4766 Posts Found

J. Scott Armstrong is a marketing professor at Wharton and author of the recent book, Principles of Forecasting. In the article that follows, he talks about his research into role-playing as a tool for leaders in both business and government who face crucial decisions in situations ranging from military clashes to marketing challenges.

Content: Article | Source: Knowledge@Wharton | Subjects: Best Practices, Management

You decide the substance and I’ll decide the process, and I’ll beat you every time.

Content: Quotation | Source: Unknown | Subjects: Miscellaneous, Process

Toyota’s reputation for sustaining high product quality is legendary. But the company’s methods are not secret. So why can’t other carmakers match Toyota’s track record? HBS professor Steven Spear says it’s all about problem solving.

Content: Article | Author: Steven Spear | Source: Harvard Business School (HBS) Working Knowledge | Subjects: Best Practices, Management

Eager to focus on the things they do best, companies have turned to business process outsourcers for virtually everything else.

Content: Article | Author: Russ Banham | Source: CFO Publishing | Subjects: Management, Outsourcing / BPO

“Sales management is where the real test of the business is made. Will the customers buy at a price, in sufficient quantity and according to the stock and manufacturing plan in a way that will enable the company to make a profit? Good sales management does not just happen.” Here is an article and associated sales audit exercise related to that all-important topic.

Content: Article | Author: John Agate | Source: TheWorkingManager.com | Subjects: Management, Marketing / Sales

The members of Lee Coker’s team have varying degrees of experience and successes. How can he best manage this mixed group so that each person achieves his or her goals, as well as the milestones of the overall organisation? Professor Jean-Francois Manzoni and Research Fellow Jean-Louis Barsoux illustrate the challenges of operational management in this case study.

Content: Case Study | Authors: Jean-François Manzoni, Jean-Louis Barsoux | Source: INSEAD | Subjects: Management, Organizational Behavior

Recessionary times can be murder on office politics— especially when devious practices and backstabbing are rampant. Resuscitate teamwork and find solutions with this Harvard Management Update article.

Content: Article | Author: Loren Gary | Source: Harvard Business School (HBS) | Subjects: Management, Organizational Behavior

Although outsourcing is an extremely valuable business tool, it’s no different from other tools. An understanding of when and why to outsource is crucial.

Content: Article | Author: Peter Bendor-Samuel | Source: CEO Refresher | Subjects: Management, Organizational Behavior

“This web site is designed to provide the information necessary to successfully manage projects of all kinds. In many project management sites you are sent to links to order books. On others, you find a professor’s notes from a college class. Here you will find much of what you need to be a successful Project Manager, including a step by step approach, starting with the … [ Read more ]

Content: Online Resource | Author: Tom Mochal | Subject: Project Management

How do you make decisions about business investments when the outcome and likely cash flows are almost unknowable? A new tool, real options analysis is now being used by firms like Merck and Shell. Professor Hevert explains how real options work, why it differs from older financial analysis and how it can be used to help make better decisions on highly risky multi-phase investments, … [ Read more ]

Content: Article | Author: Kathleen Hevert | Source: Babson Insight | Subjects: Finance, Management

Content: Book | Authors: David Straus, Michael Doyle | Subjects: Management, Organizational Behavior

Has the recent dot-com episode, and have the terrible events of September 11th, somehow changed the rules of the game? Is the idea of strategy founded on an illusion of rationality and the possibilities of control? Is there a geographical context to strategy making that somehow informs those who do business in Europe? Are ‘visions’ and ‘missions’ now more appropriate ways of thinking about corporate … [ Read more ]

Content: Article | Author: Various | Source: European Business Forum (EBF) | Subjects: Strategy, Trends / Analysis

The big companies that get into trouble are those that try to manage their size instead of experiment with it.

Content: Quotation | Source: Unknown | Subject: Management

W. Edwards Deming was the senior ‘guru’ of quality management, and his 14 points are his prescription for the achievement of quality. His basic message is that the cause of inefficiency and poor quality is the system, not the people, and it is management’s responsibility to correct the system to achieve desired results. Here is a refresher on the basics of quality productivity – the … [ Read more ]

Content: Article | Source: CEO Refresher | Subjects: Management, People

This book addresses the generation-old question of why the Japanese are so successful in business. The authors, professors of management at Hitosubashi University, contend that Japanese firms are successful because they are innovative, that is, because they create new knowledge and use it to produce successful products and technologies. They identify two types of organizational knowledge: explicit knowledge, contained in procedures and manuals, and tacit … [ Read more ]

Content: Book | Authors: Hirotaka Takeuchi, Ikujiro Nonaka | Subjects: International – Asia, Knowledge Management

The biggest challenge of getting employees to work together online isn’t a technological problem–it’s a cultural and organizational one. Here are 10 recommendations for getting employees to adopt collaborative tools and use them in an effective way.

Content: Article | Author: Scott Kirsner | Source: Darwin Magazine | Subjects: Knowledge Management, Organizational Behavior

With increased span of control and reduced layers of management, managers and executives must focus and prioritize their energy and time. A 2 by 2 framework can help.

Content: Article | Author: S. K. Gupta | Source: CEO Refresher | Subjects: Leadership, Management

Show me a hero and I’ll tell you a tragedy.

Content: Quotation | Author: Joseph L. Badaracco Jr. | Source: Harvard Business School (HBS) Working Knowledge | Subjects: Life, Success / Failure

I sit on a man’s back, choking him and making him carry me, and yet assure myself and others that I am very sorry for him and wish to ease his lot by all possible means-except by getting off his back.

Content: Quotation | Source: Unknown | Subjects: Leadership, Management

“There are a few exceptional cases where being first virtually guarantees a sustainable advantage; they generally fall into three categories. First, if you can lock up ironclad patent protection, then you’re set for years. Second, if you have a proprietary industry standard, such as MS-DOS, you can hold a dominant position despite the presence of better solutions. Third, if customers find it too much of … [ Read more ]

Content: Article | Author: Jim Collins | Source: Inc. Magazine | Subject: Management