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Inbox(5)
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From:
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Sue Atkinson
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Sent: Dec. 20, 2006
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To:
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Friends of Atkinson
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Subj:
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RE: ‘Peanut Butter Manifesto’ shows we’re all alike
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People have made much ado about the so-called “Peanut Butter Manifesto,” an appeal to Yahoo!’s leadership written by SVP Brad Garlinghouse. The Wall Street Journal online even published the memo in its entirety.
The memo draws its name from an analogy of Yahoo!’s business strategy to spreading peanut butter across a myriad of business opportunities. Garlinghouse’s retort -- “I hate peanut butter. We all should.” – is the central theme of the memo.
Rarely do such interesting internal documents make their way to the public eye. When they do, they usually contain some salient lessons. In this case, the memo is a reminder that cool companies still have to execute on a basic business strategy. It shows that businesses regardless of size face many of the same issues – what’s our business, how do we focus our resources, how do we get out of our own way, etc.
More importantly, it shows the power of a well-crafted thought. Outsiders immediately endorsed the ideas of the memo once it was leaked to the WSJ, and Yahoo! has begun a restructuring designed to make it more focused.
Next question: Are peanut butter sandwiches now on the menu in the Yahoo! cafeteria?
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From:
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Sue Atkinson
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Sent: March 15, 2005
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To:
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Friends of Atkinson
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Subj:
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RE: ChoicePoint misses the point on data scandal
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For every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction - in physics and in business.
ChoicePoint and CEO Derek V. Smith knew for months that hackers had used fake business identities to steal personal information from hundreds of thousands of people. The company didn't admit the problem until it was forced to by a California law. Smith subsequently avoided interviews for more than a week before the pressure became to much. When he did appear, he played the victim.
The company's alleged cover up has it facing a triple threat of regulations - something they have avoided thus far - as Congress, state attorneys general, and state legislatures weigh greater oversight.
Identity theft is a huge international problem. ChoicePoint was a victim of a crime, and that's unfortunate. Covering up that crime and jeopardizing the credit information for thousands of consumers is unforgivable.
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From:
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Sue Atkinson
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Sent: January 14, 2005
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To:
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Friends of Atkinson
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Subj:
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FW: Moonves misses ball with statement about CBS scandal
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CBS deserves credit for taking time and objectively investigating the causes of the "Memogate" scandal involving unauthenticated National Guard memos about President George W. Bush. The news organization announced on Jan. 10 that it had fired four people involved in the story based upon the independent panel's findings.
CBS CEO Leslie Moonves missed the boat in his statement about the scandal. First all of, the statement is nearly eight pages long. That is a speech not a statement. Second, Moonves is 3,500 words into a 3,900 statment before he says the most important words of all: "We deeply regret the disservice this flawed 60 Minutes Wednesday report..." This is what journalists called the real lead. Moonves should have started with the apology and then delved into the graphic detail of the findings. He missed a real opportunity.
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From:
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Sue Atkinson
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Sent: December 1, 2004
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To:
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Friends of Atkinson
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Subj:
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RE: Great red state/blue state debate
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The presidential election did more than decide the next president for four years; it labeled all of us by color. Check out a sample of headlines since the election:
- Blue-state officials see themselves as a check on corporate power
- Execs mull how to gear blue shows to red states
- 'Red' reasoning on morality is confusing
- Red states weigh in as the court goes to pot
It's far too early to tell if this will have business implications. We can only hope that the great red state/blue state debate will go away soon -- color profiling doesn't help anybody.
One more interesting factoid from searching Google:
- "Red state" hits: 498,000
- "Blue state" hits: 265,000
- "Purple state" hits: 5,380
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From:
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Sue Atkinson
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Sent: November 1, 2004
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To:
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Friends of Atkinson
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Subj:
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FW: Your CEO should see this USA Today article about Merck and the Vioxx Crisis
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USA Today had a great article on Oct. 1 about Merck's initial handling of Vioxx crisis. CEO Ray Gilmartin got good marks from crisis experts for his taking charge of the crisis and being the face of the company. Very good stuff.
The best line in the article: "Merck already faced lawsuits related to the drug, and more now seem inevitable. But history shows that a stubborn response means the bad news trickles out, and it gives potential ammunition for punitive damages."
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