My Content: Hubs, Answers, and Forums
2How I Became a Brooklyn Nets Fan: the Power of a Brand
I’m the first to admit that I know very little about basketball and the heritage of the NBA. But I’m an avid sports fan and have starting watching more NBA games this season than ever before. A few years ago I decided to go for what was then...
0My Mum's Ordination
My Mum & Dad My mum was ordained as a minister recently and I was asked to speak at the ceremony. What follows is my speech that has a nod towards the Requisite Organisation's theory of call to adventure. For most of us this is when we feel the...
2Using Consultants is Good Governance
I was recently reflecting on the use of consultants in organisations and the impact that they have on ensuring that projects and key strategic initiatives are achieved. In conversations with some peers we were reflecting on the value that...
2Gold Stars Drive Productivity
In my hubs I have written about the benefits of the Friedman system to drive sales and customer service performance in an organisation. A key element of the Friedman system is the use of gold stars to measure performance. The system is fairly...
4A Day At The Races In Melbourne
Author dressed for the Races This weekend I visited Melbourne to attend the Emirates Stakes Day, the final day in the Melbourne Cup Spring Carnival in Melbourne. Stakes Day is considered the family day of the carnival and is therefore more...
2Casual Clothing at Work: Does it Affect Productivity?
For as long as I have been working the debate has raged about whether staff should be allowed to wear casual clothing to work. In my experience there have been two sides to this camp â those that support the idea of allowing a relaxed dress code...
9How Managers Become Leaders
Guildhall in London - Leadership from a bygone era I have written in hubpages in the past about the difference between managers and leaders, but recently I came across a HBR article on some research into how managers become leaders and how that they...
0Harvard Business Review on Sales
In the latest edition of HBR the topic of sales is covered in great detail. It shows that sales has come of age when a prestigious journal starts to take sales seriously and is encouraging academic institutions to develop courses so that the future...
4Winter Beers
Welcome back to another round of beer tasting! As the temperture plummets here in Australia I thought it would be timely to stoke up the fire and try a range of beers that just taste better in the winter. These real ales, stouts and bitters are...
4Nokia Customer Care: Do They?
This week I spent a lot of time in my contact centre and shops listening to customers to understand their needs and desires and whether we are delivering on their expectations. While I was visiting my city location I walked past the Nokia...
10Bangladesh – next sourcing hotspot?
China dominates the European and US markets for ready-made garments with about 40% of all imports from the Asian region. But a recent McKinsey survey has found that 89% of buyers in Europe and the US are looking to reduce their buying from China...
0Under Armour – Harvard Business Review
I was reading an article in Harvard Business Review recently by Kevin Plank, the founder of the brand, Under Armour. Under Armour is a newish brand in Australia and we are starting to see it become commonplace with AFL stars wearing the clothing...
2Bricks & Mortar Retailers: A Survival Guide
New fitout drawing on the concept of a place to be seen Traditional bricks and mortar retailers are feeling the pinch the world over. Some are blaming the internet for all of their woes â take Harvey Norman in Australia as an example. This brand...
4Giving Without Expectations
Over the past year I have become very interested in the concept of giving without expectations. Giving without expectations is when a brand gives back to their customers or the community with no thought about getting something back from a sales...
2What's Hot in Mother's Day Gifts 2012!
Mother's Day 2012 is just around the corner, so I have searched the world to bring you what is hot for mums in 2012. A quick search for Mother's Day in Amazon has revealed that Flowers again are the #1 item for a mum and in the forums it continues...
2Behavioural Interviews – the STAR Technique
Recently jpcmc and I were discussing behavioural interview techniques in the comments section of a hub on interview techniques. I started talking about the STAR concept that I have used for a number of years to take behavioural interviews to the...
3Requisite Organisation and Levels of Work: A Real Life Example
I have written a couple of hubs about requisite organisation and how this can assist managers within a leadership framework to increase staff accountability, authority and performance. In this hub I will demonstrate how I used the framework with my...
4Video Raspberry Ripple Cheesecake Recipe
My wife, Charlotte, has made us a delicious raspberry ripple cheesecake. Everyone in the family (and a lot of friends as well) have been enjoying this absolute delight. Charlotte gives us a step by step guide through making a dessert that the whole family will enjoy!
0Video Selling Games & Contests
Michael Kromwyk is a Friedman sales system supporter and in this paper presents the new Harry J Friedman book on The Retailers Complete Book of Selling Games and Contests that help to create performance for sales teams. Check out the video where Michael's family help out in explaining the sales process.
0EPSON’s Asia Strategy
Ever wanted to know why EPSON advertises at Football (soccer) matches and what their Asian strategy is, then reading this article by Michael Kromwyk is a good starting point. Michael uncovers the strategy that is working in Indonesia and how EPSON plans to reinvent the printer and consumables market worldwide. Find out how this links to EPSONs Manchester United sponsorship as well.
0Deflation and High Inflation – Why They Are Equal Negatives
In these austere economic times we are being bombarded with information from the media about financial concepts which we may not necessarily fully understand. One of these areas that we keep hearing about is inflation and deflation. This hub will...
7Selling from the Top Down
Many of you who have followed my blogs will recall that I talk about the Friedman sales system quite often. This is the selling system that I use in my business and it has delivered the business and me a lot of success. One of the key elements of...
6Incentive Games for Work – Auctions Work!
Earlier this week I was reading Bills Place fantastic hub â10+ Ways to Reward Employees on a Low Budgetâ and I wrote a comment about a concept that I developed back in the 90âs called Bonu$ Buck$. I thought that this would make an interesting...
10Barcelona (FCB) 2012 Title Predictions
Michael Kromwyk reviews the chances of Barcelona (FCB, Barca) of winning some competitions during 2012. La Liga, Copa de Rey & Champions League are all reviewed for this great Football (soccer) club.
10Keeping Fit for Business
I donât know about you but I struggle to keep fit on a consistent basis. My ideal weight is around 75-78 kgs but with work and children at times this can go around 85 kgs. Recently in a HBR article there was a theory that people need to be fit...
0Body Glove - A Budgeting Case Study
During my MBA I had the opportunity to review a case study on the watersports brand Body Glove. Body Glove was founded by Bob and Bill Meistrell taught themselves to swim in rural USA before moving to Manhattan Beach in the 1940âs. Bob & Bill...
2Sponsoring the African Cup of Nations
Many brands are launched during a major sporting event, especially if the brand wants to get new penetration into a growing market. This morning I was watching the African Cup of Nations (CAF) football championship and saw banners for Doritos and...
2Retail Stores – Exploiting the Senses
I recently came across a concept of Retail stores using all of our sensory elements to engage with customers and to attract them back into the bricks and mortar shops. In an excellent article by Stephen Ogden-Barnes and Danielle Barclay entitled...
0Why You Didn’t Get That Promotion by John Beeson
Review of the 2009 Harvard Business Review article on Executive promotion and the elements that will help you to get up the next rung on the ladder.
1Increasing Travel Agency Sales
Earlier this year I conducted an webinar on travel for a number of international motoring clubs. An article summarising the content was created and published in an internal magazine. What follows is the summary and interview about how I have driven...
0What is Agility in Software Development?
Over the past couple of months I have been getting more involved in new software system projects that can help enable my organisation to have better information systems in order to meet customer needs and expectations. So Iâve been to a number of...
3Get Lost in Langkawi - For Families
This year I took my family on holiday to Langkawi in northern Malaysia. We are intrepid travellers who have taken our children, Sam (10 tomorrow), Zoe (8) and Suzette (4) across the world a number of times. This time we wanted a relaxing holiday in...
6Budgeting and Control in Business
Budgets have multiple purposes which go beyond being solely financial, so it is extremely important for managers to be involved in the budget process as they can influence the direction of the business. Some key lessons that I have learned as a...
0Strategy Execution Process
Haka 'Strategy' Cook Islands 2009 Once an organisation has decided upon a strategic direction the next stage is how to you implement the strategy? This how-to-guide walks through the main considerations that help to execute strategy effectively. ...
1Learning and Development: Thoughts on Strategic Human Resource Development
A critical function of any Strategic Human Resources department is to address the development needs of employees. Organisations often need to train and develop staff due to changes in work practices, organisational structure, technology and...
2ACER Competitive Strategy Review
In this hub Michael Kromwyk provides some insight into the ACER competitive strategy and how it is positioned against other brands in the PC and peripherals market. Included in the paper are some university level models and strategies that can use to review MBA style papers.
4Annual Salary Review
In this academic paper Michael Kromwyk provides a detailed view of the salary review process and the key aspects that Managers should consider when making salary related decisions. The key recommendation is to have a Strategic HR plan and to reward staff on a pay for performance plan.
0Coopers Brewery - Adelaide SA
Michael Kromwyk reviews the competitive strategy of Coopers Brewery located in Adelaide, Australia. Through the use of PESTLE, Porter 5 Forces and SWOT, Michael recommends a diversification plan including a move into Asia to drive future performance.
0Creating Shared Value in Business Planning
This week I started to work on a few business plans â some are for projects that I am working on and others are business as usual. I was challenged, however, not to do a standard business plan, but to do something a bit different, which was...
0Euroloans v Local Currency Loans
Many businesses consider the loan options before they purchase a loan, especially taking on large debt, in order to minimalise repayments. This is especially occurring in Australia at present. Some brokers are advocating a Euroloan denominated in...
2Chinese Consumer Behaviour
In 2010 I had the privileged to visit China as a part of the UniSA MBA program. During the series of lectures I attended a presentation by Professor Ting-Jui (Peter) Chou on Chinese Consumer Behaviour. I share these notes as I believe that anyone...
3Employing Gen Y in the Workplace
Michael Kromwyk has a problem in his Contact Centre - he was finding it hard to attract and retain Generation Y staff. In this informative article Michael reviews the issue and provides new ways to not only attract Gen Y staff, but how to keep them through engagement and having a strategic HR plan.
0Servant Leadership at Work
Last week I took a team of my Retail Managers off site to discuss change and how they can become servant leaders in their workplace. At my company we have been through evolutionary change for the past 6 years and we need to remain on course to...
4Review of Nestle's Emerging Nations Strategy
Michael Kromwyk has a passion for emerging nations and in this review of Nestle's strategy you get an insight into how Nestle plans to execute their strategy in Eastern Europe, Asia and South America. Michael also presents a theory that the next market for Nestle is Africa.
4Costco - What Makes Them Competitive?
Costcoâs key strategy is cost leadership: they want to have the best price on branded merchandise for their customers. This strategy works for Costco as they are attracting an affluent customer who is prepared to spend more per visit and has the...
1Developing a Strategic Leadership Plan
BICIS 2010 Beijing Classroom The first step is for any CEO is to set a strategic plan for the organisation (Kotter, 2001, p.87) that has a clear purpose (Montgomery, 2008, p.3). The strategy of any organisation should focus on a clear value...
1BMW v LEXUS: A tale of two sales systems
This week I was fortunate enough to go new car shopping. My existing Lexus IS250 is coming out of lease next month so I need to buy another car, a little bit better than my current car, as a bit of a treat. After doing some desktop research I...
0Competitive Strategy – Why Diversify? PepsiCo Case Study
Michael Kromwyk provides a review of the Pepsico business strategy and the opportunies for this brand to diversify. In this paper the value chain, strategic fit and the types of diversification are reviewed.
4Cross Cultural Training
This article investigates the benefits of training expatriate staff prior to their departure, especially ensuring that the trainers can teach the expatriate some of the language of the host country. The authors then go on to explore the benefits of...
0Negotiation with Indian Suppliers
Recently I had the opportunity to observe a negotiation simulation where an Indian company was negotiating with a US company. My review of the situation, my involvement and recommendations follow. Background & Role I was a classroom observer...
4How to get maximum value from a consultant-client interview
Recently with a team of other students I took on a consulting project as a part of my MBA. This blog recounts my experience when I met with the client for a one-on-one for the first time with to brainstorm potential business plans and opportunities...
0Web Cross Channel Marketing
Companies are having to evolve their marketing strategies from multi-channel marketing to cross-channel marketing. What does this mean? Initially you market to customers dependant upon the channel that the customer chooses. This is marketing in a...
0Review of “Talent Management for the Twenty-First Century” by Peter Cappelli
Peter Cappelli released an article in the Havard Business Review in 2008 that cover the war on talent and how managers need to proactively manage talent in the 21st century. Michael Kromwyk reveals that Cappelli believes that business must not just concentrate on the top talent in a firm, but the middle talent as well in order to drive change and performance.
0Doing Business In China by Michael Kromwyk
Michael Kromwyk visited China in 2010 as a part of the UniSA MBA program. Business in China Intensive School (BICIS) covered the concept of how to do business in China covering 6 distinct factors - Industry, Market, Political, Cultural, Legal & Financial. This paper provides a comprehensive review of how to do business in China successfully.
2Review of Harvard Business Review Article on Fiat
Michael Kromwyk provides a review of the Harvard Business Review and The Australian Financial Review article on Sergio Marchionne, the CEO of Fiat. The focus of the paper is on workplace culture and how this is being leveraged to drive cultural change and performance at Fiat.
2Team Work - Katzenbach and Smith
This week I started thinking about team work after watching my son play basketball for his district team. When I was watching my son I reflected on how much they had travelled to become a team in a really short timeframe. My boy is just 10 years...
2Sales Techniques That Really Work
Harry J Friedman book, 'No thanks, I'm just looking' In my current position I manage 22 Retail Shops, an 80 seat Contact Centre, a direct B2C sales force and a web sales team. My teams sell insurance, security, travel, automotive products and...
