SEVENTY-FOUR per cent of companies are undertaking or planning mergers or acquisitions within the next 12 months, according to a survey of 109 senior executives at large companies in North America, South America, Europe and Asia
SEVENTY-FOUR per cent of companies are undertaking or planning mergers or acquisitions within the next 12 months, according to a survey of 109 senior executives at large companies in North America, South America, Europe and Asia. It also found that the main impetus behind their current or planned M&A transactions include:
Ongoing growth strategy for value creation 54%
Growth opportunities outside the core business 27%
More value than internal operational efficiencies 10%
Further, 48 per cent of executives said they have confidence in their company’s post-merger integration capabilities and processes, while only 37 per cent indicated that executives in their organisations are measured against ongoing integration metrics.
Source: Accenture
The link between CSR and finance
CORPORATE social performance has a positive relationship to financial performance in 53 per cent of cases. The study of 95 business research studies published since 1972 also found that a negative relationship was found in only 5 per cent of studies.
Source: The Copenhagen Centre
Productivity on vacation
FIFTY-ONE per cent of executives believe employees are more productive after vacation, according to a survey of 150 senior American managers. It also found that 31 per cent believed they were more productive before a vacation, while 14 per cent saw no difference.
Source: Accountemps
Aussie CEOs are couch potatoes
SIXTEEN per cent of workers believe their CEOs are couch potatoes, however 18 per cent said their boss is very fit, exercises and watches their food. The survey of more than 1,000 Australians also found that 12 per cent of female workers worry about the health of their CEO, compared to less than 1 per cent of men.
Source: Talent2
Women lack self-promotion skills
FORTY-ONE per cent of females in the workplace believe an inability to promote themselves holds them back in career progression, while other reasons include having children (22 per cent) and gender discrimination (17 per cent), according to a survey of 700 Australian businesswomen.
Source: Australian Businesswomen’s Network
Lack of honest communication busts morale
FIFTY-TWO per cent of executives and 30 per cent of workers believe a lack of open, honest communication takes a heavy toll on morale. The US survey of 150 executives and 571 employees also found that other detrimental factors on employee morale include:
Not recognising employee achievements 27%
Excessive workloads for extended periods 23%
Micromanaging workers 16%
Employees said the best way to remedy low morale included unexpected rewards, such as gift certificates or tickets to a sporting event (34 per cent) and providing monetary rewards for exceptional performance (33 per cent).
Source: OfficeTeam
Good causes cause for attraction
EIGHTY-TWO per cent of Australians would rather work for a company that supported good causes, if all other employment factors were equal, according to a survey of 1,100 people. It also found that 48 per cent of respondents would seek out employment opportunities at a company that had a reputation for supporting causes/charities, while 41 per cent would take a job that paid less if it provided the chance to make a difference to the community. Furthermore, 78 per cent believed it was the job of businesses to involve themselves in the community.
Source: Cavill + Co and Seek.com.au
Happy chappies on the job
EIGHTY-EIGHT per cent of Australian employees are satisfied with their job, a survey of 1,000 people has found. The main reasons for their job satisfaction include:
The nature of their work 34%
Relationships with colleagues 22%
Rates of pay 14%
It also found that 38 per cent of casual workers wanted full-time work while a further 19 per cent wanted part-time.
Source: Job Futures network
Worker credentials lack credit: US
FIFTY-TWO per cent of background checks conducted during 2003 were inaccurate, according a US study of more than 3.8 million employees. The checks also revealed poor credit records (44 per cent), driving record violations and convictions (36 per cent) and previous workers compensation claims (10 per cent).
Source: ADP
Mental health problems brewing: Canada
LESS than 10 per cent of Canadian employers are trained to identify and address issues that contribute to mental health problems in the workplace, despite the increased use of employee assistance programs. The survey of 134 Canadian organisations also found that employees are experiencing:
Increased workloads 91%
More frequent changes in job duties 72%
An increase in work absences 68%
It also found that the majority of employers don’t plan to take action to address mental health issues over the next 12 months because organisations feel they can’t influence the outcome of mental health issues.
Source: Mercer Human Resource Consulting
