At an event with California's Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger today, General Electric CEO Jeffrey Immelt will announce that the company has doubled sales from environmentally friendly products such as wind turbines, water-purification systems and energy-efficient appliances to $12 billion over the past two years. News of the sharp rise in revenues from "ecoimagination" -- the marketing campaign launched in 2005 to highlight GE's focus on green issues -- comes as companies are scrambling to take advantage of opportunities presented by climate change. Executives at GE say its "ecoimagination" sales show that, far from being a drag on earnings, such strategies …

In its first major rewrite of Truth in Lending rules in 26 years, the Federal Reserve on Wednesday proposed changes for credit card advertising, billing and consumer updates that would result in more straightforward information about interest rates and fees. The proposals -- based on extensive use of consumer focus groups --respond to the increasing complexity of credit products. Among the new rules, financial institutions and retailers offering credit cards and other products could advertise that they offer fixed interest rates only if they clearly state how long the rate is set and that the rate is not …

Last July, new Burberry CEO Angela Ahrendts asked CFO Stacey Cartwright for a report on what each of the company's products contributed to the business. Its findings: 80% of Burberry's sales came from 20% of its wares. As a result, Ahrendts is reducing the number of Burberry' products to some 4,200 styles a year from around 6,000. That's a big change. Ahrendts' predecessor, Rose Marie Bravo, who arrived as CEO in 1997, turned the languishing brand into a fashion leader by splashing Burberry's traditional beige, black and red plaid check on a myriad of products. The new …

Skybus -- a start-up airline based in Columbus, Ohio -- is bringing to the United States the ultra-cheap rates offered in Europe by carriers such as RyanAir and EasyJet. It promises at least 10 $10 fares on every flight for its seven routes, and its Web site offers only $30 to $150 one-way tickets -- significantly less expensive than other airlines. All a Skybus ticket buys, though, is a seat on the plane. Passengers have to pay $5 to check a bag, $8 for a blanket, $15 for a pillow, and $10 to wait at the front of …

Gap Inc. is hiring Patrick Robinson -- most recently a designer for Paris-based Paco Rabanne -- to turn around its namesake brand. Robinson, 40, made headlines in 2004 after a public split with Perry Ellis International that raised questions about the commercial viability of his clothes. He has also designed a line for Target. Long a darling of the fashion press -- wife Virginia Smith works for Vogue -- Robinson's Perry Ellis clothes were lauded for their creativity but did not meet sales targets. Gap Interim CEO Robert Fisher is trying to loosen the corporate …

Payless ShoeSource--which has long been known for cluttered, warehouse-like stores, budget shoppers and shoes that rarely cost more than $15 a pair--is buying competing shoe-store chain Stride Rite for about $800 million in a bid to move upmarket. Stride Rite, which operates 300 stores, licenses or owns brands such as Keds, Saucony and Tommy Hilfiger Footwear. It targets parents who want nothing but the best for their youngsters. Its shoes often cost $50, while kids' summer sandals--which look a lot like the adult offerings from Payless--cost more than $20, according to the company's Web site. Payless will …

Product returns in the U.S. cost a hundred billion dollars a year, and a recent study by Elke den Ouden, of Philips Electronics, found that at least half of returned products have nothing wrong with them. Consumers just couldn't figure out how to use them. Feature creep is partly the product of the so-called internal-audience problem: The people who design and sell products are not the ones who buy and use them. What engineers and marketers think is important is not necessarily what's best for consumers. And marketing and sales departments see each additional feature as a new selling …

The Zagat Survey--best known for its citizen reviews of eateries for the power-lunch set--recently published its first ratings for chain restaurants. Panera Bread Co. topped all 24 quick-service chains, while Outback Steakhouse reigned supreme over 21 casual-dining chains. Wendy's scored the highest among "mega chains" (those with more than 5,000 units) and topped the list for burgers. Country-kitsch Cracker Barrel took top honors among full-service chains. The ratings seem to defy the recent sales results of many chains. Panera's same-store sales were flat for the first quarter, for example, while No. 3-overall Chipotle's comparable sales grew 8.3%. The demographics …

Lego--the 70-year-old Danish toy manufacturer--beat out 600 companies worldwide for having the best reputation, according to a study conducted by Reputation Institute, a New York City-based consultancy and research firm. Lego's high standing likely has to do with a turnaround following a misbegotten venture into online gaming and movies a few years ago, according to Charles Fombrun, executive director of Reputation Institute. "They ventured farther afield, and their brand got diluted," he says. That prompted leadership changes and bad press, but they've recently pruned their lines of business. The Swedish furniture company IKEA moved from fourth place …

Financial analysts and advertising executives say that a new campaign for brokers Marsh & McLennan breaks the mold of insurance advertising, which has often relied on fear to sell coverage for hurricanes or plant explosions or lawsuits. The ads have been running since late April as full-page ads in publications including The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, Business Week and The Financial Times, some in sets of three pages. One opening page begins with the headline question: "Climate Change Regulations, What's Your Upside?" Another starts, "Navigating China: What's Your Upside?" A third says, "Where There's a …