By: Chuck Hermans The importance of international experience in the workplace is commonly acknowledged among executives as a valued part of the skill set necessary for future managers. In fact, most organizations have a recruiting plan that specifically identifies applicants with international experience, such as study abroad. Almost one-third of senior executives report … [Read more...] about Bears Business Brief: International perspective: Is studying abroad valued in the workplace?
Yes, marketing is your job! And my job! Marketing is the responsibility of every employee in an organization. Marketing is everywhere and is essential to the ongoing ability of an organization to generate revenue. If we are not supporting those efforts, we become a liability — and perhaps even unnecessary to the organization. Every employee creates and manages relationships, … [Read more...] about Bears Business Brief: Marketing is everyone’s job
By: Chuck Hermans Who are your customers? Or perhaps a better question is: Who aren’t your customers? Not everyone is interested in, nor a good target for, every product or service offering. Marketing communications should be tailored to a particular audience. For a small business here in the Ozarks, segmentation, targeting and positioning strategies are essential to help … [Read more...] about Bears Business Brief: Divide and Conquer: Segmentation, targeting and positioning
By: Chuck Hermans Competitive advantage is touted as the key success factor for any business, but for a small business in the Ozarks, the process of bringing your advantage into focus takes time to fully develop. Multinational firms, such as Wal-Mart, clearly have many sources of advantage. Most often when we think of what drives this giant retailer, their comparative … [Read more...] about Bears Business Brief: Some basic strategies for gaining a competitive advantage