Chief Executive (U.S.) articles from October 2006

Chief Executive (U.S.) archives from October 2006

The Muddled Leak.(EDITOR'S NOTE)
October 1, 2006... If Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart were alive today, what would he make of the spectacle that is Hewlett-Packard? No doubt he would see HP's board leak with its comic-tragic outcome as perfect source material for opera buffa. Instead of The Magic...

Wrongheaded solution scourged.(FEEDBACK)
October 1, 2006... In a recent article ("Solving Airspace Gridlock," July/August 2006), Bob Poole advocates for an aviation system that is privatized and financed by user fees. Mr. Poole, a longtime advocate for privatization of just about everything, couldn't be...

Collegiality builds engagement.(FEEDBACK)
October 1, 2006... In a recent online Chief Executive posting, "Are Your Employees Engaged?" (www.chiefexecutive.net), CE presented results from researchers that highlighted the superior financial performance that is generated by employees who actively...

Full Kohrt press: Battelle Institute CEO spots next wave of innovation.(RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT)(Interview)
October 1, 2006... According to the world's largest nonprofit R & D organization, the Columbus, Ohio-based Battelle Institute, U.S. companies should be worried that countries such as China and India are graduating 12 times the number of engineers as the U.S., a...

Thorns & roses.(CEO WATCH)
October 1, 2006... THORN... To the BOARD OF DIRECTORS OF HP--not for the questionable method of investigating leaks orchestrated by Patty Dunn--but for the treacherous behavior of directors who couldn't find a more honorable way of expressing disagreement...

Confidence finally rises.(CEO CONFIDENCE INDEX)(Survey)
October 1, 2006... PUTTING an end to a four-month tumble dating back to June, Chief Executive's CEO Confidence Index rose in October, according to 233 top executives surveyed. The leading economic indicator sits at 156.8, up 7.9 points from last month. The index...

The numbers.(CEO WATCH)
October 1, 2006... [GRAPHIC OMITTED] [GRAPHIC OMITTED] How will capital spending change in your company next year? Increase 46% Stay the same 34% Decrease 20% Note: Table made from pie chart.

12 "CEO diseases" and how to treat them.(UNCOMMON WISDOM)
October 1, 2006... Before I became an investment banker, I studied to be a doctor. (I did a Ph.D. in anatomy/brain research at UCLA, never returned to medical school at Johns Hopkins, and 15 years later went to business school at MIT--but that's another story.)...

Avoiding merger failure: four things to get right.(THOUGHT LEADER)
October 1, 2006... It's clear that 2006 is a big year for M & A deals, which is good news. But CEOs need to recall an important corollary: 2007 must be a big year for delivering on M & A promises. This is sobering because deal execution is a problem for many...

How private companies stop fraud: want some peace of mind? Follow these simple steps.(THOUGHT LEADER)
October 1, 2006... Fraud and misconduct can drain earnings; expose your company, management and you to criminal and civil liability; and, worse, threaten your most valuable asset--market reputation. Private companies are more at risk: The Association of...

Lessons from brand leaders: what does it take to build--and maintain--global recognition? Here's how 2006's top 25 brand leaders shepherd their white hot monikers.
October 1, 2006... Spot that distinctive mermaid-in-green-circle logo above a doorway and you know exactly what to expect. Inside you'll be greeted by the heady aroma of freshly brewed java with a subtle hint of cinnamon, or maybe mocha. You'll pass patrons...

Do CEOs make good politicians? The track record is mixed. Here's a scorecard of recent bosses who made the leap into politics.(BUSINESS AND POLITICS)
October 1, 2006... This year's race for governor of Michigan should have been tailor-made for Richard DeVos, the former CEO of Amway Corp., one of the state's biggest employers. After all, in Jennifer Granholm he faced an incumbent who had presided over a rise in...

Time to rethink performance metrics and valuation methods: GAAP, EPS and P/E are dead. The days of financial astrology are numbered. Here's how leading investment thinkers measure real performance.(FINANCE)(Company overview)
October 1, 2006... For an all-natural extract of a company's current harvest and future yield, investors should perhaps make a beeline for the Buffett table. Back in 1959, before Berkshire Hathaway, Warren Buffett's balance sheet analysis--husking the corn and...

When lean companies stay fat: as Danaher's experience demonstrates, lean manufacturing is an exacting discipline requiring a comprehensive view of the business.(MANUFACTURING)(Company overview)
October 1, 2006... Lean manufacturing initiatives, much like diets, are designed to trim fat and make you fitter, faster and more competitive--in short, a high performer. The overall goal is the lasting improvement in company profitability that underpins high...

Anatomy of dysfunctional customer relationships: how businesses show customers that they're not the priority.(MARKETING)
October 1, 2006... The news is peppered with below-par customer experiences, which in many cases could have been avoided. For this article, I examine a series of headlines to dissect what occurred to create a dysfunctional relationship between the customer and...

When bad things happen to good CEOs: the best leaders have blind spots, and in today's environment, as the rules change at light speed, chief executives are flying as blind as ever. Can they change?(MANAGEMENT)
October 1, 2006... If Ray Gilmartin, the former CEO of Merck, was following the news about pharmaceutical firm Bristol-Myers Squibb in September, he probably experienced a bit of deja vu. Though Bristol's CEO Peter Dolan did not preside over a messy drug recall,...

Deferred prosecution agreements: friend or nemesis? CEOs who take no precautions until the prosecutor arrives are in for an unpleasant experience.(TRENDS AND DEVELOPMENTS)
October 1, 2006... In the post-Enron era, it is routine to make corporations and their CEOs the target of criminal investigations. Corporations will successfully navigate these treacherous waters only if they understand the uses and risks of deferred prosecution...

Krazy about Kauai: exploring the natural riches of Na Pali nets a wealth of unforgettable memories.(EXECUTIVE LIFE)
October 1, 2006... If the term "Wild West" brings nothing more to mind than adventurers seeking gold and gunslingers brawling in saloons, then chances are you haven't yet been to Kauai, the north-westernmost island in the Hawaiian archipelago. For the...

The Plantagenet connection: need dirty work done? Check out Henry two sticks.(FLIP SIDE)
October 1, 2006... Captains of industry constantly seek to glean valuable lessons from the pages of history, but they usually consult the wrong models. Almost nothing can be learned from the management styles of Attila the Hun or Genghis Khan, who never had to...

The criminalization of business.(EDITORIAL)(Jeff Skilling gets more than 24 years in prison)(Enron Corp.)
October 1, 2006... SO FORMER ENRON CHIEF Jeff Skilling gets more than 24 years in prison, effectively a life term barring appeals for the 52-year-old high flier who once ran the nation's seventh ranked company. Twenty years ago, when federal guidelines were first...

Curb the enthusiasm to spend.(tax policy of USA)(Editorial)(Brief article)
October 1, 2006... WE'LL LEAVE THE TEA READING of the results of the mid-term elections to others, but it's fair to remind our solons in Congress and elsewhere what a true mandate for U.S. competitiveness would consist of. By most independent rankings the U.S....