ASK YOUR CEO
BUSINESS GUIDES AS K YO UR C E O
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Copyright ©2011 by Good Mark’s Study Guides All rights reserved. No part of this guide may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without permission in writing from Good Mark’s Study Guides, except by a reviewer who may quote brief passages in a review. First edition.
Contents
Index
Introduction
1
Capital Efficiency
5
Economic Environment
1
Competition
2
Strategy
1
Customers
1
Customers
1
Economic Environment
1
Revenues
2
Human Resources
5
Competition
2
Introduction
1
Sales and Marketing
3
Operating Competence
4
Operating Margin
3
Operating Margin
3
Operating Competence
4
Revenues
2
Human Resources
5
Sales and Marketing
3
Capital Efficiency
5
Strategy
1
Introduction The Ask Your CEO business guides has more than 100 different business questions which you can ask your CEO, your business manager or yourself. The objective of these questions is to understand any business and to help you identify opportunities for value creation.
Does the management team receive feedback from employees regarding the strategy of the business?
Customers What do you sell? Who are your customers?
Economic Environment How sensitive is your business to changes in economic indicators, such as GDP, exchange rates, inflation and interest rates? How business friendly is the regulatory environment in your home base?
What customer problems do you solve or what customer needs do you satisfy? What do you do really well and what are your key challenges? Why do your customers purchase your products or services, instead of those from your competitors?
How efficient is the business infrastructure in your home base?
What attributes or features of your products or services do your customers value the most?
What is your government lobbying and government relations strategy?
The customers who are not buying from you, why are they not buying from you?
Strategy
What attributes or features are your competitors offering which you are not offering?
What is the “reason to exist� for your business? What is the mission of your business (what is your goal)? What is the strategy of your business (how are you planning to achieve your mission)? How do you make sure all business departments are aligned to the same mission and strategy? How do you communicate your business strategy internally?
If you also offer those attributes or features, would you be able to win customers from your competitors? How many customers would come back and how much more revenue would you generate? Would you be able to increase your prices and how would this affect your total revenue? What other products or services could you sell to your existing customers?
AS K YO UR C E O
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