Archives: July 2007

Alastair Campbell on Cheney, Bush and the Clintons

Posted by: Diane Brady on July 31

Alastair Campbell, the former spokesman for Tony Blair, stopped by to promote his new book The Blair Years. Some might know Campbell from the hilarious portrayal of him in The...

The Other Office Chart

Posted by: Jena McGregor on July 31

Raise your hand if these statistics sound like the place you work. According to a new study by Katzenbach Partners released today, 65% of workers rely on one another, not...

More on The Bully Broad Syndrome

Posted by: Michelle Conlin on July 30

Comes now yet another study on professional women and the fiery demon. I've taken an interest in the subject ever since my exploration of the "bully broad" phenom in...

At Gap, Another Non-Fashion CEO

Posted by: Jena McGregor on July 27

Somewhere over at J. Crew HQ, Mickey Drexler is laughing in his chinos. After the merchant prince was pushed out as CEO of the Gap in 2002, the khakis king...

CEO Greed Redux

Posted by: Diane Brady on July 27

Former Qwest CEO Joseph Nacchio is the latest disgraced leader to be sentenced to jail for corporate misconduct. This time it's six years in prison for insider trading. Nacchio also...

Do you Tablet?

Posted by: Michelle Conlin on July 25

I just returned from a reporting trip to the vast metropolis that is Microsoft's Redmond headquarters. (Shuttle buses, valet parking, 25 cafeterias--you get the idea). One of my peak...

The Non-Business Business Book

Posted by: Jena McGregor on July 24

I've been surprised by the staying power of the story in the New York Times on CEO libraries. Since the story appeared on Saturday, it's been one of the Times'...

Is GE Really Too Big?

Posted by: Diane Brady on July 22

Why the continued angst over GE's size? Wal-Mart, General Motors and a handful of energy companies draw more sales. What bothers investors is the memory of the $60 highs that GE stock hit during the dot-com glory days of Jack Welch's final years. What if that was the anomaly, rather than what we're seeing with the share performance now?

A "Changed" Customer Experience?

Posted by: Jena McGregor on July 20

Ok, this is a little off-topic for a management post, but it's Friday, so hear me out. I just got a call from my husband, Brian, who is sitting at...

Profiting from Murdoch

Posted by: Diane Brady on July 18

Who says U.S. regulators don't pay enough attention to overseas investors these days? The SEC appears to be on the cusp of filing a lawsuit against Dow Jones Director David...

Harry Potter and the Curse of Midnight

Posted by: Diane Brady on July 18

Harry Potter's U.S. publisher Scholastic says some fans received Book 7 yesterday. Now, its "making a direct appeal to the Harry Potter fans" to "keep the packages hidden until midnight on July 21st." Can we get some perspective here?

The Wild Oats View

Posted by: Jena McGregor on July 17

In all the discussion of Whole Foods CEO John Mackey's “rahodeb” postings, one thing I haven’t seen discussed is the impact on the Wild Oats employees and culture. Can you...

"No secrets" management?

Posted by: Jena McGregor on July 16

In reading all the coverage about Whole Foods CEO John Mackey, I went back to a 2004 profile that a former colleague of mine, Charles Fishman, wrote when we worked...

Feeling Happy about Conrad Black.

Posted by: Diane Brady on July 13

Conrad Black won't find comfort from the CEO of his old company, Hollinger Inc. "We have believed for some time that the conduct of Mr. Black and his colleagues was criminal," G. Wesley Voorheis told me this afternoon. "This is a day of vindication for the prosecution and for innocent shareholders who, frankly, have been screwed."

John Mackey's Alter Ego

Posted by: Diane Brady on July 11

CEOs don't like to publicly diss the competition. But pretending to be a neutral observer in trashing Wild Oats on a Yahoo! stock-market forum when you're actually the CEO of...

A New Corporate Dress Code for Global Warming?

Posted by: Michelle Conlin on July 11

New York City is a steamy, drippy disaster. I wake up sopping in my Huis Clos of a bedroom with no air conditioning. I stare at the closet. Suits....

Satisfaction, Loyalty, Experience.....now Advocacy?

Posted by: Jena McGregor on July 09

Forrester Research analyst Bruce Temkin pointed me the other day to his new blog, Customer Experience Matters. Temkin, who is the vice president of the customer experience practice at Forrester,...

A Backlash Against China

Posted by: Diane Brady on July 06

As I was shipping off a batch of Thomas the Tank Engine toys to RC2 Corp. the other day, I began to wonder when we might see the first signs of a consumer backlash against China. What happens if people start to substitute a stereotype of "dangerous" instead of "cheap" when it comes to Chinese-made imports? Will we see demands for much more disclosure on ingredients of Chinese origin? It seems likely.

From Beloved Dump to Dysfunctional Palace

Posted by: Michelle Conlin on July 05

When the New York Times moved into its gleaming new headquarters last month, it was suppossed to mark a moment of much-needed glory for the Grey Lady. Over the...

Move over, Hillary Clinton

Posted by: Diane Brady on July 05

Arizona Governor Janet Napolitano believes ambition is good, and that girls don't have enough of it. It's true. Recruiters and academics often tell me that the dearth of women in top corporate jobs stems as much from women not stepping up to the plate, as top brass refusing to elevate them.

Generation Y: Similarities or Stereotype?

Posted by: Jena McGregor on July 03

Kudos to Mark Harbeke, the manager of content development at the Winning Workplaces site, for poking a few holes in all the consultant-fueled stereotypes around managing Generation Y. In his...

Decisions, Decisions

Posted by: Jena McGregor on July 02

Over at Harvard Business Online, Babson College professor and management thinker Tom Davenport is saying that decision-making is the next big thing. Or rather, the next big thing will be...