Forget the benchmarks of the past. Here's a way to improve processes by studying not what was, but what can be achieved.

Sometimes, keeping a customer on the phone longer can mean more sales and higher profits.

Managers know they need growth to survive-but innovation isn't easy. In this Harvard Management Update article, HBS professor Clayton Christensen and co-authors detail the six keys to creating new-growth businesses.

Note: Darwin Magazine is now dead. Some articles are moving to CIO. I will try to update the links when I have time...

---

A guide to the roles and responsibilities of Six Sigma. And guess what?
It all starts at the top.

This is a fantastic little directory of links to tutorials for computer software. Includes FrontPage, GroupWise (e-mail and calendaring), Microsoft Office (Access, Excel, PowerPoint, Word), Windows and Macintosh operating systems, Microsoft Publisher, statistical software, Dreamweaver, Lotus 1-2-3, PageMaker, PalmPilot, Pegasus (e-mail), Photoshop, UNIX, and WordPerfect. There are also links to a few other directories and sources of tutorials. From the Department of Training and Documentation at Indiana State University.

Creating student interest is an important, sometimes difficult, task facing all instructors. One way to stimulate students' interest is through the use of examples that are interesting and relevant to the students. As the most popular sport in the United States, football provides numerous opportunities for presenting potentially dry, intimidating, academic financial concepts in terms that undergraduate students may find more relevant, understandable, and interesting. In this paper, the author provides football examples to demonstrate various financial topics. These include: using time value of money techniques to examine player contracts; the similarities between specialists and sportsbooks (bookies); bondholder-shareholder conflicts and Hail Mary passes; how IPOs and ticket scalping are similar; gambling and the various forms of market efficiency; real options; and long-term contracts.

Every day brings yet another poll on the HTML vs. text email preference debate. But do you know WHY some people prefer Text vs. HTML -- or vice versa?

We've all been there...you see a great opportunity, but you're a middle manager, not the division or corporate President, so you lack the direct authority and resources to implement your ideas and affect change. How do you lead the top people and your peers to successful change? Listen to Prof. Cohen describe the keys to getting your ideas heard, gaining support and building your leadership role.

The Great Divide in America today isn't between the red states and the blue states on the televised election map. Neither is it about science versus the humanities, abortion versus choice, PCs versus Macs, or any other alleged cultural chasm. The real gulf in this country today is between those who walk around in a state of ironic vigilance, where every reference is shot through with subtext, and those who don't. It's the Leno-Letterman gap. Iconic versus ironic.

It is an urgent question: How can we increase profits if we can't raise prices? The answer demands revolutionary thinking -- new insights about strategy and human behavior, turbocharged with software, mathematics, and rapid-fire experimentation. Is your company ready to master the new era of pricing? Are you prepared to pay the price of failure?

It used to be, if you had a good idea, you kept it within the confines of your own company. Today, the fast pace of business development is creating a whole new wave of collaboration, across borders and industry boundaries. In this new Working Paper, Professor Peter Williamson and Sarah Meegan explore alliances.

Google Monitor is a cool, free application created by a small software company that lets you find and track the ranking of your site, or any URL, in Google's search results. Simply enter the URL of choice and the keyword(s) into the application, and you will then be served with the top ranking sites by that keyword and your position.

The real benefit of this simple application is the ability to quickly see where your site ranks according to the keyword(s) you choose - and who ranks above and below you. Try what you think is the best keyword for your site, and see where you rank - maybe not at all! Try a different keyword and your site may be at the top. You can store URL and keyword statistics and keep notes to track your site performance. A quick, efficient way to test where you stand. [WDFM Annotation]

Few issues have fueled more transatlantic distrust than the ongoing dispute between the European Union and the United States about data privacy. Wharton management professor Stephen J. Kobrin probes the often overlooked roots of the controversy in his report, "The Trans-Atlantic Data Privacy Dispute, Territorial Jurisdiction and Global Governance." Resolving the issue will be especially challenging, he notes at one point, because the two sides are divided, not by tactical or strategic considerations, but by fundamental differences over the role of government and the meaning of privacy.

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

---

This article (part 3 in a series) discusses one of the most difficult skills any executive can practice: listening to what others think the executive needs to change.

See other articles in this series:
Part 1: Why We Shoot the Messenger
http://www.mbadepot.com/redir.php?ID=2222&file=links
Part 2: Delivering the Message
http://www.mbadepot.com/redir.php?ID=2469&file=links

IT must change the way it operates to meet upcoming business challenges. Here is a seven-step transformational model.

BuildingBrands has been set up by a small team of marketing professionals as a way of sharing many years of experience in building brands that build business.

The site is focused on brands, branding, marketing and communications. It includes original articles, interactive learning games and also offers a free 'Shared Learning' newsletter.

Fingers are being pointed at compensation consultants. "It's your fault," critics are charging. "You're to blame for all the outrageous executive-pay packages." But are they really responsible? After all, a board of directors must still approve their suggestions. Just how willing are compensation professionals to play the blame game? ATB asked a group of consultants to answer their critics.

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