Monthly Archives: September 2010

The recent report from the Bureau of Labor Statistics on the number of jobs held by the later Baby Boomers — the generation born between 1957 and 1964 — may have surprised many, for it showed that Late Boomers have … Continue reading →

“The Harvard Business Review of 1990 proclaimed in nearly every issue that the Cold War was over and Germany and Japan had won.” That was soon-to-be Harvard economics professor Larry Summers, speaking Tuesday in Washington. Sure enough, if you look … Continue reading →

A few weeks ago the Wall Street Journal reported that the breast cancer organization Susan G. Komen for the Cure is “launching a not-so-friendly legal battle against kite fliers, kayakers and dozens of other themed fund-raisers that it contends are … Continue reading →

Why is it that we pay people handsomely for analyzing financial data, say, but not for the much harder work of smiling in the face of an insult? Every day, we demand that people display emotions they’re not feeling. We … Continue reading →

Struggling companies all share something in common. Their sales and marketing efforts are at odds. Sometimes, they are even at war. The marketing team lectures the sales department, saying that if only the salespeople would follow their advice, their problems … Continue reading →

These days, it’s almost blasphemous to speak ill of the smart grid. Utilities, energy and information technology firms, car makers, and politicians at all levels practically hyperventilate when enumerating how it will revolutionize our cities and our society. We’ll be … Continue reading →

It would be nice for shareholders to know in advance of a potential corporate crisis whether they have good directors or not. This is especially the case given that when they need good directors most, they are least likely to … Continue reading →

Last week I introduced you to some ideas I have been thinking and writing about for the past few years about how to save good ideas from being shot down. Thanks to those of you who have added your voices … Continue reading →

The figures for August are in. Home sales rose 7.6%, pulling out of a steep decline in July. Many sectors are flat or sinking. Auto sales figures are horrible but nonstore retailers’ sales are up 10.5%. The data are all … Continue reading →

Vincent Gray’s defeat of Washington, DC mayor Adrian Fenty in the Democratic primary has put schools chief Michelle Rhee’s job — and her legacy — at risk. That’s despite the fact that it is widely acknowledged that the Washington schools … Continue reading →