This book provides a guide to successful management. Managers need to set the right objectives for the company and clear objectives for themselves. A general manager must develop new strategies that are relevant to the environment and are based on the core competences of the corporation. These strategies will need to yield a long term competitive advantage so that they significantly increase the value of the company over time. This book, by the Chief Executive of a major multinational company, provides many insights and thoughtful consideration of important aspects of successful management.

The motivation for writing this book is the authors' deeply held conviction that good governance is an essential element for any organisation that wishes to maximise its effectiveness. They are not alone in observing that in many cases companies or other organisations that perform badly are often poorly governed. Indeed, the key explanation for poor performance is often poor governance. This observation is not limited geographically and there are many examples from around the world. Concern with good governance is not just limited to the free enterprise system. It is universal.

The main source of competitive advantage for an organisation rests in its people. Many companies claim that its people are the greatest asset of the company, but the evidence is that few behave accordingly. Indeed, when managers are appointed to new important positions, such as their first general management position, few receive any special training for this role. The evidence is that most appointees are appointed on the basis of their track record, and not through any attempt to evaluate the new position and to match the candidate's objectively measured skill base against the core...

The motivation for writing this book is the authors' deeply held conviction that good governance is an essential element for any organisation that wishes to maximise its effectiveness. They are not alone in observing that in many cases companies or other organisations that perform badly are often poorly governed. Indeed, the key explanation for poor performance is often poor governance. This observation is not limited geographically and there are many examples from around the world. Concern with good governance is not just limited to the free enterprise system. It is universal.

The main source of competitive advantage for an organisation rests in its people. Many companies claim that its people are the greatest asset of the company, but the evidence is that few behave accordingly. Indeed, when managers are appointed to new important positions, such as their first general management position, few receive any special training for this role. The evidence is that most appointees are appointed on the basis of their track record, and not through any attempt to evaluate the new position and to match the candidate's objectively measured skill base against the core...