Management Today articles from January 2007

Management Today archives from January 2007

Big earners and big spenders.(entrepreneurship of financiers)
January 9, 2007... This is the time of the year when we earth-bound schleps sit around feeling a mixture of envy and stupefaction as we come to terms with the scale of bonuses being trousered by those Masters of the Universe over in the City of London. I...

Contributors.
January 9, 2007... Sir Howard Davies Taking a break from the triple pressures of running the London School of Economics, chairing next year's Man Booker prize judges and penning MT's diary page, Davies reviews Will Hutton's The Writing on the Wall: China and...

Chartered Management Institute: In my opinion.(Jo Williams on leadership, campaign management)
January 9, 2007... Chartered Management Institute Companion Jo Williams argues that active leadership is needed if passion is to be turned into success. Sixty years ago, the charity now known as the Royal Mencap Society was formed by a group of feisty women...

The MT Diary: Howard Davies.
January 9, 2007... On the Berlin beat with Sir Ian; the de-Graded Beeb; my mission: to read a ton of novels. The Berlin Postbahnhof is quite a recherche location for dinner. The Metropolitan Police commissioner Sir Ian Blair and I tried it out the other day....

Ten ways to ... create a great website.(Brief article)
January 9, 2007... 1. Know what you want from it 2. Make it easy to get around 3. Use lively and relevant content... 4.... and update it regularly 5. Keep it simple, legible and consistent 6. Go easy on the flashy animation 7. Check...

It'll never fly - piercings.(body piercing)(Brief article)
January 9, 2007... So much for the body being a temple. From nostrils to nipples, ears to eyebrows, no patch of flesh seems safe from invasion in the name of self-expression. Piercings hurt (it is illegal to have an anaesthetic injection for them), can take...

How does he manage? Football referee - Mike Riley, FA select group.(Interview)(Brief article)
January 9, 2007... When did you become a manager? I've been refereeing 27 years. I realised early I was rubbish at football (after picking the ball out of our net for the 17th time). The catalyst was an injury - I started out running the line for our...

Earning curve - books.(book market)(Brief article)
January 9, 2007... Value of the UK book market ('05): pounds 3.2bn Dan Brown, author of The Da Vinci Code ('05-'06): pounds 46m The Canterbury Tales, first edition, Christie's auction ('98): pounds 4.6m OJ Simpson, advance for unpublished If I Did...

Workplace rights - Discretionary bonuses.
January 9, 2007... Official statistics have revealed that bonus payments in the financial services sector are hitting record levels. Given the huge sums at stake, it's hardly surprising that bonuses frequently give rise to legal disputes. Scheme rules...

History Lessons - Don't dwell on duds - Brunel.(Isambard Kingdom Brunel)(Brief article)
January 9, 2007... Britain's best-loved engineer had all the classic traits of the entrepreneur: visionary ideas, total commitment (hanging off bridges, surveying entire railway routes himself), a willingness to risk his own money in projects. Isambard...

Your route to the top - Make a compelling case.(Brief article)
January 9, 2007... Figure out their needs. What is the key thing they want to achieve? What would be an unexpected bonus? Paint the ideal situation. Excite them about what the future could hold. Whether it's a merger going ahead successfully or an increase...

Why business is like ... hostage negotiation.(Brief article)
January 9, 2007... The parallels between trying to secure the release of a hostage from an AK-47-wielding terrorist and getting a better deal from your paper supplier may not be obvious, but hostage negotiators have much to offer their corporate counterparts. ...

Do it right - the appraisal.(employee)(Brief article)
January 9, 2007... Do it regularly. But twice a year is plenty. An appraisal should simply formalise things you've already talked about. If it throws up any surprises, something's amiss in your day-to-day communication. Prepare in advance. Don't mutter about...

Slogan Doctor - Cillit Bang: 'Bang - and the dirt is gone!'.(Brief article)
January 9, 2007... On the Continent, this unremarkable cleaning product is known simply as Cillit. The 'Bang' is a triumph of British ingenuity. In JWT's no-nonsense slogan, it suggests instant effect - something hammered home in the product's commercials,...

We'd love that job - Explorer - Benedict Allen.(Interview)
January 9, 2007... What do you do? I've lived with tribes in New Guinea (and got cut with bamboo blades in their initiation ceremony), and driven dog-sleds off cliffs in the Siberian night. I'm usually away for six months at a time, learning skills from...

Remember this.(quotes)(Brief article)
January 9, 2007... 'After a certain point, money is meaningless. The game is what counts.' - Aristotle Onassis said it 'Successful companies have parties. Unsuccessful ones have meetings.' - Sir Philip Green said it.

Are you suffering from bag lady syndrome.(Brief article)
January 9, 2007... When a Minnesota-based insurance company polled a couple of thousand women, they found that most had a deep-seated fear of ending their days as bag ladies. This was despite the fact that many worked in the financial services sector and...

Words-worth proposition.(Brief article)
January 9, 2007... This is a favourite in business and the professions, including the oldest. From the Latin propositio, meaning 'statement', it arrived in English in the 14th century in various religious uses, taking on its modern meaning - an offer - in...

How he made his pile - Leonard Blavatnik - Oil and metals magnate.(Brief article)
January 9, 2007... Who is he? You may well ask. At 48, the oligarch is Britain's sixth-richest resident, and one of Londongrad's dozens of Russian billionaires. Worth pounds 4.7 billion, he even outbid his compatriot Roman Abramovich for a pounds 41 million pad...

Stat of the Month - The red-tape tangle.(taxation)(Brief article)
January 9, 2007... 3,621 - The number of government regulations introduced to the UK in one year That comes to a total of 98,600 pages, 65 times longer than War and Peace. At least our business leaders have something to keep themselves busy with of a quiet...

Keith Jones - If I had to start again ..
January 9, 2007... I could have been a ski instructor or run a chalet business. I turned down my first chance of a ski trip in 1975, shortly after I left Oxford, and didn't end up going until three years later. I was hooked, but by then my City career was...

Crash course in ... competition law.(facing competition)
January 9, 2007... Your sales manager was spotted in the bar at a conference last week in a huddle with his opposite numbers at your two main rivals. He says it was just a social chat, but how can you ensure your firm isn't engaging in anti-competitive behaviour?...

MT Masterclass - Expansion.(business expansion)(Brief article)
January 9, 2007... What is it? The idea that businesses should try to get bigger is a fundamental tenet of capitalism. To be labelled 'ex-growth' by City analysts is a cue for a calamitous fall in your share price. Businesses should try to grow, the theory...

Decisions - Nicolas Samuel Hobbs, Managing director of the womenswear chain.
January 9, 2007... MY BEST... I have two, which are interrelated. The first was my move into the fashion industry from banking. This was a very good move, but the key best decision I made was leaving the very successful Karen Millen at a time when I was...

Behind the spin - Yahoo!
January 9, 2007... THE DILEMMA Yahoo!, the world's most visited website, seems to be stuck in the world of Web 1.0. Founded in 1994 and run by 63-year-old CEO Terry Semel, the internet portal/content-provider/search engine is losing out to younger, more...

More equal than most.(employee ownership)
January 9, 2007... Dividing the spoils more equally can make for happier people and better businesses. Give staff a stake in the firm and the chance to add value. Is the pay gap between men and women getting wider or narrower? Well, it depends which...

Books: Questions that haunt China.(The Writing on the Wall)(Book review)
January 9, 2007... Many look in awe on the rising Asian monolith, but Will Hutton thinks it could all go wrong - and explains why. Howard Davies finds his prognosis persuasive. It has become a cliche to say so, but the China growth story of the past...

Books: Three of a kind - Women are doing it for themselves.(Make it Your Business)(The Girl's Guide to Being a Boss)(Brief article)(Book review)
January 9, 2007... Make it Your Business; Lucy Martin and Bella Mehta; Spring Hill pounds 12.99 No stone on the rocky path to starting up a business is left unturned by this 'ultimate start-up guide for women'. The novice entrepreneur will find detailed...

Books: Can we leave CSR to shareholder power?(The New Capitalists)(Book review)
January 9, 2007... The New Capitalists; Stephen Davis, Jon Lukomnik and David Pitt-Watson; Harvard Business School Press pounds 18.99; MT price pounds 18.99 This author sees a new green enlightenment among share-owners. Blake Lee-Harwood will still be...

MT Britain's Top 100 Entrepreneurs 2007: Money does the talking.
January 9, 2007... MT's latest ranking of the UK's most prolific business creators reflects the energy of City dealmaking, but Philip Beresford's research uncovers other pockets of dynamism. With the City of London roaring ahead, the financial services...

MT Britain's Top 100 Entrepreneurs 2007.
January 9, 2007... Premier league Our top-notch wealth creators this year are led by five money-meisters, mostly from modest backgrounds. Behind them, though, the field widens... 1. PETER CRUDDAS - CMC Group If it moves, City slicker Peter Cruddas trades it....

Britain's Top 100 Entrepreneurs 2007: Dedicated follower of fortune.(Philip Beresford)(Interview)
January 9, 2007... Philip Beresford has made it his business to build and keep a record of Britain's wealthiest citizens and their assets. Andrew Davidson visits the money-maestro in his garret. The person credited with amassing more knowledge of the wealthy...

The MT Interview: Ian Tyler.(Balfour Beatty Ltd.)(Interview)(Biography)
January 9, 2007... With the Hatfield crash in its past and London Underground in its future, Balfour Beatty is not short of a challenge or two as it heads for its centenary. Its boss hides a steel fist in a velvet glove as he looks to take the construction firm...

The iceman cometh.(economic conditions)
January 9, 2007... The Vikings are here and spending with a will, but Matthew Gwyther wonders where all their money comes from... It's a quarter to two on Friday morning in late November, and on Laugavegur, the main drag in downtown Reykjavik, the Icelandic...

What's your problem?(self management)
January 9, 2007... Either you carry on living a life in part based on pretence or you learn to read and write. Q: I'd like to try to improve the way I work. I'm very busy and have an interesting job. No two days are the same. I love what I do but I find...

First-class coach.(performance management)
January 9, 2007... If you position yourself as keen to acquire these new skills, you may find your boss to be helpful. Q: I applied for an internal vacancy I felt confident I had the skills to do well. Although I was interviewed, I didn't get the job,...

The MT Essays: Communications - Join our mobile debate.(telecommunications future)
January 9, 2007... The onward march of the communications revolution continues, but its impact is hard to call - which is why Orange has set up an online forum for sharing ideas. We are working in one of the most complex, challenging and dynamic environments...

The MT Essays: Pensions provision - Schemes for the future.
January 9, 2007... As if the industry hadn't been through enough upheaval in 2006, this year it faces a new raft of changes. But these should be seen as opportunities to improve service. At the start of a new year, people typically reflect on the 12 months...

The MT Essays: Workforce management - A cohesive workplace.
January 9, 2007... Using the internet, management can devise a programme that gives in-house staff a better work/life balance, while improving company competitiveness and agility. Managing the workforce seemed so much easier a hundred years ago. People took...

The MT Essays: Leadership - The global boardroom.
January 9, 2007... Wherever their domicile, companies with international aspirations will need leaders who exhibit cross-cultural sensibilities along with a sharp mind and endless stamina. Increasingly, there is a cadre of globally savvy CEOs who are...

The Sharp End: Dropping the shopping.(supermarkets)
January 9, 2007... It's groceries to go, as Rhymer Rigby finds fulfilment in delivering online orders. A nd so to that silver city on a shining plain, that perfect paean to the town planner's art, Milton Keynes. As well as being the butt of numerous...