Westar leader to speak at KU lecture series

The president and chief executive of Topeka-based Westar Energy will deliver an address on business ethics at Kansas University.

Jim Haines will deliver the KU Business School’s Anderson Chandler Lecture at 7:30 p.m. Nov. 8 at the Lied Center. Haines, who took over the reigns of the troubled Topeka utility in December 2002, will present a speech titled “Corporate Governance, Business Ethics and Individual Responsibility.”

The event is open to the public. There is no charge to attend and tickets or reservations are not required.

Manufacturing

Cardinal sells division

Lawrence-based Cardinal Brands has reached a deal to sell its Hazel Promotional Products division to Texas-based Ryno Industries, company officials said Thursday.

Terms of the deal were not disclosed, but Phil Jones, vice president of human resources for Cardinal, said the sale would not create any job losses at the company’s Lawrence headquarters, 643 Mass. The Lawrence headquarters has 43 employees.

Cardinal decided to sell the Hazel division — which produces promotional items such as notebook holders with company logos — to focus on its core business of commercial and retail office products. Cardinal and its division Adams Business Forms produce a variety of binders, business forms, notepads and other office products.

Automotive

General Motors cuts jobs, earnings estimate

General Motors Corp.’s earnings rose an unexpectedly slim 3.5 percent in the third quarter, hurt by continued use of costly incentives to lure American buyers and poor results in Europe, where it plans to slash operations and 12,000 jobs. Its global automotive business lost $130 million in the quarter.

The world’s largest automaker also lowered its earnings forecast for the year Thursday, a few hours after announcing it plans to cut roughly 20 percent of its work force in Europe by the end of 2006 in hopes of saving about $600 million a year.

The automaker’s shares fell $2.46, or 6 percent, to close at $38.84 Thursday on the New York Stock Exchange.