Whether you are an entrepreneur, an aspiring business owner, or manage a division of a company that functions as a stand-alone business,Process to Profits will prove to be an invaluable resource to anyone whose fortunes are tied to a relatively small business operation. Through step-by-step grounding in the practical aspects of strategic management, this book will provide your business with an edge over its rivals.

Whether you are an entrepreneur, an aspiring business owner, or manage a division of a company that functions as a stand-alone business,Process to Profits will prove to be an invaluable resource to anyone whose fortunes are tied to a relatively small business operation. Through step-by-step grounding in the practical aspects of strategic management, this book will provide your business with an edge over its rivals.

With an emphasis on strategy and implementation of basic principles, Process to Profits encourages readers to maximize performance by planning for the long haul. By integrating planning into the entire process instead of treating it as a separate step, Dr. Lasher shows how each decision is related to overall strategic objectives. The book offers users a very realistic model for running a business,especially if the business needs to restructure,downsize, or otherwise alter its growth model. Readers will learn to create a strategic framework central to the success and longevity of their businesses and will enable them to develop a realistic mission statement.

Process to Profits describes how strategyinvolves making profound decisions that will impact the foundations of companies for long periods of time. It teaches readers how to use strategic thinking to prevent problems before they occur and centers on the impact that strategic thinking has on developments and decisions that will affect a business in the long run.

Preface

Part Ⅰ Strategic Ideas

1. Introduction to Strategic Thinking

 The Concept of Business Strategy

 The Development of Strategic Thinking

 The Strategic Process--Analysis, Planning, Implementation, and Control

 Levels of Strategy

 Benefits of Strategic Thinking

 Who Is Responsible for Strategic Thinking and Planning?

2. Developing Long-Run Thinking

 The Conflict Between the Long and Short Run

 Long-Run Thinking in Periods of Growth and Contraction

 The Importance of Quality

 Measuring Success

3. An Overview of the Strategic Process for Small Business

 Seven Steps to Effectively Managing Your Business for the Long Haul

 Strategic Steps

Part Ⅱ Creating a Strategic Framework

4. Developing a Mission and Setting Objectives

 Developing a Mission

 Setting Objectives

5. Analysis of the Present External Position:

 The Industrial Environment

 Industry Analysis--Overview

 Analyzing the Competitive Environment

 Assessment of Industry Structure and Important Rivals

 Key Success Factors

6. Analysis of the Present Position: Internal to the Firm

 Internal Analysis--Overview

 Long Run Problems

 Overall Competitive Assessment

7. Developing a Strategy

 The Nature of the Strategy Making Task

 The Concept of Competitive Advantage

 Generic Strategies

 Related Strategic Issues

 Developing a Strategy--Summary

Part Ⅲ: Strategic Planning and Implementation

8. Implementation and Control

 Implementing the Chosen Strategy

 Designing the Organizational Structure

 Managing Competences

 Selecting Key People

 Budgeting to Support Strategy

 Strategic Support Systems

 Incentive Systems

 Corporate Culture

 Control--Evaluation and Adjustment

9. Strategy and Business Planning

  Business Planning

 Strategic Planning Documents

Part Ⅳ: Strategic Issues for Small Businesses

10. Marketing and Sales: The Strategic Center of

 Small Business

 The Target Market

 Marketing Mix

 Market Research

 Marketing Strategy and Business Planning

 Motivating the Sales Force---Commission Plans

11. Legal Forms of Organization and Issues Among Owners

 Basic Legal Forms

 Proprietorship and Corporate Forms-- Basic Differences

 Hybrid Forms--S-Type Corporations and LLCs-- The Best of Both Worlds?

 Partnerships

 Special Forms

 Issues Between Owners

 Strategy for Minimizing the Effect of Disputes

 Among Owners

12. Business Names and Trademarks

 General Legal Requirements for Business Names

 Trademarks (Service Marks)

13. Financing Strategies

 Basic Principles

 Strategic Financial Thinking

14. Break-Even Analysis

 Fixed and Variable Costs

 Break-Even Calculations

 Extending Break-Even to Include Profit and

 Return on Investment (ROI)

 Using Break-Even Strategically--#, Retail Location

15. Strategies for Service Businesses

 Defining a Service Business

 Pricing a Service

16. Location Analysis

 The Dimensions of Location

17. Commercial Insurance

 Property Insurance

 Liability Insurance

18. E-Commerce

 E-Commerce and Strategy

 Distinguishing Issues in E-Commerce

 Business Set Up

 Attracting and Servicing Customers

 Payment

 Security

 Order Filling and Returns

19. Diversification

 How Diversification Is Accomplished

 When and Why Firms Diversify

 Types of Diversification

 Justifying the Cost of Getting into the New Business

Part Ⅴ: Restructuring: Strategic Insights from

 Economic Theory

20, Cost Reduction and Downsizing:

 Planning to Get Leaner or Smaller

 Reducing Spending vs. Downsizing

 Supply and Demand Analysis

 Cost Curves

 The Meaning of Plant Size

 Combining Market Changes with Cost Curves

Index