Chief Executive (U.S.) back issues from March 2009:
So sorry for this apology.(EDITOR'S NOTE)
Mar 01, 2009; ... Everyone is in full apology mode. GM and Chrysler executives seem to be stuck in constant apology gear starting with their appearance before Congress with a tin cup in one hand and the keys to the executive jet in the other. Now that Rick Wagoner has been given the boot, it falls to him to ...
Understanding China.(FEEDBACK)(Letter to the editor)
Mar 01, 2009; ... Robert Kuhn, ("Understanding China III: Vision," Jan.--Feb. 2009) for whom I have much respect, provides a rosy picture of China, seemingly overoptimistic against the many factors, positive and negative, regarding China's place in the world and its essential role as a vast market for the ...
Fine-Tuning Philips.(CEO CHRONICLES)(Koninklijke Philips Electronics N.V.)
Mar 01, 2009; ... At Royal Philips Electronics, heading a $9 billion market is apparently not quite enough responsibility for one executive. The organization's matrix management structure gives regional CEOs an additional role in one of its three global sectors: healthcare, lighting and consumer lifestyle ....
The reluctant CEO.(CEO CHRONICLES)
Mar 01, 2009; ... When Jerre Stead agreed to step in and aid an ailing IHS back in 2000, it was on one condition: "I said, I'll be happy to be chairman, but I'm not going to do CEO again," recounts the 65-year-old, who had left the chairman and CEO role at Ingram Micro. a scant six months earlier. ...
Swedish sensation.(CEO CHRONICLES)
Mar 01, 2009; ... When Lars Bjork joined the nascent business intelligence software company QlikTech in 2000, it was a tiny entity with 35 people and $2 million in revenues based in Lund, Sweden. Bjork came aboard as CFO, but his role proved much broader. "In a company of that size, your title ...
Pumping protection.(CEO CHRONICLES)
Mar 01, 2009; ... Wouldn't it be nice to pay $1.50 per gallon of gas when prices at the pump are $1.99 and up? Or how about having price protection on fuel for your company's fleet of delivery or service vehicles--or offering it to employees? That's the premise behind Pricelock, a growth-stage company ...
Electrify the economy: AEP CEO Mike Morris rallies for a national electric grid backbone as the next interstate system.(CEO WATCH)(Interview)
Mar 01, 2009 ... In his 2005 book, The Bottomless Well, Peter Huber explained how America's energy economy was shifting from fossil fuels to the electron. He argued that the nations top energy priority should he the construction of a 21st-century national electric grid, one that will "let cheap power chase ...
In fact.(CEO CHRONICLES)
Mar 01, 2009; ... 1. Factor by which the market capitalization of Harley-Davidson ($2.7 billion) exceeded that of General Motors ($1.3 billion) on February 17, 2009 | 2 [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] 2. Net income that ExxonMobile reported for Q4 in 2008, a 33% decline over 2007, but still ...
CEOs select Best, Worst States for job growth and business.(SURVEY)
Mar 01, 2009 ... IN ITS FIFTH ANNUAL SURVEY, CE asked 543 CEOs to evaluate their states on a broad range of issues, including regulation, tax policies, education, quality of living and infrastructure. In addition, CEOs were also asked to grade each state based on the following criteria: 1) Taxation & ...
Sound, fury--and reasoned response: companies should review--and revise--pay plans before "say on pay.".(THOUGHT LEADER)(Editorial)
Mar 01, 2009; ... In these unprecedented times, legislators in the U.S. (and elsewhere) are taking aim at corporate governance of executive compensation and at an array of specific pay practices, from base salary increases to incentive awards to severance and even to corporate jets Already, a ...
Understanding China IV: stability: addressing inequality, both within national borders and across them, is critical for a peaceful and prosperous future.(UNCOMMON WISDOM)
Mar 01, 2009; ... To understand China, if Pride, Responsibility and Vision are the first three guiding principles (see previous issues), Stability must surely be the fourth. If one appreciates just these four overarching ideas and can recognize their countless expressions, one already knows a good deal ...
Succession in practice: how to make succession work--for the company, the board and the CEO.(LEADERSHIP)(Interview)
Mar 01, 2009; ... While CEO succession is much in the news, it is often discussed from the point of view of board members, consultants and search firms. To understand the perspectives of today's CEOs on succession planning, we spoke with 18 sitting CEOs, one recently retired CEO and one sitting chairman, as ...
Eco-chic & the sustainability flak catchers: who--if anyone--is getting this sustainability thing right?(GREEN BUSINESS)
Mar 01, 2009; ... The broad fear and culpability over humanity's impact upon the earth and its climate now hold a powerful influence over nearly all social institutions. Bearing the brunt of concern are those organizations that harness and process the planet's resources to feed, house, transport and ...
How the Army manages transformation: like any large, complex organization that must adapt to new realities, the U.S. Army seeks to knock down silos and rethink the way it looks at itself. Army Chief of Staff Gen. George W. Casey, Jr., talks about what it takes to modernize a 1.1 million-person organization, where getting people to embrace change is the key.(THE ORGANIZATION)(Interview)
Mar 01, 2009 ... The U.S. faces an increasingly volatile, complex and uncertain international environment, one that now demands a very different approach and force structure to deal with what defense and foreign policy experts call "an era of persistent conflict." After eight years of continuous combat ...
Killing the electric car again: the culprits are the same as the last time--batteries.(BATTERY TECHNOLOGY)
Mar 01, 2009; ... When U.S. gasoline prices soared to more than $4 per gallon in the summer of 2008, drivers and automakers ramped up the search for new ways to fuel cars. Energy hawks worry about continued U.S. dependence on oil from hostile countries--we import more than two-thirds of the oil we use. In ...
Finding funding: cash is hard--but not impossible--to come by.(CORPORATE FINANCE)
Mar 01, 2009; ... In February, Punxsutawney Phil, the famous prognosticating groundhog, predicted six more weeks of gloomy winter after seeing his shadow up at Gobbler's Knob. If only that were true for the frozen financial tundra. Thanks to locked-up credit markets, plunging profits and a deepening ...
Want better performance? Say you're sorry.(COVER STORY)
Mar 01, 2009; ... In today's unforgiving business climate, what exactly should CEOs say when they make a mistake or suffer a setback of their own making? There are really only two options. Plan A is to hunker down and hope that no one notices, disclose nothing, admit less, be stingy with facts ...
Leveraging China and India: two countries are the key to staying competitive in cost, talent and innovation.(Company overview)
Mar 01, 2009; ... The pharmaceutical industry provides a near-perfect example of how leveraging China and India--for not just cost efficiency but also talent and innovation--is becoming central to survival and success for many Fortune 1000 companies. According to Jean-Pierre Garnier, the recently ...
Island living: looking for a second home? Consider the Caribbean.(EXECUTIVE LIFE)
Mar 01, 2009; ... Corporate executives have long used the Caribbean and the countries surrounding the Caribbean as escape locations. The islands of St. Bart's, St. Martin and Anguilla or exotic resorts in places such as Mexico and Costa Rica always attracted weary executives, attempting a short break from ...
Getting real: need to make an appearance in coach? Send a doppelganger.(FLIP SIDE)
Mar 01, 2009; ... Not long ago, a photograph of Liz Claiborne CEO William McComb jammed into a seat in coach class appeared in the The Wall Street Journal. The article described how CEOs were forgoing trips on private planes and even giving the thumbs-down to first class and business class as a way of ...
California dreaming.(FINALWORD)
Mar 01, 2009 ... PRESIDENT OBAMA'S PROPOSED FEDERAL SPENDING WILL TOP $4 TRILLION this year, about 29 percent of GDP--exceeded only by spending during World War II. Then there are the Administration's plans to add $1.9 trillion in new taxes. This heady sum can hardly come from just the so-called rich as he ...
Pitchforks for populists.(FINALWORD)(Brief article)
Mar 01, 2009 ... THE WHITE HOUSE'S CALCULATED SYMPATHY with the public outcry over the AIG bonuses and the bills now winding through Congress that would tax up to 90 percent of any bonus paid to executives earning in excess of $250,000 is a jolting reminder that whatever business leaders do or say, as far ...