序一

　　NEW WAYS TO SUCCESS

　　Dear Reader

　　Today, the hardest fought and most important competition between companies is the competition to attract and retain top people. It is a competition without borders as top people can easily move from one continent or country to another, skill sets, capabilities, networks and experience ensure open borders and attractive conditions.

　　Today, salaries alone are not enough to attract and retain the best; this true for senior executives, scientists, technicians, engineers, production worker and administrative staff.

　　Of course the understanding of the concept "best" is constantly changing. Today the ability to build and enhance relationships based on care, integrity and transparency are considered critical factors as the capacity to work effectively in multi-level, multi-disciplinary, multi –sectoral, multi-cultural teams becomes the key to innovation. These new challenges force each of us to review and update our understanding of HRM.

　　Looking at this in another way, it is worth restating that the greatest and irreplaceable value of a company is its brand. And the concept brand can be simply understood in terms of the relationships between a company and its stakeholders.

　　It is clear that the people who make up a company are the vital links that forge and maintain these critical relationships and in so doing play an essential role in defining, protecting and enhancing the value of the company's brand.