Microsoft boots CIO Stuart Scott over company violations originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Wed, 07 Nov 2007 10:54:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Today's New York Times takes an interesting look at some recent cases of corporate executives losing their jobs over perceived moral and ethical failings. HBO CEO Chris Albrecht was asked to resign after he was accused of assaulting his girlfriend, and the head of Citigroup's global wealth management group left after questions were raised about his relationship with CNBC anchor Maria Bartiromo. And the most interesting and scandalous case by far was that of Julie Roehm, the Wal-Mart ad executive fired for incidents surrounding her affair with a colleague.

According to some, the swift firings are motivated by fear of lawsuits and political correctness. While that may be part of it, I think there may be a better reason for dumping executives involved in questionable behavior: A person who behaves unethically is one area of his life is more likely to be unethical in other areas. How likely is it that a man who assaults his girlfriend treats his colleagues with respect? While some people are able to compartmentalize their lives exceptionally well, I just don't think a company needs to keep employees who have displayed huge moral and ethical shortcomings.

Should executives be fired for personal failures? originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Tue, 15 May 2007 08:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Over the past few years, RadioShack's (RSH) stock has seen a steady decline. Then again, the company looks like it is still stuck in the 1970s. Why go to RadioShack when you can get much more selection at places like Best Buy or Circuit City or even Wal-Mart?

True, the company has tried to do some innovative things, such as cutting a VOIP deal with Skype (which is a division of eBay). But, the fact remains that the value proposition for customers is amorphous.

The company has also had a lot of drama in the boardroom. That is, the company's former CEO resigned because of errors on his resume. Also, he did not appear for court on a DWI (driving while intoxicated) charge.

So, within the past few months, RadioShack has finally realized the world has changed and it has, as a result, initiated a restructuring. It means closing stores and firing people.

Yesterday, RadioShack sent a cold email to roughly 400 employees. The gist: "The work force reduction notification is currently in progress. Unfortunately your position is one that has been eliminated."

Continue reading RadioShack: You're fired! (via email)

RadioShack: You're fired! (via email) originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Thu, 31 Aug 2006 11:23:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

I saw the headline and yawned. OK, I'm overstating. But was it a surprise to me -- or anyone -- that AOL is planning big staff cuts in conjunction with the company's much-ballyhoed free AOL email offerings? Hardly. Staff cuts in May were seen as only a small piece of an ongoing puzzle as AOL changes from a dial-up, ISP, customer service-based business to a content-rich advertising-based model.

Sure, 5,000 employees, a quarter of AOL's worldwide workforce, is a lot of people. And no one likes job losses. Except maybe investors, who should be pleased -- customer service isn't cheap and the focus is on cash flow or, as Time Warner likes to call it, OIBDA. Should be, but weren't. Although the stock sank only a few pennies today, to $16.65, TWX was down another 17 cents in after-hours trading on the news.

AOL staff on chopping block: is anyone surprised? originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Thu, 03 Aug 2006 18:24:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.