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Written by EBO Editor
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Wednesday, 24 February 2010 10:23 |
Study suggests looking at 'life stages' could yield greater insight.
Interesting article on research outcomes from a new study from the Entertainment Technology Center at the University of Southern California (ETC), the Hallmark Channel and E-Poll Market Research suggesting media behavior in today's fragmented landscape is best evaluated by looking at the "life stages" that people experience as opposed to their demographic profiles.
The survey is based on an online survey with a nationally representative sample of 1,440 individuals age 13-54 that was fielded in July 2009. It traces the media habits of what researchers describe as eight major life-stage groups: teens, college students, recent graduates, single no kids, new nesters, established families, married couples with no children and empty nesters.
Among the findings: Individuals in different life stages can have very similar demographic profiles but different attitudes and media usage. The study notes for example that the 18-49-year-old demographic, a key audience target for TV advertisers, is made up of people in seven different stages, with college students, new nesters and childless couples comprising nearly equal proportions. Three of the life stages have a median age of 37 or 38.
Editors note - Whilst this research looks at media behaviour it has implications for how companies categorise employee segments at work. Categorising employees into Generation X,Y,Z, Baby Boomers etc may only be telling half of the story about employee needs and motivators.
To read the full story please click here>
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PwC CEO survey sheds light on companies’ people strategies and post-recession role of HR |
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Written by EBO Editor
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Wednesday, 24 February 2010 07:31 |
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The PricewaterhouseCoopers 13th Annual Global CEO Survey found:
- 85% of UK CEOs expect to overhaul the way their organisations manage people though change
- Prosperity depends on an increasingly-limited number of talented people producing wealth; almost a third (32%) think the Government has been effective in helping to create a skilled workforce
- Unanticipated rate and scale of people management changes required in the downturn brought some human capital failings to the surface
- Employee engagement programmes present opportunity for HR to prove itself to CEOs
- Over a third (42%) of UK CEOs hope to increase headcount over the next 12 months while two in three (65%) expect to increase investment in training and development
While some big employer brands fell down at the end of the ‘noughties’ in terms of their people strategies, insight from the PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) 13th Annual CEO Survey, launched at Davos, suggests that CEOs are prioritising the people agenda as a means to recover and grow.
The research, based on in-depth interviews with around 70 CEOs of UK organisations, found some areas of weakness have been highlighted by the recession and the majority (85%) of CEOs expect to overhaul the way their organisations manage people during change as a consequence of the economic crisis. Attending to staff morale was highlighted by four in five (81%) CEOs as an area also in need of reform and increased investment. Some 59% said they will make changes to flexible working while 55% will revise global mobility arrangements – looking at factors such as staff travel or international secondments.
Michael Rendell, partner and leader, human resource services, PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP, commented:
“Some of the biggest challenges facing organisations include the availability of finance, changing risk requirements and market adaptability, together with responding to new customer demands and change management capability – galvanising employees and executives with the right skills and experience will be critical to operating and competing effectively in the emerging environment.
“We are all well-versed in the assertion that the deep cost-cutting and headcount reduction many companies felt forced to undertake during the recession could impact speed of recovery and competitiveness so it’s encouraging that CEOs are now prioritising the people agenda.
“Despite the stagnant labour market, there are always opportunities for the best people and some organisations have used the downturn to poach from competitors that failed to ring-fence top performers. As the population ages, organisations’ and countries’ prosperity will depend on an increasingly-limited number of talented people producing wealth so CEOs are right to be concerned about having the right people in the business.”
Around three-quarters (72%) of respondents see having a talented, well-skilled and well-educated workforce as critical to the future competitiveness of the UK but almost a third (32%) think the Government has been effective in helping to create a skilled workforce.
Previously released findings showed that CEOs recognise the importance of having the right people in the right place - with over a third 42% hoping to increase headcount over the next 12 months. That said, 62% stated they had reduced headcount over the last year. Perhaps in recognition of the new skills required of the emerging business environment, approximately two-thirds (65%) plan to increase investment in training and development.
Post-recession role of HR
Some big questions are being raised that could impact whether the human resource function (HR) will actually be trusted as an appropriate adviser during and beyond recovery. The unanticipated scale of the cost-cutting, headcount and redeployment changes required by organisations during the downturn meant some of the processes in place could not support rapidly changing needs and brought some human capital failures to the surface.
Michael Rendell, partner and leader, human resource services, PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP, commented:
“There is some debate about whether HR did its job during the downturn and whether the function is broken - particularly in terms of the reward models it champions and its ability to cultivate an agile, flexible workforce. If not satisfactorily answered, some speculate that these questions could jeopardise HR’s opportunity to prove itself and see it reduced to an administrative function.
“There are some big issues that will, in part, influence how successfully these new challenges are met - for example, how supportive the Government is in helping to create a skilled future workforce and how politicised debates around education and remuneration become.
“Preparing for the upturn is a clear platform of opportunity for HR and, in the near future, this will mean refocusing on managing through change and engagement programmes as talent gaps need to be closed and roles redefined. Given the strong focus CEOs appear to be placing on people management strategy and processes, we expect to see significant changes to HR models over this decade.”
For more information about the results of PricewaterhouseCoopers 13th Annual Global CEO Survey, please click here> |
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Best Companies for Leadership |
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Written by EBO Editor
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Friday, 19 February 2010 17:14 |
Bloomberg BusinessWeek.com/Hay Group Study Identifies Best Companies for Leadership
Top Leadership Companies Continued to Make People Development a Priority During the Recession
02.17.2010 – PHILADELPHIA, PA – Hay Group, a global management consulting firm, and Bloomberg BusinessWeek.com released today the Best Companies for Leadership Study and Top 20 list. For the first time, Bloomberg BusinessWeek.com partnered with Hay Group on its annual study, which ranks the best companies for leadership and examines how those companies develop leaders. General Electric ranked as the top company for leadership, followed by Southwest Airlines, 3M Company, Procter & Gamble and Accenture.
The Top 20 companies continued to make leadership development a priority over the past year, in spite of the economy. Employees at these companies were asked to what degree in the last 12 months the urgency to develop leaders in the organization had increased -- the Top 20 indicated an 8.8 percent decrease, compared to a 13.8 percent decrease for all respondents.
"The Top 20 Best Companies for Leadership not only entered the recession with strong leadership in place, they maintained their commitment to preparing and retaining leaders – and are highly committed to developing leaders within their ranks," said Rick Lash, Director in Hay Group's Leadership and Talent Practice and co-leader of the Best Companies for Leadership Study. "The study also revealed a shift over the past year in what these companies value in leaders. ‘Strategic thinking’ and ‘inspiring leadership’ are the most valued qualities in leaders this year, indicating that businesses are starting to dig out from the turmoil and are thinking more about their future long-term growth again."
The study also identifies a variety of factors that make the Top 20 Best Companies for Leadership stand out when it comes to identifying and developing great leaders. Ninety percent of respondents in the Top 20 agree that all employees at their company have the opportunity to develop and practice the capabilities needed to lead others, compared to 67 percent of all respondents. Nearly all of the respondents in the Top 20 (85 percent) said that employees are expected to lead, regardless if they have a formal leadership position, compared with 57 percent of all respondents. In addition, 86 percent of respondents in the Top 20 said that employees are encouraged to learn in areas outside their expertise, compared with 66 percent of all respondents.
“Rapid changes in the world are impacting how organizations do business, and as a result, the old rules of how organizations select, develop and retain good leaders have been turned upside down causing the future of leadership to look very different,” said John Larrere, National Director of Hay Group's Leadership and Talent Practice and co-leader of the Best Companies for Leadership Study. “For organizations to succeed, they will need to understand what key leadership elements are paramount in driving their organization toward growth. It’s more than just getting people to produce the right outcomes. It’s about getting them to be passionate about their work and grooming them to handle the challenges ahead. The Best Companies for Leadership have already figured this out.”
Among other study findings:
- 94 percent of respondents in the Top 20 actively manage a pool of successors for mission critical roles, compared with 69 percent of all respondents
- 80 percent of respondents in the Top 20 noted that people stay at the organization primarily for growth opportunities, compared with 61 percent of all respondents
- 95 percent of respondents in the Top 20 use corporate social responsibility to recruit employees, compared with 60 percent of all respondents
- 66 percent of respondents in the Top 20 have a high proportion of women in senior leadership, compared with 37 percent of all respondents
- 91 percent of respondents in the Top 20 make it easy for people to work from home, compared with 46 percent of all respondents
- 87 percent of respondents in the Top 20 have a sufficient number of internal candidates ready to assume open leadership positions, compared with 54 percent of all respondents
About the Bloomberg BusinessWeek.com/Hay Group Best Companies for Leadership Study
Hay Group has researched the Best Companies for Leadership since 2005. The 2009 survey included responses from 1,869 individuals from 1,109 organizations worldwide. The survey was based on the organization’s response to an online questionnaire and peer nominations. Respondents that completed the survey were from 98 countries, with 45% from North America, 27% from Europe/Middle East, 16% from Asia, 6% from South America, 3% from the Pacific, and 2% from Africa.
To view the full list please click here>
About Hay Group
Hay Group is a global management consulting firm that works with leaders to transform strategy into reality. We develop talent, organize people to be more effective and motivate them to perform at their best. Our focus is on making change happen and helping people and organizations realize their potential.
We have over 2600 employees working in 85 offices in 47 countries. Our clients are from the private, public and not-for-profit sectors, across every major industry, and represent diverse business challenges. For over 60 years, we have been renowned for the quality of our research and the intellectual rigor of our work. We transform research into actionable insights. We give our clients breakthrough perspectives on their organization, and we do it in the most efficient way to achieve the desired results. For more information please contact your local Hay Group office. |
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Creating shareholder value through people |
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Written by EBO Editor
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Thursday, 18 February 2010 09:27 |
Everyone knows that people are a key to business success. But how much do effective people practices actually contribute to the bottom line of an organization? Deloitte's study - the Deloitte & Touche Human Capital ROI Study - answers this question by measuring human capital practices and linking them to corporate financial performance. Deloitte's results suggest that human capital practices may account for as much as 43% of the difference between a company's market-to-book value and its competitors'.
To download a copy of the report please click here>
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International graduate market: survey results |
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Written by EBO Editor
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Monday, 18 January 2010 08:55 |
Graduates in the UK are faced with fewer job opportunities and lower salaries than their counterparts elsewhere in the English-speaking world, according to a report by the Association of Graduate Recruiters (AGR).
The UK recorded the highest number of applicants per graduate vacancy at 48, compared with 43 in Australia and 40 in South Africa. The average UK graduate starting salary stood at £25,000, more than £3,000 less than in Australia and Canada and £4,000 less than in America. Graduate salaries in Hong Kong were by far the highest at £30,000 to £42,000, while in South Africa they are currently just over £9,000.
To read the full article please click here>
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