As outsourcing has become more common, even the World Bank is seeing its share of employee discontent about contract employees. Roughly half of those that work for the World Bank are consultants, brought on for fixed contracts that often end up being renewed over and over again. Across the bank’s offices worldwide, there are currently… Read more »
Posts Tagged: risk
A Poor Recordkeeping System
The department’s inspector general of the Department of Veterans Affairs said Wednesday that a total overhaul of the record-keeping system at the VA could take years. Questions: 1. In the scathing report, what was the estimate of the number of veterans that had already died waiting for treatment and why weren’t they removed from the… Read more »
Buffett’s New Move
Warren Buffett is paying a hefty price for the biggest bet of his career as his Berkshire Hathaway Inc (BRKa.N) has agreed to buy Precision Castparts Corp (PCP.N), valuing the maker of aerospace and other parts at $32.3 billion. Questions: 1. According to the article, Berkshire’s new deal joins a foray of companies within other… Read more »
A Model of Innovation or Intimidation?
According to the New York Times, white-collar workers at Amazon are encouraged to tear apart one another’s ideas in meetings, toil long and late (emails arrive past midnight, followed by text messages asking why they were not answered), and held to standards that the company boasts are “unreasonably high.” The internal phone directory instructs colleagues… Read more »
What you are doing and how fast you are doing it?
A new generation of workplace technology is allowing white-collar jobs to be tracked, tweaked and managed in ways that were difficult even a few years ago. While the programs are meant to foster connections and sometimes increase productivity among employees who are geographically dispersed and often working from home, questions are piling up about the… Read more »
A Good Thing or A Bad Thing? WOW!
Three months ago, Dan Price announced he was setting a new minimum salary of $70,000 at his Seattle credit card processing firm, Gravity Payments, and slashing his own million-dollar pay package to do it. The result has been turmoil, both internally and externally. Questions: 1. What new costs has Mr. Price faced since his announcement… Read more »
What’s in a NAME?
McDonald’s has not opened in Tehran (only weeks after a nuclear deal was reached). Despite the prospect that the deal will ease international sanctions and possibly portend a change in Iranian revolutionary attitudes toward American companies, Mash Donald’s and other knockoffs of American food culture are a home-grown phenomenon. Questions: 1. Do you think that… Read more »
The “Look Policy” & a Class-Action Lawsuit
Abercrombie & Fitch’s “Look Policy” requires workers on the floor to wear “clothes, accessories and footwear that are similar in style and fit to the brand, and that are consistent with the current fashion season and colors” but that aren’t “clearly that of a competitor.” Questions: 1. Economic historian Price V. Fishback wrote that, “The… Read more »
The New Age of Performance Evaluations
Beginning in September, Accenture, one of the largest companies in the world, will get rid of the annual performance review. Questions: 1. By disband rankings and the once-a-year evaluation process, what does the company hope to accomplish? 2. According to the article, what percentage of Fortune 500 companies have gotten rid of rankings? 3. What… Read more »
Well-Oiled Machine? Well – Maybe Not!
United and Continental closed their merger in 2010 and created what was then the world’s largest airline. After nearly 5 years, executives are still working to integrate United Continental Holdings into a single company—and struggling with some high-profile operational and customer service problems. Questions: 1. What types of customer service and employee problems have plagued… Read more »