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Nov30
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Ed Zander has stepped down as CEO of Motorola (MOT), and it was announced immediately that he will be replaced by COO Greg Brown. Zander has been under pressure for the last year over poor earnings and loss of market share. Brown was just promoted to COO in March, and has been with the company since 2003. Motorola said Brown has no plans to hire a COO to replace him. A lot of Zander's pressure has come from Carl Icahn, who had bitterly battled for control of the company, although losing the battle. He's even calling for more drastic measures to be taken, like breaking the company up into several parts; one of his usual prescriptions for the companies he invests in. The four companies Icahn suggests are: "a mobile devices company; an enterprise mobility company; a connected home company; and a company focused on mobile networks infrastructure." What is being implied in this is Brown may be on a very short time frame to make some big changes or Icahn may ramp up the pressure again quickly.
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Nov30
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Roger Smith, the former CEO of General Motors (GM) died Thursday at the age of 82. Smith served the company during a strong time of upheaval in the industry and world, as things increasingly moved toward a global economy. Smith...
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Nov29
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In response to her part in having to write off $3.7 million by Morgan Stanley (MS) in relationship to the subprime mortgage crisis, Zoe Cruz has announced she's retiring from the company."Zoe clearly is accepting responsibility for the trading disappointment...
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Now that people can do price checks across the Internet in a fairly quick and easy manner, it makes you wonder what all this will lead to for brick and mortar retailers. At this time it's not too much of...
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Nov28
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"You may have to fight a battle more than once to win it."There are times in our business lives when we've felt we've prepared and were ready to win a battle, only to suffer defeat at the hands of our...
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Sponsored ReviewCreated for the purpose of helping the woman entrepreneur, Coutts Woman, a monthly online magazine, emerged to help the business woman through a variety of practical ideas, case studies and connections.Understanding the unique issues women in business are interested...
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Nov27
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"The purpose of business is to create and keep a customer."This is one of those usual sayings of Peter Drucker which tremendously identifies the simplicity of something, and at the same time getting to the very core of it. That's...
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The highly successful partnership between The Salvation Army and Wal-Mart (WMT) is continuing on this year, as their "Red Kettle Campaign" kicked off on November 23, and will continue on until Christmas Eve.Last year an extraordiny $30 million was raised...
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The American Red Cross announced that it had asked for the resignation of president and CEO Mark W. Everson when it was discovered he was in a relationship with a subordinate. He willingly resigned, and his resignation is effective immediately.The...
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Nov26
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"Be an entrepreneurship within a corporation."To have a business and corporation be entrepreneurial, there are two basic things that have to be part of the business. Those two things are what all good entrepreneurs have as part of their success.The...
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The visit by French president Nicolas Sarkozy to China, was primarily with an economic focus, and measured by the almost $30 billion in deals he secured for France, was highly successful.The majority of the deals were connected to the airline...
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With the initial Black Friday weekend behind us and cyber Monday already here, it's a good idea to think of the executives and business leaders that you may want to give gifts to.Considering that, I took some time to put...
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Shares of Citigroup (C) were pummeled, as reports the company could lay off up to 45,000 workers resulted in the company shares dropping below $30 for the first time in five years. At the close of the market, it rebounded...
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Nov25
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Led be the high demand for electronics products, the holiday shopping season started off with a bang.Other categories performing well for the weekend were toys and some clothing items; especially related to winter, with the cold weather starting to be...
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"Those who are blessed with the most talent don’t necessarily outperform everyone else. It’s the people with follow-through who excel."The insight that Mary Kay rightly had above, is one of the reasons I get extremely tired of this thing people...
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Nov24
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The very best clothing brands find that their absolute commitment to quality through the use of fur in their products, which is not able to be imitated in a meaningful way.As a result, sales for fur has risen significantly from...
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Provide Sophisticated ServicesThere's an anomaly in business, as the need to keep things simple is a key to success, at the same time, providing sophisticated, but detailed, and sometimes hard-to-master services can bring a tremendous boost to business, and last...
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Nov23
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Grove's Mission is His ProductThere are times when I talk to business owners when they are confused about the difference between their vision, purpose or mission of the company and the product or service they offer. In the end, the...
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Nov21
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Video search engine company blinkx, announced that it has partnered with personal finance web site Kiplinger.com.Per the agreement, blinkx will "host, transcribe and index" the video content from it financial contributors. It will be monetized by relevant advertising being placed...
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Earnings for Deere & Co. (DE) in the fourth quarter exploded by 52 percent, as strong demand for agricultural equipment drove high sales; especially for combines and tractors across the world.Some of the other key factors were the higher grain...
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It was uplifting mews for the labor market today as the U.S. Labor Department announced those signing up for jobless benefits dropped last week, showing that companies aren't thinking in terms of layoffs at this time, even though problems in...
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"Of course it's the same old story. Truth usually is the same old story."This statement by Thatcher is particular needed in the present world we live in. I mean that as it relates to business, although it could be applied...
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Nov20
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According to the US-India Business Council, Chairman and CEO of Pepsico (PEP) Indra Nooyi was named to the board of directors.Pepsico itself is a chairman’s circle member of USIBC, considered the highest membership level that can be attained in the organization. The...
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A recent study found that CEOs that were tougher, and displayed traits like persistence and efficiency, outperformed those that focused on softer traits like teamwork and flexibility.The study was performed by three University of Chicago business school professors, followed the...
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"The only thing we know about the future is that it will be different."The future always brings with it a tension; at least thinking about it does. There are some that are so tense and focused on it, that their...
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The report by Freddie Mac (FRE) that they've suffered a $2 billion loss in the third quarter confirms the housing market problems are far from over. Third-quarter losses related to credit came to $1.2 billion, compared to the $112 million...
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Nov19
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Let by strong sales in laptops, and the ongoing demand for printer ink, Hewlett-Packard (HPQ) performed strongly in the fourth quarter, exceeding all expectations.While it's no surprise that printer ink continues to be the most profitable product as Hewlett-Packard, strong...
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"Dare to be different!" In our age of mediocrity and everyone looking at each other with the herd mentality, those individuals and companies that dare to be different, are those that will be able to position themselves in the minds...
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Nov18
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The words OPEC and Brazil are not the usual combination you think of when talking oil, but that has all changed with the gigantic oil Tupi oil field discovered off its shores recently.Just last week Brazil officials confirmed they had...
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In an deal that has been approved by both boards of the companies, Celgene (CELG) has made an offer to acquire Pharmion (PHRM) for $2.9 billion.The deal would include cash and stock, and equals $72 a share, almost a 50 percent premium over...
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Buffett’s number one goal was to realize a profit for himself, for his company and for his investors. He just wanted to have a little fun along the way. There is no higher purpose in a business than what Warren...
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A new business magazine called "Corporate Leader" conducted a poll for their debut issue on the best CEOs in America. After polling thousands of finance and investor pros, Steve Jobs was named the best CEO in the country.Jobs was of...
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With their ready-made physical locations seemingly ready to take advantage of the publics' taste for lattes and cappucinos, you'd think McDonald's Corp. (MCD) entry into the market would be a no-brainer. Yet it's not quite as simple as it sounds,...
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"Sometimes life hits you in the head with a brick. Don't lose faith. I'm convinced that the only thing that kept me going was that I loved what I did."When Steve Jobs was fired at Apple (AAPL) he responded like...
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Nov17
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Merrill Lynch (MER) will reportedly pay new CEO John Thain a good amount to help lead the company out of the credit crunch. Thain was wooed from NYSE Euronext (NYX), where he headed up the exchange. Total compensation for Thain...
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"You have the choice. You can overcome and be a winner, or you can allow it to overcome you and be a loser."Some people resent it when someone says you can be a failure, but we have to be a...
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Starbucks Corp. (SBUX) announced on Thursday that it is forming a joint venture with Alsea SA (ALSEA.MX) of Mexico to create Sirena SRL, to move into the Argentine market. It's part of Starbucks ongoing expansion in Latin America companies.With Starbucks...
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He changed an industrial company in a postindustrial economyThe significance of what Jack Welch did for General Electric (GE) can't be overstated, as far as it applies to understanding the economic climate that existed when he headed the company.If he...
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Nov16
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"You have to take action; you can't hesitate or hedge your bets."The first thing to think about with taking action is the assumption that due diligence has been performed. The confidence to take action has to be predicated on that...
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Remember the story about the lady(?) that wasn't going to be allowed to fly on Southwest Airlines (LUV)? Her strategy has finally paid off, as she landed a Playboy gig, probably what was planned all along.You knew Ebbert was going...
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"Real integrity is doing the right thing, knowing that nobody's going to know whether you did it or not."I like Oprah's saying in relationship to business because it underscores the difference between great managers and average.To me, a person in...
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In what can only be called amazing, Alex Rodriguez and the New York Yankees look like they're going to be together until the end of his career. What was fascinating about the deal was there were a lot of hard...
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What happens when rumors hit the Internet or news, and they have a life of their own? Is there a way to manage them? Do we want to manage them? The rumor that drumming great Travis Barker was found dead...
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Nov15
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"Those who think that they know, but are mistaken, and act upon their mistakes, are the most dangerous people to have in charge." One thing business and the free market will always do is discipline ignorant people. By ignorant, I...
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Even the news that Starbucks (SBUX) profits increased 35 percent for their fourth quarter wasn't enough to get investors excited, as same-store visitor results dampened the news for the company.For the first time since Starbucks started releasing statistics on same-store...
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Warren Buffett bought enough shares in Dow Jones & Co. (DJ) through his holding company Berkshire Hathaway (BRK-A) to more than double his stake in it. He increased the holdings from 2.8 million shares in the second quarter, to bring...
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"Knowledge is information that changes somebody or something."What is fantastic about Peter Drucker's insight here, is in the ability for a person to understand how to use data. Drucker makes a differentiation between what he calls "raw data" and information....
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Nov13
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"Play to win!" Did you notice that Kelleher didn't say "work to win," but "play to win?"Those who create the type of business culture where work and play, as far as attitude goes, are one, are in a strategic place...
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Buffett’s ability to make light of a situation was one of the major factors that allowed him to handle even the most stressful of circumstances.Everyone that's been around for some time in business leadership or management knows that a difficult...
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Wal-Mart (WMT) is showing why it's the worlds' leading retailer again, as they posted great third-quarter earnings that exceeded expectations. Earnings came in at $2.86 billion, a strong 8 percent over last year at this time.Revenue for the period finished...
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Rupert Murdoch is still juggling the pros and cons of changing the online Wall Street Journal to a free site, moving away from the subscription model. Every day he seems to be leaning more that way, although the final decision...
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Nov12
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In their largest acquisition in company history, IBM (IBM) acquired Cognos Inc. (CSN.TO), in a bid to compete even better in the "business intelligence" software space.What business-intelligence software entails, is it empowers organizations to bring information together in a way...
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The tremendous struggle and problems being faced by online banker and broker E-Trade, shows what can happen when we follow the herd because we see revenue and profits far higher than usual. As I mention in the headline, its the...
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"What had been the focus of my entire adult life was gone, and it was devastating."This was Steve Jobs response after he contemplated being fired from Apple (AAPL)the company he started.If you read carefully the words Jobs spoke, the devastation...
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The problems related to the Kimkins diet reveal how we must handle problems that emerge from our businesses with clarity, honesty and integrity.If we're in business, there will be a time we're challenge on a product or service we offer, it...
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Nov11
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At the Dubai air show Sunday, Qatar Airways confirmed that the orders for Boeing (BA) 777s and 787s are firm, and the company also has options on 35 more planes. The orders confirmed are worth $13.5 billion, and in good...
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Unhappy with the ongoing poor results of the company, Hershey CO. (HSY) asked six board members to leave the company. In response they all resigned. Two other members also resigned on their own, to bring the total to eight.All of...
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President Bush chose Waco, Texas as the venue for observing this Veterans Day. Along with thanking all veterans for their sacrifice, he also specifically recognized four Texans who have been killed in the war on terror.Concerning the fallen troops Bush...
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"The key to our success was developing technology that reinforces our business model." This is a valuable insight that Mary Kay offers. Many businesses are tempted to use and adopt technology for the sake of having technology, rather than think...
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GE (GE) can no longer prosper on manufactured goods alone. ''Our job is to sell more than just the box." The understanding that the job we face in today's economy is that we must "sell more than just the box," is...
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Nov10
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"You have to figure out the new rules, and you have to figure out what works under the new rules."Andy Grove's comment above was made when he was asked about how he was responding to retirement from Intel (INTC). His...
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"At the age of 19, she became the youngest person and the first African-American woman to anchor the news at Nashville's WTVF-TV."Not all of us will know exactly what it is we want to do by age 19, but Oprah...
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Norman Mailer and remaining consistentThe Pulitzer Prize winning Norman Mailer died Saturday at the age of 84. Mailer won the award twice for "The Armies of the Night" and "The Executioner's Song."I mention the death of Mailer here, because of...
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The highly anticipated initial public offering of Visa has finally moved ahead, as the company announced it has filed with regulators Friday to raise up to $10 billion in the IPO.Visa said about a year ago that it was going to...
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Nov 9
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...or iron lady.Playing the gender card this week by Hilary Rodham Clinton was one of the low points of a political candidate or someone wanting to be a leader of the great United States of America I've ever seen.Peggy Noonan...
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"Nothing is more obstinate than a fashionable consensus." One thing to learn as a business leader, that is possibly one of the most important thoughts you could embrace, is the resistance to the power of consensus.It might surprise some of...
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The euro climbed to a new high against the U.S. dollar, rising as high as $1.4752 before pulling back to $1.4673. Previously the high was $1.4730, breaking that mark on Wednesday. Since January 1, 2007, the dollar has fallen 12...
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The U.S. trade deficit fell to its lowest level in two years as of September, as the weakening dollar caused a surge in selling of U.S. products globally.The deficit fell to $56.5 billion, a drop of 0.6 percent over the...
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"Everyone Learns Differently"Most of us probably are aware that everyone learns better in different ways. Something a manager should do, which I don't think would take too long if the interview process is performed correctly, and depending on how you...
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Nov 8
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In what will probably be a prelude to holiday results, the U.S. retail sector had the worst October for sales in 12 years. While some of that is related to the macroeconomic picture, including housing, credit and oil price concerns,...
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"Change is more rapid and unpredictable in technology relative to the broader economy."One little talked about mistake a large number of business leaders make is in how they relate to technology. Some look at it as the "savior" of business...
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U.S. National Debt surged to hit $9 Trillion for the first time in history, according to the Treasury Department. Congress last week approved an increase in the government borrowing limits, bringing it up to $9.815 trillion. This is the fifth...
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