Category: Business Horizons

Wa, Guanxi, and inhwa: managerial principles in Japan, China, and Korea Jon P. Alston Wa, Guanxi, and Inhwa: Managerial Principles in Japan, China, and Korea Persons doing business with those in Japan, China, and Korea must realize that the guiding principles of management in each country, while sharing some features, differ in others. Japanese, Chinese, […]

Levi’s is leaving China – Levi Strauss William Beaver Human rights in China have been on a lot of people’s minds lately. Continued reports of political and religious oppression, along with the revelation that China uses prison labor to produce commercial goods that are then sold in the West, is disconcerting. President Clinton, though admitting […]

Phased product development: friend or foe? Richard E. Anderson Phylo Corporation’s Phased Product Review Process (PPRP) team declared victory. It had just scored at a management committee meeting outlining a “reengineered” new product development process for the company. After seven months of intense work negotiating “buy-ins” from functional vice presidents, they finally received a resounding […]

Cleaning up after reengineering – if a complete overhaul of a corporation does not succeed, how can managers salvage the pieces Eliezer Geisler The essence of business process reengineering, or BPR, is the total overhaul of a corporation. It is not the sum total of individually scattered continuous improvements. It is revolutionary, not evolutionary, and […]

Nissan U.K.: a worker’s paradox? Judith Kenner Thompson The major Japanese automobile companies have now established a successful beachhead in Europe, located in the United Kingdom. As they have in North America, these Japanese transplants are exemplifying high levels of technology transfer, combined with learning and adaptation that results in globally competitive new hybrid manufacturing […]

The high cost of motoring in Singapore Rex S. Toh When buying a car in the United States, all we need to do is choose a model, complete some forms, and sign a check. We are then given the keys to the car and simply drive off – usually with a full tank of gasoline. […]

Solving the puzzle of the cash flow statement Julie H. Hertenstein The cash flow statement is one of the most useful financial statements companies prepare. When analyzed in a rational, logical manner, it can illuminate a treasure trove of clues as to how a company is balancing its receivables and payables, paying for its growth, […]

Evaluating the performance of venture capital investments W. Keith Schilit One of the most successful investment advisers in the United States was recently asked his “formula” for successful investing. After a moment’s thought, he replied, “Buy low, sell high.” Venture capitalists strive for a target return for a given investment as well as for their […]

Cleaning up after reengineering – if a complete overhaul of a corporation does not succeed, how can managers salvage the pieces Eliezer Geisler The essence of business process reengineering, or BPR, is the total overhaul of a corporation. It is not the sum total of individually scattered continuous improvements. It is revolutionary, not evolutionary, and […]

Back to the future: timeless lessons for organizational success – Editorial Christopher K. Bart One of the greatest challenges any manager can face is “keeping up”–that is, trying to stay abreast of the latest management wisdom being touted and spouted by various experts. The problem is that there is just too much to absorb. Surely […]