Tuesday, 24 November 2009

40 under 40 (journal article)
from Fortune, 9 November 2009
"The article profiles the 40 most influential people in business under the age of 40. They include Mark Zuckerberg, founder of the online social network Facebook, whose vision was of a network that emulated physical relationships. Kevin Plank founded Under Armour, now a one billion dollar performance underwear company, because he was tired of shapeless athletic wear. Kevin Warsh, member of the Board of Governors of the U.S. Federal Reserve, is its youngest appointee. "

Chic Is Out, Cheap Is In (journal article)
by Hiroshi Makioka
from Far Eastern Economic Review, November 2009
"Japan’s economy once again is growing, albeit slowly, but the road back from the nation’s longest recession since World War II is rocky. With the job market still unsettled and the Yen dropping in value, wary consumers are not returning to their old shopping habits. A different breed of Japanese consumer has emerged in the wake of the global financial meltdown and may be here to stay. Once known for their mass consumption of luxury goods, they now are getting a reputation as avid discount shoppers. As traditional department store revenues plunge, discount retailers are enjoying a surge in popularity. Take Wal-Mart. For the first time since it entered Japan seven years ago through its Seiyu subsidiary, the world’s largest retailer expects to generate a profit in Japan in 2009."

Brisbane Business News Young Entrepreneur 2009
by Matthew Ogg
from Brisbane Business News Vol 2.10 Nov 2009
"In a city that lends itself to enterprise and creativity, it was only logical that we were inundated with applications for the inaugural 2009 Brisbane Business News Young Entrepreneur Award. It was also no surprise that the quality of the candidates was high, but only the best could be finalists and only one company could win.
THEIR median revenue was $5.3 million last year, growth was 45 per cent and their average age is just 34 – they are Brisbane’s top young entrepreneurs."

The Next Big Thing (journal article)
by Richard Jones
from Management Today, Nov/Dec 2009
"If you are wondering what the next big thing is for business, SAP's Jeff Word believes he knows: business network transformation.... Word recently edited a book on BNT and he is convinced it is the next step for business innovation. He says BNT is not primarily related to technology and is more akin to the next generation of competitive dynamics. Word admits it is a sort of outsourcing 2.0 but, when combined with the new technological capabilities to manage relationships, it is actually a much smarter proposition. "



Authors: Mahvash Qureshi and Dirk Willem te Velde / Commonwealth Secretariat

"Suggests how small states can reposition themselves in the global economy and move into knowledge based and service industries. It provides an overview of general factors stimulating or constraining the development of services sector and trade in services. It also identifies key trends and provides analysis. Six case study examples are presented of how some small states have promoted knowledge based and service industries in their economies (including Botswana, Mauritius, St Lucia, Singapore, United Arab Emirates and Vanuatu). The studies cover the performance and supporting factors in five service sectors: the financial sector, information and communication technologies, education, professional services and tourism. The policy implications are also considered." - from publisher.



Authors: Alec Mackenzie and Pat Nickerson

"Suffering from information overload? Being asked to do too much? Can't say no? If you're finding your days clogged with endless activities and responsibilities and your work life spinning out of control, it's time to employ some practical, realistic solutions to the age-old problem of 'too much to do and too little time' ... gives you more powerful methods for both maximizing efficiency and getting the most satisfaction out of your workday. ... You'll find out how to: Avoid so-called 'time savers' that don't really work; Set realistic goals and make commitments you can keep; Juggle multiple demands; Accurately estimate time needed on new tasks; Pinpoint and combat the most tenacious time-wasters [and] Protect your priorities." - cover.

Singapore bets on casino gambling (journal article)
by Frederik Balfour
from Business Week Online, 26 October 2009
"The article offers information on the decision by Singaporean government to open two new casinos in a bid to boost up country's tourism industry. One of the two casinos, the 4 billion dollars worth Marina Bay Sands is stated to be built by Las Vegas Sands Corp. (LVS) and will open in the first half of next year. The Country hopes that these sprawling resorts will help boost Singapore's tourism industry."

Friday, 20 November 2009

Rethinking China (journal article)
by Clinton Dines
from The Deal, November 2009
"ntil recently, the author was BHP Billiton's top man in China and has spent 30 years living and working there. He urges Australia to avoid the conventional wisdom."

Thursday, 19 November 2009

INNvestment Australia
Colliers International Hotels
from Hotels and Leisure, Spring Quarter 2009
"Investors in Australian hotels are displaying a change in sentiment, with the general belief that the sector is now moving past the bottom of the market cycle. Recent results from Collier’s Hotel Industry Survey reveal that expectations for trading performance for hotel assets have now stabilised, and the majority view is that hotel occupancy is likely to have bottomed. In the marketplace, this has been reflected by an uptake in transaction activity in recent months, with several notable hotel investment sales and others currently in negotiation."

E-Trends&Analysis: Optimizing E-Learning Technologies (journal article)
By Bryan Chapman
from Training Vol. 46 Issue 8 Oct/Nov 2009, p17-17
"The key is creating a framework to assist in making choices that will introduce appropriate online learning technologies at the right place, at the right time, and for the right reasons.
One constant in the lives of learning professionals is that online learning technologies abound and making wise choices about how and when to infuse new technologies into an organizational learning strategy can be chaotic without a proactive plan of action. The model described was created as a framework to assist in making choices that will introduce appropriate online learning technologies at the right place, at the right time, and for the right reasons."

Wednesday, 18 November 2009

Accountability and value for money: a theoretical framework for the relationship in public–private partnerships (journal article)
by Istemi Demirag and Iqbal Khadaroo
from Journal of Management and Governance, online August 2009
"There is an implicit assumption in the UK Treasury’s publications on public-private partnerships (PPP)—also more commonly known in the United Kingdom as private finance initiative (PFI)—that accountability and value for money (VFM) are related concepts. While recent academic studies on PPP/PFI (from now on as PFI) have focused on VFM, there is a notable absence of studies exploring the ‘presumed’ relationships between accountability and VFM. ...Our preliminary interviews provide us guidance in identifying some of the cultures, processes and mechanisms indicated in our model which should enable future researchers to test not only the UK Government’s claimed relationships between accountability and VFM using more specific PFI empirical data, but also a potential relationship between accountability and performance in general. "
Please contact us for a copy of this article.

Board size and corporate performance: the missing role of board leadership structure (journal article)
by Khaled Elsayed
from Journal of Management and Governance, online 19/09/2009
"Different arguments have been introduced in the literature both for and against large and small board sizes. In this context, empirical evidence regarding the impact of board size on corporate performance is less conclusive, which means that further study is needed. Contrary to previous work, it is hypothesized in this study that the relationship between board size and corporate performance is more likely to be confounded by board leadership structure. Econometric analysis provided strong evidence for the applicability of this hypothesis and demonstrated that board size positively affects corporate performance in the presence of CEO non-duality (board leadership structure that is split between the roles of the CEO and the roles of the chairman). Furthermore, board size is shown to have a negative influence on corporate performance in the presence of CEO duality (board leadership structure that assigns the roles of both CEO and chairman to the same person). This conclusion is robust to the use of different measures of corporate performance, control variables and econometric models. Thus, these findings cast doubt on most of the existing evidence that posits that either large or small board size is always the best alternative to be followed in all organizations. "

What Keeps You Awake at Night: Top Ten Challenges Facing Public Managers (journal article)
by Jonathan Breul and John Kamensky
from Ash Institute for Democratic Governance and Innovation, Harvard Kennedy School, 9 Nov 2009
"David Letterman is not the only one with a Top Ten list! We’ve put one together as well, based on what we’ve heard from a wide range of government leaders and public policy academics. Our list is a snapshot of significant management issues facing public executives. We call it the “what keeps you awake at night” list."

Friday, 13 November 2009



Authors: Robert Bolton and Dorothy Grover Bolton

"At work, and in other spheres of life, how well you relate with others affects your ability to get things done. What you may not realize is that all people exhibit one of several different behavioral 'styles', which determine how they think, make decisions, communicate, manage time and stress, and deal with conflict. By understanding which 'people style' you're dealing with, you can establish rapport with someone more easily, become more persuasive, and avoid miscommunication and the possibility of rubbing someone the wrong way." - cover.



Authors: HIA Economics Group; Commonwealth Bank

"Report on housing affordability for first home buyers. Contains analysis for each state and territory, excluding NT but including non-metro areas. Report contains:
* Affordability indices for all states and territories (except NT), metro and regional
* National median incomes and minimum repayments for a median priced home
* A rolling 6 quarters of original house price data for - Established dwellings, Detached Houses;- Established Dwellings, Units;- Established Dwellings, Total; and - New Dwellings, Total."












Tuesday, 10 November 2009



Author: NeuroLeadership Institute

Examines the application of neuroscience in the field of leadership and management development with a particular focus on decision-making, problem-solving, emotional regulation, collaborating with others and facilitating change.



Author: Richard H. K. Vietor

"Shows how governments both set the direction and create the climate for a nation's economic development and profitable private enterprise ... Separate chapters highlight important countries - including China, India, Japan, Singapore, and the United States, as well as Mexico, Russia, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, and Italy - and reveal the unique social, economic, cultural and historical forces that determine a countries trajectory." - cover.

Friday, 6 November 2009



Authors: James P. Womack and Daniel T. Jones

Explains "some simple, actionable principles for creating lasting value in any business during any business conditions." It then shows "how a relentless focus on the value stream ... can create a true lean enterprise that optimizes the value created fro the customer while minimizing time, cost, and errors." - page 6.



Authors: Ken Blanchard, Garry Ridge

Explains the goals, features, and the cultural changes of the "Partnering for Performance" system. Unlike other performance management systems, it does not have failure built into it, and it encourages all employees to achieve their best. It describes SMART goal setting, which is specific, motivational, attainable, relevant, and trackable.

Monday, 2 November 2009



Author: Patrick Lencioni

Uses a fable to look at the problem of "silos" in organisations. Silos can cause enormous problems in organisations - they waste resources, reduce productivity and cause disillusionment amongst employees. But there is a solution, leaders need to address the contextual issues at the heart of departmental separation and politics, and create shared “thematic” goals.