Jane Simms >Hang on to heritage when you revive a famous brand
Debate >Is market research a waste of money?
Cary Cooper >Bosses must be more resilient
Iqbal Wahhab >Why I changed my attitude towards customer service
As we are continually reminded, the world has changed in the past 18 months. The free-for-all good times have given way to an age of austerity. Employers have shed staff, frozen the pay of those left behind or asked them to cut their hours. While the latest evidence suggests that last year wasn't nearly as catastrophic as expected, few seem overly optimistic about 2010. To top it all we're in the middle of the harshest winter for decades. Put simply, it's quite miserable. So it was a joy to read about Richard Noble's latest attempt at a land speed record, the jet-propelled Bloodhound SSC.
It's the sort of madcap scheme we seem to be so good at as a nation, and it summons both the spirit of Wacky Races and the ghost of the gifted garden-shed amateur. But make no mistake this is a thoroughly modern and totally serious affair.
Best of all, Noble has embraced the idea of crowdsourcing to turn the venture into one giant science and engineering project that's intended to spark the curiosity and imaginations of a new generation of engineers. As the successes of McLaren, Brawn and Lotus prove, the UK has a long and well-developed affinity for the hi-tech end of the motor industry, particularly motor sports. The Bloodhound project can only help to evolve that further. If it also manages to inspire another generation of engineers and entrepreneurs, then it will have achieved something even if the attempt itself fails.
There's optimism elsewhere in this issue, as we look at what employers must do to ensure they are ready for any recovery. It includes a questionnaire to allow you to assess how prepared you and your business are. There's a look inside WL Gore, the company best known for making Gore-Tex, the waterproof material that many of us have spent the past month wrapped up in. While this and the company's other products are technologically impressive, what really excites is the way it manages to engage staff to such an extent that the firm is regularly voted as one of the world's best employers.
On the subject of awards, next month sees the launch of the IoD's own gongs, a way of recognising the work done by directors during the difficult past year. Director readers will be asked to nominate candidates for a lifetime achievement award. More details next month.
Richard Cree