Author Archives: Michael Katz

Risk Type, its Interaction with Price Elasticity, and Market Equilibrium (April 2022)

I have written before about the importance of understanding the difference between idiosyncratic risk and systemic risk. In today’s newsletter, I expand these two types of risk to a lens that looks at business problems. Then I discuss how this lens interacts with the concept of price elasticity. Why? I show how this understanding can help your business face the challenges presented by Covid, supply chain disruptions, labor shortages, general price inflation, and more, particularly with respect to product pricing. Read more…

Product Cost and Inflation (March 2022)

Inflation is here for the foreseeable future and compensation costs will continue to rise even faster — all on top of supply chain problems. How best can an organization understand product costs amid our new reality? Today’s newsletter takes a closer look and offers tips for staying ahead of the inflation game. Read more…

The Opportunity in Business-Owned Real Estate (February 2022)

Many businesses own the real estate they use. This presents a number of opportunities and considerations, especially those related to whether it is more advantageous for the business to own or sell/lease-back the real estate in question. Today’s newsletter offers tips for making quality decisions in this area. Read more…

The Future Is Unknowable – And What to do About It (January 2022)

The future is fundamentally uncertain. Unforeseen surprises are all but inevitable. How then can we position our enterprise to quickly respond to these unknowns? In today’s newsletter, I take a look at this fundamental uncertainty and share suggestions for taking it into account in the way you monitor and run your business. Read more…

Why Your Physical Presence Matters (December 2021)

Effective management requires listening, communicating, and observing people firsthand. Virtual interactions, while certainly more convenient, can have a negative impact on results if done to the exclusion of everything else. Today’s newsletter explains, in addition to offering specific suggestions for taking full advantage of your physical presence. Read more…

Supply Chain Problems and Labor Shortages (November 2021)

The material and labor shortage are likely to stay with us for some time. Now, it is more essential than ever to keep close tabs on where your company is financially. With that in mind, today’s newsletter examines several financial best practices that are critical to navigating through these challenges. Read more…