Human Resources Survery Report: Office workers find team building exercises 'waste of time'

From the link: http://in.news.yahoo.com/office-workers-team-building-exercises-waste-time-075817674.html

London, Mar 26 (ANI):

Most workers feel that team-building exercises do little to improve office morale, according to a survey.

The poll of over a 1,000 revealed that more than half think such events are a waste of time and a dysfunctional work environment could be better helped by going out for a drink, the study found. Vodafone UK and YouGov's research found that 66 per cent had endured a team-building activity, with examples ranging from eating crickets to massaging colleagues.

Extreme sports were judged to be the least effective way to promote bonding, followed by trust exercises, such as wearing a blindfold and falling backwards to be caught by co-workers. The 'tasks' deemed most beneficial were going out for a drink or meal. Some 54 per cent did not think that doing more activities would improve their working relationships. Many said they would prefer firms to concentrate on building a more supportive atmosphere at work, instead of splashing out on team-building activities.

"British companies are spending a huge amount of time and effort in building more effective teams," the Daily Mail quoted Peter Kelly of Vodafone as saying. "This research confirms that people place more value on open, collaborative and flexible ways of working every day than one-off team-building exercises," he said. (ANI).

5 useful skills that the next generation MUST have on the resume and this generation can try (as a must-have skill set) :)

From the link: http://money.usnews.com/money/blogs/outside-voices-careers/2012/03/20/5-skills-everyone-needs-to-have-on-a-resume

1. Excel
2. Web Development (Java, HTML, SQL)
3. Adobe Creative Suite
4. Foreign Language
5. Google Analytics

"This is YOUR world. Shape it, or someone else will" - Gary Lew. (Manage, or be Managed)

(Canadian born) James Cameron on a solo mission, touches the floor of the Earth (Mariana Trench) & returns to the surface in the Deepsea Challenger sub. A new world record!

A story of triumph of human passion, technological advancement and private enterprise! (the sub was built in Australia and this was a private mission, not a government sponsored one). In terms of Business, there was sponsorship by Rolex & National Geographic. Plus a movie in the works using the footage of the deep sea dive should help generate revenue... I wonder why he did not have corporate sponsorship ads on the sub to get some advertising revenue, like NASCAR race cars. Kidding :)

From the link:
http://news.cnet.com/8301-11386_3-57404305-76/james-cameron-hits-the-worlds-floor-and-returns/

Here are some facts about the sub: http://deepseachallenge.com/the-sub/sub-facts/

About the Mariana Trench (Old Video):

The Van Berkom - JMSB Case Competition

From the link: http://johnmolson.concordia.ca/en/graduate-programs/mba-program/beyond-the-classroom/van-berkom-jmsb-case-competition/about

The Van Berkom - JMSB Case Competition is open to graduate business students (MBA, MSc, PhD, CFA) with a strong finance background. Of the teams invited to participate in the qualifying round, eight will be selected for the final competition. Qualifying teams will be competing for a generous prize pool totaling $10,000 that will be paid out to the top three teams. The focus of this competition is small-cap portfolio management and value investing. The quantitative analysis required for each case will be extensive. Qualitative elements, however, will be essential in differentiating teams who can demonstrate a thorough understanding of the complexities of small–cap investment management. Judges for the competition will be professionals working in money management.

Criteria:
Where: Montreal, Quebec. John Molson School of Business.
When: May 4th to May 5th, 2012
For whom: Registered graduate business students. (MBA, MSc, PhD, CFA).
About the teams: Each school may send a team of four students plus one alternate (if desired).
Contact info:
John Molson School of Business
1455 de Maisonneuve Blvd. West
Suite MB 5.445
Montreal, QC H3G 1M8
E-mail: vbcasecomp@jmsb.concordia.ca This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

Registration info:
Deadline: The registration deadline is March 16, 2012.
How to register: Email  vbcasecomp@jmsb.concordia.ca This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .
Qualification Round:
A 24-hour qualification case will be sent on March 23, 2012. The top 8 schools will be selected to advance to the first round of the Van Berkom-JMSB Case Competition.
Cost: $300 (to be paid as soon as the participating teams are determined in the qualification round).
Form of Payment: A cheque made payable to Concordia University.

Participants (for the hosting school) must:

1. Be registered as graduate students on January 31, 2012.
2. Have taken finance courses covering portfolio management and valuation.
3. Successfully get through a qualifying round by demonstrating their ability to analyze a small-cap finance case.
4. Candidates currently working towards their CFA designation will be given priority.

FORMAT:

First Round (Regular Case)
The competition will consist of two rounds. First Round (Regular Case) In the first round, teams will have three (3) hours to prepare a case presentation. Following the preparation time, teams will give a 20-minute presentation, which will be followed by a 10-minute question and answer period.



Final Round (Live Case)
The top four teams will advance to the finals where representatives of a real company will present a live case. Finalists will be given the opportunity to ask representatives of the company questions. Following the live case briefing and Q&A, each team will have two (2) hours to prepare their case presentation.


The top three (3) teams in the final round will receive a prize payout.