Management News
Headlines and features on business and management.
The mantra that 'the customer is King' is mouthed by senior managers in every industry. True in theory, it is an ignoble lie in most companies, because executives prefer their ivory towers to the store floor.
Far too many executives believe that management thinking is all about continuity and problem-solving. But what if something is not a problem?
Economist and author, Linda Yueh, tells Stuart Crainer how China went from being one of the poorest countries in the world to its second largest economy in only four decades - and explores the challenges it faces in the future.
After almost two years of austerity, there are signs that the great US pay freeze could be finally be thawing, with three-quarters of the employers that froze pay expecting to change their policy by the end of 2010.
Almost a million jobs, half of them in the private sector, could be lost in the UK as a result of public-sector spending cuts, according to a new report from PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC).
A growing number of firms from emerging markets such as India and China are planning to increase the number of staff they hire in North America and Europe, a new report has revealed.
One sign of good customer service is how an organisation deals with customer disappointment. In fact, successful companies go out and look for complaints because they know that the easier they are to complain to, the more customer-focussed they are likely to be.
When a company is hit by scandal or disaster, it is easy to forget the effect on employee morale. But the human cost can be very real - and take years to come to a head. So how should organisations plan for such an eventuality?
Spending long periods of time in a noisy workplace can more than double the risk of contracting heart disease, according to a study published in the journal Occupational and Environmental Medicine.
When a competent member of staff decides to leave an employer, how much does it cost to replace them? According to research by PwC, the answer equates to approximately a year of that person's salary.
When a competent member of staff decides to leave an employer, how much does it cost to replace them? According to research by PwC, the answer equates to approximately a year of that person's salary.
As companies emerge from the recession, issues such as leadership development, employee engagement, managing talent and workforce planning will be critical in determining their success - or otherwise - over the coming years.
Sloppy language drives some people insane. But surely it is the very fact that the English language can be used in a sloppy way while still retaining its meaning that makes spoken English so user-friendly.
However great an idea, it will never be perfect. There will always be room for improvement, either in the detail of the idea or its implementation. But this is good news for anyone who wants to contribute and for any business that wants to grow.
If you try to motivate people through insults and intimidation, you may want to think about the effects of your actions. To put it bluntly, if you don't care that your negative words might affect people negatively, then I suggest you shouldn't be a manager.
Companies in Asia are not putting sufficient emphasis on customer service, according to a new report, with a growing divide opening between what consumers expect and what firms are prepared to provide.
If you try to motivate people through insults and intimidation, you may want to think about the ripple effects of your actions. In fact, if you don't care that your negative words might affect people negatively, then I suggest you shouldn't be a manager.
Business publishing seems to becoming increasingly like the fashion business. Every fall, fashion designers launch their new collections. And every fall, publishers start to push a new management trend. Last year's was "employee engagement". This year's is "living your values at work".
Lots of organisations invest a lot of time and money in getting customer feedback. But much of this time and money is wasted because they either ask the wrong questions or ignore the answers. So here are 10 questions that can't be ignored.
At what point does being "well connected" start to means being corrupt? The answer might come as a surprise.