Executive Action Reports - The Conference Board

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Executive Action Reports

These brief reports address the most pressing business issues of the day. Download them free by clicking on the links below. Click here for help downloading pdf files.

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June 2009

June 30	Member Exclusive	Ethics and Compliance Enforcement Decisions – the Information Gap Senior executives and corporate directors want to know whether companies have "received credit" (i.e., avoided prosecution or obtained sentence reductions) for having effective ethics and compliance programs - but such information is in short supply.
June 25	Member Exclusive	The Role of the Board in Turbulent Times: Responding to Unsolicited Takeover Offers An overview of issues a board may consider in evaluating its corporation's governance profile, given the potential increase in unsolicited offers in the current market environment.
June 15	Member Exclusive	On the Record with Barry Melancon Barry Melancon, President and CEO of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants, discusses some of the successful initiatives that the AICPA has taken to build a strong pipeline for the accounting profession.
June 9	Member Exclusive	Mission Accomplished? What Every Leader Should Know about Survivor Syndrome This Executive Action report explores the concept of "survivor syndrome," how it materializes, and what to do about it.

May 2009

May 28	Member Exclusive	Shift in U.S. Policy on Climate Change Opens a New Era for Business It's no longer business as usual when it comes to climate change. A significant change of direction for U.S. regulatory policy on the issue will eventually affect all of business.
May 26	Member Exclusive	The CEO View . . .Managing through the Global Financial Crisis CEOs of five of the world's leading companies predict that the current global financial crisis will leave its mark on how business is done in the future. But how, to what degree, and for how long?
May 21	Member Exclusive	Waddayaknow? Knowledge Management Can Be an Organization's Key to Survival This Executive Action report uses three case studies to build a business case for implementing Knowledge Management, and provides tips for making KM work.
May 18		Key Questions in Pandemic Planning This report addresses questions of concern to business managers across sectors, industries, and regions in light of the current resurgence of a global pandemic health threat.
May 8		The Potential Economic Impact of the 2009 A(H1N1) Influenza (Swine Flu) Pandemic While it's too early to determine the ultimate scope of the A(H1N1) influenza pandemic, a comparison to the 2003 SARS outbreak shows the economic impact may be short-lived and will not significantly alter long-term trends in global macro economic activity
May 1		Action Plans for Dealing With a Global Pandemic This report summarizes the business and health lessons from previous epidemics and provides important insights to managers about dealing with today's pandemic-related issues.

April 2009

Apr. 15

Member Exclusive

The Role of the Board in Turbulent Times: Avoiding Shareholder Activism
This report provides board members with a checklist of issues they should consider addressing in their relations with shareholders and, in particular, how to avoid a costly and disruptive battle with an activist investor.

March 2009

Mar. 19	Member Exclusive	How to Compete and Win In a Broken Economy While many small and midsize firms are struggling to survive, stronger companies will find opportunities to improve their competitive position.
Mar. 12	Member Exclusive	Changing Attitudes to Work - What Should HR Do? Participants at The Conference Board’s European Human Resources Council Summit issue a set of management recommendations to deal with changing work attitudes.

February 2009

Feb. 19

Member Exclusive

The Role of the Board in Turbulent Times: Overseeing Internal Investigations
This report provides boards of directors of SEC-reporting companies with guidance to consider when confronting material evidence of internal misconduct or the prospect of investigations by the federal government or a self-regulatory organization.

January 2009

Jan. 28	Member Exclusive	Tighten Your Supply Chain to Wring Out Costs This report features insights and practical advice from corporate executives and supply-chain experts, and helpful suggestions for recruiting logistic specialists.
Jan. 12	Member Exclusive	A Crisis of Confidence Despite ongoing concerns that the current economic crisis could end up resembling The Great Depression, data so far shows that this recession is in far better shape than the circumstances of 1929.
Jan. 8	Member Exclusive	Assessing Corporate Strategy—Liquidity Needs, Strategic Transactions, Internal Controls and Disclosure This report provides U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) reporting companies with a checklist of issues that their board members, in collaboration with top executives, should consider addressing.