Gina Abudi » Business

Keep Your Strategy Simple

Paul — Thu, 02 Sep 2010 13:30:21 +0000

So what is it that makes understanding business strategy so difficult and confusing for people? If a business’s strategy is so fundamental to its growth and indeed survival surely it should be crystal clear for everyone who needs to know about it.

So, who needs to know and fully understand what the strategy [...]

Why Companies Underperform Part II

Henry — Thu, 26 Aug 2010 13:30:34 +0000

And what they must do to succeed in the new economy

In Part I we outlined why companies underperform in the long term, let’s now take a look at why they underperform in the short term, and what they can do about it.

Most companies can do pretty well when they are immersed in [...]

Is There a Difference Between Leading a Project and Leading a Business?

Paul — Wed, 11 Aug 2010 13:30:05 +0000

Well of course there is, these are completely different animals aren’t they? Businesses are complex mixtures of owners, managers, leaders, investors, products and services; and projects just have a start and an end. Well, maybe. Let’s look a little more carefully at projects though and see what’s really involved in their leadership.

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Why Companies Underperform – Part I

Henry — Tue, 10 Aug 2010 13:30:46 +0000

And what they must do to succeed in the new economy

The recent economic downturn has caused much concern about how organizations will continue to exist and deal with the ambiguity and adversity caused by the recent "great recession." Some researchers have taken an evolutionary approach to the issue, examining the performance of numbers [...]

Do You Know Who Your Competitors Are? Are You Sure?

Linda — Thu, 29 Jul 2010 13:30:31 +0000

When most businesses consider their competition, they tend to think of the obvious – their direct competitors. If I run a salon, the salon across the street (assuming it targets the same clients) is my direct competition. But direct competitors aren’t the only competitors we need to be concerned with. We need to [...]

More on Corporate Social Responsibility – Part II

Chris — Wed, 21 Jul 2010 13:30:22 +0000

I wrote an article for the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM) on Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR), which took further the address at the Humane Capitalism Conclave and the SHRM event which I’ve already posted earlier. This one explains a bit more about my viewpoint on CSR.

CORPORATE SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY: CHASING A CHIMERA?

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Building the Sustainable Organization – Part I

Chris — Tue, 20 Jul 2010 13:30:38 +0000

I have spoken in the past on the issue of sustainability at an event organized by the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM) in India.� My session centered on my pet theme of humane capitalism. I spoke about my theory around the evolution of capitalism to a state where business enterprises will embrace [...]

Developing an IT Integration Strategy for Mergers and Acquisitions

Sarat — Thu, 27 May 2010 13:30:54 +0000

As an IT professional, if you have been through mergers & acquisitions before, you know by now that not having a clear strategy/plan for integrating your IT systems can be disastrous. Effective IT/system integration strategy can have a huge impact on the actual business results of the integration.

There has been a lot of [...]

How Do Companies Prove Their Worthiness to Customers

Rob — Mon, 10 May 2010 13:30:11 +0000

General Motors had run a series of ads about the quality of their cars. The gist of the message was about being a “world class” company. The proof of their “world class” status was a 60-day money back guarantee on new car purchases. The commercial got me thinking about what techniques companies use [...]

Business Case vs. Business Plan

Suprio — Mon, 26 Apr 2010 13:30:35 +0000

A business case is a business-related concept that is both practical and profitable; while a business plan gives the details and elucidates the financial steps necessary to create or grow a successful business. Its purpose is to examine the business dynamics of a proposed project as part of the evaluation and selection process. [...]

Do Your Customers Deserve a Bill of Rights

Rob — Wed, 21 Apr 2010 13:30:28 +0000

The U.S. Bill of Rights was established December 15, 1791. How long have your customers had their own Bill of Rights?

I view a Customer Bill of Rights as the codification of what we say about our approach to customers.

Customer Touch Points

We have many touch points with customers and [...]

Why do we Need a Value Proposition? (Part III)

Henry — Thu, 15 Apr 2010 13:30:16 +0000

Please read Part I and Part II for background information before reading Part III.

VP for Service Businesses

A service is the action of doing something for someone, or an entity. It is largely intangible (i.e. not material). A product is tangible (i.e. material) since you can touch it and own it. A [...]

Why do we Need a Value Proposition? (Part II)

Henry — Wed, 14 Apr 2010 13:30:14 +0000

Please read Part I for background information prior to reading Part II.

Value-Factors

Details of the needs and wants of customers in any segment should be clearly understood as should their decision-making process structures. This data should be obtained by individual interviews, or by focus group studies, or other means. Remember that the [...]

Why do we Need a Value Proposition? (Part I)

Henry — Tue, 13 Apr 2010 13:30:06 +0000

Introduction

The idea and the concept of a Value Proposition (VP) has been around for some time (really since Adam Smith, but formally since the early 1960s) but its importance to a business, and to an individual, has become blurred by misunderstanding; � by misapplying it, by getting it mixed up with positioning statements, [...]

Protecting Your Small Business From Fraud

Sandy — Mon, 05 Apr 2010 13:30:21 +0000

Every day it seems someone comes up with a new scam or fraud idea. The most popular are the Nigerian Check fraud and the Mystery Shopper scans, all involve a useless check. These people target business that typically cash checks such as a liquor store, grocery store, convenience stores, Money Gram stores, etc. [...]

What Are The Costs of Marketing Staff Turnover?

Rob — Thu, 01 Apr 2010 12:30:21 +0000

Hiring and retaining skilled staff is always a high priority for managers who direct marketing functions. Marketing Department turnover has an impact, not just on the Marketing Department, but in other parts of the organization. For example, a lack of fully trained resources (trained in the company’s way of marketing) can force marketing projects [...]

Drivers Privacy Protection Act – Protecting Yourself When You Hire Someone to Drive a Company Vehicle

Sandy — Tue, 16 Mar 2010 12:30:53 +0000

When hiring a person to drive one of your company vehicles, it is obviously important to include a thorough screening of the applicant’s driving record as part of the hiring process. However, there are some things you need to keep in mind. Enter the Drivers Privacy Protection Act (DPPA).

What is the DPPA?

The [...]

Protecting Your Small Business Against Burglars

Sandy — Tue, 09 Mar 2010 16:00:30 +0000

Ever wonder about the mindset of a burglar? Likely you haven’t – who has really. We just all hope our place of business doesn’t get robbed. Here are a few things a burglar will never tell you:

Of course I look familiar; I was at your office just last week pretending to be a [...]

Flight of Angels and the Need for Bootstrapping

Henry — Thu, 25 Feb 2010 14:30:01 +0000

The current economic crash may force “Bootstrapping” to be the primary funding strategy for many startup companies, for the next few years.

Where would startup companies be without Angel Investors? In 2007 alone, 258,200 angel investors pumped $26 billion into 57,120 companies.

What happened to my angel?

In 2008, The Angel Capital Association� [...]

Protecting Yourself and Your Company Against Identity Theft

Sandy — Thu, 18 Feb 2010 14:30:14 +0000

“But he that filches from me my good name Robs me of that which not enriches him And makes me poor indeed” Shakespeare, Othello, act III, sc. 3

Did identity theft or fraud exist in Shakespeare’s time? Likely. � But clearly not as prevalent as it is today.

What is identity theft and [...]