Mountain Views News          Saturday, May 12, 2012

17

BUSINESS NEWS & TRENDS

 Mountain Views News Saturday, May 12, 2012 


BUSINESS TODAY

The latest on Business News, Trends and Techniques


By La Quetta M. Shamblee, MBA

MANAGEMENT TOOLS CAN HELP ELIMINATE 
UNWELCOMED SURPRISES by La Quetta M. Shamblee, M.B.A. 

“One of the true tests of leadership is the ability to recognize a problem before it becomes an 
emergency.” 

- Arnold H. Glasgow

One of my colleagues who works in a high-growth industry was recently faced with 
having to layoff almost 20% of the employees in her department after being informed that 
the company had suffered a sizeable loss in profit during the recent quarter. Apparently 
everyone in the organization was caught by surprise, including the top brass. Accusations 
and finger pointing ensued, unfortunately with most of the fingers pointing downward from 
the highest levels of management. It is clear that the individuals with the biggest paychecks 
either didn’t understand, or didn’t’ care about the importance of putting management 
information systems in place to provide the types of reports that would have provided 
them with information needed to monitor and measure key business activities and revenue. 
Unanticipated and unplanned employee layoffs were the collateral damage resulting from a 
lack of adequate planning and management.

I had a couple of question for my colleague, “No one saw this coming?” She responsed, 
“No, everyone in the office was still excited after being told that we had a strong financial 
performance after the previous quarter.” My next question, “What does the company have 
in place to monitor and track its operations and flow of revenue?” Based on her response, 
apparently little to nothing. In an era of technology that supports “real time” feedback, it is 
unfathomable that any company would find itself having to lay employees off with virtually 
no advanced planning. In the absence of some unforeseen act of God or other catastrophe 
like a major customer leaving or an important vendor going out of business, it’s absolutely 
amazing that someone wasn’t aware of a decline in revenue.

More than 25 years ago, I read about the “real time” management information system (MIS) 
that was being used by Mrs. Fields Cookies. The data for all key business activities was 
integrated to the point that Debbie Fields knew the number of cookies sold, and the quantity 
of flour, sugar and other ingredients per store, per day, per hour. QVC and other television 
shopping programs have thrived with their mastery of MIS to drive the timing of exactly 
how many minutes a product is promoted on the air – solely based on how well it is selling. 
The tools of technology allow virtually any business to immediately gather data and analyze 
data to make timely and decisions.

M.IS quickly evolved to include peripheral tools like bar codes, scanners and other 
technology to make it useful for many processes. Special applications were developed for 
retail sales, and for the first time information from the cash register was could be linked to 
accounting and inventory records. Just In Time (JIT) systems for production and inventory 
management evolved as a best practice method for doing business. JIT is defined as a demand 
driven inventory system in which materials, parts and support items are delivered just when 
needed (“just in time”), with the objective to eliminate unnecessary product inventory from 
the supply chain, thus reducing expenses related to warehousing and personnel needed to 
stock, retrieve and secure the inventory. JIT is also referred to as the Toyota Production 
System, as the corporation is credited with developing and perfecting the method during 
the 60’s and 70’s to meet fast changing consumer demands for electronics and automobiles.

Human beings will inevitably make mistakes, and each mistake presents an opportunity to 
learn and make improvements. Some mistakes and oversights can be avoided by adopting 
one of the numerous MIS systems available for businesses, large and small. 

“It always flows downhill,” is an adage that I was first introduced to by a professor in the late 
70’s during my undergraduate studies in business. He shared that the root of any problem 
that is recurring or pervasive, is always the result of what is happening (or not) at the top 
level of the organization. A recent scenario shared by a colleague who works in management 
at a corporation with revenue in excess of $20M sheds some light on the adverse impact of 
poor management and leadership.

WHAT IF YOUR BEST CUSTOMER “FRIENDS” YOU 
ON FACEBOOK?

The number one question we get asked when we teach our Facebook class is “how do I keep 
my personal friends separate from my professional friends?” A big “Ah Ha” moment happens 
in our classroom when people realize they can do something on Facebook that they 
have perfected off-line… selective hearing and selective sharing.

If you’re like most people, you have friends on Facebook who fall into different categories of 
your life: personal, business, family, knitting friend etc. If you put them into lists on Facebook, 
you will be able to manage your different worlds much easier.

Here’s how you do it…..

1. • Sign into to your facebook account then go to www.facebook.com/bookmarks/lists

2. • Select “Create List” name your lists whatever you want (don't worry, only you will see 
the names of these lists, think of them as file folders you use to keep organized). Facebook 
will walk you through the steps so you can add your friends into each list.

Now you can practice selective hearing on Facebook. When you are in the news feed, you 
can click on one of your lists and just read the most recent new from that group of people.

And don't forget about selective sharing, this will allow you to filter your posts, photos, 
videos etc. and share them with certain lists. When you are writing a status update, select 
the “friends” link next to the "Post" button and you will be able to select the list you want to 
share with. (See screen shot).

The next time a customer “Friends” you, accept the invitation. Put them on the “business” 
list and stay connected to this important person, but on your terms.

 

About MJ: MJ and her brother David own HUTdogs, a creative services business. They are 
known for eye-catching graphic design and web solutions but, that's not all they do! They 
teach businesses and nonprofits how to master the basics of online social media marketing 
tools. They have a knack for walking clients through the steps needed to feel comfortable 
with the full range of on-line social media tools, especially seasoned business owners who 
don't quite know where to start or what to do. 

For a list of upcoming classes go to: www.hutdogs.com/workshops/schedule