Companies Too Big to React Will Fail

In 1996, my brother and sister-in-law decided to retire... leave the Chicago area. They chose to move to the Colorado desert-mountain city where I live. As a banker, I've heard so many excuses about why businesses fail. However, during this move, I saw at least a dozen, sound reasons that cause either failure or lost profits.

Resigning - The Right Way

You know it's time, you feel it, you've been lazy for so long, you dream about something else, you just have to leave. You made your calculations and you felt that it's the right time to do it, maybe you found a better job, maybe you didn't, but you can't stay anymore staying is hurting you. Finally you decide to resign, but little did you know that your resignation day is the most important day in your current job. Granted, resignation is not usually an easy thing to do, but doing it properly will maintain a good view about you among your workmates and your bosses forever.

Inventory - Cash Or Carry

There is an old saying in business that 'Cash is King.' Inventory, no matter what type, ties up cash and diverts it from other uses. Therefore the aim of inventory management should be to minimize the inventory investment for a particular customer service level. The approach taken should ensure that the target level of service is met while also minimizing the cash investment.

Do You Hold Too Much Inventory - Check Your Stock Turn Ratio

It is essential to measure the availability of stock, after all that is why the investment is made in the first place. However, measuring stock outs can be a limiting way to measure inventory as it only measures one dimension of inventory, that is, availability.

A Business Meta - Fore

Many professional golfers go on to develop successful and significant business interests. Greg Norman is a standout example of this. Many senior business leaders play golf at a high level. This link between success at golf and successful business may not be coincidental, the attributes required for both are very similar.

Root Cause Analysis - Simple Techniques to Understand Why Performance is Doing What It's Doing

For this issue I'm revisiting my roots as a research statistician - with some tips for improving your cause analysis with simple but still rigorous statistical techniques.

Running On Empty

Most production schedules in the U.S. today are driven by material availability. What you have in stores or on the receiving dock determines what you produce today. You can regard this as scheduling by default, or - running on empty.

Look Out Overhead - Watching Your Expenses Can Lead To Continued Profitability

Too much overhead will eventually either kill a business or cause it to restructure itself and uncontrolled overhead can stop it before it really gets going. There are things a businessperson can do to check their expenditures before they begin. It takes quite a bit of self-control for some types but it's worth it. Here are some common situations to ponder.

On My Own Time? What Time?

Proponents of e-learning often cite as an advantage the fact that people can take the training at their desks, on their own schedule. The problem is everyone is so busy that it's difficult to find the time. There are other disadvantages to learning at your desk.

Assumptions and Management

We keep telling ourselves not to assume anything, but is it really possible in management? Read on - and put on your thinking cap!

In Business, How Do You Encourage Employee Retention?

Many businesses fail to realise the amount of time it takes to get a new employee fully trained. It can take anywhere between 1 and 6 months to train a new member of staff. It can also take the same amount of time to find out if they are suitable for the job in the first place!

Realistic Target Setting - Part 1

Targets are essential motivators of performance improvement, but many people find setting meaningful targets very difficult. This article discusses the first 3 of 6 challenges of realistic goal setting when it comes to business performance improvement. Look out for part 2!

The Most Important Role Of The Manager

Many people have different ideas of the key role of managers and how they should lead. But being able to do just two things well with your team could transform your it from a mediocre one to a high performing force.

Broken Windows Management

Learn to notice symptoms that can lead to broken windows in your organizations. Take the first step in preventing them

Relationship Leadership

Relationship Leadership is the use of interpersonal skills beginning long before a disaster looms to create an environment of mutual trust and respect to influence others to work towards common organizational goals. This means permanently abandoning healthcare's current dependence on the power and control (demand and threat) method of leadership.