The complexity of transitional business conditions creates a need for creating value through aggregation of different businesses in complex corporate enterprise, which gives it the character of a multi-business firm. Businesses could be defined as being whatever the enterprise chooses to operate as organizationally separate profit-responsible units. Such business entities are often referred to as Strategic Business Units (SBUs) and they are organized as largely separable businesses with control over the main strategic levers that affect their performance. Besides this organizational definition, the businesses could be defined in economic sense relating to Strategic Business Opportunities (SBOs), which are clusters of product-market transactions able to sustain a successful focused business, with financial independence. Processes of merger, acquisition, divestment, and the other processes of transformation continually create new challenges to corporate management towards providing better performance of aggregated businesses than they would achieve if they were independent, stand-alone entities. It is corporate strategy that should guide key decisions in the businesses and ...

Decision making is the cognitive process leading to the selection of a course of action among alternatives. Business, managers seem to make decisions and afterwards look for ways to justify the decisions. Why business is conducted this way? What is the process for decision-making?. A numbers of decision making areas currently are receiving attention in global business. The way in which decision making is carried out will be influenced by a number of factors including the culture. In general the following sequences are used to make decisions. 1. Problem Recognition Managers in master-of-destiny cultures tend to perceive most situations as problems to be solved, and they seek improvement through change. On the other hand, managers in fatalistic Societies tend to accept situations as they are, and they are, and they do not seek improvement or change; they believe that fate or God’s will intervene in decision making. The United States society is an example of the master-of-destiny culture. 2. Information Gathering Decision makers in some cultures rely on hard facts and data as bases for a decision. The non programmed approach to decision making would therefore be applied in ...

It is becoming quite apparent that businesses, big and small, need to understand how decision-making affects their entire operations. When making decisions, managers in organizations apply either a programmed or a non programmed decision-makings process. Both processes are affected by the culture of the society in which the decision is being made. For example, mangers in countries with relatively low tolerance for ambiguity, such as Japan and Germany, avoid non programmed decisions as making. Operating manuals in organizations in these cultures tend to be relatively thick. In contrast, mangers in countries with relatively high tolerance for ambiguity, such as the United States and Norway, seek responsibility for non-programmed decision making. The secrets of effective decision making lie in the balance between rational and intuitive thought. The following strategies provide a useful framework for making effective decision. Determine the problem and identify the goals to be accomplished by your decision. Engage your intuition. Get in touch with your instant feeling on the situation and make note of it. Collect data. Don't be too obsessed with researching every piece of ...

The gender bias toward women managers that exists in many countries creates hesitancy among U.S. multinational companies to offer women international assignments. Questions such as, Are there opportunities for women in international business? And should women represent U.S. firms abroad? Frequently arise as U.S. companies become more international. As women move up in domestic management ranks and seek career related international assignments, companies need to examine their positions on women managers in international business. In many cultures-Asian, Arab, Latin American, and even some European women are not typically found in upper levels of management. Traditional roles in male-dominated societies often are translated into minimal business opportunities for women. This cultural bias raises questions about the effectiveness of women in establishing successful relationships with host country associates. An often-asked question is whether it is appropriate to send women to conduct business with foreign customers. To some it appears logical that if women are not accepted in managerial roles within their own cultures, a foreign woman will not be any more acceptable. This is but ...

Career planning is the process of one’s life work and involves evaluating abilities and interests, considering alternative career opportunities, establishing career goals, and planning practical development. Career planning is a deliberate process through which a person becomes aware of personal career related attributes and the lifelong sense of stages that contribute to his or her career fulfillment. A career is not something that should be left to each employee; instead it should be managed by the organization to ensure efficient allocation of human and capital resources. The HR  department must take an active role in employee career planning through career education, information and counseling: Career Education Many employees know very little about career planning. Often they are unaware of the need for and advantages of career planning. And once made aware, they often lack the necessary information to plan their careers successfully. Personnel departments are suited to solve both of these shortcomings, and they can increase employee awareness through a variety of educational techniques. Workshops and seminars on career planning increase employee interest by pointing out ...

Career development comprises those personal improvements one undertakes to achieve a career plan. The personnel department may sponsor these actions or they may be activities that employees undertake independent of the department. That is career development may be organizational and individual career development. From an organizational career standpoint, career development involves tracking career paths. In contrast, individual career development focuses on assisting individuals to identify their major career goals and to determine what they need to do to attain these goals. Each person must accept responsibility for his  own career; assess his own interests, skills and values and take the step required to ensure a happy and fulfilling career. It is unwise to leave these jobs to others. In the case of individual career development, the focus is entirely on the individual and includes his career outside the organization as well as inside. So while organizational career development looks at individuals filling the needs of the organization, individual career development addresses each individual’s personal work career irrespective of whether this work is performed. Career ...