Marketing, Taxes, Employees and Ethics
This clip notes that one of the greatest challenges in operating a small business is maintaining one's ethical moorings while, at the same time, performing essential business functions, such as promoting, advertising, paying taxes and dealing with e...
Matching the Individual to the Organization
The first step for a prospective employee to take in assessing whether he or she is a good fit for an organization is understanding his or her own values. It's critical to choose a line of work and to find a company whose values are consistent with ...
Market Research Data: Primary vs. Secondary
This clip explains the difference between primary and secondary data, noting that each can be valuable in its own way for the entrepreneur seeking to gauge the prospects for success.
Market Research
This clip explores the value of market research as an indicator of what potential customers--as opposed to just friends and family--think about a business idea.
Managing Change Case Study: Fluor Corporation, The
The Fluor Corporation was for years one of the largest engineering and construction companies in the world, employing close to forty thousand people. But by the mid 1980s, faced with crippling financial losses following the collapse of its engineeri...
Market Research: Going It Alone or Seeking Professional Assistance
This clip talks about the pro's and cons of doing one's own market research versus using an outside resource, which will typically be a market research expert or consultant.
Values, Goals, and Employee Morale
The values an organization stands for can exert a strong influence on morale. Unfortunately, many companies profess to value one type of behavior, but actually reward behavior that is very different and represents very different values.
Organizational Structure Case Study: Patagonia
At Patagonia, which produces high quality, outdoor clothing, the organizational structure originally was based on a steep hierarchy, with up to eight levels between the individual working in production and the CEO. In time, however, that structure w...
Financial Controls and Budgeting Case Study: Santa Anita Racetrack
In addition to its pari-mutuel betting system and satellite wagering network, Santa Anita operates several dining facilities and shops, as well as an equine hospital and a large number of barns and stables. Each of these operations requires financia...
Los Angeles Music Center: Setting Objectives
Projecting three to five years into the future--engaging in what is often called strategic planning--is as much a challenge for the Los Angeles Music Center as it is for any business that operates in today's uncertain and dynamic economic environmen...