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 Jack Welch Speaks is precisely what its title suggests: a collection of quotations from the chairman of General Electric Corporation (GE), one of the biggest companies in the world. These quotations are arranged by subject and deal partly with his own life, but mainly with his competitive, ruthless style of management, making it a
According to 3COM 65% of people who bought a Palm Pilot told the firm they heard about it from another person. People rely heavily on personal recommendations and as customers grow more skeptical towards advertising, Palm Pilot deliberately created a sense of something special when it showed its product to a select group of executives
Summary In the introduction, the authors admit that this book was turned down by countless publishing houses with the objection: ‘Who cares? Who wants to read about techies pissed off at their jobs?’ Co-author Bill Lessard says he is a ‘living testament to the fact that most Internet careers are nasty, brutish and short’. So,
Summary Goffee and Jones – the BBC director of human resources – reject the assumption of some business books that the character of a corporation is a uniform, single concept. They see it as complex and multiple-faceted. Every firm is composed of several cultures, they explain. These are fluid, liable to change, and are sometimes
In the fictitious advertising agency Miller Shanks nothing ever seems to go to plan. When The Sun picks up a story that Gloria Hunniford has been groped by a client on an film shoot in Mauritius and PAs are making mock suicide attempts back at the office in London you might be tempted to think
International rowing won’t be the same without Steve Redgrave – five-times Olympic gold medallist and national hero. But will Redgrave be the same without rowing? The commitment demanded by the sport is no less than a lifestyle – on the water seven days a week, 49 weeks a year. When that is gone, what remains?
You are the youngest British prime minister this century, so it is difficult to criticise the way you have planned your career. Anyone who captures the number one job in the country certainly knows how to scale the careers ladder. In order to reach your post you first had to become leader of the Labour
Like your wife, you are at the peak of your career. Also like your wife, you are suffering from a few problems in the public relations department. You must be careful not to sacrifice the respect you have earned for your tremendous skills by behaving recklessly on the pitch. You will find that sponsorship and
Fallen hero When South African cricket captain Hansie Cronje was accused of involvement with Indian bookmakers in April 2000, he said the allegations were completely without substance. Yet it took less than 90 hours for Cronje’s statement of wounded integrity to become a guilt-wracked confession of dishonesty. Six months on the situation has only got
You’ve won the race to become London’s first directly-elected mayor and your brand of socialism with a cheeky face has earned you a place in British political history books. What the years ahead will determine is whether this is a paragraph or a whole chapter. You are an unashamed populist; and populist leaders tend to
Kevin Keegan’s one shining quality, honesty, has been both his making and undoing. He reached the supposed peak of English football management as result of the respect he engendered in players. Having achieved more than any other English player in the history of the game, including two European footballer of the year awards at a
Two Christmases ago Jeannine left her job in Melbourne to begin an adventure on the other side of the world. At 28 she realised there was more she wanted to do and struck out from her ‘comfort zone’ to discover Europe. Lying on a beach in Brisbane, she realised that ‘Brisbane wasn’t going to be
This year’s Olympic Games will put Sydney on the map for many people who have never thought seriously about working here. So what has it got to offer today’s job seekers? Richard Willsher reports from the major Australian city
‘It is people with the imagination, the drive, the willingness to think big and take risks…who will make the economy grow and themselves rich.’ Lee Kuan Yew, the ‘father of modern Singapore’, spoke these words at a Chinese New Year celebration in February 2000. Could this be you? Our correspondent Richard Willsher reports from Singapore.
After a two year blip, the seething capitalist haven of Hong Kong is back to its booming ways again. And that means job opportunities and money to be made, as Richard Willsher reports from the Asian business hub The Special Administrative Region of Hong Kong, as it was renamed after the 1997 handover from the
Kitty Donaldson takes you through your emergency kit for job survival in an economic downturn Work hard, play hard. Right? One by one your colleagues start arriving earlier than usual. They don’t take so long for lunch and they’re still toiling when you’re battling through the rush hour traffic. Are they extra keen, in line
An overseas posting can look like a perfect opportunity to leap-frog up the corporate ladder and enjoy a great lifestyle on the way. But there are risks to consider To get to the top of a multinational company it is almost essential to have international experience on a resume. A Coca-Cola executive has to know
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?
Dress down Fridays and e-business casual work wear may be all the rage, but it still pays to check out the company dress code and, if in doubt, dress up When leading accountancy firm Arthur Andersen greeted the 21st Century with the introduction of a more informal dress code, it created a new dilemma
