Customers are the lifeblood of our businesses. If we don’t have customers, our businesses die; it’s that simple. Yet, many of us who are business owners turn away customers for any number of reasons. Sometimes, the reasons are due to the limits our businesses have. Restaurants turn away customers because they have no more tablesContinue reading “It’s Bad When We Turn Away Customers, Very Bad”
Tag Archives: business
The Pros & Cons of Steady-Stream Supply Chains
The two (2) managers of the large multinational consumer goods corporation coined it steady-stream. Both managers, one from sales and the other in charge of orders processing, agreed that the constant volume rushes every month-end were not acceptable. It would be more beneficial to have a smooth flow of supply rather than a spike atContinue reading “The Pros & Cons of Steady-Stream Supply Chains”
What Now?
It’s a question I encounter at the end of every seminar: What Now? Where do we go from here? How do we start? Where do we start? What do we do? Most seminars end with people praising the principles learned but then hardly applying them in real life. Why is it so hard to applyContinue reading “What Now?”
‘I Don’t Believe in Supply Chains’
The retail owner didn’t believe in supply chain management and I don’t blame her. The retail owner runs a store that sells office supplies. Her business was hit by the coronavirus pandemic that began in 2020 but which she recovered from as soon as infections subsided and the local government lifted restrictions. The retailContinue reading “‘I Don’t Believe in Supply Chains’”
Scarcity and Abundance Depend on What We Need and Where We Are
My bedroom gets sunlight for only a few minutes every morning. Because my room faces the north-east and because there are trees nearby, the morning sun’s rays shine through my window for only a moment, passing through a break between the tree branches. Then it’s gone, for the rest of the day. The sun’s raysContinue reading “Scarcity and Abundance Depend on What We Need and Where We Are”
Tools are Just as Important as Talent
A mechanic once advised a trucking owner that his job is only as good as the tools he has. The trucking owner agreed and bought all the tools & supplies the mechanic needed. The owner was rewarded with trucks that hardly had breakdowns. If there were, the mechanic would immediately have the broken-down truck repairedContinue reading “Tools are Just as Important as Talent”
Quality is Free; Value is Not
Is quality free? Philip Crosby in his book, Quality is Free, believes it is when we adopt a Zero Defects policy. An enterprise can achieve quality in its products and services without having to pay more. Quality may be free but value is not. At least to consumers searching for the best products and services. Continue reading “Quality is Free; Value is Not”
Why There are No Patron Saints for Modern Business
The Jesuit priest in his homily for the Catholic mass service I was attending with fellow high school students many years ago declared there were no Catholic patron saints for business people. At least there weren’t any who could be a model for those who led corporations and enterprises. In the Roman Catholic Church, patronContinue reading “Why There are No Patron Saints for Modern Business”
What Is Stupidity?
We don’t like being called stupid. It’s insulting and the one who says it obviously has bad intentions against the person he’s labelling as stupid. But what does stupid mean, anyway? It is not the opposite of smart. Smart describes cleverness, ingenuity, intelligence, and innovation. Ignorant would be the best antonym of smart asContinue reading “What Is Stupidity?”
Don’t Forget Productivity in Promoting Resilience
When the coronavirus pandemic in 2020 catastrophically caused a sudden global economic recession, enterprises went on the defensive to keep their businesses afloat; executives promised stakeholders they would transform their organisations to become more resilient. Risk management was the popular precursor to resilience. In risk management, managers laid out possible threats and prepared for them. Continue reading “Don’t Forget Productivity in Promoting Resilience”
Ellery's Essays 