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| 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 |
"Dynamic Duo," pp. 78-86: Anne Mulcahy and Ursula Burns are like two battle-tested soldiers. For the last seven years, they've toiled side by side to bring about a historic business turnaround at Xerox. With Mulcahy as CEO and Burns as her No. 2, the pair has fought off lenders as the company stood at the brink of bankruptcy, led the company through a minefield of technological change, weathered a government probe of the company's books, and scuffled with formidable competitors. And like soldiers, they've forged a special partnership in the process. That partnership has been tested this year by the most dreaded rite of passage in corporate America — succession. While it has long been acknowledged that Burns would eventually succeed Mulcahy, making the transition has been more difficult than the twosome anticipated. The problem isn't the outer trappings of the position, such as pay, perks, or the corner office. Instead, the division of labor has proven to be the most vexing issue. As Mulcahy readily admits, it's hard giving up the control, sense of purpose, and incredible pull of being needed that a powerful position brings. But working together as usual, the two have hammered out a solution, likely making this the first time a female CEO of a FORTUNE 500 company turns over the reins to another woman. In this article, students read about the thorny succession of power at Xerox, as CEO Anne Mulcahy prepares to turn over control to Ursula Burns. Discussion Questions:
"The War Over Unconscious Bias," pp. 90-102: Wal-Mart is embroiled in yet another crisis, but unlike its previous public relations imbroglios, this one could have ramifications for the whole corporate universe. Last February a federal appeals court panel in San Francisco decided to allow the largest class action employment discrimination case ever convened to go forward against Wal-Mart Stores. The case accuses the retailer of discouraging the promotion of female store employees to management positions and of paying them less than male employees across all job positions. While gender discrimination cases are certainly nothing new, what makes this case noteworthy is that Wal-Mart is the world's biggest private employer. Further, the case focuses on three generic, almost abstract accusations that could be brought against almost any company: there is unreasonable disparity between women and minorities and men and whites in terms of position and pay, "unconscious" bias unwittingly leads managers to promote employees who are the most like them, and the company imparts unbridled discretion to its managers to make decisions regarding promotion and pay. With so much riding on the case, the outcome promises to be as much a judgment of social, cultural, and historical realities as it is of Wal-Mart's business practices. Students examine the class action discrimination suit being mounted against the world's largest private employer, Wal-Mart Stores. Discussion Questions:
"The Scariest Guys in the Room: Star Power," pp. 150-160: If you were asked who some of the most powerful people in Hollywood are, names like Tom Cruise, Julia Roberts, or Stephen Spielberg might come to mind. But when those folks and other celebrities are asked the same question, they will invariably mention Richard Lovett, Bryan Lourd, Kevin Huvane, Rob Light, Rick Nicita, and David "Doc" O'Connor. These six men are the controlling partners of the entertainment industry's most influential organization — Creative Artists Agency or CAA. Almost since its 1975 founding, CAA has been the market leader among the so-called Big Five talent agencies. Under the early leadership of co-founder Michael Ovitz, CAA so successfully tilted the balance of power in Hollywood that agents, not studios, began to call the shots. That power waned a bit after Ovitz's 1995 departure, but in recent years, CAA has bounced back by not only expanding its entertainment operations but also launching new divisions like sports management and corporate marketing, and even building a new corporate headquarters. Despite CAA's influence, however, some predict that its risky new strategy is coming at the wrong time — when the agency business is becoming outmoded. Only time will tell if bigger is better for CAA. This article reveals how Creative Artists Agency has amassed — and wields — its tremendous influence in Hollywood. Discussion Questions:
"The Future's So Bright, I Gotta Wear Shades," pp. 162-170: There's something curiously interesting about a man who is a leading investor in solar power but who calls the groups most vehement about global warming "some of the worst people in the world." Politically correct he is not, but T.J. Rodgers, the pugnacious CEO of Silicon Valley chipmaker Cypress Semiconductor, is the unlikely savior of the solar energy company SunPower. Once given up for dead, SunPower, which makes and installs solar photovoltaic panels for businesses and homes, expects to generate revenues of $1 billion to $1.2 billion and profits of $146 million to $162 million next year. How did Rodgers, a staunch opponent of government subsidies and a global warming skeptic, end up as a backer? Two reasons — because he believes there is money to be made in solar power, and because he believes in Dick Swanson, SunPower's co-founder, president, and chief technical officer. As a fellow Stanford grad student in the 1970s, Rodgers realized that Swanson was one of the "few people I run into who are clearly smarter than me." With Rodgers on board since 2002, SunPower has seen its fortunes change, and now being green is bringing in the green. Students take a closer look at SunPower, a small solar energy company at the forefront of the hot solar energy industry. Discussion Questions:
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