Search Results

Managers know that the customer's impression of an organization is important. And sometimes companies attempt to determine just what that impression is. They conduct ad hoc surveys and focus groups. But too often the data is insubstantial, or difficult to analyze, or even inaccurate. Barich and Kotler introduce the concept of "marketing image" and describe a system of image management: designing a study, collecting data, analyzing image problems, modifying the image, and tracking responses to that image. They argue that only a systematic approach will yield useful and accurate information that a company can translate into action.

Let's say you run a U.S. corporation that sells widgets to Germans. The deutsche mark drops against the U.S. dollar. What happens? You can sell the same number of widgets, but when the marks are converted into dollars, you get fewer of them in your pocket. And, if your widgets are produced in the United States, your production costs are higher than for your German competitor. Nothing you can do about it, right? George and Schroth argue that you can do something about it, but it takes systematic planning. In this article, they describe the increasing effects of foreign exchange rates on the global market and ways to plan for them. By making foreign exchange planning a part of overall long-term strategy, organizations can avoid its negative effects and even exploit its positive ones.

The author is one of a group of Japanese management scholars developing a frame of reference strikingly different from that of American scholars writing about business administration. Here Professor Nonaka introduces the concept of compressive management, which recognizes a key role for middle managers in information development. "The essential logic of compressive management is that top management creates a vision or dream, and middle management creates and implements concrete concepts to solve and transcend the contradictions arising from gaps between what exists at the moment and what management hopes to create." The development of the Honda "City" is used to illustrate "middle-up-down" management. In their wish to develop an entirely new car, Honda's top managers gave a group of young designers that task -- with virtually no direction. The designers first attempted to modify an existing model but were eventually forced into questioning and transcending universal assumptions about automobile design.

Explore proven strategies to level up your own and your team’s negotiation skills.

Leaders can sustain social and environmental commitments amid a hostile political climate by communicating thoughtfully.

Reacting to uncertainty without a clear strategy can result in paralysis or overreaction, especially in politically turbulent times. Learn when to wait, when to act, and when to invest with tested frameworks for responding to political uncertainty. 

Innovation is essential for staying competitive, but most great ideas never see the light of day. This leadership guide reveals how to overcome the hidden barriers that kill creativity — and how to build systems that consistently generate breakthrough products, services, and business models.

When leading change, seeking overinflated credit and taking extreme ownership can cause trouble.

Our fall 2025 issue provides insights on talent management, human-robot collaboration, IP essentials, and making invisible problems visible.

Pursuing profit alone won’t lead to long-term business success. Corporate goals must be both financial and values-based.