I need to mention SWOT analysis, because although it’s a limited tool, people often take for granted that it will appear in a strategy process. I usually go along with that, not because I expect it to yield any great Read More

When the Hewlett-Packard board got rid of former CEO Mark Hurd (using allegations of salacious-sounding but apparently pretty mild impropriety as a cover for pursuing personal feuds), Larry Ellison, founder of Oracle, described it as “the worst personnel decision in Read More

Have you ever said one thing, and then done another? Of course! Everyone has at one time or another, and that includes customers, employees, suppliers and peers. It is rarely mendacious, but it happens. Yet when businesses gather information, they Read More

My internet service provider engaged a market research firm to get customer feedback about their help desk. I had recently called the desk twice in two days, the first time receiving – from a UK-based centre – rigid, script-based ‘service’ Read More