Case Study on Entrepreneurship: Larry Page

Business Analysis

The Boundaryless Career: Modern Contemperory Perspective on Career

Human Resource Management

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

Salovey and Mayer’s (1990) 10 Original Facets of Emotional Intelligence

Emotion is a relatively difficult concept to clearly delineate but it is generally accepted that it is an organised mental response that includes physiological, experiential and cognitive aspects.  Emotions are largely, but not exclusively, related to interpersonal relationships and specific emotions are relatively resistant to cultural and individual differences, although these can affect the way in which emotions are expressed or perceived. Personal intelligence is defined as the feelings and emotions of oneself and the ability to understand and interpret these feelings in order to guide behaviour.  This can be expanded into emotional intelligence by including the application of this knowledge to other people and also to regulate actions based on it. The term emotional intelligence (EI) per se was coined in 1990 by Salovey and Mayer.  The term EI applies to an ability to process emotional information in an appropriate way, with a balance being achieved between emotion and reason. Continue reading

Abey Francis

Firm’s Shut-Down Point

At shut-down point one very important question arises i.e. will a firm take an exit as soon as it incurs a loss? The answer will be in the negative.   No doubt the aim of the firm is to maximize profit and when it incurs a loss it must try to minimize its loss.   This implies that a firm should remain in production at least as long as its loss is minimized.   To understand the shut-down point of the firm we shall have to reconsider the cost structure.   When the average revenue is below the average cost then the firm is not enjoying profit but is incurring a loss.   But the average cost itself is made up of average fixed cost and average variable cost.   Now, as long as the average revenue of the firm can cover its variable cost then the firm will continue Continue reading

Abey Francis

Portfolio Revision Strategies in Investment Portfolio Management

Meaning of Portfolio Revision A portfolio is a mix of securities selected from a vast universe of securities. Two variables determine the composition of a portfolio; the first is the securities included in the portfolio and the second is the proportion of total funds invested in each security. Portfolio revision involves changing the existing mix of securities. This may be effected either by changing the securities currently included in the portfolio or by altering the proportion of funds invested in the securities. New securities may be added to the portfolio or some of the existing securities may be removed from the portfolio. Portfolio revision thus leads to purchases and sales of securities. The objective of portfolio revision is the same as the objective of portfolio selection, i.e. maximizing the return for a given level of risk or minimizing the risk for a given level of return. The ultimate aim of Continue reading

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Time Series Analysis for Business Forecasting

Forecasting is a method or a technique for estimating future aspects of a business or the operation. It is a method for translating past data or experience into estimates of the future. It is a tool, which helps management in its attempts to cope with the uncertainty of the future. Forecasts are important for short-term and long-term decisions. Businesses may use forecast in several areas: technological forecast, economic forecast, demand forecast. There two broad categories of forecasting techniques: quantitative methods (objective approach) and qualitative methods (subjective approach). Quantitative forecasting methods are based on analysis of historical data and assume that past patterns in data can be used to forecast future data points. Qualitative forecasting techniques employ the judgment of experts in specified field to generate forecasts. They are based on educated guesses or opinions of experts in that area. There are two types of quantitative methods: Times-series method and explanatory Continue reading

Abey Francis

Strategic Lenses

Organisations strategic issues are commonly analysed from different strategy lenses. Strategic lenses are a concept of strategic management. The lenses are different ways of viewing strategy development. It examines the flow of tasks and information, or how you get things done. Each lens reveals many different traits and qualities. Using the strategic lens, one looks to optimize workflow to meet the goals and objectives of the company. This article  a  will cover four angles from which strategy can be viewed and implemented on a corporate level; they are strategy as design, strategy as experience, strategy as ideas and strategy as discourse. 1. Strategy as a Design This takes the view that strategy development  can be a local process in which the forces and constraints on the organisation are weighted carefully through analytic and evaluative techniques to establish clear strategy direction. This creates conditions in which carefully planned strategy implementation should Continue reading

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Freestanding Retail Locations

This type of retail store stands alone, physically separate from other retail  stores. It does not enjoy the same benefits that shopping  centers  offer from the  stand point that customer of a free standing retail store must have made a special trip to  get there. Shoppers are not “just next door” and decide to walk in as they could in  a mall or strip center. Freestanding locations constituted about 22 percent of all  retail space, and a recent survey of retailers shows that this category leads all  others for future importance. Drive in locations are special cases of freestanding sites that are selected for the  purpose of satisfying the needs of customers who shop in their automobile. In  some situations, the drive-in aspect of the retail business is only to supplement  existing in – store sales, but the same requirements of all drive in location  apply. These sites are usually Continue reading

Abey Francis