April 15, 2004

Jennifer Steinhauer column says Mayor Michael R Bloomberg appears to have gained some respect from New Yorkers by showing a tougher, more vociferous style of management; notes that his approval rating has risen to 47 percent from 31 percent in July 2003; says he still needs to lift his standing with lower- and middle-class constituents, showing kind of charismatic leadership New Yorkers want in mayor (M)

Sony will introduce line of luxury products called Qualia, intended to compete and complement upscale purchases; marketing concept is to re-establish company as one that always creates something new; photo (L)

Tom McNulty, 53-year-old divorced ad copywriter in Minnesota, is self-taught housekeeper and author of Clean Like a Man: Housekeeping for Men (and the Women Who Love Them); McNulty shares some favorite tips for quick, efficient cleaning; photos (M)

Airline industry is beginning to see what was supposed to be promising year slip away, because of rising fuel costs, brutal competition and its own lingering financial problems; Delta Air Lines says it lost $387 million in first quarter, kicking off what analysts fear will be string of poor quality results for major airlines; some industry analysts say first-quarter losses could reach $1 billion or more for carriers, even though traffic is rebounding to levels last seen before Sept 2001 terrorist attacks; Delta's chief executive Gerald A Grinstein pushes for concessions from Delta's pilots, whom he calls 'major boulder' blocking competitiveness; Continental Airlines is pulling back on its forecast of break-even year; Air Transport Association says each 1-cent increase in price of fuel, now over $1 per gallon, costs airline industry $180 million; graph; chart (M)

Robert C Mansfield resigns as chairman of Australia's Telstra Corp; deputy chairman John Ralph will fill in while new chairman is sought; photo (S)