Chief Executive (U.S.) articles from August 2005

Chief Executive (U.S.) archives from August 2005

The U.S. economic bubble.(EDITOR'S NOTE)
August 1, 2005... I hope I'm wrong, but I have a bad feeling about the housing bubble. I hear all the Don't-Worry-Be-Happy talk about economic growth running at 3.4 percent and about financial markets being at four-year highs. But I suspect we're living in a...

Detroit's future.(FEEDBACK)(Letter to the Editor)
August 1, 2005... I totally disagree with Mr. Holstein about the government needing to do more for GM ("Editor's Note," June 2005). The $130,000 a year autoworker--and the industry as a whole--has priced itself out of the market just as other unionized...

We are the world.(FEEDBACK)(Letter to the Editor)
August 1, 2005... I read William Holstein's interview with Jeffrey Garten, Yale's outgoing Dean ("Only A Passing Grade," July 2005), and never have I found a peer's perspective so absolutely right and wrong, simultaneously. I agree with his central argument...

Higher learning.(FEEDBACK)(Letter to the Editor)
August 1, 2005... I read "Fixing America's Future" (April 2005) with interest in and appreciation for the discussion of the challenges and need to reform our nation's educational system. Sadly, the report overlooked the important work of the Business-Higher...

The importance of beaning earnest.(FEEDBACK)(Letter to the Editor)
August 1, 2005... Every day we read about major scandals surrounding corporate accounting and governance. There is probably some good in this coverage since it triggers reform, though I'm not sure that any amount of legislation and reform will stop crooks from...

Boards: still not off the hook.(EXECUTIVE PAY)
August 1, 2005... THE COLLECTIVE SIGH of relief from Walt Disney directors was audible from Tinseltown to Teaneck. Ruling on a shareholder suit that had dragged on for years, Delaware Chancellor William Chandler on August 9 determined that the Disney board did...

Darts & roses.(CEO WATCH)
August 1, 2005... DARTS... * LACHLAN MURDOCH. Taking your marbles and running home, sonny boy? That's no way to build a world empire. Did you want Daddy to just hand it to you? [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] * JOHN SWEENEY. Bye-bye, AFL-CIO. Couldn't have...

TiVo's last stand?(TECHNOLOGY)
August 1, 2005... IN THE INNOVATION ARENA, it's never been easy for the player first out of the gate with a new product to stay on top because competitors quickly spring up with generic versions that offer similar functionality at half the price. TiVo...

Darts & roses.(CEO WATCH)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2005... ROSE... * MARK HURD. Nice quiet Midwest approach to one of high-tech's toughest challenges, called Hewlett-Packard. The patient needs more substance, less sizzle. DART... * JURGEN SCHREMPP. Der Master Plan didn't exactly work...

Future confidence is lagging.(CEO CONFIDENCE INDEX)
August 1, 2005... ARE THESE THE BEST OF TIMES or the worst of times? CEOs seem to be signaling that they are optimistic about today, but skeptical about tomorrow. The overall CEO Confidence Index in August rose to 171.1, up from 163.1 in July. But that was...

A time for optimism?(CEO OF THE YEAR DINNER)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2005... George David, chief executive of United Technologies, told attendees at the CEO of Year dinner being held in his honor that the worst of the corporate scandals are over and that continued globalization and productivity gains will yield rich...

The broadband conundrum: how to let new technologies blossom.(CHIEF CONCERN)
August 1, 2005... The great thing about competition is that it's so democratic: If you build a better product or service that costs less and performs better for your customer, you'll grow and prosper. If you don't, the marketplace will show you the door. ...

Fighting for the future of U.S. manufacturing: American companies need relief and support.(CHIEF CONCERN)
August 1, 2005... There is much discussion today about how to re-energize the American economy. A good place to start would be our economy's heart and soul--manufacturing. At $1.4 trillion a year, manufacturing represents some 13 percent of gross domestic...

Europe's green standards get tougher: global CEOs need to respond more quickly.(CHIEF CONCERN)
August 1, 2005... In less than a year, there will be a seismic shift on the continental shelves of Europe that affects electrical and electronics companies everywhere. We know it's coming, yet many affected companies seem to be responding slowly. European...

Why "balance" is B.S.: for CEOs, blending work and home makes sense.(THOUGHT LEADER)
August 1, 2005... It's no surprise that, at least by conventional or "normal" standards, the schedules of most CEOs are decidedly not in balance. Take my average day: By 7 a.m: (PST) I've already talked to a dozen people, had several meetings or am en route to...

Best ideas for CEOs: marking the 20th anniversary of the CEO of the Year, eight of our honorees offer their best insights.
August 1, 2005... What are the characteristics that the greatest CEOs have shared and what can today's CEOs learn from them? It's a tantalizingly simple question, but the answers are, of course, complex. One reason it's complicated is that these CEOs are so...

Taming China: managing a successful subsidiary requires experience and strong on-the-ground presence.(GLOBAL)
August 1, 2005... Four years ago, the German electronics giant Siemens was facing relentless pressure to cut costs and lower prices on its mobile phones. So it did what hundreds of other companies have done: It sent a task force to China to see about opening a...

Can Cherkasky save Marsh? The financial giant's board picked a squeaky clean outsider to lead it back from the brink. But even the new CEO agrees this turnaround is far from over.(TURNAROUND)
August 1, 2005... When Michael Cherkasky took the helm of embattled Marsh & McLennan Cos. last October, the global financial services giant, with $12.2 billion in 2004 revenues, was whispered to be "the next Arthur Andersen." The 130-year-old firm's viability...

Service is as service does: CEOs talk the talk, but many companies don't deliver.(CUSTOMER RELATIONS)
August 1, 2005... Service quality among U.S. firms is slipping significantly, independent data shows, and chief executives need a wake-up call lest they lose customers while offering products and services that continually fall short of expectations. CEOs can ill...

The not-so-golden state: CEOs aren't happy with Schwarzenegger's latest performance.(REGIONAL REPORT)
August 1, 2005... It was May 2004, and Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger's Hollywood star power was lighting up Sacramento. His approval rating stood at 65 percent; workers' compensation costs, once the highest in the nation, were headed downward; and the state's...

Maxing the gain: the key is delaying the point of "differentiation.".(SUPPLY CHAINS)
August 1, 2005... The paint department of your local hardware store may not seem like the place to go for strategic insights, but on display is one strategy that offers the potential to streamline offshore manufacturing operations, create markets and even...

Pursuing high performance: chief executives can, in fact, stay ahead of emerging global competitors.(ROUNDTABLE)
August 1, 2005... Adapt and win has never looked harder. Emerging from a scandal-scarred era, American chief executives are confronting ruthless competition, rampant commoditization and relentless bottom-line pressure. Globalization, once heralded as the Next...

A matter of maturity: great deals pour forth at wine auctions.(EXECUTIVE LIFE)
August 1, 2005... Few things send a clearer signal that it's time to relax than sharing excellent wine with family, friends, colleagues or clients. But if your wine purchases are limited to a favorite bottle from a wine list, or picking up a cabernet from the...

Field of dreams: be a team player for your baseball idol at the Hall of Fame's Fantasy Camp.
August 1, 2005... While it's common business-speak for top executives to boast that a member of their management team "stepped up to the plate and hit a home run," few, if any, actually know what it's really like to crank a major league fastball out of a...

Ordering Chinese takeout: can far east management turn failing U.S. companies around?(FLIP SIDE)
August 1, 2005... When China's third-largest oil producer, CNOOC, made an unsolicited bid for control of Unocal a few months back, this great nation found itself plunged into a long-overdue spate of soul-searching. Though the bid was ultimately withdrawn, its...

How not to engage in the global economy.(EDITORIAL)
August 1, 2005... POLITICIANS HAVE SHOT down the effort of China National Offshore Oil Corp. (CNOOC) to buy Unocal. What a wrong-headed, dangerous thing to have done. There are several reasons: First, it invites retaliation. Although the Chinese are going...

CEOs and the future of GAAP.(EDITORIAL)(Generally Accepted Accounting Principles)(chief executive officers)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2005... BIG THINGS ARE HAPPENING in the realm of Generally Accepted Accounting Principles and your company will almost certainly be affected. The Financial Accounting Standards Board is increasingly in the driver's seat in managing GAAP, whose...