"As they move from merely validating products to encapsulating whole lifestyles, brands are evolving a growing social dimension. In the developed world, they are seen by some to have expanded into the vacuum left by the decline of organised religion. But this has made brands - and the multinationals that are increasingly identified with them - not more powerful, but more vulnerable. Consumers will tolerate a lousy product for far longer than they will tolerate a lousy lifestyle."

African nations are in desperate need of investment capital to jump-start economies that lack such basic infrastructure as roads, railways and electric power. This was the message from three African leaders in Philadelphia last month to attend the biennial summit of the Corporate Council on Africa. In a discussion moderated by James Harmon, former chairman of the Export-Import Bank, African officials offered a blueprint to help Africa compete in the global economy.

Attempts to gauge the ROI of advertising hinge on determining a brand's overall value.

Editor's Note: If you find this article interesting, then check out
http://www.mbadepot.com/links/links.php?ID=1526

Leading a successful company requires the perfect combination of wisdom, finesse, and guts—some people have it, some don't. Here's your chance to find out where you stand.

"Odd about humans: they've been trying to categorize and understand themselves ever since ever. Know what? When it comes to personalities, almost every philosophizer has decided on four dominant types. For Hippocrates it was Sanguine, Choleric, Phlegmatic and Melancholic. Jung decided on Feeler, Thinker, Sensor and Intuitor. Keirsey calls them Idealists, Rationals, Guardians and Artisans. At Future Now, we base our profiles on the Myers-Briggs classification scheme.

For each personality, I'll give you a general profile, then some specific comments that include the dominant attitude that characterizes this personality, how this personality type typically uses time, the question this personality type is most likely to ask about your product or service and website tactics you should adopt to meet the needs of this personality type. Finally, I'll give you some sample copy - same copy for each profile, but you'll notice different elements in the copy appeal to different personality types."

Consider the ethical debate of cyber responsibility - who carries the weight in an unaccountable environment? A French court asked the question in 2000, when Nazi memorabilia was being auctioned on Yahoo!'s Internet site. Professor Marc Le Menstrel, Mark Hunter and Professor Henri-Claude de Bettignies delineate the legal, technical, philosophical, and managerial perspectives as they examine how firms handle the sometimes difficult social consequences of their activities.

Note: CEO Refresher articles are no longer free...

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Although outsourcing is an extremely valuable business tool, it's no different from other tools. An understanding of when and why to outsource is crucial.

Recessionary times can be murder on office politics— especially when devious practices and backstabbing are rampant. Resuscitate teamwork and find solutions with this Harvard Management Update article.

Some 31,000 new products will be launched in the U.S. alone this year, and according to Robert McMath, founder and director of NewProductWorks in Ann Arbor, Mich., 80% to 90% will fail. In this Editor's Letter from Harvard Management Update, Loren Gary explores "the three strategic laws of marketing physics" that underlies the success--and failure--of products in the marketplace.

According to recent figures, 69% of organizations claim to perform some sort of checks on potential employees, yet we continually hear about bogus directors or fraudulent CEO's. This article not only highlights the importance of thoroughly screening applicants, but provides you with handy tips to ensure you don't regret your recruitment decisions.

Note: Older EBF articles are not currently online. I'm not sure if this is temporary or permanent. If you click you will be taken to the Archive.org site to find an archived copy.

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A look at Novo Nordisk's experience with the triple bottom line...

"What is the Triple Bottom Line?
Put simply, it recognises the need to maximise value from forms of capital involved in producing goods and services beyond the purely financial, particularly in relation to environmental (or natural) and social (or human) resources. Instead of setting financial targets as the exclusive driver in the business, the Triple Bottom Line therefore seeks to adopt balanced management of all three forms of capital as a means of delivering sustainable improvements in performance. As a consequence, Novo Nordisk believes it is better placed to manage business risks, stay tuned to the concerns of society and spot potential opportunities and problems at an early stage."

As CEO, you're accountable for results whether your board helps or hinders you in working toward them. Ensuring that key requirements are met, requirements that affect how well equipped board members are to work together, will provide a sound foundation from which the strategic leadership and fulfillment of role and responsibilities will more likely occur. These requirements go beyond fine tuningÂ…they are essential.

This article is the fourth in a series intended to help the CEO think through the issues involved in developing a board to contribute meaningfully to the purpose, vision, strategy and development of the organization.

Note: TWM articles ARE still available BUT: (1) you must be a member (free for existing members, not free for new members)   (2) you must be logged-in for the link to work. If you get an error page, visit the homepage, login and then try the link again.

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A very interesting introduction to and look at nonverbal communication. Not entirely sure of its applicability in a business sense, but still worth a read in this editor's humble opinion.

How do you make decisions about business investments when the outcome and likely cash flows are almost unknowable? A new tool, real options analysis is now being used by firms like Merck and Shell. Professor Hevert explains how real options work, why it differs from older financial analysis and how it can be used to help make better decisions on highly risky multi-phase investments, such as drug or new technology development and oil exploration.

Multinationals that try to force existing operations into foreign markets are in deep trouble, according to From Global to Metanational: How Companies Win in the Knowledge Economy. Instead, businesses must leverage knowledge from around the world to become "metanational." Plus: Author Q&A.

Editor's Note: I had some issues with this article (e.g. it tells what to do without telling how to do it and it discounts traditional views of globablization approaches). What do you think? Add your comments.

"In an economy where only the bare essentials survive budget cuts, it's tougher than ever to promote products or services that aren't "mission-critical" for your audience.

But no matter how steep the odds, it's still possible to generate surprisingly good response rates - while attracting quality leads - by making your lead-generation offer irresistible."

As an increasing number of ailing companies are filing for Chapter 11 bankruptcy, an attractive alternative may exist ---an out-of-court restructuring---that may offer some advantages over a Chapter 11 filing, including less publicity and potentially lower professional fees, including advisory and legal fees. Learn about the pros and cons of a restructuring from experts at Wharton and GE Capital.

Editor's Note: direct link no longer works, but you should be able to find it on the White Papers section of this page. If not (site uses crazy session links) choose the 'Learn About Commercial Lending' link from the home page.

"It is a commonplace of politics that a party that shines when functioning as the loyal opposition is frequently incapable of governing when it finally assumes power. The underlying reason, of course, is that functioning in opposition -- when one is not responsible for programmatic execution and one痴 casual remarks are not likely to roil foreign relations and financial markets -- requires different skills and mindsets than actually governing."

Severance packages are growing more generous as companies position themselves for a recovery.

With more than 20 million people registered on the monster.com job search site, it's clear that we are a workforce on the move. In a recent executive education session, Peter Cappelli, director of Wharton's Center for Human Resources, explained how a dramatically different labor market is changing not just the way people are hired and fired, but how they view their jobs, their employers and their careers.

Note: Older EBF articles are not currently online. I'm not sure if this is temporary or permanent. If you click you will be taken to the Archive.org site to find an archived copy.

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Has the recent dot-com episode, and have the terrible events of September 11th, somehow changed the rules of the game? Is the idea of strategy founded on an illusion of rationality and the possibilities of control? Is there a geographical context to strategy making that somehow informs those who do business in Europe? Are ‘visions' and ‘missions' now more appropriate ways of thinking about corporate navigation?

These and other questions are addressed by some of the most distinguished names in the academic field, as well as by leading business advisers and business people.

In the opening essay Valter Lazzari, Professor of Banking and Finance at Università Cattaneo and Università Bocconi, Italy, reviews the different strands of strategic thinking and comes up with his own subtle conclusions on what strategy means to the modern corporation. He is followed by Harvard's celebrated Rosabeth Moss Kanter, who argues on the evidence of her recent research that injecting improvisation into the strategy process is likely to bring the best results in the new environment. Christian Ketels, a German at Harvard's Institute for Strategy and Competitiveness, provides a timely and (for Europeans) optimistic reminder that heterogeneity matters, while Oxford's Richard Whittington insists that a key issue for executives is the creation of strategists with the right mix of skills.

Ivor Kenny, an Irishman who sits on the board of several international companies, uses a rich variety of images to convince readers that they should seek a middle ground between planning and opportunism, while the perennially influential Michael Porter 's contribution is typically sharp, insightful and optimistic.

Next, Brett Savill, a PwC partner in the Netherlands, emphasises the shareholder's perspective, while Gabriel Hawawini, Paul Verdin and Venkat Subramanian reflect on the lessons that have been learnt in the ‘new' economy. Andrew Campbell, Director of Ashridge Stategic Management Centre, ends this section of the debate by commenting on the other contributions and questioning whether companies with formal strategies are the best performers.

Finally, three business leaders Philip Blake, head of Bayer's Canadian subsidiary, Baron Paul Buysse, chairman of the Board of Belgian-based Bekaert, and Alistair Fulton, Head of Strategy for BT Cellnet, the UK business of mmO2 plc recently demerged from BT share their wisdom acquired on the front line.

Editor's Note: All the articles are worth a read, but I found the opening article by Valter Lazzari and the one by Andrew Campbell especially thought-provoking...

Update: The debate continues with new contributions found at:
http://www.ebfonline.com/at_forum/at_forum.asp?id=282 and
http://www.ebfonline.com/at_forum/at_forum.asp?id=379&linked=378

Note: Business 2.0 is now part of CNNmoney and some older articles are no longer available