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| The Big Idea |  |
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- The strategy that killed the Trib
Sam Zell was hailed as a genius dealmaker when he bought Tribune Co. last year. But his decision to load the company -- owner of the Los Angeles Times, the Chicago Tribune and the Chicago Cubs -- with enormous debt forced it to file for bankruptcy Monday. The real estate mogul, some say, was thinking too much like a developer. Forbes
(12/8)      
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 | Building a Seamless Retail System
In the fast-paced fashion industry, many companies are challenged as they try to balance the business and creative sides of their enterprise. Click here for a free case study to learn how industry leader Perry Ellis achieves 20 percent revenue growth each year by leveraging a best of breed system from Oracle. |
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- Corporate contrition: GM's mea culpa
With agreement on a $15 billion loan package for the Detroit carmakers near, GM has taken out a full-page magazine ad to say "sorry" to the American people. "At times we violated your trust by letting our quality fall below industry standards and our designs become lackluster. ... And, we made commitments to compensation plans that have proven to be unsustainable in today's globally competitive industry," the company said. That's quite a change from CEO Rick Wagoner's unhumble testimony to Congress just last month. The Washington Post
(12/9)
- Everybody does it: Marketing to camouflage bad results
Executives of companies making a variety of products use marketing as a basic tool of earnings management, says Craig Chapman of the Kellogg School. Past studies suggest that firms cut marketing expenditures to boost their earnings report, but Chapman's research finds that soup makers double up on their marketing effort at the end of the fiscal year and after periods of poor financial performance, offering discounts that can help them meet targets but that also harm long-term profits. Kellogg Insight
(12/2008)
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 | 10 Secrets to Recession-Proof Your Business - Discover ten strategies smart companies deploy to recession-proof their business, including how to curb spending, cut non-payroll costs, and use the downturn to your advantage. |
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| Innovation and Creativity |
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- "Dynamic privacy" allows social networking to spread
Facebook Connect allows Web site owners to glean information from their users without scaring them off with another tedious registration form. The new feature gives site owners limited access to the user's Facebook profile and extends social networking potential to all kinds of sites. But will users trust this "dynamic privacy" more than they trusted Microsoft's attempt at a single Web sign-on? The Economist
(12/4)
- 10 CEOs likely to get the heave-ho
The blog 24/7 Wall St. has put out its annual list of chief executives who should move on, based on their own missteps and not just the sour market. Yes, GM's Rick Wagoner made the list, as did Citigroup's Vikram Pandit. Seven of the 10 on last year's roster are no longer with us, so it may be more than idle musings. 24/7 Wall St.
(12/7)
 | It's not enough to say 'I screwed up.'"
--Jack Trout, marketing guru, on corporate apology
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Recent SmartBrief on Leadership Issues:
- Monday, December 08, 2008
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- Tuesday, December 02, 2008
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