Qantas' - senior executives face scrutiny
 

Unusual but interesting story finds (leaked?) its way into the business press today, which I find worth posting considering August is fast approaching us, reporting season.

my bold

Phase II of the Emirates takeover: lobotomy.

Usually, they get consultants in at vast expense to do the job which the various levels of management have been paid to do!:rolleyes:

It's the ultimate management cop-out!!

G'day ;)

Lobotomy?

When they get to Joyce, they'll find they've been beaten to it!

The consultants will find exactly what they are paid to find. They won't get the next gig if they 'find' anything that reflects badly on whomever brought them in.

OH dear....... here come the next round of salary increases and bloated Executive bonus schemes and all based on "independent" advice.

No doubt based on industry trends of top performers who QF once emulated but which are now long gone.

History makes us well justified in being cynical with this lot.

Shirley (surely) we are not surprised about this, this sort of thing goes on in the big business world all the time. They bring in consultants, find some changes that would make the management look good, (usually a good sacking policy) then all pat themselves on the back & live happily ever after, usually at the expense of the employes!!!
These people live in a different world, much like lawyers etc of that ilk.

Am surprised this thread is still running, the Mods must be again asleep at the wheel:)


Wmk2

I think they do a good job, I posted this because normally stories like this don't get into the mainstream press unless there is more to it, something is up, that's for sure.

Why???? :confused: :confused: :confused:

Anyone heard if there is a push for an early agm?
Perhaps the numbers aren't adding up?
Maybe Alan's calculator is still dodgy?

So many questions.....

Qantas senior executives under scrutiny?

I think not !!

How can Joyce scrutinize anyone when HE and his mates on the board are the problem?

The matter is absurd to say the least and a COMPLETE waste of the shareholders money.

Is it too much for the board to accept the blame for the lack of return to shareholders? Not if they can get away with it, and you can be sure that the bar will be set very low for these tossers, if at all.

:*:ugh:

Interesting take on the matter from Ben Sandilands, Qantas calls in more consultants, but to what end? | Plane Talking
Possibly the ambulance has arrived now seeking the chaser... :ouch:

The thread has the "Q" word in it (that's why I am surprised) & we can't have that now can we:-) ?


Wmk2

Qantas execs being lined up yet again in the Far Queue again :E

Jayne Hrdlika. ?!?



Seriously ?

I bet she's fantastic !! I'll pay more attention in future

I learn new things here every day, thanks!

So Wally is not whinging after all?

Jack Ranga:

Quite often consultants are brought in to provide the reasons to fire people that senior management have already targetted. That way the boss doesn't get blood on his hands.

Having been on both sides of this game - as a Consultant and later as part of a management group being scrutinised by consultants, I can make one observation with 100% accuracy:

No useful work will be done by Qantas managers from now, until the last consultant leaves the building and the axe has dropped.

Interestingly, in an internal memo, Alan is denying any consultants have been called in.
Someone's going to get shafted/boned!! :rolleyes:

Sunny-fair enough :ok:

I'm still a believer of Sunfish's theory of a (now not so stealthy) QF takeover by Emirates... so is this the way that someone high up in QF gets the boot and an (ex)Emirates' employee will be installed?

If anyone spots a consultant.

Could you steer them away from the admin buildings & point them in the direction of an airport or aircraft.

Get them to talk to some engineers, pilots, cabin crew and ramp staff.

How could you possibly make an accurate assessment of how management strategy works without experiencing the full effect of their decisions.

MC

Geee 'JR' yr not becoming my best friend are ya?.......I/we never whinge, we are too old for that we are just bitter & twisted old codgers:E

Tnxs 'rmc' I wasn't going to elaborate 'cause I'll get sin binned for telling it how you say:-):ok:

Wmk2

Why on earth would you consider they are interested in you?

The consultants will review and make recommendations in the best interest of the owners of the company, not a disgruntled employee group.

Engaged employees are without doubt they key asset of any company, but they are not the reason for the existence of the company.

MP

In that case, the replacement of the board and the majority of senior management would be the only logical recommendation. Since they have been unable to maintain what you've so rightly defined as a key asset.

MP, the consultants do the bidding of whoever is paying them. They are not necessarily there for the shareholders benefit. This is fact.

Absolutely. Consultancy is all about understanding the agenda of individuals, not the organisation.

One ranks relationships between its staff and client individuals on its CRM system using a scoring system. No 2 is "Understands business agenda". No 1 is "Understands personal agenda". Go figure!

Managers Perspective - The consultants will review and make recommendations in the best interest of the owners of the company Directors must operate in the best interests of the Company ( Corps Law ) Consultants act for the provider of the investigative brief ( not bound by specific law )

Some years ago I had the great fortune to have a discussion with a consultant at Qantas. In confidence of course!

I have been through a few stages in my understanding of Qantas management. Uncaring - they knew what they were doing. Interested - I might learn something from these guys, using unusual solutions to simple problems. Questioning - Are they really that smart? Incredulous - These guys are as thick as bricks and no-one else seems to understand! And finally, festering hatred at the incompetence, fraud and theft.

This consultant coincided with my 'Interested' period, so I was genuinely discussing and not 'dissing'. Nowadays I think my reaction would be along the lines of a Charles Saatchi/Nigella Lawson approach, but I digress:)

I outlined a few points and why I felt they were valid and thought nothing more about it.

Until I got a call to attend an involuntary 'Tea and Bickies' with the Fleet Manager about unspecified transgressions. Go through log book, call crew, try to remember if I had forgotten hat/jacket recently, usual stuff - all turned up nothing.

As it turned out it was my aggressive and hostile attitude to an external consultant on Company Business that was the cause of the problem. FWIW I was neither aggressive nor did I have a hostile attitude. What I did not do was tell the guy what he wanted to hear, and he made it very plain what he DID want to hear, and it was exactly what he would have been paid to report. Even more interesting was discussing with others who had spoken to him it was clear I had merely said exactly what everyone else had said. Despite his denials that nothing but 100% support for Qf's brilliant management existed in the workforce, he obviously got very frustrated hearing things he couldn't put in his report.

In my career I have had two 'Tea and Bickies' meetings (WK1 patterns). This one merely reinforced that the company in its current form (back then) was doomed. I said as much, laughed and simply walked out saying I just had the proof I needed an exit strategy, urgently! Now it is actually way worse than I thought it could ever get!

No doubt many know the more popular, ribald rugby and navy versions of this song; and will, no doubt robustly sing along using their own words. Somehow, this version caught my imagination. Just seemed an appropriate way to spend my two bob...http://images.ibsrv.net/ibsrv/res/sr...lies/smile.gif

I must have missed when it started.:E

V jet understands. Never offer "new information" to a consultant because you never know where that information will end up.

In my case I once tried to be helpful to someone and ended up being the punching bag in a stoush between Gray and McMahon for my trouble.

appears to be a few pigeons flying around the big end of town delivering messages.. I note a slightly different take in this link below compared to the last 3 years..

I find this bit interesting and not a usual line.

I am also surprised this squabble is still continuing, Qantas Deal with Qld Tourism doesn't help anybody. I note they still work together at the annual "G'day LA" event, but still not anything else.

I also remember the "key assets" being urged "to move on" by management and have done so well since the grounding kefuffle etc., etc. Probably time for the guys at the top to do the same, doesn't leave a positive message for the said pigeons to carry.



World's Best Dummy Spit - YouTube

The stock tip comes from Channel 9 which is bought and paid for by Qantas. Ignore it. The most logical explanation is that someone wants to ramp the stock to get rid of their holding.

To put that another way, by the time the general public is told something about the sharemarket, everybody else is set.

By the way, we are about due for one of those "The falling Australian dollar has increased our fuel costs and blah, blah" spruiks.

A friend of a friend (in money market) made a comment to me at a BBQ a few days ago that suggested QF were using their cash to bolster their own share price ahead of reporting season. Not that this guy liked airlines, but he clearly liked Borghetti over Joyce!

Agree with Sunfish, I have total disregard for anything Ch 9 says about Qf. You get the same insightful analysis from Pravda/Qantas news.

Right on the money Sunfish.


A contact I have in the company has advised that worries are emerging about the falling dollar. Fuel hedging has not been what it should have been and costs for spares are rising (being in USD).
This is not good in such a competitive market place.

Stand by for the announcement.

As for MS, this is a company that does not engage it's employees. Most haven't even heard of the Employee Relations manager, let alone believe that their input counts for anything.
The so-called "consultants" will provide the company what it wants to hear, rather than what it SHOULD hear, so the exercise is pointless AND are waste of money.
They're probably getting paid in USD.

They may make the comment re fuel prices and the USD but AJ and co have long been on the record that an AUD between 70 and 80 cents to the USD is ideal for QF.

AEROMEDICAL, can you elaborate a little more on the fuel hedging, you've got my attention?
As much as I dislike old scrotum face, when it came to hedging he along with Colin Storey and Borghetti collaboratively nailed it pretty much every time. So team Joyce, if they are as good as they say they are, shouldn't get belted with unexpected huge losses on fuel (unless he has the kiddies from Vietnam doing the hedging :E). Also the group should be picking up additional revenue from freight exports as volumes increase with a lower dollar, so don't believe any doom and gloom spin that he throws your way to justify cuts.

After 5 years this bloke has truly transformed QF into something totally lame. As for the 'consultants', well there has already been a bit of debate as to why these people are sniffing about, but I think you will shortly see more cuts and restructure but at the senior level. Why? Well for one his splitting of the executive structure and associated portfolios isn't working. And secondly the current structure at the top does not align with EK. There is a doubling and tripling of high level trough dwellers in several areas, so expect some boning to commence. Ol Tim won't take to kindly to propping up QF's top tier of piggy wiggy's. And also, unfortunately, my source tells me that there will be more re-alignments at the coal face, so brace yourself folks, the buggerisation (thanks Sunfish) will continue.

Oops, I forgot, what about the shareholders? Who???

Railway Return
 

One of engineerings old Black Belt Lean Sigma managers has just returned from the railways to carry out a secret project for nappystain as well. Probably trying to decide how far to cut engineering back to earn their kpi's.

Curious 004, any hint as to which workforces?

Purely for interest sake, no axe to grind as I see Qf as near terminal-pardon the pun:)

004wercras,

Not in a position to offer specifics, but take on board this.

Qantas hedged a good part of their fuel requirements for 2011-12 at worst case scenario of US$ 123.59 after increasing the fuel surcharge. The exchange rate then was $1.02 and the Jet fuel price was over USD$120.
I don't know what hedging has been done for 2012-13 but since then, the AUD has dropped to say, 0.92 to the USD representing about a 10% increase in the cost of fuel.
Jet fuel is over USD$120 again and if hedging (currency included) hasn't been done right, Qantas will have to again increase the fuel surcharge or the bottom line will take another hit. Doing that will be hitting the very people that provide the revenue.

Stand by for THAT announcement and then you'll know.