Adrian Cornwall, 24, is a graduate trainee institutional stockbroker with private UK bank Robert Fleming & Co. He works in their European Equity Sales team. The bank is in the throes of change with US banking giant Chase Manhattan in the process of consolidating a takeover
James Davis, 22, is an assistant portfolio manager at Dresdner Kleinwort Benson. He assists in the management of private money in the private investment bank What is your role within the organisation? I help a manager and team with the investment process within the company as a whole and help deal with clients. How did
Pauline Leonard, 25, is an associate at the FSA. She has an MA in management studies from Glasgow University and began the FSA graduate training course five months ago
Alf Chubb became a private banker at a leading City bank after a year out working as a cowboy in Argentina. He got his banking job by having a drink with the right person at the right time and has now been there for 18 months What is your day-to-day role? If you’re on the
Summary It makes good business sense for firms to make their staff feel good. This new study warns that firms who do not implement a ‘work-life strategy’ – defined as ‘helping people to combine work with family and personal life’ – actually lose competitive advantage to firms who do.
Summary The core theme of this book is Goldratt’s Theory of Constraints, otherwise referred to as TOC. Goldratt argues that manufacturing has for too long focused on producing, ignoring what is demanded by the market place, i.e. demand and capacity. Goldratt believes that one should balance flow through a system to meet the demand of
Summary Navigating Complexity collects together for the first time the ideas and language of a recent development in management theory – complexity theory. The command and control approaches to management ‘no longer hold true’, complexity theory asserts. The theory states that any system contains built-in unpredictability, that every system is comprised of many components and
Thirty goals in 63 international matches for England, a remarkable average of more than 20 goals a season in the Premier League and a league championship medal for unfashionable Blackburn Rovers – you’ve definitely done well for yourself. But could you do better? Your decision to quit international football after the European Championships in the
Summary Handy’s book is a groundbreaking philosophical and practical guide to the inevitable changing ways of organizing work and the workforce. Handy starts from the viewpoint that radical change is not only desirable but essential, if economics and society are not to be irreversibly damaged. The book focuses on the necessity of becoming more creative
Summary Management consultant Bob Garratt told us that he wrote his latest book as ‘a counterblast to myopic thinking’ among senior managers in the quest for company efficiency. Garratt shifts the focus away from the current vogue for downsizing and cost cutting, towards a value-system that preserves and encourages employees at all levels. Get employees doing
Summary The academic and consultant Andrew Brown has selected six key elements of leadership that, he believes, illuminate the secrets of great leaders. Illustrated with countless examples of leaders from history and today, The Six Dimensions of Leadership, first published in 1999, tackles in 200 racy pages the six qualities in turn: heroism, acting
What is it that causes the mighty to fall? Why do so many of the ultra successful perish as a result of their own misjudgment? We take a look at some of the sufferers of this phenomenon of success You will not be surprised to hear that Sigmund Freud had a theory about this. In
Redundancy is becoming much more prevalent in the working society and it is now more likely that you will be the victim of a round of redundancies in your working life. But how you deal with a redundancy is extremely important; it can provide a wonderful opportunity or it could be devastating.
You’ve laughed about their idiosyncrasies and their spelling mistakes. But now those favoured clients in Japan are coming to the UK and it’s your job to keep their business. So how do you make a great impression – and more importantly, steer clear of any fatal faux pas?
Office politics are as varied and dangerous as military manoeuvres. There are those who pursue a vast campaign to ensure their promotion and those whose only involvement are minor skirmishes at the outposts. Here are just some of the characters you might find on the office battleground:
Men and women now have equal rights in the workplace. But some, says Emma John, are still more equal than others An overwhelming 93% of employers are confident they offer women fair, unbiased pay systems, according to a new survey. Yet the poll, by the Equal Opportunities Commission (EOC), is only one of a number
When Santa visits the City each Christmas, he leaves a bundle of slips of paper on the desks of each manager. These are the presents for the hardworking men and women of the square mile. Depending on whether they’ve been good or bad, the number on the slip will have more or less noughts. ‘Tis
Why Failure to Motivate Your Employees Will Drive Them to Leave What We’ve Seen Small businesses frequently fall into the trap of treating compensation programs as “something to worry about when we get bigger.” The fact is, small organizations need to attract, retain and motivate employees, and compensation is a critical piece of total rewards.
Get the Most Out of Your Employees Without Breaking the Bank Money Isn’t Everything Many employers lose good employees, thinking a pay raise or bonus will keep them going. Of course, money is always a solid motivator, as is a strong compensation plan, but a bigger paycheck is not always the better answer. Gas,
