Archives: January 2009

Memorable Quotes from the World Economic Forum in Davos

Posted by: Diane Brady on January 31

"We don't need help. We are not invalids. We don't have limited mental capacity." Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin, responding to a question from Michael Dell on how the IT...

The Girl Effect

Posted by: Don Tapscott on January 31

Editor’s Note: Author Don Tapscott will be blogging guest daily from Davos. I spent a week in Kenya last summer traveling with my family in remote communities. We met many...

Customer Service in the Recession

Posted by: Jena McGregor on January 31

I'll never forget that red-headed Continental counter agent in Seattle. I was traveling on business, and in an effort to save money and time, I chose to take the red-eye...

A new way to track Web censorship

Posted by: Diane Brady on January 31

I was just speaking with Harvard Professor Jonathan Zittrain (author of "The Future of the Internet and How to Stop It") He has launched Herdict, a new site that lets...

Industry leaders at Davos on new ways to grow

Posted by: Diane Brady on January 30

Strip away talk about the U.S. dollar, the credit crunch and global leaders turning against each other, and one theme has emerged in conversations at Davos: new ideas for growth....

Turkish anger and an Israeli apology at Davos

Posted by: Diane Brady on January 30

Turkish diplomats may have fled Davos, along with Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan, but the Turkish business community has stayed behind. Erdogan, who stormed out of a forum with...

The Road to Copenhagen

Posted by: Don Tapscott on January 30

Editor’s Note: Author Don Tapscott will be blogging guest daily from Davos. I attended an excellent session this morning entitled “The Road to Copenhagen.” This refers to the meeting of...

Bretton Woods 2.0?

Posted by: Don Tapscott on January 30

Editor’s Note: Author Don Tapscott will be blogging guest daily from Davos. Three small countries, Qatar, Singapore and Switzerland, are sponsoring a bold initiative of the World Economic Forum to...

Clinton, Gates and Jet Li on the "Philanthrocrisis"

Posted by: Diane Brady on January 29

A constellation of celebrity philanthropists gathered today in Davos to talk about the tough state of giving: Bill Clinton, Tony Blair, Bill Gates, Richard Branson, Jet Li and Nobel Prize...

The Obama message disappoints at Davos

Posted by: Diane Brady on January 29

Valerie Jarrett, a top aide to Barack Obama, told delegates at the World Economic Forum on Thursday that the new U.S. Administration is committed to taking "aggressive and extraordinary action"...

Can the world live with a frugal American consumer?

Posted by: Diane Brady on January 29

For all the criticism of Americans and their profligate spending in recent years, it's clear that their appetite kept a lot of people in business. BusinessWeek editor-in-chief Steve Adler moderated...

"The Schwab Manifesto"

Posted by: Don Tapscott on January 29

Editor’s Note: Author Don Tapscott will be guest blogging daily from Davos. The leaders of the world — business, government and civil society — need to adopt a manifesto for...

The Wealthy Can Do More

Posted by: Don Tapscott on January 28

Editor’s Note: Author Don Tapscott will be guest blogging daily from Davos. I attended a luncheon hosted by Matthew Bishop, co-author of Philanthrocapitalism: How the Rich Can Save the World....

China’s Premier Calls for New Mechanisms for Global Governance

Posted by: Don Tapscott on January 28

Editor’s Note: Author Don Tapscott will be guest blogging daily from Davos. Wen Jiabao, Premier of The People’s Republic of China exuded confidence. He says his country is taking extraordinary...

Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao defends his country's role in crisis

Posted by: Diane Brady on January 28

Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao gave a blunt assessment of his peers' performance on Wednesday, in a speech to attendees at the World Economic Forum. "This annual meeting has a special...

Somber Thoughts at Davos

Posted by: Diane Brady on January 28

One hallmark of the World Economic Forum is the release of annual surveys that point to trends in global business. Not surprisingly, this year's crop is steeped in pessimism. On...

Washington's Place at Davos

Posted by: Diane Brady on January 28

It's telling that Davos is breaking records this year: with the highest-ever number of CEOs and company chairpersons (more than 1,400) and more high-profile politicians than at any time since...

What's Your Big Idea?

Posted by: Jena McGregor on January 27

Back in December, I posted here on Management IQ about a special upcoming package we're working on about game-changing management ideas. The business world may be gripped in the throes...

GE Net Down 44%

Posted by: Jena McGregor on January 23

General Electric reported fourth quarter net earnings that slid 44% to $3.7 billion from the fourth quarter of 2007, when GE earned $6.7 billion. And that, in a sign of...

Spencer Stuart headhunter jumps ship to Heidrick & Struggles

Posted by: Diane Brady on January 14

Here is a news item from my colleague, Aili McConnon: Even though executive recruiting giant Heidrick & Struggles announced in December it would reduce its global headcount by 10-15%, the...

Company Pensions Need $109 billion in Cash

Posted by: Nanette Byrnes on January 13

The bad news just keeps getting worse for companies that offer workers a traditional pension plan. According to pension experts at consulting firm Watson Wyatt, companies with defined benefit pensions...

What Does Innovation have to do with Six Sigma?

Posted by: Emily Thornton on January 12

Many managers make the mistake of believing that innovation is something they can only afford during the good times. They limit their definition of innovation to boosting investment in potentially...

Fewer Board Appointments for Bush Administration Departees

Posted by: Jena McGregor on January 10

The economy is in sorry shape, and come nine days from now when the inauguration occurs, there will be another group of people out looking for work: former Bush administration...

When the Tide Goes Out, Apparently Integrity Does Too

Posted by: Jena McGregor on January 10

As the stunning frauds at Indian tech outsourcer Satyam and by Bernard Madoff shock the investment world, many business executives believe it may not be the last. Sixty-three percent of...

The Virtues of Near Death: IBM versus GM

Posted by: Michelle Conlin on January 07

For more than a decade now, my boys over at Future of Work, those uber-youthful sages Jim Ware and Charlie Grantham, have been preaching the virtues of geographic agnosticism:...

No CEO Bonus for 2008

Posted by: Nanette Byrnes on January 07

As evidence of contrition, finance CEOs are waiving their 2008 bonuses. But how is it possible that they're even eligible for one? Jan. 6 (Bloomberg) -- Bank of America Corp....

The Upside of the Downside

Posted by: Michelle Conlin on January 06

Waiting for the elevator today at the BusinessWeek mothership, I bumped into a certain managing editor. He of the frayed Brooks Brothers, the dependable cardigan. He was sporting a...