Unilever is doing more and more things right and getting more and more credit for it, from constituencies ranging from investors to global consumers. Now, the task of CEO Paul Polman is to build on the many gains made by the British-Dutch company and its stable of brands.

Over the past three years, Unilever — whose competitive set includes other CPG and health-and-beauty giants including P&G and Colgate-Palmolive — has gained global market share each year, after losing it each year from 2002 to 2008, according to a new report from Sanford C. Bernstein.

While the company performed near the bottom of its global industry clusters for top-line growth from 2001 through 2005, it came in at the middle of the food category last year, ranked No. 2 in beauty and personal care behind Estee Lauder, and came in at No. 1 in the home-care arena.

Polman, a marathon runner, has waged a good race in the nearly four years since he took the helm.Continue reading...

Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer tells analysts the company's "job one urgency" is developing a tablet to compete with the iPad.

The battle of Colgate vs Aquafresh is unfolding in a New York courtroom over the right to use a "nurdle" (toothpaste squirt) on their toothpaste packaging.

Disney is selling Miramax Films for $660 miilion to an investor group that didn't include founders Bob and Harvey Weinstein.

Citigroup will pay $75 million to the SEC to settle charges that it failed to disclose subprime exposure to investors in 2007.Continue reading...