Insurance executives discounted the Sept. 11 attacks as a factor in the rising rates for cars and homes.
Though CBS executives discounted that theory, competitors suggested that such a reaction could be among the reasons for the strikingly low ratings, which put CBS more than two million viewers behind the second-place ABC News.
The network executives discounted the appeal of the music as the crucial factor in the draw of the Jackson special, noting that, with tastes in music now spread over a huge range of styles, no recording artist had broken through to the very top of the weekly ratings with a special in decades.
The Patriots now have three picks in the second round of April's draft, but the low price Kansas City paid in the deal indicated that Belichick might have given Scott Pioli, the new Chiefs general manager and a former Patriots executive, a discount.
Mr. Hastings ignored the warning, believing that chief executives should generally discount what their friends say.
Executives at certain discount brokerages, insurance companies and regional banks were close behind.
Recounting his early days at Sunbeam, Mr. Levin said that on his second day, he started calling the chief executives of major discount retailers, like Wal-Mart Stores and Kmart, to begin repairing fractured relationships.
Drug company executives say the discount stores, which generally make a small commission for arranging each order and delivery, threaten their ability to invest in medical research, and the companies have begun limiting shipments to their Canadian suppliers.
After five long months of being deprived, loyal customers streamed back into Century 21 in Lower Manhattan yesterday morning, cheering and applauding while executives of the discount department store stood on the sidelines and clapped right back.
It is not uncommon for executives to receive discounts on their companies' products -- or even freebies.
