Leadership by Geoff Colvin
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If Obamacare survives, employers may do it in
Whether or not the Supreme Court rules in favor of the president's health care plan, companies are going to find a way to cut costs.
By Geoff Colvin, senior editor-at-large
FORTUNE -- What Fortune 500 companies really want from U.S. health care reform is pretty basic: They want sustainable costs and healthy, productive employees. But business doesn't just want those things; it desperately needs them, and it's going to get them, MORE
May 11, 2012 5:00 AM ET -
Adm. Mike Mullen: Debt is still biggest threat to U.S. security
After a 43-year military career, the former Joint Chiefs chairman is as outspoken as ever.
By Geoff Colvin, senior editor-at-large
FORTUNE -- As chairman of the Joint Chiefs, Admiral Mike Mullen was particularly active and vocal. Far more than previous chairmen, he emphasized the importance of diplomacy and economics in U.S. defense. His Senate testimony that canceling the military's don't-ask, don't-tell policy was "the right thing to do" played a large MORE
May 10, 2012 5:00 AM ET -
How can American Express help you?
Company customer service czar Jim Bush on changing the way that cardholders are treated - and how it paid off.
By Geoff Colvin, senior editor-at-large
FORTUNE -- Call-center customer service has become a finely honed discipline, but usually it seems honed to cut time: The agent is superficially friendly, but nothing can derail that person's mission of getting you off the phone fast. Service at American Express (AXP) wasn't much different MORE
Apr 19, 2012 5:00 AM ETPosted in: American Express, Customer service -
AmEx customer service in action
The company's analytic software gives its 'customer service professionals' a wealth of data to take care of cardholders.
By Geoff Colvin, senior editor-at-large
FORTUNE -- Jim Bush sees to it that when a customer calls American Express (AXP), the person who answers engages in unscripted conversation. What makes that conversation productive is a staggering amount of data. A credit card company, through its awareness of customer spending, possesses deep knowledge about MORE
Apr 19, 2012 5:00 AM ET -
Dow's new direction
CEO Andrew Liveris is focusing Dow Chemical on more innovative, high-margin products - and making them in America.
Interview by Geoff Colvin, senior editor-at-large
FORTUNE -- When Mr. McGuire told Dustin Hoffman's Benjamin in The Graduate that "I just want to say one word to you," and that word was "plastics," he could have been recommending a career at Dow Chemical. It was advice that Andrew Liveris, a new chemical-engineering graduate from MORE
Mar 8, 2012 5:00 AM ETPosted in: Andrew Liveris, Dow Chemical -
Conquering complexity, coddling customers
FORTUNE -- Dow is a vastly complex business. Customers range from automakers to medical device manufacturers to homebuilders, and they're located in scores of countries worldwide. The company's different divisions sometimes serve customers in common. Prices of critical feedstocks, mainly oil and gas, fluctuate day by day, and the laws of chemistry dictate that altering production of one chemical may necessarily alter production of others. How do Liveris and his team MORE
Mar 8, 2012 5:00 AM ET -
Deciphering the madness of the Murdoch method
In the midst of a scandal that reaches new lows every day, Rupert Murdoch's reactions have ranged from the canny and shrewd to the absurd. Given his tight control over News Corp., don't expect any changes soon. By Geoff Colvin
Feb 29, 2012 2:51 PM ET -
Inheriting another person's staff: How to deal
As a new manager, you may want to jump into devising a grand strategy to change the business. But don't forget that you have a whole staff to convince before you take a single step forward. By Alex Kantrowitz
Feb 24, 2012 1:25 PM ETPosted in: Employment, Work design -
New job? Get a head start now
About 40% of executives who change jobs or get promoted fail in the first 18 months. One way to avoid that is to lay some crucial groundwork before your first day.
By Anne Fisher, contributor
FORTUNE -- Dear Annie: I'm starting a new job in about two weeks as head of a somewhat troubled division at my current employer's biggest competitor. It's a larger role than I've had so far in my career, MORE
Feb 17, 2012 5:00 AM ET -
How 3 great companies work
An inside look at how Toyota, Nike, and SV Angel keep on growing.
By Geoff Colvin, senior editor-at-large
FORTUNE -- Einstein observed that no matter how smart you are, or how long you ponder, you can never be sure how a watch works unless you look inside. He was making a point about understanding the universe, which we'll leave to physicists and just note that it's the same with business. We can easily MORE
Feb 14, 2012 5:00 AM ET
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Co-CEO Walter Robb says changes in the way we eat is broadening Whole Foods customer base. Play -
Whole Foods Co-CEO Walter Robb says the secret behind the brands returns are quality and authenticity. Play -
Whole Foods Co-CEO Walter Robb says companies that empower their employees to innovate move forward faster. Play -
Co-CEO Walter Robb says that Whole Foods' policy of limiting executive salaries to no more than 19-times the average employee, instills 'good faith' in the company. Play
