Carlos Tavares and the contrast with Fiat Sergio Marchionne, Tesla Elon Musk- the need today for new role models for health and worklife balance, respect for dignity of workern

02/05/2024

Carlos Tavares, CEO of Stellantis that brings together Fiat, Chrysler and Peugeot, as shown in a WSJ report, respects workers right to have a weekend free of email requests to recharge their batteries for the new week starting Mondays. Tavares sees great value in worklife balance, respect for dignity and health of workers. He believes this delivers productive work better than alternatives such as that under Sergio Marchionne the Fiat leader running Chrysler who worked constantly, with excessively long hours, unending travel and smoking incessantly say reports, that took its toll on health- setting a poor role model for managing business and for the younger generation. A similar situation is presented by Mr. Musk compared to Mr. Tavares. Striking is the respect for the dignity of workers that comes with respecting worklife balance. This was a major issue in this years UAW negotiations. Leaders from Scholz in Germany and Biden in US, Modi in India, have called for respect for dignity of work and workers as the kind of society we want to build and we want to live in. The founder of Silicon Valley Andy Grove who founded Intel that powers the chips on every laptop always reminded his readers this is the kind of society he wanted to live in.

Linked Articles

Elon Musk Says Donald Trump Should ‘Sail Into the Sunset’ in Latest Spat

WSJ 07/12/2022

Gareth Vipers

WSJ 02/04/2024

Kirsten Grind, Emily Glazer, Rebecca Elliott, Coulter Jones

America's self-reliant economy - Biden with Trumpian undertones

01/21/2021

The Biden administration is seen as continuing the efforts of president Trump to pursue American interests in trade, technology, American workers and business to restore America's leadership role in the free world to what it was in the 1950's. Biden from Delaware is in the same tradition as president Harry Truman from Missouri in that period. Because of Biden's age this could be a one term presidency, and strange as it may sound it could be a presidency of Trump in foreign affairs and trade, technological leadership, without the rhetoric, and a socially cohesive presidency of Democrats in the tradition of Harry Truman. What then to make of all the fights of the Trump presidency? Much of this can be seen as an effort to break the status quo which did not benefit American workers.

Linked Articles

Biden’s Economic Team Charts a New Course for Globalization, With Trumpian Undertones

WSJ 12/01/2020

Jon Hilsenrath, Nick Timiraos

France 24 01/21/2021

The 1976 Montreal Olympics, the 2004 Athens Olympics, the 2014 Sochi Olympics and the Rio Olympics- decades long debt hangovers and costs growing from the $1+ billion in Montreal to $50+ billion in Sochi

08/24/2016

Developing and developed countries alike have seen the cost of the Olympics as a huge burden. Many countries or cities that committed to hosting the Olympic games during boom years were facing economic hard times by the time of the games. Corruption and mismanagement of public funds, overspending and cost overruns added to the problems. Citizens uproar caused cities such as Boston and Oslo to withdraw bids for the Olympics. The Olympics appears to be a costly way to show off a country, and raises questions about better allocation of funds in other directions, especially when upward mobility is a problem for the middle and working class, countries have other infrastructure needs, and neglected basic needs in education, healthcare, public services.

Linked Articles

The 40-year hangover: how the 1976 Olympics nearly broke Montreal

The Guardian 07/06/2016

The New York Times 08/23/2016

Michael Powell

Lack of individual accountability for banks in legal settlements with regulators- (2) the old management still in place, " a solution to the problem or part of it?"

05/24/2015

The question put by Mr. Han Martin-Buhlmann of shareholder association VIP at the June shareholder meeting of Deutsche Bank was- "Mr. Jain are a solution to the problem or part of it?" Over a week later a new CEO was appointed.

Linked Articles

A bigger stick

Economist 06/13/2015

Economist.Com

Wall Street Journal 05/24/2015

Eyk Henning, Eyk, Henning

GE (General Electric) low tax rate of 4.2% in 2013, 10.3% in 2014, and the move to a normal tax rate in 2015

03/05/2014

An aggressive policy of tax reduction using GE Capital at GE leads to an astonishingly low tax rate. Shareholders see the uncertainty from GE Capital's volatile earnings and tax strategies with great skepticism. GE shares dropped to $6 during the 2008 global financial crisis because of GE Capital losses, and GE needed government rescue funds. The day CEO Immelt announced the decision to exit the banking business GE shares went up by 11%. GE's tax rate without the banking business will go up to about 20%.

Linked Articles

Price of Selling GE Capital? Tax Breaks

Wall Street Journal 04/14/2015

Ted Mann, Ted, Mann

Washington Post 03/05/2014

Jia Lyn Yang, Jia, Lyn, Yang

Apple CEO Tim Cook's management style

06/12/2013

Linked Articles

Jonathan Ive on Apple's Design Process and Product Philosophy

New York Times 06/16/2014

Brian X. Chen, Brian, X., Chen, Matt Richtel, Matt, Richtel

Wall Street Journal 06/12/2013

Jessica E. Lessin, Jessica, E., Lessin

The high turnout of evangelical Christians and Catholics as a factor in the 2012 U.S. presidential election

10/31/2012

The voter turnout among evangelical Chrisitians could be a factor in the 2012 U.S. presidential election similiar to that in 2004. Both Romney and George W. Bush gaining this vote.

Linked Articles

Henninger: Romney's Secret Voting Bloc

Wall Street Journal 10/31/2012

Daniel Henninger, Daniel, Henninger

Wall Street Journal 10/31/2012

Karl Rove, Karl, Rove

The CEO statement of Oct 2012 calling for action to tackle deficit reduction with tax increases as part of broader reforms

10/26/2012

The CEO statement of Oct 2012 as a pro-growth initiative and not simply a tax increase that does little for setting up a strong economic recovery in the U.S.

Linked Articles

CEOs to the Tax Rescue?

Wall Street Journal 10/26/2012

Editorial

Washington Post 10/27/2012

Pete Domenici, Pete, Domenici, Sam Nunn, Sam, Nunn

Mexico's emergence as the fourth largest exporter of cars in the world in 2012

10/02/2012

Mexico is expected to export 2.14 million cars in 2012. This makes it the fourth largest exporter after Japan, Germany, and S. Korea. Mexico is expected to overtake S. Korea in a few years. About 130,000 engineers are graduating each year from Mexico's technical universities, according to President Calderon. Mexican plants have quality and productivity that is comparable to Japanese plants for Nissan, say Carlos Ghosn, Nissan CEO.

Linked Articles

In Mexico, Auto Plants Hit the Gas

Wall Street Journal 11/20/2012

Nicholas Casey, Nicholas, Casey

Washington Post 10/02/2012

Nick Miroff, Nick, Miroff

Spain macroprudential supervision of its banking system once lauded now turns out to be "timid" and false, could the same be true for China?

07/18/2012

Spain's central bank had a reputation of providing good supervision for Spain's banking system. The problems at the Cajas Savings banks and the current assessment after the request for $125 billion in EU funds for Spain's banks shows how this turned out to be false. Does China face a similiar problem with its housing bubble. The U.S., UK and Spain, failed to control and manage the effects of a housing bubble, can China be a lone exception? Rapid growth enabled China to cope with bad loans in the banking system, with slower growth, a weak European market for exports, and a stimulus that is about one eighth the size in annual investment- one trillion yuan over 4 years in the current stimulus compared to 4 trillion over 2009-2010 in the last stimulus plan. Can China manage this bubble, does it have the experience managing this type of problem or has it papered over the problems as Spain did? This has repercussions for industries and countries from the export sector in Germany, Australia and Brazil to industries such as the German automobile industry, and companies such as Caterpillar.

Linked Articles

As China’s economy slows, real estate bubble looms - The Washington Post

Washington Post 10/03/2012

Jia Lynn Yang, Jia, Lynn, Yang

Wall Street Journal 07/18/2012

Christopher Bjork, Christopher, Bjork, David Román, David, Román

The failure of Barclays bank management under CEO Diamond in setting artificially low LIBOR rates

06/28/2012

Linked Articles

Barclays Executives Are Said To Know of Low Rates

New York Times 07/02/2012

Ben Protess, Ben, Protess, Mark Scott, Mark, Scott

Wall Street Journal 06/28/2012

Simon Nixon, Simon, Nixon

How JP Morgan Chase let its London trading desk operate without risk management controls leading to large losses

05/18/2012

CEO Dimon is described as distracted by other issues. Ina Drew, the seasoned head of the Chief Investment that manages a $300 billionplus portfolio after the merger of other failed banks into JP Morgan Chase in 2008-2009, contracts Lyme disease in 2010 and is no longer the hands on person when she returns in 2011. Ms. Duersten, in charge of the North American trading desk at the New York office leaves in 2011 after 16 years at Chase. The controls over the London trading desk from New York are slipping away and Mr. Iksil and Mr. Macris of the London trading desk take massive trading positions to expose Chase to large losses. CEO Dimon learns about the Chase trading positions and the London Whale (Mr Iksil) from the Wall Street Journal on April 6, 2012, for the first time, astounding the business community and the financial world.

Linked Articles

Discord at JPMorgan Investment Office Blamed in Huge Loss

New York Times 05/19/2012

Jessica Silver Greenberg, Jessica, Silver Greenberg, Nelson D. Schwartz, Nelson, D., Schwartz

Wall Street Journal 05/18/2012

Monica Langley, Monica, Langley

De Anza College in Cupertino, California where a Apple co-founder got his start and the implications of tax avoidance strategies

04/28/2012

A U.S. Senate Report in May 2013 points to tax avoidance strategies by Apple, and Apple CEO Tim Cook appears before a Senate hearing. EU leaders meet in Brussels to address the problems of tax avoidance by digital companies which aggravate the budget deficits of EU countries, especially at a time of cutbacks in infrastructure spending and education that supports the digital companies access to to human resources. De Anza College in Cupertino is where on of the Apple cofounders went to school. The head of the college describes the effects of cutbacks in funding on the college. On the other side of the Atlantic Fredrik Reinfeldt, Sweden's prime minister makes a similiar case saying the digital companies need access to infrastructure and educational centres which makes the payment of taxes used to fund this necessary for the whole system not to fall into dysfunction.

Linked Articles

Apple's Tax Strategy Aims at Low-Tax States and Nations

New York Times 04/28/2012

Charles Duhigg, Charles, Duhigg, David Kocieniewski, David, Kocieniewski

Wall Street Journal 05/22/2013

Gabriele Steinhauser, Gabriele, Steinhauser, Sam Schechner, Sam, Schechner