What to Do About Those Outrageous CEO Severance Deals

Corporate Board Member
September/October 2007
Directors may actually be able to take advantage of the say-on-pay trend when they’re holding the line on remuneration. In a speech at the 2007 Summit on Executive Compensation put on by the Audit Committee Leadership Forum in New York City, SEC commissioner Roel C. Campos pointed out that shareholder activism would give boards the impetus to tell the CEO, “Look, it’s not just the board that you’re negotiating with; we also submit our executive-compensation packages to shareholders for an advisory vote. We really don’t want an adverse vote, and therefore we’re simply not willing to give you an exorbitant package.” Read full text

Most HR Executives Unhappy with Strategic Impact

PersonnelToday.com
31 August 2007
The latest Corporate Executive Board HR Practice: 2007 survey from the organisation’s programme the Corporate Leadership Council found that 87% of HR executives were unhappy about the strategic impact their functions made on the company, including the ineffective management of human capital assets.

In addition, 60% of front line managers surveyed by the Learning and Development Roundtable found managers under-perform during their first two years, driving performance gaps and staff turnover across the entire front line. Read full text

MCFOs taking on New Challenges as Position Changes

Boston Business Journal
27 August 2007
Today's chief financial officer must feel like there's a bull's eye on the back of his or her button-down. In addition to being besieged by Sarbanes-Oxley responsibilities, there is a growing expectation to play a larger role in their organization's operations and strategic direction.

It's a double whammy taking a toll. Nationally, 420 CFOs at companies generating $1 billion or more left their jobs in 2006, compared with about 270 the year prior. And the Corporate Executive Board [CFO Executive Board] reports that turnover among Fortune 1000 companies hit 27 percent in 2005 with an average tenure of less than three years.

Corporate Executive Board Co. Acquires IT Group's Web Site

Washington Business Journal
16 August 2007
The Corporate Executive Board Co. said it completed its acquisition of the online community ITtoolbox of Scottsdale for $59 million. The Washington, D.C.-based consulting company, which had announced the acquisition in its second-quarter earnings report, said the deal will give it access to 1.1 million professionals involved in information technology. Read full text

The Compliance and Ethics Leadership Council Identifies Leading Indicators of Misconduct at Large Organizations; Clarifying Expectations of Ethical Behavior for Employees Can Reduce Misconduct Levels by More Than 40%

Business Wire
8 August 2007
The Compliance and Ethics Leadership Council (CELC), a leading provider of best practices research, executive education, and decision-support services to Chief Compliance Officers, today announced the results of a groundbreaking quantitative analysis, Preempting Compliance Failures, which isolates the most important drivers of misconduct at large organizations. The CELC is a membership program of the Corporate Executive Board (NASDAQ: EXBD) (http://www.exbd.com) the premier network for leaders of the world’s largest public and private organizations. Read full text

First Among Equals

The Sunday Times
5 August 2007
Hiring a diverse workforce is also a practical necessity, given a 24-hour economy in many parts of the world that demands a high volume of workers, a lack of available talent to fill jobs, and an ageing workforce. A 2006 survey by the Corporate Executive Board [Recruiting Roundtable] of 4,000 hiring managers in 30 companies revealed that they felt the average quality of candidates had dropped by 10% since 2004. More than a third of the respondents said they had hired below average candidates to fill jobs quickly.

Money Money Money - It's So Phoney

Human Resources
August 2007
While the percentage increases may not appear large, this analysis goes some way to proving a connection. Why does all this matter? Well, as research shows, engaged employees are more productive, more profitable, more customer-focused and likely to stay longer in a company. Gallup says disengaged employees cost US business up to dollars 343 billion a year through lost productivity. The Corporate Leadership Council says engaged employees perform 20% better. Anything that helps increase engagement has to be good for business. Read full text

Corporate Advisory Firm Invests in Salary Database

The Washington Post
10 July 2007
The Corporate Executive Board, a District firm that provides business advice to corporations around the world, and the Allen & Co. investment bank in New York yesterday announced a $8.8 million investment in PayScale, a major provider of online salary data. The move allows the CEB to provide salary information to its clients to help them set pay levels. Read full text

The Corporate Executive Board Names Stephen M. Carter and Gregor S. Bailar to Board of Directors

Business Week
2 July 2007
Mr. Carter is the President, Chief Executive Officer and a Director for Superior Essex, Inc. (NASDAQ:SPSX), a global leader in the design, manufacture and supply of wire and cable products. Mr. Bailar is Chief Information Officer (CIO) of Capital One Financial Corp. (NYSE:COF), a financial services company, and is responsible for all technology activities for its businesses globally. Read full text

PayScale Partners with Corporate Executive Board to Provide Compensation Data and Analytics Tools to the HR Executive Forum
Business Wire
28 June 2007
PayScale, a leader in real-time online compensation data for employers and individuals, and Corporate Executive Board, today announced a partnership so Corporate Executive Board can offer PayScale's compensation data as part of a new premium services initiative to its membership of mid-market HR organizations. Read full text

Educating the Masses for IT Security

SC Magazine
14 June 2007
The Information Risk Executive Council, which represents more than 400 member organizations, is studying the behavioral psychology behind employees' decisions to either abide by or dismiss information security policies. The organization, which expects to poll some 10,000 people, plans to release its findings this month. Read full text

The Corporate Executive Board to Simulcast Presentation at the William Blair & Company's 2007 Annual Growth Stock Conference

SC Magazine
12 June 2007
The Corporate Executive Board Company today announced that it will participate in the William Blair & Company's 2007 Annual Growth Stock Conference, which takes place June 19th through June 21st in Chicago, Illinois at the Four Seasons Hotel. CEB's Chief Executive Officer, Tom Monahan, and Chief Financial Officer, Tim Yost, will be speaking at the conference. View the presentation

Executive Briefing

Investor's Business Daily
11 June 2007
Top executives in North America, Europe and Australia see rising cost pressures in the next 12 months The Corporate Executive Board Co. says nearly 80% anticipate increasing costs over the next four quarters. The corporate research strategist says some companies are also in outright cost-cutting mode.But many honchos are also maintaining a positive growth outlook. Many forecast increased capital spending and staffing levels despite heightened economic uncertainty.

"The results (of the survey) reflect the desire of senior executives to build flexibility into business plans and ensure effective responses to uncertain economic conditions," said Michael Griffin, senior director at the Corporate Executive Board. View the cited report

Associate Salary Wars: The GCs Strike Back

Wall Street Journal Law Blog
23 May 2007
High associate attrition at big firms is often cited as the main reason for the latest salary increases. But that's not necessarily the sole factor behind the increase in billing rates, says Firoz Dattu, managing director of the General Counsel Roundtable, a research organization for corporate law departments. Citing a recent study by the group, Dattu says general counsel spent 33% more on outside legal spending as a percentage of revenue in 2005 than they did in 2001, while cutting in-house attorneys by nearly 10% as a percentage of revenue during the same period. Read full text