Apple's future without Steve Jobs

The rather inelegant question of who will lead Apple when Steve Jobs "goes" is being bandied about virtually everywhere at the moment. Speculation about his health has prompted the rumour mill to go into overdrive with Apple seemingly doing a poor job to dampen down the feverish speculation.
It all started last month when a gaunt Mr Jobs appeared at the company's developer conference in San Francisco. There was an almost audible gasp in the auditorium when he took to the stage in jeans that were practically hanging off his thin frame. But for a short while the issue faded as the crowd went nuts over his announcement about the new 3G iPhone.
Afterwards, spokespeople at Apple said Mr Jobs was recovering from a common bug. It was no secret that he had pancreatic cancer and four years ago underwent surgery which was hailed a success.
But the topic took centre stage again this week when analysts were involved in a conference call following the company's quarterly results. Chief financial officer Peter Oppenheimer said that Mr Jobs served as CEO "at the pleasure of Apple's board and has no plans to leave Apple".
Not sure if that line was borrowed from the West Wing script where the characters were constantly intoning how they "served at the pleasure of the president".
Arguably the matter might just have withered on the vine if Mr Oppenheimer had left the issue there, but he added that Mr Jobs' health was "a private matter".
That got people Twittering like mad and now the big question being asked is just how much investors and analysts should know about a top exec's health. Especially, they are suggesting, one like Steve Jobs who is such a visionary for Apple and whose success seems to be closely bound together.
You might well think that this is a lot of brouhaha for nothing, but in the world of commerce this is a big deal. Reuters news agency reports that one investor was considering adding to his $2bn fund but was hestitant because of all the talk about the Apple guru's health.
There are now reports that the "common bug" that led to the weight loss was due to a "surgical procedure" Steve Jobs had earlier in the year. And also being highlighted and bandied about by unnamed sources and unnamed friends is the story that "in recent weeks, Mr Jobs has reassured several people that he is doing well and that four years after a successful operation to treat a rare form of pancreatic cancer, he is cancer-free".
You might wonder how Apple ended up handling this bit of public relations so badly? They are, after all, regarded as masters of the art when it comes to hyping their products and controlling the "message". But it does seem they have been wrong-footed.
The debate all just underlines the $64,000 question of who really will eventually follow in Steve Jobs' footsteps? And can or should any one person be allowed to be bigger than the company he or she runs?

Conflict Negotiation Strategies: by Jonathon Blocker

Negotiations are the key to reaching agreement in a conflict situation. Without the proper training, it can be very difficult to reach a satisfactory agreement with your counterpart in a tense negotiation setting. This is why many successful companies choose to utilize expert negotiation training seminars. negotiation courses, tailored to your particular line of business as well as the specific types of negotiations you face in your typical business dealings, are invaluable both for gaining new skills and in helping you succeed in future deals.
Conflict arises because you and the other party in a business deal have differing opinions about what solution is the best outcome for a particular situation. It might be the wording of a contract, or the terms of a sale. No matter what the conflict might be, negotiating can be an effective means for both parties to come to an agreeable compromise.
One of the most important skills a negotiator will learn in training is formulating a clear objective of what to expect from the process of negotiating. This must be kept at the forefront for the other steps you will take in preparing for your conflict negotiation. Knowing what the objective is then allows you to consider modifications that could be made to your terms and still allow you to achieve your objective. This is invaluable in helping to provide solutions so that you and your negotiator counterpart can come to a reasonable solution. Knowing what your objective is also gives you a starting place to determine what the benchmark will be for the minimum terms acceptable for reaching an agreement on the issue.
Conflict negotiation training also provides the negotiator with a variety of strategies that can be used to bring the negotiations to a successful resolution. One excellent strategy is to be an effective listener. Truly hearing what the other parties in negotiations have to say will allow you to better understand what they seek as terms in the conflict. Knowing this, you can frame alternatives that you offer in such a way so that it appeals to them on as many levels as possible, and thus they will be more likely to agree to your terms. You can also gain clarity on your counterpart's positions by asking them questions. Their answers will provide useful information that can help you modify or change your positions' wording, showing them how it will be of benefit to them, while not backing down on your ultimate objectives.
You can also achieve a successful conflict negotiation by first beginning to reach an agreement on some small issues. Once you have some agreement, begin to build on this. By doing so, it may help you to achieve the ultimate resolution that you desire.

Time to go digital? by Keith Barrett

According to figures released in July 2008, more than 60% of UK televisions have now gone digital. That means that they are linked up to appropriate digital boxes, or else have them built in.
The figures mean that more than 80% of UK households can now receive a digital signal, with many opting for Freeview. There also seems to be strong demand for satellite and cable television services.
Why has there been an increase in the number of people choosing to go digital? Part of the reason will undoubtedly be that the advantages of digital TV have been hitting the mainstream media for some time.
In particular, it seems that many viewers are being impressed with the new interactive functions. These functions are being used to expand the reach of the existing channels.
Access to digital TV also means access to a greater number of channels. This will have driven some people to make the change, particularly given the new range of options offered by the BBC.
A final factor is that the government are publicising the fact that the analogue system will gradually be switched off. There's a timetable in place, meaning that viewers who don't make the leap to digital will simply face losing their TV signal.
So is it now the time to switch, if you haven't done so already? There are clearly plenty of advantages to making the change and there are some good deals on the market that are also making it much more affordable.
For my part, I've switched to make use of a Freeview box, with works extremely well with my Panasonic television. You'll need to shop around to identify the best deal for your own viewing needs.
There's no doubt that digital television has rapidly become part of life. What we once thought of as something that might appear in the future is now very much part of today.