Untitled Document

MAY 2004

	IN THIS ISSUE

	· XALLES NEWS: MUSIC MANAGEMENT AND NEW MARKETS · CUSTOMER FOCUS: WHEELS KEEP ON TURNING AT DYMAG · CREATIVITY INFUSION: SOLVING PROBLEMS IN TEAMS · CHAIRMAN'S CORNER: LAUNCHING THE NAVIGATOR

NEWS

Managing a Music Career
The music and entertainment industry has recently been added to the roster of businesses seeking the services of Xalles Limited. Earlier this year the firm was selected by singer / songwriter ozzylino to provide business management services. The recording artist has requested that Xalles create a marketing strategy and public relations campaign using “their unique craft of business identity branding”. ozzylino is currently a rising star in the Mediterranean region of Europe who is starting to make waves across the pond in the U.S. Xalles will act as ozzylino’s business advisor and management firm as he is promoted internationally this year.

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Expanding Markets
Xalles Limited is currently planning the expansion of their business design services into the Middle East and North Africa. Approached by a leading IT provider in the region, Xalles has been asked to participate as a business strategy partner in several large re-engineering initiatives. Opportunity seems to be calling from many directions in this geographic region. Recent declarations by Libyan leader Muammar al- Qathafi indicate that Libya will be looking to expand its economy through a more open door policy. The travel & tourism, information technology, mining, manufacturing and energy sectors are likely to benefit from foreign investment. Outsiders can provide a wealth of knowledge and experience to countries in these regions that have relied, for decades, on organic growth alone. After expansion into the Mediterranean region of Europe early in 2004 with the addition of two new client projects in January and February, the Middle East and North Africa have presented the next set of business challenges for our firm of international mobile consultants.

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CUSTOMER FOCUS

Wheels Keep on Turning at Dymag
Dymag Racing (UK) Ltd.

Xalles Limited has been selected and is currently working with Dymag Racing (UK) Ltd, a branded automotive components design and manufacturing company, to help launch their new composites product line.

In business since 1974, Dymag is a leading designer and manufacturer of high performance wheels and stressed components for use in the motorcycle and automotive industry. The Dymag name is recognised worldwide because of the company’s history in providing ultra high performance products for the world’s top car and motorcycle racing series. The company has continuously maintained a leading technical position in the market by employing advanced materials and technologies in their design and manufacturing. Dymag is now leveraging its expertise to explore new market opportunities for automotive wheels.

Dymag has chosen to work with Xalles Limited to take the new product line to market. Xalles consultants are assisting the company to develop and implement both its production plan and a comprehensive business strategy. Using the Xalles “Successful Launch” methodology, the team is developing the step-by-step roadmap that Dymag can follow to establish a leading position in this developing market. The work to formulate the product development, operations, sales, marketing and financial strategies will be completed in the next several months. The Xalles team will then work alongside Dymag’s internal team to implement the plan and launch the new business line.

The industry experts and automotive markets will be monitoring the launch of these unique performance products very closely. Watch an interesting business case unfold as the Dymag story continues to be written.

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CREATIVITY INFUSION

Solving Problems in Teams
Most people have heard the definition of a committee: 12 people and 1 brain. A problem solving team is not a committee, but almost the exact opposite. A problem solving team is a group of 3-12 individuals brought together to form a unit that can bring a collection of ideas and critical thinking to bear on a situation with the power of 50 brains.

Here are some great tips that can be applied to improve results when you are trying to generate new ideas in group problem solving situations.

1. Mix individual and group work to maximize the results of both. Make sure that each individual has their own goals and assignments and that these goals converge to support overall team goals.

2. Using problem solving facilitators is critical. Rotate the roles of problem solving facilitators to keep the group dynamics fresh.

3. Set up your problem solving teams to have a blend of people from cross-functional areas of the organization.

4. Choose members of the team that have the ability to balance their level of ownership and detachment to the problem and ideas. This will help ensure that the right solutions can be conceived and implemented.

5. Welcome new team members part way through the problem solving process. When changing resources on a long problem solving venture, it is beneficial to keep at least one person on the team from start to finish to help maintain a consistent methodical approach.

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THE CHAIRMAN'S CORNER

I would like to welcome you to the first edition of The Navigator newsletter. As Business Navigation Specialists we assist organizations in creating and following the correct roadmap for achieving business objectives.

The aim of this newsletter is to keep our business associates informed about the latest activities happening at Xalles, with our company, customers and innovations in consulting. My team would like to express a note of thanks to our clients and partners for presenting the opportunity to work on so many varied and interesting business strategy challenges.

We have aimed to create an informative and interesting newsletter that will keep you up-to-date on a quarterly basis with innovative business ideas that you can apply to chart your own course for success.

At Xalles we appreciate feedback, and I would like to personally invite you to write to us with your ideas for improvement and topic suggestions for The Navigator newsletter.

Look for ways to navigate through change when you are not able to control change.

TWN.

Thomas W. Nash is the Chairman and CEO of Xalles Limited, based in Dublin, Ireland.

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