"There are lots of big ifs in trying to achieve this epic endeavour, but none which are totally insurmountable given enough money and assistance, and the will to do it, " he said.

BBC: US private sector hopes to send older couple to Mars

Evidence of how these entities have performed is muddy because so much of their environment is distorted: for example, given cheap enough money and strong enough protection for their franchise, even corporate sluggards can show good profits and return on equity.

ECONOMIST: Privatisation in China

There is no particular reason why, given enough time and money, Mr Putera should not be able to turn clove cigarettes into an international niche product in the same way that menthol cigarettes have been.

ECONOMIST: The kretek man

Yeah, well according to the New York Times last summer they were about to score a big deal with Comcast to do precisely this, that is until Ramsay pulled the plug at the last moment because he was convinced TiVo wasn't getting paid enough money or given enough control over the service.

ENGADGET: TiVo backed out of deal with Comcast

There is not enough money to be given away in the world to make the poor well off.

FORBES: Khoslanomics - How Capitalism Can Solve Poverty

And if the organization has the money to bring in consultant automata, these are seldom given enough time or exposure to the game in play to be able to properly reflect upon the rules, let alone facilitate the required second order change.

FORBES: Automata, Re-Orgs and E2.0

And given the amounts of money that foreign fund managers typically handle, only a few companies have tyres big enough to kick.

ECONOMIST: Shares in emerging economies