PlantSuccess Newsletter
Volume
III, Issue 4
19
February 2003
Dear
Subscriber:
I
attended public school in upstate New York at a time when we observed the
birthday of our two greatest presidents -- Abraham Lincoln (1809-1865) on
Feb 12th and George Washington (1732-1799) on Feb
22nd. Even through high school, we reported on projects, discussed
and celebrated the contributions they made to establish and maintain history’s
longest surviving democratic republic and the world’s most powerful
nation.
This
annual tribute became a habit that I have continued. I read the 2-minute address Lincoln gave on the
battlefield near Gettysburg, November 19, 1863. Never known as an orator,
this speech, one of the most remembered and revered of all time, is cited by
many as an early statement defining Americans as a people who believe in
freedom, democracy and equality.
In 1942,
orchestra conductor Andre Kostelanetz (1901-1980) asked composer Aaron
Copland (1900-1990) to write a piece of music about Abraham Lincoln. The
result, ”Portraits of
Freedom,” is 15 minutes of sterling tribute to this amazing man. My
favorite recording is the version featuring James Earl Jones (1931- ) as
the speaker. No one else can quote Lincoln with more effect: “As I would not
be a slave, so I would not be a master. This expresses my idea of Democracy.
Whatever differs from this, to the extent of the difference, is no
democracy," is great oratory, a good history lesson and an equally good
model for the 21st century.
In all
professions and avocations, certain people truly do rise above and take the
lead. Not all of our Presidents have been great and I’ve always felt that to
celebrate all detracted from the few that have been great. I do not favor our
common Presidents’ Day, proclaimed so by the 37th President of the
US, Richard Nixon (1913-1994).
By
design, PlantSuccess also is about leaders -- innovative managers from leading
process manufacturers speaking to their successful implementation of IT and the
impact on business drivers, work processes and integration requirements.
Join us for PlantSuccess Gulf Coast
2003, 9-10 April at the Hilton Houston NASA Clear Lake, when keynoter
Doug
Walker, an
executive with ExxonMobil, recently retired after an illustrious career
of 34 years, follows the lead set by executives from DuPont, Rohm and Haas,
Bayer, Rhodia, Dow Chemical and Air Products. Under the theme “Best Practices
Driving Plant Performance,” Walker will “set the conference table” with his
presentation, “The Environment for Competitive Success,” for
another outstanding roster of innovative managers.
Visit www.PlantSuccess.com
to:
Best
regards,
Carl Howk,
Chairman
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According
to the National Academy of Sciences Task Force on Intellectual Property
Management (Sep 1999), more than 75 percent of the capitalization of the
S&P 500 reflects the value placed on knowledge and other intangible assets.
Knowledge is a firm's most valuable resource. What if you really could
tap the collective know-how of your organization?
Join
PlantSuccess Gulf Coast 2003, join
John Voeller -- moderator, author, technologist and executive -- in the
session: KM - Getting Tangible about the
Intangible.
Join
Carol Arnold -- DuPont, Charles Rowney -- CDM, John McQuary -- Fluor and Peter
Engstrom -- SAIC.
Abstract: KM is
making a difference in some of the top firms in the US. Each may be using it
differently for different purposes, but the overall message of the session is
the same: value creation -- leveraging the most precious asset any business
can have.
Presenters
come from a top engineering firm, a global constructor, a unique chemical
company and a massive government contractor. Attendees will learn about and
discuss the challenges and success of seasoned practitioners.
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Peter Drucker (1909-
)
goes on to say, "Information
technology is beginning to supply the information we need for business decisions.
It provides nothing of use about the outside [business] environment." Where
IT has been most helpful, he said, is in supporting internal operational decisions.
READ MORE.
Many interesting views from a
discussion that brought together Wharton faculty and members of the Wharton Fellows program, a network
of global senior executives, who shared their views on how companies can prepare
for a war that seems to be inevitable. READ MORE.
The PlantSuccess
Newsletter generates a substantial number of visits to our website, we welcome
the interest and the access to previous issues of the Newsletter which are
available there. If you'd like to share this newsletter with a colleague,
just forward a copy. Subscribe or cancel by sending a request to Carl.Howk@PlantSuccess.com
Full
links to Volume III, Issue 4 Newsletter articles: