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Executive coaching has become increasingly important for enhancing organizational leaders’ professional effectiveness. The purpose of this paper is to contribute to a growing body of research literature that examines how coaching techniques help school principals improve their instructional leadership.

Using a protocol based on a theories of practice framework (Argyris and Schön, 1974) to support principals in deepening their self-reflection, this study added the element of a guided peer-coaching component in a group setting.

Results confirmed the effectiveness of the coaching protocol for assisting principals in deepening their self-awareness and critical reflection regarding their leadership, including the way principals’ core assumptions about teaching and leadership shaped the outcomes of their problem-solving strategies. Perceptions of the peer-coaching element were mixed, however. While principals reported feeling affirmed by sharing their leadership challenges with others, and indicated that the group coaching experience contributed to their sense of professional community, there were limitations to principals’ willingness to challenge one another’s core assumptions.

This study builds on literature that cites theories of practice as a mechanism for enhancing professional effectiveness and represents a further iteration of recent research studies applying the concept to the work of school principals. Findings affirm that a coaching protocol based on theories of practice is well received by principals, serves to deepen self-reflection, and can, in limited cases, contribute to sweeping changes of thinking and practice congruent with the concept of double-loop learning.

An interview with Thomas A. Stewart, recently appointed editor of the Harvard Business Review and formerly Editorial Director of Business 2.0 and a member of the Board of Editors of Fortune. His latest book is The Wealth of Knowledge: Intellectual Capital and the Twenty‐first Century Organization (2002). Stewart’s message: Knowledge is the most important factor of production in the modern economy and a key to achieving competitive advantage. Investment in intellectual capital almost invariably provokes further complementary investments, producing a self‐feeding circle of investment and value creation. If you don’t know why you’re doing knowledge management, you shouldn’t be doing it. To apply knowledge management ideas and tools to solve business problems, you have to first identify the business problems. More companies are now operating in real time. In these companies, management can see their companies running almost the way an open‐heart surgeon can see the heart beating. That is going to change the art of management in a lot of ways. One effect will be to increase the visibility of the importance of knowledge and information. The response to 9/11 has made people much more aware of the value of their knowledge and much more aware of how to manage, collect, and protect both that knowledge and the people who create and embody it. As we move forward, I think we will be seeing an explicit recognition that deploying and redeploying people and knowledge leads to the fastest growth.

This paper aims to present a practitioner overview of the challenges and growing strategic importance of knowledge and knowledge sharing in organizations, considering roles of learning, and in particular networks, together with collaboration in the development of sustainable competitive edge through knowledge, knowledge management and the activities of knowledge workers.

First, the paper sets the scene for the development of the twenty‐first century knowledge economies, by providing a brief literature overview incorporating some of the key work of Peter Drucker, Charles Handy, Tom Stewart and others. It also provides insights into the London Knowledge Network and its role in supporting organizations in the pursuit of effective knowledge‐focused strategies. Then, via insights into three organizations: one medium‐sized private company (US) and two public (one small, one very large) UK organizations, some of the challenges are considered that organizations experience as they seek to use learning and knowledge as sources of sustainable competitive edge at organizational and often regional, national, international and global levels.

Overall, it was found that knowledge management has not become the latest management fad but, if properly supported, can be used to benefit customers and workforces alike.

Some conclusions are drawn about how organizations are managing the significant change, especially the cultural change, involved in using knowledge as a key driver for future competitiveness. This paper will be of use to any organization wishing to implement knowledge management.

Marks and Spencer, one of the UK's leading retailers, is often cited as an example of British enterprise at its best. Despite increasing competition in the high street, it is profitable, and it has an enviable reputation for the quality of its merchandise. It is also well known as a first class employer which demands high standards from its employees and in return offers unrivalled staff welfare facilities.

AFTER YEARS IN INCUBATION, THE NEW EEC DIRECTIVE ON VDUs HAS BECOME LAW. TOM STEWART DISCUSSES THE SALIENT POINTS AND THE IMPORTANT IMPLICATIONS FOR EMPLOYERS AND USERS.

Claims the greatest challenge facing the accounting profession is understanding the huge difference between its balance sheet and market valuation. This gap represents the core value of the company – its intellectual capital represented by brands, products, competitive advantage, patents, trade marks, customer relationships, R&D, human capital etc. The present financial accounting framework is criticised, especially in the USA and Europe, as inadequate and failing to communicate the most important assets and resources of today’s business, known as intangible assets or intellectual capital. As a result, there is a huge value gap and distortions between a business entity value as reported in the financial statements with the value put by investors on the stock market or even in merger and acquisitions cases. In the new knowledge economy (k‐economy), knowledge rather than physical assets drives innovations, revenue and profits growth, and nurtures new competitive advantages. Looks at the challenges encountered by accounting and where it is heading in the k‐economy environment.

The last of three articles, considers what is involved in planning and conducting a risk assessment programme for display screen and workstations. Suggests three levels of assessment according to the incidence of problems and apparent risks, and gives guidance on who should do the assessing and how often. Finally, outlines an assessment action plan.