BulletProofBlog the blog on crisis communications

Last week, Wall Street was abuzz over an uptick in merger and acquisition activity that some analysts expect to evolve into a full-blown rebound by the end of the year. From the media and entertainment sector to the high-tech industry to the alternative energy market, companies now emerging from the cash-strapped days of 2008 and 2009 are looking to make moves. But before the wheeling and dealing begins in earnest, companies seeking to make major ... READ MORE

In an unprecedented nod to the significant brand damage that negative public perceptions can inflict on even the most successful companies, investment banking giant Goldman Sachs has cited “adverse publicity” as an important “Risk Factor” in its 2010 Annual Report. While the move may not surprise some, especially given the recent criticism Goldman Sachs has endured on issues ranging from executive compensation to the degree to which it played a role in the global financial meltdown, ... READ MORE

Each week, Bulletproof Blog™ features exclusive interviews with thought leaders on issues of critical importance to companies and countries. This week, as corporations embark on a 2010 proxy season that promises to be as challenging as any recent in memory, we interview Todd Lang, a Senior Partner at the law firm of Weil, Gotshal & Manges LLP with more than 50 years of experience in matters of corporate governance. Mr. Lang has served as chair of ... READ MORE

Recent rules issued by the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) have set a new standard of transparency and accountability for the 2010 proxy season. But with investor confidence still reeling from global financial meltdown, the foremost challenge for public companies as annual meetings begin isn’t simple compliance; it is finding ways to go above and beyond what is required in order to articulate leadership at a time of drastic change. In this month’s edition of ... READ MORE

This week’s news that the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) will allow American Airlines and British Airways to “more closely coordinate international operations in transatlantic markets” among themselves and other carriers demonstrates that the correlation between Main Street opinion and Beltway deliberation is as strong as ever when it comes to competition issues. Even in this era of economic hardship and stepped up antitrust enforcement, we now have a clear indication that companies seeking to consolidate ... READ MORE

News earlier this month – that New York State Attorney General and gubernatorial aspirant Andrew Cuomo filed a fraud suit against former Bank of America head Ken Lewis and the bank’s former Chief Financial Officer – did not surprise most observers. Even if the lawsuit does not support Cuomo’s run for higher office (which it does), he’d already spent months investigating BofA executives for allegedly depriving shareholders of material information about Merrill Lynch’s financial condition ... READ MORE

Eastman Kodak Co executives optimistically claimed at its annual investor meeting on Feb. 4th that sales will grow this year despite its dip in stock. Some investors were skeptical. Among other concerns, they worry that the company depends too heavily on patent licensing agreements. Those agreements are expected to rake in at least $250 million to $350 million annually over the next few years. Reportedly, “Kodak will reap another $450 million this year from Samsung alone, ... READ MORE

In this regular feature, Bulletproof interviews top plaintiffs' attorneys for their perspective on the crises likely to affect businesses in the near future. Today we talk to Marc R. Levy of Levy, Morse & Wheeler, P.C. in Denver. A lawyer who usually defends insurance companies, Mr. Levy recently won one of the largest plaintiff’s verdicts in Colorado history against Time Insurance (also known as Fortis and Assurant Health). In late January, a jury found for his ... READ MORE

In a move aimed at reassuring investors that fairness is being restored to the financial marketplace, President Obama last week announced that he is requesting a 12 percent increase in the Securities and Exchange Commission’s (SEC) FY2011 budget. If enacted, the president’s request would infuse more than 100 new enforcement staffers into the SEC as it continues to take on a rapidly growing case load. Since Chairman Mary Schapiro took the helm of the embattled agency ... READ MORE

In years past, the World Economic Forum meetings in Davos, Switzerland was a chance for CEOs to hit the slopes and hobnob with movie stars, musicians, and supermodels. Last year, in the midst of the worst financial crisis since the Great Depression, that changed. With Congress, investors, and the public at large up in arms over the luxuries that defined excess, many corporate leaders wisely chose to stay home. How soon they forget. While this year’s gathering ... READ MORE