http://www.allbusiness.com/labor-employment/resumes-curricula-vitae/12354189-1.html

Key, trusted employees are different, and it can be very helpful to have them on your side in an acquisition. Often an acquisition means growth opportunities for them, so it doesn’t hurt to let them in on your plans. Just let them know how important it is not to discuss the plans with other employees.

Over the past year, many of the world’s best-known luxury labels have started to introduce ecofriendly products, snap up brands that tout their social responsibility and weave environmental themes into their advertising and marketing. In May, French luxury conglomerate LVMH Moët Hennessy Louis Vuitton took a stake in Edun, an organic-clothing company founded by the singer Bono and his wife.

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB124650107013784081.html

The global recession is adding challenges that defy simple solutions. Global sales of luxury goods are expected to fall 10% this year to €154 billion ($218 billion), the first decline in 15 years, according to Bain & Co. The industry isn’t expected to return to 2008 levels, €170 billion, until 2012, says Claudia D’Arpizio, a consultant at Bain’s Milan office. In response brands are slowing store expansion, lowering prices and trimming ad spending to cut costs.

Still, the economy may also accelerate the greening of luxury, industry executives say. A February survey by Cone found that 50% of Americans ages 18 to 24 said they have “higher expectations of companies to make and sell environmentally responsible products and services during the economic downturn,” compared with 35% of Americans overall.

Speaking at a PR summit at Pfizer HQ yesterday, Susman, SVP and chief communications officer for Pfizer, emphasized the importance of “return on reputation” and said corporate ads don’t work.

“If we pay, it’s immediately tainted,” said Susman, describing the reputational challenges Big Pharma must contend with in terms of public reception. “I don’t want my logo on things.” She noted that Edelman’s annual Trust Barometer found public trust of healthcare providers plunged this year.

http://www.mmm-online.com/Dont-look-for-the-logo-to-boost-reputation-says-Pfizer-PR/article/140710/

Addressing the sour reputation of pharma, which the public views as “greedy, arrogant and deceitful people who care only about money,” Susman countered that Pfizer “does care about profits, but we spend a lot more time talking about science, health and prevention.”

Instead of focusing solely on ROI as a metric for successful PR, Susman suggested the addition of an ROR metric: return on reputation.

■ While there are lots of activities that can reduce an organisation’s environmental impact, there is no silver bullet.

■ A co-ordinated programme is needed – that addresses not just IT generated emissions but also uses IT to enable a low carbon transformation across the organisation.

With businesses under pressure to act, IT has a vital role to play in the move to a truly low carbon operation.

http://www.fujitsu.com/downloads/EU/uk/about/sustainability/green_it_brochure.pdf

At Fujitsu, we believe IT has a crucial role in helping reduce the environmental impact of business. For too long the focus has been on simply reducing the CO2 emissions generated by IT. However, organisations must also consider how IT can be applied as part of a fully co-ordinated transformation programme – to reduce their overall carbon footprint, playing their part in addressing the issue of climate change.

From it’s military genesis to strategic planning as we know it today, the reason for it is always the same: we need to know where we want to end up, how we’re going to get there, what resources we need, and who can help us make it happen. From small entrepreneurial businesses to large public entities, strategic planning is critical in shaping the future of your business.

http://mikedesjardins.wordpress.com/

So if planning is about the alignment and execution, start by asking yourself, “What is our system for planning? How does our system drive behaviour and measurement that tells us early on about execution effectiveness? Is our strategic planning system heavy on communication, reporting, metrics, review and revision so we can’t ignore it, forget about it, or avoid accountability around it?”

http://beginnersinvest.about.com/cs/a/aa2203a.htm

In a company where no controlling shareholder exists, the directors should act as if one did exist and attempt to protect this imaginary entity at all times (even if it means firing the CEO, making changes to the structure that are unpopular with management, or turning down acquisitions because they are too pricey).

http://socalvc.blogspot.com/2009/07/top-10-board-meeting-tips-for-ceos.html

Having attended a number of Board meetings as corporate counsel, I would emphasize the importance of NO SURPRISES. Indeed, if there is bad news, such news should have been communicated to each Board member individually prior to the meeting.

All companies incorporated in the UK and listed on the Main Market of the London Stock Exchange are required under the Listing Rules to report on how they have applied the Combined Code in their annual report and accounts. Overseas companies listed on the Main Market are required to disclose the significant ways in which their corporate governance practices differ from those set out in the Code.

http://www.frc.org.uk/corporate/combinedcode.cfm

The June 2008 edition of the Code took effect at the same time as new FSA Corporate Governance Rules implementing EU requirements relating to corporate governance statements and audit committees.