Almost a third of Americans have exchanged some working time for more leisure time over the last five years. There are growing signs that Europeans are following suit. The move towards “downshifting” raises new challenges for human resource managers. Examines the issues surrounding the...

There is nothing particularly original about a company making customer satisfaction the centre of its culture. But American Express differs from most others in having an effective system to make sure that everyone buys into the cultural focus.

Investigates whether sabbaticals are a costly and unnecessary perk or a worthwhile investment in the company’s workforce.

Increasing numbers of companies are introducing formal mentoring programmes. Examines how five firms ‐ Hallmark Cards, Texaco Trading and Transportation, Imperial Oil Ltd, Shell Oil Company and an anonymous Fortune 500 computer company ‐ resolved some of the issues which arise.

Executives have for years used management consultants to help with day‐to‐day business decisions, but frequently lack people to turn to who could help with the daily challenges of just being an executive. Now that is changing. More and more top US managers are hiring coaches, who act as...

Office “hotelling”, which involves itinerant members of staff sharing workstations, can help companies to save on office space. But extensive planning and finely tuned booking procedures are needed if disastrous effects on efficiency are to be averted.

Customer service representatives are no longer perceived as secretaries or telephone operators, nor considered as mere support staff for personnel working in the field. Rather, they are increasingly viewed as carriers and guardians of the company’s image, and key players in the...

When your core competences can be quickly replicated by copycat corporations, what competitive advantage have you got left? Explains that it is probably the knowledge of key managers, their ability to access and assess information, and their ability to innovate and think creatively.

At one time or another, every successful executive has observed or been part of a group that was dedicated to solving an impossible problem or defeating an unbeatable foe. Such groups are usually vital, absorbing, full of debate and laughter ‐ and very hard work. They are almost never...