A new book on how to build customer loyalty entitled I Love You More Than My Dog offers both a memorable title and fascinating approach to its subject matter, says 800ceoread.

The book (full title: I Love You More than My Dog: Five Decisions That Drive Customers Loyalty in Good Times and Bad) by Jeanne Bliss claims customers should be placed at the centre of every business decision.

In addition, it's argued that word of mouth is vitally important… that when customers love a brand they become vocal advocates with the power to encourage others to also loving a company.

Some of the examples covered in the book include Apple, which develops stores that people love to hand out at despite the high financial cost to the company of creating these environments.

Australia's favourite brands include Google, Nokia, Tim Tams, Wii and Apple according to a new study by ad agency George Patterson Y + R, Marketing reports.

The company's researchers say the brand landscape is changing with high engagement companies becoming more important to Australian consumers than more traditional and prestige brands.

According to the article, Google came out number one in all brand measurement categories including delivering on promises, continuous energy and service innovation.

The study also looked at how much Australians trust brands. Clearly banks are on the nose with a number of new players, such as insurance company Youi and ING, emerging as trusted brands.

The majority of Australians are stressed at work in a development that requires bosses to step in and help calm their workplaces down, James Adonis writes in The Age.

Citing a recent lifeline survey that indicates 90 per cent of Australians feel stressed largely due to work, Adonis claims managers cannot afford to be in denial about stress levels.

Once signs of stressed-related behaviour, such as negative attitudes, absenteeism and bouts of unexpected crying, are identified it's suggested some of the following actions are taken:

• Check deadlines - are you inadvertently placing unreasonable time pressures on staff?
• Micromanaging mayhem - it's claimed workers often become anxious when they feel they don't have control over their work
• Be resourceful - ensure workers have the resources they need to cope; consider stress management training or even yoga sessions
• Under the influence - your behaviour may be contributing to the problem as workers often mimic their manager's stress levels

More of Adonis' tips can be found here.

The ubiquitous mobile phone and a strong work ethic are turning Australia into one of the hardest working countries in the world, a recent news.com.au article claims.

It's suggested over two million Australians now work in excess of 50 hours a week, a figure that places us just behind Japan and Korea in terms of long work hours.    

The article claims these long hours are taking a toll on family life with one or both parents working overtime in 70 per cent of cases in order to meet employer deadlines.     

Another reason behind the trend is the emergence of 24/7 retail. Australian Bureau of Statistics reveal that in 60 per cent of families at least one parent works at some time after 7pm.

New research out of the UK indicates organisations that help their employees achieve work-life balance experience improved productivity for each staff member, management-issues reports.

The HR consultancy Morgan Redwood study found employee productivity was 20 per cent higher at work-life balance aware organisations when compared to other workplaces.

Researchers also found most managers now understand the importance of fostering work-life balance.

Over 90 per cent of organisations polled felt there was a link between staff wellbeing and business performance, while nearly 60 per cent said there was a very close link between the concepts.

Sustainability will be a fundamental component of the innovation process in the next 20 to 30 years, design and innovation company IDEO argues in an inspiring video called 'Design Thinking'.



To stay ahead of the curb IDEO suggests organisations place environmental issues at the forefront of their innovation activities today.

Companies are advised to make this happen by not thinking about 'what we have to give up and toward what we can create', Fast Company reports.

Prepare yourself. In the not too distant future you could be managing not just three generational groups but five, according to Harvard Business' Conversation Starter blog.

This yet to manifest workplace development will see the following groups working together:

• Traditionalists – born before 1946
• Baby Boomers – born between 1946 & 1964
• Generation X – born between 1965 and 1976
• Millennials – born between 1977 and 1997
• Gen 2020 – born after 1997

It's argued this new demographic environment will change the world of work in a number of ways that can be foreseen by asking four key questions, which can be found here.

Microsoft appears to have embraced the freeconomics trend with news emerging the software manufacturer will provide its new Office 2010 Starter Edition free of charge, APC reports.

The Starter Edition is a slimed down version of Office with just Word and Excel offered. In addition, users will be forced to watch advertisements at some point while using the software.

APC points out that offering one of Microsoft's most popular and profitable software suites for free might sound like a risky, but it is possible to see the company's rationale.

As the Starter Edition software won't offer full program functionality it's likely many users will upgrade to a paid version of the suite at some point (and there's always advertising revenue to earn).

Sir Tim Burners-Lee, the man credited with inventing the World Wide Web, has publicly apologised for wasting the world's time.

More specifically, Burners-Lee has admitted to a US technology conference that the two slashes he decided to place in front of www addresses were a mistake, ACP magazine reports.

He told the conference the slashes “seemed like a good idea at the time” but that the web address system could have been designed without them.

The IT sector's skill shortage looks set to intensify next year in a development that could limit the industry's predicted growth, a new report has found.

The IDC Australia study, which was commissioned by Microsoft, found employment growth for the IT sector will be three times faster than total employment rates.

In addition the report suggests 1,000 new IT businesses will be created by the end of 2009, Smart Company reports.

But commentators say a tightening of restrictions surrounding 457 skilled worker visas will mean some IT companies will struggle to find staff as demand for work grows.

According to the article, the number of 457 visas approved during 2008-09 fell by 13 per cent on the previous year.