Action Management: Practical Strategies for Making Your Corporate Transformation a Success - Hardcover

Redwood, Stephen; Goldwasser, Charles; Street, Simon; PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0471345474 ISBN 13: 9780471345473

Publisher: John Wiley & Sons Inc, 1999

Synopsis

Despite all the talk of change management, we somehow failed to recognize that we can't, in any meaningful sense, manage change. We can only manage our actions-hence action management.

Action Management presents global experience from PricewaterhouseCoopers to help businesses devise and implement practical action strategies to cope with change and make their corporate transformations successful. Books that promise to help businesses manage change are making promises they can't keep. No one can manage or control business change. The key, instead, is to cope with change and seize the opportunity for success by managing business action.

Authors Redwood, Goldwasser, and Street study successful action projects at industries ranging from high technology and financial services to petroleum and health care using an exclusive, in-depth survey conducted by MORI on behalf of PricewaterhouseCoopers covering 500 multinational businesses in 14 countries on four continents. Included here are the findings of the Global Action Survey for Nynex, Braun, British Airways Engineering, Kawasaki Heavy Industries, LSG/SkyChefs, and many more.

Action Management identifies the top 10 challenges to action that companies face such as planning, allocating, leading, and mobilizing for corporate action. Each chapter meets these 10 challenges by offering a host of "Tips" to heed and "Learn by example" sections that demonstrate how companies like Shell Information Systems, Neiman Marcus Group, and Barclaycard all utilize their action paths to get results. The authors leave virtually no questions unanswered and wrap up each chapter with a "Questions and Answers" section.

Action Management identifies four action paths: the sprint, the high jump, the decathlon, and the marathon. From short and fast to long and far reaching, each path combines action complexity and duration to meet and cope with change at all levels. The authors take managers through the action process from start to finish and help them determine how the four action paths will help them achieve their immediate and long-term goals. The practical advice and battle-tested strategies found in this valuable book addresses the problems of managers in the real world where standing still means falling behind, and where actions such as acquisitions, expansions, and downsizings can ruin a company if the action itself is not managed properly.

The best tools and thinking from PricewaterhouseCoopers, the leading global consultants to companie managing major change Profiles the action plans of Siemens, Bristol-Myers Squibb, Neiman Marcus, and many more.

STEPHEN REDWOOD (Tokyo, Japan) is Global Leader of the Organization and Change Strategy Practice at PricewaterhouseCoopers. CHARLES GOLDWASSER (Los Angeles, CA) is a principal consultant. SIMON STREET (London, England)is a director of PricewaterhouseCoopers.

About this title

About the Author

BILL BRESNAN is the nationally known financial talk show host, author of several books on personal finance, and a contributor to Today's Investor magazine.

ERIC GELB is a vice president in corporate finance with a major investment bank. He has written several books, including Personal Budget Planner and is frequently quoted in the press on budgeting and credit issues.

From the Back Cover

A system for organizing investment holdings according to risk level, asset allocation is an essential component of creating a solid portfolio. Knowing where, when, and how to begin, however, can be confusing. This indispensable guide clarifies everything in plain English. Covering the basics of starting an asset allocation program, it offers sound advice, helpful tips, and practical guidelines-all corresponding to your particular financial situation, whether you're single, married with children, saving for college, or retired. Along with a helpful glossary of financial terms, here's where you'll find complete details on:
* Risk-the nature of risk, risk versus volatility, risk/reward trade-off, and the ten types of risk.
* Allocation techniques-financial objectives, cash flow needs, and tactical asset models.
* Low-, medium-, and high-risk assets-government securities, certificates of deposit, fixed annuities, corporate bonds, futures, commodities.
* Mutual funds and asset allocation-selecting funds, addedrewards, additional risks.
* Maximizing wealth-value approach, rebalancing your portfolio, periodic review.

From the Inside Flap

"Despite all the talk of change management, we somehow failed to recognize that we can't, in any meaningful sense, manage change. We can only manage our actions-hence action management." Action Management presents global experience from PricewaterhouseCoopers to help businesses devise and implement practical action strategies to cope with change and make their corporate transformations successful. Books that promise to help businesses manage change are making promises they can't keep. The key, instead, is to cope with change and seize the opportunity for success by managing business action. Authors Redwood, Goldwasser, and Street study successful action projects at industries ranging from high technology and financial services to petroleum and health care using an exclusive, in-depth survey conducted by MORI on behalf of PricewaterhouseCoopers covering 500 multinational businesses in fourteen countries on four continents. Included here are the findings of the Global Action Survey for NYNEX, Braun, British Airways Engineering, Kawasaki Heavy Industries, LSG/SkyChefs, and many more. Action Management identifies the top 10 challenges to action that companies face, such as planning, allocating, leading, and mobilizing for corporate action. Each chapter meets these 10 challenges by offering a host of "Tips" to heed and "Learn by Example" sections that demonstrate how companies like Shell Information Systems, Neiman Marcus Group, and Barclaycard utilize their action paths to get results. The authors leave virtually no questions unanswered and wrap up each chapter with a "Questions and Answers" section. Action Management identifies four action paths: the sprint, the high jump, the decathlon, and the marathon. From short and fast to long and far-reaching, each path combines action complexity and duration to meet and cope with change at all levels. The authors take managers through the action process from start to finish and help them determine how the four action paths will help them achieve their immediate and long-term goals. The practical advice and battle-tested strategies found in this valuable book address the problems of managers in the real world, where standing still means falling behind, and where actions such as acquisitions, expansions, and downsizings can ruin a company if the action itself is not managed properly. Action Management provides:
* The best tools and thinking from PricewaterhouseCoopers, the leading global consultants to companies managing major change
* Profiles of the action plans of Siemens, Bristol-Myers Squibb, Neiman Marcus, and many more

Edition details

• Publisher: John Wiley & Sons Inc
• Publication date: 1999
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0471345474
• ISBN 13: 9780471345473
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 247