Management Blog

Web inventor apologises for slashes

Sir Tim Burners-Lee, the man credited with inventing the World Wide Web, has publicly apologised for wasting the world's time.

More specifically, Burners-Lee has admitted to a US technology conference that the two slashes he decided to place in front of www addresses were a mistake, ACP magazine reports.

He told the conference the slashes “seemed like a good idea at the time” but that the web address system could have been designed without them.

Report finds IT sector headed for skills shortage

The IT sector's skill shortage looks set to intensify next year in a development that could limit the industry's predicted growth, a new report has found.

The IDC Australia study, which was commissioned by Microsoft, found employment growth for the IT sector will be three times faster than total employment rates.

In addition the report suggests 1,000 new IT businesses will be created by the end of 2009, Smart Company reports.

But commentators say a tightening of restrictions surrounding 457 skilled worker visas will mean some IT companies will struggle to find staff as demand for work grows.

According to the article, the number of 457 visas approved during 2008-09 fell by 13 per cent on the previous year.

UK managers receive a Wax treatment

British-based American comedienne Ruby Wax has made a career change from interview show host and TV series writer to management coach, The Times reports.

Aside from being a funny lady, Wax is also a trained psychologist with a desire to 'untrain' managers by helping them focus on the following four emotional intelligence-based principles:   

• Self-awareness - leaders need to know themselves in order to understand others
• Self-management - the value of self-control and keeping a lid on impulses during a crisis
• Social awareness - being able to measure the emotional state of others
• Relationship management - adjusting leadership style to reflect the emotions of staff

But if workshop attendees are expecting a comedy show they will be disappointed; Wax makes every effort not to be funny during her workshops because she says it can alienate some attendees.

Optimism about our business future is rising: study

Are you sensing less doom and gloom in the hallways of corporate Australia?

A new study of Australian professionals by recruitment consultancy Robert Walters indicates 75 per cent of professionals believe their sector is showing signs of improvement, Marketing reports.

The study found 77 per cent of respondents in accounting and finance were optimistic, while 81 per cent of sales and marketing professionals polled were confident about the future.

Australians working in the legal field were the most confident about the future with 98 per cent of respondents from the sector saying they were optimistic.

But not everyone was so positive. HR employees proved to be the least optimistic with just 62 per cent saying the fate of their sector was about to improve.

Turn your office into a whiteboard

Here's an idea that could turn your workspace into a hotbed of innovation: whiteboard wall paint.

Fast Company reports on the release of IdeaPaint, which promises to transform any paintable surface – entire walls, desktops and backs of doors – into whiteboards.

It's claimed the paint is half the cost of a traditional whiteboard and performs better as you can leave your work on the surface for long periods and not have to worry about permanently staining.

Sports car popularity defies GFC

The Australian economy must not be in too bad a shape: new figures show sales of sports cars during September were 17 per cent higher than for the same period last year.

In addition, the Federal Chamber of Automotive Industries claims sales increases for the sport car sector were higher than for any other category of vehicle.

Sport cars priced between $80,000 and $200,000 rose 56 per cent - a result of Audi A5 coupes and BMW Z4s speeding out the door, The Age reports.

While the industry overall is still hurting with year-to-date sales down 13 per cent when compared to the same period last year, there are signs of hope in other car categories as well.

Vans, soft-roaders, four-wheel-drive uses, light cars and mid-sized sedans all recorded an increase in sales during September.

The web keeps getting more dangerous: study

At a time when more and more consumers are going online to shop, bank and invest, a new study suggests the internet has never been a more dangerous place.

A recent report by the Anti-Phishing Working Group claims the amount of malware being developed and let loose online is setting new records, Information Week reports.

For example, the report claims the number of fake antivirus programs in circulation grew 585 per cent from January to June this year alone.

The study also indicates programs designed to steal account information from banking and financial sites increased by 186 per cent.

Brand hijacking is also on the rise. Rouge software programmers are said to have targeted 310 organisations during March this year.

Why it pays for businesses to be good

As capitalism reaches a crossroads the most success businesses are the ones that add value to society, the new book SuperCorp by Rosabeth Moss Kanter argues.

Speaking to Harvard Business School's Working Knowledge magazine Kanter describes businesses that have a strong sense of social purpose as "vanguard companies".

Kanter says the companies she has studied that fit into this category understand exactly how to use their sense of purpose to speed up the innovation process.

In addition, the majority of these companies are also said to have used their sense of purpose to outperform their peers during the recession.

So what does a vanguard company look like?

According to the article they offer employees a dynamic working environment in which staff have a greater say on when and where they work.

Amazon Kindle shipping to Australia next week

In a move that's sure to shake up the publishing sector, Amazon's Kindle e-reader will be available to Australians from October 19.

According to Smart Company, the Kindle service boasts a library of 200,000 books and 85 magazine and newspapers that users can download in less than a minute via their 3G provider.

The device has been a hit in the US with Time magazine reporting there are 1.7 million Kindles currently being used in that country.

It's speculated this success will lead to a proliferation of 'me too' e-readers. The rumour mill suggests Microsoft and Apple are in the process of developing their own e-readers.

Pricing for the international version of Kindle advertised as $US279. But Dynamic Business reports that Aussies should expect to pay around 40% more for Amazon e-books, due to "higher operating costs outside of the US".

The benefits of taking a sabbatical

To keep himself inspired renowned designer Stefan Sagmeister closes down his business for a year every seven years to pursue interests outside of work.

Sagmeister recently explained why the approach works to a TED audience, some of whom have rated the talk 'inspiring' and 'funny'.