Seventeen years ago, annual report guru Sid Cato (himself a former corporate officer) conceived of a citation to spotlight egotistical CEOs. His SCRAMMS is an acronym for Sid Cato Rails Against the Mirror, Mirror Syndrome—in Cato's words, "Who's fairest of us all?" "You are, Boss. You are." ("As indicated by a plethora of personality cult pictures of the CEO in the annual report," said Cato.)

In the January 2002 issue of his monthly Newsletter on Annual Reports—issue No. 221—sent subscribers around the world, Cato singled out six corporate heads who have led in exhibiting an "absence of modesty, of decorum."

In addition, Cato cited "two men (who) remain pack-pacers"—that is, are unmatched "where massive egos and perpetual preening are involved," he wrote. Cited: Citizens Utilities' Richard L. Rosenthal ("a dizzying 48 photos of himself in a special section of the company's report back in 1980") and one-time ABC usher Michael Eisner, currently head of Walt Disney Co.

Quipped Cato: "ABC usher makes bad."

Cato said Eisner year after year exceeds the worldwide average of three pages for shareholder letters. In Disney's 1996 report, Eisner's letter ran 18 pages long—and "he wasn't honest," said Cato.

* The millennium—a period of great happiness or human perfection.