Management Blog

World's most influential companies revealed

A company's physical assets are less important than the force of their ideas, according to a recent BusinessWeek ranking of the 10 most influential companies of 2008.

According to the publication, the companies that made the list offered game-changing ideas, had an important impact on consumers and took bold risks.

BusinessWeek's top 10 includes:

• Apple: 'the epitome of cool'
• Unilever: 'up-ending the rules of marketing'
• Google: 'made rivals look sickly in comparison'
• News Corp: 'a company that can see around corners'
• Toyota: 'set to become the world's largest automaker'

A slideshow that describes how these companies managed to build their sphere of influence is available here.

John Lennon goes to work for charity

Twenty-eight years after his death, John Lennon has made a television commercial to support the One Laptop Per Child charity, Reuters reports.

The campaign aims to provide children in the world's poorest regions with tough, solar-powered notebook computers.

Smarten up your Out of Office replies

As the holiday season is in full swing Microsoft is spruiking the benefits of a small and snazzy feature that can add greater functionality to Out of Office messages.

According to the Microsoft Office blog, the Outlook email program features a mini-calendar that can be inserted into Out of Office messages to graphically illustrate time away from work.

Setting up the automated feature is as easy as following these six steps.

How to encourage efficient mentoring

Many large companies understand the value of mentoring, but are they going about it the wrong way?

According to a recent Harvard Business Online Hotlist article, top-down managed relationships between older and younger staff are both out of touch and out of date.

To support this argument writer Tamara J. Erickson offers the following principles for effective mentoring:

1. It's a giving thing - encourage all staff to give their time freely to help colleagues as opposed creating formal relationships

2. Start with a project - look for projects that bring people together to see if there's chemistry between potential mentoring partners

3. Bottom up - encourage younger staffers to seek out their mentor or mentors when, and if, they need them

4. Two way street - also encourage older workers to look for younger employees with expertise they can use

'Tis the season to be greener

A few small changes over the Festival Season can make a huge difference to your environmental footprint, according to the Total Environment Centre.

Speaking recently to Smart Company, the TEC's Jeff Angel suggests householders consider the following resource saving tips when celebrating Christmas:

• Before buying a new plastic tree, consider choosing a native Christmas tree you can plant in the garden in January
• Take reusable bags with you when shopping for gifts
• Don't leave the Christmas lights on all night and try using solar powered fairy lights
• Give your garden a water smart Christmas gift by investing in a rainwater tank
• Make your own Christmas cards using recyclable materials

The keys to workplace culture revealed

Recognition of achievement, good leadership and training opportunities are all traits of a good workplace, a new study has found.

The Alexander Mann study of Australian and overseas companies also identified scope for promotion, individual responsibility and a challenging environment as desirable workplace attributes.

Rather than just looking for interesting roles, researchers say job hunters are now equally focused on finding the right cultural fit.

The study also suggests work-life balance is more important to workers than ever before and, not surprisingly, highly flexible organisations are said to be highly desirable to workers.

Five ways to name a new business

Choosing a business name is never an easy process: in fact, the decision has the potential to make or break an enterprise, a recent news.com.au article argues.

With a view to guiding new businesses through the often tricky name game process the following tips are offered:

1. No limits – go with a generic name that won't pigeonhole your enterprise if you change direction in the future

2. Show your passion – consider names that reflect your interests (these might have nothing to do with your product or service)

3. Consider key qualities – highlight the benefits of your business via its name, e.g. exclusivity, location, affordability

4. The big easy – choose names that are easy to spell and say (especially important in our Google fixated world)

5. Different strokes – research competitors' names to ensure your name isn't too similar

'Autonomous advertising' heads for the web

The future of online advertising could revolve around advertisements that automatically adapt to reflect an audience member's profile, The International Herald Tribute reports.

The article claims several digital ad agencies in the US are trialing online ads that change in real time to suit the person viewing them.

According to the Tribune, the software behind the ads refers to an online database of audience member traits to determine the most appealing colours, fonts and images.

Digital ad gurus claim contextual advertising is the future of the entire sector and marks the end of the traditional 'one size fits all' approach to online ads.

Recruiters told to get emotional

The new book The EQ Interview advises hiring managers to focus on the hearts and minds of prospective employees, the Harvard Management Update reports.

According to author Adele B. Lynn, Emotional Intelligence, or EQ, accounts for anywhere between 24 and 69 per cent of performance success in the workplace.   

While it's argued that a strong level of emotional intelligence is important for just about every job role, Lynn says it is a crucial attribute for managers.

Or as Lynn puts it: "What's the benefit of deep marketing expertise if a manager can't recognise how her behavior demoralises her direct reports and drives half of them to look for other jobs?"

'Rethinking' a job can bolster productivity: study

A new Canadian study claims managers can improve workplace productivity by reminding employees about their sense of purpose, management-issues reports.

University of Alberta researchers say it's common for workers to lose focus when they get caught up in the daily grind of deadlines, emails and meetings.

It's claimed encouraging staff to 'rethink their jobs', and regain their sense of purpose in the process, can result in a 60 per cent improvement in attendance and a 75 per cent increase in retention.

The findings are based on a study of healthcare workers who attended 'spirit of work' workshops aimed at helping them refocus on their job roles.