“I hate teaching, actually, and I hate giving out grades. I can’t stand doing the things you’re supposed to do for a university.” —Alice Notley https://buff.ly/3uV9Ls0
2009
WSJ: Do you think an MBA is important?
Mr. Chheda: You can't get nuts-and-bolts skills at educational institutions. That said, getting an MBA is a great way to prepare or enhance a career in business, and I'd strongly encourage it to anyone who is considering. However, I'd tell them to first go out and get substantial work experience. You can learn so much more in your academic program if you come into it with more context.
年輕與年老的顧問師
Good service must not follow GM's road to ruin
guardian.co.uk - UK
Peter Drucker, the discipline's first and most respected chronicler, wrote the seminal Concept of the Corporation after observing the company for two years ...
See all stories on this topic
Alan Sugar
英國的「政府企業顧問」又稱「企業沙皇」，新沙皇是62歲的舒格，他並非是工黨迷，在1992年曾投書倫敦金融時報表示：「某個名叫戈登‧布朗的先生，指 控我在經濟衰退時期發橫財，這話我聽了覺得惡心。我可不曉得這位布朗先生是何方神聖，恕我無知。不管他是誰，他都沒有好好做功課，這位老兄不知道自己在說 什麼。」
兩人後來顯然熟了起來，布朗兩年前邀他加入「經濟領袖委員會」，現在又請他擔任政府最高經濟顧問，一般認為，從基層幹起的舒格，可能為經濟政策帶來一些新意。
舒格出身倫敦東區一個猶太裁縫家庭，16歲輟學，用100英鎊積蓄開廂型車兜售汽車天線和錄音機，但他努力上進，成年後創辦幾家科技公司，並從事科技投 資，2007年出售英國天空廣播公司（BSkyB），2008年成為泰晤士報英國富翁榜第92名，目前身價約8億英鎊（約新台幣 417億元）。
舒格後來主持英國版「誰是接班人」（The Apprentice），聲名更盛，節目主持人那句Your're fired（你被開除了），幾乎人人耳熟能詳。
Sir Alan Sugar, 16th November 2005
Alan Sugar brought his knowledgeable, straightforward, wise yet witty business perspective to an Oxford audience of over 300 people on Wednesday 16th November 2005 during a question and answer session which he generously allowed to run over time.
Sir Alan asserted that “There’s nothing stopping anybody in this country from doing exactly what I have done; it’s no secret that I started with absolutely nothing” he started his business with £100 in post office savings which purchased a van for £50, motor insurance for £8 and £42 in stock. Accordingly, he had little sympathy for complaints about banks or venture capitalists and reminded the audience that banks are businesses and that “most ideas are totally useless and there are no free lunches” he compared the investor sentiments of the “dotcom boom to a phenomenon that lasted for about five and a half minutes” and advised fledgling entrepreneurs to start small. Sugar explained that he was originally motivated by a desire for self sufficiency and his inspirations included his “Uncle John, because he was the only person I knew that had a business, I came from a working class background with family who lived on council estates, business was completely alien…and when I decided to start in business, he was my guru, if you like, and all he had was a corner shop in Victoria.” Alan Sugar’s inspirations today include Rupert Murdoch for his qualities as a “speculator, gambler and a maverick” and he admires Branson, he conceded to the Oxford audience that “his style of doing business is completely different to mine but it’s successful.” Sugar disclosed his thoughts about ‘entrepreneurship’ in general, indicating his dismay at the misuse of the word ‘entrepreneurship’ as a descriptive word for people who would otherwise be described as ‘enterprising’ or ‘business oriented’; he viewed entrepreneurial traits as inherent and akin to those of an accomplished concert pianist or artist.
Sugar offered amusingly dry responses to various questions; his response to a protest from an audience member about whether business has to be dominated by targets, profit and money was “Yes, it all has to be about money and targets” to lecture theatre laughter. Sir Alan later betrayed the fact that he wishes he had re-directed energies spent on managing Tottenham Football Club to charitable causes such as Great Ormond Street Children’s Hospital. The football club was sold by Alan Sugar for a gross profit of approximately £30 Million - he advised the audience to “stick to what you know” and to have a good knowledge of the sector areas in which they choose to do business. On the subject of human resources he joked that “everybody is dispensable” and later explained via an anecdote about early entrepreneurial experiences with an engineer who perceived himself as pivotal and ‘indispensable’ to Sugar’s businesses. Sir Alan provided a humorous diatribe around his views of ‘management consultants’ and then proceeded to discuss global technology and manufacturing considerations, teasing the Oxford audience by playfully suggesting that they probably had “management consultant” aspirations. The vast majority of the audience were members of Oxford Entrepreneurs, the largest student society of its kind in the UK.
A student enquired whether an Oxford presence on The Apprentice (TV programme) was long overdue, especially in the light of a Harvard candidate on the American version of the TV show, Sir Alan responded “…Well you can apply for The Apprentice next time around with the other 10,000 people…we mustn’t make any special favours because I’m here this evening”
As GM Goes So Goes California in Pensions: Roger Lowenstein
Bloomberg - USA
But observers such as Peter Drucker, then a young consultant, wondered what would happen if GM's business turned south while its pension obligation remained ...
There’s plenty of blame to go around these days. But the prime villains behind the mess we’re in were Reagan and his circle of advisers — men who forgot the lessons of America’s last great financial crisis, and condemned the rest of us to repeat it.
TAIPEI -(Dow Jones)- The Taiwanese government plans to choose a consultant as early as July for a casino resort development on Taiwan's outlying islands, ...
charlatan, guru
He also said people only called him a guru because they weren't sure how to spell "charlatan".荷蘭文Management goeroe Peter Drucker zei het ooit eens tegen mij toen ik nog in San Francisco woonde : je moet nooit een voorspelling doen. ...
He cited Peter Drucker, one of the 20th century's finest business thinkers: "Often we use the word guru because the word charlatan is too long. .
The Hippocratic Oath: Modern Version
I swear to fulfill, to the best of my ability and judgment, this covenant:
I will respect the hard-won scientific gains of those physicians in whose steps I walk, and gladly share such knowledge as is mine with those who are to follow.
I will apply, for the benefit of the sick, all measures [that] are required, avoiding those twin traps of overtreatment and therapeutic nihilism.
I will remember that there is art to medicine as well as science, and that warmth, sympathy, and understanding may outweigh the surgeon's knife or the chemist's drug.
I will not be ashamed to say "I know not," nor will I fail to call in my colleagues when the skills of another are needed for a patient's recovery.
I will respect the privacy of my patients, for their problems are not disclosed to me that the world may know. Most especially must I tread with care in matters of life and death. If it is given me to save a life, all thanks. But it may also be within my power to take a life; this awesome responsibility must be faced with great humbleness and awareness of my own frailty. Above all, I must not play at God.
I will remember that I do not treat a fever chart, a cancerous growth, but a sick human being, whose illness may affect the person's family and economic stability. My responsibility includes these related problems, if I am to care adequately for the sick.
I will prevent disease whenever I can, for prevention is preferable to cure.
I will remember that I remain a member of society, with special obligations to all my fellow human beings, those sound of mind and body as well as the infirm.
If I do not violate this oath, may I enjoy life and art, respected while I live and remembered with affection thereafter. May I always act so as to preserve the finest traditions of my calling and may I long experience the joy of healing those who seek my help.
Original, translated into English:[3]
| “ | I swear by Apollo, Asclepius, Hygieia, and Panacea, and I take to witness all the gods, all the goddesses, to keep according to my ability and my judgment, the following Oath. To consider dear to me, as my parents, him who taught me this art; to live in common with him and, if necessary, to share my goods with him; To look upon his children as my own brothers, to teach them this art. I will prescribe regimens for the good of my patients according to my ability and my judgment and never do harm to anyone. I will not give a lethal drug to anyone if I am asked, nor will I advise such a plan; and similarly I will not give a woman a pessary to cause an abortion. But I will preserve the purity of my life and my arts. I will not cut for stone, even for patients in whom the disease is manifest; I will leave this operation to be performed by practitioners, specialists in this art. In every house where I come I will enter only for the good of my patients, keeping myself far from all intentional ill-doing and all seduction and especially from the pleasures of love with women or with men, be they free or slaves. All that may come to my knowledge in the exercise of my profession or in daily commerce with men, which ought not to be spread abroad, I will keep secret and will never reveal. If I keep this oath faithfully, may I enjoy my life and practice my art, respected by all men and in all times; but if I swerve from it or violate it, may the reverse be my lot. |
希波克拉提斯宣言（The Hippocratic Oath) @ 海天醫院:: 痞客邦PIXNET ::准許我進入醫業時：
我鄭重地保證自己要奉獻一切為人類服務。
我將要給我的師長應有的崇敬及感戴；
我將要憑我的良心和尊嚴從事醫業；
病人的健康應為我的首要的顧念；
我將要尊重所寄託予我的秘密；
我將要盡我的力量維護醫療的榮譽和高尚的傳統；
我的同業應視為我的同胞；
我將不容許有任何宗教、國籍、種族、政見、或地位的考慮介乎我的職責和病人之間；
我將要最高地維護人的生命，自從受胎時起；
即使在威脅之下，我將不運用我的醫業知識去違反人道。
我鄭重地、自主地並且以我的人格宣誓以上的約言。
余願以自身能以判斷力所及，遵守此約。凡授余藝者敬之如父母，為終身同世伴侶，彼有急需，余接濟之。視彼兒女，猶余弟兄，如欲受業，當免費並無條件傳授之。凡余之所知，無論口授書傳俱傳之吾子、吾師之子、及發誓遵守此約之生徒，此外不傳他人。
余願盡余之能力與判斷力之所及，遵守為病家謀福之信條，並檢束一切墮落及害人之敗行，余必不得將危害藥品給與他人，並不作此項之指導，雖人請求亦必不與之，尤不為婦人施墮胎之術。余願以此純潔與神聖之精神，終身執行余之職務。凡患結石者，余不施手術，此則有待于高明。
無論何適何遇，逢男或女，貴人奴婢，余之唯一目的，為病家謀幸福，並檢點吾身，不為各種害人及劣行，尤不做誘姦之事。凡余之所見所聞，不論有無業務 之牽連，余以為應守秘密者，願保守秘密。倘余嚴守上述之誓詞，願神僅僅使余之生命及醫術，得無上之光榮；余苟違誓，天地鬼神共殛之！
希波克拉底斯（Hippocrates）醫師誓詞
- 我鄭重地保證自己要奉獻一切為人類服務。
- 我將要給我的師長應有的崇敬及感戴；
- 我將要憑我的良心和尊嚴從事醫業；
- 病人的健康應為我的首要的顧念；
- 我將要尊重所寄託給我的秘密；
- 我將要盡我的力量維護醫業的榮譽和高尚的傳統；
- 我的同業應視為我的手足；
- 我將不容許有任何宗教，國籍，種族，政見或地位的考慮介於我的職責和病人間；
- 我將要盡可能地維護人的生命，自從受胎時起；
- 即使在威脅之下，我將不運用我的醫學知識去違反人道。
- 我鄭重地，自主地並且以我的人格宣誓以上的約定。-----------日內瓦宣言
（世界醫學協會一九四八年日內瓦大會採用）
希波克拉提斯宣言（The Hippocratic Oath)
I SWEAR by Apollo the physician, and Aesculapius, and Health, and All-heal, and all the gods and goddesses, that, according to my ability and judgment, I will keep this Oath and this stipulation to reckon him who taught me this Art equally dear to me as my parents, to share my substance with him, and relieve his necessities if required; to look upon his offspring in the same footing as my own brothers, and to teach them this art, if they shall wish to learn it, without fee or stipulation; and that by precept, lecture, and every other mode of instruction, I will impart a knowledge of the Art to my own sons, and those of my teachers, and to disciples bound by a stipulation and oath according to the law of medicine, but to none others. I will follow that system of regimen which, according to my ability and judgment, I consider for the benefit of my patients, and abstain from whatever is deleterious and mischievous. I will give no deadly medicine to any one if asked, nor suggest any such counsel; and in like manner I will not give to a woman a pessary to produce abortion. With purity and with holiness I will pass my life and practice my Art. I will not cut persons laboring under the stone, but will leave this to be done by men who are practitioners of this work. Into whatever houses I enter, I will go into them for the benefit of the sick, and will abstain from every voluntary act of mischief and corruption; and, further from the seduction of females or males, of freemen and slaves. Whatever, in connection with my professional practice or not, in connection with it, I see or hear, in the life of men, which ought not to be spoken of abroad, I will not divulge, as reckoning that all such should be kept secret. While I continue to keep this Oath unviolated, may it be granted to me to enjoy life and the practice of the art, respected by all men, in all times! But should I trespass and violate this Oath, may the reverse be my lot!
Source:
Hippocrates, Works trans., Francis Adams (New York; Loeb) vol. I, 299-301.
古希臘的醫學倫理觀
*****
先問目的
Deming 喜歡談類似的清潔問題
《讀者文摘》聲明：我們對前景充滿信心
大家可能都已知道，日前美國彭博通訊社（Bloomberg News Service）廣泛報導一則新聞，指稱讀者文摘公司聘用一家專門處理破產與重整案的Kirkland & Ellis 法律事務所。其他的新聞媒體以此為本，在未經證實的情況下又添加各種臆測之詞。於是，從一個據稱「熟悉內幕」而又未能確實的消息來源開始，部分報導遽下斷 語，認定讀者文摘公司將聲請破產。
在此特別聲明這絕非事實。
真實的情況是讀者文摘公司主動聘用聲譽卓著、 提供各種企業營運顧問服務的 Kirkland & Ellis 法律事務所，以及頂尖的財務顧問公司Miller Buckfire，希望就組織改造與財務管理等方面獲得廣泛的意見。面對全球經濟情勢異常艱困的時期，我們希望能借助最優秀的顧問團隊，以確保本公司能做 好最佳準備，獲得最好的意見。他們將協助本公司研究新的營運策略──包括（但非侷限於）籌措資金與減輕債務壓力──以期在市場上掌控先機。
簡而言之，我們要確保做好一切準備，擬定最佳計畫，聽取最高明的意見，以便在情勢快速變化的時期掌握主動權，避免未來陷入難以施展的窘境。
誠然，這是非常艱困的時期，面對全球不景氣的浪潮與無可避免的收益減少，短期間內恐怕不易扭轉局勢。儘管如此，我們對公司的營運計畫、對我們與顧客長期經營的關係、對我們的產品，當然還有管理階層與員工的才能與應變能力都深具信心。
瑪麗‧柏納
Mary Berner
President and CEO
The Reader's Digest Association, Inc.
美國讀者文摘總公司總裁兼執行長
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The Consultant's Scorecard: Tracking Results and Bottom-Line Impact of Consulting Projects (Hardcover)
by Jack Phillips (Author) "THE CONSULTING BUSINESS has enjoyed tremendous success during the past two decades, with its growth exceeding that of many professions..." (more)The Consultant's Scorecard: Tracking Results and Bottom-Line Impact of Consulting Projects
by Jack Phillips******
With my sister this zealousness manifests itself during Passover cleaning. It’s forbidden to have even one crumb of hametz (basically any leavened product) loose in your house during the holiday week. For her (with a brood of five) this means stripping the place to the studs, and a kitchen sterile enough both for brain surgery and a certifiably kosher matzo-ball soup. The only way to get it cleaner would be to burn the place down.
Viewing 10 results out of 606.
http://harvardbusiness.org/search/consulting/0
Cases
我的演講草稿近於完成
在此另闢一區當草稿
"
不過，顧問業是個很古老的行業，譬如說，【舊約】中摩西的岳父，很顯然就是個顧問（J. M. Juran的「管理三部曲」，p.51）。 現在，它是一小”產業” 。諸如ASQ說法， 光是lean- six sigma就有二千多人【台灣戴明圈，p.134】。
---談專業顧問：從統計研究、組織經營之顧問師 戴明博士的履歷書說起"
第 473 頁
My annual fee will be stated at the outset. 6. I will put in enough time to satisfy myself. 7. I will continue beyond three years if in my judgment further ...
「advice」的搜尋結果
Flawed Advice and the Management Trap How Managers Can Know When They're Getting Good Advice and When They're Not Chris Argyris
Description
Flawed Advice and the Management Trap: How Managers Can Know When They're Getting Good Advice and When They're Not is the first book to show how and why so much of today's business advice is flawed, and how managers and executives can better evaluate advice given to their firmsPractitioners and scholars agree that businesses in the coming millennium will be managed differently than firms of the 20th century. And getting there from here, according to today's best advice, will require creative change. In this pioneering work, Argyris, one of the world's leading organizational thinkers, reviews a wide array of business advice from the best and brightest thinkers and consultants and concludes that as appealing as their ideas may be, most of them are simply not workable. They are too full of abstract claims, logical gaps, and inconsistencies, to be useful. And ironically, even when their recommendations are implemented correctly, the result is often failure. Why do these gaps in logic exist, and how can they be more effectively discovered? Applying a disciplined critique to numerous representative examples of advice about leadership, learning, change, and employee commitment, Argyris shows readers how to be more critical of the advice they are given, how to learn new approaches for appraising employee performance, and how to generate an internal commitment to values and better strategy.
In our ever expanding global market, innovative business advice is at a premium, and giving this advice has become a lucrative industry in and of itself. This book provides the critical lens necessary to evaluate which advice is best for your organization.
******
在
Accounting, auditing, and bookkeeping services (SIC 8721 ...
The Enron bankruptcy, that resulted in the demise of Big Five accounting firm
Arthur Andersen in 2002 was followed by admissions of fraudulent accounting by
Mckinsey’s Marvin Bower: Vision, Leadership, And the Creation of Management Consulting
Guru
Marvin Bower
Apr 3rd 2009
From Economist.com
For many years the management consulting business was dominated by one firm. It advised the world’s biggest corporations and some of its biggest countries about high-level strategy. So outstanding was it that it became known simply as “The Firm”. That firm, McKinsey, was the creation of one man. Not James O. McKinsey, the man whose name hangs over its front door (and who died young of pneumonia in 1937), but Marvin Bower (born 1903), the most powerful influence on the firm in the 65 years from James McKinsey’s death to his own, at the age of 99, in 2003.
Bower modelled the consultancy on the lines of a professional law firm, establishing a set of values by which it was to be guided. For example, clients’ interests were supposed to have precedence over growth in the firms’ revenues. His approach to consulting was heavily influenced by the legal profession, which had been his first choice of career. After studying at Harvard Law School he applied to work for a firm in Cleveland, where he had been raised. But his grades were not good enough, so he went back to the then young Harvard Business School, gained an MBA and returned to a job with the law firm as a corporate lawyer.
In 1933 he joined McKinsey’s fledgling firm when its only office was in Chicago. He then set up a branch in New York and, after McKinsey’s death, helped rebuild the company around its New York operation. He was managing director from 1950 to 1967. Business Week said of Bower that he was “the very image of America’s ‘Organisation Man’ in the 1950s … immaculately dressed in a Brooks Brothers dark suit, a starched white shirt, and a hat”. For years he insisted that McKinsey consultants wear hats. He was also famously outspoken and not afraid to confront clients. A colleague once recalled an occasion when he bellowed out, “The problem with this company, Mr Little, is you.” “It happened to be totally accurate,” added the colleague. “That was the end of our work with that client. But it didn’t bother Marvin.”
Bower often turned down clients when he did not believe that they were prepared for change. He declined to work for Howard Hughes, for example, and refused to help the American government devise a scheme to bail out American Motors, a car company.
McKinsey’s approach to its work—offering high-level strategic advice—has left it vulnerable to the criticism that it does not stick around to follow through the consequences of that advice. It has a reputation for arrogance, sometimes explained away as a manifestation of total concentration on its clients. The Economist once wrote of an ex-member of the firm: “He suffers the lack of self-doubt common in former McKinsey consultants.”
Several of Bower’s alumni became famous in their own right, such as Tom Peters (see article), Kenichi Ohmae and Richard Pascale (see article). Even the next generation of management gurus seems to have benefited from a spell at the Firm. Both Donald Sull and Pankaj Ghemawat worked for McKinsey before moving on to academic careers.
Notable publication
“The Will to Manage: Corporate Success through Programmed Management”, McGraw-Hill, 1966
麦肯锡：中国机场建设投资可能错配
英国《金融时报》拉斐尔•曼代(By Raphael Minder in Hong Kong)香港报道 2009-03-30中国计划在2013年前投资700亿美元，扩大机场吞吐力，但咨询公司麦肯锡(McKinsey)的一项研究显示，这项计划存在着错误分配投资的风险，即在较贫穷的西部省份投资过度，而在一些快速增长的沿海省份则投资不足。
麦肯锡认为，中国政府计划在2020年之前新建的97个机场项目中，只有20到30个项目将解决预期中吞吐能力不足的问题，从而提供“有吸引力的”投资机会。
其它项目则是出于政治目的，在还没有实际需求的情况下就广泛发展内陆地区的机场。
参与撰写这份研究报告的麦肯锡咨询师埃文•欧阳(Evan Auyung)说：“中国虽然拥有丰富的中央计划经验，但在如何以最有效方式分配如此巨额投资方面则面临挑战，在迫切需要发展基础设施并保持稳定增长时尤其如此。”
麦肯锡没有透露对各机场的具体分析，但报告中提到，在临近韩国、发展迅速的东北省份山东，政府规划的机场吞吐能力似乎低于预期需求。
“中国确实在努力加快建设，以创造就业岗位，因此新增机场吞吐能力几乎肯定会超过需求，”万事达卡国际组织(MasterCard)跟踪亚太区经济 发展的王月魂(Yuwa Hedrick-Wong)说。他拿上海浦东机场进行了对照，浦东机场“几乎空了四、五年”后，才确立了国际航空枢纽的地位。
“在其它国家，如果不能迅速产生回报，这些项目就会失败，但在中国，它们却能维持下来，”王月魂说。
20世纪90年代初，雄心勃勃的中国地方政府上马了大量利用率不足、重复建设的机场项目，在这之后，中央政府收回了机场规划权。
但作为新发展计划的一部分，北京已将为项目融资的大部分责任移交给地方政府。麦肯锡估计，在700亿美元的计划投资额中，只有不到5%将直接来自中央政府。
航空咨询公司Ascend的首席经济学家彼得•莫里斯(Peter Morris)对麦肯锡报告表示谨慎赞同：“庞大、闪亮的机场会被地方政府视为成功的标志。”Ascend总部位于伦敦。
除了新机场之外，中国政府还上马了46个大型机场扩建项目。
译者/力文
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“Now may be the best of all times to implement meaningful change,” Ozenick argued. “It is in the middle of crisis that barriers can be eliminated more easily. When the alternative is adapt or go onto the shop floor and hand out pink slips, managers will come around to new ways of thinking. That’s why the consultant’s role is highly relevant now, and why we recommend to clients as a first step applying a maturity model to determine the extent to which Lean and Six Sigma processes are truly embraced across the company.” He noted that Thomas Group’s proprietary PI Max assessment tool consists of 25 maturity elements to identify key improvement levers.
Many companies have extensive Six Sigma organizations, but are using the wrong metrics to measure success, he said. “In our experience, the sheer number of black belts directed at a problem is not an indicator of success. Often the wrong tools are employed in the improvement process, and sometimes the right tools fail when applied only to a single functional silo within a complex organization. Indeed, 42 percent of business leaders in the U.S. and Europe have said that their change management programs in the past five years have failed.”
As an example of Thomas Group’s success in implementing a more holistic assessment, and identifying the right levers for improvement, the company cited the firm’s assistance to one of the world’s largest and most complex organizations—the U.S. Department of Defense and specifically, the U.S. Navy.
DoD is effective, but not always efficient. When Thomas Group began working with the DoD, many silos existed. Thomas Group showed them how to align around critical processes that produce readiness—the key yardstick for the Navy. The next step was in helping the Navy integrate these processes into corporate-like enterprise governance structures that owned all the costs associated with producing readiness. As with a lot of clients, Thomas Group didn’t work with the Navy to teach them Six Sigma principles. Instead, in working with the DoD, Thomas Group conducted analyses of process effectiveness and of the change management tools in use. Thomas Group’s contribution was to help the Navy select the correct management tools, install the best governance methodology and use the right process metrics to drive change.
The company further noted that over a five year period, aviation readiness improved markedly, ship maintenance costs decreased and the Navy as a whole obtained a financial improvement equivalent to the purchase price of a new aircraft carrier.
“The consultant’s role in driving corporate change is more critical in challenging economic conditions,” Ozenick said. “Growth hides a multitude of sins. Inefficiencies and unnecessary turf battles become much more glaring in a period of contraction. That’s why our message to corporate leaders is simple—seize this opportunity to make your organizations leaner and stronger (as opposed to thinner and weaker), and prepare for the opportunities to come,” Ozenick added.
For more information visit: http://www.thomasgroup.com/enterprise-solutions/tools/Continuous-Process-Improvement.aspx
About Thomas Group
Thomas Group, Inc. (NasdaqGM:TGIS) is an international, publicly-traded professional services firm specializing in operational improvements. Thomas Group's unique brand of process improvement and performance management services enable businesses to enhance operations, improve productivity and quality, reduce costs, generate cash and drive higher profitability. Known for Breakthrough Process Performance, Thomas Group creates and implements customized improvement strategies for sustained performance improvements in all facets of the business enterprise. Thomas Group has offices in Dallas and Detroit. For more information, please visit www.thomasgroup.com.
CHINA RISKS MISALLOCATION IN AIRPORT PROJECTS, STUDY SAYS
By Raphael Minder in Hong Kong 2009-03-30China risks misallocating investment by overspending on airport projects in poorer western provinces and skimping on allocations to some fast-growing coastal provinces in its $70bn plan to expand capacity until 2013, according to a study by McKinsey, the consultancy.
Of the 97 greenfield airport projects planned by Beijing until 2020, McKinsey categorises only 20 to 30 as offering “attractive” investment opportunities by addressing expected capacity shortfalls.
Other projects support political aims to spread development inland ahead of actual demand.
Evan Auyung, one of the consultants who wrote the McKinsey study, said: “As experienced as China is at central planning, there is a challenge for China now to allocate such huge investments in the most efficient manner, especially given the urgency of infrastructure development and the need to keep growth on track.”
McKinsey would not detail its airport-by-airport analysis but cited Shandong, a rapidly developing north-eastern province close to South Korea, as an area where planned capacity appeared to fall short of expected demand.
“China is really trying to speed up construction to create jobs, so additional airport supply will almost certainly outpace demand,” said Yuwa Hedrick-Wong, who tracks Asian economic developments for MasterCard. He draws a parallel with Shanghai's Pudong airport, which stood “almost empty for four or five years” before establishing itself as an international hub.
“In other countries, such projects would die if they failed to produce a quick return but, in the case of China, they can sustain them,” he said.
Beijing has reasserted authority over airport planning after a spate of construction projects by ambitious local authorities in the early 1990s that were under-utilised and duplicative.
But as part of the new development plan, Beijing has devolved most of the responsibility for financing projects to regional authorities. Out of $70bn of planned investment, McKinsey estimates that less than 5 per cent will come directly from the central government.
Peter Morris, London-based chief economist at Ascend, an aviation consultancy, expressed cautious support. “A big shiny airport can be seen by regional authorities as a totem pole of success,” he said.
Aside from the new airports, Beijing is embarking on 46 big airport expansions.
Type: Subsidiary
On the web: http://www.janes.com
Put away the cloak and dagger. Jane's has the intelligence you crave - without your having to resort to spying. Jane's Information Group is a print and electronic publisher of defense and security information (handbooks, magazines, summaries, and other publications) for global military, government, and corporate decision-makers, as well as academics. The company uses independent sources (journalists, researchers, correspondents) to gather its intelligence. Jane's online catalogs are available in Chinese, Japanese, Korean, and Russian, in addition to English. Jane's also offers consulting services in such areas as security threats and risk assessment. It is a subsidiary of technical document publisher IHS.
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Managing Director: Michael Dell
CFO: Michael Staton
Head of Corporate Communications: Paul Duke
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▀ 中國高級顧問稱應監控全球資本流動
中國政府金融和經濟政策高級顧問樊綱說﹐
Six Sigma Consultant - Andrew Milivojevich Awarded "Fellow" Status by ASQ Board of Directors
Mississauga, Ontario - The Knowledge Management Group is pleased to announce that Six Sigma Consultant - Andrew Milivojevich has been awarded "Fellow" status by the board of directors of The American Society for Quality (ASQ). In being elected Fellow, Andrew Milivojevich is being recognized as having achieved professional distinction and pre-eminence in the technology, theory, education, application, or management of quality. As President of The Knowledge Management Group, Andrew Milivojevich leads its Six Sigma, business intelligence, business re-engineering, productivity improvement and productivity improvement and business process management engagements.
"An ASQ Fellow is an individual who has an established record of contributions, both to the quality profession and to the Society. The grade of Fellow is an earned distinction. The achievement of this status is a symbol of respect from colleagues that has been accepted by the highest officers of our organization," says ASQ President Roberto Saco.
Andrew Milivojevich received Fellow membership status for his exemplary work advancing quality and Six Sigma in Corporate Canada; for being a champion of innovation through statistical methods to resolve technical uncertainties in the Canadian business community; and for being a vocal promoter for quality and Six Sigma through the Canadian federal government's Scientific Research and Experimental Development tax incentive program.
Andrew Milivojevich is an authority in Six Sigma and productivity improvement. He has over 20 years of experience and has provided leadership, direction, vision, and fostered an environment of improvement for a number of large organizations. Andrew Milivojevich is a published author, speaker and lecturer on productivity improvement, statistical experimental design and Six Sigma. He is a Professional Engineer and maintains certification with ASQ as a Quality Engineer and Six Sigma Black Belt. Andrew Milivojevich is a graduate advisor to the College of Engineering's Centre for Quality and Applied Statistics at the Rochester Institute of Technology. He is an instructor with the Schulich Executive Education Centre at York University in Toronto and the program creator and instructor in Applied Innovation and Productivity Improvement at the School of Continuing Studies at the University of Toronto. Andrew Milivojevich is also a science consultant to Revenue Canada's Scientific Research and Experimental Development program. He received an Engineering Degree from Ryerson Polytechnic University Canada, and a Masters Degree in Statistics from the College of Engineering, Rochester Institute of Technology, USA. Andrew Milivojevich is currently the President of The Knowledge Management Group responsible for Six Sigma, business intelligence, business re-engineering, productivity improvement and business process management.
The Knowledge Management Group is an authority in business process improvement. The Knowledge Management Group enhances organizational learning that advances corporate knowledge to resolve problems and improve productivity, business performance and corporate culture. The Knowledge Management Group offers technologies, concepts, tools, coaching and training to management, technical professionals and staff. To learn more visit www.tkmg.org or call 888-964-7729.
WSJ你可以相信誰﹖
在市場熱潮時期﹐你可以輕鬆地聘請一位財務顧問﹐近乎自動地進行投資。但現在市場動蕩不安﹐數以千計的投資者遭遇欺詐而損失慘重﹐馬多夫(Madoff)幾乎成為了一個人人皆知的動詞。
因此﹐許多投資者越來越不願意信任專家也不足為奇。根據市場研究機構Prince & Associates Inc.的數據﹐目前持有投資資金超過100萬美元的投資者中﹐超過四分之三的人都打算從他們的財務顧問那裡撤資﹐超過半數的人計劃炒顧問的魷魚。
問題是﹐很多投資者並沒有時間或是專業知識﹐自己製定所有的投資決策。因此﹐擁有一個職業人士幫你出謀劃策非常重要。但你如何才能保證自己的專家是可以信賴的呢﹖
簡單的回答就是﹐你沒法保證。但你可以做到比現在的許多投資者更有把握。
一旦你意識到自己才是負責人的時候﹐你就可以像個老板那樣和自己的顧問打交道──而不只是當自己是客戶。這意味著你必須對他們進行一番嚴格的審查﹐確保他們稱職、值得信任﹐且能為你的最佳利益考慮。下面是你評估審查財務顧問時需要謹記的幾個重要問題﹕
1、顧問有什麼過往背景﹖
高淨值投資者社交網站Wealth Management Exchange的創始人庫玻(Wayne Cooper)說﹐你應該像個雇主一樣想問題﹐查看你未來財務顧問的犯罪紀錄和監管紀錄﹐以及他們以前雇主的證明材料。
但這一切還有一個重要問題﹕查看顧問的過往經歷時﹐哪些才是真正需要警惕的﹖
紐約證券律師布魯內爾(George Brunelle)說﹐一個有辨別力的人不會只看顧問是否有被投訴的經歷。他建議要看與客戶爭端、欺詐或頻密買賣（過度買入賣出證券）的相關投訴。投資者應當重點關注那些導致重大仲裁的嚴重爭端。
另一方面﹐一些未能及時遵守繼續教育要求等技術性違規比較常見﹐也是可以容忍的。布魯內爾說﹐不管怎樣﹐財務顧問多了去了﹐最好是貨比三家多看看。
2、顧問的客戶怎麼說﹖
一 名財務顧問過去和現在總會有一些生活狀況和你類似的客戶﹐要求查看這些客戶的證明可能會有所幫助。在和這些客戶交談時﹐記得要問的詳細具體。顧問和他們聯 繫的頻率怎樣﹖顧問是否承認犯下錯誤﹖他們隔多久會評估與顧問的投資目標﹖他們和顧問的關係是否曾讓他們驚喜或是失望﹖這位顧問是否在牛市和熊市都表現出 色﹖顧問的人品怎樣﹖
康涅狄格諮詢機構RayLign Advisory LLC創始人兼總裁羅傑斯(Greg Rogers)說﹐然後你再問問這些客戶﹐想辦法得到那位顧問沒有提到的其他客戶的評價。他說﹐試圖從顧問那裡找到其他人的評價。如果你能獲得間接評價﹐就能得到更有用的信息。
3、顧問薪酬狀況怎樣﹖
知道顧問的薪酬情況有助於你判別他是否符合你的最佳利益。Tiger 21的共同創始人索內菲爾特(Sonnenfeldt)說﹐這和去逛服裝店沒什麼不同──當推銷員說你看上去好极了的時候﹐你該知道他們是想賣給你衣服。
財 務顧問們有著各種繁多的薪酬結構。他們可能會從銷售的證券那裡得到佣金﹔可能收取管理費﹐固定的或是按照為你管理資產的比例收取﹔可能按照小時收費﹔或是 包括以上所有方式。詳細詢問顧問他們的工作方式以及為你管理投資組合的總體收費情況。索內菲爾特說﹐如果一名顧問不肯坦誠透明地回答這些問題﹐那麼你就得 小心了。
你還要問到利益衝突的問題。舉例說﹐如果顧問是按佣金收費的﹐那麼你就該問問他們公司的佣金收費表﹐看看他們是否只有數目有限的 產品或服務可以推薦﹐詢問其中的原因。如果他們不能為有限的選擇給出合理解釋﹐那這就是個警告信號。與此同時﹐如果顧問按照資產比例收費﹐那你該記住他們 有可能會建議你進行可能令投資資產減少的舉動﹐例如慈善捐助或是購買新房。你還應該小心那些管理費超過資產的1%或是2%的財務顧問。
4、顧問的制約與平衡狀況怎樣﹖
在購買投資時﹐應確保將支票開給富達投資(Fidelity Investments Co.)或嘉信理財(Charles Schwab & Co.)這樣的第三方托管人, 而不是直接開給你的財務顧問。Wealth Management Exchange的庫玻說﹐這樣一來﹐財務顧問可以根據我的指示做出買進決定﹐卻不能捲走我的錢。
給獨立機構打電話確認它為你的顧問提供服務﹐不要把支票寄到該機構辦公場所之外的任何地址。而且﹐不要允許將你的交易確認書和帳戶報表寄到你的財務顧問那裡。你應該會收到來自第三方托管人的帳戶報表。
同樣﹐搞清你的顧問所在公司使用哪家審計行。審計行非常關鍵﹐因為他們能核實你的顧問所管理的資產是否存在。每個州都有自己的數據庫可以查看一家審計行是否有業務執照（順道查一下你的顧問最近是否換過會計行或託管行。這類舉動可能表示你的顧問與以前的公司有糾紛）。
同樣重要的是﹐要向財務顧問詢問另外一種監督性質的問題﹕財務顧問是如何對他們建議投資的理財公司進行盡職調查的。他們是否檢查了這些公司的資產負債表、他們的行為與投資策略是否一致﹖財務顧問與這些理財機構是否有個人關係、或因為介紹你的業務從理財公司拿回扣﹖
不過要注意﹐財務顧問收介紹費的情況並不少見。企業諮詢和調查公司Corporate Resolutions Inc.的總裁斯普林格(Ken Springer)說﹐只要他們披露誰拿到錢、並說明他們為什麼要推薦某家特定的理財公司就可以了。
5.財務顧問的過往業績記錄如何﹖
財務顧問有時會說﹐他們不太容易表述自己的業績記錄﹐因為他們是根據每位客戶的具體需求定製投資組合的。但這種借口是站不住腳的。索內菲爾特說﹐可以有很多方式評價財務顧問的業績記錄。
比 如你可以問﹕有多少客戶的收益超過他們的基準或與目標一致﹖類似我這樣的客戶在衰退期間收益如何﹖你是否可以把你的所有客戶放在一個投資組合里﹐然後告訴 我總的投資組合的業績﹖記得短期（1年）和長期（10年以上）記錄都要問到﹐並問問你的顧問﹐他是採用絕對回報還是相對於大盤市場表現的相對回報來評估業 績。
其次﹐利用財務顧問的業績記錄來弄清楚他們是如何做決定的。RayLign Advisory的羅傑斯說﹐你可以問到業績表現﹐但你真正希望瞭解的是這位顧問作決策的過程。
他建議讓顧問剖析一個他們曾遇到過的具體情況。他舉例說﹐你可以說﹐找出你做過的一項最糟糕的投資﹐評價一下你是如何決定這項投資及如何監測它、你在過程中決定持有或退出此項投資的決定等等。
羅傑斯說﹐如果你覺得他們在迴避問題或給所有事情都貼上積極的標簽﹐就要警惕了﹐這或許意味著他們將不會處理或應付艱難的決定。
最後﹐對財務顧問聲稱非常一貫的回報保持警覺。沒有哪個財務顧問每年都能實現10%-20%的回報。羅傑斯說﹐比較合理──且負責任──的顧問會說﹐他們可以每年讓你拿到10%的回報﹐下年是2%﹐如此下去。
6. 顧問能把它寫下來嗎﹖
針 對財務顧問要提供的服務以及你要支付的費用提出要一份正式的書面概要。全美個人理財顧問協會(National Association of Personal Financial Advisors)首席執行長特夫(Ellen Turf)說﹐設定具體的預期﹐這樣你可以決定某位財務顧問是否要幫助你制定目標、制定預算或者只是做投資決策。
還要問財務顧問﹐其他還有什麼人會從你們的業務關係中獲得收入──比如關聯的經紀自營商和保險機構──以及顧問、顧問所屬公司和所有其他相關各方將從你的業務中掙多少錢。
最後﹐要搞清財務顧問是否將承擔受托責任、在法律上以你的最佳利益為出發點採取行動。如果財務顧問不接受這樣的約定﹐那麼他們只被要求向你出售被認為適合你的投資產品﹐而這些或許未必總是最適合你的財務狀況或者目標。
7. 其他人是什麼看法﹖
的確﹐你向財務顧問付了錢﹐讓他們為你出力﹐但你仍有必要核實任何一項重大決策﹐特別是在如今經濟形勢多有動盪的情況下。
這意味著瞭解你的投資、保險、房地產規劃和稅收後面的基本情況﹐然後求助其他專家予以證實。比如﹐如果你的財務顧問建議投資大宗商品﹐那麼﹐你應讀讀近期影響大宗商品市場的有關新聞﹐然後找位專家諮詢一下。
特夫說﹐就像你在拿到一位醫生的診斷後會再找一位專家、聽聽他的意見一樣﹐可以向你的會計師、律師和其他金融專業人士瞭解他們對具體策略的看法。
Shelly Banjo
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欧洲对外关系委员会是欧盟的一个重要智库。该委员会日前对欧盟的对华政策提出尖锐批评，指出欧盟对华战略建立在一种不合时宜的老观念上，欧盟应该对北京做出重大让步。欧盟智库-欧洲对外关系委员会称，从贸易到人权，欧盟对华政策都不成功，碍难取得任何进展。
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The Lean Six Sigma Institute Opens for Business in Europe
PR-USA.net (press release) - Varna,Bulgaria
The Institute's Consultants also coach certification projects leading to the Lean Six Sigma Institute's own Diploma. General Manager Bob Gillespie said ...
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