How could anyone in his right mind oppose former Securities & Exchange Commission chairman Arthur Levitt, former Federal Reserve chairman Paul Volcker, and former chairman of Vanguard Funds John Bogle in their efforts to enforce Section 404 of Sarbanes-Oxley for all companies no matter their size?

Imagine you are given the assignment to walk into Rupert Murdoch's office and tell him that he needs to give some serious thought to a CEO succession plan for News Corp.

If the head of the US Chamber of Commerce had his way, CEOs would immediately stop providing quarterly earnings guidance.

Surviving a business crisis is a lot like surviving a battle: Decisive action leads to victory. In the business world, however, battles are played out on the pages of The Wall Street Journal or on CNBC, and our arsenal is made up of information that is clearly and quickly communicated.