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Do you know about 'ethical bribes'? An 'ethical bribe' is a freebie, something you giveaway in exchange for a person's contact details and permission to contact them.

Are you focusing on selling the wrong thing? If you are, you are not alone as the majority of salespeople focus on selling the wrong thing.

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The successful management of large retail construction projects requires many skills.

As Planet Earth slides gloomily towards a deepening environmental catastrophe, it seems as though we cannot move without our social consciences being stabbed from messages such as Recycle! Regenerate! Cut waste! Kyoto! Live Earth! Go green! Offset your carbon! As a backdrop to this relentless barrage of messages, we are constantly fed images of a black, apocalyptic future that our children’s children and their goldfish will have to endure - if we’ve not inadvertently made them extinct by then. On a personal level, there are simple steps that we can take – recycle household rubbish, take the bus and leave the car at home, turn your spud peelings and left-overs into compost, but when it comes to the grown up stuff and the infrastructure that the country depends upon, does this thinking go out of the window? Cut to data centres: huge electronic warehousing facilities that the country is seemingly becoming more and more dependant upon.

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Suddenly, away from the hundreds of available colours, there is a rush all over the world to paint almost everything green; green paint, green ribbons, green wrappings and green fabrics becoming the top choice, causing shortages of the material, while green logos, green billboards and almost politically-correct green ties and attires are becoming the most fashionable and trendy statements.

In an industry where staff loss is endemic and likely to worsen in 20081 consulting firms need to hire at least 15-20% of their headcount just to stand still, before they can even think about expanding.

Whatever business you are in, one of the best assets you can build is a databank of testimonials from satisfied clients and customers.

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Thirty-two percent of organizations prematurely ended at least one onshore BPO relationship and 34 percent terminated at least one offshore relationship over the past 12 months.

"The debate about business and IT alignment is over.

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Even though the leaves have fallen and there is a feel of winter in the air, there seems to be a lot of green around -- and it is not just in the evergreen boughs on your mantle, but rather it is in the drumbeat of change for business and society.

The region can boost its heavy industry by concentrating on energy-intensive upstream activities and outsourcing down stream activities such as fabrication and distribution to cost effective, labour intensive markets of India and China.

Me. We. -Mohammed Ali The educators of Reggio Emilia, Italy tell the story of pre - kindergarteners waiting for after school pick-up.

In Zach’s case, seeing is believing.

A lot of people think selling requires a lot of effort.

There are a huge variety of consultancies out there but, whether they are in IT or operational performance, they all have one common characteristic: they all have to manage a varied and fluctuating client base.

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In reality, businesses have data warehouses that store several different versions of the truth.

The fact is that a well-considered and structured approach to human resources will get the most out of your people – and your organisation.

Nothing is much more exciting than the prospect of selling your consulting business and gaining financial security from the business you’ve worked hard to build.

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While cost reduction and more efficient compliance efforts continue to be the top reasons companies adopt shared services, a variety of more strategic advantages, such as improved controls, enhanced process efficiency and greater visibility of data, are seen as increasingly important benefits, according to a new study by Deloitte. Shared services are defined as the practice of moving non-essential work out of a company's business units or divisions and into a separate organization.

"Strategic Acquisitions Amid Business Uncertainty: Charting a Course for Your Company's M&A," a new report by Deloitte Research based on a survey conducted by the Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU), warns that some companies may be overlooking four potentially troublesome issues when evaluating their M&A options in building value for their investors. "The deal environment has obviously changed in recent months," said Jerry Leamon, Global Managing Partner, Merger & Acquisition Services, Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu.

Financial services institutions acknowledge the importance of organic growth to attract and retain customers in theory, but are finding it difficult to implement processes and strategies to foster such growth, this according to a report released today by PA Consulting Group at the BAI Retail Delivery Conference in Las Vegas. "Recognizing the importance of organic growth and the challenges banks have had in achieving it, we surveyed banks in a range of sizes to understand both current practices, best practices and areas for improvement," said David Wagstaff, a senior consultant in PA Consulting Group's Financial Services Practice.

$55 billion in annual supermarket sales could shift from national brands to store brands if the aggressive private label strategies of several large, high-performance retailers are emulated by other major chains. The projected shift was outlined by McKinsey & Co.

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Retail banks, facing intensifying competition and continuously declining margins around the globe, must take forceful steps both to protect and expand their customer bases at home and to explore high-growth markets abroad.

The environment is increasingly on consumers' radar screens, according to the 22nd Annual Holiday Survey of retail spending and trends, commissioned by Deloitte.

Even as government regulators and corporate stakeholders demand companies do more to address and mitigate enterprise-wide risks, only one in 10 companies in the Americas and Europe has fully integrated an enterprise risk management (ERM) strategy, according to Aon Global Risk Consulting's survey of global ERM practices.

A.T.

I just got this email from Hector: 'Hi Bernadette, I work with clients to help them use Information Technology to improve operational efficiency, reduce costs, and eliminate waste.

Maturity Models have helped many organisations assess their competencies and weaknesses so they can build credible improvement plans.

Having reviewed thousands of IT consulting company websites during our buy-side assignments we have the ability to see the industry in the minds eye of an individual trying to find you in the crowd, assessing the nature of your business and your ability to service their requirement.

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I have over 20 years’ experience as a hi-tech, B2B PR and Marketing Consultant and at various stages of my career have worked as a Board Director at a major multi-national PR agency, Publications Officer for the Director of Public Prosecutions, Press Officer at No.

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According to a CSI/FBI Computer Crime and Security Study, cyber crimes cost the United States economy an estimated $67 billion in damages(i), which is comparable to the U.S.

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Investment in MiFID is below expectations Research conducted by Atos Consulting, the business consulting arm of Atos Origin, on how prepared financial organisations are ahead of MiFID, suggests that a ‘wait and see’ attitude prevails in European financial firms.

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Demographics are changing First of all, people who grew up using these interactive Internet tools are accelerating adoption of these technologies as they join the workforce and we can identify a a generation gap evolving between more experienced workers who regard the new technologies as gimmicky and unproven and new joiners to the organisation who regard these tools as essential for day to day interactions.