Judith Samuelson

In the good ol' days, except on rare occasions, business stories were found on the business page. That is no longer the case. Take the last couple of months. Barely a week has gone by without a major business story breaking on the front page -- with sufficient intrigue and...

This week's vote by 55 percent of Citigroup shareholders to oppose CEO Vikram Pandit's $15 million pay package should sound a death knell for outdated methods of determining executive compensation.

The shareholders used their prerogative granted under the Dodd-Frank Wall Street and Consumer Protection Act to weigh...

A teacher at a prominent business school takes her students through a simple exercise each semester. Every student must register a new company, which means paying a $60 fee and describing the new enterprise's purpose on a form. The professor's teachable moment in this: Purpose is the starting point, and...

The Committee to Encourage Corporate Philanthropy just celebrated International Corporate Philanthropy Day to inspire global business to grow its philanthropic investments. While I share the desire to encourage good works by business, philanthropy is not the strongest starting point.

Philanthropy by corporations, individuals and foundations does a...

As the Occupy Movement gears up for its next phase, I hope it can help give visibility to ideas that move beyond vilifying "corporations" and "capitalism" and begin to focus on the incentives and policies that create sub-optimal results from business and capital markets. We need a more...

As global power brokers jet home from Davos, it's easy to be cynical about the value of such "gabfests," and wonder whether these face-to-face settings, with their massive carbon footprints, are worth continuing in an age of Skype and email.

The expanse of topics covered, from the aftermath of the...

NEW YORK, NY -- I was seriously into re-gifting for Christmas this year. Just ask my kids.

My daughters, Anna and Sarah, and nieces Rachel and Leah, each received a notebook of favorite family recipes, decorated with old photos and watercolors from vacations past. Rachel loved the never-been-used colander that...

Facebook has stayed private longer than anyone expected, but news reports suggest the pressure to create a market for its current investors is mounting from the lucky employees who own restricted stock as well as the array of outside investors who purchased shares in private offerings and want to cash...

I renewed my driver's license last year and was asked if I wanted a new photo. Saying yes was a mistake. Ten years of aging and a bad hair day made me want to turn back the clock. I feel the same way when I check out the morning headlines....

While the Euro Zone threw global markets into turmoil last week, all eyes here in the U.S. were riveted on Pennsylvania, as a shocking story of transgression and deception unfolded at Penn State. The story that held our attention is a familiar one -- part personal, part professional.

The...

America got some good news last week. Virginia M. Rometty was tapped as the next CEO of IBM. "Ginni," as she is known to her friends and colleagues at IBM, did not get the job because she is a woman (well, that's a relief!) Current CEO Sam Palmisano...

Jobs, jobs, jobs. Everyone is talking about them -- and most of the news is about the fact that no one is doing much to create them. Except that is not the full story. I suggest we refocus on those who ARE investing in jobs -- and see if we...

Amid the deep affection and accolades pouring out this week to commemorate Steve Jobs, I heard a message that has the power to transform how we talk about business in classrooms and boardrooms alike. The message comes through loud and clear, from both colleagues and competitors. Jobs' passion -- even...

NEW YORK -- A week ago, I happened on "Occupy Wall Street," which took on an even larger proportion this past weekend. When I saw it, the demonstration was taking place in a tiny park just steps from the giant construction site that the World Trade Center has become. The...

It took a global meltdown and harsh criticism of the education system, but business educators are stepping up to the plate to bring the so-called "soft stuff" -- like values, ethical considerations, long term environmental impacts and the complex interplay between business decisions and the health of society -- right...

The latest rage in socially responsible business is the Benefit Corporation. "B-Corps" have charters and protocols that make clear the intention to achieve "profits -- plus"-- i.e., a financial return, plus a social or environmental return.

Frankly, I don't get it.

Five states have already set...

If I could give an award for the most bewildering headline in recent months, it would be the story that the Wall Street Journal ran last week on top of a prominently positioned article about Pepsi and the shrinking cola market: "PepsiCo Wakes Up and Smells the Cola:...

I saw a remarkable new play this weekend based on a real event and a divisive subject matter. In 1920, Harvard convened a "secret court" to dislodge what was seen as a significant threat to campus civility and safety -- homosexuality. The school officials ultimately convicted 14 men...

A study released last week that examined corporate profitability is causing consternation in the ranks of the Corporate Social Responsibility industry, not necessarily because of its findings but the misleading way they're being summarized by the business press. The New York Times, for example, offered this headline: "To...

Most of the 100,000 or so MBA students who are graduating this month, and by all accounts heading into an improving job market, embarked upon their business education in fall 2009, the official midpoint of the Great Recession. Along the way, they absorbed the slings and arrows of a society...