Management Today articles from September 2008

Management Today archives from September 2008

Bernie's grip on the F1 wheel.(Bernie Ecclestone)
September 1, 2008... I once spent a day with Bernie Ecclestone and haven't forgotten it. The 78-year-old ringmaster of the Formula One circus is a unique operator and his like will never be seen again in world sport. My favourite Bernie anecdote concerns his...

Contributors.
September 1, 2008... EDWARD GORMAN The Times' motor-racing correspondent profiles the legendary Bernie Ecclestone. Gorman reported on the Soviet/Afghan conflict, the first Gulf War and Bosnia before switching to cover yachting, his hobby 'After years on the...

Chartered Management Institute: In my opinion.
September 1, 2008... Sir Moir Lockhead, CEO of FirstGroup and a Companion of the Chartered Management Institute, argues that developing the ability to lead change is crucial for success. From economic growth to recession, from wrestling with regulation to the...

The MT Diary.(Management Today)(British economy)
September 1, 2008... George Osborne's too-clever team; Lib Dems for the squeeze; regulators take the rap. An old Simon and Garfunkel song, Slip Slidin' Away, has often come to mind this summer, as the UK economy began to run out of steam. Though the Bank of...

Ten ways to ... Manage your cashflow.(List)
September 1, 2008... 1. Ideally, charge early and pay late 2. Write a detailed forecast 3. Check customers' creditworthiness 4. Agree payment terms promptly .. 5.... and get it in writing 6. Do the job well 7. Record what's owed 8. Invoice quickly and...

It'll never fly: The triathlon.(Brief article)
September 1, 2008... For most people, any one of cycling, swimming or running would be exercise enough. Sticking them together in an agonising test of endurance just seems ridiculous. And triathlon is not without its perils. Take your pick from jogger's...

Dave's Eco-nomics: A green supply chain.(Brief article)
September 1, 2008... Green alert In this age of food miles and fairtrade marks, customers want to know the origins of the goods they buy. But righteous claims can come back to haunt you - as the 'ethical' Primark learned when Panorama showed the world the...

Earning Curve: The sea.
September 1, 2008... Carnival, owner of P&O and Cunard, net income ('07): pounds 1.2bn UK fishing industry, value of total catch ('06): pounds 610m World record blue-fin tuna ('08): pounds 23k Coastguard, base annual salary: pounds 14k America's...

Workplace rights: Indirect discrimination.(Brief article)
September 1, 2008... Can employers make discriminatory decisions on the basis of customer preference? Say, for example, a black person is rejected for a door-to-door insurance sales position on the basis that homeowners in the area are more likely to buy...

History lessons: Heed the voice of reason - Churchill vs. Gandhi.(Mahatma Gandhi and Winston Churchill)(Brief article)
September 1, 2008... Gandhi really riled our 'Greatest Briton'. In 1930 he led hundreds of thousands of Indians in revolt against colonial rule - just the kind of upstart activity to irk arch-imperialists like Churchill. The PM-to-be called him the 'seditious...

Your Route to the Top: Holding on to hope.(self help techniques)(Brief article)
September 1, 2008... Find your focus. Jane Tomlinson was brimming with hope, despite being given only six months to live. Seven years later, she'd completed some of the world's most gruelling challenges for charity, saying her job as a mum had fuelled her...

Why business is like ... rowing.(Brief article)
September 1, 2008... The success of our Olympic rowers brought to mind the usual lyrical parallels with business: teams straining in sync towards a common goal, in some cases getting an ear-bashing from a figure at the front who doesn't seem to be lifting a finger....

Do it right: Leaving gracefully.(Brief article)
September 1, 2008... Keep it under your hat. You may be dying to share your plans, but best button your lip till you have told your boss something concrete. If you need advice, go to family and friends. Be sensitive. When you tell your colleagues, don't wax...

Slogan Doctor: Muller - 'lick the lid of life'.(Brief article)
September 1, 2008... Yoghurt-maker Muller's slogan sounds like the product of careful research, probably by ad agency TBWA. It would have discovered that an unusual characteristic of Muller's fruit corner yoghurts is the quantity of the product that sticks to...

How does she manage? Skincare specialist - Kim Broomfield, The Refinery, London W1.(Interview)(Brief article)
September 1, 2008... - When did you become a manager? I've been here for about six years, and in the beauty trade for 12, having started straight from college. - What does management mean to you? Sometimes, listening to clients is like being a...

Remember this.(Quotation)
September 1, 2008... 'The trophy at the end is less important than the process itself' - Roman Abramovich said it 'It's all about the bucks, kid, the rest is conversation' - Gordon Gekko said it

Are you suffering from: Jeffrey Archer syndrome.(Brief article)
September 1, 2008... Have you ever been to a lecture or speech and been so taken by the person giving it that you went to introduce yourself, only to find they looked over your shoulder and yawned? Jeffrey Archer Syndrome describes people - often of great...

Words-worth: Entrepreneur.(Brief article)
September 1, 2008... An entrepreneur is someone who starts a business, as opposed to someone who merely manages one. In 2002, George Bush was reported as telling Tony Blair that 'the problem with the French is that they have no word for entrepreneur' Whether...

Stat of the month: Get better abroad.(medical tourism)(Brief article)
September 1, 2008... dollars 100bn - Estimated global value of medical tourism, 2010 That's up from around dollars 60bn now. Last year, 750,000 Americans sought treatment abroad and the number is expected to soar to 10 million by 2012 - all driven by America's...

How he made his pile: Ingvar Kamprad, furniture retailer.(Brief article)
September 1, 2008... Who is he? The 82-year-old Swede founded furniture giant Ikea, and assembled himself a dollars 31bn fortune. How did he make his billions? The young Kamprad peddled matches, pens and Christmas cards to neighbours by bike. Turning to...

Tony Juniper: If I had to start again ..(Brief article)
September 1, 2008... I'm not going to say I wish I had been a musician or whatever Conservation is my passion. Even if I'd done something different, I would have finished up working for an environmental group, whether that was WWF or Greenpeace. Growing up, I...

Crash Course in ... avoiding redundancies.
September 1, 2008... The economic downturn has come home to roost; sales are down and there are worrying signs that they are about to fall off a cliff. It's only a matter of time before you have to think about making redundancies - but is there any alternative? ...

Masterclass: Credit.(Brief article)
September 1, 2008... What is it? 'Cash or credit?' asks shopkeeper Bernard Lee in the dour 1965 film of John le Carre's thriller The Spy Who Came In From The Cold. When Richard Burton, playing the spy, is denied credit, things turn nasty. That's the problem...

Decisions: Mario Moretti Polegato, Geox, President of the EUR2.4bn Italian shoe company.
September 1, 2008... MY BEST... Geox created a revolution in shoes when we introduced a new technology in rubber-bottomed shoes that eliminates problems of breathability and perspiration. Holes in the sole let vapour out, while a special membrane keeps it...

Behind the spin: ECO Towns.(environment-friendly)
September 1, 2008... THE DILEMMA They were meant to be an optimistic initiative that would steal a march on the Tory party, but Gordon Brown's idea is now as unpopular as the PM himself. The plan to create 10 new 'green' towns across England that meet high...

Trade unions resurgent.
September 1, 2008... As the main paymasters of cash-strapped Labour, they feel entitled to influence government policy, yet their views are marooned in the past. The late, great Anthony Sampson is best known for two books: The Anatomy of Britain (1963), and...

Books: Toughing it out at the top.(The Secrets of CEOs: 150 global chief executives lift the lid on business, life and leadership )(Book review)
September 1, 2008... The Secrets of CEOs: 150 global chief executives lift the lid on business, life and leadership Steve Tappin and Andrew Cave Nicholas Brealey Publishing pounds 18.00 Miller's Crossing (1990) was an early success for the Coen brothers....

Books: What collectivism can do for capitalism.(Crowdsourcing: How the Power of the Crowd is Driving the Future of Business business )(Book review)
September 1, 2008... Jeff Howe explains how companies are tapping the problem-solving skills of their customers. Review by Roger Parry. Crowdsourcing: How the power of the crowd is driving the future of business Jeff Howe Random House pounds 17.99 ...

Books: Three of a kind - Learn from the thinkers and doers.(management books)(Buyers guide)(Brief article)
September 1, 2008... The Management Gurus Chris Lauer Atlantic Books, pounds 12.99 Guide to Management Ideas and Gurus Tim Hindle The Economist, pounds 20 Movers and Shakers Kathy Rooney Bloomsbury, pounds 8.99

Books: Mired in verbal dishonesty.(Beyond Bullsh*t: Straight-talk at Work)(Book review)
September 1, 2008... Performance is held back when communication between managers and workers is less than candid. David Bolchover finds this writer's tough appraisal refreshing. Beyond Bullsh*t: Straight-talk at work Samuel A Culbert Kogan Page pounds...

Bernie's Formula.(Bernie Ecclestone of Formula One)
September 1, 2008... It's all about the deal, not the money. And Ecclestone, now 78, has been cutting deals for half a century. This wily genius with a mystical reputation for making money has F1 motor racing in the palm of his hand But what happens when the...

Inflation: a little blipor is this Life on Mars?
September 1, 2008... Rising fuel and food prices, the unions squaring up for big pay claims... Is this the 1970s all over again? No, says Richard Reeves, the media's apprehension is premature. Inflation is running at over 100,000%; government statisticians...

The MT Interview: Vince Cable.(Management Today)(Interview)
September 1, 2008... The deputy leader of the Lib Dems and former chief economist at Shell has won widespread regard for his wise commentaries on the downturn and his independence of mind. And then there's his famous Mr Bean jibe at PM Brown. So why has he never...

Agony of an estate agent.
September 1, 2008... With mortgages rationed and house prices going backwards, real-estate brokers are suffering a catastrophic fall in business that could decimate the sector. Oliver Bennett visits Manchester, a buy-to-let blackspot. Hunters is a bright,...

Best fit.(occupational health)
September 1, 2008... Attaching a figure to the bottom-line benefits of ensuring staff wellbeing is hard, but it's self-evident that healthy minds and bodies at work are a pre-requisite for top performance. It starts with showing people fairness and respect, says...

On the Road: Motor Mouth.(Mini Cooper Clubman )(Product/service evaluation)
September 1, 2008... A bum steer? No, the Cooper Clubman offers a go-kart driving experience and it's solid at speed too, says Sathnam Sanghera. Even petrolheads have limits to their nerdiness. Some draw the line at cylinder blocks. Others start fidgeting with...

Table Talk: Where Sally Warmington eats ..(Wapping Project )(Restaurant review)(Brief article)
September 1, 2008... The Wapping Project is in a converted power station, and the tables are dotted about among the machinery. It makes for an interesting mix of raw industry - with exposed brick walls and very high ceilings - and a lovely bespoke service. It...

What's your problem?
September 1, 2008... Q: I'm an auditor working for one of the big firms. One of my closest friends has started her own business and I've been very supportive - until now. She has asked me to do her accounts but wants me to fudge the figures My head says I...

What's your problem?(Brief article)
September 1, 2008... Q: I'm 63 (and a half), quite fit and enjoying my work at a transport company, but I'm beginning to feel under some pressure - not from work duties but from colleagues. They have started to pass comments that sound innocent enough - 'how's your...

What's your problem?
September 1, 2008... Q: Someone who reports to me is in a band - and don't we know it! I work in a branding agency, so this sort of thing is quite common. He's had a couple of gigs at festivals over the summer and his band has enjoyed a modicum of success, but...

First-class coach.
September 1, 2008... Your awkward team member deserves development support as much as the others. Q: I've got someone on my team who seems to resent my authority and tends to act up in a very childish way every time I ask him to do something. He's pretty...

Fleet Car: Introduction.(Brief article)
September 1, 2008... As a family man, I wondered if Gordon Brown could get his wife plus brood into a Fiat Cinquecento or Renault Twingo as he popped off for his summer hols in Southwold. (He tools around in a chauffeur-driven, armour-plated Jaguar, so he doesn't...

Fleet Car: Honey, I shrunk the company car.(downsizing company cars)
September 1, 2008... Fuel prices, the environment, taxation - the reasons to swap your jumbo gas-guzzler for a leaner, greener and more modestly proportioned set of wheels have never been more compelling. Choose wisely, says STEVE FOWLER, and you needn't sacrifice...

Fleet Car: Prius - a sacred cow for the slaughter?(Toyota Prius)
September 1, 2008... Hollywood's A-listers flocked to buy it, and Toyota's sought-after hybrid has achieved legendary status as the cool way to drive green. But its fuel-saving capabilities are questionable. A three-year research study of the whole-life...

Fleet Car: 10 Best Fleet Cars.(Product/service evaluation)
September 1, 2008... Low-emission, fuel-efficient motoring no longer demands big compromises on power, style or load-carrying capabilities.Check out Steve Fowler's 2008 list of top company wheels for the savviest ways to meet your needs. BMW 318d ES Last...

The Sharp End: Pass me my Marigolds.(CleanSafe )
September 1, 2008... Kitted out in a protective suit, Dave Waller joins a team of extreme cleaners. I get the call from CleanSafe at 11am on a Tuesday. The firm's blokes have turned up at a house expecting to do a routine spruce, only to discover that its late...

Editorial: All in the soup together.(Editorial)
September 30, 2008... Well, that was the month that was. September 2008 was 30 days most of us will wish to forget. And not just those who work - or worked - at HBOS, Lehman's or AIG. We're all in the soup together, facing an indefinite spell that will be markedly...

Contributors.
September 30, 2008... PAUL ARNOTT The author/TV producer has just filmed a documentary in Barbados on Cromwell's white slaves - 'easily the jammiest job of my life'. For MT, he draws on his experience of the Indian movie industry to profile Kishore Lulla, a UK...

In my Opinion: Chartered Management Institute.
September 30, 2008... Alan Coppin, chairman of Redstone and a Companion of the Chartered Management Institute, insists that responsible business is as important as ever in tough economic times. Not long ago, it was only the ultra-politically correct fringe who...

The MT Diary.(Management Today)
September 30, 2008... A rehabilitated Rwanda has banned ethnic references, the French - and plastic bags. September is quite a good time to visit Rwanda, before the rainy season sets in. It wouldn't be right to say that, before I went to Kigali, everything I...

Ten Ways to... dodge redundancy.(Brief article)
September 30, 2008... 1. Think strategically 2. Be happy 3. Show your hidden talents 4. Back your boss 5. Adapt 6. Anticipate others' needs 7. Be ready to swallow your pride 8. Turn up to company events 9. Picture a positive future.. 10.... but have...

Dave's eco-nomics: Ditch the packaging.(Brief article)
September 30, 2008... GREEN ALERT These days, it seems that packaging outweighs product. Just think of the bag, box and bottle combos at the cosmetics counter. But it's not just the quantity - we're using the wrong materials, too. According to a Local...

Don't you believe it... cutting costs boosts profits.(Brief article)
September 30, 2008... In the face of an economic downturn, slashing costs is the classic ploy - one that many firms are now pursuing. The accepted wisdom is that this will protect profitability, but it's often wrong. Here are two common profitability problems that...

Earning curve: The airBAE Systems'.(Brief article)
September 30, 2008... F35 fighter jet contract ('08): pounds 1.35bn British Airways, pre-tax profits ('07): pounds 788m Michael O'Leary, Ryanair CEO, annual bonus ('08): pounds 443k easyJet flight captain, salary p.a.: pounds 73k Heathrow baggage-handler, per...

Workplace rights: Pandora's payslip.(Brief article)
September 30, 2008... Last May, the outgoing Italian government caused outrage by publishing all its citizens' earnings and tax contributions on the internet. The website was hugely popular for the 24 hours it remained live. Meanwhile, Glassdoor.com reveals the pay...

History lessons: Don't snoop - The Stasi.(Brief article)
September 30, 2008... When the Berlin Wall fell in 1989, East Germany's ministry for state security is said to have had a representative for every seven citizens (the Gestapo had one per 2,000, the KGB one per 5,830). The Stasi knew everything, from your reading...

Your Route to the Top: Be a trusted adviser.(Brief article)
September 30, 2008... Choose wisely. You can't be everything to everyone, so find out who makes the decisions before focusing your efforts. No-one is born a trusted adviser - earning trust takes time. Surpass yourself. Woody Allen quipped that '95% of success is...

Why Business is like... the cockroach.(Brief article)
September 30, 2008... American cockroaches can live without water for a month and without food for three, and might survive a nuclear holocaust. They have even been known to live on several weeks after decapitation. Granted, they aren't very pretty or sophisticated:...

Do it right: Generating publicity.(Brief article)
September 30, 2008... Do something new. At a time of belt-tightening and intense competition, you need to shout even louder to be heard. Don't undermine the brand. Your promotional choices announce your values, so make sure they fit. Trendy Smirnoff stages...

Slogan Doctor: Oxfam - 'be humankind'.(Brief article)
September 30, 2008... 'Humankind' is not really an adjective. It's a noun, like 'mankind', meaning much the same: 'human-kind', first recorded in the 18th century, is the whole human race. It has the advantage of being gender-neutral, whereas 'mankind' suggests...

How does he manage? Film censor - Murray Perkins, Senior examiner, British Board of Film Classification.(Interview)(Brief article)
September 30, 2008... - When did you become a manager? In 2005. Back in New Zealand, I did a masters in media, and went straight into an examiner role. It seemed ideal - sitting round watching films and eating popcorn. I came to the UK in 1999, and the BBFC...

Remember This.(Quotation)
September 30, 2008... 'I am always doing what I cannot do, in order that I may learn how to do it.' - Pablo Picasso said it 'He was a bold man that first ate an oyster.' - Jonathan swift said it

Are you suffering from: Jaws syndrome.(Brief article)
September 30, 2008... When the movie Jaws came out in 1975, people stopped going into the sea, even though only 66 attacks had happened in the previous 10 years. Coined to explain financial behaviour, Jaws Syndrome can be diagnosed when you judge the probability of...

Words-worth: Evangelist.(Brief article)
September 30, 2008... 'Evangelist' is a word that increasingly crops up in job ads. To be an 'evangelist', literally, is to be one of the four apostles, or a travelling preacher spreading the word of the Lord. Its ultimate source is two Greek words meaning 'good'...

Stat of the month: Natural reaction.(Brief article)
September 30, 2008... 8.1% - Quarterly fall in the UK's organic food sales With sales having grown 30% year-on-year for three decades, organic food - once the domain of beardy, papoose-toting hippies - is mainstream. But the UK market could be in trouble. Sales...

How he made his pile: Mike Ashley - Sports retailer.(Brief article)
September 30, 2008... Who is he? The 43-year-old maverick behind Sports Direct, which owns the Sports World and Lillywhites chains. Also owner of the perennially unspectacular Newcastle United, he's worth pounds 1.4bn. How did he make his billions? The former...

If I had to start again... Mike Turner.
September 30, 2008... I'd have fancied being a footballer. I played inside right, but I wasn't quick enough. Instead, I did 22 jobs in 42 years at BAE Systems There was one very hot summer in the paint shop that I'll never forget. I wouldn't change anything...

Crash Course in... managing stress.
September 30, 2008... You've just asked one of your teams to carry out a simple little task; one team member did an impression of the Large Hadron Collider and another burst into tears. Quite a few of your people have been looking like they're close to breaking...

MT Masterclass: Product placement.
September 30, 2008... What is it? What on earth, you may ask - perhaps typing your thoughts out on an iPhone or a BlackBerry or a Toshiba laptop - is product placement all about? But by now you'll have worked it out, since we're all increasingly familiar with the...

Decisions: Ian Pegler - Little Chef - CEO of the 50-year-old roadside diner.(Brief article)
September 30, 2008... MY BEST... I learned a lot from M&S - it gave me a grounding in holistic management. It looked after its people and this was really important, because if you value people then they value you and they give you a much better performance. M&S...

Behind the Spin: Home Retail Group.
September 30, 2008... The dilemma You may not have heard of Home Retail Group, but you've surely made a trip or two to its retail chains Homebase and Argos. Both are struggling. Releasing its Q2 figures last month, HRG said Argos had posted its worst quarterly...

The power of cogitation.
September 30, 2008... In his final piece for MT, our columnist plants a challenging idea. Why should politics have all the think-tanks? Business needs one of its own. Thinking has had a pretty good press over the past few centuries. Ever since Descartes...

Books: The economic jolts to come.(The World Is Curved: Hidden Dangers to the Global Economy)(Book review)
September 30, 2008... David Smick addresses the shifting patterns of international rivalries and the risk of protectionism. Howard Davies finds insights amid the cheesy presentation. We must assume that a major publisher does its homework before deciding how to...

Books: Real achievements of a butterfly mind.(Business Stripped Bare: Adventures of a Global Entrepreneur)(Book review)
September 30, 2008... Is our top entrepreneur becoming more thoughtful? The new Branson autobiography suggests so, says Chris Blackhurst. At the end of Business Stripped Bare, his latest part biography, part teach-in based on a lifetime in business, Sir Richard...

Books: Three of a kind.(Brief article)
September 30, 2008... How leaders retain their humanity Total Leadership Stewart D Friedman Harvard Business pounds 14.99 The One-Life Solution Henry Cloud Collins Business pounds 14.99 Servant-Leadership Ralph Lewis and John Noble (eds) Management...

Books: How to galvanise your firm.(A Sense of Urgency)(Book review)
September 30, 2008... Professor Kotter's latest book helps you banish complacency from your company by appealing to the emotions of your employees. Malcolm McKenzie reports. A Sense of Urgency John P Kotter Harvard Business Press pounds 11.99 But in...

The MT Interview: Willie Walsh.(Interview)
September 30, 2008... MT joined the energetic but approachable British Airways chief executive on a trip to Tanzania. Despite the gruesome prospect of a meltdown in the airline industry, he was keeping a long-term promise to show his commitment to a pounds 25m...

Are you what you do?(Personal account)
September 30, 2008... How much of ourselves do we put into our job? Some define themselves by their career. For others, the daily role-play must be offset by an escape into something else. Dave Waller examines our shifting work expectations. I am a trifle, a...

10 Reasons to be cheerful.
September 30, 2008... As the ill winds of the financial crisis sweep across the Atlantic and around the world, they will surely blow some good. A few of us might even benefit from the chaos. MT brings you the upside of the downturn. An end to tedious...

Bollywood Dreams.
September 30, 2008... Kishore Lulla is a spotlight-shunning movie mogul who has made a fortune distributing Indian films worldwide. Now he's making another one as a high-grossing producer, and has Hollywood in his sights. Paul Arnott reports. Anyone who really...

Death of the Bollocking.
September 30, 2008... Time was when anyone who slacked off, back-pedalled, loafed around or otherwise failed to add value at work knew they were in for a good old-fashioned telling-off from the boss. It cleared the air and allowed everyone to get on with the task in...

Motor Mouth.(Product/service evaluation)
September 30, 2008... Nice drive and fabulous stereo, but the restyled Honda Accord Tourer feels distinctly out of breath, says Sathnam Sanghera. One can supposedly get the measure of a job candidate by the way they treat a restaurant waiter during an interview;...

Table Talk: Where Virginia Bottomley eats.(Brief article)
September 30, 2008... My favourite restaurants are the Foyer and Reading Room at Claridge's. And, as a lifelong workaholic, my favourite meal is breakfast. I get to my office just after 6.30am, clear my e-mails, clear my mind, and get through any debris from the day...

What's your problem?(career change)
September 30, 2008... Q: When I was in my twenties, I watched my friends being sucked into jobs that utterly consumed them in big corporations that just seemed to make them miserable. I was happy to drift and work in jobs that didn't require me to do crazy hours....