ViewPoint :: from thequalityportal

BCG Perspectives 1/12/13	Offers a wide variety of insights that are truly thought provoking. Also has a feature where the classics in business thinking are revisited. Click here.

Accenture Outlook 9/24/10	Life in the fast lane - why would some automotive companies are able to consistently garner 8-12% returns on sales, while others struggle to get 2-4%? This article in Accenture's Outlook magazine addresses this question and more. "Automakers as a group have had limited success in creating sustained shareholder value. Remember Hudson, Studebaker, Borgard and Leyland? Forty years ago, the world boasted more than 50 independent automakers. But slowing sales growth, overcapacity and product proliferation culminated in widespread industry consolidation in the 1980s and 1990s, and today, only a dozen or so economically independent companies are still in business."

Goodreads 3/28/10	Goodreads.com a free website where one can build booklists, write reviews, tweet what you read and see what others are reading. Helps get a quick review on any business books you want to get to.

Illumin 3/14/10	Illumin is an online magazine dedicated to exploring the science and technology behind the things we encounter every day. Produced and published by the Engineering Writing Program at the USC Viterbi School of Engineering, Illumin features the work of talented USC undergraduate engineers along with submissions from universities across the nation.

Alpha Galileo SAS 2/12/10	Alpha Galileo leading source of european research news. + check out the journal of advanced analytics, webcasts, training and newsletters at SAS.

Stanford Business School 11/20/09	Check out these presentations from Stanford Business School on YouTube.

TED 11/10/09	Excellent source for new ideas and thinking - visit ted.org

Business Management Gurus 11/01/08	Economist magazine's series on management gurus that inspired management thinking and developed perspectives

Enduring Ideas 09/14/08	7-S, SCP, Nine-Box Matrix are some of the frameworks in "Enduring Ideas", from McKinsey that continue to inform management thinking.

Succeeding 08/08/08	To paraphrase Nonaka, consistently acquiring and embodying new knowledge into new products and services is the hallmark of successful companies (and when similarly applied, of individuals). Take a look at the latest management thinking at The Economist.

UPS Archives 4/12/08	How do small companies innovate and execute? Read more at - Feature Stories from UPS. You can also read excerpts from 'Driving Change: The UPS Approach to Business' detailing the story of UPS here.

Managing 2/03/08	What drives companies? What distinguishes them? Read more at - Management Secrets from Inside GE from US News & World Report

Think & Reflect 1/05/08	Innovation follows thinking. Behind every innovative thought is a trail of reflection. Reflection is an important part of invoking ingenuity, at both the individual and organizational level. Done right, the outcome is very nearly always better perspective and insight. At some companies, we have the employees and management alike allocating time for different activities but we rarely see time set aside to think. Read more at - The Elegant Solution by Mathew May

Quality Pays 12/15/07	Quality is not just free but it pays. As evidenced by the success of the likes of Toyota and Honda. Recent reports state that Ford saved $900 million in 2007 and is on track to save another $300 million in 2008 given improved quality and reduced warranty.

Sharing Ideas 09/23/07	Jim Hackett, President and CEO of Steelcase Inc., contends that successful organizations will embrace systems thinking, approaching their system of business as a design to be tested against the fitness of other businesses. This May 18, 2005 interview provides a systems perspective to business thinking.

Career Tips 11/07/06	The 48 Laws of Power by Robert Greene and Joost Elffers, comes well recommended ...

Tips for Consumers 10/29/06	BBB Tips tips on a wide variety of consumer related topics from Better Business Bureau

Business Insights 9/10/06	Publications from Prasad Kaipa consultant to senior executives on several aspects of business, leadership and processes

Others' Insights 5/28/06	Musing from Aplomet interesting insights from a quality consultant

Good to know 3/1/06	Ten Worst Presentation Habits from Business Week a nice overview of what not to do and how to improve presentations - I believe that, unless one is a natural, one has to work long and hard at making excellent presentations

Useful Website 2/18/06	Polymer Science Learning Center a resource for learning about science of polymers Zillow.com a real estate website which has some very cool tools (though this site is not related to quality wanted to bring this useful site to you)

Investing 1/21/06	Magic Formula Investing An interesting take on investing. Just makes a fun read and the website is a good tool to use. (please use your judgement in investing. this is a mere suggestion of good idea we came across and not a recommendation.)

Good to know 11/24/05	Mechanical Testing Basics (from GE Plastics) Fundamental to the understanding of a material’s performance is a knowledge of how the material will respond to any load ... also checkout Dow Design Guide Are you an Entrepreneur Interesting quiz from Forbes. Have fun! Book Suggestions from Stanford Alumni

Reading Materials 08/20/05	Detroit's New Quality Gap From McKinsey Quarterly - "the highest priority of US automakers should be to extend their definition of quality from just making defect-free products to building cars with highly desirable attributes such as design and style. This change will require a new approach to product design, quality testing and manufacturing". Book Recommendations from The Wharton School business book reading section that has book recommendations on economic history, global politics, consumer power, boardroom conflict, innovation, career advice and consumerism.

Better Quality 05/29/05	Focus and optimize the system and not the components. As Einstein once said "confusion of goals and perfection of means seems to characterize our age." >>

Access MIT 05/14/05	MIT OpenCourseWare a free and open educational resource for faculty, students, and self-learners around the world - this site is one of the best offerings on the web! Site provides free, searchable, access to MIT's course materials for self-learners around the world.

Strategic Thinking 10/09/04	The McKinsey Quarterly an excellent source of strategic thinking, industry scenarios, and real-world market analysis. strategy+business provide executives with commentary, research, and practical ideas that bridge the gap between theory and practice in contemporary global business. (strategy+business is a quarterly publication of Booz Allen Hamilton) Knowledge@Wharton a bi-weekly online resource from the Wharton School that offers the latest business insights, information and research from a variety of sources. Stanford Knowledgebase management insights for industry professionals.

Driving Profits	Harvard Business School - Working Knowledge gain from the shared knowledge on a variety of topics Gallup Path to Business Performance makes an interesting read. Also visit Gallup Management Journal.

Management	Profit Advisors - The Business Improvement Resource. Original articles and book reviews to help you create an extraordinary business.

Consulting 05/21/02	Mercer has a good website on management consulting, with lots of useful information - especially the Perspectives & Books section. http://www.mercermc.com

Motivation 03/03/01	Pygmalion Effect Motivating People and getting the best out of them towards meeting organizational challenges is what management is all about. In George Bernard Shaw's Pygmalion, a sophisticated professor of phonetics bets his friend he can take a common flower girl and transform her into a lady. The theory behind the pygmalion effect is that people will act the way you treat them. In this piece, I would like to refer you to this website with a great deal of very useful information: http://www.accel-team.com/pygmalion/ and also the U of North Texas' Center for Study of Work Teams. Going back to the basics - we could see that over the years the Hawthorne Effect (showing that you care and recognizing people leads to better performance), the Skinner studies ("operant conditioning," the idea that we behave the way we do because this kind of behavior has had certain consequences in the past), Maslow's Hierarchy Theory all have significant effect on organizational performance. Successful companies such Toyota that year after year turn out consistently good quality products have more than their technical know-how to thank for. Technical know-how alone would not make these stand-out and win the hearts and minds of the people. I still remember my ex-boss that not only provided me with my first job but encouraged me to excel. Thanks to the trust and confidence he placed in me I was truly able to exceed my own expectations. I believe I made significant contribution to the organization - while in the process I had a great feeling everyday I went to work. I believe that if every boss (supervisor/team leader/manager) were to be that way, our country will benefit greatly. One word of caution is that there are always exceptions to the rule.