TIME.com: Global Business, August 2001

California Caviar?

Overfishing has depleted stocks of sturgeon in the northern Caspian Sea, and in response, Russia and several of its neighbors recently restricted their harvests of the caviar-bearing fish. That could offer an opportunity for U.S. producers of caviar from pen-raised sturgeon, led by the pioneering Stolt Sea Farm of Elverta, Calif. But do the texture and taste measure up? We asked the executive chefs of two of New York City's top seafood restaurants--Rick Moonen of Oceana, pictured, and Marcus Samuelsson of Aquavit--to sample unmarked servings of Russian Osetra caviar and Sterling Classic brand, produced by Stolt Sea Farm. Neither could tell the difference. "The quality of the farm-raised caviar has increased," says Moonen. "They can rival some caviars coming from the Caspian." And the domestic eggs are a bargain at $30 per oz., vs. between $50 and $60 for the Osetra.
Caviar by Ted Thai for TIME

This Diet Means Business
Out-of-shape executives should restructure their physique by using the same techniques that have made them successful in business. That's the thesis of The Business Plan for the Body, a summer best seller. Author Jim Karas is a Wharton grad and former options trader and money manager who now works as a $10,000-a-week fitness consultant based in Chicago. He advises dieters to approach weight loss as a business with a twist--you want to spend more than you take in. Think of calories eaten as revenue and calories burned by exercise as expenditures, he writes. Publicly announce reasonable goals so you will be motivated to exceed them. And ask your "management team"--your spouse and office assistant, the staff at a favorite restaurant--to help make you successful.
—Andrea Sachs

Street-Legal Cell Phones
When New York became the first state to outlaw using a handheld cell phone while driving, it gave a boost to new hands-free options for business-minded motorists. Nokia offers an "earbud" headphone with hanging mike ($29.95) and car kits ($119-$199) that let drivers chat hands-free once they've dialed. The Cellport 3000 with Voice Command from Cellport Systems ($249) connects most cell phones to a car's stereo speakers and provides voice-activated phone and e-mail access. Plantronics' boom mike and earbud headphones ($29.95-$64.95) boast superior acoustic seals between your ear and the headphone. By April 2002, Plantronics promises that its Bluetooth M1000 ($149.95; pictured), a wireless earset, will let drivers operate compatible devices, from cell phones to PDAs, with voice alone.
—Beau Briese

More Ceos Are Checking Out
CEOs get the big bucks when times are flush, but in today's sluggish economy and stock market, more and more of them are out of a job. During the first six months of this year, 555 chief executives left or lost their job, according to a survey by Challenger, Gray & Christmas, the job-placement firm. That's a 22% increase over the departure rate during the first half of 2000. "There is so much scrutiny now that it is very hard to hide mistakes," says John Challenger, chief executive of CGC. When a company's stock drops for several quarters, "the CEO is going to walk the plank." Tech executives led the exodus for 11 months through May, but they have since been joined by CEOs from a diverse group of companies, including Maytag and Advantage Schools.

Dead Musicians Society
Recording artists sardonically observe that in their business, nothing succeeds like death. For better or worse, a musician's demise often means more sales. Record companies are hoping that trend holds for three giants who have died in the past six weeks. Music Club has released John Lee Hooker...Is Hip: His Greatest Hits by the legendary Mississippi blues guitarist. Country guitar god Chet Atkins' new release, A Master and His Music, is on the BMG/RCA label. No postmortem releases by trumpeter and Latin-jazz innovator Chico O'Farrill have been announced, but his greatest stuff is on Cuban Blues: Chico O'Farrill Sessions, a 1996 two-disc release from Universal/Verve.

The Big Fridge Goes European
Americans who visit Europe often envy the neighborhood shops. And what do Europeans covet in return? Big refrigerators. They want them because they're working longer hours and don't have time for daily shopping, and they can afford them because they're earning more. European sales of American-size refrigerators are growing 10% a year. And many are sold by U.S. firms. Says General Electric spokesman Terry Dunn: "Americans take big fridges for granted, but in Europe it's like owning a BMW or a Jag." Market research led GE to pitch its offerings to local tastes: stainless-steel finishes for the British and Dutch, warm colors for the Italians, artsy images for the French and Spanish.