October 2002
Working With Moms (And Dads)
The majority of mothers are in the workforce, even mothers with small babies. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, 55 percent of women with babies under a year old are working, 76 percent of mothers of 5 - 10 year olds, and 80 percent of those with 11 - 17 year olds are working. Putting aside the 'don't go there' question of whether working motherhood is good or bad, the reality is that the majority of mothers do work. For the health of families, and to harness the talents and contributions of working women, it's in the interests of employers to make it easier for moms to work.
The Force In Performance Reviews
In the face of mounting legal challenges, Goodyear recently abandoned its "forced ranking" performance review system. What kind of system is that? It's one in which pre-determined percentages of employees are "forced" into categories on a performance scale - only so many employees can be A's, B's, or C's or top, middle, and bottom. The distribution typically follows a bell-shaped curve with 10 percent in the top category, 80 percent in the middle, and 10 percent in the bottom. Fortune Magazine notes that up to 25 percent of the largest corporations have used a version of forced ranking, including GE, Ford, Conoco, Hewlett Packard, Microsoft, Intel, and yes, Enron.
BusinessWeek Ranks Penn State's Smeal MBA Program
Penn State's Smeal College of Business MBA Program was ranked among the top 50 MBA Programs in the U.S. according to the new BusinessWeek report, "2002 Rankings of The Best Business Schools," released on October 10, 2002. The Smeal College's MBA was listed among programs ranked alphabetically between 30 to 50. This was the same ranking received by the program in BusinessWeek's prior survey published in 2000. This report can be viewed at www.businessweek.com/bschools/.
Chairman Of Esté Lauder Companies Inc. To Deliver Melvin Jacobs Retail Leadership Lecture
Leonard Lauder, Chairman of The Estée Lauder Companies Inc., will present the "Melvin Jacobs Retail Leadership Lecture Series," at the Penn State Smeal College of Business. The lecture series is named in tribute to Melvin Jacobs, a 1947 graduate of Penn State and former Chairman and CEO of Saks Fifth Ave. Mel's wife, Rosalind "Roz" Jacobs, and daughter, Peggy Learner, established the lectureship to provide the Smeal College with lectures by outstanding leaders who are shaping the future of the retail industry. The event is scheduled to take place at 4 p.m., Thursday, October 24, at the Nittany Lion Inn, Ballroom A and B. It is open to the public.
Penn State Accounting Graduate Ranks Among Most Powerful Women In America
Fortune magazine has selected a 1974 graduate of Penn State's Smeal College of Business as one of the "Most Powerful Women in America." Patricia (Pat) Woertz, an executive vice president of ChevronTexaco Corp., is ranked 8th among the 50 "Most Powerful Women in American Business," according to Fortune magazine's annual compilation which can be found online at http://www.fortune.com/fortune/powerwomen/index.html . This is the fourth year in a row she has been so recognized by the magazine.
Building Culture Through Buildings
Corporate headquarters are interesting -- for their intrigue, and for their looks. They represent far more than real estate assets. They communicate the organization's culture, and they shape behaviors.
