|
|
||
 |
|
|
|
||
|
|
||
|
|
|
|
||
| Note: The FORTUNE Preview Guide is created in HTML. If you are unable to properly view the cover image, Course Connector, or hyperlinks, please view the online version at http://www.fortuneeducation.com/preview_guides/index.html. |
| COURSE CONNECTOR |
| ARTICLE SUMMARIES AND QUESTIONS |
| "The
Bionic Manager," pp. 88-100: If it were possible to build
the perfect CEO, the result would probably be awfully close to
GE's Jeff Immelt. Tough and tireless, with an easy-going manner
that belies the ice water in his veins, Immelt isn't as "emotional" as
his predecessor, Jack Welch. It's a good thing, too. With
the company's stock down 15% since he took over at GE in 2001 — while
the major market indexes are up 7 to 11% over the same period — Immelt
needs to keep his wits about him. Some of his growth strategies
for rebuilding the company Thomas Edison founded include making
and then growing key acquisitions in energy, health care, and entertainment;
reviving GE's scientific research labs; partnering with developing
nations to expand their economic growth; and reviving GE's marketing
operations. Big plans, to be sure. But Immelt is confident he is
up to the task, and he's not the only one. GE's board expects him
to be a 20-year man like Welch, and investment icon Warren Buffett
predicts that not only will GE's stock improve during his tenure,
but that Immelt will emerge as "the most
respected spokesman for American business."
Students will analyze whether Jeff Immelt's seemingly ideal qualities as a CEO will help him turn around GE's stock. Discussion Questions:
"Sweet Smell of Succession," pp. 122-138: Cosmetics queen Estée Lauder once wrote in her autobiography, "A family should be unbreakable." Her descendants apparently took heed — three of her four grandchildren, who could very easily live off the $2.2 billion the Lauder family has taken out in stock offerings since the company's 1995 IPO, are instead actively working to ensure the family business remains as solid as Estée left it. CEO William Lauder has concentrated on moving Estée Lauder out from behind department store counters and into freestanding stores, while encouraging the company's 26 brands to play nice together. His cousin, Aerin Lauder Zinterhofer — who, like her grandmother, feels right at home with the New York society elite — oversees Estée Lauder's brand image, attempting to make the prestigious flagship brand relevant to a younger generation. Meanwhile, Aerin's sister, Jane Lauder, is working on growing the company's mass consumer lines, in hopes of grabbing a larger piece of the mid-tier markets crucial for growth. While the odds are against the business's staying in Lauder hands — of the FORTUNE 1,000, only 79 are true family companies like Estée Lauder — the family's third generation has displayed an enthusiastic dedication to its legacy that just might help it buck the odds. This article shows how Estée Lauder's pluck inspires her progeny as they continue to grow the company she founded. Discussion Questions:
"Rockin' in the Flat World," pp. 154-164: New York Times columnist Tom Friedman has become nearly a household name since the April release of his best-selling book The World Is Flat. His contention? The fall of the Berlin Wall, the rise of the Internet, and the ever more interoperable nature of software have created a newly "flat" global political, economic, and cultural landscape that allows people previously cut off from the centers of power and affluence to join in on moneymaking and opinion-forming — as long as they have the skills, gumption, and broadband connections to do so. A lot of VIPs are listening to what he has to say. Friedman has been trotting the globe, bending the ears of corporate CEOs, university professors, and politicos on both sides of the aisle, sharing his home-grown wisdom and extensive knowledge of the Middle East. But others feel Friedman's propensity for simplifying complex issues into catchy slogans and cozying up to the corporate crowd detracts from the value and earnestness of his arguments. While Friedman accepts their criticisms, he believes the long-term merit of his book will rest on one question — is he right? In this article, students will question whether they believe Tom Friedman's theories on globalization are accurate or just a bunch of hype. Discussion Questions:
"The Law of Unintended Consequences," pp. 250-268: In 1980, former U.S. Senators Birch Bayh and Bob Dole co-sponsored and successfully passed the Patent and Trademark Law Amendments Act, better known as the Bayh-Dole Act, in an effort to speed the transfer of new technology from university laboratories to the private sector. The goal was to kick-start the stagnating American economy by bringing thousands of taxpayer-funded, unlicensed patents to market, and it promised to be a win-win situation — universities and corporations would profit economically while the American people would reap the benefits of an improved standard of living. Indeed, supporters of the law say it has provided billions of dollars in funding for university technology centers, created megaclusters of entrepreneurial companies around the country, and helped shape the $43-billion-a-year biotech industry. But that's not the whole story. The Bayh-Dole Act has unintentionally led to mass data-hoarding, suspicion, and countless patent lawsuits among the scientific community, as researchers fight to protect their profit-generating intellectual property. The upshot is that the open exchange of ideas among scientists is limited, discoveries are fiercely guarded, and overall scientific progress is hindered — the very problems the Act was designed to alleviate. Students will see how an act of government with good intentions for spurring economic and scientific growth has backfired. Discussion Questions:
|
|
|
The FORTUNE Preview Guide
is a biweekly publication of the FORTUNE Education Program, and
is designed to provide professors with the necessary
resources to use FORTUNE Magazine in the classroom. The FORTUNE Education
Program also invites professors and students to subscribe to FORTUNE
Magazine at more than 85% off the cover price. Visit our Website
at http://www.fortuneeducation.com.
SUBSCRIBE TO THE GUIDE
CHANGE YOUR SUBSCRIPTION
OPTIONS WHAT DO YOU THINK?
CONTACT US
|
|
© 2005, FORTUNE Education Program Read our Privacy Policy www.fortuneeducation.com |
