Business management

Focus on these five areas.

Using the results of a survey of 380 companies in 34 industries, this author examines three basic types of compensation plans: salary, commission, and combination (salary plus commission). Most companies in the study favored a combination plan, but such plans have some disadvantages to offset their obvious attractiveness. The author sets out the possible reasons […]

The best stay attuned to their customers’ signals in the social graph.

Normally, the Olympic Games are a positive force in marketing. Worldwide marketing expenditures increase as official sponsors and unofficial free-riders attach themselves to the Olympic logo, to particular sports, national teams or individual athletes. Global brands, in particular, see the Olympics and World Cup soccer as the two most important international sporting events; brand linkage […]

Managers should make environmental investments for the same reason they make other investments: because they expect them to deliver positive returns or to reduce risks.

There are plenty of reasons to be disappointed with the Copenhagen climate talks that start today: the meeting will not result in a binding agreement, the timeframe for such an agreement is potentially years away, and of course, neither the US nor China has committed to binding reductions. While all this is certainly disappointing, the […]

Ron Howard achieved early fame as a child actor on The Andy Griffith Show. Then came a long stint as Richie Cunningham on Happy Days. But from an early...

He or she can create an innovative environment using these five principles.

What do the career prospects of female scientists, the general chaos of the mid-career managers’ life, the failure to adequately develop new cadres of leaders internally, and escalating CEO compensation have in common? Let me suggest that these are interrelated phenomena whose connections with one another may be poorly understood. Let’s start with female scientists. […]

Career-oriented women are increasingly flexing their spending muscle. Here’s how companies can reach these “Golden Misses.”

A look inside the ongoing barriers women face in law, health care, faith-based nonprofits, and higher education.

The Internet promises to give marketing the same boost in productivity that new operational strategies have given to manufacturing.

Recently, I posted a list of 12 Things Good Bosses Believe. Now I’m following up by delving into each one of them. This post is about the eighth belief: “One of the best tests of my leadership — and my organization — is “what happens after people make a mistake?” I have authored or co-authored […]

These five questions will help give your numbers meaning.

Automation and AI can free up staff in fundraising, communications, finance, and service delivery efforts.

Tracking the performance of people who are already succeeding at your company will help you identify high-potential candidates.

Interviews with workers from around the world shed light on their hopes and concerns.

The ROI data will surprise you, and the softer evidence may inspire you.

When business conditions change, the most successful companies are often the slowest to adapt. To avoid being left behind, executives must understand the true sources of corporate inertia.

For years "risk management" has been characterized chiefly by caution--preventing the business from doing things that would create exposure. Although...