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The purpose of this paper is to posit formal mentoring as cost-effective strategy for both developing leaders within an organization, as well as increasing organizational competitive ability in today's economy.

The paper presents two case studies originally presented in a webinar which the author, a US-based subject matter expert in the field of mentoring, cohosted with a UK-based subject matter expert in the field of leadership development.

Formal mentoring offers a uniquely suited approach to leadership development because of its ability to capitalize on knowledge that is both internal and specific to the organization, develop as broad or as targeted a group as necessary, and be tailored to meet any organization's goals and objectives. Together, these points can be leveraged to make an organization more competitive – not only in strength of existing leadership, but in readiness of ability to develop leaders for the future.

These are two case studies that examine the success of mentoring as a leadership development method within two large organizations.

Formal mentoring for the purposes of leadership development can be leveraged to great competitive advantage in large organizations.

Mentoring for leadership development has the effect of improving and solidifying company culture, as well as engaging employees through career and leadership development activities.

While using mentoring as a leadership development method is not a new concept, these case studies provide examples of how it can be practically applied, and to what ends.

This paper aims to review the latest management developments across the globe and pinpoint practical implications from cutting‐edge research and case studies.

This briefing is prepared by an independent writer who adds their own impartial comments and places the articles in context.

Change is a constant factor in today's business world. Technology continues to play an important role in driving change and in helping organizations operate successfully in the wake of ever‐intensifying competition. The demand for talent has naturally soared as a result, making it imperative to identify, nurture and manage top‐performing employees more effectively. In many firms, the response has been to increase the emphasis on mentoring. Leaders are increasingly utilizing this strategy in their quest to achieve knowledge transfer, leadership development and succession planning objectives. Of course, it's rarely that simple. Setting up any mentoring program involves the often arduous job of finding suitable applicants, then matching them with the right mentors. Program content must be appropriate. Ditto its goals. Then there's the necessary evaluation to ascertain the program's effectiveness. And all this must be customized to fit the requirement of the company in question. Sure sounds a pretty daunting challenge.

The paper provides strategic insights and practical thinking that have influenced some of the world's leading organizations.

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.

Betta is the only person there to talk to when I get home. She is my family. (Field notes, May 9, 2007)I don't know what I want but the first thing I want is for my family to come to Canada because everyone in my class has their family in Canada. (Ji-Sook's letter to Santa, December 5, 2006)

Explores the challenges faced in leading organizations through times of uncertainty and how a positive approach can result in expansion.

Examines how a positive and open approach to a lengthy period of uncertainty preceding takeover resulted in significant growth and expansion and lower‐than‐expected staff turnover. Considers the significance of stable leadership, the importance of looking after and continuing to develop staff, and how expanding the horizons of both the organization and staff can grow the business. Looks at the importance of open and constant communication at all levels, and the value of team‐building activities in maintaining staff morale.

Reveals that staff value honesty and transparency in times of uncertainty and respond positively to leadership stability and a strong lead to continue to look forward and expand both the business and their personal horizons through taking on new and exciting challenges.

Shows how an active response to uncertainty and change can provide the impetus for business expansion and continued staff development at a time when these would more naturally be expected to remain static or contract.

Emphasizes that, in times of difficulty or uncertainty, it is essential that staff continue to feel valued as individuals and team members.

Argues strongly that leaders must rise to the challenge when guiding an organization through uncertain times, resisting the temptation to “sit out the storm.”

This paper presents a mixed methodology to map and analyse the spatial connectivity of the everyday pathways that link the doorway of an individual's home–work locations to the local main commercial street. These pathways include public streets, semi-private lanes, alleys and stairs.

Pathways within different morphological areas in Hanoi, Vietnam, are used as examples to illustrate the development and application of the methodology. The methodology, adapted from Conzenian, typological, and space syntax methods, combined with observations and interviews, seeks to overcome several identified limitations of each of these approaches for understanding pedestrians' horizontal and vertical movement patterns within urban settings.

Analytical diagrams of pathways are developed on figure-ground maps of the neighbourhoods and three-dimensional projections of circulation spaces within buildings. Scatter plots are used to analyse the distribution of collected samples according to their business types and distances to local main streets. Field observations and interviews with homeowners revealed the critical influence of the pathways' spatial characteristics on home-based businesses' operations.

The methods developed here are potentially useful for urban morphologists and urban designers in decoding the intricacies of informal urban settings and understanding their socio-economic significance for users.

The mechanical and thermal responses of encapsulated flip chip solder bumps on a surface laminar circuit (SLC) board have been determined in this study. The mechanical responses of the solder bumps and encapsulant have been obtained by shear, tension and torsion tests. The thermal stress and strain in the solder bumps and encapsulant have been determined by a non‐linear finite element method and the thermal fatigue life of the corner solder bump is then estimated based on the calculated plastic strains, Coffin‐Manson law and isothermal fatigue data of solders. Also, an assembly process of the test boards is presented.

Neuroscience, with its promise to peer into the brain and explain the sources of human behavior and human consciousness, has captured the scientific, clinical, and public imaginations. Among those in the thrall of neuroscience are a group of ethicists who are carving out a new subspecialty within the field of bioethics: neuroethics. Neuroethics has taken as its task the policing of neuroscience. By virtue of its very existence, neuroethics presents a threat to its parent field bioethics. In its struggle to maintain authority as the guardian of neuroscience, neuroethics must respond to criticisms from bioethicists who see no need for the subspecialty. We describe the social history of neuroethics and use that history to consider several issues of concern to social scientists, including the social contexts that generate ethical questions and shape the way those questions are framed and answered; strategies used by neuroethicists to secure a place in an occupational structure that includes life scientists and other ethics experts; and the impact of the field of neuroethics on both the work of neuroscience and public perceptions of the value and danger of the science of the brain.

Commentators have highlighted the growing political and research interest in user involvement, with particular reference to social policy (Kemshall & Littlechild, 2000). Beresford (2002) has noted the tendency to present it as a ‘good thing’ pointing out, however, that it has both liberatory but also regressive potential. At the same time, Barnes (2001) has illuminated the limitations of ‘mainstream’ theory and practice in user participation in their failure to accommodate emotional experience, storytelling and diverse debates, as well as to develop more creative ways of working.This paper describes elements of the above as part of a critical reflection on the experiences of working with older women from a range of communities in research. The focus is on the practicalities of setting up and carrying out the research, though implications for the process of policy‐making are also briefly highlighted.