Yahoo's CEO faces crucial earnings call

San Francisco

YAHOO! INC's earnings call this week has turned into a must-win situation for chief executive officer Marissa Mayer.

Ms Mayer will unveil Yahoo's third-quarter results on Tuesday, making her first extensive public comments since coming under pressure last month from activist investor Starboard Value LP. On the call, Ms Mayer will say Yahoo is focused on the handling of taxes from a stake in Chinese e-commerce company Alibaba Group Holding Ltd, explain her acquisition strategy, and what she's doing with spending after job cuts this month, according to a person familiar with the matter, who asked not to be identified because the details aren't public.

Ms Mayer's message is crucial to assuaging investor concerns about whether she can turn around Yahoo. The Sunnyvale, California-based Web portal is under intensifying scrutiny after last month selling part of a stake in Alibaba, which had driven up Yahoo's value. Since Alibaba went public, Yahoo's shares have fallen 8.6 per cent. In addition, Yahoo's main online advertising …