It is believed that the term “stakeholder” in relation to organizations has been used since the 1930s, when Harvard Law Professor E. Merrick Dodd suggested that businesses had at least four major groups of stakeholders: shareowners, employees, customers and the general public. Decades later,...

While there are examples of organizations that are led by a single individual exercising what appears to be dictatorial control over day-to-day activities and long-term strategy the realities of an increasingly complex business environment, even for smaller companies, generally dictate the...

Obviously one of the threshold questions in the field of organizational studies is defining exactly what is meant by the term “organization.” There are a wide variety of definitions with the words and emphasis changing depending upon the academic school of thought. The simple neoclassical...

While organizational performance is a much-discussed topic, the reality is that there is a good deal of confusion and argument regarding how it should be defined, conceptualized and measured. The traditional approach has been to focus on the ability of the organization to achieve its economic...

The members of any organization engage in a myriad of tasks and activities on a day-to-day basis. While each member has his or her own list of task responsibilities, the tasks and activities performed by various members are typically interrelated and require some level of collaboration. It is...

This book covers the key steps in designing, implementing and administering a formal strategic planning process and provides practical guidance on the elements of a business plan and the steps that should be taken to create a business plan that can be used for execution of strategy and...

While the success of any new business is dependent on a number of factors—the specific business model, technological advantages, the skills and talents of the management team, and competitive and other environmental factors—it is now well understood and accepted that companies often rise or...

Product development includes not only the creation and launch of new products but also modification or updates to existing products. Successful product development is essential for launching a company and for ensuring that the company continues to survive and prosper as competitive conditions...

While leaders can be distinguished from managers, leaders nonetheless are responsible for several the same functions typically categorized as “managerial” such as setting goals and designing strategic plans to achieve those goals, communicating directives to other members of the...

Leadership is a universal phenomenon that has preoccupied scholars, politicians and others for centuries. Zagoršek observed: “. . . the simultaneous appearance of social institutions such as government, organized religion, and a significant role for individual leaders argues that there may...