CEO's Running the World - Understanding the Data Behind the HBR's Top 100 CEO List for 2015

What can be learnt from Harvard Business Review's 2015 CEO data set?

As of 2015, the Harvard Business Review has implemented some major changes in the algorithm they use to calculate the world's top CEOs. This year, heavy emphasis is towards the environment, sustainability, and long term financial results. With the smog in the air and climate talks in progress, HBR's ranking system has followed the global focus on sustainability and they have strategically included the environment as a key metric. Perhaps that is why we see such a prominence of American based corporations on the list. 

As noted by Zac Stillerman on Advisory.com "Currently, more than half of corporations in the United States have prioritized environmental sustainability in their businesses by offering green products and services, and by requiring environmental data from their vendors and service providers."
With shifts like this towards the focus on green products and services, consumer goods represent the most top 100 CEOs this year representing 13 CEOs. Every industry and CEO is able to make changes towards a more sustainable company, and HBR recognizes this.
My analyzation of the data includes the top countries where the CEOs are located and the industries they work in. To further the analyzation HBR provides the following fields in their dataset. 

• ranking

• name

• age

• gender

• company

• start year

• if they are the founder

• insider/ outsider

• the type of degree they hold

• CEO/ Chairman Split

• TSR Rank and %

• Market Cap Change % and rank

• financial rank

• ESG Score and Rank

It is a thorough set of data that allows a hardworking CEO to see what areas are important to focus on.
For The Best-Performing CEOs in the World. Here you can Download the Data Behind the Rankings.
It is a large dataset that takes several key factors into account that measure how and why a CEO is deemed successful. For anyone interested in business, ethics, and finances; this dataset that has tracked each of these CEOs from the first day of their tenures.
Aside from how much their companies are worth and how much their individual net worths are, this data has been well compiled to create a thorough ranking across several different fields.

Since the Harvard Business Review changes their algorithm every single year, I did not include a  comparison of the CEO data from previous rankings. However, if they decide to follow up in 2016 with a similar ranking system, it will give data journalists a great opportunity to track the changes and differences year to year.


Looking at the charts provided below, one can view the dominance of the consumer goods, financial services, and health care sectors. Also discovered is the major role of CEO's in America, with 41 of the top 100 making the cut.

So what were the qualities of the top ranking CEO's company this year?
Novo Nordisk achieved a very high ESG (environmental, social, and corporate governance) score!
As noted on AFR.com via Sustainalytics, the company offers insulin at a steep discount to consumers in developing countries.

Well that makes great sense, Lars Sorensen, Novo Nordisk's CEO obviously has a heart of gold, and according to the data, his company is financial successful, and environmentally aware.
It is great to see that HBR values much more than finances when it comes to their ranking system.
However, everyone isn't thrilled about that. Over at Business Standards they are putting together a case against HBR's ranking system. They are complaining that money should matter more! They are upset that the top financial ranking CEO is 87th on the list! However, with a very poor ESG score, Jeff Bezos of Amazon deserves his lower ranking as the world is in dire needs of environmentally sustainable businesses. Caldwell Partners break the ranking system down further to examine the shift in this year's metrics. Mentioning the importance of Novo's triple bottom line philosophy; the company bases its operation on three areas, environmental responsibility, financial performance, and social impact. It seems as if Novo is custom fit to win this competition!

It it  very interesting to view cases like this, where the big money players aren't stacking up next to the more aware CEOs.
We have to thank HBR for putting together an excellent ranking system and teaching the world thorough its data, that the environment matters. 

 

Please view the following links for additional context:

•  Reuters 

•  Triple Pundit

•  Advisory

Update 3

One question I cannot answer with my data involves year to year differences among the world's top CEOs. Since the Harvard Business Review changes their algorithm every single year, it would be somewhat inaccurate to compare the CEO data from previous rankings. However, since the HBR has conducted these rankings every year with some similarities in the rankings, it still would be useful to compare the countries and industries between 2014 and 2015. Unfortunately HBR's 2015 "The Best-Performing CEOs in the World" is the first article of its kind to include an accessible data set. I'm sure the HBR has the applicable data set, and a simple email outlining my intentions with it, would surely grant me the data. The type of dataset I would want, is one that compares contains enough information to be able to compare and contrast CEO rankings between years.


 

Assignment #2: Data Update 2

CEO's love Diabetes, Beer, Coffee, and Sneakers. 

Trends among dominant industries connecting the world's most successful CEOs.  

Just another CEO

The list of the top 20 CEOs I have included as an excel spreadsheet highlights the CEO’s names, countries, and industries, providing insight into the who, what, and where of the world’s top CEOs.

This slice of data can be effectively used in three different data wrapper visualizations. I will analyze the data based on country and industry, and compare it to data from previous years to see what countries and industries are becoming more dominant on the list over time.

The Harvard Business review puts out CEO rankings every year. By looking into the 2014 set versus the 2015 one, the reader can notice how data becomes a more vital component to the ranking system.

Between 2014 and 2015, the wealth and organization of the data has created a much more thorough ranking system.


I am excited to input this data into data wrapper to create a fluid visualization for my final report.

CEO Corral

Jack Ma - CEO

For my final report I will use the dataset titled: The Best-Performing CEOs in the World. Here you can Download the Data Behind the Rankings.

It is a large dataset that takes several key factors into account that measure how and why a CEO is deemed successful. For anyone interested in business, it is a thorough dataset that has tracked each of these CEOs from the first day of their tenures. 

Aside from how much their companies are worth and how much their individual net worths are, this data set also factors in information such as environmental scores, to show a thorough and in-depth analysis of what makes a CEO great. 

The data set contains each CEO's: ranking, name, age, gender, company, country, industry, start year, if they are the founder, insider/ outsider, the type of degree they hold, CEO/ Chairman Split, TSR Rank and %, Market Cap Change % and rank, financial rank, ESG Score and Rank. 

It takes several factors into account, besides how much the companies are making and how much their net worths are. This dataset goes deep.

I initially had to look into the headings such as TSR, ESG, and a few other business lingo terms. They are all thoroughly explained through a simple google search. 

Here is a link to the full article in the Harvard Business Review, where you can also find the dataset. 

David A. Northern - CEO

The way the dataset ranks the CEOs is meant to signify enduring success. This brings about several questions. 

• What signifies long-term success as a CEO? It is a very industry specific question, as risk-taking and innovation only prove success However, since the CEOs are in different industries, are there industry-specific ways to measure how successful a CEO is? 

• Why is the leadership aspect not taken into account? As it can be such a vital aspect of a CEO success. 

• What does success as a CEO really entail?

• What other factors contribute to the success of a CEO?

• Is there a different way to rank the CEOs based on this dataset, other than the way they have weighted the fields? 

A goal of mine is to enter the business world and eventually lead a company, a dataset like this allows me to recognize the significance of variables that contribute to a successful tenure of a CEO.

If you still haven't, please Download the Data Behind the Rankings so you can fully understand my analysis.

By Graham Smith

Unicorns Gone Wild

• 
• CrunchBase a sister company of TechCrunch has created a wonderful, information packed article with multiple visualizations.
  
  
  CrunchBase has released a unicorn leaderboard, it includes detailed and interactive visualizations on which companies have reach a billion dollar valuation. It also includes the companies that have fallen below the billion dollar mark. And ones that are hot and nearly at a billion!
  It appears to be a visualization created with complete, unaltered data set complemented with a nearly perfect data-ink ratio.
  
  
  An interesting part of this visualization is the major jump one can see after 2008. From 2005-2008 Facebook and LinkedIn were alone as billion dollar players. However, after 2008 there is a steep and exciting climb in numbers, as new players enter the range. 
  
  
  The visualization is very current, and as of September 16, 2015 when it was uploaded, a total of 144 operating unicorns can be viewed. 
  
  
  CrunchBase has done an excellent job with this particular visualization because the numbers of unicorns, and the exponential growth of them can be very stimulating for an entrepreneurial or tech minded viewer. 
  
  
  As a dedicated marketing student, I have my own entrepreneurial aspirations. It is very motivating viewing visualizations revealing statistics on how international tech businesses are growing.
  
  
  Another important aspect of this visualization is the leading investor visualizations, which Sequoia Capital dominates with 75 investments in 26 different unicorns. 
  
  
  Two companies which I personally interacted with in the last year, are also new to the list. It is exciting to see BlaBlaCar.com a ride sharing platform from France, helped my brother and I get from Zurich, Switzerland to Delft, Netherlands this summer.  And shopify.com an e-commerce company whom I interviewed with last week! 
  
  
  
  
  With start-ups and tech business growing exponentially worldwide, it would be very interesting to see data from this chart used in a world map. By pinpointing where unicorns are located around the world the data may appeal to an international crowd.
  Colours were used minimally and tastefully on the charts to promote clarity and differentiation between years. 
  
  
  
  
  An issue has to do with the interactive quality of the chart. When I would run my mouse over one of the bars that measures unicorns by quarter, the pop-up box would have some of its data cut out, and one is unable to scroll through the list. Although it did function correctly at times, the problem seems to be persistent yet fixable. A usability issue like this can cause a viewer to easily lose patience with the visualization and disregard it. Try it here.
  
  

• The visualization does provide links to specific company profiles which include company details, recent activity, funding rounds, investors, and acquisitions for further reading. However, by providing links to all of the specific companies listed, the visualization would be more interactive and informative. 
  The visualization does do a good job of explaining the data clearly. New entries, exits, and a cumulative count is well laid out for the user. 
• 
  
• The entrepreneurial landscape is hot, and with booming tech companies raising capital like never before, it is important that business people new and old, stay aware of major players changing the industry and the world. 
• 
  
• 
  
• By Graham Smith

Marketing Guru Abroad

Marketing Guru went abroad from March 19th - April 9th

Travelling to the diverse market of China for some outlook and worldly experience.

Noted on his travels was the massive size of the Chinese market.

The huger for success was quite prevalent.

Everyone fighting for a piece of the cake, which is China.




Marketing concept identified abroad. In relation to Maslow's hierarchy of needs..

Show and Tell Marketing, in which the consumer only buys, if he/she has the opportunity to flaunt.

By a car, to show your friends. Buy a house, to impress your guests. Many items are paid for to reach that self actualization.

As I was discussing this concept with a fellow traveler, he made the note that, no one has dryers (for their clothes) because a dryer isn't a desperate necessity, and a dryer isn't something you showed off.

Also discussed with this acquaintance, was that if scented dryer sheets were offered, to stimulate scent. People would by dryers just to use the dryer sheets, so people would know they had a dryer because their clothes smell good.

Perhaps a silly concept, but this notion of show and tell, or (smell and tell) was very noticeable.




Travel Notes


To fully exploit any resource when one travels, local knowledge is timeless. Be it a local contact or language, travel life is much more fluent and free flowing with developed communication.

This note applies to marketing in the sense that, if you are well educated about your product or service, conveying it to others becomes exponentially easier.



Display respect, seek deep relationships, and a world wide family is achievable.

The meaning of exemplifying respect is seamless throughout all cultures.

29/02/2012

As noted in Exhibit 14.2 in the textbook, T.V. and Newspaper advertisement spending still trumped Internet Advertising in 2009.
However, this fact does not justify the influence of internet marketing now.

Differentiating itself from any other criterion of Major Media, the internet's key feature, is the ability to Interact.

Never before has a potential customer been able to play games, explore consumer reviews and,  click on a product to watch it spin around.

The internet has done amazing things for marketing.

It has given users the power, to choose their advertisements.

No longer does one have to be bored by an uninteresting ad (which may bring about negative feelings of the given product).

Exploring and evaluating products and their competition happens with complete transparency online.

Companies cannot hide negative features.

Everything is out in the open and exposed online.

The internet has brought an encyclopedia of everything, to the fingertips. With millions of authors.

Linking websites together, or sub-domaining, is very important in creating an exposed website.

By connecting pages together, content pages and social media pages, one is recognized as a pro in the given subject.  Therefore building an online presence. Expressing knowledge of an area, through an array of information outlets, shows the diverse methods of expression available online. (As identified on page 333 in the textbook).


http://mashable.com/2012/02/20/facebook-marketing-small-business/
http://mashable.com/2012/02/17/social-media-bloggers-tips/

Listed here are a few links from Mashable. Giving Facebook exposure tips and tips for bloggers.

Mashable is the best resource for online marketing related articles.

A key feature of the internet, is the amount of knowledge that can be gained.  People can become text based professionals, by reading and studying online.


Having sites like this, can teach much valuable information of e-marketing.

Our generation is very lucky to have a resource like this, if, it is utilized in a productive mannor.

Much time is wasted online, however, the people wasting time, are the ones we can market.


Take a read of my thoughts, check out the Mashable links and comment on anything you find interesting!

Good luck on everyone's presentations today.





Concepts were taken from E-MARKETING , Sixth Edition, Judy Strauss & Raymond Frost