Chief executive or business-basher?
My column in the FT this week is about Barack Obama’s attitude to business and whether the US president-elect is the business-friendly pragmatist he looks like or the business-bashing left-winger he sometimes sounds like. To US companies and business leaders, Barack Obama remains, despite the scrutiny to which he was subjected during his long slog to this week’s triumph, an enigma. Who is the new president? Is he the crisp non-ideological technocrat who ran a flawless campaign as surely as an up-and-coming star at General Electric or another big US multinational? The man with whom many chief executives instinctively feel they could do business? Or is he the community organiser from Chicago with tight links to unions, who railed against corporate profits in his campaign and vowed to alter the North American Free Trade Agreement? The left-winger who wants to raise taxes on the wealthy and puts equality above efficiency?
The Obama challenge
America wakes up today to a new era in its political history. And as Barack Obama prepares to take office, he will have to wrestle with these facts of life: the economy is either in recession or teetering on the brink of one, and the U.S. is embroiled in two wars. Across the Web, a plethora of voices are dissecting the campaign . In a BusinessWeek piece, former General Electric CEO Jack Welch makes his position clear, saying John McCain’s economic platform made better sense for business, and that business leaders could take away three lessons from the election: Have a clear, consistent vision; make few mistakes; and have friends in high places...
Indian Airline Defaults on Payments to GE
The king of good times has flown into fresh turbulence. Liquor baron Vijay Mallya's Kingfisher Airlines has defaulted on payment of lease rentals to GE Commercial Aviation Services (GECAS) for four A320s, according to a complaint filed by the US company with India's aviation regulator. Upset at the default, GECAS, one of the world's top aircraft lessors, has asked the Directorate General for Civil Aviation (DGCA) for permission to repossess the aircraft and has demanded that the aircraft be de-registered from the airline...
Obama Pick: Buy GE as Obama brings good things to life
For me, today is a day of great optimism. I'm immensely relieved that Obama was elected President and I expect great things from him. In fact, I think his win could increase optimism about the future of America enough to give the economy a much-needed boost...
