Intercultural communication
A great introduction to my Spring 2009 cross-cultural communication class from UNFPA's State of world population 2008: Cultures must be seen in their wider context: They influence and are influenced by external circumstances and change in response. They are not static; people are continuously involved in reshaping
management
Five Principles of EBM: 1. Face the hard facts, and build a culture in which people are encouraged to tell the truth, even if it is unpleasant 2. Be committed to "fact based" decision making -- which means being committed to getting the best evidence and using it to
leadership
Please spare us the "perfect storm" metaphor. It's hackneyed, for starters. It doesn't square with the facts. And for people who fancy themselves leaders, it's downright unbecoming. The reason the perfect storm is such an appealing metaphor for these shipwrecked captains of
Executive Compensation
Merrill Lynch & Co Chief Executive John Thain has suggested to directors that he get a 2008 bonus of as much as $10 million, but the battered company's compensation committee is resisting his request. (...) Thain has said he deserves a bonus because he helped avert what could have
Visuals
On this chart each block represents a year and each column represents a range of return on the S&P index. Over on the right side are those lucky years where the index has soared upward from 50-60%. In the middle are the more typical years, where the
Comic relief
Business Environment
A long article at The New Yorker
Cliche
The top ten most irritating phrases: 1 - At the end of the day 2 - Fairly unique 3 - I personally 4 - At this moment in time 5 - With all due respect 6 - Absolutely 7 - It's a nightmare 8 - Shouldn't of 9 - 24/7 10 - It's
Teaching and Learning
[youtube=http://youtu.be/0xuFnP5N2uA] Mali's slam reminds me of a "random thought" by Louie Schmier that I read many years ago and, obviously, has stayed with me all this time: I am a teacher. I am more in the people business than the information business.
Strategy
The company, which has a diverse portfolio of handbags, perfume, cosmetics, clothing, jewellery and shoes, prides itself on being the ultimate purveyor of luxury, and sets its prices accordingly. Handbags start at around $1,500, and some sell for over $30,000. The firm’s signature perfume, Chanel No. 5,
Ling- English
An oldie but a goodie. An investment banker was at the pier of a small coastal village when a small boat with just one fisherman docked. Inside the small boat were several large yellow fin tuna. The banker complimented the fisherman on the quality of his fish and asked how
Management and Organizations
Tim Brown: The biggest barrier is needing to know the answer before you get started. This often manifests itself as a desire to have proof that your idea is worthwhile before you actually start the project: “show me the business proof that this is going to be a good idea.