Henry H. Beam

The Use of Teams in an Undergraduate Management Program

The popular management literature reports an increasing emphasis on the use of teams by business firms. Moreover, corporate recruiters often remark that they are looking for college graduates who can work effectively in teams and understand management processes. This article describes the operation of a two-course undergraduate management program in which students gain experience working as managers, subordinates, and peers in team settings. The program has been in existence for more than 25 years and has been well received by both students and employers.

Survivors: How to Keep Your Best People on Board after Downsizing

This article presents a review of the book “Survivors: How to Keep Your Best People on Board After Downsizing,” by Gayle Caplan and Mary Teese.

The Power of the 2 × 2 Matrix: Using 2 × 2 Thinking to Solve Business Problems and Make Better Decisions

This article presents a review of the book “The Power of the 2×2 Matrix: Using 2×2 Thinking to Solve Business Problems and Make Better Decisions,” by Alex Lowy and Phil Hood.

Why Smart Executives Fail

The article presents a review of the book “Why Smart Executives Fail: And What You Can Learn From Their Mistakes,” by Sydney Finkelstein.

The GE Work-Out

The article presents a review of the book “The GE Work-Out,” by Dave Ulrich, Steve Kerr, and Ron Ashkenas.

Profit from the Core: Growth Strategy in an Era of Turbulence

The article reviews the book ‘Profit From the Core: Growth Strategy in an Era of Turbulence,’ by Chris Zook and James Allen.

The Infinite Resource: Creating and Leading the Knowledge Enterprise

Executive Overview This article presents a review of the book “The Infinite Resource: Creating and Leading the Knowledge Enterprise,” by William Halal.

Value Migration: How to Think Several Moves Ahead of the Competition

The article reviews the book ‘Value Migration: How to Think Several Moves Ahead of the Competition,’ by Adrian J. Slywotzky.

Strategic discontinuities: When being good may not be enough

Sometimes even a strategy that has been successful for many years may need to be changed. A decade ago 2-X few would have predicted that by 1990 Apple, Compaq, and Microsoft would be the success stories of the computer industry, not IBM. Similarly, few would have thought that Sears, the worlds largest retailer for over half a century, would be struggling for survival while two relative newcomers, Kmart and Wal-Mart, would be on their way to overtaking Sears. Yet that is exactly what has happened. Sears and IBM are classic examples of what happens when a successful firm is confronted by a strategic discontinuity, a special type of challenge to corporate strategy that can render a successful strategy ineffective. It occurs when a firm is faced with a competitor that has found a better way to provide the same goods or services, usually using a different way to compete.

From Global to Metanational: How Companies Win in the Knowledge Economy

The article reviews the book “From Global to Metanational: How Companies Win in the Knowledge Economy,” by Yves Doz, Jose Santos and Peter Williamson.