February 22, 2005

Fairness is good word, is it not? core value of this egalitarian society of ours? Maybe not. The Labour party claims political monopoly on fairness. That is what the party

The gap between what people say they’ll do and what they actually do is one into which lot of belief, hope and positive energy is doomed to fall. For instance,

1 Are Contact Energy’s $90,000 donations to political parties:a) matter of concern for the company’s shareholders and therefore legitimate issue to be raised at an AGM.b) Mind your own business.

If it’s true that the road to disaster is paved with good intentions, recent report by specialist technology media company iStart should make worrying reading. The 567 local companies that

If you think tracking down builder is hard work – try finding business professional. According to survey of Australasian recruiters, they now head the list of occupational shortages. Research by

Poor management is listed as the biggest obstacle to workplace productivity by American workers, according to survey carried out by the Society for Human Resource Management. It found that nearly

While in New Zealand mothers are being exhorted to return to work, across the Tasman there’s been call for measures that make it easier for fathers to stay home and

It used to be that the part-timer was seen as less committed breed of worker – sort of fill-in until the real full-timer came along. But that image is changing,

While local law firms are optimistic about their own outlook in 2005, they’re less sure about the economic buoyancy of the economy than their counterparts in North America. A survey

Managers busting to discover what their peers are reading can glean insight from NZIM Auckland membership manager Tricia Mather who handles the organisation’s bi-monthly Management Brief abstract service. Mather says

In the April issue we’re celebrating 50 years of Management by looking forward 25 years to 2030. The cover story examines trends and discontinuities, drivers and influences for managers in

This can apparently be found at the Hyatt Regency on March 3 when more than 30 business speakers from Australia and New Zealand share their knowledge and experience about growing

When tired women around the country yanked from their letterboxes the January 23 issue of the Sunday-Star Times they found some pleasing reading. Geraldine Johns’ article Life savers told them

I was always under the impression that TIF stood for temporary image format or some such thing. But this mere male must be getting behind the times. survey carried out

Why are project management skills increasingly regarded as a “must-have” for business leaders? And how do project-based management techniques benefit overall organisational performance? We ask some top-level New Zealand practitioners.

By the first few years of the 2000s, the appeal of the autocratic manager was finally fading. Fads such as the balanced scorecard were out and work/life balance, corporate social responsibility, e-business, e-managing and anything else beginning with the letter ‘e’ were in. As Ian F Grant reports in his eighth and final article in our series on 50 years of Management in New Zealand, the age of leadership and values had finally arrived.

I will never forget my first sight of Pitcairn Island, its intimidating beauty, its volcanic cliffs rising from the South Pacific. sense of history, sense of apprehension. I became Pitcairn’s

Some organisations seem to be drifting back to the command and control leadership style. But effective managers recognise that employees now have virtually unlimited access to information not previously available and that their informal networking is creating a significant knowledge base. Skilled employees are increasingly recognised as the powerhouse of the enterprise.

Denis Orme The man who helped Bartercard New Zealand outperform its 15 counterpart companies throughout the world is now turning his hand to the insurance broking business. Denis Orme, who

December’s Management magazine piece on New Zealand’s top 200 companies erred in its report of Fonterra’s profit. Fonterra is co-operative and does not report profit in the traditional, corporate sense.

Among the more interesting powers of Parliament’s select committees is the ability to call an inquiry into pretty much any matter it may so choose, request submissions, conduct hearings and

Our company has expanded over the past few years. Everyone used to know what they were meant to do but people are not sure what their objectives are anymore. I

As memories of prompt payment fade into the past, organisations are tapping into factoring to safeguard cash flow.

As Management magazine counts down to its own 50th birthday celebrations next month, this issue’s cover story on moves towards New Zealand’s single economic market with Australia is particularly timely.

What does Helen Clark have in common with Richard Prebble, George W Bush and Margaret Thatcher? An urge to create an ownership society. The Cato Institute in the United States

New Zealand and Australia are getting closer together. Decisions made in 2005 could effectively cement a single economic market in place by the end of the year. There are, however, pockets of resistance. Advocates of an SEM predict long-term economic benefits, taking the existing closer economic relationship arrangement to a new level of mutual advantage. Opponents suggest New Zealand’s sovereignty is under threat and that New Zealand will lose any competitive advantages it might still have.

No doubt about it, boards need to smarten up on their direction of risk management practices, according to a strategic risk management survey conducted in New Zealand and Australia late last year. The findings provide risk-conscious corporates with some useful pointers.

Living Leadership: Practical Guide for Ordinary Heroes By: George Binney, Gerhard Wilke & Colin Williams Publisher: FT Prentice Hall Price: $35.99 Leadership – being rare and precious commodity – is

By the beginning of the 21st century every major New Zealand bank was in Australian hands, so it was not surprising there was an increasing tempo of talk about ironing