It was at the "palm springs Fling," Boeing's annual executive retreat held two months ago, that CEO Harry Stonecipher, 68, initiated the relationship with Boeing exec Debra Peabody that would lead to his shocking ouster announced on Mar. 6. The conference epitomized much that is still wrong within Boeing, insiders say. Attendees describe heavy drinking and late-night revelries. It was an atmosphere at odds with the pro- fessionalism Stonecipher had tried to project after taking over the CEO spot in 2003 when Philip M. Condit resigned amid a string of scandals. Stonecipher could not be reached for comment. From the outside, Stonecipher appeared to have made progress in returning Boeing to the straight and narrow. The aerospace giant's two most important units, Boeing Commercial Airplane and Integrated Defense Systems, had become solidly profitable. Just days before Stonecipher's resignation, the U.S. Air Force lifted a 20-month ban that prevented Boeing from bidding on rocket contracts. The company had been excluded after low-level managers admitted in 2003 to using internal Lockheed documents to shape Boeing's bids. With the February sentencing of Michael Sears, the former chief financial officer, on charges of illegal employment negotiations, Boeing was even putting its most serious scandal behind it. Indeed, its stock had regained altitude, rising to almost $60 from under $40 over the past year.
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机译：波音公司在两个月前举行的年度高管撤退会议上，正是在“棕榈泉飞扬”会议上，现年68岁的首席执行官哈里·斯通西弗（Harry Stonecipher）发起了与波音公司高管黛布拉·皮博迪（Debra Peabody）的关系，这导致了他3月6日宣布的令人震惊的下台。内部人士说，波音内部仍然存在很多错误。与会者描述了酗酒和深夜狂欢。在2003年菲利普·康迪特（Philip M. Condit）在一系列丑闻中辞职后，斯通西弗（Stonecipher）接任首席执行官一职后，试图与专业主义相撞的气氛实在与众不同。无法联系Stonecipher进行评论。从外面看，斯通西菲尔（Stonecipher）在使波音（Boeing）返回直线和狭窄方面似乎取得了进步。航空航天巨头的两个最重要部门，即波音商用飞机和综合防御系统，已经获得了可观的利润。在斯通西弗辞职前几天，美国空军取消了20个月的禁令，该禁令使波音无法竞标火箭合同。该公司被低级管理人员在2003年承认使用洛克希德内部文件来制定波音的报价后被排除在外。随着二月份前首席财务官迈克尔·西尔斯（Michael Sears）因非法雇佣谈判而被判刑，波音甚至将最严重的丑闻甩在后面。实际上，它的股票已经恢复了高度，在过去的一年中从不到40美元上涨到了60美元。
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