Business Quarterly articles from September 1992

Business Quarterly archives from September 1992

Knowledge is not enough: excerpts from the MBA Program Director's words to beginning students. (master of business administration degree) (Transcript)
September 22, 1992... In addition to imparting knowledge and skills, business schools try to instill in their students a sense of values. The task is a daunting one, because most students arrive with a set of values acquired from home, from church, from prior...

Canada at the crossroads. (Dialogue)
September 22, 1992... Since it appeared in early 1992, Michael Porter's report, Canada at the Crossroads, has stimulated considerable discussion in the business community. In a Dialogue section in our Spring and Summer 1992 issues, Business Quarterly has published a...

Service quality in the skies. (Canadian Airlines International Ltd.'s customer service program)
September 22, 1992... Improving the quality of service offered to customers can improve the bottom line To paraphrase the Cheshire Cat in Lewis Carroll's Alice in Wonderland, "Any road will take you there, if you don't know where you're going." This statement holds...

Managing in turbulent times: five questions to guide today's manager. (Viewpoint)
September 22, 1992... Managing an enterprise successfully is an enormously complex undertaking. Getting lost in the details and frustrations of day-to-day management is always a risk. Losing sight of the big picture and squandering scarce resources on the trivial can...

Improving board effectiveness by evaluating director performance.
September 22, 1992... Today's well managed companies measure and reward staff performance. Here's how to do the same with director's Anyone who follows the flow of books, articles and speeches on the problems of corporate governance knows that boards of directors...

Executive support systems and managerial learning. (You and the Computer)
September 22, 1992... An Executive Support System can help managers to view the company in a new way. But it must be properly built and for the right reason Ever since computers were first used in business, convincing top level executives to put their own hands on...

Improving your flysight. (anticipating changes in the business environment)
September 22, 1992... If change is rocking your industry, chances are you have not seen the worst of it yet. It is possible, however, to anticipate some changes and to be ready for them Have you ever tried to catch a fly? No matter how you approach the wily...

Buying or selling a business? Don't be ripped off!
September 22, 1992... Be sure the price is right if you are buying or selling a business. Here are three proven ways of arriving at the best price for everybody Accumulating and preserving capital is tough these days. Therefore, when buying a business, the purchaser...

Winning strategies for small technology-based companies.
September 22, 1992... Ten keys to success in today's rough and tumble environment Establishing and managing small and medium-sized, technology-based companies is a formidable challenge at the best of times. For budding founders and managers of entrepreneurial firms,...

Statecraft: the effective use of political power.
September 22, 1992... Excellence in government starts with the first minister. Allan Blakeney, in his time as Premier, developed a framework for managing in the public sector Governments, with some justification, are not widely known as hotbeds of excellent...

Why quality programs aren't - and how they could be.
September 22, 1992... A recent investigation of Canadian quality programs provides insights on pitfalls and success principles Many quality programs seem distanced from the business, out of touch with operational realities and unsupported by infrastructure or...

Improving performance appraisal. (includes related article)
September 22, 1992... Performance appraisal is not done well in many companies. Here are seven guidelines to help managers to do it better Performance appraisal in the majority of North American organizations is a resounding failure. The difficulties have become so...

Managing volume rebates. (Making Marketing Work)
September 22, 1992... In theory, volume rebates induce buyers to concentrate their purchases. In practice, however, they often do not, as this lighthearted tale reveals Volume rebates are a special form of price discount that suppliers offer their customers for...

Learning how to succeed in the American market.
September 22, 1992... There are lessons for other businesses from Canadian retailers rather dismal experiences Over the past two decades, at least 32 major Canadian retailers have entered the U.S. with mixed results. With the American retail market worth nearly...

Down Mexico way. (opportunities for Canadian investors in Mexico)
September 22, 1992... Mexico is opening its doors to business and thereby presenting some very attractive opportunities to Canadians, some of whom are already there Canadian companies that remain uninformed about Mexico are gambling against the odds. Mexico could...

Making universities better.
September 22, 1992... Managing a university is one of the most challenging management jobs, but it must be done well. Business leaders have an important role to play Increasingly business leaders serve in positions of influence in universities -- on boards,...