Archive for the ‘Business Management’ Category
David Hopkins
Change Management / Business Development Director at Touchpoint Change Consulting
Manchester United Kingdom
One of the perennial problems of business cases is that is they seem to offer so much certainty in theory, but are stubbornly unpredictable in practice.
The problem is that the solutions that we develop in workshops and in on paper are unencumbered by the messiness of the real world. They rarely take into account the compromises and complexities necessary to make a change work let alone the reaction of the organisation to the change itself.
Donna Kent
Senior Vice President: Sales, Marketing and Global Solutions at Televerde
Phoenix Arizona Area
Nurture seems to be the hot buzz of the marketing world these days. Most sales and marketers still think that a nurture call is one that goes something like this: “I am calling you to touch base to see how you are doing.”
Is this the kind of call your team makes and calls “Nurture?”
Vikas Khanna
Managing Director at Zoovee Ventures
San Francisco Bay Area
Without a doubt, the economic significance of venture capital-backed companies on the global economy has been, to say the least, profound. Names like Microsoft, Yahoo, Zynga, Facebook, and Apple, have changed the way we live our life. Furthermore, few would dispute that these companies (and countless others) would not exist today without the financial and mentor capital received during their very early stages.
Michael Andrew
Senior Group Director, Leadership Development, Author of How To Think Like a CEO at Renaissance Learning, Inc.
United Arab Emirates
The difference is in the execution. GE’s well-documented strategy — to become number one or two in each of its businesses, or get out — happened because its chairman and CEO, Jack Welch, made sure it happened. Welch led in a way that ensure the company’s strategy was executed. A past issue of Harvard Business Review interviewd Michael Dell, founder and Chairman of Dell Computer, and Kevin Rollins, Dell’s CEO at the time, on the topic of execution. In response to the question, “Why haven’t other companies been able to copy your model or beat you at your own game?” Rollins responded by saying: “The same reason why Kmart can’t imitate Wal-Mart. What Wal-Mart does isn’t rocket science–it’s retailing. It takes more than strategy. It takes years of consistent execution for a company to achieve sustainable competitive advantage…….so while Dell does have a superior business model, the key to our success is years and years of DNA development within our teams that is not replicable outside the company. Other companies just can’t execute as well as we do.” The same can be said for Southwest Airlines.
Richard Keeves
Strategic Guide at Digital TrendCatchers
Perth Area Australia
1. Listen First, Talk Second
Effective use of social media begins with listening to others. Search for and connect you’re your customers and listen to them. Join the conversation with them, look for trends and issues and add value to them.
2. Be relevant
People want to engage with companies and communities that are most relevant to them. Show your personality, but keep your messages on target.
3. Be committed & active
Using social media is about building and nurturing relationships. This takes time and takes commitment from you. Regularly check the social areas you have established, respond to visitors and fans, and add fresh content.
Drake Wauters
Vice President at Page Southerland Page
Washington D.C. Metro Area
Retooling, such as what many firms and individuals are doing now to prepare for growth, is a great chance to reassess facility needs. When growing debt was the unquestioned path forward an aging facility would likely be replaced in whole or left for a new and assumedly better one. Many see now that enhancing and reusing existing facilities saves money at many levels and can have intangible benefits.
Bill McLaughlin
Executive Vice President at Lois Paul & Partners LinkedIn
Greater Boston Area
The last 20 I’ve been the executive vice president of Lois Paul & Partners, a subsidiary of Fleishman Hillard and a member of the Omnicom Group. So, over the course of that time I’ve probably done and seen just about everything you can do in the field, both good and bad.
In thinking about my first post I really wasn’t sure how to go. Should I talk about recent news and how strategic communications and PR relate, say for example Wikileaks? Or, should I take a broader approach to setting a general context and then build from there? In the end, given it’s the first time, I opted for the latter. Maybe you’ll find this first post a bit too basic in what it conveys, but it’s a start and I’ll be interested in your feedback. This should be a conversation.
Kevin Hawke
VP, Operations at Parallel 6
Greater San Diego Area
As a digital marketer, I’m continuously learning about social media and how to apply the different channels to my clients’ businesses. I don’t claim to be a social media guru or maven. However, I do believe in the value it has for individuals and businesses. I enjoy educating clients and enjoy it even more when I’m faced with a client that tells me Twitter is a joke and that it doesn’t make sense for their business.