In this issue, read about:
IT Strategy for Small and Medium-Sized Businesses in an Economic Downturn
Cost-Effective IT Solutions and Critical Success Factors for SMBs. In an uncertain economy, small companies often feel the pinch of reduced business activity more acutely than large firms. As a result, it becomes increasingly important to do more with less, including careful, strategic IT investment analysis.
What to Do When Traditional Diversification Strategies Fail
A Study on Diversification and Asset Correlation in Up and Down Markets. In 2008, market events showed that some of the protection provided by diversification is lost when correlation among asset classes changes rapidly. Now, the question is: Are traditional diversification concepts no longer applicable?
Women, the Recession, and the Impending Economic Recovery
An Exploration of Women’s Attitudes Toward Debt, Risk, and Consumption. Would female investment bankers, mortgage lenders, and chief executive officers have taken the same risks given the same expected returns? Maybe not. The purpose of this article is to explore the impact of the U.S. recession on women and to help readers gain useful knowledge about women’s role in the economy.
The Power of Sharing in an Uncertain World
Virtual Insourcing Can Reduce Costs, Increase Collaboration. Inefficiencies and high costs often lead organizations to choose shared-service or outsourced alternatives. Other choices emerged with the advent of Web 2.0 technologies. Today, virtual insourcing is becoming a viable option because it showcases the efficiencies of corporate business units that maintain costs near or below those of shared services.
Winner of the 2009 Graziadio School Student Paper Competition
Five Tactics to Create a Sustainable Restaurant Business. This is the winning entry for the 2009 Graziadio School Student Paper Competition. First-place winner and Fully Employed MBA student Kasra Ferasat asks and answers the question: How can you create and maintain a profitable restaurant while adding value, increasing sustainability, and providing fresh food for the consumer?
Editorial: Eight Key Attributes of Effective Leaders
Words of Advice from Top Business Executives. The Graziadio School and Farmers’ Insurance Group sponsor the annual Dean’s Executive Leadership Series (DELS), which features in-depth interviews with today’s top business practitioners and thought leaders. Many of these discussions have been on effective leadership. This editorial presents eight key attributes of effective leaders along with words of advice from various DELS speakers on why they are so important.
How to Communicate Change to Employees
Video Interview with Sun Microsystem’s Terry McKenzie, Senior Director of Global Employee Communications and Communities. What do you do when employees just aren’t listening? How can you keep them motivated through periods of change and instability? How do you tailor messages to different employee groups? In this video interview, Terry McKenzie, Senior Director of Global Employee Communications and Communities at Sun Microsystems, answers these questions and more.
This is the Graziadio Business Report’s first-ever video interview. Let us know what you think in the comments!
What’s Next, Hollywood?
Audio Interview with Larry Tanz, President and Co-founder of Agility Studios. What is an MBA worth in Hollywood? Where do the most opportunities for newcomers lie? What’s in store as the entertainment industry undergoes a radical transition into the digital age? Graziadio Business Report Academic Editor Nancy Dodd spoke with Larry Tanz, to get the answers to these questions and more.
Keeping up with CSR During a Recession
Coming Soon: November 30! Video Interview with Bill Sanderson and Chuck Browne of Golden State Foods. What is a values-driven company? What does corporate social responsibility mean in practical terms? How do you balance creating social good with the bottom line? Visit the Graziadio Business Report on November 30 to find out!