Swagger, Style, Size and Performance
Say “Dodge Charger” to most motorists, and no doubt they’ll think of a police cruiser staked out in the weeds alongside a freeway. The car’s use by law enforcement is appropriate; subtly is not in its DNA. The Charger debuted in 1966 as a two-door version of the mid-sized Coronet sedan. It was soon transformed into a burly muscle car, but those glory days were short-lived. Escalating fuel prices and insurance rates emasculated...
Elegance, Performance and More
Cornwall, n.y. — It is a car beautiful in appearance and performance. It is small, gifted with a terrifically improved suspension and symmetrical all-wheel drive, meaning it is wonderfully maneuverable in weather fair and foul. Just one note on the latter point: It is a sports car usually shod with summer high-performance tires. Winter demands compromise. To wit: For improved winter traction and safety, sacrifice some handling and...
The HR Pro: It’s Performance Development, Not Management
Ah, the dreaded annual performance appraisal. Employees cringe at just the mention of this yearly exercise in management prowess, and managers are equally weary of having to go through the task of “evaluating” their employees’ performance. There are many reasons why the performance review is so poorly regarded, but there are just as many positive reasons for continuing the practice. The biggest issue with performance evaluations— and...
Wheels: Performance Hype Aside, Lexus IS 350 F-Sport Is a Good Luxury Value
Cornwall, N.Y. — There is a lot of hubris in global automotive marketing — lots of bragging about racetrack testing, about a car’s ability to hug curves and accelerate from 0 to 60 mph in six seconds or less. The companies are so earnest and they spend so much money, talent and production time on these messages, you’d think that all of us drive on racetracks, or carefully monitor stopwatches as we move from “stop” to “go,” or...
Even Top Women Executives Aren’t Paid as Well as Men
Pay for performance — the concept that corporate executives earn gobs of stock grants when they perform well, but risk them if their company disappoints — should be a great leveler when it comes to executive pay. In theory, it creates a meritocracy. If the idea is to tie executives’ pay to shareholders’ results, then there should be no difference if the chief executive or chief financial officer is male or female. But it doesn’t quite...
