Chief Executive (U.S.) articles from July 2007

Chief Executive (U.S.) archives from July 2007

Are CEOs overpaid?(EDITOR'S NOTE)
July 1, 2007... Arecent Associated Press story breathlessly points out that the boss's pay has moved up into the heights of professional athletes and movie stars. This is not an original insight, but let it pass. But one wonders, why do people pay upwards of...

Iraq reconsidered.(FEEDBACK)(Brief article)
July 1, 2007... Many of your editorials (Final Word, "Time for a New Appraisal," April/May 2007) have indicated that you do not believe the war in Iraq is appropriate or progressing well. I disagree with your opinion. Removing the regime of Saddam Hussein...

The trouble with big auto.(FEEDBACK)
July 1, 2007... We all agree that union greed is a large factor in Detroit's lack of competitiveness ("Lutz Free Wheelin'," March 2007) and the erosion of our industrial base in general, but there are numerous other problems that GM's vice chairman overlooks....

Are you ready for China? Sizing up strengths and weaknesses of a global competitor.(THOUGHT LEADER)
July 1, 2007... For decades now, Western companies have been investing in China and learning how to deal with a market that can be both an enormous opportunity and a huge risk. But in the past three years, CEOs have begun facing another challenge: Chinese...

What's in a name?(CEO CHRONICLES)
July 1, 2007... As an AT & T veteran, Embarq CEO Daniel Hesse well knows the power a strong brand can wield. "I grew up genuflecting in front of the Death Star," says Hesse, referring to the spherical blue logo of the parent company of AT & T Wireless, where...

Spin city.(CEO CHRONICLES)
July 1, 2007... When Verizon Communications cashed out of its print and online Yellow Pages Directory division--collecting more than $9 billion in the process--Katherine Harless won charge of the spin-off, dubbed Idearc. It was a role few would envy:...

Merger maven.(CEO CHRONICLES)
July 1, 2007... Combining two companies is tough enough, but what happens when you've got to bring three entities together? That's the challenge Shivan S. Subramaniam faced when he and two other insurance company CEOs opted to merge their firms in 1999. ...

Pillow talk.(CEO CHRONICLES)
July 1, 2007... One might think that serving as president and CEO of Loews Hotels and co-chairman of the $24 billion Loews Corp. would keep a guy too busy to write books and host television shows. One would be wrong. Three years ago, Loews Hotels CEO...

Independence day?(INbox)
July 1, 2007... Amid clamor for dividing the chairman and CEO roles, a new study by Booz Allen Hamilton suggests a link between strong performance and chairman/CEO separation. In 2006, companies at which the chairman was never CEO enjoyed an 8.2 percent return...

CEO turnover takeaways?(INbox)
July 1, 2007... Companies where CEOs left due to an acquisition fared better than those who lost a CEO due to retirement or dismissal, according to Booz Allen Hamilton's recent CEO Succession study, which reported that acquisitions and mergers accounted for 22...

July 11, cost of government day.(CEO CHRONICLES)
July 1, 2007... The date of the calendar year, counting from January 1, on which the average American has earned enough in cumulative gross income to pay for his or her share of government spending (total federal, state and local) plus the cost of regulation.

Water, water, everywhere ...(CEO WATCH)(Interview)
July 1, 2007... The self-described "grandfather of bottled water business in America," Nestle Waters North America CEO Kim Jeffery has been with the company since 1978, when it was known as Perrier. As water continues to gain ground as a preferred beverage,...

Thorns & roses.(CEO CHRONICLES)(brief)(Brief article)
July 1, 2007... ROSE... JIM MANZI, who is CEO of Applied Predictive Technologies, has suggested that a $25 million prize be offered to anyone who can devise a practical method for extracting carbon from the atmosphere. Instead of the usual caterwauling...

CEO confidence picks up sharply.(CEO CONEIDENCE INDEX)
July 1, 2007... THE CEO CONFIDENCE INDEX rose 4.3 points in June to 160.8, according to 233 top executives surveyed. Of all the component confidence measures that comprise the aggregate number--employment, investment and business conditions--the Employment...

The numbers.(CEO CHRONICLES)
July 1, 2007... Are you hiring more or fewer college graduates as compared to last year? [GRAPHIC OMITTED] Significantly more 9 More 56 About the same 124 Fewer 31 Significantly fewer 11 Note:...

Deconstructing compensation: why who is worth what.(UNCOMMON WISDOM)
July 1, 2007... In 1930, Babe Ruth, the greatest baseball player of all time and a national hero, earned the then princely salary of $75,000 per year to play for the New York Yankees, the dominant team in baseball. Ruth's salary was an unprecedented amount of...

Reconsidering comp: compensation critics are pressuring companies to hold advisory votes on excessive pay.(PAY FOR PERFORMANCE)
July 1, 2007... It's no secret that some institutional shareholders, especially hedge funds, governmental pension plans like CalPERS and others, and unions are speaking out on so-called excessive executive pay--making the job of sitting on a compensation...

Profiting from the infinitesimal: what CEOs need to know about nanotechnology.(TECHNOLOGY)
July 1, 2007... "The best way I can describe it is if you close your eyes and dream. You could never be hungry, never be sick; have all the energy you need, all the water, all the food and no diseases. There is no aspect in the world economy or your personal...

Are brands dead? What the private label revolution means for consumers, innovation and the future of retail.(PRIVATE LABEL)(Company overview)
July 1, 2007... The Economist magazine observed that every industry has its golden age. For brand manufacturers it was the middle of the 20th century, when distribution channels were fragmented and the media was consolidated. Powerful brand manufacturers like...

Fixing the flawed MBA: critics claim MBA degrees lack real-world relevance--and that grads are both arrogant and ill-prepared. So what are B-schools doing about it?(B-SCHOOL REPORT CARD)
July 1, 2007... Every year, the country's most prestigious companies rush top grads at the most elite business schools--much like frat houses rush the most promising of undergrad freshmen. And yet, even as they deploy recruiters to lure 2007's stars with the...

The "hot spot" CEO: why do the halls of companies like Nokia, BP and Goldman Sachs buzz with energy?(LEADERSHIP)
July 1, 2007... For all the grand debates in the boardroom, the strategy retreats, the visions, what CEOs strive for is the crackle of imagination in pursuit of corporate goals--hot spots. Hot spots are when our energy and excitement are inflamed by an...

Pick your pricing: how catalyst companies price for profit.(BUSINESS STRATEGY)
July 1, 2007... Some of the world's most influential businesses are catalysts--businesses that unleash the hidden value that comes from getting different groups of customers together on the same platform and allowing them to interact. Think Lloyd's of London,...

Privatize the highways? Why private capital has discovered the U.S. highway market--and why you should care.(LOGISTICS)
July 1, 2007... About 18 months ago, a delegation representing America's largest retailers paid a visit to the Office of the Secretary of Transportation and the White House. Their message was simple: The U.S. surface transportation system is failing to meet...

Lessons from the labor markets: what to do about class actions and employment discrimination.(LEGISLATION)
July 1, 2007... In general, most CEOs accept the basic proposition that free competition in both capital and labor markets is the surest road to social prosperity and business success. Speaking in the most general terms, U.S. capital markets (with the notable...

Hedging to glory: it's a hedge fund world.(FLIP SIDE)
July 1, 2007... Catastrophe buffs warn that the next global financial cataclysm will involve some massively overextended hedge fund that makes the wrong bet on natural gas or Indonesian munis or the weather, and destroys life as we know it. Frankly, this...

Don't bail, prevail.(EDITORIAL)
July 1, 2007... IT SEEMS THERE ARE NEARLY AS MANY proposals to withdraw troops from Iraq as there are U.S. Senators who oppose the war itself. The only thing less edifying than the Bush Administration's ham-fisted approach for managing the war is the belief by...

Energizer bunny economy.(Brief article)
July 1, 2007... IF IRAQ IS PRESIDENT BUSH'S THORN is the economy his rose? One wouldn't think so from general reports. Judging from the public debate one would think we are on the verge of depression, yet the indicators in the U.S. and around the globe show a...