Perhaps slightly off topic, but I found it compelling so I thought you might as well.
The highly esteemed Dr. John Sullivan published on Monday the fourth part of this case study at ERE. It profiles the recruiting organization inside Valero Energy, #34 on the Fortune 500. Run by a former CEO, the department is run like a business in itself and Dr. John feels there is quite a bit to be learned from this approach – in fact, he calls it one of the best recruiting organizations in the world. A good, if slightly lengthy, read.