TargetRx CEO Michael Luby to Drive Pharmaceutical Marketing & Sales Industry Discussion at June Conferences

TargetRx CEO Michael Luby to Drive Pharmaceutical Marketing & Sales Industry Discussion at June Conferences: "TargetRx CEO Michael Luby to Drive Pharmaceutical Marketing & Sales Industry Discussion at June Conferences

HORSHAM, Pa.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--June 15, 2005--"

TargetRx, a marketing information services company that assists pharmaceutical companies in effectively selling and marketing their products, announced today that CEO Michael Luby will be a presenter at two industry events this month--Eyeforpharma's 5th Annual Marketing Congress, Marketing ROI USA, on Wednesday, June 15 at the Hilton City Avenue Hotel, Philadelphia, PA and WBR Pharma Force 2005, at the Sheraton Inner Harbor Hotel, Baltimore, MD on Tuesday, June 21. At these conferences, Mr. Luby's presentation will be centered on innovative solutions that help pharmaceutical companies make the leap from marketing and sales quantity to quality.

Michael J. Luby is a co-founder of TargetRx, bringing more than 15 years of pharmaceutical marketing and sales experience from a variety of therapeutic areas to his role as President, CEO and Board Member of the Company. As the CEO since the Company's inception in 1999, Mr. Luby has succeeded in raising over $50 million in capital, expanding the TargetRx team to more than 100 employees, and securing clients in the majority of the top 30 pharmaceutical companies worldwide. Mr. Luby is also the lead author on TargetRx's patent-pending method of analyzing the effectiveness of marketing and sales strategies. Prior to starting TargetRx, Mr. Luby spent 10 years at Merck & Co., Inc., where he created and executed marketing strategies for both the specialty and mass markets. The concept for TargetRx was born from his dissatisfaction with the lack of insightful, predictive and actionable marketing information from external sources during his tenure at Merck.

TargetRx is the only company in the world that provides pharmaceutical companies with "attitudinal intelligence" - the "why" behind physician prescribing behavior. By tapping their highly accurate large-sample normative database of physician attitudes, which includes over 70 million physician insights across 32 therapeutic classes, TargetRx can provide their clients with the most powerful predictive insights needed to drive increased effectiveness across sales and marketing.

About TargetRx

TargetRx is a marketing information services company that delivers actionable insight to pharmaceutical companies to help them effectively sell and market their products -- improving the performance of their brands. TargetRx employs a unique database approach to capturing physician attitudes and translating the findings into highly actionable information for its clients. TargetRx has developed a highly predictive, large-sample normative database of physician attitudes that uncovers the "why" behind physician behavior. These insights provide companies with benchmarks for how a product is currently performing, rich diagnostics that identify immediate ways to improve, and powerful forecasts that accurately predict future performance. TargetRx works with the majority of the top 30 pharmaceutical companies in the U.S. For further information, visit www.targetrx.com.

Macworld UK - Apple CEO Steve Jobs Stanford University speech available in full

Macworld UK - Apple CEO Steve Jobs Stanford University speech available in full: "Apple CEO Steve Jobs Stanford University speech available in full
By Jonny Evans"

"Whatever you can do or dream you can, begin it. Boldness has genius, power, and magic in it."
Johann Wolfgang von Goethe


Stanford University has posted the transcript of Apple and Pixar CEO Steve Jobs' commencement speech.


The complete text offers an unrivalled glance into what drives the Apple co-founder, and its release was first noted by Apple Insider. A short video is also available.


It's a historical moment of self-revelation of utter importance to anyone who wants to understand what drives the man credited with revolutionizing computing with the first user-focused personal computer.


It's clear that following his close encounter with his own mortality, Jobs is both galvanised and determined. It seems that Jobs hopes that by sharing a little of his own inner life he will inspire others in the world to follow their inner voice and accomplish great - or simply personally rewarding - things.


Beginning his speech, he promises students "just three stories" from his life.


Join the dots


He talks about the journey of his life, which "started before I was born". He calls this "joining the dots".


In essence he's observing the clarity that appears to people when they look back and realise seemingly random decisions have led them down a particular course, or to a particular moment. The journey isn't always, "romantic", he reveals.


"I returned Coke bottles for the five cents deposits to buy food with, and I would walk the seven miles across town every Sunday night to get one good meal a week at the Hare Krishna temple," he said, adding, "I loved it".


"You have to trust that the dots will somehow connect in your future. You have to trust in something - your gut, destiny, life, karma, whatever. This approach has never let me down, and it has made all the difference in my life," he explains.


Love is the answer


In both work and personal life he admonishes students to follow their own hearts, their own intuition, "you've got to find what you love", he said. In work, "the only way to be truly satisfied is to do what you believe is great work."


When at the age of thirty Jobs was fired from Apple, he went through a hard time, but looking back - or "joining the dots" - the harsh lesson was "the best thing for him", he said.


"The heaviness of being successful was replaced by the lightness of being a beginner again, less sure about everything. It freed me to enter one of the most creative periods of my life."


Jobs' many accomplishments since that time are well-recorded, and he now once again leads the company he helped create, but for Jobs, dreams, death and destiny are partners, he suggests.


Mirror in the bathroom


"For the past 33 years, I have looked in the mirror every morning and asked myself: 'If today were the last day of my life, would I want to do what I am about to do today?' And whenever the answer has been 'No' for too many days in a row, I know I need to change something," he said.

Humans are born with limited life expectancy, so Jobs doesn't want Stanford's students to settle for anything other than that which their inner voice advises them.


"Your time is limited, so don't waste it living someone else's life", he said, advising his audience to keep listening to that inner voice, to "have the courage to follow your heart and intuition." Perhaps with a retrospective joining of the dots in mind he observes: "They (heart and intuition) somehow already know what you truly want to become. Everything else is secondary."


"Stay Hungry. Stay Foolish"


Ending his speech - which is essential reading for anyone inspired or curious about Apple, Pixar, Next and those company's products; anyone curious about Steve Jobs, or anyone seeking insight from somebody who "thinks different", Jobs refers back to late sixties counterculture.


Sixties culture changed a lot in California. The explosion of intellectual and artistic ideas that emerged in the period reverberated globally, and Jobs learned many lessons then.


He refers to a well-respected and best-selling magazine of the time, The Whole Earth Catalog, which sold millions of copies and became the unofficial counterculture handbook, winning the National Book Award.


On its final issue, that publication printed an image on its back page, with a caption that said: "Stay Hungry. Stay Foolish".


He shared this phrase with his audience, and offered it as his parting wish to Stanford's graduates.

Ericsson CEO Says Mobile Broadband Is New Media Channel

Ericsson CEO Says Mobile Broadband Is New Media Channel: "Ericsson CEO Says Mobile Broadband Is New Media Channel
David Utter | Staff Writer | 2005-06-15 "

Forget about cable and satellite services. The forthcoming advances in mobile broadband technology will bring a big change in content and media.

Carl-Henric Svanberg can be forgiven his enthusiasm. Speaking at Singapore's CommunicAsia 2005, Ericsson was in the wake of announcing its now-widely reported partnership with Napster for over-the-air music download services.

Ericsson provides voice mail and other services to wireless providers. The Napster product will be one more offering it can bring to its provider clients.

But Mr. Svanberg was very excited about the advanced markets in Asia, where a penetration rate of 90 percent reigns in parts of the continent for mobile services. He sees mobile music and television services driving the development of broadband mobile capabilities.

"There is a new media channel emerging to millions of consumers. Both music and television are entering handsets as the technical capability for this is developing rapidly," said Mr. Svanberg.

Another Ericsson executive acknowledged the unique characteristics of the Asian market, where it ranges from emerging to bleeding-edge in terms of mobile adoption. For the latter markets, Ericsson sees the challenge as creating new services and content to push 3G broadband deployment.

People's Daily Online -- Chinese mainland CEO to participate in business forum in HK

People's Daily Online -- Chinese mainland CEO to participate in business forum in HK: "Chinese mainland CEO to participate in business forum in HK



An investment research delegation from the Chinese mainland will participate in the Forum of Global Business Strategies of Chinese CEOs, which will be held in Hong Kong on Thursday.
According to a government press release available in Hong Kong Wednesday, the delegation, led by Zhao Chuang, deputy director-general of the foreign economic co-operation department of the Ministry of Commerce, comprises 30 delegates including CEOs from prominent mainland enterprises.
The forum will foster in-depth understanding among potential mainland investors of the strategies for expanding their business,using Hong Kong as the platform to go global, the press release said.
Hong Kong's Director-General of Investment Promotion Mike Rowse was quoted as saying that mainland enterprises have become one of
Hong Kong's major sources of inward investment.
Last year, 17 percent of the investment projects facilitated by InvestHK came from mainland enterprises. The facilitation policy launched by the Ministry of Commerce last year has opened up new opportunities for more mainland investment.
Source: Xinhua"

WFTV.com - News - Disney CEO Responds To Questions Following Boy's Death

WFTV.com - News - Disney CEO Responds To Questions Following Boy's Death: "Disney CEO Responds To Questions Following Boy's Death
POSTED: 3:25 pm EDT June 15, 2005
UPDATED: 3:30 pm EDT June 15, 2005
LISTEN: 9-1-1 Call From Epcot Ride (MP3 file)
ORLANDO, Fla. -- Disney's CEO talked about the 'Mission: Space' tragedy for the first time Wednesday, and Michael Eisner went on the defensive about the company's decision not to close the ride for extensive testing."

Disney World likes to bill itself as the happiest place on earth. But, because of the death at Mission: Space, Eisner says that doesn't fit right now.

"Oh, it was horrible. We feel terrible; we feel terrible for the family," Eisner said Wednesday.

Still, the ride was not closed for extensive testing. The next day it was open for business and the lines were again long Wednesday.

"I'm not there in Orlando. I am told the ride has been thoroughly checked out, as it always is. But here, it's been checked out and the decision was made to put it back in service," Eisner said.

Eisner is in New York promoting a book. WFTV Eyewitness News' questions, though, centered on the four-year-old's death, where there are still lots of questions.

"We don't really know that much. Almost 9 million people have ridden that ride before and we're just waiting to find out what happened," Eisner said.

Industry trade publications say pressure to attract guests has made theme parks spend millions to attract thrill seekers. Eisner claims that is not what they are doing.

"First of all, it's very premature to talk about this. It's not the kind of company that we are. We are a themed attraction," Eisner said.

Mission: Space was brought to Epcot to help jump-start a park that had lost some of its steam. Admittedly, they wanted something never done before.

"This is a very creative ride simulation of weightlessness, tested and worked on for years, and I think we just have to wait and see what the issues were," Eisner said.

The major theme parks do not have to have their rides checked and approved by the state or federal government. Instead, the parks have their own inspectors who must submit annual affidavits certifying they are meeting safety standards.

Questions over CEO's stock sale / HP executive got rid of NCR holdings in weeks before he left for his new job

Questions over CEO's stock sale / HP executive got rid of NCR holdings in weeks before he left for his new job: "Questions over CEO's stock sale
HP executive got rid of NCR holdings in weeks before he left for his new job
Benjamin Pimentel, Chronicle Staff Writer
Wednesday, June 15, 2005"

Hewlett-Packard's new CEO, Mark Hurd, sold thousands of shares in NCR, his old employer, just weeks before he left the Ohio firm, prompting an inquiry from the Securities & Exchange Commission, according to a report published Tuesday by BusinessWeek Online.

HP on Tuesday vigorously defended Hurd, saying the stock trades he made before joining the computer giant were above board.

Hurd's stock trades could be considered a form of insider trading if it turns out that he knew at the time of the transactions that he was a candidate for the HP post, the online publication said.

But HP spokesman Robert Sherbin said Hurd "did not speak with anyone at HP about the position before the final (stock) transaction."

"The shares were sold before any discussion occurred with anyone at HP," he said.

BusinessWeek Online reported that the SEC had sent HP a letter in April requesting information about the sale of Hurd's NCR Corp. stock before the Palo Alto firm hired him.

Hurd was CEO of NCR before he was tapped in late March to replace Carly Fiorina, who was fired in February by the HP board. The BusinessWeek report, which cited unnamed sources, said that HP complied with the request and that the SEC has not asked for more information.

The report also said it's unclear whether the SEC is still looking into the matter, noting that while the agency routinely opens thousands of inquiries a year, only a few cases are investigated.

The SEC had no comment on the report, said spokesman John Heine.

HP also declined comment on the specifics of a possible SEC inquiry, but said that Hurd did not engage in anything illegal or improper.

"There is absolutely no question about the propriety of these transactions," said Sherbin.

Hurd sold more than 32,000 NCR shares between March 1 and 3, according to SEC records. The stock was trading at about $39 when he sold the shares, giving him roughly $1.2 million. As of March 3, Hurd owned about 215,000 NCR shares, a portion of which was restricted stock.

NCR stock dropped about 17 percent the day HP named him CEO, a sign of investors' concern about what would happen to the company after Hurd left. Hurd was widely praised for helping make NCR more competitive.

NCR shares recovered after Hurd left and closed at about $36 Tuesday. HP shares dipped 4 cents, or 0.17 percent, Tuesday to close at $23.85.

As part of Hurd's compensation package, HP agreed to reimburse him for part of his losses in the event his NCR holdings decline in value.

Charles Elson, director of the Weinberg Center for Corporate Governance at the University of Delaware, said the issue is whether Hurd had information that the market did not when he made the sale. "In a situation where you have information that may be material, the view typically is you refrain from trading to avoid questions being raised," he said.

Track Data CEO Charged With Insider Trading

Track Data CEO Charged With Insider Trading: "Track Data CEO Charged With Insider Trading

By TSC Staff
6/15/2005 3:05 PM EDT


Track Data (TRAC:Nasdaq - commentary - research) said Barry Hertz, the company's chairman and CEO, has been charged with insider trading by the Securities and Exchange Commission.
As part of a brief statement issued by Track Data, Hertz's attorneys said, 'We do not believe that Mr. Hertz violated any insider trading rules. The interpretation of those rules by the staff of the SEC in this matter has no basis under existing laws or under any reasonable extension of those laws.' "

The SEC notified Hertz in April 2004 that its staff was recommending bringing an enforcement action. Shares of Track Data, a New York-based financial services company, were up 15 cents to $2.38.

In its complaint against Hertz, the SEC alleged he violated securities laws by insider trading in Track Data stock and by tipping relatives while he had material, nonpublic information about a planned dividend for stockholders, as well as knowledge of the company's negative financial results before a public announcement of its numbers for the second and third quarters of 2003.

Technology News Article | Reuters.com

Technology News Article | Reuters.com: "Philips CEO says sees no catastrophe for the year
Wed Jun 15, 2005 12:46 PM ET "

AMSTERDAM (Reuters) - The Chief Executive of Dutch Philips Electronics (PHG.AS: Quote, Profile, Research) (PHG.N: Quote, Profile, Research) said on Wednesday that soft consumer demand for home gadgets did not spell catastrophe.
"You should not expect a catastrophe ... There's nothing dramatic ... We're not telling you we're much more somber on the year," Gerard Kleisterlee told analysts at a presentation.

Earlier on Wednesday Philips warned consumer demand, especially in Europe, was weak in the second quarter. This would hit about half of the firm's revenues, generated in the consumer electronics and domestic appliances units.

Philips shares sank 5.6 percent to 21.27 euros as a result, as investors are concerned it will not meet its 5 to 6 percent sales growth target and operating margin goals for some units.

"The consumer retail environment in Europe is extremely poor ... There is a short-term weakness, and how that develops we will see," Kleisterlee said, pointing to Britain, Germany, Italy and the Netherlands where non-food retail spending was soft. If the weakness continues, Philips may cut spending on advertising, but for the current quarter the marketing budget remained unaffected. "We should invest anti-cyclically," he said.

Philips decided to warn after it had seen sales numbers from the past five weeks and the company's results for May, he added.

Philips is the world's biggest lighting maker, a top three hospital equipment maker, Europe's biggest consumer electronics producer and the region's number three in semiconductors.

The traditionally volatile semiconductor business was not affected, Kleisterlee said. "We have nothing to mention about semiconductors."

Light Reading - Networking the Telecom Industry

Light Reading - Networking the Telecom Industry: "Virtela Names New CEO

JUNE 15, 2005



DENVER -- Virtela, a global network solutions company, today announced the appointmemt of Larry Morgan as president and CEO. Morgan also becomes a member of the company's board of directors. Vab Goel, a partner at Norwest Venture Partners who also served as Virtela's CEO, continues as chairman of the board.
Morgan assumes leadership as Virtela builds upon its exceptional growth, with a sharp focus on expanding the worldwide customer and partner base for the company's award-winning suite of managed network and security services. Deloitte & Touche has recognized Virtela as one of the fastest growing technology companies in North America, based on the company's 1709% revenue growth rate over three years and ownership of proprietary infrastrucutre technology that propelled its success. "

As President and CEO, Morgan brings more than 20 years of global telecommunications and international executive management experience. He has led highly successful corporate expansion initiatives across the U.S., Asia-Pacific, Europe, the Middle East and Africa. Most recently, he has held a series of executive positions at BT Infonet, including president of Europe, Middle East and Africa (EMEA), vice president and general manager of the Asia-Pacific region and head of corporate marketing for all network services and products. Before joining Infonet, Morgan had a successful sales and marketing management career with IBM, AT&T and Sprint.

”Larry brings a wealth of industry experience and complementary strengths to Virtela, notably his proven expertise in building successful direct and indirect sales channels – both domestically and internationally – and his ability to thrive in competitive environments,” said Virtela Chairman Vab Goel. “His distinguished record, combined with his unparalleled passion and leadership abilities, puts Virtela in an excellent position to further expand our delivery of premier enterprise network and security services for customers.”

While based in the Netherlands as Infonet’s president of EMEA, Morgan was responsible for business development, sales, support and operation of products and services in the region. In that role, he significantly expanded the market share of multinationals in the company’s most competitive geographic sector. Prior to this position, Larry was based in Singapore as vice president and general manager of Infonet's Asia-Pacific region, where he achieved more than 300% revenue growth over a five year period.

”I’m excited to join Virtela and seize the incredible market opportunity before us, building upon the company’s impressive growth and industry position achieved via an innovative and proven approach to enterprise services,” said Larry Morgan. “We will maintain our technology leadership while further raising the industry bar in providing best-in-class customer service on a global basis while other providers are plagued by layoffs and distracted by M&A activities to keep themselves viable.”

Virtela Communications Inc.

Seattle Post-Intelligencer: Chairman: Boeing CEO short list down to 'five or six'

Seattle Post-Intelligencer: Chairman: Boeing CEO short list down to 'five or six': "Chairman: Boeing CEO short list down to 'five or six'
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
LE BOURGET, France -- Boeing is down to a short list of 'five or six' potential new chief executives, including two internal candidates, Chairman Lew Platt said Wednesday.
Platt confirmed that the head of the commercial division, Alan Mulally, and Jim Albaugh, head of the company's space and defense business, were both on the list, and denied reports that the job had been turned down by an external candidate.
'No job offers have been made,' he told a meeting of reporters covering the Paris Air Show. 'Nobody's turned us down.' He declined to identify any of the three or four external candidates.
Chicago-based Boeing Co. is still without a permanent boss three months after CEO Harry Stonecipher was forced to resign after admitting an affair with a female executive in the middle of a high-profile drive to improve company ethics.
Platt said interim CEO James Bell had been doing an excellent job and could not be ruled out as a possible candidate, although he was 'unlikely' to be chosen and was not currently on the short list."

"He is already much more in my mind today than he was three months ago," Platt said. "He's not actively being considered as a candidate today but I've had discussions with several board members about the quality of the job James has been doing."

Bell has been with Boeing for 32 years but was appointed chief financial officer only in 2003. Platt said the ideal candidate would be someone who had led a company or major division "over some sustained period of time."

Platt dismissed suggestions that the company would not appoint a new CEO until December. "A lot of things would have to go wrong for it to take until December," he said.

The Boeing chairman also firmly denied rumors that Airbus' chief salesman, John Leahy, a U.S. national, was on the shortlist.

"He wasn't even on the long list," he said.

Business Centre - canada.com network

Business Centre - canada.com network: "EnCana CEO concerned about ASC's credibility in the wake of ongoing turmoil

James Stevenson
Canadian Press"

CALGARY (CP) - The chief executive of Alberta's largest company believes ongoing turmoil at the province's securities regulator could be affecting its credibility, but is not worried that the commission has been failing to perform its market watchdog functions.

"I think it's unfortunate from a credibility point of view," EnCana president and CEO Gwyn Morgan said Wednesday at an oilpatch investment symposium in Calgary.

"I happen to believe that there's still some excellent people there doing a great job, and those are the people I worry about - when everybody gets tarred with a similar brush."

Still, Morgan is part of a powerful group of business leaders from across Canada appointed by the Ontario government earlier this month to come up with a detailed proposal for a single national regulator.

"I really believe that in order to have full credibility for large, international companies like us, we need to have a single regulator," said Morgan. "There's no other country in the world that has a situation that is as fragmented as ours.

"And that has nothing to do with the problems at the ASC, but it's just an overall observation."

The ASC, which is Canada's second largest securities regulator behind Ontario, has been dogged in recent months by high-profile allegations of interference with enforcement proceedings, harassment of staff and inappropriate conduct.

The ASC oversees most of Canada's largest energy producers like EnCana, but also watches over the activities of other major companies such as Canadian Pacific Railway and WestJet Airlines.

In the past three weeks, three senior executives at the ASC have been fired, leaving just three of eight original members who formed the commission's senior management team up until last month.

While most of Alberta's largest energy companies are regulated by the ASC, they also conform to rules laid out by the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission in order to trade in the U.S.

As such, the head of another large Alberta-based energy company, Nexen Inc., said he was not worried by the turmoil at the ASC.

"I think that when we look at all these issues, we feel very comfortable with our ability to meet all the regulations in all of the jurisdictions," chief executive Charlie Fischer said Wednesday.

"The ASC has been in the press more than they would like to be, but broadly I have not experienced favouritism or any of the other issues that were raised that they treat anybody differently from anybody else."

The commission is also fighting a wrongful dismissal suit filed by its former head of administrative services, Grahame Newton, who was fired in May.

Newton claims senior management at the commission sought "retribution and reprisal" against him after he was identified as a 'whistleblower' regarding certain activities at the market regulator.

The ASC has said Newton was fired from his $160,000 a year job for cause, claiming in its statement of defence that Newton led a conspiracy to permanently destroy the reputations of executive director David Linder and former chairman Stephen Sibold, whose five-year term expired in May.

The commission is also tangled in a high-profile legal dispute with Alberta's auditor general, who wants to conduct a so-called "systems audit" to delve into the commission's books and enforcement practices.

In response to various allegations, Alberta Finance Minister Shirley McClellan asked Auditor General Fred Dunn to expedite an investigation of the ASC and report his findings by July.

But that review was halted in late April when the ASC filed the court challenge.

Lawyers for the part-time commissioners argued that allowing the auditor general to conduct a sweeping review would contravene a provision of the province's securities act regarding disclosure of confidential information.