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| Business improvement techniques | January, 2009 | ||||
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Dear Welcome to the first issue of the e-newsletter for 2009, which is being sent out slightly earlier this month so that we have one last chance to remind you about our AGM taking place on Wednesday, 14 January. We would appreciate it if you could let us know in advance if you plan to attend – see details below – but we will be very happy to welcome members who drop in on the night. I'm also very pleased to announce that the SPS will once again be hosting the Strategic Value in Corporate Reporting Awards this spring. Following the wonderful turnout of FTSE 100 and 250 companies at last year's event, we're looking forward to another exciting night this year at the end of April. More details will follow in next month's e-newsletter, but if anyone is interested in sponsoring an award they should contact Ian McDonald Wood who is again producing this opportunity for great strategy to be recognised and rewarded. Finally, do have a look at the special offer from our e-newsletter sponsor, 2GC Active Management, for discounts on Balanced Scorecard training. As the credit crunch bites we all need to ensure we are getting a good bang for our strategic buck and finding training at a discount is a clear way of achieving that goal. Looking forward to keeping you in touch with strategic thinking in 2009. 
James Leaton Gray, Chairman |
» In this issue: SPS news Research and insight Events and workshops Sponsor |
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| » SPS news | ||||
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Final reminder: AGM taking place this week A final reminder to members that the AGM will be held on Wednesday, 14 January 2009 at the Royal Over-Seas League, Over-Seas House, Park Place, St James's Street, London, SW1A 1LR at 6pm (the nearest tube station is Green Park). All members are welcome to attend. If you are intending to come along we would be grateful if you could let us know in advance by sending us an email so we can arrange appropriate catering. |
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Strategic recovery revisited In an article which appeared in Strategy Magazine back in 2003, Kim Warren of London Business School warned of the struggles firms faced as a result of the aftermath of the 2000 market reversal, 9/11 and international difficulties arising from the war in Iraq and outbreak of SARS. With firms once again facing a challenging economic climate, the lessons learned from the last downturn can provide an invaluable tool to help companies solve the problems they are confronted with today. Through a case study example, Warren argues that many organisations still possess a solid core business upon which they can aim to achieve a successful strategic recovery, while planning to manage expectations better during boom times. » Read the full article Learn more about the strategy dynamics approach behind the case study and join the discussion on strategy issues |
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| » Research and insight | ||||
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Business improvement techniques As UK companies become even more challenged by the credit crunch and the increasing difficulty in obtaining investment capital, some have begun to look towards business improvement programmes for salvation. As Roy Coldwell outlines in issue 18 of Strategy Magazine, implementing lean principles can improve productivity, reduce waste and energy consumption, and increase output and profitability while engaging employees in the process at little cost to the organisation.
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Country selection for new business venturing One of the issues facing a company with global ambitions is the question of which country to enter. The international entrepreneur must gather information on potential locations and evaluate this under several criteria and from numerous perspectives. In volume 39, number 3 of Long Range Planning, Gina Beim and Moren Lévesque advocate a formal approach – multiple criteria decision analysis – as a way of measuring factors for country selection. This methodology allows sensitivity analysis of the results and facilitates the inclusion of subjective aspects in the decision process.
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Boom time for cybercrime Amid all the economic gloom there is one sector that is apparently booming: cybercrime. With the growth of internet shopping and social networking, in addition to the migration of the internet to mobile, the opportunities for cybercriminals are growing, as well.
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| » Events and workshops | ||||
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Ashridge Open Programmes The SPS and Ashridge have teamed up to offer SPS members some exclusive benefits, the first of which is a 10% discount on any of Ashridge's open strategy programmes. Ashridge has a wide variety of short, residential programmes to help individuals and organisations to achieve their development needs. These programmes focus on blending the practical experience of their faculty with leading-edge business thinking, to inspire and challenge you. In addition, learning in small classes – typically 12–30 participants – promotes collaboration on your own issues and ensures individual support, enabling all participants to return, better able to transfer learning to the workplace. For more details, visit Ashridge. Please quote your SPS membership number when booking. |
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| » Sponsor | ||||
Special offer for SPS e-newsletter subscribers – save 30% on Balanced Scorecard training from 2GC Active Management Strategic performance management is recognised as an essential activity by successful organisations. Since 1992, the most popular strategic performance management framework has been the Balanced Scorecard. 2GC is one of the world's leading specialist performance management consultancies. Our popular and proven two-day training course 'Building Best-Practice Balanced Scorecards' will teach you how to apply the latest 3rd Generation Balanced Scorecard design techniques in your organisation, helping to ensure that you are using the most efficient and effective methods. As a special New Year offer to subscribers of the SPS e-newsletter, book a place on the next course – running in the UK on 26–27 February 2009 – and save 15% off the usual price. If two or more people from your organisation attend the course, we'll apply our group discount of 20% as well – giving a total saving of over 30%! Find out more about the course by downloading the course brochure. To book your discounted place, call Joanne Thomas at 2GC on +44 (0)1628 421506 and let her know you are an SPS e-newsletter subscriber.
2GC is currently undertaking a survey of UK companies' use of Balanced Scorecard. The survey can be completed online or as a PDF by email. All survey participants will receive a copy of the summary report. 2GC Active Management – Performance Management Experts |
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