Blog

A passionate advocate for the power of science to better our world, Dr Geoff Garrett, Chief Executive of the CSIRO, has brought about change to the institution. By Jason Day

Many Australians, if asked their opinion of the CSIRO, would no doubt have a generally positive view on the organisation's worth to the nation.
This seems so, even if, as a straw poll around the office indicates, they are unaware of the extent of the work that it does, or how it does it.

Five experts explain how executive coaching works, where it is of most value, and what can happen when things go wrong. By Mark Story

Executive coaching, a relatively new game in Australia, is becoming increasingly customised to cater for a growing range of corporate appetites. It's progressively evolving from a fashionable, one-size-fits-all approach to cure wayward executive behaviour, to an executive tool capable of upskilling key staff and future leaders.

Ambitious managers looking to make a mark need to work on their strengths and weaknesses to enhance their careers. By Fiona Gillies

So you've got a great job and you're good at what you do. You hope to have a long and successful career in management. But how do you make sure you get the career you want?

In this time of low unemployment, finding just another job in management may not in itself be hard. But landing the job you really want isn't always so easy. How do you make sure that you're the person who stands out from the pack?

Like most people, Terry Goodall fondly remembers the motor trips and caravan parks of his youth. Overseeing 172 sites, the CEO of BIG4 Holiday Parks says the industry is growing up fast. By Jason Day

The family car and caravan park form part of sunburnt holiday memories for many Australians. Before cheap airfares, holidays for many meant a car loaded to bursting, dad waking the kids up at 4am to beat the traffic, and a week or two travelling between, or staying in, caravan parks, fishing and swimming.

When the workforce is more mobile than ever, organisations must effectively manage, pass on and exploit critical know-how. By Darren Baguley

Industry giant British Aerospace's Australian subsidiary BAE Systems had a problem: engineering ability was eroding over time because their experienced personnel weren't passing that expertise on to new or less-experienced staff.

Engineers tend to be logical types, so the solution to the problem seemed simple: get people to document their knowledge and put it into databases.

Good information management is about more than just databases. It can make or break a business. By Ann-Maree Moodie When the board and management of a food company specialising in products with ingredients such as omega-3 analysed its business, it was apparent that while the company was successful, inherent disorganisation was causing it to miss the profitable opportunities in the market. The company produced 'functional foods' in the form of products such as bread and yoghurt.

Organisations of whatever persuasion - for-profit, not-for-profit and public service - must pursue the twin and related goals of improved efficiency and productivity. No, you can't get off this particular roller-coaster.

Under CEO Karen Matthews, the skincare company Ella Baché adopted a new business model in 2002, protected its brand fiercely, and turned the company's fortunes around. By Darren Baguley.

Brand is everything in the ultra competitive world of cosmetics and in the late 1990s, Ella Baché's was second to none. Yet, When Karen Matthews became the chief executive of the skincare company in 1999, the business was languishing.

From cost-cutting program to centre for profit generation, contact centre operations need a clear benchmarking plan. By Darren Baguley.

Pan-American Airlines invented the call centre in the 1970s, and benchmarking performance using key performance indicators (KPIs) has been around almost as long. But after decades of using the same old benchmarks the Australian contact centre industry is in the midst of a major shift in how it measures an agent's performance.

Managing employees with a suspected mental illness calls for professionalism and an understanding of the legal and ethical issues involved. By Steven Booker

Most employers are proactive in trying to eliminate the risk of physical injury to their employees. However, less emphasis is placed on managing the risks posed by employees with suspected psychological illnesses, such as stress conditions and depression.