The executive who acts bears all the cost of his own action but reaps only a fraction of the gain from those actions.

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M-PESA, technically a business unit of Vodafone, which holds the patent for the idea, is now being implemented in South Africa by Vodacom, where Lonie acts as executive head of its mobile payments business.

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One of his first acts as chief executive was to announce an increased supply of new flats.

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The Commission - the EU's executive arm - drafts laws and acts as guardian of the treaties.

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Before 1952, the executive took the view that all acts of a sovereign nation should be immune.

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The chief executive of the Livestock Exporters' Council, Alison Penfold, said the acts shown in the footage were "exceptionally distressing" and "completely unacceptable to the industry and to Australians".

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Even there, retirement is never too far off the agenda: Cordes was on a panel last year with Marc Freedman, chief executive of nonprofit Encore.org, which helps people move into their second acts.

WSJ: Are Retirement Conferences Worth It? | WSJ.Money Summer 2013

These acts make you more influential and engaging, and help you build that all-important executive presence.

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But its executive director, Melanie Sloan, said she won't, only because the House ethics panel acts solely on complaints filed by members.

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