European Business Forum articles from March 2002

European Business Forum archives from March 2002

Vive la divergence!(Letter from the editors)(Business Forecasting)(European Business Forum Magazine)
March 22, 2002... This Spring 2002 edition marks the second anniversary of EBF's birth--a cause for celebration in itself, we believe, and an opportunity to thank everyone who has supported, sustained and encouraged us over that period. As we look forward to the...

Convergence: profitable futures or a dangerous mirage?(EBF Debate)(Cover Story)
March 22, 2002... Three to four years ago it seemed the most seductive of visions. Digitalisation of content would make possible ever more combinations of communication and information technologies, industry barriers would quickly tumble, lives would be made...

Notice to readers.(Correction Notice)
March 22, 2002... Please note that due to a misunderstanding among the authors the article entitled 'Value-base management and the corporate profit centre' which appeared in the Winter 2001-2002 issue of EBF was incorrectly attributed to Serge Besanger, Nicolas...

Strategy: from prescriptions to propositions.(Debate reopened: Does strategy really matter anymore?)(Decission Making)(Column)
March 22, 2002... EBF's most recent debate (Winter 2001/2002)--Does Strategy Really Matter Anymore?--highlighted the complex role of strategy in an uncertain world. Yet formulating strategy is one thing, implementing it is often the biggest challenge for...

How to reconcile the strategy dilemma? There is no conflict between strategic planning and emergent strategy making, when strategy is conceived as a dynamic formation process. Both strategy approaches are important in the increasingly turbulent business environment, and organisations that integrate the two outperform their peers.(Debate reopened: Does strategy really matter anymore?)
March 22, 2002... The fact that we continue to ask ourselves whether strategy matters points to a somewhat bifocal mindset in the strategic management field. We continue to emphasise rational strategic analysis in business education, executive training, and...

Smoke, mirrors and Russian dolls.(Debate reopened: Executive education)
March 22, 2002... EBF's Autumn 2001 debate challenged companies, business schools and other management training providers to justify the growing sums spent on executive education. A particular focus of the discussion was how, if at all, to calculate Return on...

Fundamental flaws in Hofstede's research.(Debate reopened: Cultural differences)
March 22, 2002... Geert Hofstede's depiction of enduring and powerful national cultures or national cultural differences is legendary. If his findings are correct they have immense implications for management within and across countries, and for the future of...

In my opinion ...(Debate reopened: Cultural differences)
March 22, 2002... I have followed the debate on Hofstede's work on cross-cultural phenomena in business organisations since about 1986. One part of this activity was reported in a research note (1994). More developed replications have been published in Hofstede...

Does humour travel?(Cartoon)
March 22, 2002... ITALY 'I'd like to give a particularly warm welcome to those of you who are joining us from the southern hemisphere' PIERO TONIN [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] FINLAND 'I love it (him) because he has the best communication...

Alliance strategy: linking motives with benefits; There are many types of alliance. But the key distinction is between so-called exogamic partnerships--where two companies come together from different industrial backgrounds--and the endogamic variety which involves two organisations pooling similar types of assets.(In-depth: Alliances)
March 22, 2002... Inter-firm alliances have developed at a tremendous rate over the last twenty years, both in the West and in emerging markets. But not all alliances are identical and the consequence for executives is that they often need to be managed in...

Managing acquisitions to change and survive: conventional wisdom is correct in recognising that poorly implemented M & As are risky, but the strategic value of successful acquisitions is underestimated.(In-depth: Managing acquisitions)(mergers and acquisitions)
March 22, 2002... It has become conventional wisdom that acquirers suffer--by over-paying for targets and then suffering post-acquisition chaos. Indeed, there is almost a cottage industry among analysts in decrying acquisition problems, pointing to the 'winner's...

Market orientation: the critical role of organisational trust.(In-depth: Market orientation)
March 22, 2002... Now that the rush to implement IT solutions which help firms understand their customers has abated, the search for ways to exploit these capabilities has become a high priority. A recent study has found that the benefits of IT are magnified...

Global sourcing: solution in search of a problem? A recent study of firms in the Netherlands shows that regional differences still influence the sourcing strategies of European-based firms. The results also turn the tables on the 'globalisation pundits' who link international sourcing with higher profits.(In-depth: Global sourcing)
March 22, 2002... Lean production, vertical de-integration, just-in-time inventory management, and core competence theory have all thrown the spotlight on sourcing strategies in recent years. But with the dawn of modern-day 'globalisation' in the 1990s...

In my opinion ...(purchasing management, global sourcing,)
March 22, 2002... In spite of the fact that many Dutch enterprises export their products efficiently to far-away destinations, it appears that sourcing from abroad (the opposite challenge, in effect) is a much more difficult matter. As a consequence the title of...

Why companies should brandish their 'internal brand'.(In-depth: Branding)(shareholder value)
March 22, 2002... Canadian journalist Naomi Klein may have cried 'No Logo' in her recent anti-globalisation tirade--but a strong brand is increasingly recognised as one of the most significant components of shareholder value. McKinsey research demonstrates that...

In my opinion ...(In-depth: Branding)
March 22, 2002... I joined Orange six and a half years ago when the organisation only had 2000 employees and was predominantly UK-based. Since then we have been the subject of two major acquisitions and are now a global organisation (part of the France Telecom...

Riding the waves of complexity.(In-depth: Branding)(holographic organizations)
March 22, 2002... Changes in the world of work have profound consequences for corporate branding-how companies promote their organisational identity and how employees align their individual identity with the corporate brand. The metaphor of the hologram can show...

In your opinion ...(In-depth: Branding)(Brief Article)
March 22, 2002... You may disagree with the conclusions of these articles. There are many situations where one brand may not be possible or indeed the best solution. Can you have an employer brand where it is hard to have a corporate brand? The Conference Board...

'Green' bottlenecks in China's transition: a recent study of senior Chinese managers highlights growing support for higher environmental standards. But although aware of the reputational risks, companies are constrained by the financial and employment implications of enforcement.(In-depth: Environmental management)
March 22, 2002... The environmental repercussions of China's rapid industrial development since the 1980s--and the Government's consequent introduction of legislation comparable to that of more developed countries--are already well known. But the law is one...

Crisis management: be prepared; Shockwaves from unexpected events can be dampened if organisations know how to manage their vulnerability.(Sounding Board)
March 22, 2002... Organisational crises are becoming an inherent part of our interlinked world. We are even more conscious of such dire events since September 11th 2001. Only a fraction of crises are reported. Yet, when one strikes, it is an all-consuming event...

Why reputation counts more than regulation: criminal penalties are not the way to prevent more Enrons. The market is efficient at meting out its own punishment.(Sounding Board)
March 22, 2002... We still are learning the specifics, but Enron has already taken a front seat in the history of 'great American frauds'. A lot of bad things happened at Enron: a seemingly vibrant company collapsed, stockholders lost billions, employees lost...

Winning the competition for capital: gone are the days of minimalist reporting. Investors are increasingly rewarding coherent corporate communications with trust--and lower stock price volatility.(Sunding Board)
March 22, 2002... Calls for increased corporate 'transparency' are becoming ever more frequent and detailed. Whereas investors may have simply been looking for a stable pattern of earnings growth and/or dividend distributions in the past, today they wish to...

An alchemist of entrepreneurs: EBF talks to Belmiro de Azevedo, Chairman and Chief Executive of Sonae.(View from the top)(European Business Forum)(Interview)
March 22, 2002... Belmiro de Azevedo is Chairman and Chief Executive of Sonae, Portugal's largest and most globally active non-financial holding company with annual sales of [euro]6.39bn and 61,000 employees. Started as a tiny wood products business in Oporto in...

Life enhancer: EBF talks to Alex Cheatle of ten[UK] and ten[DE].(View from the top)(Interview)
March 22, 2002... It is arguably the ultimate product of our 'cash rich, time poor' times--a company which performs your personal chores (routines, tedious tasks) at home or at the office promising improved employee effectiveness and enhanced personal fulfilment...

Model fashions.(Book Review)
March 22, 2002... Varieties of Capitalism: Peter A Hall and David Soskice (eds.) Oxford University Press, August 2001 ISBN: 0-19-924774-9 556 pages [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] A decade ago, it was fashionable to emphasise that there were many...

Three steps forward, one back ... EBF has been following the fortunes of dot-com businesses in Germany, the Netherlands, France and Sweden. One has run out of funds but the other three see signs of improvement.(Entrepreneurs)(growth of SamSari Education)(services of DoTank)(ExpertPlaza)(interactive Question & Answer platform )
March 22, 2002... Building for the future SamSari Education is an e-learning business based in Sweden. The last quarter of 2001 was by far the best in SamSari's history, financially speaking. But we had to work hard for it! The good news on the...

Kentucky Fried managers.(Did you know?)(Brief Article)
March 22, 2002... Kentucky Fried Chicken has removed fire walking from its future management conferences in Australia after a group of 30 managers were treated for burns after taking part in an exercise to boost confidence and motivation. KFC managing director...

A taste of space ...(Did you know?)(Brief Article)
March 22, 2002... London has retained its position as the world's most expensive city for office space. according to Business Space Across the World, the annual report by international property consultant Healey & Baker and its global partner Cushman &...

Europe's digital divide.(Did you know?)(Brief Article)
March 22, 2002... Getting internet access into homes across Europe is not proving as easy as originally hoped. * 58% of all Americans have internet access at home vs 38% in Europe. * There is a disparity in Europe with 60% of the Netherlands'...

Stressed workers go for anti-blushing operation.(Did you know?)(Brief Article)
March 22, 2002... A London clinic is providing a pioneering operation to stop people blushing. The [pounds sterling]4.000 procedure, which involves cutting nerves in the base of the neck, is reportedly being taken up by workers in high-pressure jobs in the City...

Computer power.(Did you know?)(Brief Article)
March 22, 2002... Scientists using the power of more than a million home computers, all linked together and cranking along as one, have come up with thousands of possible compounds that could be developed as a cure for anthrax. The British researchers who helped...

Internet lag.(Did you know?)(Brief Article)
March 22, 2002... 97 per cent of European companies have an intranet, according to a survey by the French magazine 01 Informatique and Mazars. The survey found that 77 per cent of French companies think the internet is a powerful commercial tool, against just 55...

Power napping.(Did you know?)(Brief Article)
March 22, 2002... A recent Nasa survey shows that performance increases by 35 per cent if employees take a 45 minute 'power nap' in the afternoon. It also claims that the ability to judge business decisions correctly improve's by 50 per cent. The research was...

FT.com leads the charge.(Did you know?)
March 22, 2002... "The kingdom of free content on the internet is coming to a close". says Susanna Arasa, content manager of the EBCenter, the joint research centre in Barcelona set up by PricewaterhouseCoopers and IESE, the Spanish business school. "Very...

Pharmaceuticals' customer focus challenge.(Did you know?)(Brief Article)
March 22, 2002... Pharmaceutical companies will have to reshape their business models and structures and take on more risks if they are going to meet increased customer expectations, according to a new study by professional services firm Andersen and business...

'Grand titles, but no more pay'.(Did you know?)(Brief Article)
March 22, 2002... Workers are being given new job titles instead of pay rises, according to a report. A toilet cleaner has become a 'technical sanitation assistant', while a window cleaner has been renamed an 'optical illuminator enhancer'. Firms are using...

M & A the order of the day.(Did you know?)(Brief Article)
March 22, 2002... A recent PricewaterhouseCoopers survey of 118 European Utility leaders produced the following key findings; * Current levels of consolidation in the European market could leave a powerful core of players. * Larger companies identify...

News from EBF founders.
March 22, 2002... PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) is active in developing new ideas for business and disseminating them through a variety of channels. Here are some recent initiatives: Europe Managing mobility matters--A European perspective. ...

Today's Euro manager revealed: CEMS alumni provide picture of 21st century's high-flyers.(News from EBF founders)(Community of European Management Schools)(European Baptist Federation)(Brief Article)
March 22, 2002... Climbing the career ladder A far-reaching survey of 1,350 CEMS alumni contains significant new insights into what makes today's high management fliers tick. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] * Almost 70 per cent of respondents work for...