Head Northwest! Performance Measurements Systems Design and Implementation

Question:
I have been tasked with developing benchmarking and performance measurements for my department to report on for the company.
I work in ABC System’s Operations Center and we produce operational reports, but we do not do a very good job of reporting on how we are performing as a company. The concept is to produce daily, […]

Posted in Jan 2007, Articles | No Comments »

Personal and Professional Recovery

Studies have isolated a number of personal attributes shared by great CEOs:

A much larger than average vocabulary is one common trait, perhaps not surprising in that it likely closely correlates to education and the ability to express oneself clearly and exactly, both orally and in writing.
Another common trait is height! CEOs tend to be […]

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Measuring Success

Successful corporate management ultimately must be measured empirically:

Did the company out perform its competitors?
Were returns better than historical returns?
If you are a public company, how did you compare to major securities indices in terms of the creation of shareholder value?

If you are private or closely-held, how much wealth did you create for your owners?
A corollary […]

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The Role of the CEO as Change Leader

Firms stumble when they ignored the inexorable forces of change. Leaders can create an enterprise that is a willing acceptor of change, or an organization that ignores, represses, and resists change. The CEO is responsible for the demystification of change – both as a concept and as a practical reality. The CEO must […]

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Understanding Banks and Assets

Reading the annual reports of commercial banks can be a challenge for some of the best businessmen and women and financial analysts, particularly if they are not otherwise familiar with bank income statements and balance sheets. Banks (and similar financial services firms) generate revenue and income from a wide variety of sources, including interest […]

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A Note on the Dollar

The exchange rate for the dollar can have a material effect on two areas touched on in this month’s newsletter.
First, the dollar weakens. It’s fallen against the Euro by nearly 30% over the past four years or so.
So, as weaker dollar arguably slows – perhaps imperceptibly - the probably inevitable “hollowing out” of American […]

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Wal-Mart Urged by Investors to Improve its Reputation

Some of the largest shareholders in Wal-Mart have written to the company urging action over the company’s corporate reputation following a series of fines and class actions on workplace issues. The letter, timed to coincide with the company’s annual general meeting, argued that publicity around poor employment practices were beginning to impact on the […]

Posted in Jan 2007, Articles | No Comments »