Office and Operations


Recent Office and Operations Articles

Who Says You Can't Survive EDI?

Jan 1, 1998

Even before Jody Kozlow Gardner and Cherie Serota knew what it was, they dreaded electronic data interchange (EDI). Belly Basics, in New York City, is the...  Read more

Computerize on a Shoestring

Jan 1, 1998

Time is of the essence in Allison Rosson's $1 million design and manufacturing business. Mike & Ally, in New York City, makes decorative purse, bath, and ...  Read more

Streamline, Then Automate

Jan 1, 1998

Lantech's plant runs on technology that could have been installed 40 years ago. Instead of a shop humming with numerically controlled lathes and automated...  Read more

Buy It or Build It?

Jan 1, 1998

Tim Litle's business processed mail-order companies' credit card orders. Each day, Litle & Co., in Salem, N.H., faxed its customers information on the pre...  Read more

Track Hardware Depreciation

Jan 1, 1998

Most electronic equipment -- e.g., computers, fax machines, telephones -- has a five-year life on tax depreciation schedules. After that, it's considered ...  Read more

Share Data with Your Suppliers

Jan 1, 1998

Some growing companies are extending their data sharing with their large customers. And, rather than having to establish systems that are compatible with ...  Read more

Getting a Fix on Outside Contractors

Jan 1, 1998

Air Taser, a stun gun manufacturer in Scottsdale, Ariz., decided the best way to handle order fulfillment was to outsource. If you outsource any process, ...  Read more

Let Your PC Draw Up the Contract

Jan 1, 1998

When Munchkin Inc., a manufacturer and designer of infant products in Van Nuys, Calif., needed to prepare its second international-distribution agreement,...  Read more

Who Owns Your Web Site?

Jan 1, 1998

If you're not careful, someone else could end up owning your Web site . Be sure to address these issues early on: Who has the i...  Read more

Watch Your Postage Meters

Jan 1, 1998

When Federal Express lowered ABL Electronics' shipping prices, the cable manufacturer started billing clients according to the new rates. But FedEx had ne...  Read more

Workers Who Stay Put, Office Design Article

Jan 1, 1998

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Low-Tech Touch

Jan 1, 1998

Sometimes new equipment is not the answer to increasing productivity, and simply rearranging the equipment you already have can make all the difference. K...  Read more

Store Your Records Electronically

Jan 1, 1998

The problem, everyone thought, was that there wasn't enough space for ingredient storage. Producers Dairy Foods, a manufacturer of dairy products in Fresn...  Read more

Enter Ergonomics

Jan 1, 1998

Smart businesses aren't waiting for regulations or lawsuits to prompt action geared to preventing such repetitive-motion injuries as carpal tunnel syndrom...  Read more

Start Computer Training at Home

Jan 1, 1998

At MDP Construction, in Colorado Springs, Colo., secretary-treasurer Rick Lewandowski had his work cut out for him. The $12 million company was automating...  Read more

Sitting Prettier

By Rogers, Martha, Kasanoff, Bruce |  Jan 1, 1998

Computer users are a heady--as opposed to corporeal--lot. They invest an inordinate amount of money in computer systems, software, accessories, customized...  Read more

To Place an Order, Please Press 1

Jan 1, 1998

There are plenty of options for customers who want to make purchases from Christian Book Distributors (CBD), a discount seller of religious books in Peabo...  Read more

Add Our Product and Stir

Jan 1, 1998

While the Young Pecan Co. sells nuts by the trailer truckload to major food manufacturers, its sales reps are more likely to be chatting up a recipe devel...  Read more

Holding Back on Price Hikes

Jan 1, 1998

In today's tough business environment, imposing an outright price increase can put an account in jeopardy. However, there are other ways to adjust your co...  Read more

A Grand by Any Other Name

Jan 1, 1998

"Cash up front" is a great term to include in a sales contract, but how do you convince a customer to go for it? Yehoram Uziel, founder of Soligen, in Nor...  Read more

Cast in Concrete

Jan 1, 1998

Betsy Wiersma's clients ranged from large corporations to the mayor of Indianapolis. Her company, $1.5 million Wiersma Event Marketing, once put on a city...  Read more

The Shipping News

Jan 1, 1998

Before slapping a price tag on your company's best-selling product for a foreign market, it pays to scrutinize the transportation costs associated with de...  Read more

Pedaling with Overseas Peddlers

Jan 1, 1998

Signing up overseas distributors at trade shows can be painless. Some distributors will even pay you in advance. But, seller beware: Those easy orders can...  Read more

Make No Mistake

Jan 1, 1998

Inaccurate data entry can be costly. Without accurate data, orders can't be filled correctly and market forecasting can run amok. At Isis Pharmaceuticals,...  Read more

It Must Be the Weather

Jan 1, 1998

If you think your business is immune to seasonal weather, you may want to take a closer look at your company's sales history. On the surface, Multiplex, a...  Read more

Voice Mail on a Grand Scale

Jan 1, 1998

To recruit new customers, Lens Express advertises heavily, both in print and on television. Menderes Akdag, president of the $53-million mail-order contac...  Read more

10 Tips for Writing Developer Contracts

Jan 1, 1998

Getting everything down on paper can often be the key to a smooth technology project.  Read more

Image Makers

By David Abrahamson |  Dec 15, 1997

A guide to the newest imaging tools. Learn how they can streamline your business and find the hardware and software right for your needs.  Read more

Techniques: Microcases

By Alessandra Bianchi |  Dec 15, 1997

How three companies solved problems with technology. Topics include administering benefits, bad debts and late payments, and inefficient employee scheduling.  Read more

I'm Your Assistant, and I'm Not Here to Help You

By Hal Plotkin |  Oct 1, 1997

Virtual assistants offer small business owners excellent help without employee problems.  Read more

The Two Hundred Million Dollar Dash

By Joshua D. Macht |  Sep 15, 1997

The story of how a pharmaceutical start-up turned to technology to bring its drugs to market quicker.  Read more

Plug and Pay

By Jay Finegan |  Jul 1, 1997

Some horror tales of hiring the wrong high-tech consultant, and how to avoid this dangerous situation.  Read more

How Can We Improve Efficiency?

By Stephanie L Gruner |  Jul 1, 1997

Ken Rizner tried a straightforward approach at Hyde Tools, in Southbridge, Mass. Rizner, the company's vice president of manufacturing, walked with ...  Read more

Hot Tip: Sublet Office Space

By Christopher Caggiano |  Jul 1, 1997

When he was looking to relocate, Soheil Saadat, CEO of Scientific Software, a $6.3 million software developer in San Ramon, Calif., eyed a swanky industri...  Read more

Hot Tip: Relocate

By Christopher Caggiano |  Jul 1, 1997

Many communities offer incentives to relocating businesses, and some have economic development zones, where the city provides tax abatements, low-interest...  Read more