Management Today articles from April 2007

Management Today archives from April 2007

Juniper is everybody's friend.(Tony Juniper)
April 1, 2007... Tony Juniper of Friends of the Earth really has his place in the sun at the moment (and we can be sure he's surrounded by solar panels to put all those valuable rays to good use). He has come a long way since the bad old days when nobody wanted...

Contributors.
April 1, 2007... HUGH FOWLER The Hamburger Union founder sinks his teeth into My Secret Life on the McJob and finds it a fascinating account of unskilled worklife. He should know: he's been chicken-farm assistant, sprout-picker and hot-dog man. Oh, and...

Chartered Management Institut: In my opinion.(technological change)
April 1, 2007... Chartered Management Institute companion Sir Christopher Fox argues that for major technolgical change, public-sector leaders must learn to delegate decision-making. Arecent CMI research report, Business Leadership of Technological Change,...

The MT diary: Howard Davies.(Charles Clarke)
April 1, 2007... Dodging Zimmer frames in Las Vegas; Charles Clarke's after-Blair speech; Amato regrets. I suppose the excuse might be that it was off season. Nonetheless, Caesar's Palace in Las Vegas seemed an odd place for America's business schools to...

Ten ways to ... stay healthy at work.(Brief article)
April 1, 2007... Stock up on fruit on Mondays Go out for a walk at lunchtime Don't just plump for fast food Go for a swim twice a week Keep plants Hold 'walking meetings' De-clutter your desk daily Get an ergonomic chair ...

Dave's economics greening your mobile.(battery chargers)(Brief article)
April 1, 2007... GREEN ALERT It may seem like an innocuous bit of kit, but the average phone charger is actually about as green as a postbox. People tend to leave them plugged in and switched on even when the mobile phone is lying idle there and fully...

It'll never fly listed companies.(Brief article)
April 1, 2007... Why float your company? The idea of having a load of outsiders poking around in your business can't be appealing, especially now that every decision has to pass muster with the FSA as well as hundreds of bickering shareholders. The top brass at...

Earning curve: Road traffic.(Statistical table)(Brief article)
April 1, 2007... Transport for London, congestion charge, to date pounds 677m Value of Britain's clamping industry, p.a. more than pounds 200m Camden Council, parking fees & fines ('05-'06), profit pounds 15m Traffic warden, Guernsey, p.a. pounds 20k...

Workplace rights: Matters of dispute.(Brief article)
April 1, 2007... How can employers and their staff be encouraged to sort out disagreements in the workplace without resorting to employment tribunals? That is the central issue for a root-and-branch independent review of options for improving employment dispute...

History lessons fight on: Horatio Nelson.(Brief article)
April 1, 2007... Admiral Lord Nelson led from the front and bore the scars to prove it (missing an arm and an eye - that's more than mere flesh wounds). His fiery spirit and delight in battle captured the nation's imagination and made him a legend in his own...

Your route to the top control your temper.(Brief article)
April 1, 2007... Find the source. If your boss makes you angry when she demands unexpected use of your time, arrange a few minutes to discuss what she expects from you. You'll like her much more when you're working on your own terms. Put it into...

Why business is like ... marriage.(Brief article)
April 1, 2007... Mergers are often compared to marriage, which is accurate in one sense, at least - they often fail. Divorce rates are sky-high, and M&A has been said to destroy value in more than 70% of cases, the Daimler/Chrysler and Time Warner/AOL nuptials...

Do it right health and safety.(Brief article)
April 1, 2007... Know your duties. Insurance, registration, reporting incidents - they may not all apply, but some certainly will. Get it wrong and you could be left with a fine, a prison sentence or closed shutters. Cover your back. The law doesn't stop at...

Slogan Doctor: Abbey - 'More ideas for your money'.(Brief article)
April 1, 2007... On the face of it, the slogan introduced by Abbey in May 2005 is a bit dreary. Abbey was not always so straight-laced. This financial institution gave us 'Get the Abbey habit' (still a favourite of the headline-writers), and 'Abbey endings',...

How does he manage? Virtual entrepreneur - Kermitt Quirk (Nathan Keir).(Interview)(Brief article)
April 1, 2007... INVENTOR OF 'TRINGO' VIDEO GAME - When did you become a manager? When I invented Tringo (a cross between Tetris and bingo) in the Second Life environment two years ago, I did it just for myself, but it spread around that virtual world....

Are you suffering from transition anxiety.(Brief article)
April 1, 2007... We're all supposed to want a promotion more than dear life, but according to a recent survey conducted by consultancy firm DDI, this is just not so. Promotion in today's world is considered as stressful as divorce, and about as welcome: 59% of...

Wordsworth platform.(computers)(Brief article)
April 1, 2007... Once, the only 'platform' managers needed to know was the one they braved for the morning commute. Now, it can be a policy position, a type of computer or software, or the underpinnings of a car. Or almost anything to do with television, from...

Remember this.(quotes)(Brief article)
April 1, 2007... 'The secret of success is consistency of purpose' Benjamin Disraeli said it 'You tried your best, and you failed miserably. The lesson is, never try' Homer Simpson said it

Stat of the month: Germany's long skid.(jobs in car industry)(Brief article)
April 1, 2007... 1 in 7 The number of German jobs directly or indirectly dependent on the car industry Time was when getting a job at VW, Mercedes or BMW meant a cushy number for life: a decent wage, great conditions and a short working week. In...

How he made his pile: Simon Jordan, Entrepreneur and football club chairman.(Brief article)
April 1, 2007... Who is he? A south London telecoms wheeler-dealer, and the chairman of Crystal Palace FC. He's also on ITV's Fortune, a 'philanthropic' show in which a panel of rich people humiliate members of the public looking for a quick handout. Jordan is...

Sir David Varney: If I had to start again ..
April 1, 2007... I was at Shell for 28 years, but I wouldn't go back to the energy industry. I've sucked as much juice out of that as I can. I'd look now at the industry that's emerging around quality of life. There's so much research at the moment on medical...

Crash course in ... setting the budget.
April 1, 2007... The FD tells you that operational spending was 20% over budget last year and capital expenditure went through the roof. But there's been a splurge on office carpets and sofas lately as departments resolve to use it rather than lose it. And as...

MT Masterclass.(monetisation )
April 1, 2007... Monetisation What is it? How restrained. 'For f***'s sake!' might be a more reasonable introduction. If you haven't heard of monetisation, do add it to your meetings bingo card, because it should count for a triple-word score when it comes...

Behind the spin.(Gap Inc.)
April 1, 2007... The dilemma Where have all the good times gone for Gap? In its 1990s heyday, no self-respecting e-trepreneur would be seen meeting his VC partner in the Valley without a pair of Gap's trademark khakis. The San Francisco-based retailer was...

A place for our emotions.
April 1, 2007... Successful bosses must feel as well as think, for strategy stands a much better chance of success when managers' hearts are invested in the job. Mr Brown, I'm sorry. (No, not the chancellor but Richard Brown, managing partner of Cognosis...

Books: If the corporate halo slips ..(In Search of Excellence)(Built to Last)(The Halo Effect: ... and the Eight Other Business Delusions that Deceive Managers)(Book review)
April 1, 2007... Companies may win fawning praise for success and raw contempt for failure, but this author believes business pundits are too quick to judge. John Kay agrees. As a speaker, I sometimes receive the results of survey forms completed by...

Books: When the meat in the sandwich is you.(My Secret Life on the McJob)(Book review)
April 1, 2007... Put a supersized academic to work in McDonald's and what do you get? Juicy insights served with relish, says Hugh Fowler. If you can forgive an occasionally folksy style, US management professor Jerry Newman provides a fascinating insight...

Books: Three of a kind - On the road to self-organisation.(A Perfect Mess)(Getting Things Done)(Manage Your Time)(Brief article)(Book review)
April 1, 2007... Getting Things Done; David Allen; Piatkus pounds 10.99 Ever wondered how you could become maximally efficient? And remain relaxed? An impossibility, surely? Well no - coach Allen promises to help you push your productivity envelope to the...

Books: A hand up, not a handout.(A Billion Bootstraps: Microcredit, Barefoot Banking, and the Business Solution for Ending Poverty)(Book review)
April 1, 2007... This book combines enthusiasm with expertise to introduce a powerful system of investment to foster small enterprise in the developing world. David Bull reports. This book could change lives. Yours, your company's and, more importantly,...

The MT interview: Tony Juniper.(Interview)
April 1, 2007... Thanks to vanishing ice-caps and inconvenient truths, the boss of Friends of the Earth is suddenly the hottest corporate date in town. But he's no PR pushover. He wants to see reponsible change in company attitudes and can spot greenwash a mile...

Get engaged.(employee engagement)
April 1, 2007... In today's lean business, committed employees who go the extra mile help the company get to the winning tape first. So how do you encourage them, asks Emma De Vita. Everyone wants you to get engaged these days. And we don't mean settling...

Britain's most admired companies: Johnson Matthey from gold to green.
April 1, 2007... Second place in the latest Most Admired Company poll (presented by MT in association with Mercer Human Resource Consulting) was a pleasant surprise. But the firm, a leader in catalytic converters, has been quietly turning its knowledge of...

The next big thing.(management)
April 1, 2007... Suckers for fashionable management fixes and fancies, businesspeople don the latest 'thinking' like a new outfit. They might feel better, but does it suit them? Stefan Stern reports. What's the big idea? Is there a big idea - or just a...

Sync and swim.(supply chain management)
April 1, 2007... 'Data pools' are enabling suppliers to make their product details and schedules available to customers globally. Manufacturers may struggle to share up-to-date information, but a synchronised effort is vital for keeping supply chains flexible....

Table talk: Where Timothy Richards eats ..(La Trompette- restaurant)(Brief article)
April 1, 2007... There are times when I have a lot of business lunches, then I get worn out and spend time in the gym. I've been going to La Trompette since I established our office in Chiswick in 2000. We tended to eat in small sandwich shops until we had a...

On the road.(Product/service evaluation)
April 1, 2007... The Fiat Panda 100HP's dinky wheels and fat tyres lend this baby the belligerent stance of a little tyke. A Fiat Panda with blacked-out glass for its rear-seat passengers? That's almost as hopeful as a callow youth wearing Lynx aftershave...

What's your problem?(organizational management)
April 1, 2007... You may find your assistant so obnoxious that you don't give a fig But you still should. Q: I've just taken a new position, which I have to say is my dream job. But I can't abide the assistant I've inherited. How can I go about getting rid...

First-class coach.(racism)
April 1, 2007... Q: I have a problem in that one of my members of staff, who is Asian, isn't very good at her job. I want to give her critical feedback, but I am worried that I will be accused of racism. A: This is a potentially incendiary issue and one...

MT the sharp end: Exterminator for a day.(Rentokil Initial PLC)
April 1, 2007... Rats, mice, cockroaches in the house? Rhymer Rigby scans the skirting boards. I've always had a soft spot for Rentokil. In a world where organisations pour millions into mindless monikers (Centrica, Consignia, anyone?), this name is a rare...

Decisions: GoinGreen - Keith Johnston, MD of the company behind the g-wiz electric car.(Brief article)
April 1, 2007... MY BEST... I found myself with the time to look through the Sunday Times classifieds in detail, and I would have otherwise missed the GoinGreen ad that helped bring me to where I am now. Money and financial success is still a strong...