Archives: May 2009

Co-CEOs: A Good Shared Approach or a Recipe for Disaster?

Posted by: Jena McGregor on May 29

It's an unusual arrangement, but co-CEOs have been showing up at high-profile companies in the last year. Last summer, Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia CEO Susan Lyne stepped aside, only to...

The Jobs that Employers Can't Fill

Posted by: Nanette Byrnes on May 29

Manpower Inc. has found that 30% of employers worldwide are struggling to find the workers they need. The ten hottest jobs are: 1. Skilled Manual Trades 2. Sales Representatives 3....

Women: The Answer to the Financial Crisis?

Posted by: Jena McGregor on May 28

Are women the solution to the financial crisis? A chorus of voices across Europe are saying they are. In France, CERAM Business School management professor Michel Ferrary found in a...

Why are Women Getting Sicker and Sadder?

Posted by: Michelle Conlin on May 26

Recently I wrote a story about how all the happiness and life satisfaction research is showing that as women age, they become sicker and sadder. I noted this after writing...

Target vs. Wal-Mart

Posted by: Aili McConnon on May 22

Call it a tale of two discounters. Target posted their earnings this week and while net sales were up 0.4%, it was not as impressive as Wal-Mart which saw its...

Does the Government-backed Insurer of Pension Plans Need a Bailout?

Posted by: Nanette Byrnes on May 20

This afternoon the acting director of the government-backed insurer of pension plans will testify that the Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation has a $33.5 billion funding hole. That's the insurer's largest...

Wal-Mart's Upscale Shift

Posted by: Matthew Boyle on May 19

I just had a fascinating conversation with an affluent 39-year-old mother of two in Western Maryland who began shopping regularly at Wal-Mart in January, after years of avoiding the giant...

The Problem with Standardized Tests

Posted by: Diane Brady on May 19

Employers often use standardized tests when assessing employees such as health care professionals, engineers, police officers and others. But new research from the University of Toronto's Rotman School of Management...

Fast Food Customer Service Scores

Posted by: Nanette Byrnes on May 19

The University of Michigan's latest American Consumer Satisfaction Index is out today and there are some surprisingly pleased consumers out there. Even airlines and hospitals are enjoying an up year....

The new consumer reality

Posted by: Diane Brady on May 18

Here's a guest post from Geoffrey Miller, a psychology professor at University of New Mexico. His new book Spent: Sex, evolution, and consumer behavior goes on sale today. As the...

What's the right corporate policy for Twitter, Facebook and blogs?

Posted by: Diane Brady on May 14

The Wall Street Journal has posted some ground rules for its employees on how to use Twitter. Among other things, it declares "Let our coverage speak for itself, and don't...

New Rules of Management: More Women on Boards

Posted by: Matthew Boyle on May 13

More women than ever before joined corporate boards in the first three months of 2009, but is this a recession-related blip, or a promising trend? According to Directors & Boards...

The Economic Crisis is a Deal Breaker

Posted by: Michael Orey on May 12

More news from “the recession ate my homework” front – this involving Southern California real estate and a surprising result. In February I wrote about the growing number of lawsuits...

CEO of Today

Posted by: Nanette Byrnes on May 12

American CEOs have more job security than they've had in years. But when the top dog's out, he's more likely to have been showed the door. Those are the key...

Employee Engagement: Bad for Your Health?

Posted by: Matthew Boyle on May 08

Julie Gebauer, leader of the Workforce Effectiveness practice at consultancy Towers Perrin, stopped by today with the results of the firm's quarterly employee survey. The most recent report includes responses...

A Primer on the Bank Stress Tests

Posted by: Diane Brady on May 08

Everyone is racing to decipher the results of the so-called stress test on banks. Some are pleased; others are pessimistic. Here are some of the basic questions I've heard, and...

Want to sell something? Catch consumers at work, near payday

Posted by: Diane Brady on May 06

Here's some good advice for anyone in sales: try to catch people just after payday, and find out if you can sell to them at work. In a new survey...

Intern Abuse?

Posted by: Michelle Conlin on May 05

Meet the newest class of labor-market slogger: the perma intern. The perma interns are those scarily young types moving into those cubicles vacated by layoff victims. They may even be...

CEOs of Tomorrow

Posted by: Matthew Boyle on May 01

In compiling our list of the 25 CEOs of Tomorrow, we spoke with dozens of academics, headhunters, CEOs, directors, and management gurus about what qualities will define those who take...

Managing Stress at the Office…Yoga Anyone?

Posted by: Aili McConnon on May 01

Work stress is at an all-time high, morale is at an all-time low and most managers are trying to get more work done with fewer resources. Managers from the...