Business Operations

The Kaizen philosophy of continuous improvement has been adopted by many big companies around the world. So, how did it start and how does it differ from Six Sigma?

By Dave Roos

The U.S. food supply chain has been rocked by the coronavirus pandemic, but so far, it's still functioning. How long will that last?

By Patrick J. Kiger

Why after weeks and weeks is it still a problem getting toilet paper? Are people hoarding gobs of the stuff or is it more than that?

By John Donovan

Launched in 2010 after the Great Recession, Small Business Saturday (the day after Black Friday) has been growing in consumer awareness in America. But has it been a financial boon to small businesses?

By Nathan Chandler

Independent bookstores aren't dead! The buy local, shop local, eat local movement has kicked in and people are demanding the return of small, independent businesses in a world where the giants are trying to rule.

By Dave Roos

Which drives you crazier when on hold with a company? An endless loop of smooth jazz tunes or hearing "your call is very important" every 10 seconds? Scientists have actually studied what makes waiting on hold worse.

By Dave Roos

According to a new paper by tech company Polycom, "anywhere working" is on the rise in several countries, and employees recognize its advantages.

By Shelley Danzy

With the demise of mall staples like The Limited, the brands hanging on will have to rethink their entire approach to fashion to survive the 'mall-pocalypse.'

By Dave Roos

Is your cluttered desk a sign of creative genius or just chaos? Experts weigh in on whether either is really a true reflection of how your brain operates.

By Alia Hoyt

As more toll roads move away from cash, where does that leave drivers who don't have electronic passes? Or even exact change?

By Jesslyn Shields

You may be surprised at the types of businesses people have put on wheels. Cigar Lounge, anyone?

By Dave Roos

In an effort to discourage food waste, some all-you-can-eat buffets are charging diners whose eyes are bigger than their stomachs.

By Chris Opfer

HowStuffWorks Now interviews Rooster Teeth's Burnie Burns at SXSW on how to crowdfund a feature-length film.

By Jonathan Strickland

A startup app called OneGo aims to find a niche as a provider of all-you-can-fly pricing for domestic air travel, for those who can afford the monthly membership.

By Patrick J. Kiger

Creating a website can be a pricey proposition for a small business. There are grants out there that can fund website development, but the competition is fierce — and the grants often come with strings attached.

By Gerlinda Grimes

Many companies that used to have dedicated business servers are now switching to cloud-based storage solutions. But cloud computing isn't for everyone, so take a few minutes to read this article before you shut down that server.

By Gerlinda Grimes

Improving Google rankings is an obsession for many businesses, and for good reason — it leads to more clicks, which leads to more customers. What can you do to beef up that all-important ranking?

By Gerlinda Grimes

Whether you own a neighborhood coffee shop or a used car dealership that pulls in a few million, you need make sure that you're smart about your taxes (even if you hire a professional). Ready for a quick crash course?

By Julia Layton

It seemed like a good idea when AOL merged with Time Warner. But it wasn't. Here are 10 super bad business decisions and why they seemed really great back in the day.

By Dave Roos

Sometimes, it can be more affordable to let another business handle some tasks rather than giving them to internal employees. Which jobs get outsourced most frequently?

By Chris Warren

Corporations raise money for new ventures by selling shares of the company's stock in an IPO, to raise the investment capital. Learn what IPO stands for in this article.

By HowStuffWorks.com Contributors

Companies that have shareholders can be publicly held or privately held. Learn how privately and publicly held companies are different in this article.

By HowStuffWorks.com Contributors

You'd like to wire money overseas, but don't know how to do it. Learn about how to wire money in this article.

By HowStuffWorks.com Contributors

There are many ways to measure a company's success, but did you know that there are also many ways to measure those benchmarks? Here are five methods that businesses use to measure one: cash flow.

By Dave Roos

There are many ways to analyze the financial strength of a company -- some more accurate than others. Is EBITDA (earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization) the purest measure of a company's cash flow, or the easiest figure to fudge?

By Dave Roos