Chief Executive (U.S.) articles from August 2002

Chief Executive (U.S.) archives from August 2002

Four tips that may keep you in office.(Chief Executive (U.S.))(Brief Article)(Editorial)
August 1, 2002... This year -- Chief Executive's 25th anniversary -- marks a tough time for CEOs. Economic uncertainty, geopolitical turmoil and public contempt for business leadership have made sitting atop a corporation, especially a public one, more...

Plus Ca Change. (Then and Now).(Chief Executive Officers and corporate management)(Statistical Data Included)
August 1, 2002... When Chief Executive published its inaugural issue in 1977, Jimmy Carter was president (and author of our first cover story), gasoline cost 64 cents a gallon and inflation was 6.5 percent. Much has changed since then. Chief Executive, for...

Busted trust. (Capitol Ideas).(corporate reform, Washington D.C.)
August 1, 2002... If we have done anything wrong," J.P. Morgan famously told Theodore Roosevelt during a tense confrontation at the White House in February 1902, "send your man to my man and they can fix it up." None of the CEOs who have streamed into...

What the future holds: CEOs share their secrets, and speculations, on managing for the 25 years to come. (Chief Forecasters).(chief executive officers)(Statistical Data Included)
August 1, 2002... When CEOs reflect on the experiences of their predecessors 25 years ago, the job seems simpler, to say the least. Sure, corporate chiefs faced challenges in 1977, when Chief Executive launched its inaugural issue; their problems included an...

Veterans of value: short-term gains are for the birds--just ask shareholders. Here are the CEOs with real stamina, boasting the biggest returns over 25 years. (Chief Wealth Creators).(Chief Executive (U.S.) rankings)(Statistical Data Included)
August 1, 2002... Lew Platt was surprised at the number of rankled customers who rang his office after he took over as CEO of Hewlett-Packard in 1992. At first, he saw them as a small annoyance. The head of a company, he believed, should focus on more important...

Inflection points: these 25 mavericks--some controversial, some wacky, all driven--show what it takes to revolutionize business. (Chief Innovators).(entrepreneurs)(Statistical Data Included)
August 1, 2002... Innovators have blazed a wide trail in American business over the past quarter-century. Some pioneered new industries, while others remade old businesses, creating jobs and enormous wealth while reenergizing the economy. Still others reformed...

Smart people, stupid choices: in Chief Executive's quarter century of existence, we've seen CEOs make big mistakes. A few learn from them. (Chief Catastrophes).(corporate management)(Statistical Data Included)
August 1, 2002... What were they thinking: It's a natural response to this year's business headlines, as one CEO after another falls from grace. The consequences have included plunging stock prices, forced exists, company and personal bankruptcy and, in at...

Pay crackdown: at leading companies, compensation committees make changes to heed criticism of egregious pay. Washington likely will spur others. (Compensation).(Chief Executive Officers salary)(Statistical Data Included)
August 1, 2002... Last year one could taste the vitriol as corporate proxy statements unveiled an indecent imbalance between company stock performance and CEO pay. While shareholders' portfolios plummeted, many CEOs raked in more cash than some countries' GDP....

Unleashing the power of the consumer-driven profit machine: consumers are changing, and so are their needs. If you want their business, you'll have to know what they want before they do. (Roundtable).
August 1, 2002... Two Years ago, when sock and hosiery manufacturer Gold Toe Brands embarked on a consumer study, CEO Jim Williams expected the research to confirm what he and his company already knew. After a[l, the company--formerly known as Great American...

Mastering the supply chain. (Roundtable).
August 1, 2002... There's still no silver bullet when it comes to optimizing the connection between partners, customers and suppliers--but it's a must to stay competitive. and it's up to CEOs to make those big investments pay off. Once upon a time,...

Chief Executive of the Year Dinner 2002.
August 1, 2002... On the eve of July 8th, 11 Wall Street buzzed--not with the tumult of frenzied floor traders buying and selling securities, but with the clinking of glasses and casual banter of some 200 CEOs and their guests. It hadn't been an easy day for...

Corporate heroes, where are you? (Flip Side).(Brief Article)
August 1, 2002... Over the past 26 years, the high-profile business leader has seesawed between outlandish social pariah and esteemed cultural paragon, a hero of the Republic. In the 1980s, Lee Iacocca was so idolized for his exhumation of the cadaverous...

Meeting the challenges of tomorrow's workplace: a coming shortage of skilled workers will force companies to focus on their strengths and turn outside for support. (CEO Perspectives).
August 1, 2002... Among the host of challenges chief executives face at the start of the 21st century, none rank higher than issues relating to the workplace of the future. In survey after survey, CEOs rate high-quality employees as the most important factor in...

Execution is in the details. (First Words).(Brief Article)
August 1, 2002... Most executives know what strategies should make their companies competitive, but actually executing them is often another story. That's the basis for this issue of The Leigh Advisor, which covers the topic from several angles. In "Turning...

Taking a 'Q' from Hollywood marketing. (Front Lines).(Brief Article)
August 1, 2002... He who rules the standards rules the economic flow through." So says pop culture expert Bruce Sterling, who is known as "the king of dead products." That statement is especially true in the entertainment world, where keeping tabs on audience...

The challenge of staying informed. (Front Lines).(Brief Article)
August 1, 2002... When it comes to staying informed about current management thinking these days, executives and managers wish they had more time and resources to read more business books and attend more conferences and seminars. These are among the latest...

All that jazz: jazz as a metaphor for business? It's not such a stretch, says musician and motivator Michael Gold. (Management).
August 1, 2002... AT ABOUT THE TIME THAT THE MODERN CORPORATION WAS BEING born, so too was modern jazz. For nearly a century, the two have evolved in almost completely separate worlds -- until now. Jazz Impact, based in Minneapolis, brings seminars to...

Building on the brand: a strong brand presence does more than just resonate with consumers. It also creates an imperative inside the company that connects employees, managers, and shareholders. (Marketing).
August 1, 2002... From Starbucks to Southwest Airlines, successful companies owe a lot to the development of a powerful brand. But a brand is more than just a name -- it's the essence of your company, and it grows and changes the same way your organization does....

Turning knowledge into action: innovation expert Robert Sutton reveals the mind-set and strategies needed to go from theory to practice. (Cover Story).
August 1, 2002... How do smart companies turn knowledge into action -- and what stops them? Over the years, I've met countless executives, managers, and engineers who were smart and hardworking, but who were unable to turn their ideas about improving performance...

Growing the top line through innovation: research shows that companies that follow the five "golden rules" of new product development have a greater chance of success. (Cover Story).
August 1, 2002... All companies must generate innovative new products and services if they are to stay healthy and grow. Increased competition, new technology, and changing customer demands have created a marketplace that is tougher than ever. But just one...

The Responsibility Virus: it's catching; before you take charge of a troublesome situation, think about letting someone else handle it. (Cover Story).
August 1, 2002... The Trap How many times has a subordinate walked into your office and announced something like this: "Boss, we've just discovered a huge hole in our network security. We are more vulnerable to hacking than we ever believed. This will...

Vary your voice: Nike's resident "Katalyst" is helping employees at all levels to embrace the company's vision, and in turn extend the brand. (Cover Story).
August 1, 2002... Phil Knight, the CEO of Nike, calls me "The Voice." This unofficial title describes the role I play there, but I prefer the term "Katalyst." A Katalyst, to me, is "one that provokes significant change under different conditions than are...

Web services: what you need to know; not just the "next new thing," Web services actually work. (Technology).
August 1, 2002... In the classic scene from the movie The Graduate, the recent college grad played by Dustin Hoffman is portentously offered one word of business advice: "Plastics." This year, the newly diploma'ed are hearing two words: "Web services." ...

Growth in hard times: surviving--and thriving--amidst chaos isn't impossible. The secret lies in corporate culture, a contrarian attitude, the art of anticipation, and change strategies. (Perspectives: Strategy).
August 1, 2002... My company, Rosenbluth International, is growing by over $1 million a day, and yet we weren't supposed to even be here. We're supposed to be out of business -- because of war, the aftermath of September 11, commission cuts in our industry the...

Differentiation through selling, not branding: when it comes to intangible business services, branding can get you on the short list, but differentiation gets you the sale. (Perspectives: Sales).
August 1, 2002... How does Coke differentiate itself from Pepsi? Ford from Toyota? Time from Newsweek? Largely through branding and related product or service differences. Advertising plays a big role, and other elements of the marketing and product mix are...

Making meetings meaningful: every meeting is an opportunity for leaders to connect with employees and convey a sense of mission: who we are, where we are going, and why. (Last Words).(Brief Article)
August 1, 2002... Most meetings do not work. I am referring here to the large (100-plus employees) internal meetings sponsored by top management, and by "not work," I mean that these meetings typically do not have clear, measurable goals, let alone achieve them....