GE has a rich history as an innovation leader. Managers have come up with a huge list of reasons why GE is synonymous with innovation, including diversity of businesses, constant growth and investment in R&D, commitment to eco-friendly technologies, and a global presence with a wide range of products. Imagination Breakthrough Leader Shahira Raineri outlines...
In his new book, "Meatball Sundae: Is Your Marketing Out of Sync?" -- available on December 27th -- Seth Godin dissects the 14 trends marketers need to embrace to avoid eating meatball sundaes, which Godin explains as such: A meatball is a worthwhile commodity. They are things we need and sold to everyone....
Want to learn how not to screw up a fantastic opportunity to manage a well-known and much-loved brand? Take a pointer or two from The Knicks' management. MSNBC broke it down nicely, explaining how the New York Knicks are becoming "the biggest punchline in American sports." Management deals...
If you haven't yet heard about Microsoft's naughty artificial intelligence Santa-bot, you're missing out. Think about the topics you'd never imagine Santa discussing -- yes, get your mind in the gutter. Santa Claus came to town, and not just his boot soles were dirty. Perhaps he should have taken SmarterChild upon...
Advertisers and entrepreneurs have long seen the human body as a potential bill board. The sandwich board and branded clothing are child's play in comparison with the Australian-based TelePAK ad vest, which boasts a TV that runs advertising spots. And let's not forget the man who received a $30,000 offer after posting his forehead...
The American Red Cross has gone through five leaders in eight years, prompting David Hoffman, CEO of DHR Recruiting to comment, "I don't know how an organization gains any type of momentum with such frequent leadership changes, because each one comes in with a new vision or strategy." Obviously, its better for a...
Even with the strongest commitment to ethical practices, executives can operate without integrity -- perhaps because of greed, maybe due to pressure, or most likely, from a combination of both. Research shows that pressure weighs most heavily. A 2006 study commissioned by the American Management Association and Human...
CIOs need to step up their game if they want to maintain their influence. The Society for Information Management found that 31 percent of CIOs report to the CEO now, as opposed to 45 percent last year. Some CEOs are questioning whether or not their companies' even need a CIO now...
We didn't receive an answer when we asked the question "Why do Indian children keep falling into The Gap?" We do know, however, that Gap Inc. won't sit by idly and watch children being exploited -- not while American consumers are looking, anyway. Gap's pledged $200,000 to improve working standards...
It's becoming increasingly difficult to justify taking time to yourself (despite abundant research on the benefits of work/life balance, which should release us from feeling the need to find justification). Research shows that 19 percent of workers have cancelled a vacation for work at least once -- and vacation insurers are counting on this. ...
The south's drying out in a drought, and government officials are starting to wonder if the devil went down to Georgia. Sonny Perdue, the state's governor, is doing everything in his power -- including invoking a higher one -- to combat the drought. Today he'll join lawmakers and ministers on the...
Southwest's made some improvements to its "no assigned seating" policy. For starters, the new "letter and number" system substantially decreases the amount of time passengers spend waiting in line to board. And the latest enhancement: the creation of a "Business Select" class (which CEO Gary Kelley says should add at least $100 million...
Approximately 91% of S&P 500 companies have at least one woman on the board, according to executive search firm Spencer Stuart, and, on average, those women are bringing in about $15,000 more annually than their male counterparts. The Corporate Library's annual pay survey indicated that median total compensation for male corporate directors is $104,375,...
Merrill Lynch posted a $2.3 billion net loss for the third quarter — its biggest since its founding 93 years ago — thanks to risky investments in subprime mortgages. The brokerage firm allowed chief executive Stan O'Neal to "retire" after the board learned of his secret merger talks with Wachovia. (The many ex-employees whose jobs...
In an earlier post, we discussed how companies rely on online reputation management resources to stack the user review deck in their favor -- essentially hiding negative feedback. According to a new study, some of the most influential consumers believe companies are guilty of manipulating reviews through other means, as well....
In retail stores, certain shelf space is like prime real estate, while other spots are a little less desirable. Coke and Pepsi know they're at war, and their men in the trenches are prepared to fight. Recently, two delivery men -- one from Pepsi and the other...
In a previous blog, we questioned whether or not employers should encourage healthy lifestyles to increase productivity. If discounted gym memberships and healthy vending machine alternatives -- no doubt, placed next to Snickers bars -- don't do the trick, new regulations may. Companies can now charge unhealthy overweight...
Toyota's set an ambitious sales target (planning to trump GM's 1978 record of 9.55 million vehicles sold) but according to analysts, the goal is attainable. What's the secret to Toyota's success? Some people say long-termism. The Prius wasn't immediately profitable for Toyota, but the company saw down the road to an...
Customers know they can benefit from retention plans, and oftentimes people will cry "cancellation" to squeeze more out of a service provider. But sometimes those customers just don't spend enough to warrant fighting for them. Maybe that's why Sprint's been making it difficult for some customers to cancel their service (which may...
Now that Chrysler is privately owned, executives can focus on the long-term without worrying about reporting quarterly or annual profit-and-loss statements. Some skeptics are questioning, however, whether new CEO Robert Nardelli ("synonymous with corporate excess") has been charged with turning the company around or merely protecting Cerberus' investment. If he's...
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