Business Tactics – Meaning and Types

Business Tactics are specific operating plans which are part of and fit into the larger strategic plan. In warfare, tactics are plans made to fight and win battles. Strategy is the larger set of plans to win wars. Similarly business tactics can be viewed as short term plans to achieve smaller goals – also called targets- and are part of a larger strategic plan to achieve long term goals. A useful way of viewing tactics is to consider them as linking elements between strategy formulation and strategy implementation. There are two types of primary tactics viz. Timing Tactics and Market Location Tactics. Timing refers to the order in which a firm makes market moves in relation to its competitors. A firm may choose to be first in the market with a product or new features to an existing product. This is known as a first mover tactic. Usually a firm Continue reading

eGovernment – Definitions and Benefits

EGovernment is one more of the recent years “buzzwords”. It is usually either paired with the word “services” at the end or other words like eGovernance and Digital Government. Like every other (relatively) new and cool “buzzword” they are used widely by a broad spectrum of individuals who represent mostly two different backgrounds. Information technology and politics. The first because it is a technological issue, the later because they have come to realize, even though a little late, that they represent an excellent vehicle for them to provide a better experience to anyone who interacts with the Government. But, what do these terms mean? Do they collide or conflict each other? How about covering or including one another? EGovernment is in the first stages of development. Most governments have already taken or are taking initiatives offering government services online. However, for the true potential of eGovernment to be realized, government Continue reading

Monitoring Marketing Environment

The marketing environment is dynamic it is always changing. Whether the forces of the marketing environment fluctuate slowly or rapidly, they create uncertainty, obstacles, and opportunities. Marketers must constantly monitor the marketing environment to be prepared to capitalize on opportunities and minimize adverse conditions. To monitor changes in the marketing environment effectively, marketing managers must engage in environmental scanning and analysis. Environmental Analysis Environmental analysis is the process of assessing and interpreting the information gathered through environmental scanning. A manager reviews the information for accuracy, ties to reconcile inconsistencies in the data, and interprets the findings. Analysis allows a marketing manager to discern changes in the environment and, if possible, or predict future changes. By evaluating these changes, a marketing manager should be able to determine possible threats and opportunities associated with environmental fluctuations. Knowledge of current and predicted environmental changes aids a marketing manager in assessing the performance of Continue reading

Developmental Approach to Performance Appraisal

The developmental approach to performance appraisal has been related  to employees as individuals. This approach has been concerned with the use of  performance appraisal as a contributor to employee motivation, development,  and human resources planning. The developmental approach contained all of the  traditional overall organizational performance appraisal purposes and the  following additional purposes: Provided employees the opportunity to formally indicate the direction  and level of the employee’s ambition. Show organizational interest in employee development, which was cited  to help the enterprise retain ambitious, capable employees instead of  losing the employees to competitors. Provided a structure for communications between employees and  management to help clarify expectations of the employee by  management and the employee, and Provide satisfaction and encouragement to the employee who has been  trying to perform well. Who are Appraisers? The appraiser may be any person who has thorough knowledge about the  job content, contents to be appraised, standards Continue reading

Four Generations in the Workplace

For the first time in history, the workforce has become a melting pot of four diverse generations. While diversity is increasingly common in the workforce, usually it is only considered in differences of race, religion, sex, nationality, education, and skill level. While each of these traits can contribute to an employee’s perception of work and preferences in the workplace, generational differences will also have an effect. When organizations try to understand and cater to differences in generations, they will experience benefits both for the organization and the individual employees. By offering more of what employee’s want, an organization can begin to see the benefits of a multi-generational work force. Currently, there are four prominent generations in the workforce. A generation is defined by demographics and key life-events that shape, at least to some degree, distinctive generational characteristics. Since the 1920s, key historical events have shaped society. It is argued that Continue reading

Approaches to Demand Forecasting in Managerial Economics

All firms forecast demand, but it would be difficult to find any two firms that forecast demand in exactly the same way. Over the last few decades, many different forecasting techniques have been developed in a number of different application areas, including engineering and economics. Many such procedures have been applied to the practical problem of forecasting demand in a business  system, with varying degrees of success. Most commercial software packages that support demand forecasting in a business  system include dozens of different forecasting algorithms that the analyst can use to generate alternative demand forecasts. While scores of different forecasting techniques exist, almost any forecasting procedure can be broadly classified into one of the following four basic categories based on the fundamental approach towards the forecasting problem that is employed by the technique. Judgmental Approaches. The essence of the judgmental approach is to address the forecasting issue by assuming that Continue reading