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Content Type:
CDM Article
01 Apr 2013
Kathleen Conlon talks to Tony Featherstone about boardroom diversity, the risks of policy-on-the-run, strategy formation and how emerging directors can find their first board position.
A constant danger for boards is the potential for "groupthink" if directors agree too easily with the co...
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Content Type:
CDM Article
01 Mar 2013
Dionne Lew reveals why digital and social literacy are must-have future skills for directors.
High-profile failures in corporate leadership have led to increased demand for financial literacy at board level. So why aren’t we demanding the same of arguably the biggest game changer of all,...
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Content Type:
CDM Article
01 Mar 2013
Dr Ken Henry talks to Tony Featherstone about Australia’s role in the Asian century, how our tax system should be reformed and life outside of the public service.
From high above Melbourne, Dr Ken Henry AC provides a glimpse of how great Australian business can become and a scale of natio...
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Content Type:
CDM Article
01 Feb 2013
Your board may have devised a great strategic plan, but how can you be sure it will be executed effectively? Cyril Peupion provides some tips on how to make good execution a habit.
According to recent studies, two-thirds of corporate strategy is never executed. Companies spend a lot of ti...
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Content Type:
CDM Article
01 Dec 2012
With uncertainty a new reality for many boards, Harvey Christophers discusses how a deeper understanding of risks will give directors confidence to make tough decisions in 2013.
More directors are beginning to accept that uncertainty may be the new reality. This is leading to a reassessme...
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Content Type:
CDM Article
01 Dec 2012
Skilled workers are becoming an increasingly rare and valuable commodity. Domini Stuart explains why engaging staff will be crucial as we head into 2013.
Staff cutbacks, factory closures and business failures are rarely out of the news. But while some jobs are being lost, there is a growi...
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Content Type:
CDM Article
01 Dec 2012
Zilla Efrat asks some directors and advisers to forecast the risks that will keep directors up at night in 2013.
The directors
Elizabeth Carr FAICDChairman of the Macular Degeneration Foundation. Director of the Kokoda Track Foundation, Kambala Anglican School for Girls NSW and...
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Content Type:
CDM Article
01 Nov 2012
Organisations cannot just shrink themselves to success. As Greg Hyde argues, short-term attempts to cut costs can heighten risks and can be much like squeezing a balloon and expecting it to get smaller.
Al "Chainsaw" Dunlap, the corporate cowboy of the 1990s, was one of those infamous CE...
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Content Type:
CDM Article
01 Nov 2012
John H C Colvin explains how Company Directors is responding to the increasing stakeholder expectations of directors and how membership requirements are changing.
Our members who follow the news will no doubt agree that individual directors and boards are in the spotlight more than ever b...
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Content Type:
CDM Article
01 Nov 2012
Christopher Niesche investigates how boards can gain the diversity of skills and experience to better tackle growing Asian markets.
Asia is the world’s largest and most populous continent, making up almost a third of the global land mass and with a population nearing four billion.
Its...
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Content Type:
CDM Article
01 Oct 2012
Frances Drummond explains why intellectual property is a boardroom issue and why it needs to be properly managed.
It would be tempting to think there had been some dramatic change in the intellectual property (IP) laws in Australia. Almost every day an IP matter hits the press.
The me...
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Content Type:
CDM Article
01 Oct 2012
At a recent Fellows dinner in Melbourne, veteran director John Ralph looked ahead at how economic conditions might change and what scenarios directors should plan for. Here is an edited extract of his speech.
In planning the strategy for your organisation, you will recognise the possibili...
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Content Type:
CDM Article
01 Sep 2012
Greg Medcraft talks to Zilla Efrat about how ASIC is becoming more proactive and transparent in an ever more complex corporate regulatory environment that has been reshaped by the GFC, increasing globalisation and technology innovations.
Greg Medcraft has had plenty of time to find his fe...
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Content Type:
CDM Article
01 Apr 2012
With more approaches likely this year, Tony Featherstone examines how boards can better manage that knock on the door from potential private equity suitors.
In a volatile market, is anything riskier than a board not disclosing an approach from a private equity firm to buy the company? Sh...
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Content Type:
CDM Article
01 Mar 2012
A company’s marketing and brand efforts are crucial to survival and growth. Graeme Chipp provides some pointers to assist directors in judging marketing performance.
What is the role of a company board in scrutinising marketing investments and strategies? Or, to turn the question around,...
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Content Type:
CDM Article
01 Feb 2012
Western Australia is a land of many opportunities. But, as Sam Walker reports, there are a host of risks and challenges to overcome when doing business in this booming state.
The sleeping giant of Western Australia has woken with a roar so mighty it has resonated through the national econom...
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Content Type:
CDM Article
01 Sep 2010
Tony Featherstone
discusses some of the latest findings on CEO succession planning and what they mean for boards.
Planning for CEO succession
A cursory glance at the writings of the popular press suggests boards still have a cosy relationship with CEOs and that they put CEO needs bef...
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Content Type:
CDM Article
01 Sep 2010
John M Green
argues that boards can leave too much on the table when issuing equity for acquisitions.
Mates rates grate
It’s spring, but when did you last hear anyone mention green shoots? The global mergers and acquisitions (M&A) vine is ...
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Content Type:
CDM Article
01 Sep 2010
Janine Mace
examines the leasing versus purchasing issues directors should consider in the current market where access to finance remains tight.
The pros and cons of leasing
In an environment where competition is tough and credit difficult to ...
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Content Type:
CDM Article
01 Aug 2010
Expanding offshore is a risky business. The Australian Institute of Company Directors and the Export Finance and Insurance Corporation recently hosted a discussion to help guide directors through this maze.
Taking the world by storm
Australian businesse...