The Detroit Bureau
Two of the most senior and respected members of the Ford Motor Co. management team will retire, the maker announced this morning, but CEO Alan Mulally stressed that he himself has "no plans to retire," and insisted the executive shake-up will have no measurable impact on the way the Detroit maker operates.
The Big Lead
The NFL came out of Super Bowl XLVI with positive reactions to host city Indianapolis and host venue Lucas Oil Stadium, so much so that Commissioner Roger Goodell strongly implied that the league would return. But as the NFL sets its sites on an historic Super Bowl L in 2016 and Big Games beyond, which cities may or may not have the upper hand?
San Francisco Chronicle
The University of Pennsylvania's Wharton School, the 131-year-old business school in Philadelphia, is counting on a new West Coast campus to raise its high-tech profile.
The Big Lead
As part of its All-Star Game plans next weekend in Orlando, the NBA said that marketing partner State Farm would make the "26 Seconds" campaign presenting sponsor of the 2012 NBA Development League All-Star Game. State Farm launched the 26 Seconds campaign to "address the dropout issue by empowering teens to not only be aware of this startling statistic, but to make a personal commitment to graduate." The campaign is supported by the education community, particularly the America's Promise Alliance and NBA All-Star LeBron James.
Forbes
Mercedes-Benz had some very lofty hopes for the Maybach, the super-luxury car it hoped would compete with Rolls Royce and Bentley. But its failure has cost half a million dollars per car. The modern-version of the Maybach, which first appeared in 1909, launched seven years ago and Mercedes thus far has sold about 3,000 of the luxury cars worldwide. But this is the final year for the car, which Mercedes announced in November it planned to discontinue. Instead, it will focus on the S-Class as its premium luxury models.
The Big Lead
Aside from Sports Illustrated swimsuit models, Misty May-Treanor may be one of the most famous women known for displaying her skills while wearing a bikini. The two-time defending Olympic volleyball gold medalist has deals with Nike, PepsiCo's Gatorade, Zamast and Nestle Foods Stouffer's, which has launched a marketing campaign, "Put the Two Back in Tuesdays," that features May-Treanor and her husband, Matt, an eight-year MLB catcher who enters spring training on the roster of the Los Angeles Dodgers.
San Francisco Chronicle
Diamond Foods Inc., one of the world's largest snack companies, placed its CEO and chief financial officer on administrative leave after the board of directors concluded that the San Francisco company improperly accounted for millions of dollars in payments to walnut growers. The news, released after the stock market closed Wednesday, sent Diamond stock plummeting more than 42% in after-hours trading.
Chain Store Age
The popular television talk show host and comedian Ellen DeGeneres said she was "proud and happy" that JC Penney remained committed to her after One Million Moms asked the retailer to dump her as a spokesperson because she is gay.
Forbes
We know who the most marketable athletes are, but now that the Super Bowl is behind us, how about the least marketable? Yes, there's Michael Vick and (thanks to fameball Kim Kardashian) NBA player Kris Humphries (Vick is still most loathed). But there's also still Tiger Woods and A-Rod and NASCAR racer Kurt Busch.
ZD Net
Nokia expects to lay off around 4,000 employees as the ailing company plans to move its manufacturing operations to Asia. The company plans to move its manufacturing operations to Asia in a bid to cut costs and bring the smartphone building process closer to the component suppliers.