 On
the Net
with Chris Goh
Pennies saved can be pound foolish
It seems that no business or government department is immune from a bout of
cost cutting. As a veteran of a number of these exercises, the lesson I've learnt
is that change management is an art: some do it well, some badly, and sometimes,
especially when directives are sent from above with limited time, limited resources
and set outcomes, sometimes you just can't do it as well as you want.
In an environment of increasingly tough competition, staffing costs are the
most obvious expense for a business and staff reductions have the most immediate
impact on the bottom line. It's a false economy, because any smart business will
tell you that its most important asset is its people.
So what are the consequences of cutting staff?
In many organisations workers are multi-skilled and capable of performing roles
in a number of areas simultaneously. But one of the immediate impacts of asking
people to do more is that their ability to do them well and consistently becomes
an increasing challenge. There is no doubt that when a company like Telstra
says it will shed 4000 staff, someone somewhere along the line has to pick up
a proportion of the work the others used to do. Even with a significant change
in business model, a customer-orientated world in which relationships are the
key to maintaining repeat business, such cuts challenge the customer relationship
principles a business espouses.
Of course the introduction of remote access and better telecommunication have
meant that staff, who have a great deal of pride in their job, increasingly work
outside the traditional 9-to-5 - even when they're not in the office - be it answering
calls or responding to emails from home. One of the side effects is that employers
are finding it increasingly difficult to replace staff with similar multi-tasking
skills. Businesses want experience, but where are they expecting to get it from
if they don't invest in their staff or take the risk of employing a graduate and
those in apprenticeships. While the recent debate has focussed on a shortage of
skilled labour, the truth is they're not crying about skills but experience, because
many companies are no longer willing to invest in the time to develop their staff
because they falsely believe they won't receive a return on the investment. The
ultimate irony for those businesses is that they'll lose these people anyway because
talented but frustrated people won't hang around going nowhere for long. There's
an old Biblical lesson for business in all this: as ye sow, so shall ye reap.
Or more simply, to make an omelette, you've got to break a few eggs.
Hotnews
The new software-driven processor by Sandbridge Technologies is a significant
achievement for mobile telephony. The 3010 chip is called a baseband processor.
Previously, if you bought a mobile phone that, for example, supported CDMA, then
along came CDMA2, you'd be forced to buy a new handset. The new chip changes
all that - a phone can be updated with the newest mobile protocol or multimedia
format as easily as you upgrade your operating system. The new chip also supports
wireless protocols, which means future notebooks will have the potential to keep
up to date with the latest wireless protocols, like WiMax.
Microsoft is trying to compete with the enormously popular Google Earth by
launching Virtual Earth last week (http://virtualearth.msn.com/). It's in beta
and the good news is that you don't have to download software to use it, but if
you're looking for your home outside the United States you might be a little disappointed.
The mono images aren't very high definition either.
While we're on our regular topic - Microsoft - it has announced plans for its
next operating system to replace XP. The new version will be called Windows Vista.
And while we're on the subject of ruling the world, last year Microsoft filed
a patent for Emoticons - those cute little smiley faces people use in emails and
SMS messages. The application was released for viewing last week and Microsoft's
self-justification makes for interesting reading. It's a bit sad that someone
wants to own the rights to such a free and easy cultural art. But there is hope
the Gates gang won't get their way - 15 years ago, a technology called X-faces
turned pictures into ASCII art, so they haven't exactly invented the wheel here.
It seems someone has actually done what a lot of people think when they receive
spam. Vardan Kushnir managed the Moscow-based American Language Centre, but it
seems it was little more than a front for a huge spamming operation notable for
the clever tricks it used to sneak into your inbox. He recruited spammers to sign
into public forums and blogs to do the dirty deed. This week it was reported that
the Russian had been killed with multiple blows to the head.
Hotsites
- gutenberg.net.au
- Australia's Project Gutenberg is in the same vein as its American counterpart,
hosting the nation's most prominent, important and historical literature online
so that you can download for free.
- www.truebride.com.au
www.brideonline.com.au
- Weddings are never easy things to plan, and somehow, even when you think
you gave yourself enough time, things just catch up with you. Luckily there are
many websites around now that help you plan that special day. Truebride and brideonline
are the major Australian wedding portals.
- www.receptionsearch.com.au
- If you're struggling to find the best place to hold the reception, or even
pick the right Church, this site is very well presented, with a good range of
places to choose from.
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