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

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

CEO Forum.
March 1, 2002... This month in CEO Forum: Bertelsmann CEO Thomas Middelhoff faced a dilemma when music upstart Napster threatened to change the way his company did business. Middelhoff had to respond to this revolutionary force: Should he invest in it or not?...

Feedback.
March 1, 2002... On the Bright Side In response to the article on Texas Instruments' CEO Tom Engibous ("TI's Rock Amid Rubble," CE: November 2001), there has been a lot of negative talk about the recession, and I'd like to encourage a little positive...

Enronize this. (Editor's Note).(Brief Article)(Editorial)
March 1, 2002... Everybody--pundits, politicians, friends, taxi drivers--keeps telling me how complicated the Enron story is. How arcane are Enron's finances, how tangled a web were its connections with Capitol Hill. In fact, so seductive is the "complicated...

The truth about honorary degrees. (Members Only).(Brief Article)
March 1, 2002... In 1845, the founder of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, William Barton Rogers, wrote in a report to the Virginia legislature that honorary degrees amounted to "literary almsgiving...of spurious merit and noisy popularity." To this...

At home with Rodale. (Arrivals).(Steve Murphy)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2002... STEVE MURPHY, 47, HAS been promoted to president and CEO of Rodale, a $500 million family-owned publisher of healthy lifestyle books and magazines in Emmaus, Pa. He succeeds Ardath Rodale, 72, who will remain chairman of the business her family...

Cornell Cos. scrutinizes its books. (Enron Fallout).(partnership regulations)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2002... This isn't a good time to be CEO of a Houston company audited by Arthur Andersen. Especially if you are a former Arthur Andersen accountant. And most especially if you may have to restate your earnings because the "innovative" off-the-books...

Outsider CEO candidates beware. (Heir Apparent).(Brief Article)
March 1, 2002... BOARDS THAT LOOK outside the company for CEO successors are waving a red flag that candidates should heed, says Fred Wackerle, a retired 35-year veteran of executive search consulting and author of The Right CEO: Straight Talk About Making...

One world, one pay package. (Vested Interests).(executive compensation becoming standardized)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2002... CEOs in other countries are increasingly compensated with a mix of salary, benefits and long-term incentive programs that mirrors that of American bosses, according to a recent study from New York consulting firm Towers Perrin. Global...

Despite AGCO crash, jets soar. (Departures).(use of executive jets)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2002... JOHN SHUMEJDA, 56, president and CEO of AGCO, a farming equipment manufacturer in Duluth, Ga., and Ed Swingle, senior vice president for sales and marketing, died Jan. 4 when the company's Canadair Challenger turbojet flipped during take-off in...

America needs research funding -- now. (Chief Concern).(Brief Article)
March 1, 2002... Basic research--the pure, fundamental research that leads to the development of new technologies -- is in trouble in the United States. To maintain U.S. leadership in defining the future of technology, we must improve the quality of education...

Enterprise goes social. (Market Horizons).(Brief Article)
March 1, 2002... At the beginning of the 1990s, Germans stood on top of the crumbling remnants of the Berlin Wall and proclaimed the end of communism. With minimal bloodshed, market forces appeared to conquer most of the world. By stealth, capitalism ruled. ...

The great game of catch-up. (Capitol Ideas).(Enron Corp.)
March 1, 2002... There have been moments in American history when abuses of capitalism reached such proportions that the government felt compelled to step in, often outraging American CEOs along the way. The Homestead strike in 1892-- when Henry Clay Frick...

Face value: CEOs collect and collate information in at least 27 different ways--nine are discussed here--but most insist on personal interactions for the real truth. (Management).
March 1, 2002... "Garbage in, garbage out." It's a phrase that could apply to how corporate leaders make decisions as readily as it does to the results of computer-data input. And that is why effectively gathering and filtering information may be one of the...

CEOs anonymous: Hardly acknowledged, rarely confronted, alcoholism is a stealthy liability that pervades corporate America and puts some of its brightest leaders at risk. (Cover Story).(Cover Story)
March 1, 2002... So far, 2002 has been a rough year for Drew Lewis, former chairman and CEO of Union Pacific Corp. Arrested for drunk driving last July--his second charge--the 70-year-old was sentenced on Jan. 11 to 30 days in jail, which he served in an...

And the winner is...Sam Palmisano, by a length. Experts see a leaner, tighter and friendlier Big Blue under the new regime. (Succession).(CEO of IBM)
March 1, 2002... Seven years ago, Sam Palmisano was in a small IBM conference room in Somers, N.Y., with a group of communications managers, preparing for an upcoming press briefing. He had just taken over the company's ailing Personal. Computing division,...

Dismal indemnity: Want to buy a big building or a company jet? Go for it--but good luck getting it insured. (Corporate Finance).
March 1, 2002... As just about every CEO in America demands departmental cutbacks to survive this recession, the nation's risk managers, whose job it is to purchase insurance are handing in bigger budgets -as much as twice that of last year. They are bedeviled...

China's change merchants: A new breed of CEO emerging in China is wiring the nation--and portending change for just about everything else. (Technology).
March 1, 2002... Zhongguancun, China's Silicon Valley, is as different from California's as imaginable. Rather than sprawling corporate campuses, this section of Beijing feels more like East Broadway in Manhattan--though here the vendors are selling circuit...

So you want to write a book: Celebrity status comes and goes, but CEO stories shed light on the art of business. (Bookshelf).
March 1, 2002... Tom Kelley has had a year to get used to the phenomenon, and he's still bemused by it. "I feel that the whole world looks at me slightly differently," says the general manager of IDEO, the Palo Alto, Calif.-based industrial design firm known...

There's no "I" in this team: CEO Bob Beyster steers SAIC through recession and terrorist attacks, but it's not easy running an employee-owned company in the wake of Enron's collapse. (Profile).
March 1, 2002... J. Robert Beyster has led Science Applications International Corp. through many economic vacillations since launching the company 33 years ago. Yet SAIC, the United States' largest employee-owned research and engineering firm, has sustained...

Docs off the clocks. (Flip Side).(Brief Article)
March 1, 2002... A pair of enterprising Beantown physicians recently announced plans to launch an exclusive medical practice that, according to The New York Times, "charges patients $4,000 a year on top of the medical costs covered by their health insurance."...

Dot-coms to the rescue. (Packets).(Rising Tide Studios's Jason Calcanis organizes office space for displaced businesses)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2002... When the World Trade Center was destroyed by terrorists on September 11, hundreds of businesses were displaced. And while work was the last thing on anyone's mind at the time, many companies located near Ground Zero were forced to find a new...

Mapping goes mobile. (Packets).(MapInfo Corp.'s miAware)(Brief Article)(Product Announcement)
March 1, 2002... Location, location, location. The three tenets of real estate are gaining momentum, not just in real estate but across all industries. Consider MapInfo's miAware, a suite of services that brings geographic, location-based capabilities to...

Shareholder backlash. (Packets).(initial public offerings fuel court case rise)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2002... The IPO mania that fueled Wall Street in recent years is now fueling courtroom drama, as more and more investors seek to recoup lost funds by taking companies -- and company management -- to court. The numbers are alarming. Nearly 500...

It's time for a security checkup. (Packets).(Institute for Global Futures advises on e-company security)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2002... Whether your e-company is Internet-based or outsources the critical parts of IT infrastructure, you may find the top 10 list of security and technology trends from the Institute for Global Futures (IGF) both frightening and enlightening. The...

Watch your assets. (Packets).(mailing lists)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2002... Ever thought of your mailing list as a cash cow? Better start now, advises Peter Candito, president of CC3 List/Database Management and Brokerage, based in Ivyland, Pa. The demand for both electronic and postal mailing lists has never been...

Following orders. (Packets).(job, order tracking software)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2002... As increasing numbers of companies enter the e-commerce arena, they quickly learn the importance of order and job tracking -- whether their business is shipping products from a warehouse inventory or producing custom items from supplied...

May the game be with you. (Packets).(online gaming Star Wars Galaxies)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2002... Later this year, bazillions of Star Wars fans who just can't seem to get enough -- between the DVD of the latest movie, The Phantom Menace, and the army of action figures dating back to the original film's release in 1976 -- will enter creator...

Diagnosis: Founderitis. (Packets).(management skills of company founders often not enough)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2002... Founding a company takes vision, charisma, energy and all sorts of other venerable characteristics, but those leadership qualities often aren't enough to steer that same company from start-up to full-fledged corporation. In fact, often the...

Symptoms of founderitis. (Packets).(management skills of corporate founders)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2002... Symptoms of Founderitis The symptoms of founderitis vary depending on the company's stage of development. The chart below highlights the early warning signs often seen during different rounds of funding. Seed ...

Youshouldhaveseentheonethatgotaway.com. (Packets).(fishing charter bookings)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2002... Entrepreneur Joel Magnussen has cast a catchy idea. Hoping to lure both fishing charter boats and the public angling for them, he has weighed in with International Fishing Charters. On the Web since last October, the venture prescreens charter...

Pass it on. (Packets).(influential Internet users)(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
March 1, 2002... If knowledge is power, then there's one group of Interne users that's especially significant "E-fluentials," identified by pollsters Roper Starch Worldwide and public relations firm Burson-Marsteller, are people who are particularly active...

Inventors for hire. (Packets).(Invent Resources Inc.)(Brief Article)(Company Profile)
March 1, 2002... Continuing to develop new products when corporate downsizing has limited -- or eliminated -- the resources that can be devoted to the process is fast becoming the New Economy's newest challenge. For companies like Lockheed and Raytheon, the...

Attack of the acronyms. (Packets).(instant messaging abbreviations explained)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2002... When instant-message mania started sweeping screens nationwide, we knew it would come to this. The need for speed has prompted IM geeks to create acronyms for nearly every sentiment. If you thought the infinite variations on the ubiquitous...

Lessons in leadership. (Cover Story: Redefining Leadership).(Brief Article)
March 1, 2002... You've survived the shakeout. Now what? The fact that you're still standing is cause for celebration -- but not for long. Whether you're fine-tuning strategy, reconsidering markets or simply rebuilding your business, it's time to put your...

Performance 101. (Cover Story: Redefining Leadership).(Company Profile)
March 1, 2002... The crash of the dot-coms gets the media ink, but some tech-based start-ups are surviving and thriving. These four young companies' leaders could teach a course in start-up success. OK so selling a 30-pound bag of dog food online --...

Running a lean machine: Profits are weak. Layoffs loom. Yet you still need to motivate employees. Here's how. (Cover Story: Redefining Leadership).(Brief Article)(Cover Story)
March 1, 2002... Have you seen the "Dilbert" cartoon in which the pointy-haired boss asks his secretary to organize a morale booster? Her response: "Great idea. And after that maybe I can do CPR on a mummy and see if I can save its life." The message, of...

The leadership handoff: It can be swift or slow, messy or clean, but sooner or later the top spot changes hands. It's not just who you choose but how you manage the transition. (Cover Story: Redefining Leadership).(Cover Story)
March 1, 2002... For Joseph Tucci the pivotal moment came early on. In August 2000, eight months into the CEO-in-training position of president and COO, he met with analysts and made an aggressive pledge: that EMC -- then a distant No. 2 in network attached...

Networked value chain[SM]: Seizing the competitive edge in supply chain management. (Cap Gemini Ernst & Young).
March 1, 2002... Are your inventory levels mounting? Do your customers complain about late deliveries? Is your once state-of-the-art supply chain software outdated? If you answer "yes" to any of these questions, then you should be examining your entire supply...

The vanishing partner: Sometimes a carefully forged alliance lands you with a dead weight instead of a win-win. Smart companies know how to contend with -- and guard against -- their partners disappearing. (Strategy).(Company Profile)
March 1, 2002... When Ted Briscoe set out to launch broadcasting solutions company GlobalStreams in June 2000, he was counting heavily on a licensing partnership with Play Industries. As Briscoe envisioned it, Play Industries' technology would enable...

Me and my shadow board: Most start-ups increase their risk of failure by the way they govern themselves. But there's a better way. (First Person).(Brief Article)
March 1, 2002... Many start-ups today are doing a high-wire act with their governance arrangements -- thrilling to watch, but not very smart. Good governance can help startups make better decisions and, when things go wrong, improve their chances of...

Navigating the new funding landscape: The money's still there, but you have to look a little harder to find it. Enterprising start-ups share where they got the capital they need to thrive. (Dollars & Sense).(Industry Overview)
March 1, 2002... The initial shock of the dot-com crash may be over, but these are still difficult times for a start-up seeking capital. Having watched more than 500 Internet companies shut down or declare bankruptcy last year, venture capital firms are not...

Five steps to success: Change doesn't have to be negative. One dotCEO is building on the positives to propel his interactive marketing company to the top of the industry. (Dot Profile).(George Wiedemann, CEO of Responsys)(Company Profile)(Interview)
March 1, 2002... George Wiedemann is the CEO of Responsys, a Palo Alto, Calif.-based company that specializes in "optimized interactive marketing." Responsys provides a hosted solution that helps companies conduct personalized online interactions with...

Linking up with wired youth: Generation Y, the millions of boomers' babies, are online. Are you ready to do business with them? (Trends).(Industry Overview)(Statistical Data Included)
March 1, 2002... Grace, a first-grader who just turned 7, plops down in front of the screen. Not the TV -- the monitor firewired to her mom's Dell computer. She deftly wields the mouse, double-clicks on the phone icon and patiently waits the several seconds it...

Evening the odds: CRM systems are driving sophisticated loyalty programs at Las Vegas Casinos -- and not just for the high rollers. (Technology).(customer relationship management)(Industry Overview)
March 1, 2002... When Medeleine W., a 42-year-old executive at a consumer electronics company arrives at McCarran International Airport in Las Vegas, she is greeted by a driver holding a sign with her name. Her luggage is transferred expediently as she is...

Speech Therapy: A new generation of voice-recognition technology -- already pleasing callers and cutting costs -- is poised for going mobile. (On the Edge).(Industry Overview)
March 1, 2002... Providing top-notch customer service and controlling costs are key mandates for leaders at most large organizations, but they are two objectives perennially at odds with each other. Customers crave one-on-one interaction with a living,...

Package makes perfect: Brown paper packages tied up with string? When it comes to shipping, e-tailers are learning that presentation is the key to becoming the consumer's favorite thing. (Logistics).(Company Profile)(Industry Overview)
March 1, 2002... no secret among online retailers that they not only need to deliver on customers' expectations about shipping arrival dates, they also need to deliver their products well. Companies that have survived, or thrived, in the past year already...

Survival skills: How do you hold your company, your family and yourself together when the world is coming apart? (Internal Affairs).(Brief Article)(Company Profile)
March 1, 2002... If you own a company, you know all about bumps and thumps and rough terrain. If you run a dot-com, you've taken some wallops. But few business owners have been hit harder emotionally this past year than Bryan Thatcher and Laura...