Book Audits: Jun. 4, 1984

AN EXECUTIVE ENIGMA

One of the largest and most profitable corporations in the U.S. has been run for nearly 20 years by an avowed Socialist. The company is Schlumberger (1983 revenues: $5.8 billion), a leading oilfield-services firm. The executive is Frenchman Jean Riboud, who is profiled in The Art of Corporate Success (Putnam; 184 pages; $15.95) by Writer Ken Auletta. Riboud, 64, is a corporate enigma. A hardheaded capitalist in business matters, he is nevertheless a confidant of Socialist French President François Mitterrand.

Under Riboud, Schlumberger has adopted "strive for perfection" as a...

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