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

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

America as third world?(EDITOR'S NOTE)(Editorial)
November 1, 2004... The presidential election will be over, or almost over, by the time most of you read these words. So it's time to look past the politicking--and get real. I'd argue, and I think many of you would agree, that America's economic reality is...

No easy cure indeed.(FEEDBACK)(Letter to the Editor)
November 1, 2004... Professor Michael Porter is correct in noting that the U.S. health care system spends double the per capita cost of other developed countries while achieving no better outcome in longevity or quality of life ("No Easy Cure," October). And he...

Birds Eye view.(FEEDBACK)(Letter to the Editor)
November 1, 2004... CEO Dennis Mullen's practice of involving all of his employees at Birds Eye Foods in new product launches is a perfect example of a corporation learning to leverage its most valuable asset: its employees ("Driving Growth," Roundtable,...

Realities of nonprofit CEO pay.(FEEDBACK)(Letter to the Editor)
November 1, 2004... In your article "It's Hard to Do Good" (August/September), you pointed out that one of the five biggest differences between for-profit and nonprofit organizations is CEO pay. Absolutely true. However, when you reported that nonprofits rarely...

It takes more than technology.(FEEDBACK)(Letter to the Editor)
November 1, 2004... I read with interest your story on how Bob Nardelli is applying technology to transform The Home Depot ("The Depot Goes Digital," Cover Story, October). I am all for productivity improvement, but you can only reduce staff so much before you...

Clarification.(Correction Notice)
November 1, 2004... An article in August/September about health care quoted John McConnell, CEO of Worthington Industries, as saying that it's difficult to persuade employees to participate in wellness programs. The story should have made clear that McConnell was...

Darts & roses.(CEO WATCH)
November 1, 2004... DART... * DONALD TRUMP. After all the big talk, are you going bankrupt? Maybe it's time for another Fortune cover story, with your girlfriend. Or a new reality TV series. Call it "Chapter 11." [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] ROSES... ...

Branson shoots for the moon.(AEROSPACE)(Brief Article)
November 1, 2004... FIRST CAME THE GLOBAL CEO. Now here comes the galactic one. How else to describe Richard Branson after his announcement that he's forming a company that will offer passenger flights into suborbital space? The inconoclastic founder,...

Darts & roses.(CEO WATCH)
November 1, 2004... DART... * SANJAY KUMAR of Computer Associates. Overbooking revenues by, oh, $2 billion? Off to jail with you. May you be the last of the scoundrels. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] ROSE... * Caterpillar CEO JIM OWENS. He's pulled off...

Asian CEOs stress innovation.(MANAGEMENT)(Brief Article)
November 1, 2004... CHIEF EXECUTIVES OF ASIAN companies are most concerned with people issues such as spearheading innovation and acquiring top talent, while their counterparts at U.S. and European firms are more focused on growth. That's the finding of a recent...

Does your cat match your sofa?(MANAGEMENT)(Brief Article)
November 1, 2004... FIDO COULD SOON be getting a backpack. Ikea, the Swedish household furnishings group, is testing sales of pet accessories in an attempt to take a slice of a global market worth an estimated $7 billion a year. The Swedish group, best known...

A bright outlook on tech investment.(CEO CONFIDENCE INDEX)
November 1, 2004... WHILE THE CURRENT OUTLOOK in the corner office may be cautious at best, chief executives are decidedly bullish in their plans to invest in technology in 2005. More than 71 percent of CEOs say they expect to increase their companies' technology...

Dethroning national champions: Europe must allow more cross-border integration.(CHIEF CONCERN)
November 1, 2004... Rome was not built in a day--and neither was Europe. We have come a long way since the Treaty of Rome was signed in 1957 to start unifying Europe. Nevertheless, when we speak of Europe, we still refer to individual countries far more often than...

Electronic dilemma: the email explosion poses tricky challenges to CEOs.(CHIEF CONCERN)
November 1, 2004... Philip J. Kaplan, the dot-com generation's Michael Moore, is one person you don't want reading your email. Kaplan, author of the best-selling book F'd Companies, runs a Web site that posts emails about layoffs, outsourcing moves and other...

Outsource, but train those who remain: CEOs need educational programs that work.(THOUGHT LEADER)(Chief Executive Officers)
November 1, 2004... The burgeoning trend of outsourcing is often described in terms of how much companies save in labor costs. Less talked about, but equally vital, is how offshoring affects employees who remain at home. In many cases--particularly for...

Stepping into the breach at CSFB: Brady Dougan, Credit Suisse First Boston's newly installed chief executive, takes over from John Mack.(FINANCE)
November 1, 2004... Brady Dougan has done almost everything for Credit Suisse First Boston. In his 15 years with the investment bank, the new chief executive has run the equities arm, the debt business, the investment banking division and dressed up as one of the...

Top 25 brand leaders: as stewards of respected brands, these CEOs know it takes more than just marketing.
November 1, 2004... The chief marketing officer at Dell, Mike George, and top officials from the company's advertising agency, BBDO, had worked hard on a new advertising campaign for the Texas-based maker of technology products. They thought they had a great tag...

The race to RFID: How CEOs are grappling with the breakthrough tracking technology.(TECHNOLOGY)(radio frequency identification)
November 1, 2004... By embracing radio-frequency identification technology wholeheartedly, Wal-Mart Stores and the U.S. Department of Defense have given CEOs across the country reason enough to follow suit. But they'll be way behind Chris Hornung, whose company,...

UTC's global primer: George David has presided over a major international push. He says it's good for America.(MANAGEMENT)(Interview)
November 1, 2004... United Technologies includes Otis elevators, Carrier air conditioners and Pratt & Whitney aerospace products. CEO George David believes his company's globalization has had a positive impact on the U.S. economy despite the closing of a Carrier...

Ethics for sale: in today's regulatory climate, CEOs may have no choice but to buy.(ethics advice)
November 1, 2004... Most chief executives say they are ethical people and that they run ethical organizations. But a vast new industry worth hundreds of millions of dollars is springing up to help companies be ethical--whether they need it or not. The captains of...

The South shall rise ... still: outsiders are flocking to the Southeast for its low-cost living and skilled technology work force.(SITE SELECTION)
November 1, 2004... A few years ago, executives at GE Energy decided to move their corporate home from Schenectady, N.Y., where its 100-year history dated back to inventor Thomas Edison. In shopping for a new location, they considered Austin, Tex., and Chicago,...

Restoring confidence in chief executives: it could take many years and require significant changes in how CEOs do their jobs.(Panel Discussion)
November 1, 2004... It's been years since the spectacular combustions of Enron, Tyco and WorldCom sent the image of the chief executive officer as visionary leader up in flames. And even though the pace of scandal has slowed dramatically, the image of the CEO...

Pursuing age-old passion, CEOs thrill to the hunt: as public land diminishes, private lodges and preserves cater to an upscale hunting crowd.(EXECUTIVE LIFE)
November 1, 2004... The German wirehaired pointer was working the hillside, bounding off in short bursts in one direction and then another when she hit upon a wall of fresh scent. She wheeled to her left, darted down the slope and froze on point. Then the dog...

Exercising options: CEOs go to lengths to squeeze in workouts while traveling.(EXECUTIVE LIFE)
November 1, 2004... As chief executive of Mastercraft, the luxury powerboat builder based in Tennessee, John Dorton travels about 100 days a year, to boat shows and races near and far. Wherever the job takes him, Dorton, a self-avowed fitness buff, manages to...

All hail the American worker: in a slacker's age, U.S. productivity is a modern miracle.(FLIP SIDE)
November 1, 2004... Down through the ages, people have vainly sought answers to the most impenetrable mysteries of human existence. Who built Stonehenge: Heliocentric Druids or itinerant stonemasons? Why were the Egyptians so obsessed with death? Did Shakespeare...

Let the spending commence--slowly.(Editorial)
November 1, 2004... THERE ARE SIGNS of a new media campaign in the air. It goes like this: CEOs are sitting on lots of cash. They have a responsibility to start spending it aggressively to create jobs and keep the economic recovery going. How droll. CEOs have...

CEOs to D.C.: get real on Asia.(Brief Article)(Editorial)
November 1, 2004... MANY CEOs SPEND TIME on the ground in Asia and understand how geopolitical realities are shifting. Yet one gets the sense that policy-makers in Washington, of both Democratic and Republican ilk, still see Asia through decades-old prisms. A...