Archives: January 2008

Working Remotely...or Remotely Working? Part Two

Posted by: Michelle Conlin on January 31

It was the kind of spring day that golfers fantasize about--balmy, crisp, no wind. But there would be no links for Ken Wisneski. The president of business services firm Vendorseek...

Time Sensitive Customers

Posted by: Diane Brady on January 31

There's a new book out today that makes the case for being sensitive to how time affects typical shopping choices. It's called Stopwatch Marketing and it examines how companies can...

Seducing the Boys Club

Posted by: Diane Brady on January 29

I mentioned this book in the fall, when Jena blogged about a shock jock-type book from Christopher V. Flett. But it goes on sale today so it warrants a mention...

Holding on to retirement-age employees

Posted by: Diane Brady on January 29

Retirement is a delicate subject in most companies. On the one hand, employers may be glad to bid adieu to higher-priced talent whose exit clears the way for younger hotshots...

Get Paid to Interview for Jobs?

Posted by: Jena McGregor on January 28

It sounds like a come-on in the spam folder of your inbox. "Get Paid to Interview for Jobs!" But it's also the basis of a new start-up called NotchUp.com. The...

The SocGen Saga: Risk Management isn't the Only Lesson

Posted by: Jena McGregor on January 28

Today's New York Times has a story about the Societe Generale trader, Jerome Kerviel, who made huge, risky bets on derivatives that caused the bank to lose $7.2 billion. According...

Cuts vs. Growth

Posted by: Jena McGregor on January 23

Talk about high executive turnover: Since 2005, the Los Angeles Times has had three different top editors. James O’Shea, who took the top job 14 months ago, just became the...

Comcast's Customer Service Woes: Do Investors Care?

Posted by: Jena McGregor on January 22

The story in today’s Wall Street Journal about Chieftain Capital Management’s Glenn Greenberg, who is calling for Comcast CEO Brian Roberts to step down, was an interesting profile of this...

Managing the Global Workforce

Posted by: Jena McGregor on January 21

Davos starts Wednesday, and if you missed our package on managing the global workforce, it's here. While the conference's theme this year may be the power of collaborative innovation, that's...

Death in the Workplace

Posted by: Diane Brady on January 17

I remember the first time a colleague died. I was 16, dishing out lemon tarts in a hospital kitchen after school, when a supervisor announced to all of us that...

The Greening of Marriott

Posted by: Michelle Conlin on January 15

There's a lot of plastic cup-and-bottle shaming going on at Marriott's DC headquarters these days. Marriott is on a eco-tear, attempting to green its headquarters within a few years. Gone...

The Logic of Life

Posted by: Diane Brady on January 15

Economists love to explain away the world. Even the most socially tragic outcomes can have their roots in rational decisions. Tim Harford takes on everything from promiscuous teens and office...

The Breakthrough Company

Posted by: Diane Brady on January 14

Every entrepreneur wants to be the one who breaks through; who doesn't just chase his industry's trends but helps to shape them. Keith McFarland has just written a book (The...

Returning CEOs no Real Boost or Bust

Posted by: Jena McGregor on January 11

An interesting piece of research I came across in the course of reporting this story on Howard Schultz's return to the helm at Starbucks, which we first blogged about here:...

Andrea Jung, First Woman Minority on a Board in Silicon Valley

Posted by: Jena McGregor on January 11

Finally! Apple gets a woman on its board. As I noted earlier this year in a story on why women on boards make more than men--turns out, they're frequently nominated...

Great Debaters

Posted by: Diane Brady on January 10

There is only one reference to me (as far as I know) in Wikipedia -- the day I stood up in a floral Laura Ashley dress before a room full...

Management Lessons from Charlie Wilson's War?

Posted by: Jena McGregor on January 08

Yesterday, I linked to management lessons from an NFL offensive tackle. Today, it's career and success advice from Charlie Wilson, thanks to the ever exclamation-pointed Tom Peters. I haven't...

"Uncle Howie to the Rescue"?

Posted by: Jena McGregor on January 07

(Posted by Burt Helm and Jena McGregor) Call him the once and future coffee king. With shares down 47% from 52 weeks ago, Howard Schultz is back in as...

Ross Tucker, Management Guru

Posted by: Jena McGregor on January 07

My colleague Brian Hindo points me to an interesting recent piece on Sports Illustrated's web site written by injured Washington Redskins lineman Ross Tucker. Tucker, who snapped the ball...

What's Next for Kenya?

Posted by: Diane Brady on January 03

I remember standing on the streets of Nairobi in 1989, watching a car go by with then-president Daniel arap Moi in the back seat. "There goes the savior of democracy,"...

Richard Florida Does It Again

Posted by: Michelle Conlin on January 02

One of my all-time favorite working life books is Richard Florida's 2002 bestseller The Rise of the Creative Class. Florida--he of the no collar workforce and Bohemian-Gay housing index...

Proxy Outlook '08

Posted by: Jena McGregor on January 01

Well, it's a new year...and that means it's closing in on time for another proxy season. Proxy advisers ISS write on the RiskMetrics blog that it's shaping up to be...

Dare to Prepare

Posted by: Diane Brady on January 01

How do you prepare for a potentially life-changing meeting, presentation, or event? Some people stand in front of a mirror, trying to pump themselves up to get confidence. Others meticulously...