Vantaggi
A strong set of technology offerings, making sure this company will survive the current market situation no matter what. Especially at the lower levels, you'll find a whole bunch of people that very much care and don't want to see this company fail. This is a result of the older (by now changed) policy of always taking care of your people, and treating them as adults and equals.
Svantaggi
This company has been taken over by pencil pushers and purely financially interested parties. Much to my regret, gone are the original founders along with their management style, having been forced out and replaced by the previously mentioned group. This new echelon of senior management is only interested in one thing: money. To be fair, who isn't in this business. As such, they're trying to put lipstick on a pig in order to attract takeover offers. I'd expect this company to be sold within 1-2 years to the likes of SLB or NOV, especially if/when the market gets its act together and larger companies free up some savings to jump start recovery and expansion even. - No longer any room for progression - Prefer to attract talent from outside, instead of recognizing and promoting internal options. Partially due to some belief that outside talent somehow will shake things up and know what they're talking about. - No apparent long term vision from senior management besides apparently getting the place sold ASAP - Promises made over time not kept at all - No real appreciation for employee effort and time anymore - Cost savings on what appear to be the wrong things