Meanwhile, a pair of activist investors, including Bernard Arnault, France's richest man, bought a big stake in the French-based retail chain.

ECONOMIST: Business this week

The man with the most at stake is Jim McNerney, Boeing's chairman and CEO since July 2005, who presided over the Dreamliner's problem-plagued launch.

WSJ: The Two Men Behind the 787

's assets, following a suit by a New York man who claims to own an 84% stake in the social-networking company.

WSJ: Man Claims Ownership of Facebook

It emerged that Carlos Slim , a Mexican telecoms mogul and the world's second-richest man, holds a 6.4% stake in New York Times Co.

ECONOMIST: Business this week

Patrick Soon-Shiong, the richest man in L.A., bought a 5% stake in the Lakers from Magic Johnson in 2010 and could easily afford a bigger stake if the Buss family wants to raise any cash.

FORBES: Lakers' Jerry Buss Leaves Legacy As The NBA's Greatest Owner

It is only one man's account of one side of a conversation but what's at stake is something more valuable than money - reputation.

BBC: Barclays Banks - A Whitehall whodunit