H-P’s board moves may embolden CEO
MarketWatch
James Post, School of Management
The latest chapter in the never-ending Hewlett-Packard Co. saga could lead to more inner turmoil and jockeying, as the company looks for a new chairman for its much-maligned board…
Expert quote:
“You just don’t go outside and get a person of high stature who is going to be rubber stamping [the current strategy]. It seems unlikely that there is going to be a quick fix to this one. If so, it will take a couple of months and they will come to the conclusion that they cannot get the outside person with the stature.”
BlackBerry’s time may be ripe in iPhone battle
Boston Herald
N. Venkat Venkatraman, School of Management
One-time smartphone rivals Apple and BlackBerry face crucial tests in the U.S. market this year, the former to maintain its mobile device edge, the latter merely to survive…
Expert quote:
“BlackBerry has one shot to become the third relevant OS (operating system) and so far, the signs are good. I see it less as a threat to Apple. Apple’s worst enemy is Apple itself. It needs a home run with iOS 7 and it cannot be incremental. I see the mobile OS wars very much alive with BlackBerry still struggling, but not quite dead. But, if enterprises do not adopt their devices (and OS) in significant numbers, it may be too late for it to survive.”
Pope seeks decisive action against sex abuse
Associated Press
James Post, School of Management
Pope Francis directed the Vatican on Friday to act decisively on clergy sex abuse cases and punish pedophile priests, saying the Catholic Church’s ‘‘credibility’’ was on the line…
Expert quote:
“The church has not done anything to remove bishops and cardinals who covered up, or protected those who covered up the abusers. That’s the bureaucratic defense that has to be broken. It’s a huge challenge for Francis.”
Facebook seeks to reclaim edge with bold Home phone
Boston Herald
N. Venkat Venkatraman, School of Management
It’s not the Facebook phone or operating system that some were anticipating…
Expert quote:
“Essentially, Facebook is betting that people might want their devices to be less about apps focused on tasks — email, photos, music — and more about people they want to connect with. Most analysts have missed the nuanced shift that Zuckerberg is unveiling. Most expected that there would be a revolutionary phone or new operating system. But I think this is a clever evolution that could position Facebook as a rule maker on the mobile Web.”
Salz attacks warped top pay at Barclays
Financial Times (subscription required)
Mark Williams, School of Management
Barclays should lower warped pay levels, end the bank’s “entitlement culture” and usher in a spirit of “transparency and candour” if it is to win back trust, according to a long-awaited review of the bank’s flawed culture and values…
Expert quote:
“It is disturbing to see that Barclays needed to pay out $25m of shareholder funds for a report that documented their corrosive culture that put profits over people.”
View full article (subscription required)
Transparency Is Albatross Around Fed Neck: Williams
Bloomberg TV
Mark Williams, School of Management
Battle for Dell risks customer confidence, analysts say
PC World
James Post, School of Management
With Michael Dell still battling to get his US$24.4 billion buyout deal approved by shareholders, his company needs to avoid a long, drawn-out battle that could erode customer confidence, analysts say…
Expert quote:
“They could go back and forth through several rounds. It could be settled in as little as 30 to 60 days. It could be much longer than that.”
Zuckerberg Lobbies to Become a Bigger Difference Maker
TechNewsWorld
N. Venkat Venkatraman, School of Management
It appears Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg is plunging into the controversial national debate on immigration reform…
Expert quote:
“I think Facebook — both individually and collectively, as part of other high-tech organizations — should take stands on what they believe. That could and would alienate some,” he acknowledged, “but that is part of the new world where your actions and beliefs cannot be kept secret.”
Citigroup Says Pay Plan Investors Shunned Helped Keep Corbat
Bloomberg
James Post, School of Management
Citigroup Inc. (C) said a profit- sharing plan, among pay practices shareholders rejected last year, helped return the bank to profitability by retaining leaders including Chief Executive Officer Michael Corbat…
Expert quote:
“Had the board and CEO pulled back on those payments, or negotiated smaller amounts in light of the say-on-pay vote by shareholders, the payments would seem more credible. They have chosen not to do so, however, and they are asking shareholders to swallow these very large payments.”
It’s a mandate! It’s a tax! How word choice effects
Washington Post “Wonkblog”
Keith Marzilli Ericson, School of Management
It was this week, one year ago, that the Affordable Care Act had its day in court—the Supreme Court, that is…
Expert quote:
“We expected that the mandate would encourage insurance purchase more than a tax. We thought that it establishes a social norm, and a sense of obligation.”
