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This article presents developments in the field of business. According to Dick Jacob, chief operating officer of Dayco Corp., the most boring thing in the world is to run a company where everything is going well. Dayton, Ohio-based Dayco, a diversified maker of rubber and plastic products, earned only $4 million last year on sales of $718 million. As chairman of British Steel Corp., Ian MacGregor slashed the work force by half in three years, making the company one of Europe's most efficient steel producers. Appointed chairman of the National Coal Board last September, he wants to cut coal production by 4%, to 97 million metric tons, reduce manpower by 20,000 and keep wage raises down to 5.2% for 1984.

The article presents information on several entrepreneurs and their projects. World Mail Center Inc., founded by Scott Adler, provides private, for-profit post offices. The company's three prototype centers do for mailers much of what a travel agent does for airline travelers. Customers bring their packages to a World Mail Center. There, computer screens offer them an instant list of choices for package delivery to any destination--pickup and delivery times, rates and potential discounts. Jerome Staller, president and cofounder of the for-profit court called Judicate, says that they cannot single-handedly solve all the problems plaguing the public court system but they provide the most effective alternative available.

The article focuses on recent developments related to business enterprises in the U.S. Last fall National Education Corp. (NEC) put it about that it would like to acquire DeVry Inc., its arch rival in the vocational school business. After all, NEC may have the largest, number of students, but DeVry is bigger in vocational school revenues. Oil wells have a distressing habit of running dry, says Gordon Brunton, 62, president of Toronto-based International Thomson Organization Ltd. That's why Thomson chooses to pour its North Sea oil profits into publishing, its original business, instead of oil, the business that made it rich.

The article discusses trends in U.S. economy, industry and finance as of September 26, 1983. Topics addressed include the opinion of economist William Barnett on U.S. Federal Reserve's money supply policy and South Carolina's state treasurer Grady L. Patterson's objection to a clause of the 1982 Tax Equity and Fiscal Responsibility Act (TEFRA) concerning tax exemption on interest. Businessman Norman Brinker acquiring a stake in restaurant chain Chili Inc. is also reviewed.

The article profiles U.S. entrepreneurs, executives, and politicians, reporting about their business and financial activities as of September 12, 1983. Information is provided about utility Consolidated Edison vice president Murray Selman and his handling of a blackout in New York City, Puerto Rico governor Carlos Romero-Barcelo and his diplomatic proposals, and Eileen Mackesy who manages a project for professional organization Modern Language Association (MLA).

The article focuses on the business of Detroit, Michigan-based automobile manufacturer Ford Motor Co. as of April 25, 1983, with attention paid to the success of its small cars. Topics include data on the sales of Ford's middle-market models Thunderbird and LTD, its subcompact model Escort, and its market share abroad. Particular focus is given to the competition between Ford and U.S. auto company General Motors (GM), data on the company's sales of trucks, and Ford's Chairman Philip Cadwell.

The article lists wealthy people in the United States as of September 13, 1982 which includes shipping magnate Daniell Keith Ludwig, investor Gordon Peter Getty and philanthropist Margaret Hunt Hill.

The article focuses on several business executives. One of them is Robert Sinclair, president of Saab-Scania of America Inc. He often can be found driving one of his 16 motorcycles or the powerboat in which he set a world speed record for offshore racing. Even his family car, a Saab Turbo, sports a radar detector and fire extinguisher. Sinclair narrowed a confusing profusion of models and pushed the high performance of his cars. His biggest hit was the Turbo 900, which accounted for almost half of Saab's U.S. sales last year. Dealer confidence was a problem when he arrived, says Sinclair. To fix that, Sinclair did a lot of dealer handholding, but he also made sure that parts were available.

The article focuses on the automotive supply industry in 1983. Topics discussed include the past performance of the industry including return on equity, earnings-per-share and net profit. It examines forecast for original equipment parts makers and replacement parts companies and the rebound of car manufacturers in Detroit, Michigan. A chart is presented showing journal's Yardsticks of management performance in profitability and growth including tire and rubber companies and partsmakers.

The article focuses on the U.S. automobile and truck sectors in 1983. It discusses the recovery of automobile sector through 1984 which allegedly is under the protection from overseas competition such as imports from Japan and the recovery of U.S. truck makers which reportedly are recovering market share from the Japanese. A chart is presented showing the journal's Yardsticks of management performance on profitability and growth of companies including Subaru of America, Hyster and Sperry. INSET: Kan ban? Can do!.

The article reports about changes in legislation governing corporate mergers and branching in Pennsylvania and the resulting merger activity as of November 1982. Particular focus is given to acquisitions made by some of the state's banks such as Pittsburgh National Corp., Mellon National Corp., and Philadelphia National Corp. The potential development of interstate banking is also discussed.

The article looks at railroad car company Wheelabrator-Frye, headed by Jack Kruizenga, and its purchase of same-business company Pullman Standard Inc. as of June 7, 1982. It is suggested that Jack Kruizenca plans to diversify Pullman Standard, to reduce production capacity, and control labor cost. The prospective economic growth of Pullman Standard and its competitors in the railroad industry are also addressed.

This article profiles John Fery, chairman of Boise Cascade Corp., and evaluates his business planning ability. When Fery took charge of Boise 12 years ago, an incautious diversification program during the mid-1960s had forced the forest products company to write off $200 million. Fery took a hard look at what was left. He says that what the company needed was a change in direction to take advantage of growth opportunities in the paper industry. The key, Fery believed, was to expand into young markets, where growth potential was high. Fery has lessened Boise's dependence on wood and building materials with moving rapidly into white paper production.

This article discusses new career plans of Raymond Dempsey, chairman and president of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania-based Fidelity Bank NA. After a five-year miracle-working tour in the bank, Dempsey is now ready to try his technique on a larger scale as new chairman and chief executive officer of European American Bancorp. (EAB). When Dempsey joined Fidelcor, holding company for Fidelity Bank, in 1978, the bank was operating at a loss, and was trying to compete with international money, center banks. Dempsey refocused its lending to regional firms in Pennsylvania, New Jersey and Delaware. Dempsey faces a challenge at EAB, whose earnings dropped 37% in 1983, to $19.2 million. EAB has averaged only an 8.9% return on equity the past four years, and last year earned a paltry 0.22% on its $8.7 billion in assets. Dempsey predicts that in five years he will have EAB among the profit-ability leaders of the New York State's banks.

The article discusses Robert Clarke chief executive officer (CEO) of books seller Grolier Inc. as of December 5, 1983, focusing on the company's refinancing, encyclopedia sales, and profits and earnings.

The article discusses Paul Schierl's success with Fort Howard Paper Co. as one of the most profitable paper companies in the U.S. and mentions the acquisition of Maryland Cup Corp. as of October 1983.

The article discusses John Hoagland Jr. head of newspapers company Christian Science Monitor as of August 1, 1983, focusing on the financial losses of newspaper "Monitor," Hoagland's professional career, and reorganization of the "Monitor."

The article looks at the performance of petroleum refinery Crown Central as of February 28, 1983. The author pays special attention to the competition between Crown Central and petroleum companies Exxon and Atlantic Richfield on petroleum prices. The corporation's desired policy of acquisition aimed at expansion in the petroleum industry field is also investigated.

The article looks at the improvement in the return on investments of bank trust departments in the U.S. as a result of organizational changes made as of February 1983. Banks discussed include Chase Manhattan, Manufacturers Hanover, and Bankers Trust Co. A chart listing U.S. banks with the largest trust operations including JP Morgan, Continental Illinois, and Harris Bankcorp is presented.

The article focuses on how to choose a location for retail chain stores in the U.S., with attention paid to avoiding site selection mistakes. The author discusses site selection tricks from Larry Whipple, director of leasing at shoe manufacturer Florsheim Shoe Co., and E.W. Spieckerman, vice president of real estate for leather goods company Tandy Corp., as well as recommendations for locating stores near parallel businesses and for renting or leasing space in a mall or shopping center.

The article looks at nonferrous metal industries in the U.S. as of January 1983, in the context of the economic crisis in the country. Topics include expectations for the recovery of the aluminum industry, predictions concerning copper production, and dependence of zinc and lead industries on automobile manufacturing. Also presented is a chart with the financial performance of nonferrous metal producers including Aluminum Co. of America (Alcoa), Alcan Aluminium, and Hanna Mining.

The article looks at the insurance industry in the U.S. as of January 1983 with particular focus given to the price wars between casualty and property insurers. Topics discussed include the companies' income, stocks, and interest rates. The author discusses financial services offered by life and health insurers including group insurance, pensions, and annuities. A chart measuring the financial performance of the companies is also presented.

The article focuses on the unemployment rate in the U.S. as of January 1983. The author discusses the possibility the rate to remain 6%, the views of economic professor Joe Kennedy regarding the rate's causes of increase, and the impact of women employment on the overall unemployment figures. The relation between inflation and people's occupation is also commented on.

The article looks at diversified company Continental Group, Inc., formerly known as Continental Can Co., as of December 1982. Topics include its diversification program which led to the acquisitions of various companies including natural gas producer Supron Energy Corp., life insurance company Richmond Corp., and Florida Gas Co. Continental's operations in the can business are also discussed.

The article looks at the listed limited partnerships of Apache Petroleum Co. and May Energy Partners Ltd as of November 22, 1982. Attention is paid to the advantages of listed limited partnerships over common limited partnerships such as greater liquidity, less risk, and longer life of the tax shelter.

The article looks at the financial performance of U.S. natural gas utility Columbia Gas System, as of November 22, 1982. It is suggested that the company's financial difficulties resulted from contracts with gas suppliers after gas shortage in 1976-1977. Attention is paid to the high prices of natural gas and the charges of gas providers Panhandle Eastern and Texas Gas against the company.

The article discusses U.S. hospital management company Humana, Inc. and its performance under president Wendell Cherry and chairman David Jones as of October 1982. The major business decisions in the history of the company are reviewed, including its diversification into mobile homes, its focusing on hospital care, and the acquisition of medical services provider American Medicorp. Also explored are Humana's debts and its standards in medical care.

The article presents the management approach of Bernard Fein, executive at defense and transportation systems manufacturer United Industries Corp. (UIC) as of October 1982, focusing on his policies of allowing more freedom to subsidiary companies. Fein's career at UIC since 1958, the company's sales and return on equity, and its business relations with the U.S. Armed Forces are discussed. Reviewed are the activities of its subsidiary, defense contractor AAI Corp.

The article focuses on the factors that contributed to the success of Howard Colhoun and his small investment firm Emerging Growth Partners. Topics discussed include Colhoun's 16 years of experience as top executives at investment management firm T. Rowe Price Associates, Colhoun's views about big firms and his strategy to stay his firm small, and techniques adopted by Colhourn in selecting small public companies.

The article discusses arbitrage in deals involving acquisition and merger of corporations in the United States as of May 1982. Presented are comments from securities arbitragers George Kellner, Alan B. Slifka, and Arnold Amster. Trends in the demand for arbitrage, arbitrage departments of brokerage firms, and deals involving petroleum company Conoco are also discussed.

The author describes how investors might have lost money if they had followed former stockbroker Douglas Casey's investment advice in his 1980 bestseller "Crisis Investing: Opportunities and Profits in the Coming Great Depression." Topics discussed include the book's re-publication by Stratford Press, the advance Casey received from publisher Simon and Schuster for his book "Strategic Investing," and speculative investing tactics. Also mentioned are recommendations to buy gold and silver.

The article focuses on sisters Jessie Cox and Jane Cook, majority shareholders of newspaper publisher Dow Jones, which owns the "Wall Street Journal." Topics discussed include grandfather Clarence Barron's purchase of the Dow Jones news ticker in 1902 from Charles Dow and Edward Jones, the market value of shares held by family members, and Dow Jones' 1981 revenue that came from the "Wall Street Journal." Also mentioned are trusts to preserve family control and eliminate takeover possibilities.

The article discusses the income tax exclusion to be offered to overseas-based U.S. citizens. Topics explored include the availability of a 75,000 dollars worth of tax exclusion, the possibility of making company-provided housing benefit nontaxable, and the perceived benefits of this tax system to middle class employees in foreign countries. Also addressed are the economic implications of this tax exclusion and the opposition expressed by U.S. Senator William Proxmire to the initiative.

The article focuses on the security-guard services industry in the U.S. Topics explored include the revenues and earnings of leading firms such as Pinkerton's Inc., Burns International Security Services, Inc., and Wackenhut Corp., the problems encountered with the electronic security system installed at the corporate headquarters of Burns in New York, and the statement issued by Wackenhut founder George Wackenhut regarding factors like rising prices that hinder business growth.

This article presents information on Robert Swanson, chief executive officer of Phoenix-based Del E. Webb Corp. Swanson, deliberated for two months at his Paradise Valley, Arizona home, studying the company and its problems. In January of 1981 he started the job. He sold off the Sahara Reno Hotel/Casino, plus some other properties, and used the proceeds to slice corporate debt in half. He arranged a sale-leaseback of one of the company's main assets, the Claridge Hotel/Casino in Atlantic City, where losses had been stacking up like poker chips because of gaming license troubles. Once the license was in hand, the deal gave outside investors a 2.5-to-1 tax shelter and removed debt from Webb's balance sheet.

This article focuses on several recent profitable corporate mergers and acquisitions in the U.S. which were guided and arranged by Joseph C. Fogg, founding member of Morgan Stanley & Co. Inc.'s mergers and acquisitions department. According to Fogg, the current wave of mergers in the U.S. is a result of deregulation in the financial services, transportation, telecommunications, and energy industries. Recently, the $13.2 billion merger between SoCal Gas Co. and Gulf Oil Corp. has been advised by Fogg. This takeover is expected to bring Morgan Stanley $16.5 million in fees. Thus far 1984, Morgan has been involved in likely-to-be-completed transactions valued at $26 billion, up from only $9.9 billion for all of last year and $8.5 billion in 1982.

This article profiles Daniel Piliero, director of U.S. operations for the $400 million company, MIP Equity Fund, funded roughly half-and-half by the Dutch government and Dutch industry. MIP, whose board is controlled by industry representatives, will take minority positions in joint ventures with firms seeking a toehold in the Netherlands, then sell out after the ventures are profitable. Piliero was transferred to the Netherlands in 1970 and was both managing director of Chevron Corp. in Holland and president of the American Chamber of Commerce in the Netherlands until he retired from the U.S. oil company last year. Piliero is mostly after small to medium-size companies.

This article evaluates the business skills of Alexander d'Arbeloff, chairman of Teradyne Inc., a Boston, Massachusetts-based maker of electronics testing equipment manufacturer. From 1976 through 1980 sales rose from $54 million to $165 million, profits from around $2 million to more than $11 million. The recession of 1980-82, which hit the semiconductor industry hard, produced flat sales and declining earnings. D'Arbeloff was caught in the midst of a major, costly research and development program, much of it geared to very large scale integrated circuits. Several chief executives would have lost their nerve during the recessionary slowdown and cut back on research and development. But d'Arbeloff, in a move that hindsight justifies, increased Teradyne's research and development efforts from 10% to 14% of sales, a jump from about $17 million to $25 million.

The article reports that oil company Ensource Inc. is looking for oil and gas properties that it can purchase despite the company's stock valued at below three dollars.

The article profiles Brian Dyson, president of the soft drinks company Coca-Cola USA.

The article looks at the views of Swedish telecommunication equipment producer LM Ericsson Telephone Co.'s chief executive officer (CEO) Björn Svedberg regarding the company's management and the development of its office electronics business.

The article looks at U.S. casualty and property insurance firm The St. Paul Cos. and its management by president Robert Haugh as of November 1983 with topics discussed including the company's success in the business, its bond dealer subsidiary John Nuveen & Co. Inc., and price wars in the industry.

The article discusses how Metropolitan Savings Bank chief executive officer (CEO) Luke Baione has transformed the company to become the third-largest mutual savings banks in the U.S. and mentions topics including acquisitions made by Baione and plans to convert the bank into a stock company.

The article discusses a deal between the U.S. National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) and several accounting firms such as Coopers & Lybrand (C&L) for the commercialization of NASA shuttles as of October 1983. Topics include the target market of the shuttle commercialization, a description of the price needed to conduct an experiment in a NASA cargo bay, and a prediction that the pitch will be more welcomed in the future.

The article discusses Archie McGill head of venture capital firm Rothschild Ventures Inc. as of August 1, 1983, focusing on his previous work for computer services company International Business Machines (IBM,) and telephone services company American Telephone and Telegraph (AT&T.)

The article focuses on U.S. jigsaw producer Great American Puzzle Factory and is head Pat Duncan as of July 1980 with topics discussed including puzzles' themes, royalties the company pays, and Duncan's opinion concerning an eventual takeover offer.

The article discusses the investment strategies of U.S. investment adviser Douglas Casey as of May 23, 1983. The author focuses on Casey's portfolio diversification, his books "Crisis Investing," and "Strategic Investing," and investment strategy. Also commented on are Casey's opinion on gold and silver as an investment, penny mining shares, and his portfolio's rate of return. Further presented is a table showing the assets of Casey's portfolio, their initial investment in April 1982 and value as of Aril 1983.

The article focuses on consequences from the acquisition of Pennsylvania-based rocket fuel producer Thiokol Corp. by Chicago, Illinois-based salt and chemical company Morton-Norwich Products Inc. as of the fall of 1982 and its transformation into Morton Thiokol Inc. The author discusses the fact that in February 1983 Robert Davis, president of Morton Thiokol decided to resign from the company. Particular focus is given to the resignation of Morton Chairman Charles Locke.

The article looks at agricultural machinery and construction equipment manufacturer International Harvester as of February 1983 with a focus on its efforts to strengthen its financial position through the issuing of bonds with warrants that can be swapped for older Harvester bonds.

The article examines the U.S. market for surveillance cameras, focusing on the competition between U.S. and Japanese producers, as of February 14, 1983. Special attention is paid to U.S. surveillance equipment company RCA and Japanese producers Panasonic, Ikegami and Sanyo. The design and construction of RCA cameras are also addressed.