Archives: March 2009

Stimulus Money -- Strings Attached

Posted by: Michael Orey on March 31

The giant gravy train of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (aka the stimulus package) is leaving the station. Just check out the special Recovery section of the federal government’s...

Leadership: The courage to change what you can

Posted by: Diane Brady on March 28

Here is a guest blog from leadership consultant Nat Stoddard and author Claire Wyckoff. Both have co-written a book called The Right Leader: Selecting Executives Who Fit. In the midst...

The Mindset of an AIG executive

Posted by: Diane Brady on March 25

A few things struck me in the "resignation letter" of Jake DeSantis, an executive vice president of the American International Group’s financial products unit. (People don't normally forward their letters...

Tame the Search-and-Switch Customer

Posted by: Diane Brady on March 25

Here's a guest blog from Jill Griffin, a customer loyalty consultant, speaker and author. I asked her to talk about strategies for keeping customers loyal to your brand. As you...

Follow Your Favorite Executive

Posted by: Aili McConnon on March 24

Many people have steered clear of Twitter because they’re already being bombarded by too many emails they can’t read or respond to or they simply don’t care enough about the...

The Science of Spin

Posted by: Matthew Boyle on March 20

Many observers feel that AIG's actions surrounding the revelation of its disbursal of $165 million in bonuses were a major PR blunder. But communications consultant Alan Kelly has more precise...

GE Capital Holds Deep Dive Meeting for Investors

Posted by: Jena McGregor on March 18

General Electric today offered a deep dive into its financial services business in an attempt to reassure investors and persuade them, as GE CFO Keith Sherin told CNBC on March...

Companies Make Changes to Exec Pay Plans

Posted by: Jena McGregor on March 17

Amidst all the brouhaha over the AIG bonuses, it's worthwhile to note that many companies are actually making changes to their executive pay plans. Human resources consulting firm Watson Wyatt...

AIG bonuses: Is there a case for doling out extra cash?

Posted by: Diane Brady on March 16

At first blush, American International Group has done it again: issuing $165 million in bonuses to executives in its financial products business--the unit that single-handedly made it rack up record...

How Managers Can Handle Stress in Times of Economic Crisis

Posted by: Diane Brady on March 15

Here's a guest post from Leslie Seppinni, a clinical psychologist who has written extensively on the subject of "excuse free living". I asked her to give some advice to managers...

Another Blow to the Celebrity CEO: This Time It's Buffett

Posted by: Nanette Byrnes on March 13

The downgrade of General Electric got lots of attention yesterday, but another AAA was kicked down a notch as well: Warren Buffett's Berkshire Hathaway. Fitch Ratings downgraded the company in...

Coke's Secret (Bonus) Formula

Posted by: Matthew Boyle on March 13

Coca-Cola says its compensation plan is designed "to be transparent in intent." Instead, it's as opaque as the brown sugar water it sells around the globe.

Jon Stewart thrashes Jim Cramer

Posted by: Diane Brady on March 12

What happened to stock pundit Jim Cramer? What I enjoy most about him and his show, Mad Money, is his passion, his insights and his incredible self-confidence. He's a former...

A Quiet Proxy Season?

Posted by: Matthew Boyle on March 06

The total number of shareholder resolutions at annual meetings this year is slated to fall well under the average of 1,100 achieved over the past six years.

Jean Chatzky's Advice to Managers

Posted by: Diane Brady on March 04

Finance guru Jean Chatzky has a new book out called The Difference: How Anyone Can Prosper in Even the Toughest Times (Crown Business). I asked her to distill some advice...

Online Venters Beware

Posted by: Emily Thornton on March 03

With thousands of people laid off each day, it's not surprising that ex-employees are flooding web sites like Facebook, MySpace and LinkedIn with complaints about their former employers. But online...

"AIG is really no longer with us"

Posted by: Diane Brady on March 02

To the average U.S. taxpayer, the math may not sound right: After pumping in about $150 billion of federal money, American International Group posts a quarterly loss of almost $62...