Chief Executive (U.S.) articles from January 2008

Chief Executive (U.S.) archives from January 2008

Correction.(Correction notice)
January 1, 2008... In "CEO Chronicles" (December 2007), Tom Quindlen was identified as CEO of GE Corporate Lending. He is CEO of GE Commercial Finance.

Time is the enemy.(EDITOR'S NOTE)(chief executive officer's tenure drops)
January 1, 2008... Contary to the old Rolling Stones lyric, time is not on your side. It's no secret that a CEO's tenure has been dropping precipitously over the last 10 years. In the 1990s, a chief could expect to hold onto his job for at least 10 years. Today,...

Would a CEO make a good president?(FEEDBACK)
January 1, 2008... In an online column Chief Executive asked why CEOs are largely underrepresented from the ranks of political leaders, particularly those seeking the presidency (Mitt Romney notwithstanding). The issue of a CEO becoming president is important...

CEO severance.(FEEDBACK)(Brief article)
January 1, 2008... Severance compensation has moved too far away from its original intent--first, to cover the vested "value" an executive gives up in order to take a new job, and second, to provide protection through compensation to an executive while he/she...

Converting vision into action.(FEEDBACK)(Brief article)
January 1, 2008... I couldn't agree more with Bob Donnelly's "Converting CEO Vision Into Action" (The Entrepreneurial CEO). Too many CEOs focus on the surface of corporate management, which includes an abnormal focus on topline revenues and profits. His approach...

The Southwest story.(CEO CHRONICLES)
January 1, 2008... When James F. Parker moved into the CEO post at Southwest Airlines, his No. 1 mandate was: "Don't screw it up." The company had built a winning reputation with both customers and investors as a low-fare airline with stellar service, profits...

Talent talk.(CEO CHRONICLES)
January 1, 2008... Business leaders are fond of saying that their best assets leave by elevator every night, a mantra meant to underscore their esteem for valued employees. But what of the increasing number of workers who fill in the gaps, coming into companies...

Innovation spending intensity by industry.(INbox)(Reprint)
January 1, 2008... At left, the two highest-spending industries were computing and electronics and health care. At right, the software and internet industry and health care lead in intensity, defined as R & D spending as a percentage of sales Total 2006...

INfact.(CEO CHRONICLES)
January 1, 2008... Information begins with facts, which can be assembled to identify trends. Put it all together to derive knowledge. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] 1. Impact on market valuations contributed by CEOs who issue frequent earnings guidance compared...

Valley voyager.(CEO WATCH)(Interview)
January 1, 2008... Silicon Valley celeb Tom Perkins is no stranger to the spotlight. An innovator of laser technology-turned-VC, he helped nurture AOL, Amazon, Sun Microsystems, Google and Genentech. Along the way he married--and divorced romance novelist...

Thorns & roses.(CEO WATCH)
January 1, 2008... ROSE... A well-deserved bouquet to TIFFANY, SAKS, MACY'S, and ABERCROMBIE & FITCH for pitching well-off foreigners to travel to the States and take advantage of favorable exchange rates by spending their mountain of euros and stirlings on...

Texas ranks number one.(Texas listed as the top state to do business)(Survey)
January 1, 2008... WHILE MUCH OF THE NATION'S FOCUS is jumping from state to state during the presidential primary race, CEOs did their own "state-jumping," ranking the best and worst states to do business. CEOs chose states with no income tax as the best two...

The CEO's role in fighting cancer: at least half of all cancer deaths are preventable.(CHIEF CONCERN)
January 1, 2008... Few actions in the tenure of a CEO are more personally rewarding than saving and improving human lives. It is one reason I am so proud to be part of a company like Johnson & Johnson, a leader in health care whose products and services touch the...

Ensuring quality in China: how transparent is your supply chain?(CHIEF CONCERN)
January 1, 2008... Pet food, toothpaste and toy recalls rated recent headlines as well as the attention of global businesses. Manufacturers would be wise to take additional steps to mitigate any potential risk regarding sourcing product from China or elsewhere in...

Delivering energy security: why is America still so dependent on oil?(UNCOMMON WISDOM)(Viewpoint essay)
January 1, 2008... I feel stupid, and I am angry. The stupidity is collective; the anger is personal. I am angry because I feel stupid and the reason is oil. Energy, actually, and that's the point. There is no rational reason why America, with our technology and...

Rx for new CEOs: a successful reign or a dismal flop? Your first 100 days can set the course for your entire tenure as CEO.(Company overview)
January 1, 2008... The decisions new CEOs make during their first few months on the job have a decisive impact on whether they ultimately succeed or fail. The transition period is a time of opportunity, but also great vulnerability, especially when new leaders...

Leading high-performance teams: horizontal, high-performance teams with real decision-making clout and accountability for results can transform a company.(PERFORMANCE)
January 1, 2008... When Catherine Burzik became president of Applied Biosystems (AB) in 2004, top-line revenue was flat, the stock price was depressed, and R & D productivity was low. AB was the world's largest developer of "tools" for the life sciences industry,...

It's not easy being green: it's tough to separate the hype from reality when it comes to environmentally friendly initiatives. But those companies that do stand to gain big.(SUSTAINABILITY)
January 1, 2008... Chief executives who lived through the heady days of TQM and similar runaway management fads might be feeling just a little skeptical as they watch the green movement take on a life of its own. With sustainability and carbon neutral becoming...

The ninth annual CEO Leadership Summit: achieving breakthrough growth and innovation in an interconnected world.(CEO2CEO)(Company overview)
January 1, 2008... To win in an increasingly flat world, today's leaders need to face a daily imperative head on: achieving breakthrough growth in an interconnected world. The covergence of technology, globalization, and rapid communications are transforming the...

Leading your business to maximum results: three questions every executive needs to answer first--and the tools for getting the answers.(VALUATION)
January 1, 2008... Executives are finding it harder to meet investors' rising expectations. Owners are serious about wanting their companies to produce maximum results. This series of articles is about how to do that--a results best practice. Delivering...

Scrapping Sarbox: voluntary measures offer efficient and effective protection without hobbling management.(REGULATION)
January 1, 2008... Modern CEOs always worry about the state regulation of their corporations. Unfortunately, these regulatory schemes have become more intrusive and less useful in recent years, because our legislators and judges often fail to understand how and...

Fueling the fire for crossovers: these luxe drives couple sedan amenities with SUV capacity.(EXECUTIVE LIFE)
January 1, 2008... luxury consumers and carmakers alike are converging on the sweet spot of the upscale automotive market: crossovers that combine the drivability of a sedan with the roominess of a utility vehicle and are packed with the amenities that big-ticket...

Lionizing lackeys: where you follow, I must lead.(FLIP SIDE)(Book review)
January 1, 2008... Every once in a while, somebody comes along with a theory so brilliant, so iconoclastic and yet so blitheringly obvious that the rest of us sit around grumbling, "Why didn't I think of that?" Such a theory is "followership," a bold concept...

Real change for a change.(Editorial)
January 1, 2008... CHANGE. IT'S THE NEW MANTRA. It's why caucusers in Iowa rocketed Barack Obama and Mike Huckabee into international stardom. Everyone wants it. Every candidate now claims he or she is an agent for it. Who knew? Even Marianne Pernold Young, the...

What governors should know.(Editorial)(Brief article)
January 1, 2008... What do states like Texas, Nevada and North Carolina, which lead Chief Executive's (see p.18) annual survey of best states in which to do business, know that California, New York, Michigan and Massachusetts, states that CEOs reckon are the...