Visit our Filed page for categories. To browse by specific topic, see our Inside page. For a list of companies covered on this site, visit our Companies page.
(Kazuhiro Nogi/AFP/Getty Images)
From The International Herald Tribune | Nissan chief executive Carlos Ghosn says criticism of the company’s Leaf car is due to electric car envy. “They don’t have one, so it’s not a surprise,” Mr. Ghosn said in an interview this week at Nissan headquarters. “People who are challenged by innovation are going to fight it in the beginning,” he said. “Get ready to see a lot of converts.”
From Time Magazine | With this week’s opening of the Playboy Club Macao, Playboy CEO Scott Flanders said he is confident he’s found a place for the iconic company in the digital age. Instead of relying on American men buying magazines and watching cable, the company’s profits will depend on two seemingly unlikely demographics: Asian women and cosmopolitan clubgoers. Get the full story>>
First Midwest Bancorp Inc., the $8.38 billion-asset parent of First Midwest Bank, has named Amcol International Chief Executive Lawrence Washow to its board of directors. Get the full story »
Kraft CEO Irene Rosenfeld. (Tribune)
From the Financial Times | Kraft Foods Chief Executive Irene Rosenfeld appeared fourth on the Financial Times’ 2010 Women at the Top ranking of the world’s most influential female business leaders. Get the full story>>
Exelon Corp. said it plans to invest nearly $5 billion in clean-energy products by 2015, part of a broader plan to cut its carbon footprint.
The biggest owner of nuclear plants in the U.S. by number of reactors said it plans to begin investments this year in projects such as energy-efficiency programs, renewable-energy investments and increased output at its nuclear plants. Get the full story »
Orbitz Worldwide Inc. on Monday said that it has named Roger Liew as senior vice president and chief technology officer. Get the full story »
Broadwind Energy Inc., a company that provides equipment for the wind energy industry, said Monday it has hired the leader of Acciona SA’s North America division to be its next president and CEO. Get the full story »
Aon Corp.’s Chief Operating Officer Andrew Appel will step down at the end of the year, the world’s largest insurance brokerage said. Get the full story »
A U.S. court will rule on Potash Corp.’s request for a preliminary injunction against unsolicited suitor BHP Billiton ahead of the November 18 deadline on the Anglo-Australian miner’s $39 billion tender offer, Judge David Coar said on Monday. Get the full story »
CME Group Inc. has hired foreign exchange market veteran Roger Rutherford to head its global currency trading unit from London, according to a person familiar with the situation. Get the full story »
Two days after the head of its European business unexpectedly resigned, McDonald’s Corp. found his replacement.
Steve Easterbrook, the burger chain’s global chief brand officer, will become president of McDonald’s Europe on Dec. 1. He succeeds Denis Hennequin, who resigned Wednesday to become chief executive officer of Accor Hotels Group. Get the full story »
(Charles Osgood/Chicago Tribune)
Kraft is apparently steamed by Starbucks’ announcement that it plans to fire the company as its grocery store distributor.
On Thursday night, Kraft Foods Inc. said its agreement to supply packaged Starbucks coffee to grocery stores “is perpetual…if Starbucks decides to exit its relationship with Kraft Foods, the agreement requires Starbucks to pay Kraft Foods the fair market value of the business plus, in certain instances, a premium.”
Starbucks fired back today with a company statement saying, “We consider it unfortunate that Kraft has chosen to make public statements that we believe mischaracterize the nature of the agreement between our companies, including the term of the agreement.” The statement went on to note that the companies’ agreement contains a clause for the resolution of disputes. Both companies maintain that regardless of how their relationship is terminated, customers shouldn’t expect service interruptions.
Walgreens chief executive officer Greg Wasson this morning said the drugstore chain will step up investments in services to help Americans manage chronic diseases, saying the company wants to capitalize on what he called the “retailization” of the nation’s health care system.
The Deerfield-based pharmacy giant, meeting with Wall Street analysts and investors, said it wants to continue to expand its network of medical care providers and the services they provide. Walgreens increasingly has been lobbying to give pharmacists a greater role in medical care such as providing immunizations in its stores as well as establishing retail health clinics staffed by nurse practitioners. Get the full story »
Despite the urging of two federal lawmakers, Olin Corp. says it is moving an ammunition plant and 1,000 jobs from Illinois to Mississippi. The Clayton, Mo.-based Olin said Wednesday that its Winchester Centerfire Operations in East Alton will be relocated to Oxford, Miss. Get the full story »
