http://www.sppconsulting.com.au/index.php/blogs/ en mark.donaldson@sppconsulting.com.au Copyright 2011 2011-02-01T06:28:06+00:00 http://www.sppconsulting.com.au/index.php/blogs/blog/strategic-sufficiency/ http://www.sppconsulting.com.au/index.php/blogs/blog/strategic-sufficiency/#When:06:28:06Z The first blog of this series identified that to achieve a strategy an organisation must first have one that is current and relevant. This entry looks at a pragmatic approach to assess and validate a strategy. Making Strategy Happen 2011-02-01T06:28:06+00:00 http://www.sppconsulting.com.au/index.php/blogs/blog/fifas-appetite-for-risk/ http://www.sppconsulting.com.au/index.php/blogs/blog/fifas-appetite-for-risk/#When:23:05:07Z The recent decision by FIFA to award the 2018 and 2022 World Cups to Russia and Qatar respectively has triggered an outpouring of emotion, largely in the form of anger from unsuccessful bidders in what they see as a flawed process. Much criticism has been based upon the technical reports prepared by FIFA on each of the bidding nations, in which Russia was listed as a “medium” risk while Qatar was listed as a “high risk”. All other bidding nations were listed as “low risk”. Herding Cats 2010-12-14T23:05:07+00:00 http://www.sppconsulting.com.au/index.php/blogs/blog/does-hugging-customers-really-work/ http://www.sppconsulting.com.au/index.php/blogs/blog/does-hugging-customers-really-work/#When:21:58:50Z In 2003, Jack Mitchell wrote a book called “Hug Your Customers” that identifies the ingredients his business uses in order to drive profits. One of the co-owners of Mitchells and Richards in Connecticut, Jack believes in creating a culture of great customer service by personalising sales and ensuring customers are “extremely satisfied”. Retail Thinking 2010-10-21T21:58:50+00:00 http://www.sppconsulting.com.au/index.php/blogs/blog/business-development-defined/ http://www.sppconsulting.com.au/index.php/blogs/blog/business-development-defined/#When:21:28:59Z Business development is a core function in any business that seeks to grow and improve profitability – yet in recent times, the term has become confused. Many people now associate business development with “sales”. In fact, a strong business development function is much broader than that. So in this blog, we’ve asked ourselves the question – what is business development? Better Business Development 2010-10-21T21:28:59+00:00 http://www.sppconsulting.com.au/index.php/blogs/blog/whats-the-problem/ http://www.sppconsulting.com.au/index.php/blogs/blog/whats-the-problem/#When:02:58:58Z Businesses rarely have a shortage of ideas when it comes to launching new initiatives - but struggle to describe them effectively. So what makes for a good business case? Herding Cats 2010-10-21T02:58:58+00:00 http://www.sppconsulting.com.au/index.php/blogs/blog/is-my-strategy-likely-to-happen/ http://www.sppconsulting.com.au/index.php/blogs/blog/is-my-strategy-likely-to-happen/#When:02:29:15Z Most organisations have a strategy, or at least the leader of the organisation will have a clear idea of where the business is headed over the next few years. The likelihood of achieving these results varies. Some strong indicators of success can be distilled from our experience helping businesses throughout the strategy lifecycle of: determination, planning, execution and review. Making Strategy Happen 2010-09-08T02:29:15+00:00