Business Horizons articles from May 1993

Business Horizons archives from May 1993

We've had enough business ethics. (Editorial)
May 1, 1993... "You can't teach business ethics!" "What we need is more ethics!" These are everyday statements that have been cluttering public discussions of business ethics for the past 15 years. The statements reveal a gross misunderstanding of the causes...

The Delta Force approach to balancing long-run performance. (includes related article)
May 1, 1993... Almost everyone understands that short-term return on investment can be a biased or even misleading measure of business performance. Yet alternative measures are often too cumbersome, overly complex, and therefore impractical. The Delta Force...

How to stop talking about, and begin progress toward, total quality management.
May 1, 1993... How many quality programs has your firm tried in the past ten years? Do any of the programs in Figure 1 sound familiar? If you have undertaken and subsequently abandoned two or more of these programs, it's time you got a handle on the quality...

Quality confusion: too many gurus, not enough disciples.
May 1, 1993... Quality is the latest buzzword in the diary of American industry, even though it has been around less conspicuously since the industrial revolution. Consider the following quote, whose author and time the reader may wish to guess before reading...

Planning Deming management for service organizations. (quality improvement in business; W. Edwards Deming)
May 1, 1993... The word "quality" carries an almost spiritual character in globally focused, highly competitive businesses. Articles extolling the virtues and techniques of quality are de rigueur in current American business periodicals. Quality is a...

The mandated benefit mirage. (effects of requiring employers to provide certain employee benefits)
May 1, 1993... Politicians often harbor the delusion that the policies they adopt more or less have the intended effect. This delusion is fully evident in the contemporary political tussles over proposed legislation that would require employers to provide...

"Buy American": economic concept or political slogan?
May 1, 1993... Japan bashing by government officials, businesspeople, and consumers has become commonplace in the recent popular press. "Buy American" has become the rallying cry for domestic manufacturers of automobiles, computer chips, televisions, toys,...

Forced withdrawal from a country market: managing political risk.
May 1, 1993... In developing foreign market entry strategies, multinational corporations (MNCs) usually focus on two decisions: how to enter foreign markets and how to establish a strong foothold for long-term competitive growth. An important consideration...

Rate of return - the poison apple? (return on investment versus change in market share for measuring corporate performance)
May 1, 1993... Return on investment (ROI) has, over the last 30 years, become the most important performance measure in the business world. It dominates not only internal capital budgeting decisions; it is easily the most important theoretical driver of...

Key ingredients for successful implementation of just-in-time: a system for all business sizes.
May 1, 1993... The purpose of this article is to examine the just-in-time system (JIT) as it is applied in today's business environment. Does JIT work? Does it save money and time and eliminate waste? We believe our exposition answers with a most resounding...

A quick guide to Total Quality Management.
May 1, 1993... Total Quality Management (TQM) is a philosophy, an attitude of the mind, and a journey--not a destination. It is supposed to help in winning customer confidence and in securing long-term profitability. Customers demand good quality, reasonable...

Cross-cultural communication for managers. (includes related articles on training at multinational corporations and similarities of cultures)
May 1, 1993... Managers must become proficient cross-cultural communicators if they wish to succeed in today's global environment. The purpose of this article is to synthesize multiple insights--from fields as diverse as anthropology, psychology,...

Entrepreneurial spirit. (employee empowerment)
May 1, 1993... A great deal of managerial discussion has centered on the need to empower employees and give them a sense of ownership and pride in their work. Options have included flattening organizational pyramids and using team management. Profit sharing...

Theory and practice: their roles, relationship, and limitations in advanced management education. (master of business administration degree)
May 1, 1993... For those who have read the recent literature on the oversold MBA degree in the United States, there is an appreciation of the pitfalls of emphasizing theory at the expense of practice in the delivery of an MBA program. Although barely a...