Business Commons^™

Management Accounting And Control: Lessons For And From The World's Tiniest Businesses, Srikant M. Datar, Marc J. Epstein, Kristi Jane Yuthas

Business Faculty Publications and Presentations

Microbusiness owners often lack the knowledge and skills--the human capital--necessary to make effective use of financial capital. They lack even the basic knowledge about how a loan is obtained and repaid and how debt can be used for business development.Most microfinance institutions have developed training that teaches clients about the timing and amount of repayment, the need for financial discipline to meet the repayment schedule, and the importance of investing the loan in working capital or productive assets rather than using it for household consumption. Although this training is essential for successful loan management from the institution's perspective, it often …

Sustainability Amidst Uncertainty: Columbia Forest Products’ Pursuit Of Sustainability In A Changing Market, Scott Marshall, Zachary Anderson, Matthew Flax, Daniel Gambetta, Jacen Greene, Madeleine E. Pullman

Business Faculty Publications and Presentations

Upon reading the latest report from the Department of Housing and Urban Affairs, Harry Demorest found his concerns confirmed – the construction of new homes had fallen yet again across the United States. Over the past month, new home starts had declined over 14% in December; this marked the end of 2007 during which housing starts were down 25% compared to the previous year and hit a low not experienced since 1993. The question was no longer “will there be a recession?” but rather “how long will the recession last?”

The fate of Columbia Forest Products, the company that Harry …

Green Brewing: Part One, Madeleine E. Pullman

Business Faculty Publications and Presentations

Similar to their fellow Northwest residents, most brewers would consider environmental sustainability a personal value. From purchasing ingredients to packaging and storing the finished product, brewers and brewery owners are faced with numerous decisions that significantly affect the environment. The vast majority of breweries reduce their environmental impact by doing things like recycling their spent grains to local farmers for animal feed rather than dumping them in a land fill, or by utilizing solar panels to help generate electricity. Brewery owners and operators are continuously scrutinizing their operations to see what additional steps can be taken to lessen their environmental …