Chief Executive (U.S.) articles from January 2009

Chief Executive (U.S.) archives from January 2009

Correction.(Correction notice)
January 1, 2009... Correction: In the Agenda 2009 feature of the November/December issue, Marc Gumz's title was incorrect. He is CEO of Olympus Corporation of the Americas.

Leadership imperatives.(EDITOR'S NOTE)
January 1, 2009... As you read this, Barack Obama will have been inaugurated as the U.S.'s 44th chief executive. Fittingly, as the U.S. turns a corner with new leadership at the helm of the federal government, we explore in this issue two facets of leadership...

Wealth Creators.(FEEDBACK)(Letter to the editor)
January 1, 2009... I am writing to inform you of an error in "CEO Wealth Creators... and Destroyers," (November/December 2008). According to the authors' own methodology, the ranking of CEOs focuses "on the performance of companies (and their CEOs) in the S&P...

No roses for Sarah; Thorn for CE.(FEEDBACK)(Letter to the editor)
January 1, 2009... Roses for Palin is a pure piece of fiction, not fit for the pages of your fine publication. (November/December 2008) We need look no further than the Katie Couric interview question of what the Governor reads. So powerful was her non-response...

A valuable issue.(FEEDBACK)(Letter to the editor)
January 1, 2009... Wanted to let you know that I hadn't read Chief Executive in a while but just read the November/December issue from cover to cover and found it not only interesting, but useful as well. Mary Berner President and CEO Readers Digest...

Wall Street meltdown.(FEEDBACK)(Letter to the editor)
January 1, 2009... I think it is unfortunate that a group of CEOs from our largest corporations don't publicly announce their disgust with the unconscionable conduct of the Wall Street executives responsible for the financial meltdown that has impacted the entire...

Not all such Strategies Fail.(FEEDBACK)(Letter to the editor)
January 1, 2009... "Failed Strategies" (September-October 2008) can be very misleading if it is not carefully analyzed. For example, the authors cite synergy as a suspect strategy. By definition, synergy is a cooperative act between similar people,...

The trouble with China.(FEEDBACK)(Letter to the editor)
January 1, 2009... China is a manufacturing power house; but it also is a pirate country ("Understanding China," September-October 2008). They have no morals or integrity. The country has not controlled their growth in an organized manner; they let their people...

Real dealer.(CEO CHRO NICLES)(R. Donahue Peebles)
January 1, 2009... The outcome of the recent presidential election likely disappointed Chief Executive readers, 80 percent of whom said they supported Sen. John McCain in his presidential bid. But at least one CEO celebrated Sen. Barack Obama's victory: R....

Chipping away.(CEO CHRO NICLES)
January 1, 2009... When Abhi Talwalkar agreed to take the top post at LSI Logic in May 20057 he knew he was in for a wild ride. Once a Silicon Valley darling, LSI had risen from no-name startup in 1981 to $2 billion global company under founder Wilfred Corrigan,...

Gone with the wind: Boone Pickens promotes his plan to lower oil imports.(CEO WATCH)(Interview)
January 1, 2009... Oilman and former takeover operative T. Boone Pickens begins the last chapter of his book, The First Billion Is the Hardest, with the cunning observation that "a fool with a plan can outsmart a genius with no plan any day." Anyone with a TV has...

Thorns & roses.(CEO CHRONICLES)(Caroline Kennedy)(Brief article)
January 1, 2009... ROSE... Governor ROD BLAGOJEVICH'S testy refusal to step aside in the face of FBI wiretaps that reveal his attempt to auction Barack Obama's Senate seat to the highest bidder is the gift that keeps on giving. The corruption cabaret that...

Video vanguard.(CEO CHRONICLES)(Robert Hagerty of Polycom Inc.)
January 1, 2009... For decades, videoconferencing was touted as The Next Big Thing for companies, promising to bring farflung employees together in a virtual huddle realistic enough to replace in-person meetings. For much of that time, though, the technology...

Passion for packaging.(CEO CHRONICLES)(Ilene Gordon of Alcan Packaging)(Occupation overview)
January 1, 2009... Packaging isn't terribly sexy--but don't tell Ilene Gordon that. To hear the president and CEO of Paris, France-based, Alcan Packaging tell it, there's plenty to thrill and excite about the alchemy of turning resins, aluminum, paper and glass...

Information begins with facts, which can be assembled to identify trends. Put it all together to derive knowledge. Presenting chief executive's INfact.(IN fact)
January 1, 2009... 1. Percentage by which the $750 billion bailout exceeds the cost of the entire New Deal | 33% [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] 2. Total paper losses of the portfolios of 175 chief executives through Oct. 27, 2008 | $52.3 billion 3. Amount...

CEO Confidence sinks to another all-time low.(CEO CONFIDENCE INDEX)
January 1, 2009... Chief Executive magazine's CEO Confidence Index sank to another all-time low in December, according to 245 top executives surveyed. Executive confidence in America's economy is under 50 percent of what it was just three months ago, and less...

The tortoise, the hare and IFRS: start soon and proceed steadily to win the standards race.(International Financial Reporting Standards)(cheif executive officers)
January 1, 2009... Aesop's fable of the tortoise and the hare should be required reading for every CEO today. This fable of consistent, deliberate action beating a procrastinating but faster-moving opponent to the finish line could play out again as U.S.-based...

Wall street's leadership crisis: looking for the culprit behind today's market woes? Try quarterly reporting.(CHIEF CONCERN)
January 1, 2009... When Congress and the regulators begin their hunt for villains in the financial crisis, they would be wise to look beyond people. Structural issues, like the 90-day financial reporting and guidance cycle, should receive their share of attention...

Green is the new black: now, more than ever, sustainability initiatives are vital.(CHIEF CONCERN)
January 1, 2009... A few months ago I was asked to participate in a forum on how companies can seize competitive advantage through their green initiatives. Unfortunately, the event was canceled because of the current economic climate and the belief that...

Understanding China III: vision: China's leaders know that they must be flexible, innovate, consider diverse opinions and make measured decisions.(UNCOMMON WISDOM)
January 1, 2009... America is enmeshed in the most debilitating worldwide financial crisis since the Great Depresision and, like it or not, to the degree it will be ameliorated, China will have to play a major role. Good, consistent bilateral relations between...

Accounting for standards: adoption of international accounting standards mandates rethinking strategy.(REGULATION)
January 1, 2009... To T.J. Rodgers, Cypress Semiconductor Corporation's CEO, US GAAP accounting standards have a credibility gap. An investor called, worried about a low cash position. Rodgers knew there was plenty of cash and yet couldn't find it in the report....

Recognizing rewards: how engaged are your employees--and what can you do about it?
January 1, 2009... The numbers on employee engagement are out, and they're compelling. Several leading research firms reporting on the quantifiable value of increased employee engagement concluded that engaged employees dramatically improve a company's...

Best companies for leaders: 3M shoots to the top of the current ranking.(COVER STORY)(Company rankings)
January 1, 2009... Only a handful of organizations have even begun to tap into their primary resource, their people, much less give them the means to do what they are capable of doing. Indeed, many take the opposite tack, disregard loyalty, prune rather than...

Sustainability for CEOs: environmental initiatives are about more than preserving natural resources; they're about ensuring long-term profitable growth.(PRODUCTIVITY)
January 1, 2009... These days, many companies recognize the need to address sustainability in some form, but they do not have a clear idea about what they need to address, how to address it, or even how to define sustainability as it applies to their businesses....

The tenth CEO leader driving growth and value.(CEO2CEO SUMMIT)(Company overview)
January 1, 2009... No one is immune in a recession. With economies across the globe in a steepening slide and proposals for radical revisions in government spending and taxation, the burden on private enterprise to get it right seems heavier than ever....

Next-generation globalization: what will it take to succeed in the next stage of globalization?(During Economic Uncertainty)
January 1, 2009... The New Administration: What's Ahead for the First 100 Days Economist Stephen Moore served as a senior economist on the Congressional Joint Economic Committee, founded and served as president of the Club for Growth from 1999 to 2004 and is...

Resourcing and transforming the U.S. Army.(CEO2CEO SUMMIT)
January 1, 2009... Lt. General Speakes, deputy chief of staff for programs, G-8, and a veteran of commands in Operation Desert Storm and Iraqi Freedom, is, in essence, the CFO of the armed forces, charged with developing a balanced fiscal strategy that does...

Unlimited bandwidth; ubiquitous access.(CEO2CEO SUMMIT)
January 1, 2009... The explosive growth in bandwidth and new forms of networking technology will allow marketers to reach communities of one or 100,000 with near equal ease and cost effectiveness. The confluence of Internet, mobile telephony, satellite...

Re-thinking global strategy: will India, China and emerging markets continue as the new centers of global gravity in the new era?(CEO2CEO SUMMIT)
January 1, 2009... It's no secret that the phenomenal growth stories of China and India are changing the global economy playing field. By the end of this year China will have surpassed Germany as the world's third-largest economy, behind the U.S. and Japan. In...

Innovate or perish: what leaders must do.(CEO2CEO SUMMIT)
January 1, 2009... What is the next big profit opportunity? And, perhaps more important, how do business leaders dedicate resources to finding it during an economy in freefall? [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] CEOs who gathered in November to discuss the challenge...

Is Nigeria the next India? Long viewed as politically unstable, this African country is poised for a development boom.(EMERGING MARKETS)
January 1, 2009... An exotic and culturally unique location, a long history of Western colonization and independence, a growing population of educated young professionals, a third-world infrastructure, a tremendous business opportunity: 10 years ago, if you asked...

A room with a Wii? Road warriors are picking up high-tech perks as top hotels look to lure business travelers.(EXECUTIVE LIFE)
January 1, 2009... The ritual for a lot of international road warriors after a long transoceanic flight is to check into their hotels, turn on a hot shower and let the steam fill the air to ease the sinuses. "After a 12-hour flight you're dried out," says...

The invisible black hand: take a hard look at the fed's soft bailout logic.(FLIP SIDE)
January 1, 2009... The decision by the federal government to bail out the Mafia but allow the Cosa Nostra to go under has left investors bewildered and enraged. Ever since it became apparent last week that neither the Mafia nor the Cosa Nostra could survive...

Mr. President, let's not piddle around.(FINALWORD)
January 1, 2009... DURING HIS SOARING INAUGURATION speech President Barack Obama said it's not the size of government that matters but whether it's effective. He also added that "The state of the economy calls for action, bold and swift, and we will act." Fair...

No more bailouts.(FINAL WORD)
January 1, 2009... CEOS WHO WILL STAND UP FOR FREE MARKETS are as scarce as atheists in fox holes. holes. The seizures of Fannie and Freddie--as well as the bailout of AIG reinforces the trend toward outright state socialism. Investors are looking less at...