Leadership Case Study: Virgin Group of Companies
As the founder, chairman and chief executive of the Virgin and Voyager Group of Companies, Richard Branson has started or become a partner in nearly two hundred ventures. His leadership style has been described as "inspired delegation." Perhaps the ...
Leadership Case Study: Ritz-Carlton Hotel
Horst Schulze, former president and chief operating officer of the Ritz-Carlton Hotel Company, is a classic example of a leader who came up through the ranks and knows how to connect with employees. During his tenure with the Ritz-Carlton, Schulze c...
Just-In-Time Inventory Management
Maintaining appropriate levels of inventory is a fundamental aspect of operations. In order to insure a smooth flow of work and delivery to customers, companies need to keep some amount of both raw materials and finished product on hand. But histori...
Job Performance and Rewards
Sometimes it's very challenging to determine if an employee has met established goals, particularly if that individual is part of a larger team. And it can be especially challenging to appropriately reward individual job performance within the conte...
Job Descriptions
It's important that those seeking to fill a position are in clear agreement as to what the job is about. Job descriptions and specifications become the basis for determining which applicants best fit the needs of the organization.
Unethical Behavior
People sometimes fail to consider the moral or ethical dimensions of behavior because they assume any action that doesn't violate the law is acceptable. While legal statutes are codified and enforceable by the judicial system, ethics principles are ...
Production and Operations Case Study: Rutherford Hill Winery
Rutherford Hill Winery is located in California's Napa Valley, one of the most prolific winegrowing regions in the world. Efficient production and operations at a winery like Rutherford Hill requires skillful management that includes: carefully anal...
Productivity Case Study: Domaine Chandon
For wineries like Domaine Chandon, making sparkling wine requires an enormous investment in everything from vineyards to corks. What makes the investment even riskier is that it takes several years for sparkling wine to mature. And the pursuit of pr...
Human Resources Case Study: Four Seasons Hotel
As anyone connected with the Four Seasons Hotel operation will attest, there is nothing casual about the Four Seasons' employment process. It is thorough and in-depth. The goal is to find employees who not only have the technical skills to do the jo...
Human Resources and Planning
The notion that an organization's human resources are vital assets that should be included in each aspect of strategic planning sounds logical and obvious. But, in reality, the idea of integrating human resources into the fabric of strategic plannin...