Archives: February 2009

GE Slashes Dividend 68%

Posted by: Jena McGregor on February 27

General Electric's board of directors today announced it is slashing the company's quarterly dividend by 68%, to 10 cents from 31 cents per share, starting in the second half of...

Defending Pensions

Posted by: Nanette Byrnes on February 26

With states and cities struggling to balance their budgets, pressure is increasing on employee benefits. Now the National Institute on Retirement Security has published a report defending public pension plans...

Teaching Employees a Lesson

Posted by: Emily Thornton on February 23

Here's a novel approach to motivating employees: Chairman of European-based private equity firm Permira Advisers Damon Buffini recently gave his partners a dressing down and ordered them to eat burgers...

Bank Workers Win Layoff Protection

Posted by: Diane Brady on February 19

Here's a post from senior writer Michael Orey: Not a day goes by, it seems, without news of additional layoffs. As my colleague Emily Thornton points out in this week's...

Immelt Declines His 2008 Bonus

Posted by: Jena McGregor on February 18

General Electric Chairman and Chief Executive Jeffrey Immelt has declined his 2008 bonus and long-term compensation, the conglomerate's proxy reveals. In a year when the Fairfield, Conn.-based company's stock has...

Stiff Pay Restrictions on Executives in Stimulus Package

Posted by: Nanette Byrnes on February 13

Congress is about to do in one vote what years of shareholder agitation failed to: sharply curb top executive pay at poorly performing companies. The Wall Street Journal reports today...

Does the President Really Make Just $400,000 a Year?

Posted by: Nanette Byrnes on February 11

If a Senate amendment to the stimulus package holds on through the final version of the bill, all executives at companies collecting government TARP funds will see their pay limited...

Turmoil Strategies: Lay off entire staff, bring in unpaid interns

Posted by: Diane Brady on February 10

Here's one of the more radical ways to cut costs: A Toronto free daily newspaper has fired all of its staff writers, replacing them with unpaid interns brought on just...

Consumers Still Going Green

Posted by: Jena McGregor on February 07

Looking for new ways to grow? In this environment, many companies are trying to find some kind of new way to grab the interest of spending-wary consumers. Boston Consulting Group...

Giving Bonuses in Bad Times to Make Productivity Gains Stick

Posted by: Nanette Byrnes on February 06

Even on a day when the out-of-work are top of mind, it's worth thinking about how to motivate those left behind. Today's headlines are focused on the nearly 600,000 jobs...

Executive Pay: What About Directors' Earnings?

Posted by: Jena McGregor on February 06

It's been a big couple of weeks in the world of executive pay, as President Obama proposed $500,000 salary caps for banks taking part in future bailout funds and the...

Jeff Immelt on Pay, his AAA Rating and Taking the Train

Posted by: Diane Brady on February 05

General Electric CEO Jeff Immelt predicted this morning that the shift in the financial services sector and government's role in business "will be with us for the rest of our...

100 Top Leadership Blogs

Posted by: Diane Brady on February 04

Bestuniversities.com just published its list of the top 100 leadership blogs (Yes, we're on it) ... The categories are: Leadership Development, Youth and Student Leadership, Community Leadership, Managing Others, Female...

CEO Pay: What Role Will Perception Play?

Posted by: Jena McGregor on February 04

Today, President Obama and Treasury Secretary Tim Geithner plan to announce a new executive compensation plan at the White House, the New York Times is reporting. The report says that...

Macy's Debt Could be Cut to Junk Bond

Posted by: Nanette Byrnes on February 02

Moody's Investment Service just warned that they've put Macy's debt on watch for a downgrade -- into junk territory. Moody's action was set off by the $25 billion retailer's announcement...

The Latest Thinking on Severance Packages

Posted by: Emily Thornton on February 02

It used to be a given that companies would pay employees one or two weeks of severance for every year they worked at a company. A recent survey conducted by...

Recession Relief? Don't expect it this year

Posted by: Diane Brady on February 02

I did an informal survey of attendees at Davos to ask when they thought the economy would begin to pick up. Of the roughly four dozen people I asked, about...