Category Archives: MBA-A-Day

Financial statements are reports that publicly-traded companies are legally required to file by the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). In order to be traded on a stock exchange, companies need to reveal a surprising amount about their financial situation, to … Continue reading →

Keeping your business running from day-to-day is tactics, or execution. You’re making sure the donuts are made on time. But all the big, long-term decisions–what kind of donuts to sell, what hours you’re open, the number and location of your … Continue reading →

The single most important part of a project is a shared, detailed, clearly-understood and agreed-upon description of what it is that you’re trying to end up with. Most projects fail because of some minor detail, glossed over in the planning … Continue reading →

My favorite piece of technology: the wheel. What I mean is, “technology” does not have to be a computer or made of carbon fiber or have blinking lights and a manual in Korean. “Technology” is the application of a tool … Continue reading →

What “Six Sigma” means is that a process should have output that is so exact, precise and consistent that it would have to be over three standard deviations out from what you’d expect before it was ever unacceptable to your … Continue reading →

A process is something ongoing, like an assembly line in a factory, or a kitchen in a restaurant. There is always a bottleneck, which is the slowest point on the line. Stuff collects behind it. There is no getting around … Continue reading →

Data Analysis isn’t really about statistics. It’s about looking at data, reaching a conclusion based on what the data shows, and presenting it to an audience. Most people have a negative opinion about statistics, but statistics are just a tool … Continue reading →

Economics is all about theory. And in theory, money flows about the world in predictable, fair and efficient ways. In theory. In a perfect economic world, companies would compete with each other, eternally striving towards monopoly–one company completely controlling the … Continue reading →

Leadership is credibility. Credibility means people believe you’ll do what you say you’ll do. Doing what you’ll say you’ll do means people will trust you. You can’t lead people without trust. You can’t lead people without having a place to … Continue reading →

Most people think of “marketing” as “sending fancy fliers in the mail or making banners for trade shows.” But that’s “Marcom,” or “marketing communications.” Real marketing is the art of building the right product for the right audience and getting … Continue reading →