Category Archives: Business Stories

Two-Minute Mentor #3: Where at all possible, defend your people in public and reprimand in private

When Richard Branson, founder and chairperson of the Virgin Group, was seven years old, he took some 50 pence in loose change from his father’s table and walked over to a candy store. The shopkeeper suspected Richard and wanted to … Continue reading

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Business Folklore: Origin of the expression “You are fired!”

The term ‘fired’ is a colloquial expression for dismissing a person from employment. It became more popular owing to the NBC reality show ‘The Apprentice’ where the host, businessman Donald Trump, eliminates contestants for a high-level management job by “firing” … Continue reading

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Home Depot Stock Underperformance: Who’s to Blame?

Home Depot Chairman and CEO Robert Nardelli resigned on Wednesday. Since early 2006, Nardelli had been under a fair amount of criticism from investors primarily for disproportionate compensation and poor performance of Home Depot’s stock [

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Procter and Gamble: One of the world’s best breeding grounds for managers

A senior colleague at work recently mentioned that Procter and Gamble [PG] recruited his daughter as a management trainee. She would work at the corporate headquarters in downtown Cincinnati, Ohio. He said, “She interviewed at General Electric [GE] and got … Continue reading

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Man, machine and nature: Aircrafts landing in crosswinds

Last month, an Airbus A380 aircraft completed crosswind performance trials at an airport in Ireland. A crosswind condition occurs when a wind blows across the direction of travel. A crosswind-landing condition occurs when a large vector (component) of the prevailing … Continue reading

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‘Black Friday’ and the Shopping Craze

Today, the day after Thanksgiving, marks the first day of the holiday shopping season. The retailing industry terms this day ‘Black Friday’. In theory, stores expect to switch from losses (accounted for in red color in financial statements) to profits … Continue reading

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