Dario Scagliotti believes that growth through mergers and acquisitions (M&A), joint ventures and investment in new markets mean the business process and model must be 100 percent centralized and standardized.

Pirelli has experienced phenomenal expansion and growth into new markets, some due to M&A. Keeping his tires on the ground, Scagliotti says: "At the end of the day, a tire is a tire.

Wall Street's joy subsides

Wall Street's euphoria over the Federal Reserve's latest move to cure the credit crunch turned to caution Wednesday, leading stocks to retreat a day after their biggest rally in more than five years.

The Fed's plan announced Tuesday to lend $200 billion in Treasury securities -- and accept mortgage-backed securities as collateral -- was greeted by the stock market as an innovative way to bring relief to the tight credit markets. But investors were hesitant Wednesday to pour more money into stocks without signs that the central bank's move would help turn around the economy.

"Does it address the main concern, and that's weaker housing? That has not been resolved just yet," said Steven Goldman, chief market strategist at Weeden & Co. "If we are in the midst of a recession, and only a couple months into the recession, we might need a couple more months to plod our way through this."

Volatile energy prices added to the market's anxiety.

Speedway Motorsports annual net income skids to $38M

Speedway posts 4Q loss, reduced annual earnings [Charlotte] California Speedway now the Auto Club Speedway of Southern California [Los Angeles] Report: California Speedway naming rights worth $50M to $75M to ISC [Orlando] C.D. Spangler, Bruton Smith on Forbes billionaire list [Charlotte] Lone Star Park bets on fair weather [Dallas] .