Business Coaching

Dr. Rick Franza, Professor of Management at the Hull College of Business, discusses a different, timely business topic each Monday in this column. This week, he gives tips on planning for a new year in your business. The interview has been edited for clarity and impact. ABD: In just a few weeks, we’ll be starting a new year, likely to be filled with a variety of challenges for businesses. How important is it to plan ahead in your business when the future is unknown? Rick: You need to plan a

As I have mentioned in previous columns, when on business or vacation travel, I cannot help but observe and evaluate the service companies that I encounter during my excursion, thanks to my background in operations management. My trip to Seattle for Thanksgiving with my wife and older daughter to visit my younger daughter for the holiday was no exception. While the holiday was great just from the fact of our family being together for the first time since June, it was greatly enhanced by the outstanding service we received throughout

Dr. Rick Franza, Professor of Management at the Hull College of Business, discusses a different, timely business topic each Monday in this column. This week, he gives tips on reviewing the past year in your business. The interview has been edited for clarity and impact. ABD: It’s December, nearly the end of the year, a time often used to reflect on the past year. It’s also when businesses can take some time to look back at the previous 12 months at the good, the bad, and the ugly. Why is

In the strategic management course that I teach in the MBA program at Augusta University’s Hull College of Business, I periodically assign my students take-home exams that are analyses of cases prepared by the Harvard Business School. In early November, I assigned my students two cases that examine the grocery store chain, Trader Joe’s. Although there are no Trader Joe’s in the local area (the nearest is in Columbia, SC, while there are multiple locations in metro Atlanta), some of the students had been to a Trader Joe’s. While a

Dr. Rick Franza, Professor of Management at the Hull College of Business, discusses a different, timely business topic each Monday in this column. This week, he talks about the importance of financial wellness for employees and employers. The interview has been edited for clarity and impact. ABD: A number of CSRA businesses have begun offering financial wellness classes for their employees. How do you define financial wellness? Rick: Let’s start with financial literacy. In order to be financially well, you need to be financially literate, and that’s part of the

Dr. Rick Franza, Professor of Management at the Hull College of Business, discusses a different, timely business topic each Monday in this column. This week, he discusses how small business owners develop a sense of purpose. The interview has been edited for clarity and impact. ABD: Business owners, especially when the business is small, can often feel bogged down in the daily activities of running a business. How important is it to have a sense of purpose to keep you going? Rick: Some people start businesses with the goal of

If you have been a regular reader of my columns over the years, you know that I have always been a proponent of grit and resilience. However, I have also been written of the value of failure and what we can learn from it. One of my favorite podcasts is Freakonomics Radio, hosted by one of the co-authors of the enormously successful #1 bestselling book of the same name, “Freakonomics: A Rogue Economist Explores the Hidden Side of Everything.” This weekend, I listened to an episode of the four-part series,

Dr. Rick Franza, Professor of Management at the Hull College of Business, discusses a different, timely business topic each Monday in this column. This week, he talks about how businesses can show appreciation to their constituents. The interview has been edited for clarity and impact. ABD: This time of year, it’s natural to be thinking more about thankfulness and gift-giving. Why is showing appreciation important for a business? Rick: It’s always a good idea to show appreciation. It comes to mind this time of year, but you should think about