article thumbnail

How IBM's Sam Palmisano Redefined the Global Corporation

Harvard Business Review

Palmisano believes the technology industry requires "a high-performance, in-your-face, speak-your-mind culture." In 2009 he called off the $7 billion acquisition of Sun Microsystems in part due to Sun's egregious golden parachutes. Directness. He's personable, but blunt. Microsoft's enterprise services stagnated.

article thumbnail

Income Inequality Is a Sustainability Issue

Harvard Business Review

As an example, last March, 68% of Swiss voters approved a measure giving shareholders the right to block executive and Board pay packages, outlawing “golden parachutes,” and increasing transparency regarding loans and retirement packages, according to the Wall Street Journal. Yes, Switzerland.