Adaptation Innovation Theory
The best companies know when to "innovate" and when to "adapt".
Adaptive Enterprise
Move faster and survive longer in tough markets.
Aggregate Demand
Train your managers to understand the wider economic situation - know when falling incomes could affect your sales
Asset Building to Support Innovation Opportunity
Don't leave innovation to chance - be more profitable by putting the right people and resources in place
Asymmetric Information
Be more informed about negotiations and business transactions - understand your advantages and weaknesses
Authority, Autocracy, Autonomy
Great businesses are led by great leaders - recruit for the right leadership style to drive outstanding results.
Backsourcing
Find out how bringing services back in-house can save money.
Balanced Scorecard
Get a rounded view of performance, not just the financial numbers
Bayesian Analysis
A statistical approach to making sales improvement decisions
Benchmarking
Make your business the best it can be by looking at what else is out there
Big Data Analytics
Use your current data to drive higher profits and business performance while cutting costs.
Board Governance Value
For governance to add real value – allow time for debate and challenge, work towards timely closure and provide clarity on actions required.
Boston Consulting Group Matrix
A famous tool to separate your stars from your dogs
Bribery Act 2010
A key compliance issue particularly for sales people
Budgeting Processes
Good budgeting can be the difference between losing money and increasing value by up to 149%
Business Continuity Management / Business Continuity Planning
Make sure you're prepared for unexpected threats to your business
Business Cycle
Are boom and bust inevitable?
Business Innovation
Evolve your products and services to bring new opportunities for revenue and growth
Business Intelligence
Make better decisions about which customers to pursue, and how
Business Modelling
Understanding how each area your business works enables you to make better management decisions
Business Process Improvement
Your business costs can be streamlined and dramatically cheaper with the right process flow
Business Process Re-engineering
Radically rethinking how work gets done can dramatically improve performance
Business Valuation
There are several key techniques that are used to value a business. It is critical to be aware of them
Capability Management
Build “signature processes” that boost the bottom line and make it hard for your competitors to copy your success.
Capital Asset Pricing Model
How do you make sure your portfolio matches your risk appetite?
Cash Flow Statement and Management
Discounts can be negotiated and margins increased by 5%-10% with effective invoicing and payment flow
Centralisation / Decentralisation
Sales can increase 8% quickly by making the right centralise/decentralise decision
Change Agents
Change can make or break a company - make sure you've got the best person to lead you.
Change Leadership
The only constant is change; make sure you are equipped
Change Management
Change management can be hard; master the key success factors
Co-creation
Don't just think you know what your customers want - start generating higher profits by working together with customers on products and services
Co-sourcing
Savings of 30% could be on offer with the right co-sourcing decision
Coase Theorem
Understand how to reach efficient outcomes when disputes arise that could disrupt your business operations and profits
Coefficient of Elasticity
Learn how demand and price works in the market - position your business for growth and profitability
Commercial Intelligence
Turn what you know about your market into new business opportunities
Commercial Law
Commercial law governs all your transactions
Commissioning
Competitive Intelligence
Keep your friends close, but keep your enemies closer? Keep one step ahead by knowing what your competitors are doing
Consumption Expenditure
Be informed about consumer spending to make quicker, better business decisions
Contingency Theory of Leadership
Great leaders aren't always born - learn how to develop your leaders to drive profitability and boost customer engagement.
Continuous Improvement
If you are not doing things better your competition will be. You can lose at least 20% sales if you do not keep offering more to your customers
Coopetition
Smart companies work together to save money on some shared costs - but still stay fiercely competitive in other areas.
Core Competencies
Focus on what you do really well and put that at the heart of your growth strategy
Corporate Social Responsibility
A very effective way to make your business stand out from competitors
Corporate/Organisational Culture
Big businesses make £Millions extra by getting more performance and better new ideas from their workers
Cost-to-Serve Model
Add 1.7% to your margin by understanding your most and least profitable customers
Countertrade
Crisis Management
Before catastrophe strikes, know your Business Continuity Plan
Cross-Functional Supply Management
Improve your responsiveness to customers by joining up your internal teams
Customer Centric International Shared Services
Maximise customer centricity - co-design services with key stakeholders to achieve excellence in service provision across international boundaries.
Customer-driven Strategy
Growth and profits need a relentless focus on customer needs - learn how to win out where other companies fail
Data Warehousing and Data Mining in Business
Get new insights into your customers and make smarter business decisions.
Decision Support Systems
Use technologies to make faster, smarter decisions that can really drive business results, growth and profitability
Decision Trees
Decision trees can help you to evaluate your strategic options
Demand Curve
Be more profitable and grow your business - make sure your products are in demand and that customers pay the best price
Demand-pull Inflation
Learn why demand for your goods and services can outstrip supply - and what it means for your business
Demerger
Unlock financial benefits by breaking-up your business.
Deming Wheel
Achieve 10 - 20% process improvements by regularly applying the PDCA cycle
Diamond Theory of Competitive Advantage
Thinking of international expansion? Here's a tool to help assess the options
Differentiation
Be different. Get it right and you could achieve up to 66% market share like Red Bull
Diminishing Returns
Understanding diminishing returns helps you to allocate your resources to tasks in the most productive way
Discounted Cash Flow
Take a hard headed look at the real value of your potential investments
Diversification
New products and markets offer new revenue streams - learn how to identify and seize these opportunities
Division of Labour
Speed up production; get your products to market quicker.
Downsizing
If you need to downsize, do it well
Due Diligence
Know what you are really buying or selling, and with who, with due diligence
e-Business
Your business could generate many mutliples more revenue by maximising your online capabalities
e-Commerce
It is essential that your online presence reflects your business well. Do it right
Economic Cost
All decisions have an opportunity cost
Economic Value Added
EVA gives you an investor's view of the profit and value in your business
Economies of Scale and Scope
Operate at the right size and in the right ways to achieve the best value for money
Emergent Change
Planned or not, change will happen in, and outside your organisation - understand this to stay on track
Empowering Employees
Your staff will work harder and be more loyal if they feel trusted and able to make some of their own decisions
Enabling Private Cloud
Add value with private cloud – allow users to access what they need.
Enterprise Resource Planning
Save time and money using ERP - take the next step to better business performance.
Entrepreneurship
Identify and exploit new ideas effectively
Exit Strategies
Before you get in to a contract, know how you will get out when the time comes
Financial Reporting Requirements
Make sure that your financial reports follow all current rules and regulations
Fintech
Five Forces Analysis / Framework
Understand the forces that drive profit, and make sure your business is equipped to conquer them
Flat / Horizontal Organisation
Reducing the number of managers even in a small company can have a positive effect on business performance and results
Forecasting
Accurate forecasting is essential and will focus your business on achieving its potential
Foreign Direct Investment
Win-win: take advantage of profitable expansion abroad, or build profitable relationships with investors at home.
Forward Integration
As your business grows it could have a long term profit impact to acquire other functions/companies associated with delivering your products or services
Franchising
Around 92% of all UK franchisees reported profitability over the last 12 months - generate additional revenue using proven business formats
Game Theory
Become a strategic decision maker - learn how to build better relationships with customers to accelerate business growth.
Gearing Ratio
Learn how to grow your business for the long-term by maximising profit and minimising risk.
Global Procurement
Some of your materials may come from abroad, if so it is important to understand how best to manage this process
Global Strategy
Think big, think global, learn how to build a strategy for growth in today's globalised world.
Globalisation
Think Global and maximise your business potential
Glocalisation
Businesses of all sizes with overseas customers need to understand local markets. Learn how to stay ahead of the curve in lucrative, emerging markets.
Green Logistics
Lower your business costs whilst being environmentally friendly
Gross Domestic Product
Understand what the most important economic indicator GDP, means for the growth and success of your business.
Group Purchasing Organisations
It costs less to buy in bulk. Can your business make substantial cost savings and improve bottom line performance?
Horizontal vs. Vertical Integration
Understand where there might be opportunities for your business to collaborate - it could be in similar or different areas
Human Capital
People are at the core of every business and this is critical to understand
Human Resource Based Theories of Strategy
Having good people in itself can drive value for your business
Improving Product Differentiation
Being different is essential to fulfil the sales potential of your business. Be sure to understand and exploit it
Improving Working Capital Management
The lifeblood of your business - keep on top of it at all times
Industry Life Cycle
Know what stage your industry is at, and choose the right strategy
Information Management
Be sure your business decisions are based on the right information
Innovation Capital
Learn how to protect your most important assets - future-proof your organisation to stay ahead of competitors
Innovation Diamond
Innovative companies generate more revenue, break new ground in the market, and have more satisfied, loyal customers.
Innovation Management
Innovate or die. You need to keep generating new ideas and value in your business to stay ahead. Understand how to make sure it happens and manage it
Insourcing
As your business grows it might be better to hire and retain key staff and competencies than buy from outside your company
Intellectual Capitalism
Your employees' know-how and ideas are often your greatest assets, manage and protect these to build a more profitable, enterprising business.
Intellectual Property Management
Protecting your big ideas is critical to success. Companies like IBM make up to 3,300% more by managing their Intellectual Property well
Internal Strategic Integration
When all business functions are aligned to the overall strategy the collective results are likely to improve
Just-In-Time
How to manage stock and inventory levels at the absolute minimum to keep working capital free
Keiretsu
The original form of collaborating "companies". This approach can offer huge potential to smaller firms
Key Performance Indicators
You can't manage what you don't measure - get everyone performing at their best.
Kraljic Matrix
One of the dominant strategic tools guiding purchasing activities in organisations
Leadership
All companies need to be led. If you understand what it entails your Company could be the next Apple
Lean Manufacturing / Production
Eliminating waste from your organisation can impact on your costs dramatically
Leasing
A cashflow friendly way to getting some key assets for your business
Leasing vs. Purchasing Technology
Leasing gives you the latest technologies (before budgets allow), costs are predictable, and purchases can be offset against tax liabilities.
Leveraging
Reduce your risk and leverage the funds effectively and efficiently
Lifecycle System Approach
Being able to manage your products and services over their lifecycle is key for your business success
Linear Trend Forecasting
Forecasting techniques are critical to understand as you drive your business forwards
Logistics and Supply Chain Management
Improve logistics – help your organisation better utilise production capacity.
Long Range Planning Horizon
Use long-range planning to give your managers the foresight to achieve ambitious visions and growth plans.
Long Tail
Similar to Pareto's 80/20 - approximately 80% spend will be covered by 20% of the suppliers and conversely 20% of the spend will be comprised of a long tail of suppliers - 80%. Whether you are a buyer or supplier you need to know how to manage this
Loosely-Coupled vs. Tightly-Coupled Supply Chain
Collaborating in a supply chain can create a competitive advantage through sharing information, making joint decisions, and sharing benefits
Maintenance, Repair and Operating Supplies
Improve your position in terms of MRO procurement - reduce costs and increase efficiency.
Management by Objectives
Help your employees hit their targets by setting the right goals and actions.
Management by Walking Around
If you wait for people to come to you, you’ll only get small problems. The big problems are where people don’t realise they have one in the first place
Managing Bring-Your-Own-Device Practice
Enterprising companies shouldn't ignore the benefits of BYOD, including more productive and satisfied workers, and cost savings on equipment and training.
Managing Open Innovation
Sometimes new ideas can come from outside of your business. Managing this can be a challenge yet offer huge potential
Market Penetration
Sell up to 80% more by getting to your customers more effectively
Market Positioning
Understand where the gaps are and make your product stand out from the crowd
Mass Customisation
Raise the bar for your customers by giving them unique product and service experiences.
Mass Production
Radically improve your efficiency and bring products to market even faster.
Material Requirements Planning
If your business is producing goods this is a must-know technique
Matrix Management
The world's best companies work seamlessly across departments, learn how to make your management the best it can be.
Mergers and Acquisitions
One of the fastest routes to expansion. Understand the motivations and what is involved
Monopolistic Competition
Find opportunities to control prices and enter and exit new markets easily.
Monopoly
Know how to cooperate with powerful businesses to win more business.
Monopsony
Learn how to cooperate with large businesses to grow your sales and win more business.
Monte Carlo Simulation
Multi-Channel Distribution Systems
Start reaching multiple markets and customer segments to really drive growth and profitability
Multidivisional Organisational Structure
New Product Development
Know when and how to develop new products to add to your portfolio and drive up revenue
Offshoring
Moving some operations to a different place can bring efficencies, cost savings and profitability
Oligopoly
Compete or cooperate with large businesses to grow your sales and start winning more business and contracts.
Open Source Software
Open source software is often freely available, helping businesses to reduce costs and free-up capital to invest in other important growth areas.
Operations Management
Balance costs with revenue to achieve the highest net operating profit possible.
Operations Strategy Matrix
Make sure your strategic decisions about how your operations are going to work are the right ones based on sound principles
Organisation Development
Transform your business for maximum success - avoid becoming one of the 25-50% of firms that fail at OD projects.
Outsourcing
Dramatically cut costs and increase efficiency and learn how to outsource effectively, safely and profitably.
Outsourcing in Procurement and Supply Chain
It is often better to let someone outside of your business manage something which is not your main strength so you can focus on growing your business
Outsourcing Innovation
Innovation is key to growth, outsourcing innovation can bring the ideas and expertise needed to kickstart new projects.
Paradigm and Paradigm Shifting
Phases of Change
Make your next business change the best one yet - don't be one of the 70% of companies that fail at change management.
Portfolio Management
Understand how to manage the portfolio of your business and make sure each one has the right strategy in place
Positive Risk Management
Take a positive approach to risk management and learn how to realise unexpected benefits and opportunities for your business.
Pricing Decisions
Get this wrong you will sell nothing, get it right you can thrive
Processual Approach to Change
Break through the "messy" process of change management - start getting the results you want.
Production Possibility Frontier
Use all your resources to maximum efficiency - produce even more products to expand your business.
Programme Evaluation and Review Technique
Learn the techniques for superior project management - complete projects faster and with better results.
Punctuated Equilibrium Model
Learn to see change as a positive - capitalise on every opportunity to grow, learn and generate profit.
Purchasing Consortium/Consortia
Consider purchasing consortium – increase buying power and ability to achieve low prices.
Purchasing Strategies
Have a clear plan for what you need to buy to make sure costs stay low and profitability is maximised
Resource-Based Strategy
Make use of what your business already has to either grow into new markets or increase profit in existing ones
Reverse Supply Chain / Reverse Logistics
Your business can often re-use materials and processes produced in the supply chain. Doing this well can lead to large cost savings and increased profitability
Satisficing
On occasions the ultimate best outcome is not possible, but it will still work in favour of your business
Scenario Planning
Prepare for different futures to be well best placed to capitalise
Security and Ethical Challenges of IT
Businesses are at significant risk of cyber attacks - implement the right policies and train your employees to protect your profits.
Shared Services
Cut costs and save time - learn how to be more efficient by sharing services
Shared Services Client-Advisor Relationships
To deliver greater value, focus on flexible partnership models responsive to changing business needs and more conducive to building trust.
Shared Services Innovation
Consider your innovation route map - recognise the value of applying innovative thinking to shared services implementation.
Shutdown Point
Avoid costly production shutdowns - keep your business going, keep your business growing.
Six Sigma
Understand how to match what your business is producing to your customers' needs
Skunkworks
If you have a new idea for your business it can often be made to happen quicker if you set up a team that is "out of the business"
Social Media Management
Learn how social media can help grow your business, reach new customers, and boost sales and revenue
Sourcing and Procurement Industry Standards and Benchmarking
A key challenge of benchmarking is finding useful sources of comparison data – don’t feel constrained if competitor information is not available directly.
Sourcing and Shared Services Market Trends
Get ahead with the latest sourcing and shared services trends to outpace the competition and generate value for the bottom line.
Sourcing Governance Value
Communicate and cross-collaborate – create functional governance systems that are closely integrated to drive value.
Stakeholder Analysis and Management
Investors, shareholders and staff are all critical to your business. Manage them well and you will all succeed.
Standards and Policies in Procurement
Having clear policies for your business's purchasing will ensure anyone responsible for buying anything on behalf of the company does so properly and will save money in the long run
Strategic Alignment
Learn how to outperform the competition by matching your strategy and resources.
Strategic Alliance
Smart companies understand that growth comes from cooperation as much as competition - start building profitable relationships with other firms.
Strategic Business Units
If your business has different product or service lines you could make more money by treating them as separate business units which need their own strategic direction
Strategic Contingency
Manage power and politics so your company can perform at its best.
Strategic Groups
If your business is part of a strategic group it is essential to understand what the key drivers are, and how the other members are performing in order to get ahead
Strategic Intent
Don't assume that all your staff understand your strategy - help them understand the firm's ambitions and how to achieve success.
Strategic IT Acquisition
Save time and money by knowing when its right to develop versus buy IT solutions.
Strategic Planning
Getting your strategy right is quite simply the difference between making it and failing
Strategic Procurement
Make sure you are buying the things that fit with your strategy and not just buying as you need. This approach can save your business huge unnecessary costs
Strategy Map
Strategy maps are essential roadmaps to achieving growth and profits and to understand all your options and get ahead.
Structure-Conduct-Performance Model
Successful Project Management
Running your business well involves many simultaneous projects - manage them effectively and ensure your business succeeds
Succession Planning
Make sure you have the right talent ready to step up and lead your business when your best people leave.
Supply Chain Integration
Speaking to all of your suppliers regularly may open up collaboration opportunities which can save you money and maybe even open up new money making ventures
Supply Chain Network Design
If your business has many suppliers it is crucial to understand their inter-reliance and the timing impact so you can manage it
Supply Chain Operations Reference Model
How does your business measure up against some of the larger firms out there in terms of managing suppliers?
Supply Chain Performance Measures
Improve supply chain performance – chose the right indicators and make sure it is properly measured.
Supply Chain Risk Management
Is you business reliant on 1 or 2 suppliers? Do you have a back up plan in case any of them don't deliver their end of the bargain?
Supply Chain Security Management
DO you know all of your suppliers, and how secure are your processes? This is your business's money being spent after all
Survivorship Bias
Survivorship bias is the focus on survivors instead of a broader context that includes those that did not survive. It appears in many arenas: athletics, business, entertainment. For every success, there are others who did not succeed. To properly judge success we must also view failure. Lacking this broader context, we make less-informed decisions.
Sustainable Procurement
As your business grows, understand how to make your buying practices sustainable
Sustainable Supply Chain
Systems Thinking
Train your managers and employees in systems thinking - help them see the bigger picture to really drive results and profitability.
T-Shaped People
Tactical vs. Strategic Purchasing
Do you have a clear plan for what your business is buying and why? If you do this right you could save 20% or more on spend
The Golden Thread
Having a clear strategic direction is essential to maximise performance. The concept offers a review of the Golden Thread model, explaining how it can be applied within an organisation and highlighting some of its strengths and weaknesses.
The Halo Effect
Don't make costly hiring mistakes that could hit your bottom line.
Theory of Constraints
Uncover the weakest links in your production processes - make more profit by being more efficient
Third-Party Marketplaces
There might be a cheaper way to find your components or mass-sell your products via market places. Understand how they work
Time Management
The concept explains what time management is and provides a number of examples and techniques to better organise, plan and control time to enhance effectiveness. It also considers the influence of environmental factors in affecting how we use time and suggests useful tools to overcome time pressure. A number of case studies support the idea that time management has a positive impact on performance and effectiveness. Some limitations and drawbacks are also considered, focusing on the difficulty of measuring time management success factors and skills. The concept also provides an overview of how to use Covey’s Time Management Matrix to prioritise tasks in urgent and non-urgent.
Time Series Models
Business success depends on making more accurate forecasts - stay ahead of the curve with time series modelling
Time to Market
If you are too slow to market you could lose 33% profitability. Understand the steps involved and get it right to maximise profit
Total Cost of Ownership
The total cost of your goods or services are more than just the production costs. Make sure you understand this before setting your price and you could see profitability soar
Total Quality Management
Deliver the best quality you can and your business can succeed
Traditional / Open Loop / Forward Supply Chain
Have a solid understanding of the steps involved in the supply chain and work out which is best for your business
Transactional Leadership
The world's best companies know how to set goals and reward employees - learn how to lead to hit and exceed targets.
Triple Bottom Line
As your business grows, understand the measures that large organisations are judged on
Types of Innovations
Increase your profits by entering new markets, developing new products and overhauling your business processes.
Ulrich Model
HR can add more value: Increase profits and performance, while reducing operating costs.
Understanding Supply Markets and Competition
Understanding where price changes to your raw materials might come from will help you to stay ahead of the competition
User vs Manufacturer Innovation
Users can help you spot your next profit-boosting innovation.
Value Based Pricing
What is the real value add of your business and how much can you charge your customers
Value Chain
Know which areas of your business will set you apart from your competition and use it to sell to get ahead
Value Chain Management
Being able to manage the value chain well will help deliver bottom line performance
Variance Analysis
Train your managers in understanding present costs and learn how to control future costs.
Venture Capital
For start ups still one of the most widely used methods of raising early funding, but can be expensive. Key to understand fully
Virtual Integration
Use technology to bind together a dispersed network of suppliers- facilitate significant growth in information exchange.
Virtual Organisations
How to manage your staff if they are on the road or working from home
Working From Home
The concept provides a definition of working from home (WFH) and explores not only its key benefits and measures of success, but also the challenges that employees and employers can encounter when working remotely and ways to overcome them.
Yield Management
Sell the right product to the right customer at the right time and price. Ensure maximum profit.
Zero-based Budgeting
Drive your managers to find cost effective ways to improve operations and reduce wasteful expenditure.