Batten down the hatches for the approaching storm!

Thomas Friedman has just told us about the flat world and how it will affect people, countries and business. Do his concepts have lessons for Business Stewardship? Consider some random developments between May and June of 2005*. You may discern the following trends that can shake-up your job:

· Regulators are under attack for slip-shod work and even connivance with business. Local communities are beginning to assert themselves even as NGOs spread their wings of influence.

· Product liability has no geographical or time boundaries. You can be sued from the time products have left your warehouse to generations after consumption!

· Industry leaders leverage technological strength in such crushing manner that generic players must redesign their business models. Experience and templates of past success can be burdens.

· Established employee relations are crumbling and Corporations may be full of Trojan horses.

· Anyone can be blind to new and severe threats to business continuity.

We cannot shut shop or surrender under the garb of sphere of control. There are specific and concrete preventive and contingent measures that top Managements must continually review:

- Transportation, storage and use safety-product design, labeling and after-sales service.

- Transparency of operations with independent audits to reduce risks and measure footprints in terms of environmental load and public safety.

- Emergency response preparedness including logistics and media response, with regular rehearsal, examination of ‘near-misses’ and benchmarking.

- Data generation on safe and productive use of products and management of issues that limit and threaten business sustainability and even continuity.

- Management of dissent within employees, suppliers and all stakeholders over whom Managements have traditional authority and control.

The lists above may not be relevant for all enterprises. The common thread however is a new environment and a universal need to review business, customer service and revenue generation models.

* Mail drsbanerji@gmail.com for a copy of one such record