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It's not just a game |
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Geoff's Blog
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By Vinciane Beauduin on
6/28/2010 9:47 AM
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Watching the early rounds of the World Cup taking place in South Africa, I am impressed by a number of things, not the least of which are the 'surprisingly' good results of some smaller nations. We have already seen several of the more fancied sides (and I personally include England in that) held to a draw, or beaten, by supposedly 'smaller' teams. This happens more often than not in the early stages of the World Cup, so one surprise is that anyone should be surprised.
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Top of the list? |
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Hervé's blogs
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By Hervé Legenvre on
1/20/2010 3:53 PM
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Why ranking tables are a poor substitute for EFQM Assessment?
Comparisons are useful. Along with Trends and Targets, and an understanding of the Causes behind business results, comparisons let you know how well you are doing against the others. But the increasingly popular use of corporate rankings is a poor substitute for making a detailed assessment of where you actually stand on the key issues that concern your business. Journalists and academics cannot replace the role played by informed and experienced assessors. Providing comparisons, in the form of corporate ranking tables, is big business...
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Taking information for granted |
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Melissa's Blog
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By Melissa Rancourt on
12/17/2009 9:12 AM
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Do you remember a time when mail used to be delivered around the office, accompanied with a magazine and newspaper to which was attached a distribution list? You were expected to read whatever it was - a financial paper, business review or trade journal - tick your name on the list and then pass it on to one of your colleagues. This was the age of 'snail mail' and your vital background professional reading was also in printed format and moved around the office as fast as those above you could read, and be bothered to pass it on.
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There is no 'acceptance' in entrepreneurialism |
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Melissa's Blog
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By Melissa Rancourt on
11/16/2009 3:23 PM
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I have the feeling from what I have read recently in the media, and after talking to some of our members, that for many we are at a moment of waiting before taking decisions. After a year of government led economic stimulus packages comes to an end, many commentators are wondering what will happen next with the economy. This uncertainty may encourage a tendency to postpone decision making. Worse, the continued stream of negative messages could become an accepted part of the "new normal" that is being so much talked about.
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The delayed costs of complacency |
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Melissa's Blog
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By Melissa Rancourt on
9/7/2009 7:23 AM
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There have been several high profile stories recently of companies asking for bail out money from their country's economic stimulus funds, only to be refused. It would see that governments are not to be fooled into helping struggling companies which could have put their house in order before the crisis. That makes sense: complacency is the biggest risk to companies during boom times as the consequences can remain hidden, only to appear very quickly and dramatically during a downturn.
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We’re not out of the jungle, yet |
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Hervé's blogs
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By Hervé Legenvre on
5/19/2009 7:21 AM
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So called ‘primitive’ animals – those that commonly live in a jungle (and our human ancestors some hundreds of millions of years ago) are driven in the main by short term impulses: perhaps to eat, sleep, reproduce or in response to stimuli to ‘fight or flight’. The long term consequences of acting on impulse are not necessarily thought through: desire and fear determine the choice, with the short term priority on survival.
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Taking our place in the bonus debate |
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Hervé's blogs
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By Hervé Legenvre on
5/19/2009 7:19 AM
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Bosses of recently nationalised businesses have had a nasty shock under their new government employers. The senior management teams of banks or industrial companies that have accepted bail-out funds have also had to accept a cap on their bonuses. Public opinion supports restricting their remuneration, and the caps have been set by political expedience rather than a full understanding of their consequences. The debate is really only just beginning: you can expect it to grow in the coming months.
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Better service can be slower service |
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Melissa's Blog
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By Melissa Rancourt on
3/19/2009 9:49 AM
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Like many Americans living in Europe, I can find service here frustrating. In the US, I could be so much more efficient in planning my daily activities: rarely did I need to think ahead if I needed some stamps, photo processing or dry cleaning. You stop by, you drop it off and away you go. In Europe, these tasks can be much more time consuming: retailers and public administrators alike operate at a lower level of efficiency. And yet, I think that the US may be missing something of the service concepts of Europe.
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