In 2000, Steve Ballmer took over from Bill Gates as chief executive of Microsoft. In so doing, he took on the massive challenge of restructuring the company’s management of…
Abstract
In 2000, Steve Ballmer took over from Bill Gates as chief executive of Microsoft. In so doing, he took on the massive challenge of restructuring the company’s management of finance, sales, product development, marketing and strategic planning. Ballmer was charged with reinventing the company that had previously been synonymous with Gates, and giving Microsoft a new identity. In their Business Week article about the subsequent transformation process, Jay Greene, Steve Hamm and Jim Kerstetter describe a now‐legendary memorandum sent by Ballmer in June 2002 to 50,000 employees, entitled “Realizing potential”.
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Reviews the latest management developments across the globe and pinpoints practical implications from cutting‐edge research and case studies.
Abstract
Purpose
Reviews the latest management developments across the globe and pinpoints practical implications from cutting‐edge research and case studies.
Design/methodology/approach
This briefing is prepared by an independent writer who adds their own impartial comments and places the articles in context.
Findings
Excellent businesses thrive because they sell desirable products to their eager customers. The problem is that, to survive, they've got to keep on selling products to customers. It's no good being the biggest supplier of widgets at a time when everyone has bought one of your top‐of‐the‐range, long‐lasting super widgets, and there's consequently no need for the production line to continue.
Practical implications
Provides strategic insights and practical thinking that have influenced some of the world's leading organizations.
Originality/value
The briefing saves busy executives and researchers hours of reading time by selecting only the very best, most pertinent information and presenting it in a condensed and easy‐to digest format.
Details
Keywords
Reviews the latest management developments across the globe and pinpoints practical implications from cutting‐edge research and case studies.
Abstract
Purpose
Reviews the latest management developments across the globe and pinpoints practical implications from cutting‐edge research and case studies.
Design/methodology/approach
This briefing is prepared by an independent writer who adds their own impartial comments and places the articles in context.
Findings
Once upon a time, if you dared to criticise the boss you were fired. Complaining about any aspect of the company's structures and methods also counted as criticising the boss, so you got fired for that too. Best advice if you wanted to keep your job was to keep your mouth firmly shut and just get on with it.
Practical implications
Provides strategic insights and practical thinking that have influenced some of the world's leading organizations.
Originality/value
The briefing saves busy executives and researchers hours of reading time by selecting only the very best, most pertinent information and presenting it in a condensed and easy‐to digest format.
Details
Keywords
AT the time of writing (Autumn 1966), those who are concerned with technical college libraries stand at a very interesting stage in the development of those services. I was…
Abstract
AT the time of writing (Autumn 1966), those who are concerned with technical college libraries stand at a very interesting stage in the development of those services. I was reminded of this fact the other day when I was lunching with one of the College Principals who had been concerned with the ATI Memorandum on College Libraries in 1937. (That, as you may know, was a very forward‐looking document and outlined objectives, not all of which have yet been attained.)
If outgoing Intel CEO Craig Barrett has his way, we’ll all soon be surviving on a diet of nothing but chips. But before nutritionists everywhere shudder at the thought of an even…
Abstract
If outgoing Intel CEO Craig Barrett has his way, we’ll all soon be surviving on a diet of nothing but chips. But before nutritionists everywhere shudder at the thought of an even greater obesity problem, let me reassure them that the chips in question are not the fried potato kind. While Barrett may have some culinary interests himself, he is at present more concerned with capitalizing on the rapidly evolving digital world.
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MOST people engaged in Work Study will share the general recognition that ‘Sitting by Nellie’ or ‘Standing by Syd’ is a wasteful and ineffective way of teaching workers how to do…
Abstract
MOST people engaged in Work Study will share the general recognition that ‘Sitting by Nellie’ or ‘Standing by Syd’ is a wasteful and ineffective way of teaching workers how to do a new job or learn a new skill. Very few of the experienced workers who act as part‐time instructors have any instructional technique at all.
Reviews the latest management developments across the globe and pinpoints practical implications from cutting‐edge research and case studies.
Abstract
Purpose
Reviews the latest management developments across the globe and pinpoints practical implications from cutting‐edge research and case studies.
Design/methodology/approach
This briefing is prepared by an independent writer who adds their own impartial comments and places the articles in context.
Findings
Ethics has become such a hot issue in the corporate world that many companies now require employees to attend training seminars on the subject of business ethics. Other companies have developed specific roles such as “integrity advisor” or “integrity client services manager” to support ethical business practices. This review will examine some key issues relating to business ethics such as: can ethics and business coexist; do unethical practices promote success in business; and should business get involved in social issues.
Practical implications
Provides strategic insights and practical thinking that have influenced some of the world's leading organizations.
Originality/value
The briefing saves busy executives and researchers hours of reading time by selecting only the very best, most pertinent information and presenting it in a condensed and easy‐to‐digest format.
Details
Keywords
BUSINESS leaders recur again and again in their public utterances to the difficulty of obtaining enough recruits of suitable calibre. What they have in mind, as Mr. David Barran…
Abstract
BUSINESS leaders recur again and again in their public utterances to the difficulty of obtaining enough recruits of suitable calibre. What they have in mind, as Mr. David Barran, chairman of Shell Transport, implied recently, is university graduates. ‘What I am really pleading for,’ he said, ‘is a stronger bridge between education and industry, starting as far back as the sixth form and extending across the student years at university, helping the graduate to choose a career that will employ his potential to the best advantage.’
The case focuses on the diamond retailing industry toward the end of 2008, with the United States in an economic downturn. All diamond retailers are hit by the downturn and are…
Abstract
The case focuses on the diamond retailing industry toward the end of 2008, with the United States in an economic downturn. All diamond retailers are hit by the downturn and are facing a critical look at their strategies. Given the basic performance information on Blue Nile, Zales, and Tiffany, students are asked to consider the strengths and weaknesses of each business model with the goal of understanding business models that are better suited to handling a downturn.
The learning objectives of the case are to (1) understand the link between supply chain structure and financial performance, (2) identify key drivers of supply chain performance and how they affect a firm's ability to respond during periods of strong or weak demand, and (3) develop the alignment between supply chain structure and strategic position for a firm.
Details
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