corporate culture news stories on Newser

Working at Microsoft Is Hell

Evann Gastaldo — Mon, 23 Apr 2012 13:58:05 CDT

Max Zografos was once called the "Microsoft man" by lecturers at his university as he hawked evaluation copies of Windows 2000 and bragged about his Microsoft summer internship. He drank "as much of the Microsoft Kool-Aid" as he could, he writes on TechCrunch , but once he became a full-time employee...

When Expanding Abroad, Mind the Gaffe

Rob Quinn — Tue, 19 Jan 2010 04:45:00 CST

If you're a business owner who thinks smiling will win over Russian clients, you may be in need of one of the growing number of firms offering crash courses in international business etiquette. American firms have been stepping up overseas expansion despite the recession, but misunderstandings—like not realizing the...

Good CEOs Are Boring: Brooks

Kevin Spak — Tue, 19 May 2009 10:07:22 CDT

Recent studies have yielded a good picture of the ideal CEO, and the life of the party he ain’t, writes David Brooks in the New York Times . Traits like empathy, good communication skills, and team-building aren’t very important. Flamboyant visionaries rarely work out. No, those who often thrive as CEOs...

All Those Years We Were Racing to Nowhere

Kevin Spak — Thu, 09 Apr 2009 11:00:01 CDT

For years, denizens of Wall Street have been living a frantic existence, sleeping, eating and otherwise living at the office, “because whatever it is that had to happen had to happen immediately, or yesterday,” writes Elizabeth Wurtzel in the Wall Street Journal . And what did this feverish “ER-approach” to finance...

Inauguration Becomes De Facto Holiday

Ambreen Ali — Mon, 19 Jan 2009 03:12:37 CST

Employers nationwide are bracing for a new slowdown, but they're excited about this one, reports USA Today . Thousands of workers nationwide are expected to take the day off tomorrow to watch the inauguration—or watch with co-workers in office parties. Companies are wise to grant the time off, since the...

FDIC's Bair Tops Women to Watch List

Jim O'Neill — Mon, 10 Nov 2008 09:15:27 CST

While two of Wall Street's top women—Morgan Stanley’s Zoe Cruz and Citigroup’s Sallie Krawcheck—fell from grace this year, the global economic storm has pushed several others, like the FDIC’s Sheila Bair and Bank of America’s Barbara Desoer to the top of the Wall Street Journal's 2008 50 Women...

Japan Struggles with Slacker Salarymen

Rob Quinn — Sat, 01 Nov 2008 09:17:27 CDT

A new generation of Japanese salarymen is dropping out of the competition for raises, promotions, and managerial opportunities, the Wall Street Journal reports. Older Japanese are shocked at the attitudes of these ambition-shunning young workers who openly decline to climb the corporate ladder and switch jobs in pursuit of less-demanding...

Bored at Work? Site Disguises Classic Lit

Nick McMaster — Fri, 30 May 2008 14:08:21 CDT

Business world got you down? Want to escape into a classic poem or short story? The New Zealand Book Council has made a website to help you: ReadatWork.com. The site brings up a fake Windows desktop with folders and PowerPoint files, the Wall Street Journal reports. Click on them,...

Takeover Could Leave Anheuser A Bit Skunked

Kevin Spak — Wed, 28 May 2008 16:10:06 CDT

Anheuser-Busch executives are surely examining the fate of Interbrew, the Belgian company swallowed in 2004 by InBev, the Brazilian juggernaut reportedly preparing to grab the iconic US brewer, the Wall Street Journal reports. InBev's locker-room, bottom-line-oriented corporate culture has quickly replaced beer-loving Belgians with Brazilian execs, a situation that would...