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Office Invaders — The Visitor
His discomfort is worn on his sleeve more conspicuously than the 'VISITOR' badge
pinned to his jacket. The visitor, here for a quick meeting with one of the top
dogs, or even worse, waiting for an interview, sits in the sterile atrium of
the office floor, listlessly flicking through the banal corporate magazines and
propaganda that adorn the surrounding tables. Like a shy restaurant-goer, he
fixes passing employees with a dog-eyed stare, hoping for confirmation that he
is indeed in the right place, or even for the offer of a simple cup of coffee.
But busy employees simply breeze by, paying him as much heed as the 'please
wash up after yourself' signs in the kitchen. Eventually he disappears
as mysteriously as he arrived, possibly having found the person he was looking
for, or maybe having shrunk back to from whence he came without success.
In the Boardroom — Because he's Worth it
One of France's most successful businesses will be back under the control
of a Frenchman when its current British chief executive steps down next year.
Lindsay Owen-Jones, 59, the Briton who runs L'Oréal, has said that
Jean-Paul Agon will take over as CEO next April. The announcement comes as the
company, whose brands include Garnier, Maybelline, Vichy, Redken and Kiehl's,
reports pre-tax profits of €2.06 billion in 2004—the 20th consecutive
year it has delivered a double- digit increase. Agon, 48, has been with the outfit
since 1978 and has watched the cosmetics group develop into a skincare and cosmetics
giant. Owen-Jones—France's best paid executive with a pay package
worth €6.58 million a year—will continue as chairman for a transitional
period, but
Franois Dalle, chairman and chief executive from 1957 to 1984, has decided
to step down from the board.
Books — The
Seven Summits of Success
When Rebecca Stephens, a young journalist, reached the summit of Mount Everest,
not only did she become the first British woman to reach the top, but she also
decided to fulfil her ambition to climb the highest mountain on each of the seven
continents. The sheer magnitude of the achievement is inspiring enough, but with
the help of management guru Robert Heller, she examines the power of mental determination
to realise your dreams. As much as the allegory of 'climbing every mountain' is
clichéd in today's society, here it rings true and Stephens' achievement
can genuinely be used as an allegory for success in the workplace and in business—and
almost any other taxing task for that matter. Out 21st April. Price: £12.99
(€19.50)
Number Cruncher Labour Pains
Teachers and lecturers work more unpaid overtime than any other group of workers,
according to research by the Trades Union Congress, which claims that unrewarded
extra hours are worth £23 billion a year to the British economy. The average
length of teachers' and lecturers' unpaid overtime a week is 11
hours 36 minutes, almost two hours more than the runners-up in the league table,
corporate and senior managers. If teachers and lecturers did all their unpaid
overtime at the start of the year, it would mean they would not start to get
paid until 22 March. The top ranks of the league table are dominated by managers
and professionals, but farm workers also put in long unpaid hours, with their
eight hours 54 minutes a week worth just over £2,500 a year. However, Britain's
hairdressers do the least amount of unpaid overtime—just two hours 12
minutes a week, worth £665.
Technology
BlackBerry 7100t
The new BlackBerry 7100t offers the same Bluetooth connectivity as the original
model, but cleans up some of the more superficial problems of its precursor.
The handset is a lot more streamlined, looking like a perfectly respectable mobile
phone. This has been made possible with the cleverly designed QWERTY keyboard
that squeezes two letters onto each button. Those accustomed to standard mobile
phone predictive text will have to get used to the different set- up, but ultimately
it is a more pragmatic design. The thinner handset also makes operating the trackwheel
on the side easier than before. If you have already owned a BlackBerry, you will
be familiar with the wonderful usability of the machine, but the ease of access
to email, Internet and documents is far greater than any standard
PDA on the market. And, until 2nd September, T-Mobile is offering
free international roaming for BlackBerry users. Price: £159 (€230)
depending on price plan. www.t-mobile.co.uk
Seagate USB 2.0
Looking like a cross between a UFO and an ice hockey puck, this portable hard
drive is as stylish as it is powerful, holding an amazing 5GB of material—more
than almost any other pocket mass-storage unit. That equates to 74 hours (over
three days) of music, 1,250 photos or 4.5 hours of video, giving you all the
information that you could ever need on the go. Simply pull the USB cable out
of its spinning case and plug it into your computer: transfers are made quickly
and easily at a speed of 480Mbps, so you're not left twiddling your thumbs
waiting for that bulk document or video to load.
Price: £139 (€200) www.seagate.com
Money — None of your Business Travel
If you seethe with envy at your colleagues' seemingly constant supply
of exotic business trips, you'll be pleased to know that things are not
quite as rosy as they may seem. A survey conducted by American Express revealed
that travellers are finding themselves much more restricted in their travelling
and spending than three years ago, saying that company policies governing travel
expenses are stricter. The tougher stance has been in place in America for years,
but is starting to have an impact in Europe, with 56% of French and 55% of German
business travellers reporting more stringent travel and entertainment rules.
No more 'celebratory' bottles of champagne for every trip then
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