Management Quarterly

Browse past and current articles from this publication.

NRECA 2009 calendar: (Current as of July 2009).(Calendar)
AUGUST 2009 Workplace Law August 3 Hilton Head, SC Legal Seminar 49 August 4-5 Hilton Head, SC Benefits Update Conference August 17-20 Las Vegas, NV SEPTEMBER 2009 Region 1 & 4 . . .

Re-establishing trust at Pedernales.
If there is one essential, but sometimes elusive asset in today's business world it is trust. For cooperatives, trust is our member/owners' belief in our character, strength, service and integrity. . . .

Lessons from Mickey & Minnie: the new definition of good faith in governance.
1996 was a year of change and strange events. The O.J. Simpson trial began, Nintendo 64 was released, Dolly the Sheep was cloned in Britain, the FBI arrested the Unabomber, and Prince Charles and Pr . . .

Communication from the top down.
Chris Hamon, PE, chief executive officer of White River Valley Electric Cooperative in Branson, MO, is the 2009 recipient of the J.C. Brown CEO Communication Leadership Award conferred by the electr . . .

Plan for success and measure it.
As we enter a new frontier of providing electric service, the role of communication in the cooperative landscape has become increasingly more important. Our members are continually inundated with ne . . .

Blueprint for developing a culture of safety--Part One: a report from the Federated Rural Electric Insurance Exchange.
Whenever an accident or injury occurs, the immediate reaction is to figure out what happened. A report is completed with all the details--date, location, circumstances, who was involved, any injurie . . .

NRECA 2009 calendar: (current as of June 2009).(CALENDAR OF KEY EVENTS)(Calendar)
JULY 2009 Accounting Finance & Tax Conference July 12-15 Minneapolis, MN Benefits Update Conference July 14-17 Indianapolis, IN Summer School East July 25-30 Hilton Head, SC Bene . . .

The smart utility will be a connected utility.
The energy crisis in the US is driving a major transformation in the business model of how the utility industry operates, requiring rapid and pervasive deployment of reliable, secure, and two-way br . . .

Effectively managing aging assets: using a simulation model to improve O&M and capital planning processes.(Report)
Electric utilities must manage a variety of aging distribution assets that are critical to system reliability. They are also faced with potentially huge costs when they need to replace these assets . . .

A relational framework for understanding board commitment: a cooperative governance survey.(Report)
There have been many surveys and studies done of corporate governance by any number of organizations and academic professionals. Most of these studies focus on corporate duties such as setting direc . . .

Management in real life: top communicators.
Ah, the power of information! Both research and experience tells us that when employees understand how the business operates, can connect their work to company financials, and know what has to be do . . .

NRECA 2009 Calendar.(Calendar of Key Events)(Calendar)
NRECA 2009 CALENDAR (Current as of November 2008) JANUARY 2009 CEO Close-UP January 11-14 Marco Island, FL Touchstone Energy[R] NET 2009 January 19-21 Tucson, AZ FEBRUARY 2009 Te . . .

Calendar of key events.(Calendar)
NRECA 2009 CALENDAR (Current as of November 2008) JANUARY 2009 CEO Close-UP January 11-14 Marco Island, FL Touchstone Energy[R] NET 2009 January 19-21 Tucson, AZ FEBRUARY 2009 Te . . .

Cooperatives in transition: restructuring and recovery in Georgia.
The forces of deregulation and the promise of low cost competitively priced power have created volatile market conditions and concurrent changes to organizations throughout the electric power indust . . .

Business performance management: a road map for utilities.(Reprint)
The product/service offerings based on business intelligence have come a long way since its inception. Utilities worldwide have realized the potential of this technology and have made significant in . . .

Making business alliances work.
Creating, building and managing successful alliances is a capability that is critical to associations and companies of all sizes. As global markets become more complex--yet needing essential local e . . .

Are you ready for company?(Reprint)
"Company's coming!" In the small-town, pre-Internet, pre-videogame world that I grew up in, those words were almost always good news. It usually meant that friends or relatives were on their way, an . . .

Calendar of key events.(Brief article)(Calendar)
NRECA 2008 CALENDAR JANUARY 2008 CEO Close-UP January 14-16 Indian Wells, CA Touchstone Energy[R] NET Conference January 29-31 Hilton Head, SC FEBRUARY 2008 TechAdvantage Conferenc . . .

The improvement imperative: benchmarks can help utilities enhance operational efficiency.
A white paper from Compass and UtiliPoint International, Inc. Most utilities and energy companies are not operating as efficiently as possible. Facing extraordinary pressure to optimize operationa . . .

Fiduciary duty of electric cooperative CEOs, CFOs, and other nondirector officers.(chief executive officer, chief financial offi
In addition to a president, vice president, secretary, and treasurer who serve on an electric cooperative's board of directors, many cooperatives have a chief executive officer, chief financial offi . . .

Communication--Texas style.(United Cooperative Services (United))
Ray Beavers, general manager/chief executive officer of United Cooperative Services (United), Cleburne, TX is the 2008 recipient of the J.C. Brown CEO Communication Leadership Award conferred by the . . .

Communicating is critically important in today's energy environment.
Delivering power is the core business of a distribution cooperative. Yet, ever since joining the cooperative network more than three decades ago, I've considered communication to be the most essenti . . .

Utilities executive study.
A report from Platts/Capgemini With concerns about the environment, infrastructure, workforce management and increasing regulation denying many of them a peaceful night's rest, top North American . . .

Calendar of key events.(National Rural Electric Cooperative Association)(Brief article)(Calendar)
NRECA 2008 CALENDAR JANUARY 2008 CEO Close-UP January 14-16 Indian Wells, CA Touchstone Energy[R] NET Conference January 29-31 Hilton Head, SC FEBRUARY 2008 TechAdvantage Conferenc . . .

Calendar of key events.(Calendar)
NRECA 2007 CALENDAR (Current as of December 2006) JANUARY 2007 CEO Close-UP January 24-27 Marco Island, FL FEBRUARY 2007 Touchstone Energy@ NET 2007 February 7-8 Tampa, FL Director . . .

Education as a rural development strategy.
US Educational attainment in rural America reached a historic high in 2000, with nearly one in six rural adults holding a 4-year college degree, and more than three in four completing high school. A . . .

Vital signs: NRECA's summary of distribution cooperative data.(National Rural Electric Cooperatives Association)(Report)
Vital Signs, first produced in 1985, is an annual analysis of the data reported by rural electric systems from the end of the previous calendar year. This year's report is based upon 2005 data from . . .

A new rural economy: a new role for public policy.
There is good news and bad news for the rural economy. Over the past couple of years, fortunes have turned up as the rural economy has outpaced the metro economy. Looking deeper, though, reveals lon . . .

From the editor's desk.
Welcome to the Winter 2006 issue of Management Quarterly. Over the past year we have introduced a few changes to this publication--from its look to our range of contributing authors. I wish to thank . . .

Calendar of key events.(Calendar)
NRECA 2007 calendar. (Current as of September 2006) JANUARY 2007 CEO Close-UP January 24-27 Marco Island, FL FEBRUARY 2007 Touchstone Energy[R] NET 2007 February 7-8 Tampa, FL Dire . . .

Retail rates, distributed generation, and the Energy Policy Act of 2005: did you meet your first deadline?
On August 8, 2005, the President signed the Energy Policy Act of 2005 (EPAct'05). Within its 1,725 pages, the statute includes a provision requiring State regulators (for the utilities whose rates t . . .

Recruiting & compensating for key positions in a competitive market.
It's no secret that the electric utility industry is one critical sector of our economy that is facing an increasing shortage of and growing demand for talented and skillful workers. Investor-owned . . .

The cost of knowledge: why business as usual costs millions.
The aging workforce has been discussed in the trade press continually over the past two years. But what does it really mean to the bottom line? And is there any way to form a business case around th . . .

A cooperative solution: this self-governing corporate structure protects communities and prospers in a globalizing world.
Four times a year, as many as a thousand clients of each local branch of Rabobank, a leading Dutch institution and one of the world's 25 largest banks, assemble to discuss business. They are not typ . . .

Calendar of key events.(Calendar)
NRECA 2006 CALENDAR JANUARY 2006 CEO Close-Up January 16-18 Phoenix, AZ Touchstone Energy[R] NET 2006 January 18-20 Phoenix, AZ FEBRUARY 2006 Pre-Annual Meeting Training February 16-18 Orl . . .

Do you believe in magic? An otherworld of incredible new technology.
The exploding power of electronic devices and digital communications is creating a magical new world. This new world is not just about improving things that we already do or making it possible to do . . .

A cautionary tale: nanotechnology and the changing face of the electric utility industry.
In 1968, Swiss watch manufacturers controlled 80 percent of the world market in high quality watches. By 1973, their market share had plummeted to less than 25 percent and they were forced to lay of . . .

Electricity after Insull.(Samuel Insull's innovations)
Professional engineers were asked recently what they thought was the twentieth century's greatest technical feat. Some suggested the automobile or the internal combustion engine. Some argued for the . . .

End of Enron era sparks new hope.
The notorious Enron trial has ended. Jurors handed over their verdicts and former Chairman Ken Lay was found guilty on six felony counts while former CEO Jeff Skilling was convicted of 19 felony cha . . .

Today's media--friend or foe?
We've all heard the joke: You know it's going to be a bad day when you show up for work and a news team is waiting outside your office. If you are a CEO or communications professional, it's no joke. . . .

Communicating value-easier said than done.(Randolph Electric Membership Corp.'s customer relationship management)(Company Profil
Like most cooperatives, Randolph EMC in North Carolina conducts member satisfaction surveys to ensure that they are delivering the quality of service that will build and ensure member loyalty. When . . .

Renewable energy and clean air compliance: green convergence.(Environmental Protection Agency Clean Air Interstate Rules)
The electric utility industry has recently witnessed an extraordinary amount of regulatory activity focused on renewed clean air initiatives and new generating technology. "Green convergence", a ter . . .

Communicating your cooperative's message--lessons learned.(business communications)
How do you build a relationship with 50,000 members? At the onset, it may seem a daunting task. And for an engineer like me, it's a skill that doesn't come naturally. But in my three years as CEO of . . .

Improving member satisfaction through strategic communications.
When Kyle Kuntz assumed the position of Chief Executive Officer for Sam Houston Electric Cooperative Association in October 2002, the cooperative faced several challenges that, in combination, place . . .

Five issues that keep HR managers in the power industry awake at night--and what to do about them.(Reprint)
That electric utilities throughout the U.S. face formidable workforce challenges in the next five years is well documented. While the scope of those challenges will vary widely from system to system . . .

Retail rate development: the role of the cooperative board.
No issue facing a cooperative board is more complex and yet more important than its oversight of the development of effective retail rate policies. No one likes to raise rates. And no one likes sitt . . .

Developing a code of ethics.
Recent corporate scandals and the subsequent passage of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act have led to a renewed focus on business ethics. Additionally, revised U.S. Sentencing Guidelines provide strong incenti . . .

How to choose a GPS fleet management system: what features are right for you?(global positioning system)
Operating an efficient business is a priority for every business. For electric utilities of all types, greater insight into their employee's working day and the location of their vehicles (and equip . . .

Defining superior leadership for the next generation.
If you heard the story once, you've heard it at least a dozen times that approximately 30 percent of the electric cooperative CEO's are eligible to retire over the next 5 years. In reality, however, . . .

Health issues: it's not the money.
Introduction Our health care system has changed considerably during the past 20 years. We've attempted to manage costs. We've begun to focus on quality. We anticipate we can improve the delivery o . . .