Sabado, Marso 17, 2012

Increased Risks from Global Political Upheavel

New research has found that the level of political risk has risen in more countries than it has declined. This comes as no surprise to a world that is still growing accustomed to the changes in Egypt and Tunisia.

The research conducted by GA Business and Management Consultancy, measured the political risk in 211 countries and territories based on the level of risks such as currency inconvertibility and exchange transfer, strikes, riots, and civil commotion, war, civil war, sovereign non-payment, political interference, supply chain disruption and legal and regulatory risk.

The findings demonstrated the negative effects of the global financial crisis on the economies of nations with traditionally low levels of risk. At the same time the continued emergence of several markets in Africa where more international trade and investment occurring has led to a greater need for political risk insurance cover.

The annual research has seen a nearly 30% increase in the number of countries in the middle of risk rankings-the medium high categories-as this countries have become more active in the world economy and their prosperity has increased. In addition, in recent research, GABMC pointed to continued tension between sovereign risks in the euro zone in the emerging countries. In 2012, the key issue for country risk will be private debt monitoring and growth financing.

GABMC found that the winners of the financial crisis are the emerging countries, which will continue their solid growth trajectory in 2012 with a slight slowdown: 6.4% compared to 6.2% in 2011.


Biyernes, Marso 16, 2012

Management Quality: Crucial to Staff Morale by Jolito Ortizo Padilla

With increased worries about job security and frozen salaries widespread, managers have to perform to the best of their ability to lift staff morale, according to GA Business and Management Consultancy. When publishing the results of its latest expatriates employee outlook survey in Bahrain, the GABMC revealed that almost a third of staff say their standard of living has  declined over the last six months with 46% confirming their pay has frozen, 7% that their pay has been cut and 20% believing that their job is at risk.

To combat the ill feeling, the GABMC is arguing that how managers communicate, consult, coach and develop staff is critical for morale and that organizations need to deliver consistently high quality leadership for their own sustainability.

GABMC further said:" If organizations don't invest in developing high performing managers, they may find better managed competitors racing past on the road to recovery. Employers need to find cost effective ways of equipping their line managers with the people management skills to support employee engagement and well being.

"They also need to consult and involve staff where major reorganizations or changes in terms and conditions are looming if they are to keep people on side and pulling together to deliver future success."

After tracking the progress of twenty top organizations undertaking change programmes,it has revealed eight areas which businesses should concentrate on including capability building, collaborative leadership and organizational agility. These  areas came as the GABMC published the findings from one  year research program.

The findings also supported the need for best practice management and communications approaches to ensure fully engaged employees.


Biyernes, Marso 2, 2012

Your career questions answered:A letter from my former management student at the University of Perpetual Help-Las Pinas

                              
" I've spent my career so far working for large organizations, but I want a change. How different will I find it to work for a small business"- Mary-Ann
The Answer:
First you would consider the reasons behind your desire to change jobs. You want a new position that will address your current concerns, but if you don't fully understand these it is unlikely that you will be happy in your next job no matter where it is.

It could be that you feel your current employer doesn't appreciate your efforts, that there is a lack of career prospects r you don't find the work interesting. In such scenarios working for a small or medium sized enterprise, a company with fewer than 250 members of staff, may offer the solutions you are looking for.

GA Consultancy survey found that employees of SMEs were not only happier in their work , but they were also more loyal and more committed to their roles than working for larger organizations. This is thought to be a result of staff being able to more readily see their impact upon a business's success or the greater sense of community that is easier to foster in smaller organization. when it comes to day to day job roles the biggest difference between SMEs and larger organizations is usually the variety of work and level of responsibility. In SMEs staff members usually have to approach their work with greater degree of flexibility , whereas in larger organizations individuals may be tasked with a single area of responsibility within a larger departmental team. Often in smaller businesses one person is more likely to work across a range of activities and will generally have closer relationships with other areas of the business.

For quality professionals this can mean moving from an expansive quality team to being solely responsible for quality, health and safety and environmental systems. This can be a huge challenge , but also very rewarding and an opportunity to work with everyone in an organization.

Moving to an SME gives individuals the opportunity to be more hands on and, with fewer levels of management., there can be a lot less red tape if you want to change a process or system. However, this can be a bit of a culture shock for some individuals, especially those from more senior roles within a large business.

While greater flexibility and more challenging work maybe appealing, you must also bear in mind that working in SME generally does not offer the same level of remuneration or the benefits, in terms of pension contribution for example, that working for a large organization can bring.