July 2006 Archives

In the long history of commerce and corporations, I think it's fair to say that self-policing tends not to be the most effective method of ensuring fairness toward competitors or customers.

But according to this CNET News.com story:

Microsoft pledged on Wednesday that all of its future operating systems, including Windows Vista, will abide by self-imposed rules aimed at bolstering choice and competition.

This solemn vow by Microsoft general counsel Brad Smith "will come into play after major parts of a U.S. government decree related to the landmark U.S. antitrust case against the software maker expire next year," the article reports.

Specifically, Smith said at a Washington think-tank luncheon, users and manufacturers will be allowed to alter default settings, install any software, and remove Windows features.

[The voluntary principles] reflect the fact that Microsoft has learned a lot in the nine years since the U.S. government launched its antitrust probe in earnest. Chief among those lessons, Smith said, is the recognition that Microsoft has "a special responsibility both to advance innovation and to help preserve competition in the information technology ecosystem."

It's no surprise that Redmond prefers self-policing to what it has earned in recent years through numerous marketplace misbehaviors:

The announcement comes just a week after the European regulators slapped the company with a $357.3 million fine for noncompliance with a 2004 antitrust ruling. In addition, several U.S. antitrust-related provisions imposed on Microsoft by a federal court run out in November 2007. The company agreed with federal and state prosecutors in May to extend certain parts of the judgment related to licensing of its communications protocols until 2009.

But given this and this, you have to wonder how much Microsoft really has learned.

Summer vacation season is a time when many workers take a step back to assess how happy they are in their current jobs and to ponder alternatives.

If you're not fully satisfied at work, and changing jobs is not an option, you might want to check out a column over at TechRepublic which suggests another way to get a better job without leaving your current position -- by "training" your boss.

Yes, I am skeptical too. But let's hear the TechRepublic columnist out. She lists 10 techniques designed to make your boss more responsive and appreciative. Among them are:

Congratulate yourself on your accomplishments

Congratulate your boss on his or her accomplishments

Congratulate your peers in front of your boss

Congratulate total strangers (OK, I made this one up)

Suck up Pretend to your boss that you're awed by how hard his or her job is

IM your boss with updates on what you're doing every 10 minutes (also made up, but some idiots do this anyway)

A number of readers responded to the column, injecting a sorely needed (in my opinion) "reality check." Among the comments:

"If you have to perform most or all of these 10 steps, seriously consider #11 and get a new boss."

"I believe that finding good jobs and supervisors are all in how you the employee look at the job. If the job works for you I believe that everyone will be happy. If the job does not work for you we should learn how to move on and stop the hate cycle."

"Staff feedback is vital to ensuring a good workplace and an efficient department. [However], staffers have to understand that every suggestion they make isn't going to be implemented, and the manager has to know what is worth pushing and what will work in the organization's overall direction. Problems occur when one of these understandings fails."

"In my first job, with a great boss at the helm, he advised us to, 'criticize all you like, but complete your idea with a suggestion/solution to the problem(s). Communicate your thoughts with respect (a two-way street) and do it quickly and accurately so I can make a decision ... which may still be to ask you to get out of my office.'"