Dreamliner delays

After Boeing announced yet another -- the seventh -- delay in the first delivery of the innovative 787 passenger jet, it's now clear that Boeing's decision to outsource both the design and manufacturing of the plane was more than it could manage.

They may not make headlines, but the folks on this list of key corporate execs will likely have an outsize impact across all sectors of American business in 2011 -- from TV and household products to fast food and social networking.

After seven missed delivery deadlines for Boeing's troublesome 787 Dreamliner, the company has run into another setback: In a test flight Tuesday, the electrical-equipment bay caught fire. Can the company turn the development nightmares into a happy ending?

If Boeing has any hope of avoiding another Dreamliner-class production fiasco in the future, it'll need to change its ways in some very important areas. Here are four suggestions worthy of serious consideration.