News For You - September 2000

We have developed this page to give our visitors the opportunity to see what's new, at a glance, in the business world and how it relates to our program. Take a moment to browse and see what's of interest to you!

Women at the Top

When Carly Fiorina was named CEO of Hewlett Packard, one of the country's premier technology companies, she became an instant advertisement for the progress women have made in American business. But she is just as potent a symbol of how far women have not come.

Twenty years ago, there were two women in charge of Fortune 500 companies. Today, there are only three women- and 497 men. (Source: ABC News Internet Ventures).

Andrea Jung, the chief executive officer (is) charged with bringing what's been viewed as a "Graying Goliath" of a cosmetics company (Avon) from frumpy to fashionable. First quarter 200 reports suggest Jung is on the right track, exceeding expectations with a 9 percent sales hike and a 2.5 percent climb in profits.

(Source: chiefexecutive.net)

Tips from the Top

Networking isn't all it's cracked up to be: Senior women agree that networking is often a time-consuming waste of energy. Substantive relationships and alliances based on trust, and shared tasks and projects are the key to building authentic connections and furthering career advancement.

(From the book "Going to the Top" by Carol Gallagher.)

The solution won't arise until women get more access to the so-called "old-boy" networks, where many informal discussions and decisions take place.

(Linda Stewart, secretary of the Wisconsin Dept. of Workforce Development.)
Back to Top

Trends

Why are companies putting so much energy into nurturing female executives? The efforts are linked to real business goals like making money. In today's tight labor market, companies have to make themselves as attractive as possible if they want to nab, and hold on to, the best and brightest of both sexes.

(Source: workingwoman.com, article by Joanne Cleaver)

Stats

Only 7% of women sit in executive suites in high-technology Fortune 500 companies compared to 11.2% overall for Fortune 500 companies.

(Source: sjmercury.com).

In 1998, there were more than 7.1 million women in full-time executive, administrative, or managerial positions- a 29 percent jump from 1993... Approximately 9.4 million men had the same kinds of significant jobs, but that represented only a 19 percent increase.

(Source: abcnews.com)

In a 1999 survey of Fortune 500 human resources executives by the Society for Human Resource Management, 85 percent of respondents said they saw increased opportunities for women-if women could overcome a corporate culture that subtly favors men, lack of access to informal networks and sluggish mentoring models. The survey cited both CEO advocacy and a board of directors with a healthy roster of high-achieving women as the biggest inspirations to ambitious female employees.

(Source: workingwoman.com)
Back to Top