BizKnowledge Watch

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The World Economic Forum has launched the “Corporate Gender Gap Report 2010”. It is the first survey to cover the world’s largest employers in 20 countries and benchmark them against the equality policies that most companies should have in place but are, in fact, widely neglected.

The report is based on a survey of 600 heads of human resources at the world’s largest employers. The United States (52%), Spain (48%), Canada (46%) and Finland (44%) have the highest percentage of women employees at all levels among the responding countries.

The countries surveyed were: Austria, Belgium, Brazil, Canada, Czech Republic, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, India, Italy, Japan, Mexico, Netherlands, Norway, Spain, Switzerland, Turkey, United Kingdom and the United States.

The findings show that the corporate world is still not doing enough to achieve gender equality. The study is a one-stop guide on what companies need to do to close the corporate gender gap.

The report is available online.

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Abbott tops the 2010 Top 50 Companies for Executive Women list compiled by the National Association for Female Executives (NAFE). Aetna and American Express Company trail in second and third place, respectively.

The 2010 NAFE Top 50 is based on the performance of companies in 2009. And while last year was dismal for most of corporate America, it wasn’t for many companies with women at the top. The standouts among this year’s winners include many companies helmed by female CEOs.

The full ranking is available from the NAFE website.

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The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) has created a resource page for information about the Chile earthquake. ReliefWeb provides updated information and maps from international organizations, NGOs, governments and news sources.

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The European Foundation for the Improvement of Living and Working Conditions (Eurofound) has published the report, “Addressing the Gender Pay Gap: Government and Social Partner Actions.” The study draws on quantitative and qualitative research to give an overview of the current situation regarding gender pay across the EU Member States. In Europe, women on average earn a fifth less than men. The report also tracks the policies and initiatives implemented by the national governments and their social partners, as well as some good practice initiatives taken by companies in this area.

The report is available on the web.

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Synopsis

Focusing on the sort of structures, processes, and behaviors that a board of directors needs to ensure success, the book Boardroom Secrets: Corporate Governance for Quality of Life examines critical behavioral aspects of governance such as how to evaluate and process information provided to the board; how to critically question without de-motivating; and how to provide guidance without interfering with management.

For more information, click here.

You can find this title at IESE’s Library catalog. 

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The International Labour Office (ILO) has just launched the study, “Women in Labour Markets: Measuring Progress and Identifying Challenges”. The report focuses on the relationship of women to labour markets and compares employment for men and women using labour market indicators from the ILO Key Indicators of the Labour Market. The main findings highlight a continuing gender disparity in terms of both opportunities and quality of employment.

The full-text is available online.

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For the third year in a row Apple has been named the World’s Most Admired Company by Fortune Magazine. Google places second, overall, in the ranking and is trailed by Berkshire Hathaway, in third place.

The World’s Most Admired Companies listing encompasses 346 organizations and is based on a survey of executives, directors and analysts who rank companies in areas such as innovation, quality of management, and quality of products/services.

For more information about the rankings, click here.

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Commercial real estate industry investors and professionals remain decidedly gloomy in outlook, “colored by distress over prospects for an extended period of anemic demand and costly de-leveraging,” according to this report released by PricewaterhouseCoopers and the Urban Land Institute (ULI).

The report provides an overview of U.S., Canadian, and Latin American investment and development trends, real estate finance and capital markets, property sectors, metropolitan areas, and other real estate issues. In addition, it features a detailed analysis of the future prospects for office, retail, industrial, hotel, residential, and mixed-use property sectors, while also highlighting which metropolitan areas offer the most and least potential, and why.

The full report is available from the Urban Land Institute.

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The Asian Development Bank (ADB) and the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI) have published the report, “Key Proposals for Harnessing Business Opportunities in South Asia.” The study outlines small, actionable steps in eliminating trade and investment barriers that will go a long way to deepening South Asia economic integration and improving the business environment. Among the measures proposed are:

-Expanding the SAARC visa exemption scheme

-Adopting a SAARC regional motor vehicular agreement

-Dealing with non-tariff barriers

-Improving land customs stations

-Promoting intra-regional investment

All these measures will help unlock the region’s vast economic potential.

Read the full text of the report here.

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Synopsis

When change requires you to challenge people’s familiar reality, it can be difficult, dangerous work. Whatever the context – whether in the private or the public sector –, many will feel threatened by the prospect of sweeping changes. But as a leader, you need to find a way to make it work.

Ron Heifetz first defined this problem with his distinctive theory of adaptive leadership in Leadership Without Easy Answers. In a second book, Leadership on the Line, Heifetz and coauthor Marty Linsky highlighted the individual and organizational dangers of leading through deep change in business, politics, and community life. Now, Heifetz, Linsky, and coauthor Alexander Grashow go one step further with the new book, The Practice of Adaptive Leadership, a hands-on, practical guide containing stories, tools, diagrams, cases, and worksheets to help you develop your skills as an adaptive leader.

The authors have decades of experience helping people and organizations create cultures of adaptive leadership. In today’s rapidly changing world, The Practice of Adaptive Leadership promises to serve as a handbook to help you meet the demands of leadership in a complex world.

For more information, click here.

You can find this title at IESE’s Library catalog.