Chief Executive (U.S.) articles from March 2004

Chief Executive (U.S.) archives from March 2004

The dismal science indeed.(Editor's Note)(Editorial)
March 1, 2004... I wouldn't mind the blather that comes from the mouths of economists--if only so many millions of people, perhaps even some CEOs, didn't believe what the economists were saying. I write this after hearing yet another economist making a...

Global value.(Feedback)(Letter to the Editor)
March 1, 2004... We were delighted to see front-cover attention paid to the bottom-line benefits that internationally seasoned CEOs can deliver ("The Global CEO." January/February 2004). Our research on Fortune 500 firms, started nearly a decade ago, clearly...

Outsourcing perils.(Feedback)(Letter to the Editor)
March 1, 2004... Editor's note: The Wall Street Journal ran a column by Chief Executive Editor-in-Chief Bill Holstein on Jan. 13 entitled, "CEOs as Job Killers?" In the piece, Holstein argued that CEOs are in danger of being vilified for outsourcing technology...

Correction.(Correction Notice)
March 1, 2004... The CEO Confidence Index reached 171.9 in January, not 178.2, as reported in the January/February issue. It was the Current Confidence Index that hit 178.2.

Darts & Roses.(CEO Watch)
March 1, 2004... DART... * LARRY ELLISON. So PeopleSoft beat you to J.D. Edwards. Now you're going after PeopleSoft? You're so very megalo, as in megalo-maniacal. ROSE... * JAMIE DIMON for his astonishing assault on Wall Street. From sidekick...

Management: the absent CEO.(CEO Watch)(Philip Watts, chairman of Royal/Dutch Shell)
March 1, 2004... SIR PHILIP WATTS, the chairman of Royal/Dutch Shell, recently showed CEOs how not to do things. In January, Shell, the world's third-largest energy company, stunned the industry when it downgraded almost 4 billion barrels of its "proven"...

Global: Chinese in denial on SARS.(CEO Watch)
March 1, 2004... THERE'S GOOD NEWS and not-so-good news about Sudden Acute Respiratory Syndrome in southern China. The Chinese government appears to have successfully prevented a repeat of last year's epidemic, which virtually shut down trade between China...

CEO Confidence Index: a time of doubt and hesitation?(CEO Watch)
March 1, 2004... AFTER CLIMBING STEADILY for many months, CEO Confidence dipped in February. The most frequently cited explanation was continued global competitive pressures. Partly in response to that, 58 percent of CEOs believe they will not be able to...

Sourcing strategy: the next frontier; The very nature of competition is changing.(Thought Leader)
March 1, 2004... Outsourcing has tended to move toward the top of the CEO agenda when companies are under pressure to cut costs. As spending picks up and companies begin to refocus on growth, outsourcing usually falls off the agenda. But something very...

A $10-billion issue in Europe: new regulations could affect many U.S. industries.(Chief Concern)
March 1, 2004... A new legislative issue is emerging that could have a major impact on innovation and the cost and availability of products worldwide: The European Commission has adopted a proposal to overhaul existing chemical regulations in the European...

The diversity imperative: real results demand commitment at every level.(Chief Concern)(American Red Cross)
March 1, 2004... Diversity is an asset in any business, but in the business of saving lives it is an imperative. Nowhere is this more true than at the American Red Cross. Our mission is so critical, our presence so pervasive and our need for inclusiveness so...

Growth in the valley: the tech bust left Silicon Valley a barren desert. But healthy venture capital numbers are just one sign that the region is ready to bloom again.(Technology)
March 1, 2004... Maybe it's the bright sunshine, the airconditioned climate and the awesome scenery that makes Silicon Valley execs so sanguine. Or maybe it's that the region's history is steeped in heady optimism. Whatever the cause, venture capitalists along...

Riding the up market: Ameritrade CEO Joe Moglia thinks the recovery is for real. And after three strong quarters, he says his firm is poised to reap the gains of a resurgent market.(Finance)
March 1, 2004... It was a banner first quarter for online brokerage firms. Omaha-based Ameritrade, for one, broke several of its own records in the first quarter of fiscal 2004, including net income of $72 million, or 17 cents a share, and an operating margin...

Slaves to the clock: CEOs are so overscheduled they can't find time to strategize. Here's how smart CEOs tackle the time problem.(Cover Story)
March 1, 2004... You can never outwork a problem," A.G. Lafley said in an interview soon after he became chief executive of Procter & Gamble in 2000. "You have to outthink it." That sounds good in theory. Unfortunately, in real life, CEOs rarely have the...

Heartland transformation: ADM CEO Allen Andreas has led the giant out of scandal and put it on a winning path.(Profile)(Archer Daniels Midland)
March 1, 2004... Out in the heartland where Archer Daniels Midland is headquartered, the farm economy has been recovering, and so has the company. And when Chief Executive G. Allen Andreas flies to New York City, he reaps another kind of harvest: kudos from...

Private firms get creative: to compete with public companies and their big CEO bonuses, closely held firms need new tools.(Compensation)
March 1, 2004... When Dick Grasso's $187.5 million compensation package was revealed at the New York Stock Exchange, it triggered an outcry that forced his resignation. But it also struck a delicate chord with the CEOs of privately held companies, who perceive...

Big risks on the autobahn: for many years, German automakers have seemed invincible. BMW still is on a roll. But Porsche and Volkswagen are facing challenges. Porsche underestimated the threat to its sports cars. And Volkswagen is pushing into the high-end market with a brand name that isn't known for luxury.(Global)
March 1, 2004... Porsche, one of the world's last independent sports-car makers, isn't exactly having a fun ride these days. Demand for its aging 911 series and even its newer Boxster is shrivelling. Porsche finds itself betting on a sports utility vehicle, of...

VW and luxury? Pischetsrieder wants to remake the "people's car" company. Can it be done?(Global)
March 1, 2004... Rolling into Volkswagen showrooms these days is a 17 1/2-foot-long, low-slung sedan that embodies all the engineering and technical know-how the German automaker can muster. Even though VW's motto was once "think small," there's nothing small...

Vital functions: HR outsourcing is booming, as companies send everything from payroll to training outside. But take out too much of the company's core, and you risk losing its heart and soul.(Management)
March 1, 2004... When ComUnity Lending was planning a major expansion into new regions several years ago, company executives realized that employment regulations varied widely state to state, and that mastering them would be no small challenge. To make it...

The cockpit of dreams: for business or pleasure, little compares.(Helicopters)
March 1, 2004... The field of sprouting green turf comes up faster and faster, filling the windshield of the downwardly hurtling Bell Jetranger to the point where I can begin to distinguish the individual blades of grass. The instructor's voice booms louder and...

Battle for stylish performance: the new Cadillac CTS aims for the BMW 530i.(Wheels)
March 1, 2004... Here's a battle shaping up. It used to be that the Cadillac CTS was benchmarked against the BMW 3 Series. But thanks to a new V6 engine and other refinements, it's not crazy to compare the CTS with BMW's new 530i. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED]...

Jamaican witchcraft: at the Ritz-Carlton, Rose Hall, golf and legend meet.(Golf)
March 1, 2004... I had just hit a smashing drive on the 10th hole at the White Witch golf course in Rose Hall, Jamaica. Playing from the back tees, I'd struck the ball a solid 220 yards, a high, arcing draw to the left side of the fairway. Sweet, I thought. ...

Go west, young children: for unemployed kids, moving west is better than moving in.(Flip Side)
March 1, 2004... A recent article in Forbes describes how two young venture capitalists are attempting to turn Boise, Idaho, into a High Plains Silicon Valley, or perhaps the next Austin, Tex. The founders of Village Ventures, in Williamstown, Mass., who make a...

Globalization and the new Luddites.(Editorial)(Editorial)
March 1, 2004... ELECTION YEAR ATTACKS on CEOs have started. Democratic presidential hopeful John Kerry is targeting "Benedict Arnold CEOs" who move jobs overseas. As we have long argued, American CEOs need to be doing a better job explaining...