Business

What guarantees a company's success? Celebrity endorsements? A high influx of customers? Profitable stocks? Without a solid business model, any company can crumble into oblivion after riding the tide of good fortune.

By Jane McGrath & Jacob Clifton

Nothing can be more humiliating than getting ripped off. Finding worthy mechanics, contractors, doctors and more can be like rolling dice. But how do Better Business Bureaus really know which one's are reputable?

By Dave Roos

Corporate life has it's share of benefits, so why do so many cubicle-dwellers complain? From office politics to brownnosing to noise pollution, our image gallery shows off the good and bad of the corporate life.

Now you see it, now you don't. That's usually how new menu items hit the market -- with a thud. McDonald's has had its share of not-so-successful sandwiches.

By Jane McGrath

No matter what critics say about McDonald's, some people are loyal fans. The familiar taste is easy on the wallet. But what's the secret to Mickey D's success?

By Jane McGrath

You enter the cavernous store on a Saturday afternoon only to emerge hours later with a belly full of meatballs and trunk full of furnishings. How did Ikea become a cult shopping experience, with a catalog that's allegedly printed more than the Bible?

By Molly Edmonds

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

Fax marketing may seem like an advertising tool of the past, but it is still practiced by many companies today. Learn more about fax marketing in this article.

By Tim Crosby

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

It stinks in here, you think. No surprise, given that your boss just asked everyone to remove one shoe and throw it in a pile. Does getting to know your co-workers have to mean unleashing foot odor?

By Jane McGrath & Stephanie Crawford

Most of us cringe at these ridiculous games. But, as much as we hate to admit it, they often help us warm up to our peers. Which activities best melt the ice between work colleagues?

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

Being a virtual office assistant can be rewarding in pay as well as free time. Learn more about the duties and responsibilities of virtual office assistants in this article.

By Diane Dannenfeldt

E-mail marketing is just a way to advertise that doesn't waste trees. Learn the basics of e-mail marketing, including what you can and can't do and why.

By John Fuller

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

The presenter rambling on in front of you is on his 50th slide and shows no signs of slowing. Maybe you should slide him this article on PowerPoint tips before he plows through another 50.

By Dave Roos & Jessika Toothman

Advanced tools online make business communications and collaboration easy. Learn more about business communications and collaboration in this article.

By Dave Roos

Answering services are used in a wide variety of industries and people, from doctors to sales reps. See how automatic and live answering services work.

By Diane Dannenfeldt

A jingle is an advertising slogan set to a memorable melody. How catchy are they? Just try and finish this article without getting one stuck in your head.

By Tim Faulkner

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

From Jimmy Choo to Omni Hotels, retailers are following the latest advertising trend: scent marketing. Can a pleasant smell make a big sale?

By Sarah Dowdey

Conference calls can be a real time saver or a real headache. Learn how to do it right in this article.

By Diane Dannenfeldt

YouTube is a community website that streams about 200 trillion bytes of information a day as people watch videos. How does the company handle the content?

By Jonathan Strickland