CROSS-FUNCTIONAL TEAMS AND SMALL BUSINESS Many people think that cross-functional teams are only successful in large companies. Conventional wisdom dictates that small companies are probably already operating cross-functionally out of necessity – i.e., the company is so small that people have to perform multiple tasks and work together with everyone […]
Management
HOW CROSS-FUNCTIONAL TEAMS ENHANCE PRODUCT DEVELOPMENT The most simple definition of cross-functional teems (or CFTs) is teams that are made up of people from different functional areas within a company – marketing, engineering, and human resources, for example. These teams take many forms, but are most often set up as […]
WHY CLUSTERING IS IMPORTANT FOR BUSINESS Clusters are geographic concentrations of interconnected companies or institutions that manufacture products or deliver services to a particular field or industry. Clusters typically include companies in the same industry or technology area that share infrastructure, suppliers, and distribution networks. Supporting firms that provide components, […]
CLOSELY HELD CORPORATIONS Closely held firms are those in which a small group of shareholders control the operating and managerial policies of the firm. Over 90 percent of global businesses are closely held. These firms defer from most publicly traded firms, in which ownership is widely disbursed and the firm […]
ASSEMBLY LINE METHODS An assembly line is a production arrangement of workers and equipment in which the product that is being assembled passes consecutively from operation to operation, with each station adding to the work of previous stations, until the product is completed. Assembly line methods were originally introduced to […]
WHAT FACTORS DRIVE CUSTOMERS’ PURCHASING POWER? (PART 1) Many companies make the mistake of thinking their customers make purchase decisions based on one or two purchase factors that they think are key purchase criteria, such as price or product availability. But this is rarely the case. Customers usually base their […]
KEY GUIDELINES IN SELLING A BUSINESS (PART 2) Many business owners eventually decide to sell their companies, though the reasons for such divestment vary widely from individual to individual. Some owners may simply wish to retire, while others are impatient to investigate new challenges – whether in business or some […]
KEY GUIDELINES IN SELLING A BUSINESS (PART 1) Many business owners eventually decide to sell their companies, though the reasons for such divestment vary widely from individual to individual. Some owners may simply wish to retire, while others are impatient to investigate new challenges – whether in business or some […]
FRAMEWORK FOR DETERMINING WHAT TYPE OF BUSINESS ALLIANCE IS REQUIRED The framework for determining what type of business alliance is needed is a high-level framework and can be determined by answering the five questions listed in Figure 1. Each question is reflected in a separate step in the framework, with […]
FRAMEWORK FOR DETERMINING THE NEED FOR A BUSINESS ALLIANCE Defining “Alliance” The definition of the word “alliance” varies from executive to executive, company to company, and industry to industry. Companies that have entered into alliance don’t necessarily agree on what is meant by “alliance”. The fact is that there are […]
