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...