Management Today articles from November 2003

Management Today archives from November 2003

Thinking behind our new look.
November 3, 2003... Welcome to the new-look MT. We've spent the past nine months thinking hard about how we could improve the magazine, a process that has involved discussion, argument, consultation and, most importantly, talking to groups of readers about what...

Contributors.
November 3, 2003... JANET KERSNAR The author of MT's feature 'So You Think You Need an FD... ' joined the launch team of CFO Europe in 1998 and is now editor-in-chief. She left California in the '80s to write for a Berlin paper, moved to Paris to art direct a...

IN MY OPINION: Chartered Management Institute companion Geraldine Peacock argues for passion in leadership.
November 3, 2003... Passion... is no ordinary word...' sang Graham Parker in the '80s. That is certainly true of current times, where we are witnessing a renaissance of passionate leadership. Gone is the talk of technocratic management, outputs, productivity;...

THE MT DIARY: Howard Davies.
November 3, 2003... Our new diarist, the ex-head of the FSA, hands in his badge and heads off for academe. In my last two weeks as a financial regulator, our little world was dominated by the decline and fall of Dick Grasso at the New York Stock Exchange....

BRAINFOOD: Ten ways to Inspire.
November 3, 2003... 1: Be clear in your own goals 2: Tell a compelling story 3: Give people a real challenge 4: Treat people with respect 5: Listen to your people's ideas 6: Understand your people's concerns 7: Protect your people from interference 8:...

BRAINFOOD: It'll never fly - Marmite.
November 3, 2003... Who could possibly love it? A brown yeast extract with a toxic smell and the consistency of axle grease unexpectedly became as much a part of Britishness as warm beer and delayed trains. Who would have thought that a brewer's by-product could...

BRAINFOOD: Unlikely managers - Surgeon Peter McDonald, Northwick Park Hospital, Harrow.
November 3, 2003... When did you become a manager? When I became a gastroenterological surgeon 28 years ago. I realised my work was all about managing people, often in desperate circumstances. I've been consultant general surgeon at Northwick Park for 12...

BRAINFOOD: Earning curve - Interior design.
November 3, 2003... Ingvar Kamprad, founder, Ikea, personal worth pounds 8bn Sir Terence Conran and family, worth pounds 68m Laurence Llewelyn-Bowen, licensing deals, pounds 20m Junior interior designer, p.a. pounds 15k-pounds 18k Charles Eames' Ottoman...

BRAINFOOD: Workplace rights - The great clean-up.
November 3, 2003... The 'triple bottom line' sounds like a variant of the visible panty line, but it is a key idea underpinning the notion of corporate social responsibility - that a business should focus not only on its financial performance but also its...

BRAINFOOD: Look after the pennies - Plugging a hole.
November 3, 2003... Digging up the pavement to repair a gas leak used to force passing pedestrians to negotiate an obstacle course of barriers and metal plates to reach their destination. Road traffic would often be held up by the orange cones that protected them...

BRAINFOOD: Your route to the top - Free thinking.
November 3, 2003... Go for volume. The more ideas, the better. 'The best way to have good ideas is to have lots of ideas,' advised Nobel prize-winning chemist Linus Pauling. Don't evaluate as you go along. Turning off your internal filters is one of the...

BRAINFOOD: Words-worth - Ownership.
November 3, 2003... If possession is nine-tenths of the law, 'ownership' must be ten-tenths. But who feels like the 'owner' of anything? The socks you stand up in, perhaps; your loose change; your soul, unless you've been dabbling with forces darker even than...

BRAINFOOD: Are you suffering from ... executive dysfunction.
November 3, 2003... Do you start a project, then immediately immerse yourself in another? Is your idea of forward planning deciding where to go for lunch? If so, you may have the latest disability du jour: Executive Dysfunction. The dishevelled manager who...

BRAINFOOD: We'd love that job; Ice cream taster - Arnold Carbone, Ben & Jerry's, Vermont.
November 3, 2003... What do you do? I work on flavour development. Four of us will go on a flavour tour to a city to investigate neighbourhood markets, stores and restaurants to search for trends in desserts - we'll eat up to 30 a day. I'll eat a lot of...

BRAINFOOD: Quotes.
November 3, 2003... 'Don't be afraid to take big steps. You can't cross a chasm in two small jumps' David Lloyd George said it - 'If there is anything that undermines trust, it is the feeling that the people at the top lack integrity' Warren Bennis...

BRAINFOOD: Sir Dominic Cadbury - If I had to start again.
November 3, 2003... I look on a career as a whole succession of start-agains and I think you've got to look at life that way: I started again when I retired three years ago from Cadbury Schweppes and came to the Wellcome Trust. I don't think' 'Would I have done...

BRAINFOOD: How he made his pile - Felix Dennis, Chairman of Dennis Publishing.
November 3, 2003... Who is he? A magazine publisher with the midas touch, whose stable of titles includes Maxim and Auto Express. Dennis, worth pounds 575 million, has come far since the judge in the '71 Oz obscenity trial declared him 'very much less...

BRAINFOOD: Us and them - China.
November 3, 2003... The world's most populous nation (1.3 billion) claims the second-highest growing economy, due to overtake the UK by 2005. China has a GDP of dollars 1,080 billion and an annual growth rate averaging 9.6%. The Chinese Communist party proposes...

BRAINFOOD: Speaking out; Stephen Timms MP - Minister for corporate social responsibility, energy and communications.
November 3, 2003... They say that you can tell you're getting older when policemen start looking younger. To that, you can add government junior ministers. With his pudding-basin haircut, Stephen Timms cuts a boyish dash, but he speaks well. He was addressing the...

BRAINFOOD: How to get ahead in marketing.
November 3, 2003... 1: Get onto a good graduate training scheme at a blue-chip company fabled for its marketing, such as Procter & Gamble or Unilever. 2: Don't specialise too early. Get as much experience of every marketing function as you can, from written...

BRAINFOOD: The Slogan Doctor; Tesco - Every little helps.
November 3, 2003... What is Britain's brightest supermarket chain doing with a slogan like 'Every Little Helps', not to mention those commercials in which the British ham comes thickly sliced? Answer: it's doing good business. The slogan, dredged up by Lowe &...

BRAINFOOD: Crash course in breaking bad news.
November 3, 2003... Your main backer has pulled the plug and you have to sell part of the business. Or maybe a black hole has appeared in your accounts. Bad news is never welcome, but someone has to announce it. How best to do it? Keep it personal Don't...

BRAINFOOD: MT Masterclass.
November 3, 2003... TRANSFORMATIONAL LEADERSHIP - What is it? Some leaders see their relationships at work as a series of one-off deals. These transactional leaders are fixated on immediate results. But for transformational leaders, every decision is...

BRAINFOOD: Decisions Jeff Taylor, Founder and chairman, Monster.
November 3, 2003... My best... Naming my online recruitment company Monster was the best thing I could have done. The whole idea came from a 'monster' idea. It's a term that is used in baseball, where you have a monster home run, or you can have a...

BRAINFOOD: Behind the spin - Boots PLC.
November 3, 2003... THE DILEMMA Boots' new chief executive, 40-year-old former Asda COO Richard Baker, has a headache that will not be cured by Nurofen. Profits at the nation's favourite chemist have fallen by more than pounds 100 million this year, with...

So what is the DTI for?
November 3, 2003... The trade minister should offer practical assistance to business rather than lecture it. Patricia Hewitt means well. When she talks of her mission to deliver 'prosperity for all', as she did at the Labour party conference in September,...

Who carries the tune?
November 3, 2003... Firms are right to seek out the talented, but not to neglect the competent majority. It is managed, nurtured, attracted and, yes, leveraged. Nothing less than a corporate war is raging over it. And small wonder: capital itself is said to...

Techno life.
November 3, 2003... William Sargent, boss of Framestore, uses of a range of gizmos around the clock. His multi-award winning digital effects firm is famous for the computer wizardry behind TV's Walking with Dinosaurs and the Guinness 'Surfer' ads. Sargent, who...

Bid for glory.
November 3, 2003... Leading London's 2012 Olympic tender is the latest challenge for Barbara Cassani, who proved herself as boss of airline Go. Why did she take it up, asks Rebecca Hoar. Things are strangely quiet up on the 50th floor of London's Canary...

Which way now?
November 3, 2003... Its core product is in decline, and attempts to diversify have failed. Now the Consumers Association needs to find a new role. Stephen Cook reports. You may not know it yet, but National Consumer Week is coming your way Later this month,...

BOOKS: Boom and bust that need never have happened.
November 3, 2003... Joseph Stiglitz's account of Clinton-era market madness is insightful, but he has his own axe to grind, suggests Frank Kane. His credentials are impeccable: Nobel prizewinner, top economic adviser to former President Bill Clinton, chief...

BOOKS: On the bedside table of Peter Braithwaite.
November 3, 2003... 'I'm re-reading Arthur Hailey's book Wheels. The novel gives a terrific insight into the US automotive industry of the 1970s, when it was very macho, prejudiced and driven by profit at any cost to the individual, let alone the environment....

It's all in the (copper-bottomed) contract.
November 3, 2003... Fat cats like Dick Grasso have given big money a bad name - yet we all want more of it. Check the small print and you just might get it, advises Andrew Saunders. JK Galbraith, the Canadian economist and self-styled scourge of corporate...

SPACE TO THINK: When you're boss, everyone wants a piece of you. Where to find a haven, a place where only inspiration can talk to you?
November 3, 2003... Eureka! yelled Archimedes on discovering the principle of fluid displacement while soaking in the bath; inspiration struck Sir Isaac Newton on the head as he sat in a field pondering gravitation, and Post-it note inventor Arthur Fry had his...

So you think you need an FD ..
November 3, 2003... Hiring a finance director is a rite of passage to commercial maturity for a small company. But when is the time right to do it? Janet Kersnar finds out. Every now and then, executive headhunter Steve Carter gets a call from a firm that...

MT Survey of surveys.
November 3, 2003... It's a trillion-dollar industry that our jobs and lives depend on, so why do only geeks know how it works? In an effort to redress this imbalance, the first new MT research round-up goes under the bonnet of the global IT biz, to find enough...

THE MT INTERVIEW: Clive Mather.
November 3, 2003... His employer is as muscular a global capitalist as any, yet the head of Shell UK has the air of a well-bred, studious patrician figure. He cares passionately about issues such as student loans, developing sustainable energy and other issues of...

CONFRONTING THE SKILLS CRISIS: Smashing the low-skills culture.
November 3, 2003... Britain's low productivity rate is the result of inadequate training provision for employees. The Government is tackling the skills shortfall head-on to ensure the availability of real talent across all sectors. Ask a group of business...

CONFRONTING THE SKILLS CRISIS: Agents for change.
November 3, 2003... The Government's new training structure puts the demands of employers centre-stage. Through licensed Sector Skills Councils, they'll be able to tell training providers exactly what skills and talents they need. If the International Olympic...

CONFRONTING THE SKILLS CRISIS: My skills fulfilment.
November 3, 2003... Proud of the accomplishments they built up over their career, these senior executives are putting them to use. - 'Success at a senior level in organisations depends to a large extent on your leadership skills,' says Duncan Tatton-Brown,...

MT AWARDS FOR MANUFACTURING: Proof that British firms can compete.
November 3, 2003... Every firm in MT's Awards for Manufacturing 2003 is ready to take on all-comers. Reports by Simon Caulkin. When James Dyson announced in August that he was transferring his washing machine manufacture from Wiltshire to Malaysia, the news...

MT AWARDS FOR MANUFACTURING: Winner best engineering plant; The Renaissance South Yorkshire Award - Stannah Stairlifts, Manufacturing plant of the year.
November 3, 2003... Products: Stairlifts for private domestic use Turnover or equivalent: pounds 44 million Employees: 329 Highlights: Continuous improvement, customer service, logistics, quality, labour efficiency Oh, yes, and that you can't compete...

MT AWARDS FOR MANUFACTURING: Winner best process plant; The PICME Award - DuPontSA.
November 3, 2003... Products: Bulk chemicals (PTA) for manufacture of polyester resin and fibre Turnover or equivalent: pounds 193 million Employees: 380 Highlights: Safety, health and environment, process reliability, 6Sigma, workforce...

MT AWARDS FOR MANUFACTURING: Joint winner most improved plant; The assa Award - Reckitt Benckiser (Derby site).
November 3, 2003... Products: Aerosol and liquid household goods Turnover or equivalent: pounds 51 million Employees: 200 Highlights: Continuous improvement, product-range harmonisation, material flow, staff development He'd arrived at Derby on 1...

MT AWARDS FOR MANUFACTURING: Joint winner most improved plant; The assa Award - Fujifilm Electronic Imaging.
November 3, 2003... Products: Pre-press equipment (platesetters, filmsetters, scanners and proofers) for the graphic arts industry Turnover or equivalent: pounds 46 million Employees: 172 Highlights: Continuous improvement, supply chain, design for...

MT AWARDS FOR MANUFACTURING: Winner Continued Excellence Award; Presented by Cranfield School of Management - Coors Brewers (Alton).
November 3, 2003... Products: Keg and bulk lagers Turnover or equivalent: pounds 19 million Employees: 129 Highlights: Quality, workforce development, process reliability and innovation Coors' Alton brewery in Hampshire is a good case in point: its...

MT AWARDS FOR MANUFACTURING: Winner Best Household and General Products Plant; Winner Best Supply Chain - The Jungheinrich Award, Ginsters.
November 3, 2003... Products: Chilled food pastry products, including pasties, sausage rolls, slices and pies Turnover or equivalent: pounds 100 million Employees: 642 Highlights: Safety and hygiene, process control, training and development, supply chain...

MT AWARDS FOR MANUFACTURING: Winner Best Small Plant; Joint Winner Best Innovation/R&D - Gripple.
November 3, 2003... WINNER BEST SMALL PLANT; The Fit for the Future Award JOINT WINNER BEST INNOVATION/R&D - The Warwick Manufacturing Award Products: Wire joining and tensioning devices for industry and agriculture Turnover or equivalent: pounds 16 million...

MT AWARDS FOR MANUFACTURING: IEE; Best Electronics & electrical - Baxall.
November 3, 2003... WINNER BEST ELECTRONICS AND ELECTRICAL PLANT - The IEE Award JOINT WINNER BEST INNOVATION/R&D - The Warwick Manufacturing Award Products: CCTV cameras and systems Turnover or equivalent: pounds 19 million Employees: 200 Highlights:...

MT AWARDS FOR MANUFACTURING: Highly commended best electronics and electrical plant; The IEE Award - Bowers & Wilkins.
November 3, 2003... Products: Top-end hi-fi loudspeakers Turnover or equivalent: pounds 26 million Employees: 257 Highlights: Continuous improvement, performance management, focused factories, integrated design and manufacture But then, the Worthing...

MT AWARDS FOR MANUFACTURING: Highly commended Best process plant; The PICME Award - Dairy Crest.
November 3, 2003... Products: Dairy spreads Turnover: pounds 98 million Employees: 177 Highlights: Annualised hours, continuous improvement based on involvement and workforce development, teamwork The plant is 'well invested', as the Dairy Crest annual...

First-class coach.
November 3, 2003... Q: I'm having a problem with some members of my department who are good at their jobs but very laddish in their behaviour and generally irresponsible in their attitude towards the company. Is there anything I can do to change things? A:...

What's your problem?
November 3, 2003... Q: I feel I have the weight of the world on my shoulders. We've been having a difficult time at work, with falling profits and staff redundancies. The remaining staff are unhappy and look to me for guidance and leadership, but I don't seem...

BUSINESS TRAVEL: Room service where Stuart Gates stays.
November 3, 2003... FOR BUSINESS My favourite is easily the Hotel Okura in Tokyo, Japan. It's a chain now; there are Okuras across Japan and seven others around the world. The hotel in Tokyo is the original. It's peaceful and brilliantly organised and has...

BUSINESS TRAVEL: On the road.
November 3, 2003... The BMW 5 Series diesel pulls like a train and it's startlingly economical for such a potent engine. It may not seem obvious, but the flanks of the new BMW 5 Series are intended to mimic the surface of a Zeppelin airship. The crease along...

JOHN WEAK'S DIARY: Weak at the top.
November 3, 2003... MONDAY Sir Marcus has been on holiday, which is great while it lasts but hell when he gets back. That's because the only time he reads a business book is when he's on holiday. We all pray it's not a long-haul flight in case he gets...

MT BUSINESS TRAVEL: Frequent flyer - Peter Sargent's guide to Amsterdam.
November 3, 2003... HOW TO GET THERE Choose a business class seat with BA or KLM, or a budget bargain with easyJet or bmibaby. Most UK flights arrive at Schiphol airport. There's at least one flight an hour daily from major UK airports, and flights take just...