Successful Business Operations

Real success in business demands successful business operations. If a business is to survive and prosper it needs a winning strategy backed by successful operations. Without effective and efficient operations there can be no chance of success.

There is no shortage of companies that developed brilliant strategies and yet still failed. They failed because they lacked the ability to turn their strategic plans into effective action in the market place; the real world of business.

This book is about winning in business. It is about the development of competitive advantages and their exploitation in successful business operations, Successful Business Operations outlines a practical approach to the formulation of a successful company operations plan.

Written by the former Chairman of Lever Bros., it is based on the author's practical experience of operating and winning in one of the toughest consumer goods markets, soaps and detergents. This book can help you to develop and exploit significant competitive advantages for your business. It can help also help you win the battle of the market place and achieve your longer term strategic goals.

• Introduction
• The challenge of competitive business
• Strategy and operations
• People, management, and leadership
• The business purpose; marketing
• The business objective: profit
• Competitive advantage
• Business opportunities
• Brands
• Principles and techniques
• The operations plan
• Business operations: a practical approach
• The order of this book
• Part I
1. The Company Operations Plan
• The company operations plan
• Purpose
• Objective
• Formulation
• Timing
• Whose responsibility?
• Review
• Flexibility
• Control
• An alternative approach
• Part II
2. The Best-Value Concept
• What is 'best value'?
• Purpose
• Performance
• Price
• Presentation
• Synergy of best-value attributes
3. Competitive Advantage
• Competitive advantage: what is it?
• Competitive advantage and business success
• Development
• Marketing opportunities
• Planned activities
• Functional departments and sections
• Company projects
• Evaluation
• Efficiency, effectiveness, morale, and culture
• Protection
• Concentration
4. The Market
• Economic outlook
• Exchange rates
• The market
• Current size
• Natural development
• The special forecasts
• Promotional influences
• Price influences
• Market potential
• The market: the operations plan
5. Competitors
• Ownership and management
• Finance
• Operating ability
• Capacity
• Brands and market position
• Distributors
• 'Good' and 'bad' competitors
• Part III
6. Business Opportunities
• Types of opportunity
• Strategic opportunities
• Operating opportunities
• Opportunities provided by competitors
• Opportunities provided by chance
• Processing opportunities within the business
• Training
7. Brands, Marketing, and Competitive Advantage
• What is a brand?
• Marketing
• Brands, the best-value concept, and competitive advantage
• Brand purpose
• Consumer research
• Ingredient development
• Other market developments
• Brand performance
• Brand price
• Brand presentation
8. Opportunities and Brand Development
• Brands and opportunities
• Competitive advantage
• Formulation of the plan
• Brand development, strategic, and operating plans
• Whose responsibility?
• Part IV
9. Research and Development
• Research
• Links between research, marketing, and development
• The transfer of a project
• Meeting a specific problem
• Research-development review sessions
• Development
• Product developments
• New products
• Product improvements
• Product opportunities and problems
• Reviewing costs
• Confidentiality
• Development and advertising
• Development, operations, and competitive advantage
10. Product Costs
• The optimum
• Raw materials
• Obtaining better value
• Effective use of materials
• Movement control
• Packaging
• Processing
• Production overhead
• The experience curve
11. Sales Promotion
• 'Let's have a promotion'
• Promotion: a change in value
• The objective
• The proposal
• Competitive advantage
• Selection of promotion
• Strategic promotions
• Tactical promotions
• Promotional types and forms
• Household sampling
• Extra product pack
• Reduced price pack
• Household coupon
• Free gift give-away
• Cash-back offer
• Self-liquidating offer
• Consumer competition
• 'Buy one, get one free'
• Trader gift
• Trade coupon
• Special sample pack
• On-pack coupon
• A sweepstake
• Selecting the right promotional type
• Creativity in promotions
• How much to invest?
• A particular promotion
• A brand promotion programme
• Competence in operation
• Promotion and the brand personality
• Promotions and brand advertising
• A trade-linked promotions plan
12. Advertising
• The task
• Objectives
• Competitive advantage
• A superior advertising campaign
• The brand promise
• The brand personality
• The brand advertisement
• Getting the investment right
• The movement of the market
• The brand position
• The quality of advertising available
• Competitive activity
• Corporate position
• How much to invest?
• Review of the appropriation
• Brand advertising and promotions
13. Pricing
• Price and the best-value concept
• Price and competitive advantage
• Price and cost
• Price structure and the markets
• Price dynamics
• Consumer response and competitive reaction
• Differential pricing
• Price and promotions
• Price breaks
• Pack-size pricing
• Evaluating the risk
• Providing for a retreat
• Price wars
• Price adjustment: extent and frequency
14. The Trade, the Sales Force, and Distribution
• The trade
• The trade and operations
• Who does the business?
• Where is the business done?
• How and when is the business done?
• The sales force
• The basic job
• Competitive advantage
• Business propositions
• Special packs: store distribution
• How many brands can a salesman sell?
• Account profitability
• Sales force: management
• Distribution
• Part V
15. Leadership, People and Morale, and Culture
• Leadership
• Leadership attributes
• A sense of direction
• Confidence
• Integrity
• Success
• Strength, justice and sincerity
• Decisiveness
• Enthusiasm
• Discernment
• Putting attributes to work
• People and Morale
• Selection
• Training
• Motivation
• Morale
• Information and consultation
• Conditions
• Rewards
• Success
• Effective and efficient operation
• Appreciation and encouragement
• Culture
• Part VI
16. Commercial Management
• Operations commercial support
• Costs
• Activity-based costing
• Cost per objective
• Full costing: the contribution approach
• Where profit is the objective
• Periodic reports
• Finance
• Part VII
17. Forming the Company Operations Plan
• Stage 1: the forecasts
• General forecasts
• Media trends and costs
• Legal considerations
• Environmental issues
• Household durables and electrical appliances
• Specific forecasts
• Market development
• Research and development
• Capacity
• The trade
• Stage 2: competitive activity
• Stage 3: opportunities review
• Stage 4: brand proposal
• Stage 5: review of the support facilities
• Stage 6: forming the company operations plan
• Stage 7: deviation from the plan
• Revision of the operations plan

Wanna be an operational manager? Read this one.

The only drawback is the focus on the retail business, so some interpretations are necessary to adjust it for non-retail companies. If you're into retail, this is a very good book.