Industry risk report: semiconductors.
It can be a not-so-lab world for companies in the semiconductor and electronics technology industries. Their risk managers must compute the risks of owning fabrication plants versus the risks of outsourcing production, while they must also keep on their monitor issues associated with product liability, intellectual property. environmental legislation,...

Cast of characters: have special expertise? The spotlight may not be for you.
WHAT IS IDEAL board composition? To use theatrical metaphors: How many characters should the playwright create and with what attributes? What actors should be cast? Should an accomplished actor accept a role in this play? From the viewpoint of the executive search fraternity, the "gold standard" for...

SureFire Taps XLamp LEDs from Cree to Power New Flashlight Models.
ENERGY RESOURCE-4 January 2007-SureFire Taps XLamp LEDs from Cree to Power New Flashlight Models(C)2007 JeraOne - http://www.jeraone.com Cree Inc., a provider of LED solid-state lighting components, today said that SureFire LLC will use its new XLamp 7090 XR-E Series LEDs as the light source in three new...

Benchmark media systems DAC 1.
Several reviews in this issue discuss DAC implementations in DVD players. In a similar vein, this column is a circuit-centric follow-up to the review of the DAC 1 in issue 102, with observations based upon the DAC manufacturer's data sheet and Audio Precision data provided by Benchmark. ...

Chinese silicon wafer manufacturer builds plant, shifts strategy.
Chinese silicon foundry provider Semiconductor Manufacturing International Corp (SMIC) is planning to build a fabrication facility (fab) for 300 mm semiconductor wafers as it plans a possible strategic shift towards becoming an integrated device manufacturer. The company has a new 300 mm fab in Beijing and is...

Director index.
Abbott, David, Multi-Color Corp. Bogus, Donald, Olin Corp. Boystock, Roy, Morgan Stanley Brennan, Charles III, Rogers Corp. Brestle, Daniel, Abercrombie & Fitch Co. Brown, John, St. Jude Medical Inc. Brown, Julia, Tanox Inc. Burns, Patrick,...

Saint-Gobain to sell ceramics for chip-making equipment.
A special conductive ceramic suitable for fabricating parts for semiconductor manufacturing is to be sold in Japan, Taiwan and South Korea, after Saint-Gobain, the French glass giant, announced plans to market its novel product there. The conductive ceramic material was developed by Saint-Gobain's unit in the USA...

Japanese industrial output sags.
TOKYO, Oct. 30 (AFP) -- Japanese industrial output flagged in September, the government said Monday, reinforcing the view that economic growth has peaked and dampening expectations of a near-term interest rate rise. Industrial production fell 0.7 percent from August mainly on weaker demand for cars, auto parts...

Corporate social responsibility revisited.
In the October reason, two businessmen and an economist--Whole Foods CEO John Mackey, Cypress Semiconductor CEO T.J. Rodgers, and Nobel laureate Milton Friedman--debated the idea of corporate social responsibility (CSR). The feature generated further conversation in other media outlets, from Time to The Wall Street Journal. Here's a sampling:...

Company index.
Abercrombie & Fitch Co. Advocat Inc. Albertson's Inc. Alcoa Inc. American Locker Group Inc. Arotech Corp. Beazer Homes USA Inc. BlackRock Inc. Bluefly Inc. Bombay Company Inc. Buckeye Technologies...