish excuses that hiring managers and human resource managers heard this year, and a panel sifted through them to find the 15 most unusual, never-before-seen excuses.

FORBES: This Year's Most Ridiculous Excuses For Calling In Sick

The survey also asked hiring managers and HR personnel to report the most outlandish excuses they heard from employees this year, and a panel sifted through the 2, 000 submissions to find the 10 most unusual ones.

FORBES: The Most Ridiculous Excuses For Calling In Sick