Publications 41 - 60 / 215

Human resources decisions have not yet risen to the board level in France, even as CEOs and CHROs acknowledge HR’s vital role in value creation. As HR leaders make the case for more strategic consideration of human capital, they should focus on what concerns boards, including performance targets, succession planning, compensation, and creating growth.

Korn/Ferry International's Global Real Estate Sector combines the expertise and service of a boutique, with the reach, leverage and depth of resources offered by the world's largest global firm.

Executive talent readiness is coming to the forefront of business issues as the global economic climate begins to thaw. While no one is popping champagne corks yet, business leaders around the world are anticipating an improved economy. The sixth annual NYSE Euronext CEO Report, issued in mid-2010, found that 80 percent of CEOs expect improvement in growth for their companies through 2011.

One of the major challenges companies face is maintaining a steady pipeline of “ready now” candidates to move up into positions of greater scope and responsibility. This challenge raises two questions: How can leaders get to know their organizations talent on a deeper level as a prelude to individual career and organizational planning decisions? Then, how can companies also develop those individuals to support their emergence as fully qualified leaders?

The "2010 Board of Directors Study, Australia and New Zealand" is published by Korn/Ferry International in partnership with Egan Associates. The study focuses on the continuing challenge for boards of CEO succession planning and we outline the leading role Korn/Ferry International has taken globally in providing our clients with the expertise to assess and develop their internal talent.

Since Labor Day, conversation topic No. 1 in investment banking circles is bonuses, which make up 80 to 90 percent of top officers’ total compensation. Secretive discussions over how much higher or lower bonuses will be compared to last year is not only a sign that the global banking industry truly has come back from the brink, but also highlights the renewed importance of banks determining the right blend of year-end payments.

Asia has emerged as the new center of global economic growth, which is now being driven by rising consumption and increased innovation across the region. This portends major changes for business talent and leadership by 2025. Western multinationals and Asian enterprises who want to expand in the region must develop their own flexible, creative, and collaborative leaders—a group currently in extremely short supply.

Professional services firms rarely discuss how they manage one of their largest investments: external partner-level talent. Yet, the risks and rewards associated with partner-level hiring—including multi-million-dollar market opportunities, reputation risk, and internal disruptions—are substantial. With insight into the motivations of partners who move, and the pitfalls they report hitting in the process, firms can maximize returns on these crucial leadership investments.

The Korn/Ferry Market Cap 100 (KFMC100) comprises the U.S. companies traded on the NYSE or NASDAQ, excluding public investment firms, with the largest market capitalization as of the close of market on May 3, 2010, after reporting for the 2009 fiscal year. Data about the companies’ boards, compiled from proxies related to fiscal year 2009, provide the baseline for this report.

Research shows that leaders can improve their performance simply by becoming more self-aware. In fact, it is critical for leaders to recognize their own strengths and weaknesses in order to reach their potential and avoid derailment. Findings suggest that blind spots are most common in areas related to adaptability, creativity, and assessing talent.

Extensive research has identified the competencies required for leaders to succeed. The best method for integrating talent management throughout an organization is to use competency models as the foundation for all aspects of strategic HR, including selecting, developing and deploying talent. When competency modeling efforts are sponsored by senior leaders, aligned to strategy, and based on validated research, that leads to increased shareholder value, studies have shown.

Last October, the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission issued Bulletin 14E, which strongly recommends boards of directors provide comprehensive succession plans to shareholders. While compliance regulations are yet to be hammered out, the bulletin provided three core criteria that directors should examine when weighing how to meet this new responsibility.

The need for powerful advocacy has never been greater for renewable energy and clean technology companies. Still, these companies, whose growth can depend on Washington’s stamp of approval, often hesitate to add to their executive salary overhead by hiring a full-time government relations (GR) executive in Washington, D.C.

Businesses in many ways are comparable to machines. To operate, they require a prime source of power. We assert that leadership and human capital power the business machine. As such, talent becomes the primary driver of organizational effectiveness.

To succeed in today’s economy, organizations must possess global leaders with the right knowledge, experience, and competencies. However, many multinational companies resist identifying and developing talent globally largely because of the assumption that global leaders in different regions of the world possess and need significantly different skills.

While executive coaching has increased markedly during recent years, the professional application of coaching, our understanding of when to use coaching, and the evaluation of its effectiveness has lagged far behind. The purpose of the current study is to review empirical studies on executive coaching in the literature, synthesize their findings, and explore implications for the delivery of executive coaching.

Social media is fast becoming an integral part of business operations. Companies are leveraging its business potential, and executives at the highest levels are beginning to appreciate its strategic value. Early adopters have established general principles for use and guidelines for implementation that can serve as practical roadmaps.

Analysts, pundits, journalists, academics, legislators and regulators worldwide are attempting to make sense of the financial crisis of 2008-2009 and its aftershocks, like the May 6 $1 trillion market plummet. There is discussion of systemic risk, systemic failure, principle- versus rule-based regulation, exotic instruments and on and on.

What has not yet come to front and center is the people.

The investor relations function continues to grow in importance, responsibility and value. The dramatic and volatile market events of the past few years have only furthered that trend, and today’s IR officer has become indispensable.

For internal auditing, a new era has begun. After nearly a decade of earth-shaking events for corporations, those responsible for reviewing internal controls, operational efficiency, and regulatory compliance are under a harsh spotlight. For the chief audit executive (CAE), business as usual is clearly over. Corporate boards and CEOs are now demanding a new profile: a CAE who understands all facets of the business and can operate as an agent of change.