During the U.S. Open Tennis Tournament, Lexus has been running a clever series of commercials featuring U.S. tennis star Andy Roddick. The series — called “On the Road with Andy Roddick” — features five different people talking to Mr. Roddick about various subjects while cruising with him in a convertible Lexus.
Click here to watch each of the five commercials. My favorite: “Catfish”
My sense is that the New York Times editors need a little psychiatric help in letting their “Enron-thing” go.
In this article, the Times reports on a working paper by a couple of East Coast economists who propose the rather unsurprising hypothesis that accounting scandals are one of many factors that tend to have a negative effect on job growth. Thus, the Times translates that working paper into the headline: “The Crime: Slow Job Growth. A Suspect: Enron.”
Of course, the Times didn’t bother to call the longstanding the expert on Houston’s employment market to find out the effect that Enron’s demise has had on Houston’s employment market (it’s not had much long-term effect). Nor does the Times bother to note that governmental regulation through criminalization of business — particularly the Arthur Andersen case — has likely had a far larger negative effect on jobs than the accounting scandal at Enron or other companies.
By the way, this is not the first time that the Times editors have used a questionable headline relating to Enron. Is there a medical term for an unhealthy preoccupation with Enron? Enronpsychosis?
Most folks who do not follow business closely are surprised to learn that Michael Dell has not been the chief executive officer of Round Rock, Texas-based Dell, Inc for almost two years now. This NY Times piece profiles Dell’s CEO, Kevin B. Rollins, and, although Mr. Dell is no longer CEO, it sounds as if Mr. Dell is still, might we say, “involved” in the company’s day-to-day operations:
[Messrs. Dell and Rollins] do work closely together, figuratively and literally. Their large wooden desks face one another in adjoining offices separated by a glass wall and a glass door. [EMC CEO Joseph] Tucci says he has visited those offices about 50 times and has never seen the door closed. “The way those two guys get along is not an act,” Mr. Tucci said. “I can start a conversation with Michael, and two weeks later finish it with Kevin. They know what each other is thinking.”