THE CORPORATE STATE: A WOMEN'S CEO AND SENIOR MANAGEMENT SUMMIT

The Corporate State: A Women's CEO and Senior Management Summit was held on September 18 in New York City. Senior women executives at the largest invitational forum for women business leaders discussed and debated various crucial topics facing management today. An emphasis was placed on challenging conventional business approaches and proposing alternate strategies.

A sampling of the key viewpoints issued by the summit follow:

* Men and women still face divergent paths to the corporate summit; a woman has no margin for error during the climb to the top. Younger women, accustomed to the relatively egalitarian environment of business schools, may be unprepared for the perils at the highest rung of the corporate ladder, and may find themselves in the fight of their lives.

* A CEO's effective role lies not at the top of an organization, but at its center. The CEO's role is to help her partners and employees reach their goals, thereby furthering the bottom line.

* Regardless of gender, an executive's cultural sensitivity is key to successful competition in a global marketplace.

* Women at the highest levels of management should be aware that it is a small world, and power relationships within it are constantly being reevaluated. A woman should leverage any opportunity to showcase her skills.

* As a consumer phenomenon, the Internet is all about empowering women. Women can step forward and be leaders in the technology industry, overcoming risk-aversion with careful attention and an understanding of the bigger picture.