Chief Executive (U.S.)

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Why succession is a continuity issue.(EDITOR'S NOTE)
Why is CEO continuity so difficult? According to Challenger, Gray's league table of CEO departures of the past 12 mouths the recession has not been kind to CEOs, even though the pace has slowed down . . .

Banking on a robust service offering.(CEO CHRONICLES)(Company overview)
Caught between rising costs for healthcare and increasing pressure on margins, pharmaceutical distribution companies continue to report increased revenues year after year. The reason lies in providi . . .

What a values-based turnaround looks like.(CEO WATCH)(Interview)
OUTSIDERS MAY WONDER WHY DAVITA CEO KENT THIRY DRESSES UP AS A MUSKETEER, SHOUTING "ALL FOR ONE, ONE FOR ALL" TO CLAPPING "CITIZENS" OF "DAVITA VILLAGE." THERE'S MORE TO IT THAN PLAYACTING A CHARACT . . .

In fact.(CEO CHRONICLES)
Information begins with facts, which can be assembled to identify trends. Put it all together to derive knowledge. Presenting Chief Executive's INfact. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] (1.) Total value of . . .

CEO Confidence continues to recover.(CEO CONFIDENCE INDEX)
ARE BUSINESS LEADERS BECOMING MORE SANGUINE about the economy? According to Chief Executive magazine's CEO Index, which measured another strong resurgence in May based on 153 responses collected fro . . .

Business in the twilight zone: to promote prosperity, government should support entrepreneurs, not punish them.(CHIEF CONCERN)
Our world has turned upside down since August. We are shaking our heads in disbelief. It's not the recession. We understand the business cycle. It's not even the size of the recession. Given the rec . . .

How I'm getting myself through the financial crisis: when a bear market affects emotional capital there are ways to restore your
First, a disclaimer. The global financial crisis has engendered a great deal of serious suffering across our country and around the world, and what I address here is a minuscule and perhaps inconseq . . .

Fixing executive compensation: right time, wrong approach: as government-mandated pay caps loom, there may be another way to def
As a result of the executive pay cap in companies taking TARP funding, the door has been opened for increased federal regulation of executive compensation. It is impossible at this point to predict . . .

Paying the piper: anything is possible as congress takes aim at corporate compensation.
In what used to be called polite society, what other people earned and your own salary were nobody's business. Those days are over for CEOs and other highly paid corporate executives at public compa . . .

Web 2.0: the ROI case: "crowdsourcing," "wikis" and "viral branding" translate into "positive impacts on the bottom line.".(INSI
As Barack Obama's stunning presidential victory demonstrated, Web 2.0 platforms like Face-book, You Tube and Twitter are transforming electoral politics. And yet, ironically, Web 2.0 tools are still . . .

The Sanctity of Contracts in a World of Bailouts: every firm--and every CEO--that has received bailout money has to ask itself w
Major public dustups have an unsettling way of forcing CEOs, who are often in the line of fire, to ponder fundamental questions about the structure of this nation's economic order. Here are two exam . . .

McCEO: Jim Skinner, the man at the pinnacle of the Golden Arches, has developed a leadership and performance recipe that's simpl
The recession has been the graveyard of many CEO reputations. So it may come as a welcome surprise that some leaders have not only survived but boosted their company's performance the old-fashioned . . .

Your company has changed, why hasn't your board? The board that helped you get where you are may not be the board you need to ge
When Stephen Hemsley took over as chief executive of United-Health Group in December 2006, he inherited a bit of a governance mess. Since March of that year, the company had been embroiled in an opt . . .

What is wrong with CEO succession? A seamless leadership transition is undeniably critical, yet only half of CEO turnover in 200
Dropping for decades, the typical tenure of a CEO is now between four and five years. In fact, business leaders in some industries only hold their posts for an average of two to three years. Given t . . .

Succeeding with sustainability: highlights from the Spain/U.S. Business Sustainability Conference.(CONFERENCE)(Conference news)
On March 17,2009, CEOs and world leaders--including The Prince of Asturias, Felipe de Borbony Grecia--gathered in New York for the Spain/U.S. Business Sustain-ability Conference. At the event Chief . . .

So sorry for this apology.(EDITOR'S NOTE)
Everyone is in full apology mode. GM and Chrysler executives seem to be stuck in constant apology gear starting with their appearance before Congress with a tin cup in one hand and the keys to the e . . .

The reluctant CEO.(CEO CHRONICLES)
When Jerre Stead agreed to step in and aid an ailing IHS back in 2000, it was on one condition: "I said, I'll be happy to be chairman, but I'm not going to do CEO again," recounts the 65-year-old, w . . .

Swedish sensation.(CEO CHRONICLES)
When Lars Bjork joined the nascent business intelligence software company QlikTech in 2000, it was a tiny entity with 35 people and $2 million in revenues based in Lund, Sweden. Bjork came aboard as . . .

Pumping protection.(CEO CHRONICLES)
Wouldn't it be nice to pay $1.50 per gallon of gas when prices at the pump are $1.99 and up? Or how about having price protection on fuel for your company's fleet of delivery or service vehicles--or . . .

Electrify the economy: AEP CEO Mike Morris rallies for a national electric grid backbone as the next interstate system.(CEO WATC
In his 2005 book, The Bottomless Well, Peter Huber explained how America's energy economy was shifting from fossil fuels to the electron. He argued that the nations top energy priority should he the . . .

In fact.(CEO CHRONICLES)
1. Factor by which the market capitalization of Harley-Davidson ($2.7 billion) exceeded that of General Motors ($1.3 billion) on February 17, 2009 | 2 [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] 2. Net income that E . . .

CEOs select Best, Worst States for job growth and business.(SURVEY)
IN ITS FIFTH ANNUAL SURVEY, CE asked 543 CEOs to evaluate their states on a broad range of issues, including regulation, tax policies, education, quality of living and infrastructure. In addition, C . . .

Succession in practice: how to make succession work--for the company, the board and the CEO.(LEADERSHIP)(Interview)
While CEO succession is much in the news, it is often discussed from the point of view of board members, consultants and search firms. To understand the perspectives of today's CEOs on succession pl . . .

Eco-chic & the sustainability flak catchers: who--if anyone--is getting this sustainability thing right?(GREEN BUSINESS)
The broad fear and culpability over humanity's impact upon the earth and its climate now hold a powerful influence over nearly all social institutions. Bearing the brunt of concern are those organiz . . .

How the Army manages transformation: like any large, complex organization that must adapt to new realities, the U.S. Army seeks
The U.S. faces an increasingly volatile, complex and uncertain international environment, one that now demands a very different approach and force structure to deal with what defense and foreign pol . . .

Killing the electric car again: the culprits are the same as the last time--batteries.(BATTERY TECHNOLOGY)
When U.S. gasoline prices soared to more than $4 per gallon in the summer of 2008, drivers and automakers ramped up the search for new ways to fuel cars. Energy hawks worry about continued U.S. depe . . .

Finding funding: cash is hard--but not impossible--to come by.(CORPORATE FINANCE)
In February, Punxsutawney Phil, the famous prognosticating groundhog, predicted six more weeks of gloomy winter after seeing his shadow up at Gobbler's Knob. If only that were true for the frozen fi . . .

Leveraging China and India: two countries are the key to staying competitive in cost, talent and innovation.(Company overview)
The pharmaceutical industry provides a near-perfect example of how leveraging China and India--for not just cost efficiency but also talent and innovation--is becoming central to survival and succes . . .

Correction.(Correction notice)
Correction: In the Agenda 2009 feature of the November/December issue, Marc Gumz's title was incorrect. He is CEO of Olympus Corporation of the Americas. . . .

Leadership imperatives.(EDITOR'S NOTE)
As you read this, Barack Obama will have been inaugurated as the U.S.'s 44th chief executive. Fittingly, as the U.S. turns a corner with new leadership at the helm of the federal government, we expl . . .

Wealth Creators.(FEEDBACK)(Letter to the editor)
I am writing to inform you of an error in "CEO Wealth Creators ... and Destroyers," (November/December 2008). According to the authors' own methodology, the ranking of CEOs focuses "on the performan . . .

No roses for Sarah; Thorn for CE.(FEEDBACK)(Letter to the editor)
Roses for Palin is a pure piece of fiction, not fit for the pages of your fine publication. (November/December 2008) We need look no further than the Katie Couric interview question of what the Gove . . .

A valuable issue.(FEEDBACK)(Letter to the editor)
Wanted to let you know that I hadn't read Chief Executive in a while but just read the November/December issue from cover to cover and found it not only interesting, but useful as well. Mary Berne . . .

Wall Street meltdown.(FEEDBACK)(Letter to the editor)
I think it is unfortunate that a group of CEOs from our largest corporations don't publicly announce their disgust with the unconscionable conduct of the Wall Street executives responsible for the f . . .

Not all such Strategies Fail.(FEEDBACK)(Letter to the editor)
"Failed Strategies" (September-October 2008) can be very misleading if it is not carefully analyzed. For example, the authors cite synergy as a suspect strategy. By definition, synergy is a cooper . . .

The trouble with China.(FEEDBACK)(Letter to the editor)
China is a manufacturing power house; but it also is a pirate country ("Understanding China," September-October 2008). They have no morals or integrity. The country has not controlled their growth i . . .

Real dealer.(CEO CHRO NICLES)(R. Donahue Peebles)
The outcome of the recent presidential election likely disappointed Chief Executive readers, 80 percent of whom said they supported Sen. John McCain in his presidential bid. But at least one CEO cel . . .

Chipping away.(CEO CHRO NICLES)
When Abhi Talwalkar agreed to take the top post at LSI Logic in May 20057 he knew he was in for a wild ride. Once a Silicon Valley darling, LSI had risen from no-name startup in 1981 to $2 billion g . . .

Gone with the wind: Boone Pickens promotes his plan to lower oil imports.(CEO WATCH)(Interview)
Oilman and former takeover operative T. Boone Pickens begins the last chapter of his book, The First Billion Is the Hardest, with the cunning observation that "a fool with a plan can outsmart a geni . . .

Thorns & roses.(CEO CHRONICLES)(Caroline Kennedy)(Brief article)
ROSE ... Governor ROD BLAGOJEVICH'S testy refusal to step aside in the face of FBI wiretaps that reveal his attempt to auction Barack Obama's Senate seat to the highest bidder is the gift that kee . . .

Video vanguard.(CEO CHRONICLES)(Robert Hagerty of Polycom Inc.)
For decades, videoconferencing was touted as The Next Big Thing for companies, promising to bring farflung employees together in a virtual huddle realistic enough to replace in-person meetings. For . . .

Passion for packaging.(CEO CHRONICLES)(Ilene Gordon of Alcan Packaging)(Occupation overview)
Packaging isn't terribly sexy--but don't tell Ilene Gordon that. To hear the president and CEO of Paris, France-based, Alcan Packaging tell it, there's plenty to thrill and excite about the alchemy . . .

Information begins with facts, which can be assembled to identify trends. Put it all together to derive knowledge. Presenting ch
1. Percentage by which the $750 billion bailout exceeds the cost of the entire New Deal | 33% [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] 2. Total paper losses of the portfolios of 175 chief executives through Oct. . . .

CEO Confidence sinks to another all-time low.(CEO CONFIDENCE INDEX)
Chief Executive magazine's CEO Confidence Index sank to another all-time low in December, according to 245 top executives surveyed. Executive confidence in America's economy is under 50 percent of w . . .

The tortoise, the hare and IFRS: start soon and proceed steadily to win the standards race.(International Financial Reporting St
Aesop's fable of the tortoise and the hare should be required reading for every CEO today. This fable of consistent, deliberate action beating a procrastinating but faster-moving opponent to the fin . . .

Wall street's leadership crisis: looking for the culprit behind today's market woes? Try quarterly reporting.(CHIEF CONCERN)
When Congress and the regulators begin their hunt for villains in the financial crisis, they would be wise to look beyond people. Structural issues, like the 90-day financial reporting and guidance . . .

Green is the new black: now, more than ever, sustainability initiatives are vital.(CHIEF CONCERN)
A few months ago I was asked to participate in a forum on how companies can seize competitive advantage through their green initiatives. Unfortunately, the event was canceled because of the current . . .

Understanding China III: vision: China's leaders know that they must be flexible, innovate, consider diverse opinions and make m
America is enmeshed in the most debilitating worldwide financial crisis since the Great Depresision and, like it or not, to the degree it will be ameliorated, China will have to play a major role. G . . .

Accounting for standards: adoption of international accounting standards mandates rethinking strategy.(REGULATION)
To T.J. Rodgers, Cypress Semiconductor Corporation's CEO, US GAAP accounting standards have a credibility gap. An investor called, worried about a low cash position. Rodgers knew there was plenty of . . .

Recognizing rewards: how engaged are your employees--and what can you do about it?
The numbers on employee engagement are out, and they're compelling. Several leading research firms reporting on the quantifiable value of increased employee engagement concluded that engaged employe . . .