Management Today articles from March 2002

Management Today archives from March 2002

Nineties stressfest draws to a close.(Brief Article)(Editorial)
March 1, 2002... Employers across the land will have experienced a collective adrenaline-level reduction on hearing the recent news from the Court of Appeal that tough curbs are on the way for compensation claims for stress at work. Three judges ruled that...

Institute of Management companion Bridget Blow, CEO of ITNET plc, recommends outsourcing as one way of handling the downturn positively. (In My Opinion).(Brief Article)
March 1, 2002... The analysts had been predicting it for a long time, but we now appear actually to be experiencing the influence of the economic downturn. Such straitened times require drastic measures, as the almost daily parade of cutbacks, profit...

Letters.
March 1, 2002... IDENTIKIT MBAs I am a deep sceptic of the effect that MBAs are having on the quality of management ('What did business school do for them?', MT February). Firstly, they promote an excessively intellectual perspective on human motivation...

Diana Tremblay, a sad loss for Luton; just how pricey is London?; Norway's minister shows the way; the ECB hit the right note after all. (Cutting Room).(Brief Article)
March 1, 2002... Spare a thought for Luton. To date, it's been famous for two things -- its slightly hick airport and its car plant. Sadly, after this month the latter's long-awaited closure occurs. There'll be little fanfare as the last Vauxhall Vectra rolls...

Ten ways to...Manage a project successfully. (Brain Food).(Brief Article)
March 1, 2002... 1 Tightly define objectives 2 Plan in detail 3 Have time and budget contingency 4 Build in flexibility 5 Delegate specific tasks 6 Check that all assumptions are shared 7 Arrange regular status meetings 8 Flag...

It just might work: Rewarding replication. (Brain Food).(Brief Article)
March 1, 2002... Make imitation your sincerest form of flattery -- exact imitation. If you find a successful business idea or management practice, don't get experts to adapt the wheeze to your needs -- go to the horses mouth and copy the template as closely as...

Unlikely managers Minicab controller. (Brain Food).(Interview)
March 1, 2002... A&H CAR SERVICES, WIMBLEDON, LONDON Name Sarah Scott When did you become a manager? I've worked here since I was 15 and have been involved in day-to-day running for about seven years. My father owns the company and fought my being...

Webspace rules: The ring-tone blacklist. (Brain Food).(Brief Article)
March 1, 2002... Those 'musical' mobile phone ring tones: from James Bond to Jennifer Lopez, they're out there, ready to be downloaded and enjoyed every time someone needs to catch you on the move. Until now, the only crime committed by personalising your...

How to give great feedback. (Brain Food).(Brief Article)
March 1, 2002... Do it often. Virtually no-one thinks they get enough feedback, because virtually no-one gives enough. Give it promptly. This way, what happened is fresh in everybody's mind and it will be easier to learn from it. Put it in context....

Earning curve Charity. (Brain Food).(numbers)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2002... Dianne Thompson, CEO, Camelot, p.a. [pounds sterling]870,000 Tony Little, Eton College head, p.a. [pounds sterling][100,000 + house Barbara Stocking, CEO, Oxfam, p.a. [pounds sterling]75,000 Puff Daddy, self-paid fee, charity work,...

Sir Peter Middleton: If I had to start again. (Brain Food).(public employment versus private employment)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2002... The biggest career decision I made was to go to London. In the modern, global world I'd probably have gone overseas -- either New York or Washington. Had it been Washington, I would have tried to pursue my academic interest in statistics....

Are you suffering from...Role strain. (Brain Food).(Brief Article)
March 1, 2002... Role strain is a bit like a broad-spectrum antibiotic. It covers just about every symptom in the psychology book and is blamed for stress, depression and divorce. We once knew who we were and what we did. Then things got messed up. With both...

Words-worth: Ping. (Brain Food).(language in the business world)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2002... If an American associate asks you how often you ping your staff, don't get over-excited. To ping means to get their attention. From a computer networking technique, it may be an abbreviation for 'Packet Internet Groper' but also owes a lot to...

Room service: Where Tim Smit stays. (Brain Food).(London and Alsace)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2002... For business When I'm working in London, I stay at the October Gallery in Old Gloucester Street. It's an old Victorian schoolhouse run by a lady called Chili -- a glamorous version of Meryl Streep. There's the gallery, courtyard and a big club...

Speaking out: Tom Bentley. (Brain Food).(Demos presentation)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2002... DIRECTOR, DEMOS Demos used to be called the left-wing think tank. The soubriquet has been dropped, either because it doesn't want its credibility tainted by political prejudice or in deference to its former director, Geoff Mulgan, who has...

The human factor.(executives' need for acceptance can taint judgment)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2002... Sometimes it's not all down to money. Sometimes what drives people to strive for ever-increasing business success is a desire to be accepted. Unlike Groucho Marx, they want to gain entry to the club. Philip Green might not admit it, but...

E-mail from the Valley.(Silicon Valley does not have much going for it as place to live)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2002... Now that Silicon Valley's stock no longer rides so high, we can say what we always thought: it is not all it's cracked up to be. Despite press hype, immigration and an extraordinary infusion of venture capital during the boom, Silicon Valley...

Inside out.(British need to save more, but economy depends on spending)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2002... The following statements are both true: British people must save tens of billions of pounds more each year, in order to ward off an old age of penury and hardship; it would be an economic disaster if consumers suddenly and dramatically...

Wanting it all.(dilemma of the working woman)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2002... Cherie Booth has it all, doesn't she? - the fascinating and well-paid job, the successful partner, the four kids, the wardrobe... You don't even need to meet her; you simply know she'll be incredibly impressive in person. She's not just one...

Pushing the envelope: Speed cameras. (Techknow).(cameras to catch speeding drivers)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2002... In 1903, Alfred Dunhill drove into the history books as the first Briton to be nicked for speeding, doing a reckless 22.5mph down the Portsmouth Road. The police have been trying to catch rushing motorists ever since, and being snapped by one...

Touching advances. (Things to Come).(devices using technology of touch)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2002... Until recently even the most sophisticated devices relied on only two of the five senses -- sight and hearing -- to communicate. But now haptics, the technology of touch, is set to add a third. Tokyo university researcher Takuya Nojima has...

The Freeplay Freecharge. (Smart Tools).(wind-up cell phone charger)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2002... What is it? A wind-up mobile phone charger. What does it do? What it says on the tin. Turn the handle to give your mobile battery a quick boost, wherever you are. Like Freeplay's radio, the Freecharge turns wind-up power into...

Leading from the front: The leadership principles of Colin Powell are inevitably conditioned by US army training techniques, and are none the worse for that. (Books).('The Leadership Secrets of Colin Powell')
March 1, 2002... The Leadership Secrets of Colin Powell By Oren Harari McGraw-Hill [pounds sterling]16.92 In a somewhat similar fashion to President Eisenhower, General Colin Powell -- now US Secretary of State Powell -- rose from military...

Talking to the neighbours: By engaging with the community, BAA fulfilled its ambition without the sapping count battles...a compelling case study. (Books).('Private Business, Public Battleground')
March 1, 2002... Private Business, Public Battleground By John Egan and Des Wilson Paigrave [pounds sterling]17.99 Before they came together to work at BAA, the authors of this book seemed a world apart. John Egan had taken his passionate...

10 Top business books. (Books).(Brief Article)
March 1, 2002... 1 No Logo: Taking Aim at the Brand Bullies Naomi Klein Flamingo [pounds sterling]8.99 2 Jack Jack Welch Headline [pounds sterling]20.00 3 The Little Book of Management Bollocks Alistair Beaton Pocket Books...

Soak up the ideas: A likable read for start-up dreamers. (Books).('The Beermat Entrepreneur')
March 1, 2002... The Beermat Entrepreneur By Mike Southon and Chris West Prentice Hall Business [pounds sterling]12.99 I've been overtaken by a conspiracy that I thought I'd invented and claimed for my own. It started out with books with edgy...

The book that shook James Vaile. (Books).('An Intimate History of Humanity')
March 1, 2002... 'Written with the same sensitivity and perception as The Prophet by Kahlil Gibran but with a modern edge. Theodore Zeldin's An Intimate History of Humanity provides an enlightening insight into facing personal fears and escaping regret. My time...

Body Talk at Work. (Books).
March 1, 2002... Judi James Piatkus [pounds sterling]9.99 The doyenne of workplace communications focuses on the non-verbal kind in this instructive book. A wide variety of gestures and facial expressions come under analysis although the book's...

Body Language at Work. (Books).
March 1, 2002... Adrian Furnham CIPD books [pounds sterling]5.95 This is the only body language book not to contain diagrams, yet the slim volume still manages to pack in plenty of information. Interesting for anyone new to the subject, but lacks...

Body Language. (Books).
March 1, 2002... Allan Pease Sheldon Press [pounds sterling]7.99 A fully illustrated and informative book that concentrates on interpreting the body language of others, both in and out of the workplace. Useful for anyone interested in the subject and...

Managing partners.
March 1, 2002... All the people pictured above are leaders in their field. But none operates alone. Each works closely with a business partner who is an intergral part of their success. This relationship is the theme that MT, in partnership with BT, explores in...

Become a bionic boss.(managing employee wellness)(Statistical Data Included)
March 1, 2002... Are you fit to run your team? There are more ways to propel your career than collecting management qualifications. Only by toning your body and honing your mind you can you achieve full effectiveness and alertness at work. If you're old...

Martin Taylor. (Interview).(former Barclays executive)(Interview)
March 1, 2002... After the famous bust-up at Barclays, he put his great future as a CEO behind him and, when not advising Gordon Brown or railing against the euro, does the portfolio rounds at WH Smith, Goldman Sachs and elsewhere. This brainy ascetic is as...

Too old? don't make me laugh. (Advertisement Feature).(importance of workforce diversity)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2002... It must be the age we are living in. Younger colleagues are written off as unreliable, feckless and lacking in ambition. Older staff are no longer up to it', can't handle change or new technology. Prejudice and stereotyping are the two main...

Should you let your pastime go full-time? (A Section for Entrepreneurs).(business opportunities in personal interests, hobbies)
March 1, 2002... Conventional wisdom urges you not to make a career out of your hobby, but Alexander Garrett talks to two entrepreneurs who made the transition successfully. How did they manage it? When Richard Savage pitches up at a hotel, the receptionist...

Swallowing the landscape. (Motor Mouth).(automobile Jaguar XKR)(Evaluation)
March 1, 2002... Some things in life are wretchedly disappointing. Coffee, they always say, smells much better than it tastes. So true. Many works of art disappoint, looking better in reproduction than on dingy gallery walls. Life itself, as poete maudit Jules...

What's your problem?(career advice)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2002... SHOULD I RESIGN TO DO MY MBA? I want to do an MBA but my employer has refused to give me his support to take the time off, and has put pressure on me not to dolt. I'm a junior manager in a software firm and believe an MBA would help me to...

First class coach.(management advice)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2002... I was delighted to be given a new role as head of a department that was in trouble, but I'm finding it impossible to deal with all the demands on my time and to decide on the priorities -- everyone seems to want a piece of me, to sort out their...

Weak at the top.(humour)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2002... MONDAY Got in late due to wrong kind of attitude to work Discovered a little demonstration outside reception demanding union recognition at Smokehouse. Sir Marcus recognises unions only as a pack of chippy working-class spongers who, left...