North Central University
BTM 7101-8
Abstract
Throughout history CEOs have shown themselves to be resourceful and demanding in their daily business lives they ultimately have to be in order to continue the life of their business, however the question is what they do with the power and wealth they attain once the business is successful. There are those CEOs that believe in the institution that they built or run, there are also those that choose to exploit the wealth of their position and use the perks of the job to their benefit. This comparison serves to show the good and bad aspects of CEOs as it pertains to their wealth and what it is that made them successful or unsuccessful.
Introduction
The following CEOs were great because of their method and longevity but longevity takes skill and is not without its pitfalls each although successfully still had to take the moral high ground or face the consequences of the media. Because of their fame popularity and wealth; as CEOs they had perks that many of us can only dream of however if those perks were to be misused in any way they would suffer the consequences of being scrutinized and possibly going to jail. Not only was their business lives under scrutiny but also their personal lives would also play a role in determining their success. These individuals outlined here are:
Michael Dell of dell computers
Jack Welch GE CEO
Andy Grove Intel CEO
Sam Walton Wal-Mart CEO/SAMS club
These CEOs were pioneers of their time and we will exam the things that made them great and the stumbling blocks that may have placed them under scrutiny as well.
According to the text the Companies led by the previously listed CEOs had staying power, and were able to establish themselves as long lasting organizational giants, but this success did not keep them from public scrutiny. The text states that “the vast majority of CEOs were…law abiding citizens who worked hard to achieve their …objectives which almost always include making an honest living” (Krames, Jeffery, A. McGraw Hill 2003 Pg 7) however, politicians and the media were always on the lookout for less than honorable minor or major screw ups by these same CEOs. Michael dell established himself as a great CEO by donating countless computers and millions of dollars to the Red Cross in the wake of September 11th, Mr. Dell stated that doing these things was “Extremely powerful for people in terms of feeling like they actually could do something …meaningful.) Jack Welch the GE CEO however was the subject of a extramarital affair, and was under scrutiny regarding his misuse of company funds and vehicles in September of 2002. According to the text Welch was revealed to have a retirement package worth millions, to include a “15 million dollar apartment, laundry service, first class tickets to sporting events, use of the company jet, and endless other perks.” (Krames pg 9) Although it seemed obvious that he misused his position and company funds, he never the less stated that the “court filing grossly misrepresented” his contract details and that he would pay it all back as a gesture of good integrity. Due to his actions or proposed misrepresentation of the truth or whatever it was, the stocks of GE fell due to his actions and his personal relationship issues, never the less he was still a well known and successful CEO. Sam Walton founded Wal-Mart in 1962 due to a need to