Concepts of Throughput Accounting and Theory of Constraints

Financial Management

Kaizen – Understanding the Japanese Business Philosophy of Continuous Improvement

Operations Management

Role of Leaders in Shaping Organizational Culture

Management Principles

Organizational Culture – Development and Importance

Management Principles

Five Important Organizational Cultural Models

Management Principles

Case Study: The Story Behind the Olympus Scandal

In the 1980s, several Japanese corporations experienced financial challenges as they depended on investments to boost their declining profits. One of the main reasons was that the country’s export had been damaged by the strength of its currency against other currencies, especially the US Dollar. Olympus became one of the number one victims of Japan’s economic situation. Because the company was struggling with its business operations, it decided to use a Japanese concept known as zaitech, which refers to financial engineering in salvaging the situation. Consequently, the company decided to invest in risky businesses and financial derivatives in order to boost its profits. Nevertheless, the business ventures caused huge losses of about 2.1 billion Yen in the early 1990s. It is during that time when the management of the Olympus devised ways of concealing the huge losses from the published financial reports. Although it has been able to hide the Continue reading

Abey Francis

Case Study on Business Ethics: Microsoft’s Case of Unethical Competition 

Microsoft is undoubtedly the world’s biggest software company. Its size makes it a formidable force for any competitor who dares venture into its business territory. A firm of such status, and any other firm for that matter, would strive to keep this dominance in place. However, the nature of its industry requires it to constantly innovate and invest in new products and technologies. The company’s financial strength allows it to put a lot in innovation and research in order to stay ahead of the competition. However, its true power lay not in its finances, but its platform monopoly. The platform here would refer to its operating system. Since it has a monopoly in controlling the system, it can lock out competition by manipulating this unique advantage. This is where antitrust law steps in. Antitrust laws are laws that are aimed at keeping the markets competitive and not dominated by monopolistic Continue reading

Abey Francis

How to Gain Rights in a Trademark?

The concept of a trademark has gained massive popularity in the modern business environment. Trademark is defined as a word, phrase, or logo that identifies the source of goods or services. As the name suggests, it is a mark that identifies a company and distinguishes it from its rivals in the market. The concept of defining the identity of business emerged because of the existence of companies offering similar products in the same environment. It is prudent for a company to register its trademark to avoid cases where its brand image and name is abused by unethical business entities or individuals. Each country has its legal system that defines what a company needs to do to have a right to a given trademark. Although there may be variations from one country to another, it is a universally accepted practice for one to register a given trademark to have exclusive rights Continue reading

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Cooper’s Stage Gate Model in Product Development

Cooper’s Stage Gate process focuses on innovations during project management/product development. The stage gate process, a notable project management technique pioneered by Dr. Robert G. Cooper in the early ’80s, systematically breaks down a project into distinct, manageable stages, punctuated by decision points known as gates. At these gates, the project’s progress is critically evaluated against predefined benchmarks, determining whether the project should progress, be adjusted, or discontinued. Entrepreneurs use a set of approaches and tools to assess the viability and potential of ideas and profit from them by developing and launching products. Cooper’s stage gate process model is one such approach that is key to any product or service in the commercial or non-commercial sector. Cooper’s stage gate process model is critical to the processes and performance of an organization as it reduces production errors and therefore saves the company from losses. This technique divides a project into different Continue reading

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What Is Product Liability? Meaning, Definition, and Laws

Product liability is a field of law that accounts for the responsibility of producers, manufacturers, suppliers, and other stakeholders who avail products to the general public for the injuries those products cause the public. Most of these claims are associated with negligence, breach of warranty, strict liability in addition to other forms of consumer protection claims. These laws are determined at the National level. A product liability and negligence claim justified by the product having either a manufacturer’s defect, a designing defect, or failure to warn the consumer. Generally, claims of product liability are not only based on negligence but also a strict liability. This theory of strict liability states that the manufacturer should be held liable even though the customer acted negligently. Failure to warn customers is viewed by some legal commentators as being negligent. The theory of strict liability focuses on the product of the manufacturer rather than Continue reading

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What Can Be Protected under Trademark Law

The trademark laws are meant to protect business entity. It takes years and a significant amount of resources for a company to develop a strong brand that is largely acceptable in the market. Top global brands such as Apple Inc., Coca-Cola, and Samsung are worth billions of dollars because of the heavy investment the relevant companies have placed in their promotion. One of the biggest problems of counterfeiting that trademark laws seeks to fight is the possible loss of value of a given strong brand. Most of the counterfeited products are of poor quality. When a customer chooses to purchase a specific brand over others, one of the defining factors is quality. They feel cheated. The main problem that emerges from such a scenario is that such customers will not only avoid the company’s products but will also influence others against the brand. It is unfair for a company that Continue reading

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