2005 In Review: 7. Referral Companies
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Reveille and Hyperbole
The Occupational Personality Questionnaire – the original workplace personality assessmentis 21 years old this year. Over the past three decades the OPQ has become one of the most widely used occupational psychometric tools throughout the world. Launched by
SHL, the world leader in objective assessment in the workplace, the OPQ was among the first dedicated measures of personality in the workplace.
iCIMS announced that it now powers the recruitment initiatives of 300 customers around the world on its suite of iRecruiterä
applicant tracking tools. This announcement supports the company's claim to status as the leading provider of Hiring Management Solutions to the mid-market.
Barrett Business Services, Inc. (BBSI) will acquire certain assets of Pro HR, LLC, headquartered in Boise, Idaho, effective January 1, 2006. The transaction, valued at $5.5 million all
cash, includes $4.0 million due upon closing and $1.5 million contingent upon 2006 financial performance. Pro HR operates three offices in Boise and Rexburg, Idaho, and Grand Junction, Colorado.
Peopleclick announced its Internet Applicant Compliance Program. This offering from Peopleclick is designed to help federal contractors ensure their hiring processes meet The Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs' (OFCCP) Feb. 6, 2006, deadline for the revised
definition of an Internet applicant.
GoDaddy.com, an ICANN accredited registrar, today announced its offering of free blogs with every domain name. Quick Blog is
offered free with every new domain registration, transfer or renewal. It features customizable templates, image and audio upload capabilities, ability to block visitors, instant automatic updates on new postings, mailing list notification and site statistics. The blog plans are supported by router, firewall
and server equipment, and full network redundancy, claims the company.
Oracle (ORCL) announced general availability of the Oracle(R) Identity and Access Management Suite, a comprehensive, integrated portfolio of products that protect applications, critical systems and data
from unauthorized access.
Jobpartners, the European provider of software solutions dedicated to the PRM (People Relationship Management) market, is launching an ambitious recruitment campaign between now and the end of its fiscal year, March 2006. Jobpartners achieved excellent financial
results in its last fiscal year with revenue increasing by 100% compared to the previous year. In order to support this growth in activity and their increasing number of large international clients, the Jobpartners team will be significantly extended.
In an effort to increase customer satisfaction, leading test developer and publisher, Harcourt Assessment, Inc., has implemented Smart Catalog by Endeavor Commerce.
The new Web site feature, Solution Specialist, provides detailed information and guides customers through a simple, step-by-step question process that helps customers select assessments that are right for their testing needs. Quotes are produced and can be used to verify purchase orders or in the future as
worksheets.
Resolve Staffing, Inc. (RSFF) acquired Assisted Living Health Care, a Mesa, Arizona-based medical staffing firm.
ARINSO International, a leading provider of HR Technology Consulting & Outsourcing Services, announced the successful implementation and rollout of SAP HCM solution in 31 countries globally. The rollout started in
January 2005 after the template solution had been piloted in Finland in 2004.
Deck Chairs
Paul Rostron is executive vice president and chief people officer of 7-11 ... Southern Company has named Ellen Lindemann senior vice president of environmental projects and construction for
Southern Company Generation. In her new role, Lindemann will direct a $6 billion environmental upgrade program scheduled for Southern Company's coal-fired power plants over the next several years.She has served in various roles and organizations -- including power delivery, procurement and marketing --
throughout the company, including her most recent role as chief people officer....
You Should Know
Africa:
- Africa: Widespread Unemployment Hobbles Development The growing poverty in the African continent, plagued also by hunger, disease and conflict, is due primarily to the high rates of unemployment, according to a new U.N. report released Monday. Despite significant improvement in overall gross
domestic product (GDP), "poverty has been unresponsive to economic growth," says the study titled "Economic Report on Africa 2005: Meeting the Challenges of Unemployment and Poverty." "Underlying this trend is the fact that the majority of people (in Africa) have no jobs or secure sources of income," the
study says. (blackenterprise.com)
Australia
- Media sector faces net challenge Internet businesses will boom and traditional media companies can expect to spend the year watching their advertising revenue migrate to the internet, EL&C Baillieu media analyst Ivor Ries says. "It's going to be a tough year for media companies," he
said. They enjoyed a strong calendar 2005 with advertising growth of about eight per cent but this rate is expected to slow to about four per cent in calendar 2006. (The Age)
Finland:
- Finnish November unemployment 8.0 pct vs 8.1 pct yr earlier The rate of unemployment in Finland in November was 8.0 pct, down from 8.1 pct a year earlier, and slightly up from 7.2 pct in October, Statistics Finland said. According to the agency, there were 207,000 jobless people in
November. The Labour Force Survey of Statistics Finland added that there were 2.401 mln employed people in the country in the January to November period, an increase of 34,000 from the same period a year earlier. (Forbes)
Global:
- The Next Generation of News A generation that loves the smell of a freshly printed paper is being replaced by young people who prefer the speed of digital text loading through DSL. Tools The fate of the printed press will rest in your hands. Or rather, at your fingertips. In fact, you
are becoming part of this media shift as you read this article -- not in print, but online. According to the latest reports from the Newspaper Association of America, newspaper readership continues to drop, going from 62.4 percent in 1990 to 54.1 percent in 2003. In an extreme case, the San
Francisco Chronicle reported a 16 percent decline in sales from March 2005 to September 2005. (AlterNet)
- Corporate blogs are a new source of useful information, as IBM and others are discovering. The Internet and other new technologies make many businesses possible -- think of eBay(Nasdaq: EBAY), for example, and Amazon.com(Nasdaq: AMZN). Without the Internet, they'd likely be out of business.
Such businesses are clearly fans of the Web. Other businesses, though, have reason to be more ambivalent. Sure, the Internet brings benefits to many less-technology-centric businesses -- Starbucks(Nasdaq: SBUX), for example, runs an online store, where it offers coffee beans for sale. But still --
the Internet has a dark side -- it permits many employees to ... well, waste time. (MSNBC)
- Many outsourcing companies just send the work across the street After seven years in business, Message Broadcast in Newport Beach, Calif., grew to need more legal assistance than its outside law firm had time for. But the marketing firm still didn't have so much legal work that it needed
to hire a full-time general counsel. Instead, the company decided to outsource the work _ not to China, but to Orange County, Calif. (Mena)
- Re:Viewing 2005: The year in outsourcing Is 'in-sourcing' the new outsourcing? As ever, 2005 was full of controversy in the outsourcing world with collapsing deals, companies bringing outsourced operations back in-house and security breaches at offshore call centres. But despite these
troubles, says Andy McCue, IT outsourcing remained a key priority for companies. The continued pressure to cut costs means IT outsourcing was destined to remain high on the corporate agenda in 2005 and, indeed, at the turn of the year the outsourcing market hit a record high with the total value of
major deals topping €58bn worldwide. (Silicon.com)
- Global Information Security Workforce Study The International Information Systems Security Certification Consortium [(ISC)2, the non-profit international leader in educating and certifying information security professionals worldwide and currently celebrating the Year of the Information
Security Professional, has announced the results of the second annual Global Information Security Workforce Study, conducted by global analyst firm IDC and sponsored by (ISC)2. Results revealed the profession continued to mature, and ultimate responsibility for information security moved up the
management hierarchy, with more respondents identifying the board of directors and CEO, or a CISO/CSO as being accountable for their company's information security. IDC expects this accountability shift to continue as information security becomes more relevant in risk management and IT governance
strategies. (Sarbanes-Oxley Compliance Journal)
India:
- Education gaps jeopardize India's lead in outsourcing The consulting firm McKinsey has come up with an assessment of India's potential in software and back-office services; for the country's policy makers, the report is both a pleasant dream and a rude wake-up call. Between now and 2010,
$110 billion of call-center and technology-related work will move to developing countries. India's share of such "off-shored" tasks may be more than half, or $60 billion, McKinsey has estimated. The government in New Delhi, however, should not take the favorable prognosis for granted. India, McKinsey's
researchers say, "confronts a potential shortage of skilled workers in the next decade or so." To maintain its global share of 65 percent in information technology and 46 percent in business-process outsourcing, the country will need 2.3 million professionals by 2010. According to McKinsey's
calculations, India may face a deficit of as many as 500,000 workers. As much as 70 percent of the shortage will crop up in call centers and other back-office businesses, where proficiency in English is the No. 1 prerequisite for landing a job (IHT)
Ireland:
- Biggest ever rise in labour force: FÁS study A study of the labour market has shown the workforce grew by 95,000 this year, the biggest ever increase. Immigration and increased participation of women led to the increase. However, in its fourth review of the labour market, the
employment and training authority FÁS says employment growth is expected to slow down next year. (RTE News)
- Irish unemployment rate is EU's lowest Ireland has the lowest unemployment rate in the EU with a record number of jobs created in the last year, it emerged today. There were 93,000 more people employed in August than in the same period last year, brining the labour force to more than two
million people. The Irish unemployment rate is the lowest in Europe at 4.2%, compared to 17% in Poland and 9.5% in Germany and France. (IrelandOnLine)
Italy:
- Italian unemployment steady at 7.7% Italian unemployment was kept at 7.7 percent in the third quarter of 2005, unchanged from the previous quarter, national statistics office Istat said on Tuesday. The number of people looking for work fell by 14,000 from the second quarter to
1.874 million, probably as a result of women in the south of the country abandoning the search for a job, Istat said in an official data corrected for seasonal variations. The proportion of women aged between 15 and 64 who were active in the labor market in the south fell by 1.5 percentage points
to 36.3 percent during the quarter, the office said. (Xinhua)
Korea:
- Korea's Core Workforce Expected to Shrink from 2008 Korea's elderly population is swelling, creating concern over the future of the country's workforce. The demographic change is presenting enormous challenge to government policymakers. The number of employees in their 20s in Korea
is rapidly shrinking, not only as a result of a shrinking job market but also because there are fewer young people. 20-somethings once accounted for the nation's largest working group, reaching a peak of nearly 28 percent in 1984. But over the past two decades the figure has fallen to a little over 4
million or 19 percent last year. That was the lowest level since 1982, the National Statistical Office reports. Because young workers are dwindling, the country's core labor force between 25 and 49 is estimated to be declining by 200,000 every year from 2008. And this is prompting concern over a
disproportionate distribution of working age groups with the number of people in their 50s likely to exceed that of those in 20s before long. Eight working people today support one retired citizen, but that could change by 2030, when three workers may have to support one retiree. (Chosun.com)
Muldova:
- European social democrats concerned with migration of labor force from Moldova The Social Democratic Parties from member states of the European Union (E.U.) are concerned with migration of labor force from Moldova. Leaders of these parties decided to hold a special sitting of the Committ ee
for Migration of the Socialist International in Chisinau next year, in order to discuss the problem of massive exodus of population capable of work and trafficking in human beings. Eduard Musuc, a leader of the Social Democratic Party of Moldova (PSDM), told a news conference on Tuesday that this
decision was taken in Kiev at a sitting of the Committee for the CIS and Caucasus of the Socialist International. The sitting scheduled f or the first half of next year will bring together representatives of Social Democrats from Portugal, Greece and Italy, countries which host the highest number of
Moldovan migrants. (Muldova.org)
New Zealand:
- Adult minimum wage to rise in March to $10.25/hr The adult minimum wage is to increase again. The minimum wage for people over 18 will go up from $9.50 to $10.25 an hour from March next year. Labour Minister Ruth Dyson says it is the largest yearly increase since the Labour led
government came into office in 1999. (RadioNZ)
US:
-
Across nation, online help-wanted ads dip The number of new online help-wanted ads nationally dipped in November below 2 million for the first time since July, according to The Conference Board's new Help-Wanted OnLine Data Series. The business research organization said job postings
typically drop off in November and December because of holiday slowdowns and year-end budget constraints. Information for the new online series is collected by a data mining company, Wanted Technologies Inc., which tracks job postings on more than 1,200 Internet job boards. The report said the Denver
metro area, with 2.79 online job postings per 100 persons in the labor force, had the most per-capita job postings in November. Ranked behind Denver were San Jose, Calif., San Francisco, San Diego, Boston and Washington.(KansasCity.com)
- Survey: IT Pay Outlook Mixed for '06 The Enterprise Systems 2005 IT Salary Survey (zipped file) find the IT job market "strengthening" over the past year, and into 2006. But, it's far for clear sailing for a wide range
of IT professionals, including those in application development. In part, the survey, which was based on responses from 1,170 IT sites, found: "[F]or IT line positions, the bumpy IT economy and continued pressure on IT budgets are still putting a damper on salaries." While appdev positions – both
programming and management – have seen some upticks over the past several years, salaries may be showing a sign of peaking, the survey found. (Integration Developer News)
- Building diversity Beverly Edgehill says her personal and professional track has prepared her for her new role of CEO and president of The Partnership Inc. Edgehill was for 12 years vice president of leadership development for Fidelity Investments, and she co-chairs the executive women
advisory board for The Commonwealth Institute. Eighteen years ago The Partnership was founded to increase the representation of black professionals in Boston's business community. Now it works with people of various races and ethnicities and focuses on retention, leadership development and
advancement. It also works on retaining minority professionals with about 220 corporate partners. Boston Business Journal reporter Naomi R. Kooker sat down with Edgehill to discuss retention issues facing the Boston business community. (Boston
Business Journal)
- Job market rosy for 2006 college graduates The college class of 2006 will find the best job market in four years, the National Associations of Colleges and Employers predicted. The NACE Job Outlook 2006 said employers expect to hire 14.5 percent more college graduates in 2005-06 than in
2004-05. More than 46 percent of employers who responded to the request for data said the job market for new college graduates was 'very good' or 'excellent.' Last year, 29 percent of employers answered that way. NACE Executive Director Marilyn Mackes said in a release, 'This is the third
consecutive year in which employers have reported plans to increase the number of new college graduates they hire and this is the best job market we`ve seen for new college graduates in the past four years.' (Monsters
and Critics)
- Dallas Fed Publication Examines Labor Force Participation, National Economic Outlook and Texas Manufacturing Survey The latest issue of the Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas' Southwest Economy focuses on the declining labor force participation rate, the national economy after the hurricanes, a
new Texas manufacturing survey, revised Texas employment numbers and China's entrees into Latin America. In "Opting Out of Work: What's Behind the Decline in Labor Force Participation?" economic analyst Helen McEwen, senior economist Pia Orrenius, and senior economist and vice president Mark Wynne find
that the recent decline in the labor force participation rate has occurred as a result of both cyclical and long-term factors. (Chron.com)
- Farm Labor Shortage Could Mean Higher Food Prices Labor Shortage Could Cost Agricultural Business Billions A huge labor shortage may cost the agricultural business billions of dollars during this winter's harvest, 10News reported. Immigration reform advocate Luawanna Hallstrom says
the country, state and especially the county agricultural industry is in big trouble. "We don't have enough people out here who are willing to go through difficulties for these jobs," said Hallstrom. The bottom line is there is a huge farming labor shortage. Officials say increased border
enforcement, growing competition from other industries, such as construction and hospitality, and the lack of guest worker programs are crippling the industry. (10News)
Survey Sez:
The World's Most Admired CEOs of 2005; Microsoft's Bill Gates Named Most Admired Global Leader in Burson-Marsteller's New Reputation Survey
Despite the continuing controversy surrounding today's corporate executives, leadership still shapes a company's destiny. A new global study conducted by Burson-Marsteller with the Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU) names Bill Gates, Microsoft's chairman and chief software architect, the world's most
admired business leader. The 2005 CEO CapitalTM study asked more than 600 global business influentials in 65 countries to write in which CEO or chairman they admire most in the business world today. The CEO/chairman rankings appear below.
2005 World's Most Admired Chief Executives (Source: Understanding CEO CapitalTM, 2005, Burson-Marsteller. )
- Bill Gates Microsoft U.S.
- Steve Jobs Apple U.S.
- Warren Buffett Berkshire Hathaway U.S.
- Michael Dell Dell U.S.
- Richard Branson Virgin Group U.K.
- John Browne BP U.K.
- Carlos Ghosn Nissan Motor & Renault Japan/France
- N. R. Narayana Murthy Infosys Technologies India
- Jeffrey Immelt General Electric U.S.
- Rupert Murdoch News Corporation Australia
- John Bond HSBC Holdings U.K.
- John Chambers Cisco Systems U.S.
- Jorma Ollila Nokia Finland
- Terry Leahy Tesco U.K.
- Lakshmi Mittal Mittal Steel Netherlands
"The selection of Bill Gates as the 2005 world's most admired leader not only recognizes his ongoing stewardship at the company he founded but it also acknowledges the powerful effect that the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation has had on Bill Gates' reputation," remarked Dr. Leslie Gaines-Ross,
Burson-Marsteller's chief knowledge & research officer worldwide and the study's architect. "Leaders and their companies can no longer safely ignore the value placed on corporate responsibility and commitment by 21st century citizens."
Several interesting characteristics about the world's top 15 most admired leaders surfaced:
- Despite the predominance of American companies among the top four most admired leaders, more than half (nine of 15 or 60 percent) represent other regions -- UK (4), Finland (1), Netherlands (1), Japan/France (1), India (1) and Australia (1).
- Eight of the top 15 leaders (53 percent) are company founders.
- All of the global most admired are insider CEOs (CEOs who have been with the same company for three years or more).
- No female CEOs or chairmen were chosen.
"Business decision-makers clearly voted for long-term performance and proven track records over fleeting success," said Patrick Ford, Burson-Marsteller's Global Corporate/Financial Practice chair. "The tenures of these top-ranking CEOs are not short-lived. They had an average tenure of 21 years to
repeatedly prove themselves."
About the 2005 CEO Capital Study
Burson-Marsteller has been conducting landmark research on CEO and corporate reputation since 1997. The new 2005 CEO Capital study was conducted in 65 countries online with the Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU) between May and July 2005. It was completed by
685 business influentials -- CEOs, senior executives, financial analysts, business media and government officials. Roughly one-third of respondents came from North America (26 percent), Europe (32 percent) and Asia-Pacific (32 percent), and one-tenth from Latin America (10 percent). Participants were drawn
from a cross-section of 19 industries. Please visit www.ceogo.com for more information.
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