Archives: August 2009

Shopping in a Recession

Posted by: Jena McGregor on August 31

I did some shopping yesterday for the first time in more than three months. And it felt strange. With the exception of trips to the grocery store, Costco, and CVS,...

Will Ending Annual Reviews Make You More Like a Startup?

Posted by: Jena McGregor on August 28

Here's an unusual step a CEO took to make his company more entrepreneurial: Ban annual performance reviews. Sam Inman, CEO of Comarco, a small 32-person outfit which makes universal charge...

Turning Up the Heat on Executive Compensation

Posted by: Emily Thornton on August 26

The government has had little success reining in the salaries of finance executives whose companies received federal funding. But that hasn't stopped the Committee on Energy and Commerce from demanding...

Corporate America's Carnage

Posted by: Emily Thornton on August 26

Federal Reserve chairman Ben Bernanke is receiving kudos for pulling the economy back from the brink of disaster. While the praise is well deserved, the picture for corporate America still...

Cellphones Cause Brain Tumors, Says New Report by International EMF Collaborative

Posted by: Michelle Conlin on August 26

The press release on a new report about cell phone safety: "Cellphones Cause Brain Tumors, Says New Report by International EMF Collaborative August 25, 2009. A new report, “Cellphones and...

The Management Buyout Slump

Posted by: Emily Thornton on August 25

Given how far companies' valuations have sunk, you'd think we'd see a flood of managers taking control of businesses through management buyouts. But data from Dealogic reveals the opposite to...

The genius of Dos Equis

Posted by: Diane Brady on August 19

A recent piece in Maclean's reminded me of why I so enjoy the Dos Equis commercials (full disclosure: I have never actually purchased that brand of beer, though I have...

401(k) Matches Returning? Not so fast...

Posted by: Jena McGregor on August 18

Some good news has been trickling out that managers are planning to reinstate all those perks they cut. A recent Watson Wyatt survey found that about 43% of employers who've...

Salary Increases Hit New Lows

Posted by: Jena McGregor on August 17

AIG's new CEO may be taking home a $7 million salary, but average workers, and even average executives, got the lowest pay increase on record last year. Human resources consulting...

Obama's Management Style: Micromanager or Engaged Leader?

Posted by: Jena McGregor on August 12

Is Obama a micromanager? That's what the Wall Street Journal claims in a story today, citing the president's heavy involvement in economic discussions as evidence that he is. Politics aside--everyone...

Seizing Opportunities During a Recovery

Posted by: Emily Thornton on August 12

I had an interesting meeting with Damian McKinney, CEO of the consulting firm McKinney Rogers. His clients include Walmart, Bacardi and Pfizer. We discussed how CEOs are now struggling to...

Could the C-Suite Be More Like Major League Baseball?

Posted by: Jena McGregor on August 11

Here's a fun, albeit fascinating idea from Mark Zawacki from the Milestone Group, a strategy and operations consulting firm based in Palo Alto, Calif. He questions on Facebook whether "Corporate...

Consumers: The Sweet Spot

Posted by: Emily Thornton on August 11

Here's an interesting take on how companies can escape the problems of cash-strapped consumers: Overall, the credit of consumers who borrowed heavily to buy everything from homes, to cars, to...

Women: Nearing a Majority at Work?

Posted by: Jena McGregor on August 11

Here's a bittersweet moment in the progression of women in the workplace: While the recession is hitting men in outsized numbers, women are gaining ground. At least proportionately, according to...

Fuqua Dean: Emerging Markets M&A Interest is Heating Up

Posted by: Jena McGregor on August 10

If class interest is any indication, mergers & acquisitions at emerging markets firms are about to heat up. At least that's what I took away from my lunch with Blair...

Women's Performance: A Perception Gap?

Posted by: Jena McGregor on August 10

Women may think they’re really good at their jobs, but they tend to suspect others don’t see it that way. At least that’s the finding of a study being presented...

SEC Slaps Greenberg for AIG accounting

Posted by: Nanette Byrnes on August 06

Today the Securities & Exchange Commission filed charges that AIG's former CEO Maurice "Hank" Greenberg and former CFO Howard Smith were involved in numerous improper accounting moves while running the...

Garth Drabinsky Gets Seven Years in Prison

Posted by: Diane Brady on August 05

At this point, many people will have forgotten the tale of Garth Drabinsky. As corporate criminals go, the former theater impresario has neither the decadent streak of a Dennis Kozlowski,...

Dan Ariely on Bonuses and Motivation

Posted by: Jena McGregor on August 05

How effective are those millions of dollars in bonuses bankers still manage to receive? Are bonuses really motivating for all employees? Dan Ariely, a behavioral economist at Duke University's Fuqua...

More Pharma Mergers to Come?

Posted by: Arlene Weintraub on August 04

Rumors that Botox maker and eye-products giant Allergan might be a takeover target pushed the company's shares up 4% on August 3 to $55.55. Among the oft-discussed suitors is...

Big Business Gives Obama Poor Grades

Posted by: Nanette Byrnes on August 04

In a survey out today, 231 large companies and financial institutions give poor marks to the President’s performance so far. They generally think his $787 billion economic stimulus package isn’t...

Merck Shakes Up Top Ranks

Posted by: Arlene Weintraub on August 03

Ever since Merck announced that it would buy Schering-Plough for $41 billion, Wall Street has been waiting for news about the management structure of the newly merged companies. The...