Ford botches Explorer launch, putting CEO back on hot seat

Ford Motor Co.’s Jim Hackett and Wall Street analysts started this year frustrated with one another. Sure, the automaker had been underperforming, but the chief executive appealed for time to show he was fixing things. He assured them the redesigned Explorer SUV rolling out months later would be a proof point. But rather than help the earnings results Ford delivers this week, the Explorer will be a hindrance. Sales have plunged as a plant plagued by personnel problems has struggled to get the new sport utility vehicle out the door. Thousands have been shipped 270 miles away to another Ford factory for rework. The botched Explorer launch puts Hackett back in the position he was early this year—testing the patience of investors. A downbeat assessment of how long it will take to turn the automaker around already cost the company an investment-grade credit rating. By pointing to the SUV as one of the first products he influenced, the CEO staked his reputation on it. "From a design, styling and content standpoint, it hit the marks,” Jeff Schuster, a forecasting analyst for LMC Automotive, said of the Explorer. “But if you can’t get out of the gate, that certainly is going to put some question marks not only on his credibility, but from a consumer standpoint, on the vehicle itself.” The transformation of Ford’s Chicago assembly plant was one of the most complex in the company’s history, a spokeswoman said. The company is shipping the new Explorer— the all-time best-selling... Continue reading at 'Advertising Age'

[ Advertising Age | 2019-10-21 21:58:49 UTC ]

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Murdoch courtroom fight to be a verdict on Lachlan's leadership

The succession battle playing out in a Nevada courtroom this month between Rupert Murdoch’s four oldest children could ultimately decide who controls Fox News and the Wall Street Journal, two of the most influential U.S. news outlets.Murdoch, 93, is seeking to change an irrevocable family trust... Continue reading at Crains New York

[ Crains New York | 2024-09-10 19:49:08 UTC ]
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U.S. Book Show: B&N CEO Says Chain Is in Midst of Significant Change

As Barnes & Noble continues to put its troubled past behind it, CEO James Daunt outlined the "process of change" at the company, which includes renovating stores to make them more appealing, empowering employees, adding sidelines, and renewing the browsing experience both offline and on. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2023-05-24 04:00:00 UTC ]
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The industry is ‘hostile environment on multiple levels’, says Singh

Jhalak Prize co-founder Sunny Singh has called out the industry’s “moral failure” to reflect diversity at every stage of publishing. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2020-06-28 12:52:03 UTC ]
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Black British authors top UK book charts in wake of BLM protests

Bernardine Evaristo and Reni Eddo-Lodge take No 1 slots in wake of anti-racist demonstrations, as Waterstones staff ask chain to support causeBernardine Evaristo and Reni Eddo-Lodge have become the first black British women to top the UK’s fiction and nonfiction paperback charts, in a week where... Continue reading at The Guardian

[ The Guardian | 2020-06-10 13:46:40 UTC ]
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"Do better, publishing people": an open letter to the industry

I have to start by admitting that when I began writing this letter last week, I was boiling mad and ready to take everyone on. Now, in its tenth or twentieth draft (I don’t know which) I’m still boiling mad, but most of your gaslighting social media posts that sent me over the edge have gone, so... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2020-06-10 12:34:21 UTC ]
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Dorothy Koomson: 'publishing is a hostile environment for Black authors'

Author Dorothy Koomson has written an open letter to the publishing industry, in which she describes it as a “hostile environment for Black authors”.   Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2020-06-10 06:37:48 UTC ]
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Glasstown Entertainment Under Fire From Former Employees, Authors

Book packager Glasstown Entertainment is being accused by former employees and authors of creating and perpetuating a hostile environment for people of color. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2020-06-09 04:00:00 UTC ]
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Amplifying the coronavirus protests

As the coronavirus quarantine stretches into its second month, some people are pushing the boundaries of the lockdown restrictions. Many of them are just going for a drive or trying to play Frisbee in a park. But in a number of cases, groups of protesters have gathered at town halls and other... Continue reading at Columbia Journalism Review

[ Columbia Journalism Review | 2020-04-22 11:50:46 UTC ]
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Muswell Press snaps up Isabel Costello novel

Independent publisher Muswell Press will publish literary blogger and author Isabel Costello’s book about a French perfumer’s "conflicting desires and a troubled past". Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2020-01-08 23:01:09 UTC ]
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Ford botches Explorer launch, putting CEO back on hot seat

Ford Motor Co.’s Jim Hackett and Wall Street analysts started this year frustrated with one another. Sure, the automaker had been underperforming, but the chief executive appealed for time to show he was fixing things. He assured them the redesigned Explorer SUV rolling out months later would be... Continue reading at Advertising Age

[ Advertising Age | 2019-10-21 21:58:49 UTC ]
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Free e-book: Hidden Words Hidden Worlds

Contemporary Short Stories from MyanmarIn 2017 the British Council produced an anthology of short stories from Myanmar.    In 2012 the British Council sought to take advantage of new freedoms in literature and travel through a programme of workshops. The aim of the five-year literature... Continue reading at British Council global

[ British Council global | 2019-09-10 08:55:33 UTC ]
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Car Brands Are Starting to Get the Marketing Data They've Always Wanted

The car industry isn't slowing down when it comes to employing more data for everything from vehicle malfunctions to marketing. In fact, in terms of digital advertising, the category looks like it's putting the pedal to the metal, as tech vendors, publishers and other players increasingly roll... Continue reading at AdWeek

[ AdWeek | 2015-02-04 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Apple agrees to pay $450m settlement in ebook price fixing case

iPad manufacturer to pay damages contingent upon appeals court ruling over whether it conspired with publishers to fix pricesApple has agreed to pay $450m (£262.7m) in the US to settle claims the iPad manufacturer conspired with five major publishers to fix ebook prices.It came ahead of damages... Continue reading at The Guardian

[ The Guardian | 2014-07-16 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Razorfish's Lord Takes Top Job at AOL Networks

Bob Lord may be leaving Publicis Groupe's Razorfish to run AOL Networks but, given a new partnership between Publicis Groupe and AOL, his ties to his former employer will remain strong. On Aug. 1, Lord, the outgoing CEO of Razorfish, starts as CEO of AOL Networks, the company's programmatic ad... Continue reading at AdWeek

[ AdWeek | 2013-07-19 00:00:00 UTC ]
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After the DoJ Settlement

On September 5, federal judge Denise Cote approved a deal between the Department of Justice and three publishers (Hachette, HarperCollins, and Simon & Schuster) to settle claims of ebook price fixing. What happens now? Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2012-09-07 00:00:00 UTC ]
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E-book price-fixing: three publishers agree to pay $69 million to consumers

Hachette Book Group, HarperCollins, and Simon & Schuster say they will pay consumers to settle claims they conspired to fix ebook prices. Continue reading at The Christian Science Monitor

[ The Christian Science Monitor | 2012-08-31 00:00:00 UTC ]
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