1.   American Express executives say expanding outside the U.S., especially in credit and charge cards, is central to plans to boost profit in the years ahead.

2.   And insurance executives say that financial incentives are a crucial method of preventing wasteful practices and do not interfere with necessary care.

3.   And its executives say that gives the company more freedom to pursue the future than its rivals enjoy.

4.   And that is only the beginning, Lockheed executives say.

5.   Arts executives say there is nothing quite like a capital campaign to galvanize fund-raising.

6.   His signature talent, recruiters and executives say, is to persuade executives to take new jobs, no matter how satisfied they think they are.

7.   Boeing executives say the hiring growth will slow, especially in light of company plans to acquire McDonnell Douglas.

8.   But some analysts and industry executives say the plan is so cumbersome, and expensive, that the deal may never get past the talking stage.

9.   But there now seems to be a bit of a resurgence of the independents, publishing executives say.

10.   But there are a lot of people out there, publishing executives say, who have unique passions and less and less time to pursue them.