Question

1. What do you think of Jim Cook’s strategic leadership for Apple’s recent success after Jobs passed away?

2. What makes a CEO’s job so complex in P&G? Provide examples.

Answer 1

What makes a CEO’s job so complex in P&G? Provide examples.

The CEO is the top decision maker. They not only have to make the company profitable but they are also the public face of the company. Any mistakes and triumphs are blasted publicly and are seen as a direct result from the CEO's decision making - even if they aren't directly responsible. CEO not only have to win the loyalty of their workers, but of the public as well. The CEO also has towork in a dynamic, global market. They not only have to make decisions based on what is best for their workers, but also how their decisions can be enacted in an environment of constant change.

A good example of this comes from the mini-case presentation. According to the case, Lafley's successor McDonald did not understand how to respond well to the financial downturn of 2008. It seems as if McDonald focused on selling high-quality products that came with a higher price tag than their competition Unilever. Even though P&G products of could have been of superior quality,consumers at that time did not have the available funds to really take quality into account. They were pinching pennies and chose the cheaper Unilever products.