Business Operations

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

When you're starting your own business, there are a lot of financial factors to consider. You can't measure your success based simply on how much you sell. All profit, you see, isn't exactly equal.

By Stephanie Watson

Modern earnings reports are far more than a series of simple columns and a profit number. Today, companies try to spin their earnings, and calculating OIBDA is but one way to do it. But how accurate is this mysterious number?

By Dave Roos

It may not seem that way all the time, but professional athletes are generally worth every penny they make -- except when agents and general managers hand out overpriced contracts like candy. Here are 10 of the worst.

By Dave Roos

Want to make lots of money? What are you willing to do for it? Some people work hard and network their way to the top; others lie, cheat, steal and trample over the rights of ordinary people. Here are 10 egregious examples of corporate malfeasance.

By Josh Clark

In her mid-40s, Mary Kay Ash left her sexist workplace, put together a small savings and launched a cosmetics empire. Such million-dollar ideas are few and far between, but most are studies in perseverance. What are 10 of the best?

By Julia Layton

If you're hungry for a Lums steamed hotdog or some Chi-Chi's nachos, too bad. Those chains no longer exist. Maybe that's bound to happen when, say, two guys from Minnesota with Scottish-sounding names try to open up a Mexican restaurant chain?

By Patrick J. Kiger

During an economic downturn, job seekers look for businesses that are likely to weather the storm. But is any business truly recession-proof?

By Dave Roos

It's unlikely that your company's CEO knows your name, but you certainly know his or hers. What is it about the chief executive officer that strikes fear into so many employees' hearts? Is it paycheck envy, or something more?

By Jane McGrath

You already have plenty to do to keep your business running. How will you keep track of who gets paid and how much tax is withheld? What do payroll systems do?

By Dave Roos

A CEO and a ship's captain are both required to provide leadership and guidance. A ship's captain relies on navigational charts for guidance. What does a CEO use to improve sales?

By Dave Roos

Wireless devices enable workaholics to work while they vacation at the beach and slackers to slack, surfing the Internet at the office. How else does technology affect the way we work?

By Jane McGrath

Online services are popular, but how useful are they? Can electronic scheduling really improve a company's productivity and save it time and money?

By Jonathan Strickland

It's no surprise that companies are looking for new ways to keep their employees on task. So why are so many organizations turning to the Internet to do it?

By Jonathan Strickland

Globalization is a hot word in the business world. Today you've got to be able to do business world-wide. So how do you work with people on the other side of the globe?

By Jonathan Strickland

Motorola revolutionized business with its Six Sigma quality improvement program. What does it take to become a Six Sigma Black Belt? And what does a Black Belt do?

By William Harris

Many companies are outsourcing manufacturing and services to combat rising business costs. See how outsourcing works.

By Tim Crosby

Customer relations has evolved with e-mail and online advertising. Learn about customer relations programs in this article.

By Joe Wallace