Articles 1 to 10 of 46
Second Look: Michael Ahearn of First Solar, Inc. Says Europe's Energy Policies Leaving U.S. Behind
Today's news included the announcement that First Solar Inc. has signed one of the largest solar photovoltaic power deals ever in the U.S. The contract with Southern California Edison has First Solar developing two solar-power projects with a combined 550 megawatts of capacity. The news prompted the Knowledge@W. P. Carey team to offer you another look at this report on First Solar founder and CEO Michael Ahearn. In a recent speech, Ahearn told how the company, based in the Phoenix desert, went abroad to the much less sunny Germany to find the market opportunity that made it one of the fastest growing manufacturers of solar modules in the world. Ahearn warned that energy policies in European Union member nations have positioned the continent to move efficiently toward a carbon-neutral model that will be a global competitive advantage in coming decades.
Executive Compensation: How Market Forces Propelled Salaries to the Heights
Compensation practices at financial institutions receiving federal bailout money raised the ire of citizens and lawmakers this winter, but the huge salaries and bonuses paid to some corporate leaders are not new. How did executive compensation reach such lofty levels? Market forces have been at work, say management professors Robert Hoskisson and Luis Gomez-Mejia. Changing dynamics in American board rooms have shifted the bulk of management responsibility away from directors and back almost entirely onto top executives, they say. And because these executives now bear this huge burden alone, they are demanding contracts that reflect this level of responsibility and offer them some kind of protection. That's because when things go wrong and the CEO is fired, he knows that the chances are small that he will ever claim the top job again.
Podcast: Can Obama Grow Policy From the Grassroots?
Candidate Barack Obama took grassroots networking into the digital age in his successful quest for the White House. Gerry Keim, associate dean for the W. P. Carey MBA, looks at whether President Obama can now convert his grassroots network to support his policy agenda.
Trade, China and the World Economic Order, Part 3: Business Leaders' Advice on Succeeding in China
Doing business in China different than doing business anywhere else. Seasoned business veterans on the China scene -- from Motorola, Emerson Electric, Harley-Davidson, ON Semiconductor and TPI Composites -- offered their advice for successfully doing business in China recently at the first of three forums on trade, China and the world economic order. The W. P. Carey School of Business and ASU's Sandra Day O'Connor College of Law are partnering with The Kearny Alliance to host the forums. Part 3 in a series of four articles covering the forum, this piece covers the microeconomic -- some would say practical -- side of trade: the businesses that actually sell to, and from, China.
The Business of Climate Change: A Call for Innovation
Whether or not you believe the science on climate change is irrelevant, says Andrew J. Hoffman, a University of Michigan professor of sustainable enterprise. Whatever you think, it's long past the time to open your eyes to the business implications. Author of "Climate Change: What's Your Business Strategy?", Hoffman visited Arizona State University recently as part of the Wrigley Lecture Series on Sustainability, co-hosted by the W. P. Carey School of Business and the National Center of Excellence on SMART Innovations.
Going for the Green: Companies Seek Sustainability for the Environment and the Bottom Line
As power costs increase and consumers and government put more pressure on business to reduce environmental harm, sustainability is becoming important to all kinds of companies. Sustainable service was the subject of a panel discussion at the Center for Services Leadership's 19th Annual "Compete Through Service" symposium. Managers are starting to understand the advantages of being cleaner and greener, panelists said, but in order to bring about real change, the commitment to sustainability must be organization-wide. The changes have to make sense for the business and achieve impact beyond public relations.
'How' Matters More than 'What' in Business … and in Life
"A leading company should be a company of leaders," says Dov Seidman, a consultant whose career focuses on how companies and their people can operate in both a principled and profitable way. Seidman's new book, "HOW: Why How We Do Anything Means Everything … in Business (and in Life)" is a thoughtful and incisive look at why "how" matters more than "what" in business, and how "should" matters more than "can." The bottom line, he says, is that in a fast-changing, hyperconnected and hypertransparent world, success is redefined as a quest for significance.
Passion for Work, Community, Family: Robert Hobbs Sr. Inducted into W. P. Carey School's Hall of Fame
One could say Robert Hobbs Sr. charged into the business world when he was in grade school in Phoenix. As a boy, Hobbs had morning and afternoon paper routes near McDowell Road and Seventh Avenue. Later, he kept the paper routes and took on a part-time job in a corner grocery store. And while he was a senior at the W. P. Carey School finishing a degree in marketing, Hobbs was elected president of Sigma Chi Fraternity. That work ethic, which has made Hobbs a lifelong business and civic leader, was recognized this fall with his induction into the W. P. Carey School's Hall of Fame.
Bringing a Sense of Urgency to Your Business
John Kotter knows your organization needs to change. His latest book, "A Sense of Urgency," delves into the how-to required of managers needing to embark on that first step, avoiding pitfalls along the way. Increasing a sense of urgency is the toughest of the steps leading to effective change, and Kotter's new book lays out a road map that will be an eye-opener to middle and top managers who, the author contends, often are blinded to the two main obstacles: complacency and a false sense of urgency.
Herman Cain: Becoming the 'CEO of Self'
Herman Cain believes he has one gift that has allowed him to attain every goal he's set for himself: the ability to inspire. "Great leaders inspire others," the conservative radio talk show host and former president of Godfather's Pizza told about 60 business students last week in a speech hosted by the W. P. Carey School of Business. "But more importantly, great leaders inspire themselves."
