In considering my 2011 picks I took a look at Boeing Co (BA), interested by the story. There are many ways for this company's future to play out in a very positive scenario.

The airline industry has been rejuvenated as of late -- and that is good news for aircraft manufacturers. The Republicans won the house majority and that usually improves the fortunes of defense contractors.

The 787 Dreamliner, now three years and counting behind schedule, is in test flight mode. The plane portrayed as a dream to travelers and airline companies has turned into a nightmare of sorts, or at least the dream has changed. Boeing is dreaming of the day they start manufacturing and selling and profiting from all their labor.

Boeing (NYSE: BA) has had its share of troubles in the last year. It suffered from a two month strike of its 27,000 worker machinists union which cost it an estimated $10 million a day in lost profit, it delayed its 900-backlog 787 Dreamliner several times and it's now two years behind schedule; new orders fell to about 662 planes in 2008, just over half the 1,413 ordered in 2007; and it laid off 800 workers, or 27% of its 3,000-worker Wichita, KS defense unit anticipating lower orders due to the government's focus on the financial crisis.

That's not to say that all is terrible at Boeing. After all, it has a 3,714 aircraft backlog and assuming it can make about 400 aircraft a year -- that means Boeing needs to produce over nine years worth of aircraft. And that doesn't take into account the possibility that Boeing could win a $35 billion airborne refueling tanker project that could be put out for bid in 2009. Not only that, Boeing's finances are pretty good -- it has $65.7 billion in revenues and $3.8 billion in net profit over the last 12 months.

So why did Boeing announce Friday that it plans to cut 6.7% of its Washington state-based Commercial Aircraft unit's workforce beginning in February? Boeing expects a slowdown in commercial aircraft demand that it believes requires it to cut 4,500 jobs. That could be because with the economy contracting and financing tough for just about everything -- including multimillion dollar aircraft -- there could be a serious order slowdown in 2009 and 2010, order deferrals -- potentially between 30% and 70% of the total, and some cancellations as well.

Last fall, Boeing's 27,000 machinists went on strike for 52 days. Not surprisingly, this put a crimp in Boeing's ability to meet its production schedule. Until today, it was hard to know just how much damage that strike did. Now we know that Boeing's 2008 aircraft deliveries dropped 15% thanks to the strike. But big questions remain for investors.

The numbers are not pretty. Boeing delivered 375 commercial planes in 2008, 15% fewer than the 441 it delivered in 2007. Prior to the strike, in early 2008, expectations for the year ranged from 475 to 480. But Boeing fell far short. Boeing finished 2008 with 662 commercial airplane orders, bringing its total backlog of unfilled orders to over 3,700. But the 2008 figure was less than half 2007's record order amount.

Meanwhile, Boeing's 787 Dreamliner -- which accounts for 900 aircraft in that backlog -- is about two years behind schedule. The 787's delays are taking engineers away from other projects, such as the one to update its 747 jumbo jet, which has now been delayed nine months. Despite all this bad news, we still don't know how much these delays will cost Boeing in lost revenues and profits. And it remains to be seen whether the fourth 787 production delay will be its last.

Boeing Co. (NYSE: BA) CEO, Jim McNerney, is managing a 159,300 employee aircraft manufacturer with $66.4 billion in sales and $4 billion in profits (both 2007 figures). If you're running a small business or aspire to start one, is there anything you can learn from McNerney that could help you achieve your business goals? Yes.

Portfolio is publishing my eighth book, You Can't Order Change, which studies how McNerney manages Boeing. To write this book I interviewed people who worked with McNerney and scrutinized how he manages people, strategy, operations, and communities. What I discovered is that McNerney has come up with very effective techniques for addressing 11 common CEO challenges.

Though McNerney is far from perfect -- for example, Boeing's popular 787 Dreamliner is two years behind schedule -- here are six such techniques that I think are the most useful to small business leaders:

• Make your people 15% better. McNerney motivates people to get 15% better every year -- and in so doing, boosts financial performance. Specifically, he focuses on people who have the potential to change due to their openness, courage, and teamwork. And he views his job as removing the bureaucratic obstacles that keep them from "igniting." To get there, he encourages the flow of information up and down the line. He gets phenomenally talented jerks out of the line, and he invests in leadership development.

After a 52-day strike, Boeing Co. (NYSE: BA) has reached a tentative deal with its 27,000 member machinists union. Tentative details suggest that workers will get a 15% wage increase over three years, an $8,000 bonus over four years, and a freeze of medical costs at 2005 levels. Furthermore, the new contract limits the amount of work that can be outsourced and will last a year longer than the previous pact. But even though the contract has not been ratified, this is good news for Boeing and its workers.

Limiting outsourcing could be good for Boeing and the workers depending on how it's accomplished. One of the reasons for the delay in delivering its very popular 787 aircraft was that Boeing outsourced the majority of the design and manufacture of the components and later discovered that it was not doing enough to manage those subcontractors. As a result, Boeing suffered unpleasant surprises in its delivery schedule.

If Boeing and its machinists agreed to give the union a chance to bid on work under consideration to be outsourced, then both parties might be better off. That's because if the union offered a competitive price and excellent quality, Boeing would likely find it easier to manage its union workers than those of a subcontractor located half way around the world.

Although Boeing Inc. (NYSE: BA) won a recent victory in its battle to delay the competition for a $35 billion Air Force airborne tanker, it faces a lengthy strike with its machinists -- one that could last as long as two months. If estimates by BusinessWeek prove accurate, the strike could take between "30 and 65 days" to be resolved. That could cost Boeing as much as "$2.3 billion in revenues this quarter," according to Business Week.

The strike could be costly to workers as well. And a 65 day strike would cost its 27,000 International Association of Machinists (IAM) workers as much as $241 million in lost pay. (This assumes that IAM workers get paid nothing the first two weeks and then earn $150 a week for the remaining 7.2 weeks of a 65-day strike compared to the $56,000 annual pay they would have received had they continued working).

It looks like the IAM's primary bone of contention is Boeing's desire to maintain the flexibility to outsource work. But, as I posted, IAM has six specific complaints. And it does not like what it saw as Boeing's efforts to go over the heads of IAM leadership by communicating directly with workers. But ultimately, it appears that for workers it is about whether or not they will have a job in the future.

The New York Times answered a question I had regarding how much striking International Association of Machinists (IAM) workers will get paid during their strike. The answer is that after the first two weeks, IAM workers take a huge pay cut. And though Boeing Inc. (NYSE: BA) will lose $100 million a day during the strike, striking may be more painful for workers.

The Times reports that "if the strike goes on for more than two weeks, union members will begin drawing $150 a week in strike pay. The typical pay for a union member is $27 an hour, or about $56,000 a year before overtime and bonuses."

If my understanding is right, the workers get no pay during the first two weeks of the strike and then take an 86% cut from their normal pay each week thereafter -- excluding overtime and bonuses. (This assumes that they normally make $1,077 a week for 52 weeks a year and that the $150 a week strike pay is pretax). With the high cost of food and gasoline these days, that kind of pay cut is going to hurt IAM members.

BusinessWeek reports that Boeing Inc.'s (NYSE: BA) 27,000 workers in the International Association of Machinists (IAM) union are eager to strike and they don't want to wait. Their anger is a microcosm of all those in America who feel that they have paid the price for globalization. Unfortunately, for Boeing and IAM, there is no contract that can relieve their anger.

BusinessWeek reveals six sources of IAM worker rage:

• Requiring workers to pay more of their health care costs - Boeing "is demanding that workers pick up more of the tab for their health-care costs. Some workers argue that a few visits to the hospital would instantly eat up any wage gains," according to BusinessWeek.
• Limiting death benefits for IAM members' families - Boeing wants to "limit death benefits for survivors, giving spouses of deceased Boeing workers a flat $4,000 payment instead of guaranteed monthly payments for life," according to BusinessWeek.
• Outsourcing - Workers believe that Boeing's decision to outsource much of the work on the 787 is responsible for production delays and that the program would have gone more smoothly if they had done more of the work in the U.S.

Despite excellent earnings from Boeing Co. (NYSE: BA) yesterday, a bit of a shadow still hangs over the company. That's because in February the Air Force awarded a $100 billion contract for in-flight refueling craft -- known as tankers -- to EADS's Airbus and Northrop Grumman (NYSE: NOC). Boeing is currently challenging this award. But an interview I did for my book on Boeing suggests that Boeing will not win this contract because George W. Bush and John McCain want to award the contract to Bush's new friends: France's Nicolas Sarkozy and Germany's Angela Merkel.

I got this theory from a veteran Wall Street analyst who covers the aircraft industry. He suggested that Boeing lost the Tanker bid because John McCain -- who is ranking member on the Senate Armed Services Committee -- had the Air Force change the specifications for the tanker bid so Airbus and Northrop would be able to field a competitive bid. My source noted that the one problem with the change was that the Air Force did not inform Boeing about it.

After the bid was awarded to Airbus, it became clear that the original specifications had changed from a small, 767-sized craft to a medium-sized 777 one. During the review process, my source contends that Boeing asked the Air Force if the 767-sized craft was what it wanted. Boeing also told the Air Force that it would be happy to bid with a different model if the Air Force wanted. But the Air Force told Boeing that it still wanted the 767-sized craft.

If Boeing (NYSE: BA) were writing for BloggingStocks:

We have a great article for you; the best you've ever read. It will save you a ton of money, bring back your youth, enlarge your penis or bust line, cure cancer, solve global warming, eliminate the national debt, provide jobs to all Americans, is family-values friendly, tastes delicious but is calorie-free, is hilarious without demeaning any race or sex, and will remain relevant for at least the next twenty years.

Unfortunately, posting of this article will be delayed due to a worldwide shortage of ampersands and the outsourcing of verbs to China. Look for this article in the first third quarter of 2008 2009, although we're happy to take orders (and prepayment) for it at any time.

Until then, you'll have to be satisfied with more of our same old bologna. But the article will be worth the wait. And don't pay any attention to those Europeans promising just as good an article. They don't even speak our lingua franca, do they?

It's not bad enough that air travelers are facing more and more delays, and airlines are canceling more and flights, but along comes airplane maker Boeing (NYSE:BA) announcing that its 787 Dreamliner is going to face a delay of at least 14 months until deliveries are made.

According to the AP report: "The Times of London reported on its Web site late Wednesday, quoting those familiar with the matter who asked not to be identified, that delays for 787 could reach 18 months, while the Seattle Post-Intelligencer put the delay at 14 months from the original goal."

What's with this industry? Why can't anything be on time?

With three airlines going bankrupt in the last week alone, the industry is a mess. It's no wonder Boeing announced the delay because it needs to really make sure that the plane is sound structurally. The Seattle Times had a story about airline woes and reported: "American, Delta and United airlines recently canceled flights to perform unscheduled inspections of certain aircraft, and US Airways found problems on some Boeing 757s after a wing part on one of its planes fell off during a flight."

With the busy summer travel season fast approaching, travelers better plan for even more delays.

Aaron Katsman is the lead Portfolio Manager and Managing Director of America Israel Investment Associates, LLC. and Senior Editor of IsraelNewsletter.com. DISCLOSURE: Writer's fund has no position in any stock mentioned, as of 4/9/08.

The Associated Press reports that Boeing Co. (NYSE: BA) has announced that it will delay the delivery of its 787 Dreamliner again -- for the fourth time. Specifically, Boeing now expects to deliver in the fourth quarter of 2008 and it says it is building extra time into the testing schedule to reduce the risk of further delays. Delays for 787 could reach between 14 and 18 months from the original goal of September 2007.

I am working on a book about Boeing and I've found two schools of thought on the 787. One school thinks that delays of this nature are normal for an aircraft that uses so much new technology. Airbus has had multi-year delays with its A-380, for example. Another school of thought suggests that Boeing has regally mismanaged its relationships with its suppliers. It outsourced both the design and manufacture of the 787 to suppliers around the world. The idea was that the suppliers would produce all the parts and ship them to Boeing's factory in Washington state. Then Boeing would then snap the pieces together in a few days.

MAJOR PAPERS:

• In an effort to increase sales in the Middle East, the Wall Street Journal reported that Dell Inc (NASDAQ: DELL) is in talks with a government-owned vehicle in Dubai called Tecom about establishing a joint venture.
• The Wall Street Journal also reported that Washington Mutual Incorporated (NYSE: WM), which obtained a $7B capital infusion from TPG and other investors, had reportedly been working on the TPG deal while negotiating with JP Morgan Chase & Co (NYSE: JPM), which made a preliminary takeover bid of about $7B, people familiar with the deal said.
• Citigroup Incorporated (NYSE: C) is close to reaching a deal to sell $12B in leveraged loans at a discount to a group of leading private equity firms, the Financial Times reported. Although details of the deal were still being worked out, inside sources said Apollo Management, The Blackstone Group LP (NYSE: BX) and TPG would buy the loan portfolio at a discount that could come in at about 90 cents on the dollar.

OTHER PAPERS:

• The UK Times reported that The Boeing Company (NYSE: BA) is today expected to announce that its 787 Dreamliner has been delayed by 18 months, a setback which will affect all airlines that have ordered the 787, including British Airways Plc (OTC: BAIRY) and Virgin Atlantic.

MAJOR PAPERS:

• General Motors Corporation (NYSE: GM) and Ford Motor Company (NYSE: F) want to export more of their vehicles around the globe, and are getting a lift from new labor contracts and the weak dollar, which they believe will translate to bigger profits, the Wall Street Journal reported.
• The Wall Street Journal also reported that former Fed chairman Alan Greenspan has been criticized for how he handled the economy before retiring two years ago, and is under attack for policies that many say started the current financial crisis.

OTHER PAPERS:

• According to a person with knowledge of the matter, the Seattle Post-Intelligencer reported that The Boeing Company (NYSE: BA) is likely to announce a new delay of at least six more month for the 787 Dreamliner this week.

WEB SITES:

• According to 'numerous sources,' Housing Wire reported that Washington Mutual Incorporated (NYSE: WM) may have decided to exit wholesale mortgage origination.

FT.com reports that Boeing's (NYSE: BA) biggest customer believes that its 787 Dreamliner will be delayed even further due to a redesign of the part of the plane where the wings attach to the fuselage. Steven Udvar-Hazy, chairman of International Lease Finance Corporation (ILFC), the 787's biggest customer warned that the 787's first deliveries would be delayed for at least another six months because its center wing box – which holds the wings in place – needed to be redesigned. Yvonne Leach of Boeing said: "We are doing some redesign work but things are more complex than what he said. There's a whole load of things going on."

On the plus side, Boeing has received 857 orders for the 787 totaling $140 billion. On the minus side, Boeing originally planned to deliver the 787 in May 2008. I have lost track of the precise number of announced delays in the 787's delivery. Hazy said he expected delivery of the long-range, 250-300 seat jet to be delayed until the end of the third quarter of next year. Boeing's most recent guidance was that the Dreamliner would be ready "early" in 2009.

Many of the people I interviewed for my book on Boeing are not very concerned about the delay -- saying that Boeing is committed to getting it right and that delays are normal for a new program with new technology. But with the penalty payments for late delivery, the low prices needed to close deals, and the higher costs required to fix the problems, Joseph Nadoll of JPMorgan Chase & Co. (NYSE: JPM) suggests a steady "eating away at program margins and long-term program profitability."

Boeing stock -- which lost 4% of its value yesterday -- was up about 1% in after-hours markets.

Peter Cohan is President of Peter S. Cohan & Associates. He also teaches management at Babson College and edits The Cohan Letter. He has no financial interest in the securities mentioned and is writing a book on Boeing.