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Management Briefings are designed to take you deep into some of the most popular issue of management and business. From change strategies to managing diversity, specially prepared briefings give you an ideal short cut to familiarize yourself with new management topics and become an instant expert.

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This exciting addition to Aslib Corporate Members benefits provides a package unequalled in the world of information managementNovember updates.

01: Pathways to business wisdom
Peter Drucker was one of the world's most respected thinkers on management and society. His thinking inspired many business leaders from
around the world, as well as in the non-profit sector, while influencing companies both large and small. Here is a brief anthology of Drucker's thoughts on how organizations succeed and why they may fail.

http://first.emeraldinsight.com/management_styles/articles/drucker_wisdom.htm

02: Balanced centricity: handling the interests of many stakeholders
Customer centricity is not new, but how well do we handle it today? In accordance with the American marketing concept companies should learn
about customer needs and wants and satisfy these; this is a prerequisite for survival and profitability. Its opposite is production or product
orientation where technology, resources, product knowledge, systems and organization structure control the behaviour of companies.

http://first.emeraldinsight.com/marketing/articles/centricity.htm

03: Costly neglect
Companies are not paying enough attention to process and people change. What can be done to rectify this?

http://first.emeraldinsight.com/change_management/articles/champy_neglect.htm

04: Taking charge
John Gabarro is UPS Foundation Professor of Human Resources Management in Organizational Behavior, Emeritus at the Harvard Business School. His research has focused on professional service organizations, managerial effectiveness and executive succession. Drawing on his book The Dynamics of Taking Charge Gabarro talks about the critical success factors in the taking-charge process.

http://first.emeraldinsight.com/strategy/articles/gabarro_excerpt.htm

05: Shining a light on the senior management team
Peter Senge has received worldwide acclaim for his work in translating the abstract ideas of systems theory into tools for understanding
economic and organizational change. From his book, The Fifth Discipline, Senge talks here about the myth of the top management team, and goes on to set out a strategy for effective leaders to build a productive team that gets results over the long run.

http://first.emeraldinsight.com/human_resources/articles/senge_excerpt.htm

06: Innovation at General Electric and Procter & Gamble
In a rapidly changing environment, chief executive officers (CEO) of blue-chip corporations like Jeff Immelt (General Electric Co., or GE),
and A.G. Lafley (Procter & Gamble Co., or P&G), realize that relying solely on good corporate governance does not ensure the corporation's
success. Success normally refers to excellent performance and sustainability through the improvement of two important factors; efficiency and quality.

http://first.emeraldinsight.com/knowledge_management/articles/innovation.htm

07: Business process re-engineering in healthcare
Business process re-engineering is fundamentally rethinking and radically redesigning business processes to achieve dramatic
improvements in critical contemporary performance measures such as cost, quality, service and speed. Using BPR in the health sector was a
response to frustrations amongst managers in organizations who perceived TQM's incrementalism and ability to achieve organization-wide change had failed.

http://first.emeraldinsight.com/healthcare_management/articles/bpr_health.htm

08: Wage inequalities and corporate governance
Despite advances in corporate governance and social responsibility, income inequalities in the UK are increasing. Successive governments had
hoped that remuneration committees would check excessive executive remuneration, but they seem to be unable or unwilling to do so.

http://first.emeraldinsight.com/e_business/articles/wages.htm

09: Athenian Wisdom
Through the years, we have all heard some pretty powerful wisdom about business. And in many cases, the wisdom didn't directly apply to
business when it was first said. Such is the case with a bit of wisdom from Aristotle. His quote, something that all organizations should live
by, is, "We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act, but a habit."

http://first.emeraldinsight.com/quality/articles/rieley_wisdom.htm

10: Comparing the performance of national public sectors
The demand for indicators that allow comparing the performance of countries' public sectors internationally is increasing. This trend already existed for some time in the development community, where such indicators are used - or at least referred to - in decisions whether or not to give development aid to certain countries.

http://first.emeraldinsight.com/public_sector/articles/comparing.htm

October updates

01: Operational restructuring: an important turnaround strategy
Management often cites operational restructuring as necessary for improving efficiency, controlling costs, and coping with the changing business environment. In reality, how effective are restructurings in improving the operating performance of firms?

http://first.emeraldinsight.com/management_styles/articles/operational.htm
http://first.emeraldinsight.com/management_styles/interviews/gottfredson_schaubert.htm

02:  Betting on five
No, this week's newsletter is not about gambling, but instead it is about why some organizations believe that all their troubles will disappear if they put all their bets on what they think is the right thing. A case in point is a major UK-based airline authority and their new facility at Heathrow airport.

http://first.emeraldinsight.com/marketing/articles/rieley_betting.htm
http://first.emeraldinsight.com/marketing/articles/rieley_belief.htm
http://first.emeraldinsight.com/marketing/interviews/white.htm
http://first.emeraldinsight.com/marketing/articles/discipline.htm
http://first.emeraldinsight.com/marketing/articles/stakeholder_trust.htm
http://first.emeraldinsight.com/change_management/articles/rieley_shark.htm

03: An interview with John Kotter
Harvard Business School Professor John Kotter is widely regarded as the world's foremost authority on leadership and change. Kotter's international bestseller Leading Change has become the change bible for managers around the world. His latest book is called A Sense of Urgency and in it he shows what a true sense of urgency really is.

http://first.emeraldinsight.com/change_management/interviews/kotter.htm
http://first.emeraldinsight.com/change_management/interviews/camp.htm

04: Interview with Keith T. Cheatham
Keith T. Cheatham was named President and CEO of Siemens Real Estate US in 2004. Keith joined SRE-US in 2003 as Executive Vice President & CFO, during which time he successfully established the foundation for centralizing the management of Siemens' US real estate portfolio to increase transparency and gain greater economies of scale.

http://first.emeraldinsight.com/strategy/interviews/cheatham.htm
http://first.emeraldinsight.com/strategy/interviews/connell.htm
http://first.emeraldinsight.com/strategy/interviews/olson_bever.htm

05: Singapore Airlines: managing human resources
Service employees are a key input for delivering service excellence and productivity, both of which can be important sources of competitive advantage. Yet, among the most demanding jobs in service organizations are these so-called front-line jobs where employees are expected to be fast and efficient at executing operational tasks, as well as friendly and helpful in dealing with their customers.

http://first.emeraldinsight.com/human_resources/articles/singapore_airline.htm
http://first.emeraldinsight.com/human_resources/interviews/johnson.htm
http://first.emeraldinsight.com/human_resources/articles/wellbeing.htm
http://first.emeraldinsight.com/strategy/interviews/champy.htm
http://first.emeraldinsight.com/human_resources/interviews/hand.htm

06: KM in the SysSec Group: a case study
The SysSec Group is a European-based global software company which designs corporate network security and mission critical e-business solutions. The company originated as a spin-off from a large global database solutions company, initially focusing on complex database implementation projects in the Nordic countries market.

http://first.emeraldinsight.com/knowledge_management/articles/syssec.htm
http://first.emeraldinsight.com/knowledge_management/articles/evolving_km.htm
http://first.emeraldinsight.com/knowledge_management/articles/km3.htm
http://first.emeraldinsight.com/knowledge_management/articles/collaborative.htm
http://first.emeraldinsight.com/knowledge_management/articles/manage_flow.htm

07: Integrating employee health and safety programmes
Historically, occupational health and safety and worksite health promotion programmes have been managed independently, and sometimes at cross-purposes. However, there is potential for significant convergence across these disciplines and much to be gained from employer provision of integrated health and productivity management programmes that address employee health promotion and health protection in a coordinated manner.

http://first.emeraldinsight.com/healthcare_management/articles/employee_health.htm

08: Skandia: an agile technology platform for banking
The financial services industry is undergoing a radical transformation. The confluence of five trends: globalization; deregulation in different parts of the world; convergence of various financial services; increasing movement of wealth to emerging economies; are fundamentally changing the nature and structure of financial services around the globe through international trade agreements on services.

http://first.emeraldinsight.com/e_business/articles/skandia.htm
http://first.emeraldinsight.com/e_business/interviews/gumpert.htm
http://first.emeraldinsight.com/e_business/interviews/evans.htm
http://first.emeraldinsight.com/e_business/articles/malware.htm
http://first.emeraldinsight.com/e_business/interviews/mardle.htm

09: Indian call centres: Customer satisfaction and service quality
Call centres are increasingly playing a crucial role in customer relationship management. Most business organizations see call centres services as a potentially effective way of keeping customers happy and satisfied, and gaining competitive advantage. However, it is widely argued that in reality call centres have failed to realize their actual potential in helping organizations achieve the goals of providing high levels of customer satisfaction.

http://first.emeraldinsight.com/quality/articles/indian_call.htm
http://first.emeraldinsight.com/quality/articles/luxury_status.htm

10: Sector reputation and public organizations
There are certain universal trends apparent in public sectors around the world: public sector organizations have diversified and grown in functions, yet resources everywhere are being threatened. Recent research has acknowledged the importance of measuring organizational success and efficiency, yet measuring of intangible products such as services remains a challenge.

http://first.emeraldinsight.com/public_sector/articles/reputation.htm
http://first.emeraldinsight.com/public_sector/articles/public_reform.htm
http://first.emeraldinsight.com/public_sector/articles/employment_change.htm

September updates

01: Stewart Friedman: Total Leadership
Stew Friedman has been a faculty member of the Wharton School since 1984. He became the Management Department's first Practice Professor in recognition of his work on the application of theory and research to the real challenges facing organizations. His new book Total Leadership is a
game-changing blueprint for how to perform well as a leader.

http://first.emeraldinsight.com/management_styles/interviews/friedman.htm
http://first.emeraldinsight.com/management_styles/interviews/gottfredson_schaubert.htm

02:  Managing CSR: lessons from Statoil
Corporate social responsibility (CSR) is rapidly gaining importance for businesses all over the world. The concept is crucial for any organization as a prerequisite for brand value and business growth. However, CSR is also relevant when it comes to tackling sudden incidents, where society may seriously question the company's social responsibility and thereby challenge the corporate reputation.

http://first.emeraldinsight.com/marketing/articles/csr_statoil.htm
http://first.emeraldinsight.com/marketing/articles/rieley_belief.htm
http://first.emeraldinsight.com/marketing/interviews/white.htm
http://first.emeraldinsight.com/marketing/articles/discipline.htm
http://first.emeraldinsight.com/marketing/articles/stakeholder_trust.htm
http://first.emeraldinsight.com/change_management/articles/rieley_shark.htm

03: Jim Champy: The Elephant in the Corner
Can resistance ever be classed as a positive force in change management? When an executive is proposing major change and there is silence, I get
worried. Debate and argument - and even some benign resistance - is important to making change happen.

http://first.emeraldinsight.com/change_management/articles/champy_change.htm
http://first.emeraldinsight.com/change_management/interviews/camp.htm

04: An interview with Rafiq Dossani
Rafiq Dossani is a senior research scholar at Shorenstein APARC, responsible for developing and directing the South Asia Initiative. In his new book India Arriving, he goes beneath the veil surrounding India and considers the many ways it has begun to emerge onto the world stage.

http://first.emeraldinsight.com/strategy/interviews/dossani.htm
http://first.emeraldinsight.com/strategy/interviews/connell.htm
http://first.emeraldinsight.com/strategy/interviews/olson_bever.htm

05: The rise of talent management
To get a clear sense about the contemporary talent management challenges and how to handle them, it helps to take a long-term view. One surprising insight from a look back in history is that most of the hot practices for talent management now - forced ranking systems, 360 feedback, assessment centres, etc. - were in fact well established by the 1950s.

http://first.emeraldinsight.com/human_resources/articles/talent_demand.htm
http://first.emeraldinsight.com/human_resources/interviews/johnson.htm
http://first.emeraldinsight.com/human_resources/articles/wellbeing.htm
http://first.emeraldinsight.com/strategy/interviews/champy.htm
http://first.emeraldinsight.com/human_resources/interviews/hand.htm

06: Applying KM to information risk management
Risk intelligence is the alignment of information governance and information risk management to business priorities. Not only does this alignment help mitigate the risks to business goals, but it also leads to direct savings in legal and compliance costs, especially when knowledge management (KM) principles are applied.

http://first.emeraldinsight.com/knowledge_management/articles/km_risk.htm
http://first.emeraldinsight.com/knowledge_management/articles/evolving_km.htm
http://first.emeraldinsight.com/knowledge_management/articles/km3.htm
http://first.emeraldinsight.com/knowledge_management/articles/collaborative.htm
http://first.emeraldinsight.com/knowledge_management/articles/manage_flow.htm

07: An interview with Faith Mwangi-Powell
Dr. Mwangi-Powell is the Director of the African Palliative Care Association. She has extensive experience in sexual and reproductive health, HIV/AIDS and palliative care, and her activities include working in advocacy issues and coordinating funding and support to programmes in Asia and Africa for the development of palliative care in the continent.

http://first.emeraldinsight.com/healthcare_management/interviews/mwangi_powell.htm
http://first.emeraldinsight.com/healthcare_management/articles/seven_rules.htm
http://first.emeraldinsight.com/healthcare_management/articles/hipaa.htm
http://first.emeraldinsight.com/healthcare_management/articles/stakeholder.htm
http://first.emeraldinsight.com/healthcare_management/articles/accelerating.htm

08: Smart people?
Recently, the CEO of Sony Computer Entertainment of America admitted that there had been a problem with the way they made their PS3. Sony is
historically a hardware company. But to move into the market area where their PlayStation sells, they also became a software company.

http://first.emeraldinsight.com/e_business/articles/rieley_people.htm
http://first.emeraldinsight.com/e_business/interviews/gumpert.htm
http://first.emeraldinsight.com/e_business/interviews/evans.htm
http://first.emeraldinsight.com/e_business/articles/malware.htm
http://first.emeraldinsight.com/e_business/interviews/mardle.htm

09: Super auditors: Strengthening the link between internal audit and the board
Examples abound of boards, especially their non-executive directors, being taken by surprise as their companies slip on "banana skins" and corporate reputations become seriously tarnished, sometimes beyond redemption. It is imperative to strengthen internal audit's link with the board, and particularly to its non-executive directors. Among other things this calls for a group of "super auditors".

http://first.emeraldinsight.com/quality/articles/super_auditors.htm
http://first.emeraldinsight.com/quality/articles/luxury_status.htm

10: The benefits and risks of national identification programmes
Technology is constantly growing, modernizing and revolutionizing the way people conduct their daily lives. From complicated to even the
simplest of tasks, technology is being designed to make life simpler, faster and more efficient. Owing to the constant use of new technology, companies and managers have taken matters into their own hands and began working with customer relationship management (CRM) systems.

http://first.emeraldinsight.com/public_sector/articles/national_id.htm
http://first.emeraldinsight.com/public_sector/articles/public_reform.htm
http://first.emeraldinsight.com/public_sector/articles/employment_change.htm

August updates

01: Clinton Korver & Ron Howard: Ethics for the Real World
Minor ethical lapses can seem harmless. But they instil in us a hard-to-break habit of distorted thinking. Find out more in this interview with the authors of Ethics for the Real World.

http://first.emeraldinsight.com/management_styles/interviews/howard_korver.htm
http://first.emeraldinsight.com/management_styles/interviews/gottfredson_schaubert.htm

02:  Wally Olins: corporate identity
Wally Olins is Chairman of Saffron Brand Consultants. Find out why the identity management process should be viewed as a potentially powerful corporate resource.

http://first.emeraldinsight.com/marketing/interviews/olins.htm
http://first.emeraldinsight.com/change_management/articles/rieley_shark.htm

03: Successfully manage your change effort
Despite all the rhetoric, books, effort, and money thrown into change efforts, most organizational change efforts fail. Arthur D. Little and McKinsey & Co., have studied hundreds of organizations that entered into change initiatives and have found that about two-thirds fail to produce the results expected.

http://first.emeraldinsight.com/change_management/articles/change_effort.htm
http://first.emeraldinsight.com/change_management/interviews/camp.htm>

04: Jim Champy: crunch time? Or time to spend?
Traditional wisdom dictates that tough economic times require fiscal restraint: rein in costs; protect your cash; hunker down for the impending crisis. True to form, as the world anxiously awaits the expected ripple effect of tight credit and a collapsed housing market, managers everywhere are being told to cut their budgets...

http://first.emeraldinsight.com/strategy/articles/champy_crunch.htm
http://first.emeraldinsight.com/strategy/articles/champy_crunch.htm   

05: James Rieley column: the problem with learning
Actually, there is not a problem with learning. Organizational leaders from all sectors, of all sizes, and all financial perspectives gush forth with an ongoing stream of talk about the need to learn. Managers and employees like to learn. There really isn't a problem with learning. The problem is with our inability or unwillingness to "unlearn."

http://first.emeraldinsight.com/human_resources/articles/rieley_learning.htm

06: KM challenges for global business
Knowledge management is currently receiving considerable attention from both academics and practitioners. The main reason is that it represents a real challenge for global business. However, most of the studies on knowledge management focus on a particular aspect of the subject in spite of the fact that knowledge management complexity requires an integrative approach.

http://first.emeraldinsight.com/knowledge_management/articles/challenges.htm

07: Leadership in the NHS: learning from Gerry Robinson
The recent BBC2 TV Series by Sir Gerry Robinson (GR) was based on his investigative activities at Rotherham General Hospital (RGH). Generally well received, the title was directed at whether or not he could "save" the NHS. No doubt this banner is catchy and provocative, but should the primary emphasis be on the organization "learning" not "saving"?

http://first.emeraldinsight.com/healthcare_management/articles/nhs_leadership.htm

08: Lessons from the US sub-prime crisis
Many believe finance is no longer a national but a world phenomenon. For simply at the press of a button, billions of dollars may "e-cross" national boundaries. This is reinforced, e.g., by the 1997 Asian financial meltdown. One probable cause was the upsurge of US investors diverting their funds to the emerging dot.com industry back home. Resulting in sudden, massive outflows of US$ deposits from Asian-Pacific markets.

http://first.emeraldinsight.com/e_business/articles/sub_prime.htm

09: Conrad Winkler: the "new era" of manufacturing
In a world of emerging markets, changing work forces and accelerating innovation, manufacturing is once again a key corporate issue. Find out more in this interview with Booz & Company's Conrad Winkler.

http://first.emeraldinsight.com/quality/interviews/winkler.htm

10: Tackling undeclared work: a public sector priority
The "re-inventing of the public sector" is a phrase which might characterize the many dimensions of contemporary state restructuring and public sector reform in European and, more widely, Western countries. Such reforms have become endemic in public services but the recent period is distinctive in being explicitly international, giving the impression of a unitary approach to "modernization" of public services.

http://first.emeraldinsight.com/public_sector/articles/undeclared_work.htm

July updates

01: Breakthrough Imperative: Gottfredson & Schaubert
Mark Gottfredson is a director of Bain & Company's office in Dallas, which he founded in 1990. Steve Schaubert is a director in the Boston office. He joined the firm in 1979 and was elected to the partnership in 1980. In this interview, Gottfredson & Schaubert talk to Emerald about how the best managers get outstanding results.

http://first.emeraldinsight.com/management_styles/interviews/gottfredson_schaubert.htm

02:  Rieley column: it beggars belief
Before someone in your organization tries to do a cost-benefit analysis on making substantive changes in your efforts to ensure a positive customer experience, make sure that the person is viewing the investment from a long-term perspective. Investing in improving customer service rarely shows immediate results.

http://first.emeraldinsight.com/marketing/articles/rieley_belief.htm
http://first.emeraldinsight.com/marketing/articles/rieley_belief.htm
http://first.emeraldinsight.com/marketing/interviews/white.htm
http://first.emeraldinsight.com/marketing/articles/discipline.htm
http://first.emeraldinsight.com/marketing/articles/stakeholder_trust.htm
http://first.emeraldinsight.com/change_management/articles/rieley_shark.htm

03: An interview with Robert Camp
Robert Camp is a leading authority on benchmarking and its use to obtain best practice knowledge and superior performance. He is the Principal of the Best Practice Institute, an international research, education and consultancy organization focused on the capture, exchange and adoption of worldwide best practices through benchmarking.

http://first.emeraldinsight.com/change_management/interviews/camp.htm

04: An interview with David Connell
David Connell has been a Senior Research Associate at the Centre for Business Research at the University of Cambridge since 2006. He was previously founding Chief Executive of TTP Ventures, a venture capital fund specializing in early stage science and technology-based ventures with funding from Boeing, Siemens and financial institutions.

http://first.emeraldinsight.com/strategy/interviews/connell.htm
http://first.emeraldinsight.com/strategy/interviews/olson_bever.htm

05: An interview with Kent Johnson
Kent Johnson is an in-house Senior Counsel at Texas Instruments Inc., specializing in the fields of antitrust, intellectual property, sales, marketing and advertising law, strategic alliances and other major business spheres. In this interview he discusses the role of in-house lawyers in the benchmarking process.

http://first.emeraldinsight.com/human_resources/interviews/johnson.htm
http://first.emeraldinsight.com/human_resources/interviews/johnson.htm
http://first.emeraldinsight.com/human_resources/articles/wellbeing.htm
http://first.emeraldinsight.com/strategy/interviews/champy.htm
http://first.emeraldinsight.com/human_resources/interviews/hand.htm

06: Evolving knowledge: KM 2.0
Every so often a new technological wave breaks over the business world. Accompanying such moments there is invariably a ripple-effect that has implications for the discipline we call knowledge management (KM). The latest technology wave is that of Web 2.0, and all the changes it heralds, both to our social as well as working lives, are already being forecasted and discussed in organizations across the world.

http://first.emeraldinsight.com/knowledge_management/articles/evolving_km.htm
http://first.emeraldinsight.com/knowledge_management/articles/evolving_km.htm
http://first.emeraldinsight.com/knowledge_management/articles/km3.htm
http://first.emeraldinsight.com/knowledge_management/articles/collaborative.htm
http://first.emeraldinsight.com/knowledge_management/articles/manage_flow.htm

07: Seven rules for successful health care improvement
In the National Health Service (NHS), injecting extra funds was meant to remove the financial problem of health service costs from the agenda. Instead, much money has been frittered away by less-effective change management practices. In fact data shows that productivity has actually gone down.

http://first.emeraldinsight.com/healthcare_management/articles/seven_rules.htm
http://first.emeraldinsight.com/healthcare_management/articles/seven_rules.htm
http://first.emeraldinsight.com/healthcare_management/articles/hipaa.htm
http://first.emeraldinsight.com/healthcare_management/articles/stakeholder.htm
http://first.emeraldinsight.com/healthcare_management/articles/accelerating.htm

08: An interview with David Gumpert
In the USA, David Gumpert is a nationally known writer on professional services and entrepreneurship, where he writes extensively for Business Week.com and The Nation. Formally an editor with The Wall Street Journal and Harvard Business Review, he has authored and co-authored eight books
on various aspects of business planning and starting a business, including How to Really Start Your Own Business.

http://first.emeraldinsight.com/e_business/interviews/gumpert.htm
http://first.emeraldinsight.com/e_business/interviews/gumpert.htm
http://first.emeraldinsight.com/e_business/interviews/evans.htm
http://first.emeraldinsight.com/e_business/articles/malware.htm
http://first.emeraldinsight.com/e_business/interviews/mardle.htm

09: Achieving luxury status: a case study at Glenmorangie
Whilst quality has always been recognized as important at Glenmorangie, and key to brand success, other important measures had sometimes been
given greater focus. That changed when Glenmorangie plc was purchased by Louis Vuitton Moet Hennessy in February 2005. The company moved from
being a small independent whisky company into the portfolio of the world's largest luxury brands company.

http://first.emeraldinsight.com/quality/articles/luxury_status.htm

10: Public service reform in Denmark and the UK: leadership challenges
The "re-inventing of the public sector" is a phrase which might characterize the many dimensions of contemporary state restructuring and public sector reform in European and, more widely, Western countries. Such reforms have become endemic in public services but the recent period is distinctive in being explicitly international, giving the impression of a unitary approach to "modernization" of public services.

http://first.emeraldinsight.com/public_sector/articles/public_reform.htm
http://first.emeraldinsight.com/public_sector/articles/public_reform.htm
http://first.emeraldinsight.com/public_sector/articles/employment_chanhe.htm

June updates

01: Liberating Passion: Omar Khan
Omar Khan has lived in Pakistan, Germany, the US, UK, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, the Netherlands, Japan, Dubai, Singapore and Sri Lanka. His father was an Ambassador for Pakistan, and he was educated both at Oxford University and then Stanford Law School. He was one of the early pioneers of transformational learning in the US and worked with some of the original research team that developed Neuro-Linguistic Programming (NLP).

http://first.emeraldinsight.com/management_styles/interviews/khan.htm
http://first.emeraldinsight.com/management_styles/interviews/bower.htm
http://first.emeraldinsight.com/management_styles/interviews/rosen.htm

02: Randall White: new products and strategic states
Randall White is a principal in the Executive Development Group LLC, based in Greensboro, North Carolina, and an adjunct instructor for Duke
University's Corporate Education Programme in Durham, North Carolina and London. He has written widely on where leaders come from, how they develop and their eventual success. His books Breaking the Glass Ceiling and The Future of Leadership have had a major impact on the way leaders are viewed and the importance of less easily measured leadership skills like dealing with uncertainty.

http://first.emeraldinsight.com/marketing/interviews/white.htm
http://first.emeraldinsight.com/marketing/articles/discipline.htm
http://first.emeraldinsight.com/marketing/articles/stakeholder_trust.htm
http://first.emeraldinsight.com/change_management/articles/rieley_shark.htm

03: James Rieley column: velleity
Velleity is a noun meaning a mild desire or wish or urge, too slight to lead to action. Velleity as an adjective is used to describe the willingness of managers and employees who see opportunities for an organization to change, but just sit back hoping that someone else does something.

http://first.emeraldinsight.com/change_management/articles/rieley_velleity.htm

04: Jim Champy: OUTSMART the competition
Jim Champy, Chairman of Perot Systems' consulting practice, is recognized throughout the world for his work on leadership and management issues and on organizational change and business reengineering. His first book, Reengineering The Corporation: A Manifesto for Business Revolution, sold more than three million copies and spent more than a year on the New York Times best-seller list. He is also the author of the best-seller, Reengineering Management: The Mandate for New Leadership, which was recognized by Business Week as one of the top ten best business books of 1995.

http://first.emeraldinsight.com/strategy/interviews/champy.htm
http://first.emeraldinsight.com/human_resources/interviews/hand.htm
http://first.emeraldinsight.com/strategy/interviews/olson_bever.htm

05: Employee wellbeing at work: improving performance
The influence of employee wellbeing at work has attracted increasing interest in recent years. In the modern world where there are rising dependencies on global market forces places an ever-greater burden on those of working age in the delivery of products and services. This in turn has had a negative effect on the health and wellbeing of workers.

http://first.emeraldinsight.com/human_resources/articles/wellbeing.htm
http://first.emeraldinsight.com/strategy/interviews/champy.htm
http://first.emeraldinsight.com/human_resources/interviews/hand.htm

06: KM3: a new and emerging business model
Once upon a time it all seemed so simple. A new discipline called knowledge management (KM) was announced to a waiting world, and businesses started to consider how useful it might be, and whether they needed to implement it in their own organizations, and if so, how. There were early leaders in the field, and early adopters willing to "boldly go", and a veritable army of vendors cruising in the corporate waters, smacking their lips, ready to gorge on the opportunities this new spending feast might afford.

http://first.emeraldinsight.com/knowledge_management/articles/km3.htm
http://first.emeraldinsight.com/knowledge_management/articles/collaborative.htm
http://first.emeraldinsight.com/knowledge_management/articles/manage_flow.htm

07: HIPAA: information privacy in the US health care industry
Within the past decade, many gains have been made in the area of information privacy. Once a mere afterthought of client relations or an unintentional by-product of computer security, information privacy is now frequently mandated by legislative acts imposing strict regulations on how client information is protected.

http://first.emeraldinsight.com/healthcare_management/articles/hipaa.htm
http://first.emeraldinsight.com/healthcare_management/articles/stakeholder.htm
http://first.emeraldinsight.com/healthcare_management/articles/accelerating.htm

08: Nick Evans: evaluating the technology landscape
Based in London, Dr Nick Evans is a Vice President and Member of the Board of SRI Consulting Business Intelligence Inc. (SRIC-BI) He is Director of SRIC-BI's Explorer service which helps companies and governments evaluate commercial opportunities arising from technology developments across a broad spectrum of technology and application areas.

http://first.emeraldinsight.com/e_business/interviews/evans.htm
http://first.emeraldinsight.com/e_business/articles/malware.htm
http://first.emeraldinsight.com/e_business/interviews/mardle.htm

09: Quality in the US airline industry: is turbulence on the horizon?
The Airline Deregulation Act of 1978 did more than allow market forces to set prices and carriers to select routes based on passenger demand; deregulation also permitted carriers to determine the level of service quality provided to customers. Although there is little or no empirical evidence of the effect of deregulation on service quality, there is a general consensus that levels have declined significantly.

http://first.emeraldinsight.com/quality/articles/us_airline.htm
http://first.emeraldinsight.com/quality/articles/excellence.htm
http://first.emeraldinsight.com/quality/articles/iso9000.htm

10: The changing shape of employment
The "developed world" is experiencing great demographic change, characterized by declining birth rates, greater longevity and ageing populations. In western industrialized nations these shifts are predicted to result in labour market skill shortages and, in combination with social and technological changes and the wider forces of globalization, are creating major challenges for employers and nations in managing labour supply.

http://first.emeraldinsight.com/public_sector/articles/employment_change.htm

May updates

ASLIB Proceedings

Vol 60/3
Publication Date 30/05

1 ARTICLES
“Viewing and reading behaviour in a virtual environment: the full-text download and what can be read into it”
David Nicholas

2 “Welsh-language provision on party websites during the 2007 Welsh Assembly election”
Daniel Cunliffe

3 “Inside the changing newsroom: journalists’ responses to media convergence”
Konstantinos Saltzis

4 “Image problem even haunts hi-tech libraries: stereotypes associated with library and information professionals in Singapore”
Shaheen Majid

5 “Perceived resistance, user resistance and managers’ performance in the Malaysian port”
Mohd Daud Norzaidi

6 “Shortage of storage space in Korean libraries: solutions centering upon hub-based collaborative repositories”
Hee-Yoon Yoon

Vol60/4
Publication Date 13/07

1 EDITORIAL

2 ARTICLES
“The Google Generation: The Information behaviour of the researcher of the future”
Ian Rowlands et al.

3 “UK Scholarly E-book Usage: A landmark Survey”
David Nicholas et al.

4 “Look Before You Leap: Learing from the experience of a flagging KM initiative at a healthcare organisation in Asia”
Alton Y. K. Chua and Dion H. Goh

5 “Web Search Efficacy: Definition and Implementation” Yazdan Mansourian

6 “E-Learning: A Nutrition and HIV/AIDs Information Tool”
Leonie Steyn et al

7 “Competitive Intelligence: Construct Explorarion , Validation and Equivalence” Andrea Saayman

Login to the journal pages of the Aslib Corporate Members' area: http://www.aslib.com/corporatearealogin/index.htm

Journal of Documentation

Vol 60/4
Publication Date 01/08/2008

1 EDITORIAL
2 Letter to the Editor
Rick Szostak

3 “Reductionism and Library and Information Science philosophy”
Dr Bonna Jones

4 “Exploring Fact-Focused Relevance and Novelty Detection”
Jahna Otterbacher and Dragomir Radev

5 “An Epistemological Critique of Gap Theory Based Library Assessment: The Case of SERVQUAL”
Liangzhi Yu, Qiulan Hong , Song Gu and Yazun Wang

6 “Finding communities: alternative viewpoints through weblogs and tagging”
Kimberly Chopin

7 “Beyond Dictionaries: Understanding Information Behavior of Professional Translators”
Marilyn Domas White Miriam Matteson and Eileen G. Abels

8 “Syntagmatic Relationships and Indexing Consistency on a Larger Scale”
Hope A. Olson & Dietmar Wolfram

9 “Gender Differences in the Online Reading Environment”
Ziming Liu and Xiaobin Huang

10 BOOK REVIEWS
A The virtual reference handbook: interview and information delivery techniques for the chat and e-mail environments
By Diane K. Kovacs
Reviewed by Vanda Broughton

B Digital preservation
Ed. by Marilyn Deegan and Simon Tanner
Reviewed by Polona Vilar

C Scholarship in the digital age: information, infrastructure and the Internet
By Christine L. Borgman
Reviewed by David Bawden

D Assessing reference and user services in a Digital Age
Ed. by Eric Novotny
Reviewed by Žibutė Petrauskienė

Login to the journal pages of the Aslib Corporate Members' area: http://www.aslib.com/corporatearealogin/index.htm

Library Hi-Tech

Vol 26/2
Publication Date: 20/06/08

EDITORIAL
“Meeting our future professionals”
Elke Greifeneder

“Consortia: Anti-competitive or in the public good?”
Catherine A. Maskell

“Implementing social software in public libraries: An exploration of the issues confronting public library adopters of social software”
Louise L. Rutherford

“Adding value to digitising with GIS”
Marianne Stowell Bracke, C. C. Miller and Jae Kim

“Managing subject guides with SQL Server and ASP.Net”
Araby Green

“Staffing the Commons: Job analysis in the context of an Information Commons”
Robert Boyd

“Exploring faculty experiences with e-books: a focus group”
Danielle Carlock and Anali Maughan Perry

“Sensitivity analysis of mapping local image features into conceptual categories”
Chih-Fong Tsai and David C. Yen

“Development and evaluation of SPAT: A web page assessment tool”
Elizabeth M. LaRue

“Duplicate detection algorithms of bibliographic descriptions”
Anestis Sitas and Sarantos Kapidakis

“Recovery of descriptive information in images from digital libraries by means of EXIF”
Nuria Lloret Romero, Vincent Gimenez Chornet, Jorge Serrano Cobos, Alicia Selles Carot, F. Canet Centellas and M. Cabrera Mendez

BOOK REVIEWS
1. Using XML: A How-to-Do-It Manual and CD-ROM for Librarians
By Kwong Bor Ng
Reviewed by Toby Burrows

2. Information Marketing. 2nd ed.
By Jennifer Rowley
Reviewed by Christine Bruce

3. Information Marketing (2nd Edition)
By Jennifer Rowley
Reviewed by Troy Watson

4. Evolving Internet Reference Resources
Ed. by William Miller and Rita M. Pellen
Reviewed by M. P. Satija

5. Encoding Across Frontiers
Ed. by Bill Stocking and Fabienne Queyroux
Reviewed by Toby Burrows

6. Securing Web Services: Practical Usage of Standards and Specifications
Ed. by Panos Periorellis
Reviewed by Lan Anh Tran

7. Media, Technology and Everyday Life in Europe
Ed. by Roger Silverstone
Reviewed by Kay Neville

“Copyright in the Networked World: Gray Copyright”
Michael Seadle

Login to the journal pages of the Aslib Corporate Members' area: http://www.aslib.com/corporatearealogin/index.htm

Programme

Vol 42/3
Publication date 01/08

EDITORIAL
Social software and libraries: a literature review from the LASSIE project
Jane Secker

Second Life: the seventh face of the library?
Lyn Parker

New generation of catalogues for the new generation of users: a comparison of six library catalogues
Tanja Merčun and Maja Žumer

Use of Web 2.0 technologies in LIS education: experiences at Tallinn University, Estonia
Sirje Virkus

The use of AJAX in searching a bibliographic database: a case study of the Italian Biblioteche Oggi database
Piero Cavaleri

Digital libraries and repositories in India: an evaluative
study
Rekha Mittal and G. Mahesh

Implementation of an open source library management system: experiences with Koha 3.0 at the Royal London Homoeopathic Hospital
Gerhard Bissels

BOOK REVIEWS
Intranets for Info Pros
Edited by Mary Lee Kennedy and Jane Dysart
Reviewed by Jon Knight

Emerging Technologies for Knowledge Resource Management
M. P. Pandian and C. R. Karisdappa
Reviewed by David Bawden

Consider the Source: A Critical Guide to 100 Prominent News and Information Sites on the Web
J.F. Broderick and D.W. Miller
Reviewed by Eric Jukes

The Human Side of Reference and Information Services in Academic Libraries: Adding value in the digital world
Edited by Lesley S.J. Farmer
Reviewed by Suzie Kitchin

The Information Literacy Cookbook: ingredients, recipes and tips for success
Edited by J Secker, D Boden and G Price
Reviewed by David Bawden

Creating Database-Backed Library Web Pages Using Open Source Tools
Stephen R Westman
Reviewed by Eric Jukes

Characteristics of the Successful Twenty-First Century Information Professional
Dennie Heye
Reviewed by Vivian Grainge
Moving Image Cataloging
Martha M. Yee
Reviewed by Eric Jukes

Digital Copyright (2nd ed.)
Paul Pedley
Reviewed by Jane Secker

Login to the journal pages of the Aslib Corporate Members' area: http://www.aslib.com/corporatearealogin/index.htm

Records Management Journal

Vol 18/2.
Publication Date 20/06

1 EDITORIAL
Julie McLeod

2 OPINION PIECE
”Digital preservation – marking the song remain the same”
Frank McCarthy

3 ARTICLES
“Interoperable data: sustainable frameworks for creating and managing recordkeeping metadata”
Joanne Evans, Barbara Reed and Sue McKemmish

4 “A case study of the use of the Records Management Capacity Assessment System (RMCAS) software tool across the London Museums hub”
Sarah Demb

5 “Records management practices in construction industries: Australian perspectives”
Michael Nycyk

6 PROFESSIONAL RESOURCES
A PUBLICATIONS

Public sector records management: A practical guide
By Kelvin Smith
Reviewed by Sonja Gabriel

Planning and implemeneting electronic records management
By Kelvin Smith
Reviewed by Catherine Hare

Understanding data and information systems for recordkeeping
By Philip Bantin
Reviewed by Julie McLeod

April updates

March updates

01: Just Enough Anxiety: Dr Robert Rosen
Dr Robert Rosen, author of Just Enough Anxiety, is an internationally recognized psychologist, best-selling author, researcher and business adviser to world-class companies. He is the founder and CEO of Healthy Companies International, a Washington, DC-based research, education and consulting firm whose mission is to honour and strengthen the qualities of wise leadership in individuals, organizations and communities around the world. HCI delivers leadership programmes via the Internet to companies, governments, colleges and associations around the world.

http://first.emeraldinsight.com/management_styles/interviews/rosen.htm

02: Trust and stakeholder engagement in emerging economies
Stakeholder literature contains three different types of theories – normative, descriptive/empirical, and instrumental. Among these, instrumental theory has the highest potential to contribute to strategic management because it purports to describe what will happen if managers or firms behave in certain ways and could potentially explain how corporate social performance affects corporate financial performance.

http://first.emeraldinsight.com/marketing/articles/stakeholder_trust.htm

03: James B. Rieley: a shark in formaldehyde?
Too often, organizations under pressure to change suffer from additional dilemmas. Who in the organization is competent to lead the change effort? How do we ensure that all the effort really accomplishes something? How will we know when we are done?

http://first.emeraldinsight.com/change_management/articles/rieley_shark.htm

04: Is independence a viable strategy? The case of Millicom International
Everyone has heard of the likes of Vodafone and Orange, but if asked to name the 20 most prominent international mobile operators many of those questioned might not get around to including Millicom International Cellular, an operator controlled by Swedish telecoms and media group Kinnevik which merged its international cellular interests together with those of the then Millicom Incorporated in December 1990.

http://first.emeraldinsight.com/strategy/articles/millicom.htm

05: Human Resources as a profitability factor
What would you do if you had an employee who could improve the company’s profit margins, positively impact the cost of goods sold, lower the days sales outstanding, and increase the price/earning ratio while liquidating some overhead costs to the business – and still deliver flawless transactional and traditional HR services?

http://first.emeraldinsight.com/human_resources/articles/hr_profitability.htm

06: Conceptions of learning and managing the flow of knowledge
As organizations confront global competition, restructuring and de-layering of management structures, changing economic and social values regarding knowledge and intellectual capital, and computerization and other high-technology infrastructures, they need to respond to those challenges in an adaptive and flexible way – which places a premium on learning to facilitate survival and growth.

http://first.emeraldinsight.com/knowledge_management/articles/manage_flow.htm

07: Accelerating the improvement process: key techniques
For health services to be the best that they can be, we need to continually improve and develop them by testing and implementing new ideas and approaches to service delivery. The tools and techniques used to support this improvement effort are many, but the whole process of moving from an idea to successful implementation can be fragmented.

http://first.emeraldinsight.com/healthcare_management/articles/accelerating.htm

08: John Mardle: Cash flow is now king
John Mardle leads the Working Capital Improvement Practice at Develin & Partners, a UK-based management consultancy focusing on cost management. He was previously Financial Director of the Parsons Group International, one of the world’s largest engineering and construction companies, where he was responsible for winning project management contracts with the Channel Tunnel Rail Link, and turnaround project management contracts with London Underground.

http://first.emeraldinsight.com/e_business/interviews/mardle.htm

09: Pursuing ISO 9000 certification for continuous performance improvement
Non-financial auditing and ISO 9000 quality system certification has created considerable confusion and frustration with managers, particularly with the business value of this process. The perceived value of ISO 9000 certification has varied from being highly successful to merely increasing workload and business costs.

http://first.emeraldinsight.com/quality/articles/iso9000.htm

10: Reusing public sector information: free for all or charge for all?
In a global information market estimated to be worth $358 billion in 2005, the public sectors of Europe and North America are the largest generators of commercially valuable information. This information is derived from a variety of sources including regulatory bodies, statistical offices, mapping agencies and treasury departments.

http://first.emeraldinsight.com/public_sector/articles/reuse_info.htm

February updates

Management & Leadership

An interview with Brian Plowman

Brian Plowman is a founding partner and managing director of Develin & Partners, a UK-based management consultancy. With a focus on implementation techniques to add corporate value, he has worked with clients including the Royal Bank of Scotland in the financial sector, Land Rover in manufacturing and City University in education.

http://first.emeraldinsight.com/management_styles/interviews/plowman.htm

Marketing

An interview with Kent B. Monroe

Kent B. Monroe is J.M. Jones Distinguished Professor of Marketing Emeritus, University of Illinois, and Distinguished Visiting Scholar at the University of Richmond and Drexel University in Philadelphia. He has pioneered research on the information value of price, and has authored the leading text Pricing: Making Profitable Decisions.

http://first.emeraldinsight.com/marketing/interviews/monroe2.htm

Change Management

The FuturePerfect organization: leadership for the twenty-first century

As we move progressively through the initial stages of the twenty-first century, the emerging business landscape is significantly different from the past era. The world is increasingly interdependent through globalization, technology is comprehensively escalating, highly skilled, knowledgeable workers are the norm, and customer expectations have transformed to anticipating their wants and needs; rather than simply meeting and exceeding them.

http://first.emeraldinsight.com/change_management/articles/future_perfect.htm

Strategy

An interview with David Maister

David Maister is widely acknowledged as one of the world’s leading authorities on the management of professional service firms. In 2002, he was identified as one of the top 40 business thinkers in the world (Business Minds, Financial Times/Prentice Hall.) For 25 years he has advised firms in a broad spectrum of professions, covering all strategic and managerial issues, building a global practice that finds him spending about 40 per cent of his time in North America, 30 per cent in Western Europe, and 30 per cent in the rest of the world.

http://first.emeraldinsight.com/strategy/interviews/maister.htm

Human Resources

Pay communication: is ignorance bliss?

A large amount of research has investigated important issues in compensation – particularly regarding linkages between behaviour and pay. However, very little exists that examines how pay administration policies may affect employee attitudes and behaviour.

http://first.emeraldinsight.com/human_resources/articles/pay_comm.htm

Knowledge Management

The true potential of intranets: reshaping organizations

The use of true intranet potential in today's organizations is still very much an emerging concept. Its primary use so far has been to provide instant access to information deemed important or relevant to various sections or individuals within a company.

http://first.emeraldinsight.com/knowledge_management/articles/intranets.htm

Healthcare Management

Workplace health: sharing knowledge and experiences

Non-communicable diseases such as cardiovascular disease (CVD), diabetes and cancer account for the majority of death and disability in Canada. Atlantic Canadians share numerous health issues including high rates of smoking, physical inactivity and obesity, which put them at higher risk for chronic conditions and premature death and disability.

http://first.emeraldinsight.com/healthcare_management/articles/workplace_health.htm

E-Business, IT & Finance

Google ranking: combating bombing attempts

The Web has existed only for about 17 years, but it has already become one of the major information sources both in our professional and everyday lives. The number of pages and sites on the Web is growing constantly.

http://first.emeraldinsight.com/e_business/articles/google.htm

Quality Management

Integrating CRM and QFD: Improving stakeholder relationships

As the business world shifts from product focus to customer focus, managers are discovering that the enhancement of existing customer relations will be of benefit for profitable and sustainable revenue growth.

http://first.emeraldinsight.com/quality/articles/crm_qfd.htm

Public Sector

Improving pensions retirement saving

The UK government's track record on pensions and retirement saving over the last nine and a half years is not one to be proud of. They inherited the best pension provisioned economy in the world, and under their tenure the savings rate has nearly halved; pension saving has fallen substantially; five sixths of company, final salary schemes have been closed since 2000 and 65,000 Employer Pension Schemes have closed since 1997.

http://first.emeraldinsight.com/public_sector/articles/retirement.htm

January updates

How to manage your boss

Business schools and training courses carefully avoid teaching the things people really want to know. They normally teach explicit knowledge: things like strategy, accounting and marketing. That is useful, but not useful enough. Most people succeed with know-how skills, not know-what skills. In the words of one CEO: I hire most people for their technical skills. I fire most for their interpersonal skills.

http://first.emeraldinsight.com/management_styles/articles/manage_boss.htm

The “freebies” phenomena: the provision of free goods and services

The provision of free samples to prospective buyers is a practice that is perhaps as old as human barter and exchange. Buyers have always needed to know the quality of the product they are purchasing especially when this is a food item of variable quality – such as wine or fruit – so they have been provided with a small amount by the seller to taste before they buy. This same practice continues to this day in the retail sector where customers are encouraged to “try before they buy” especially when a new product or service is launched.

http://first.emeraldinsight.com/marketing/articles/freebies.htm

Bureaucracy at the BBC: managing change

Founded in 1926, the BBC is funded by a licence fee levied on all UK households in possession of terrestrial television receivers. A Royal Charter, reviewed by the government every ten years, specifies the corporation's public sector responsibilities, functions and financial operations.

http://first.emeraldinsight.com/change_management/articles/bbc.htm

James B. Rieley column: An Oncoming Train?

When organizations plan for the future, one of the questions that should come up is: “Is our plan going to achieve what we need for a sustainable future?” This question is critical, especially in light of a study commissioned by the Institute of Directors which said that 69 per cent of the respondents to the question, “what factors inhibit future thinking in your organization?” stated that they were “too busy”. Too busy to figure out what the future might bring? Wake up lads; the light at the end of the tunnel just may be an oncoming train.

http://first.emeraldinsight.com/strategy/articles/rieley_train.htm

Richard Harris: Team based management

Richard Harris is a former senior officer of the Forum Corporation. His leadership positions in the firm included Head of Global Research and membership on Forum's Management Committee and Board of Directors. He also serves as a consultant to companies including the New York Times, Royal Dutch Shell and United Technologies.

http://first.emeraldinsight.com/human_resources/interviews/harris2.htm

Exploiting the benefits of informal networks: Kevin Barham

Based in London, Kevin Barham is a management researcher and consultant. An Associate of Ashridge Business School, he consults on international management and organizational development with particular emphasis on the international dimensions of corporate social responsibility and the role of business in alleviating global poverty.

http://first.emeraldinsight.com/knowledge_management/interviews/barham.htm

Julie Moore: running an NHS Foundation Trust

Julie Moore is a graduate nurse who spent 10 years in clinical practice before entering nurse management. During her time as nurse manager and later director, she undertook an MA in Health Services Studies at Leeds University. After a year in general management, in 1998 Julie became a director in the newly merged Leeds Teaching Hospitals' Trust.

http://first.emeraldinsight.com/healthcare_management/interviews/moore.htm

Shopping in an age of terrorism: online versus in-store purchases

Physical safety and financial safety are expected when a consumer goes out to purchase goods or services in familiar neighbourhoods. In a world in which random attacks by terrorists are becoming more and more common, that sense of confidence and well-being has been shattered.

http://first.emeraldinsight.com/e_business/articles/shop_terrorism.htm

The UK Mersey Regional Ambulance Service: improving performance

Continual improvement and rapid adaptation do not happen spontaneously in organizations. On the contrary, fundamental, sustainable change, whether resulting from incremental improvement or radical re-design, depends on deliberate decision-making and action.

http://first.emeraldinsight.com/quality/articles/mersey_ambulance.htm

Electronic Government and network security

It is becoming ever clearer that the introduction and continued development of electronic government represents an endeavour that can only be successful when it is possible to sustainably increase the security and acceptance of network communication.

http://first.emeraldinsight.com/public_sector/articles/gov_networks.htm

December updates (07)

Dave Ulrich & Norm Smallwood: Leadership Brand

In 2005 and 2006, Ulrich & Smallwood's RBL Group was ranked as the #1 leadership development firm in the world by Leadership Excellence. Their new book Leadership Brand explores the advantages of a branded approach to corporate leadership.

http://first.emeraldinsight.com/management_styles/interviews/ulrich_smallwood.htm

Getting the price right: Kent Monroe

Kent Monroe has authored the leading text Pricing: Making Profitable Decisions. As a consultant on pricing, marketing strategy and market research to corporations, governments and the United Nations, he has conducted training programmes for business, non-profits and universities in North & South America, Europe, Asia and Africa.

http://first.emeraldinsight.com/marketing/interviews/monroe.htm

James B. Rieley column: merger integration effort traps

http://first.emeraldinsight.com/change_management/articles/rieley_merger.htm

Rules for Renegades: Christine Comaford-Lynch

Christine Comaford-Lynch is CEO of Mighty Ventures, an innovation accelerator which helps businesses to increase sales, product offerings, and company value. She has built and sold 5 of her own businesses and has invested in over 200 startups, including Google. Christine has consulted to the White House and 700 of the Fortune 1000.

http://first.emeraldinsight.com/strategy/interviews/comaford-lynch.htm

Re-thinking human resources

In August, 2005, Fast Company magazine published a scathing article entitled "Why We Hate HR". The author, Keith Hammonds, presented four arguments. 1) HR people are not the sharpest tacks in the box. The best and the brightest don't go into HR.  2) HR pursues efficiency in place of value. 3) HR doesn't work for you. It supports the status quo. 4) HR doesn't get the office next to the CEO. The author was slammed by many of the readers in the HR community for his comments. But the unfortunate truth is – he is 100 per cent correct.

http://first.emeraldinsight.com/human_resources/articles/rethinking.htm

What are we managing – knowledge or information?

Knowledge society and knowledge management are the buzzwords of the twenty-first century, where convergence of communication technologies, computer technology and digital technology are the main partners. This technological explosion has resulted in the emergence of new breeds of resources, forcing us to shift from tangible goods to intangible goods.

http://first.emeraldinsight.com/knowledge_management/articles/managing.htm

Human resource management at the negotiating table

Established in 1948, the UK's National Health Service (NHS) has grown to be one of the largest employers in the world. Since the largest proportion of the health budget is spent on staff, it is inevitable that “people management” issues should be at the fore of New Public Management (NPM) thinking.

http://first.emeraldinsight.com/healthcare_management/articles/hr_management.htm

IT Risk: Richard Hunter and George Westerman

According to Hunter & Westerman's new book IT Risk: Turning Business Threats Into Competitive Advantage, traditionally, managers have grouped technology risk and funding into silos. The authors set out to provide a new model for integrated risk management, identifying three core areas you can develop to eliminate the problems created by silos.

http://first.emeraldinsight.com/e_business/interviews/hunter_westerman.htm

Improving quality in the construction industry

It is commonplace to describe the current business environment setting as turbulent. The marketplace has become more global and service-oriented and clients' tastes have become more demanding and sophisticated. Under these circumstances, many firms have found it is increasing difficult to compete. To survive in the current business environment, it is necessary for companies to look for ways to improve quality and productivity in order to enhance their competitive edge.

http://first.emeraldinsight.com/quality/articles/improve_quality.htm

Continuous improvement in the public sector

Quality and quality improvement are words that now are found as frequently in business conversations as turnover or profit and have become just as common in public sector conversations. However, despite all the talk, quality systems are not always as successful as they are made out to be. Evidence has shown that UK firms are lagging behind other countries in the adoption of “promising practices”, although there is insufficient evidence to ascertain the reasons.

http://first.emeraldinsight.com/public_sector/articles/improvement.htm