Were it not so serious, the Dickensian nature of the conflict between Qantas management and its staff would be a source of amusement. It is, however, no laughing matter. In moving to shut down its entire fleet indefinitely, the Qantas board broke one of the cardinal rules in big business: never bet the business. Never.

Over the holiday season, many business people have probably enjoyed reading Peter Fitzsimons recently released account of the adventures of Douglas Mawson, the great Australian Antarctic explorer. Woven through this absorbing book are parallel stories of the men who raced for the South Pole in the early 1900’s – Shackleton, Scott and Amundsen. It is

Christmas is almost upon us again. In the frantic rush to clear the decks for a holiday, buy the presents and arrange the family lunch, we have little time to think about the meaning of the celebration for us personally, let alone for our organisation. Something to do with a guy from Nazareth. Yet, if