Economy in good shape

Management books reveals that consumers are the main trend of the market.

The University of Michigan's American Customer Satisfaction Index (ACSI) increased to an overall 74.9 score out of 100 in the fourth quarter of 2006, its highest level since the survey first started in 1994.

The winners from this survey are: Home Depot, Costco, Best Buy, Wachovia, Wells Fargo, J.P. Morgan Chase, Amazon, Barnes and Noble, Charles Schwab.

Even with "twin deficits" Corporate America is in good shape.

Nardelli: OUT

It is always bad to be fired! But, when you get 210 million dollars to come home, like Robert Nardelli, probably you think twice....and accept it.

Nardelli, an ex-GE Top Executive, accepted the top spot from Home Depot, after loosing the main spot to Immelt at GE. Nevertheless, Nardelli made some achievements:

• Nardelli has run Home Depot pretty efficiently for a majority of his six years.
• Home Depot's earnings-per-share [EPS] have increased 20 percent a year for the past four years.
• Nardelli brought discipline.

But:

• "no flexibility" and "autonomous" management style that came to characterize Nardelli's reign.
• The company needs a more innovative and constructive leadership.

Frank Blake is the new CEO. Shares of Home Depot are up, today.