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BNET Insights Most Recent
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The Corner Office
Business Sector Winners and Losers in the Past 4 Recessions
Recessions, unfortunately, are uneven affairs. They don't start all at once in the same industrial sectors and don't show recovery in all sectors at once, either. It would be great if CEOs and their teams could look back at the past recessions of 1973-75, 1980-82, 1990, and 2001 and come...
Jan 26, 2009 12:04 PM
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Sales Machine
Why 6,499 Cold Calls Didn't Work
Last week, in "A Cold Calling Horror Story" I posted a video of a guy who made 6,500 calls before getting a real prospect. He blamed the problem on cold calling. However, I think that he failed because he didn't bother to learn how to cold call effectively. I've appended...
Jan 26, 2009 11:30 AM
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Dog and Pony
Chinese Zodiac Suggests Obama Could Bring Prosperity
Today is the start of the Chinese New Year. And according to the Chinese zodiac, the stars are aligning favorably for Barack Obama. Reports The Examiner: Obama was born in 1961, a Year of the Ox. Four 12-year cycles later, 2009 is also a Year of the Ox, which means...
Jan 26, 2009 9:23 AM
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The Corner Office
And the Hubristic Hits Keep on Coming!
True to form, The New York Post tabloid has a "You Gotta Be Kidding Me" story. Citigroup, which is so deeply troubled that it has gotten more than $45 billion in federal bailout money and is going through a crash reorganization, has gone ahead with the purchase of a $50...
Jan 26, 2009 9:23 AM
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Sterling Performance
5 Ground Rules for Managing Professionals
Managers in charge of a group of professionals face a problem which would be familiar to Alice, in "Alice Through the Looking Glass". Alice found she had become a pawn in a chess game. All the other pieces were animals which had a habit of getting up and moving around...
Jan 26, 2009 8:20 AM
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Business Hacks
Eliminate Weak Words From Your Resume
You know how some of those little habits – like leaving the toothpaste uncapped and drinking milk directly out of the carton – annoy your spouse? In much the same way, your resume might be doing things that turn off your prospective boss. Lifehacker has pointed us to Squawkfox, which has...
Jan 26, 2009 7:30 AM
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The View from Harvard Business
Understanding the Risky Finance Behind the Economic Crisis
How did what seemed to be a localized crisis in subprime mortgages blossom into what is fast becoming a worldwide recession? There are many reasons, many culprits, but one of the primary villains must be a Wall Street "innovation" called collateralized debt obligations (CDOs), upon which high-risk mortgages were transformed...
Jan 26, 2009 6:19 AM
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BNET1
25 Green Businesses Set to Defy the Downturn
The Find: If you think the downturn will mean the end of investment in innovative green technologies, one blog suggests you take a look at these 25 companies that are continuing to generate buzz despite the grim economic outlook. The Source: A post on the blog Business Pundit. The...
Jan 26, 2009 6:16 AM
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Business Hacks
Business Hacks Week in Review (Jan. 26, 2009)
If all of last week's inauguration madness kept you from giving Business Hacks your full attention, well, we can forgive that. Yes we can. Here's a roundup of some of last week's best posts: Find All Your Old Office 2003 Commands in the Office 2007 Ribbon How to Dual-Boot Windows...
Jan 26, 2009 5:34 AM
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Business Hacks
Guy Vs. Guy: The Mobile Phone Paradox
Welcome to Guy Vs. Guy! In this new feature, Rick and Dave square off on the business and technology issues of the day. Today's topic: Cell phones. Why can't these modern marvels manage information half as well as their decade-old PDA forebears? Dave: A few years ago, everyone who was...
Jan 26, 2009 5:17 AM
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The Corner Office
"Roach Motels: When CEOs Don't Read Their Own Reports
A few days ago, I posted a book review about a recent work by Anne-Marie Fink, an analyst at J.P. Morgan Asset and Wealth Management. Her book "The Money Makers, How Extraordinary Managers Win in a World Turned Upside Down," (310 pages, Crown Business books), makes a number of useful...
Jan 26, 2009 4:59 AM
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The Corner Office
More Details on Technolgoy in Bush's White House
Continuing news of the state of technology in the George W. Bush White House intrigues me. More details are emerging which tell a lot about "W'" management style and world view as contrasted with that of tech-savvy Barack Obama and his team. The Washington Postreported that Obama's people found no...
Jan 25, 2009 8:25 AM
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The Corner Office
How Obama Can Boost High Tech: Forrester
George F. Colony, Chairman and CEO of Forrester Research, has some ideas about how Barack Obama can breathe new life into the U.S. high technology industry. In a blog , Colony says that Obama should work to "return America to time which spawned HP, Microsoft, Dell, Wang, Apple, DEC, Compaq,...
Jan 24, 2009 2:38 PM
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The Corner Office
11 Ways To Think Like an Investor and Run a Better Business
Contrarian thinking can be a big help when it comes to business theory. Anne-Marie Fink, an analyst at J.P. Morgan Asset and Wealth Management, has written a useful book that posits that thinking like an investor can help business managers do better at making money.The book, "The Money Makers, How...
Jan 24, 2009 8:38 AM
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Sales Machine
World's Funniest Sales Blooper Videos
In this blog, we mostly talk about B2B sales. However, there's a whole world of B2C where lots of selling action takes place. One of the most "traditional" of these environments is the home shopping networks, where the time-honored art of the carnival pitch is still practiced. However, because those...
Jan 24, 2009 5:30 AM
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Team Taskmaster
How to Lay Someone Off
It finally happened: The economy caught up with your business and you're faced with the unenviable task of pink-slipping someone on your team. It's no one's favorite managerial duty, yet it's one that can't be avoided when the layoff bell tolls. But you can approach the situation with tact and...
Jan 23, 2009 11:54 AM
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The Corner Office
Renegotiating in Hard Times
In these deeply recessionary times, everything is up for renegotiation. Businesses, especially small ones, are being hit with such severe credit limits and requirements, usually unfairly, so just about anything is on the table regarding suppliers, vendors, wholesalers and so on. Time-worn adages that a man's or woman's word is...
Jan 23, 2009 11:41 AM
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Sales Machine
Are Retailers Killing Their Own Sales?
A very interesting post recently appeared in the Corner Office blog entitled "Where the Service in our Service Economy?". In that post, Harvard professor Jeffrey Pfeffer describes his visit to a local mall and how difficult (i.e. impossible) it was to get anybody to help him. At Macys he found...
Jan 23, 2009 11:30 AM
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The Corner Office
Sony: Why Grandiose Visions Make Grandiose Flops
When growth flatlines and profits dwindle, it's time for change. Unfortunately, some executives take it too far. Instead of a straightforward restructuring or change in strategy, they decide it's time to launch a rocket to the moon. But grandiose visions have a huge downside - high risk. Just look at...
Jan 23, 2009 10:31 AM
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The View from Harvard Business
Boomers: The Worst Generation?
My posts about generational change in the workforce tend to draw a lot of readership. Nothing to do with my brilliant writing skills, mind you; people just seem naturally drawn to the topic. So I'm reading comments on a recent post, Generation X Is Now In Charge, when I drop...
Jan 23, 2009 8:39 AM
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Business Hacks
Take More Efficient Notes with AyeNotes
Does taking notes in meetings make you feel like a court stenographer? AyeNotes is an online note-taking app that simplifies your job with auto-completing words and phrases. AyeNotes is disarmingly simple; when you log in, you get little more than a blank page in which to start typing. Sure, it’s...
Jan 23, 2009 8:00 AM
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Big Think
Martin Lindstrom's "Buyology" Reviewed
Title: Buyology: Truth and Lies About Why We Buy Author: Martin Lindstrom Pages: 240 Price: $24.95 Type: Marketing/science Theme: Neuromarketing is the future, praise God. Who should read: Marketing and sales executives, CEOs, product developers, strategists, futurists. Big Think Breakdown: A provocative book with intriguing and sometimes tantalizing claims, Buyology...
Jan 23, 2009 7:43 AM
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Back to B-School
B-School Buzz: Green MBAs, European Programs in Middle East, and BS at HBS
Stacy Blackman's Weekly Roundup of B-School Intelligence "Green" MBAs still a bright spot in economic downturn -- Although MBA programs with an environmental focus emerged as a way to connect with sustainability-minded students, today such programs thrive, more often than not, for the access to wider job opportunities they afford...
Jan 23, 2009 7:32 AM
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Big Think
Do Good by Reading Good Books
800CEORead is offering a Three for $30 deal -- for $30, you get three books, including one that was at least a finalist for its Best Books of 2008 list. In turn, it donates the money to Room to Read, a well-regarded educational charity which works in developing countries.
Jan 23, 2009 7:13 AM
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The Corner Office
More Firms Take Cost Cuts Short of Layoffs
As the recession gathers steam, more employers are freezing salaries or cutting 401(k) contributions to shore up their sagging balance sheets. The latest is Yahoo Inc. where Carol Bartzbecame CEO about a week ago. Yahoo's 13,700 employees were told of the salary freezes on Jan. 21. Others include Avis, Tropicana...
Jan 23, 2009 7:12 AM
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Business Hacks
Get 'The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People' Audiobook Free from Audible
Before Who Moved My Cheese? and Getting Things Done, there was The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People, Stephen Covey's seminal work on improving your personal and professional life. If you never got around to buying it (or bought it and never read it -- come on, fess up), here's...
Jan 23, 2009 7:07 AM
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BNET1
Surprise! A Positive Economic Statistic (If You're American)
The Find: American workers may be battered by the economic storm and anxious about the future, but that hasn't impacted their productivity; in contrast to the rest of the world, Americans' output per hour worked continued to climb at a healthy rate in 2008. The Source: The latest annual...
Jan 23, 2009 7:03 AM
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The Corner Office
10 Signs Your Customer Is Going Under
One survival strategy in these uncertain times is to make sure your firm has a healthy reserve of cash and that you closely monitor your customers and try to work more closely with ones that have few cash problems of their own. That's the advice of management consultant maven Ram...
Jan 23, 2009 5:36 AM
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Sales Machine
What If My Research is All Wrong?
What if your carefully-prepared presentation contains bad information? Answer: give your presentation with humility and curiosity. And don't put unverifiable hard data on your slides. A reader writes: So what do you do when you collect critical information from a non-decision maker and the information turns out not to...
Jan 23, 2009 5:30 AM
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10-Q Detective
Dancing With the CEOs at Borland, Citigroup, and Apple
Tod Nielsen, Chief Executive of Borland Software, is moving from the top honcho role at the software development provider to a supporting role as chief operating officer at VMware, a leader in desktop and storage virtualization. Borland was reticent on the reason behind Nielsen's resignation -- other than to say...
Jan 22, 2009 8:34 PM
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Big Think
Buyology of the Brain, Part II
In "Buyology," Martin Lindstrom sets out to foretell the future of marketing. He focuses on the science of neuro imaging as one that reveals all the secrets of consumer behavior. Does sex really sell? Will subliminal advertising work? Does good branding create a kind of religious experience for consumers? He...
Jan 22, 2009 7:55 PM
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Dog and Pony
Entrepreneur Launches Hostel in Converted Airplane
Is there anything less refreshing than airplane sleep? Oscar Dios, an entrepreneur in Sweden, thinks people will give his new hostel, which is built out of an abandoned jetliner, a try for the novelty and savings, reports Reuters. Dios says it is the world's first jumbo jet hostel, an actual...
Jan 22, 2009 1:48 PM
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The View from Harvard Business
Improving Your To-Do List
My life runs on a To-Do list. I'm writing this now because #3 on my list today is "Write BNET blog." I'm looking forward to checking it off in a few minutes. But I noticed recently my list had grown ridiculously long. So long I didn't even want to look...
Jan 22, 2009 1:08 PM
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The Corner Office
Some Pointers From Dimon, CEO of JP Morgan Chase
Jamie Dimon, CEO of JP Morgan Chase & Co., has some management pointers for these trying times. "It's not how smart you are or even your communications skills. It's your clarity of thinking, your work ethic and your effectiveness," he told the Stanford Graduate School of Business. Traits such as...
Jan 22, 2009 1:00 PM
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Back to B-School
Johnson School MBA Student-Run Hedge Fund Beats Market
Some of tomorrow's hedge fund superstars are currently toiling with investment management and hedge fund techniques during their MBA programs. The Johnson School at Cornell University has just released news of a recent program that has been remarkably successful, unlike many of their real-world counterparts. The student-run Cayuga MBA Fund...
Jan 22, 2009 12:22 PM
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The Corner Office
How Indian and Chinese Governments Differ on Business
What is the role of government in the economies of China and India? For insights, check out a video by Tarun Khanna, a Harvard Business School professor on McKinsey's web site. Khanna notes that both economies are success stories built "on massive amounts of talent that their systems have been...
Jan 22, 2009 11:47 AM
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The Corner Office
Did Apple Break SEC Disclosure Rules Re: Steve Jobs's Health?
It all comes down to the subjective issues of "materiality" and disclosure "timing." This post definitely answers the question regarding Apple, hopefully clarify matters in general, or worst case, fuels the debate. In any case, privacy nuts won't be happy.
Jan 22, 2009 11:34 AM
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Aussie Rules
The Best Jobs For 2009 | BTalk Australia
(10min 21) Which sectors are the best for job security in 2009. Richard Jeremiah, industry analyst at IBISWorld, looks at the best sectors to work into weather the economic storm. Add your thoughts and experiences in the Talkback section at the end of this post. View all BTalk Australia podcasts...
Jan 22, 2009 11:30 AM
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Sales Machine
A Cold Calling Horror Story
This week, we've been looking at cold calling. Here's an oddly fascinating video of a guy who made 6,500 calls before getting a lead. This has got to be a record. I don't know whether to congratulate him on his tenaciousness or laugh at him for being so stubborn. READERS:...
Jan 22, 2009 11:30 AM
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Business Hacks
Turn Your BlackBerry Bold or Storm Into a Kindle
Good news for BlackBerry-toting book lovers: E-book app Mobipocket is now available for the BlackBerry Bold and Storm. For those unfamiliar with it, Mobipocket.com is an online e-book store that carries thousands of fiction and non-fiction titles. Mobipocket Reader is the software (also available for Palm, Windows Mobile, and many...
Jan 22, 2009 11:00 AM
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Dog and Pony
Malcolm Lotzof: Trade Shows of the Future
Malcolm Lotzof is the CEO of InXpo, a virtual event provider that is drastically expanding the reach of physical events with their 3D interactive customizable events. Malcolm points out the financial and ecological benefits of their green business solution.
Jan 22, 2009 10:06 AM
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Business Hacks
Free Tools to Help You Track Down a Stolen Laptop
Perhaps, someday soon, laptops will recognize when they’ve been stolen and deal with the perpetrator themselves, not unlike this video clip. Until such a time comes, though, we’ll have to rely on geo-location tools to help the authorities zero in on your lost computer. Here is a pair of free...
Jan 22, 2009 10:00 AM
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BNET1
FT Video: Keep Your Project From Being Cut
The Find: Managers who are worried their project may get the axe in the current flurry of cost cutting get four tips to protect their initiatives in this short but thought-provoking video. The Source: The FT's Adam Jones asks executive coach Colin Gautrey for some advice in this Management...
Jan 22, 2009 9:15 AM
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Business Hacks
Collaborate on Documents with TextFlow
Collaborating on a single document presents a variety of logistical challenges. Who has the latest version? Whose changes get accepted? How do you reconcile conflicting comments from three different people? And holy crosswords, Batman, this Word file is so littered with markups, it's impossible to read anymore! Enter TextFlow, a...
Jan 22, 2009 9:00 AM
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Sterling Performance
Are You the Office Gloom Monger?
It's winter and its dark, cold and raining. The recession is getting worse. We are heading for mass unemployment, global climate disaster, nuclear terrorism and my coffee machine has broken down. So, overall, things are pretty good. As a leader, if I go into the office with a little...
Jan 22, 2009 8:56 AM
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Business Hacks
Outline Your Work Day with Checkvist
If you’re not the CEO yet, it’s probably because you’re so incredibly disorganized. Or, in Rick's case, ugly. A study I just made up shows that the most productive people in your office use checklists to stay in control of their work day. Checkvist is a free, online organizer that...
Jan 22, 2009 8:00 AM
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The Corner Office
Yes, It WAS Your Grandfather's White House
It is indeed telling that when Barack Obama's team took over the White House, they found a technological museum. There were no outside e-mail logins, no instant messaging, no Facebooks, no Macintoshes and just a few laptops. They did find some PCs with six-year-old versions of Microsoft. That says a...
Jan 22, 2009 7:43 AM
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Sales Machine
Is "Dress For Success" Still Mandatory?
Last week, in the post "Too Young to be Top Gun" I counseled a 23-year old CEO to find a style of dress that would both communicate his youth and energy and still look business-like. Some of the comments, however, strongly recommended the "Dress for Success" look: conservative suit or...
Jan 22, 2009 5:30 AM
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BNET1
Experts to Obama: Overhaul Visas for Foreign Workers
The Find: A new report from the National Research Council has sided with business leaders who have long complained about the difficulty of getting visas for highly skilled foreign workers, recommending an overhaul of the system to the new president. The Source: A Stanford Knowledgebase news story. The Takeaway:...
Jan 22, 2009 3:38 AM
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10-Q Detective
Sleepless Nights in 2009 at Sealy Corp?
Lawrence Rogers, Chief Executive Officer of Sealy Corp., told analysts on the bedding manufacturer's year-end earnings call that despite a reported 2008 loss of $2.9 million on a year-on-year 12 percent decrease in total net sales of $1.5 billion, he firmly believed that Sealy's broad portfolio of brands, which includes...
Jan 21, 2009 9:30 PM
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