Business Diagnostics: Evaluate and grow your business

Introduction

Business Diagnostics is a timely and practical reference guide that allows readers to acquire 'size-up' and diagnostic skills to assess the health and growth potential of their company.

Size-up is the process of evaluating the present state of your business and opportunities for growth.

The book is unique in that it incorporates a short business case study of a disguised real-life company. Readers utilize 'size-up' techniques to critically assess this company's health and future prospects, completing optional size-up work sheets as part of the learning process. These diagnostic skills can then be applied to real life situations.
 

Additional chapters round out a clearly defined and pragmatic process:

• Business life cycles
• Equity and financing strategies
• Survival and business planning

Overview

Business Diagnostics has been written to overcome a significant challenge facing today's business owners, specifically the time constraints in acquiring business management skills.

Business owners have limited time or inclination to attend extended business school
courses. Likewise, accessing topical information on enhancing corporate performance
(magazines or web sites) can be sporadic and time consuming.

The authors have designed Business Diagnostics to address these concerns by developing a valuable reference book that can be easily read over a weekend or a few weekday evenings, and yet provides significant information and resources that will save you time and money over the long term.

Book Description

Readers will gain practical insights into the following key areas:

Sections 1 and 2: Instructs the reader how to size-up a business operation, assessing its relative strengths and weaknesses.

The External size-up examines the business environment (political, economic, societal and technological factors) along with prevailing industry conditions.

The Internal size-up then drills down into the individual company's performance, evaluating its relative health from different viewpoints - Financial, Marketing, Operations, Human Resources, and Technology.

Section 3: Explains company life cycles and how the various sources of funding (equity and debt) can be accessed. Survival and turnaround strategies are also evaluated. Recognizing potential danger signals is increasingly important given today's rapidly changing business environment.

Section 4: Provides tips and insights on the effective completion of Business and Strategy plans.

Section 5: Consists of a short case study of a disguised, real life company ( Marston Control Devices). Readers utilize the size up techniques covered in earlier sections to assess the company's health and prospects by completing optional size-up work sheets as part of the evaluation process.

Marston Control Devices Ltd. is also seeking investment capital and readers have the opportunity to expand their size-up skills by completing a preliminary company valuation and reviewing the capital raising process by way of a Business Opportunity Document.

Appendices: Provide the author's suggested size-up summaries, company valuations and Business Opportunity Document to round out the learning process.

Target Audiences

Business Diagnostics provides practical assistance to the following target audiences:

• The existing business owner or manager who has growth opportunities and needs to 'size up' existing and potential operations.
• The individual planning to buy or invest in another business. That process requires the completion of 'diagnostic checks' to ensure that the targeted entity has the required degree of corporate health.
• The individual who wishes to set up a new, yet to be proven, business venture and requires guidelines to assess the likelihood of success and the steps necessary to attract financing or equity.
• A new or existing technology company owner who needs to assess the relative merits of attracting outside equity capital or raising additional debt in order to expand product lines and/or markets.

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