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Columbus Day - India's National Survival Day

It is Columbus Day. I’d like to congratulate my Indian friends and coworkers, because it's their lucky day. Although many states and cities in the U.S. are abandoning Columbus Day, I think one nation should celebrate this day, - India. It should be called Survival Day or simply Lucky Day. Some centuries ago, the guy named Columbus landed on a Caribbean island and mistakenly thought it was the …

A Tale Of Two Start-Ups

The importance of selling during the start-up stage of business was exemplified some years ago by a profile of two entrepreneurs in Success Magazine.One, a New York realtor, wanted to broker surplus office space through the Internet. He spent a year and most of $10,000 he had saved to build an impressive website. He told the magazine that he believed his site would be so good that it would m…

IT Project Life Cycle

An IT project provides an IT solution to a business problem/opportunity; it should have defined objectives, named deliverables, and a unique endeavor.  The project needs a start date, a target finish date, and a defined budget and resources.  The IT project management is usually guided by a methodology framework based on four key life cycles.  These project life cycles intersect and overlap …

Project Management Methodology Overview

As stated in the Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK®), “Project management is accomplished through processes using project management knowledge, skills, tools, and techniques that receive inputs and generate outputs.” The project management teams in either public entities or provide consulting commonly customize and implement the project management workflow derived from the Project …

The IT Project Management Team – Roles and Responsibilities

Depending on the scope of a project, an IT project team may contain some or all of the 19 categories of team players. A single person can perform multiple roles, or multiple people may be needed for a single role, depending on the size and complexity of the project. Since IT projects are often outsourced with contractors involved, the roles and responsibilities listed that include contractor…

The Unique Organizational Culture of Apple

To a significant extend, an organization’s culture determines the success or failure of its business.  Within less than 40 years, Apple has become the biggest company on earth, far ahead of traditional corporations like IBM and Exxon.  As the world’s most valuable company and brand, Apple has a market capitalization above $700 billion and over $160 billion in the bank.  Apple’s financial str…

Issues and Challenges of Information Systems Management

Information technology (IT) is the backbone of today’s business operations.  All of IT is about using information systems to tap the power of information, – the information of business, finance, human resources, marketing, sales, buyers and suppliers, and research and development.  As stated in Xu (2013), Efficient and strategic use of information holds the key to enhanced competitiveness, i…

Analysis of Job Demand: An I/O Psychologist’s Approach

When business accelerates, the management team must act responsively to keep the growth on the right track and ensure sustainable growth and long-term profitability.  A strategic approach starts from assessing current situation and business requirements.  Hired by an organization, industrial/organizational (I/O) psychologists review and evaluate business operations, employee capabilities, an…

Job Analysis for Qualifications of New Positions

Due to dynamics of today’s business, many rapid-growth companies need to create new positions to handle ever-changing demands in management, marketing, and technology.  These new positions often require greater level of integration and diversification in job functions.  For example, a new position of social media manager may require job functions across multiple departments of marketing, sal…

The Hiring Process: How to Recruit Qualified Employees

A fast-growing company usually recognizes urgent needs for new staff, thus it will create new positions to be filled by qualified applicants.     The hiring process starts from recruitment which is the procedure of “generating a pool of qualified candidates for a particular job” (Gómez-Mejía, Balkin, & Cardy, 2012, p. 170).  The company should form a hiring team which may include mangers…