Anatomy of a business : what it is, what it does, and how it works / Sasha Galbraith.

Includes bibliographical references (pages [297]-298) and index.

1. Introduction -- What is business? -- History of business -- Business as trade -- The barter system -- The haves and have-nots : natural resources and where's the beef? -- Early traders -- The silk road -- Trader as raider -- Colonialism, the sun never sets on the British (French, Portuguese, Spanish) empire -- The first corporation -- Business as communication -- Pony express -- Business as economic development -- Summary -- 2. Business basics -- Types of businesses -- Sole proprietorship -- Partnership -- Corporation -- Limited liability company (LLC) -- Nonprofit organization -- Some basic economics -- Supply and demand -- Market forms -- Fixed and marginal costs -- The value chain -- Basic organization types -- Functional organization -- How to read an organization chart -- Multi-business unit or divisional organization -- Matrix organization -- Summary -- 3. Business strategy -- What is business strategy? -- Levels of strategy -- Different approaches to strategy -- Porter's competitive strategy -- Blue ocean strategy -- Core competencies -- Diversification strategy -- General Electric's number one or number 2 -- Scenario planning -- The balanced scorecard -- The strategy setting process -- A day in the life of a chief strategy officer -- A day in the life of a strategy management consultant -- At-home days -- Public speaking/presentation days -- Workshop days -- Company visit days -- Filming days -- Jobs in business strategy -- Internet resources -- Summary.

6. Marketing -- What is marketing? -- Why is marketing important? -- Strategic marketing plans -- The SWOT analysis -- BCG growth, share matrix -- Identifying your customers -- Customer, shopper, user -- Customer profiles -- Marketing approaches -- Mass marketing -- Mass customization -- Relationship marketing -- Internet marketing -- One-to-one marketing -- Customer relationship management -- Brands and branding -- Brand equity -- Brand extensions -- Laddering process or how to get at core values -- Unique selling proposition -- Advertising -- A day in the life of a marketing manager -- Internet resources -- General marketing information sites -- CRM software vendors -- Summary -- 7. Sales -- What is sales? -- Why is the sales function important? -- Distribution channels -- Selling to the consumer -- Selling to institutions -- Call centers -- Who is the customer? -- Segmentation of the sales force -- Reward structure (or incentives) -- Salary or commission? -- Quotas -- Public recognition and award programs -- A day in the life of a sales executive -- Internet resources -- Summary.

11. Research and development -- What is research and development? -- Why is research and development important? -- R and D as a percent of total sales (R and D intensity) -- R and D through the generations -- First generation R and D -- Second generation R and D -- Third generation R and D -- Fourth generation R and D -- The treasure hunt -- Different innovation models -- The greenhouse effect : nurturing good ideas -- Skunk works -- Greatest idea and best failure awards -- Customer insights or lead customer R and D -- If we build it, will they buy it? -- The design and development process -- Evaluating product development -- Decision trees -- PERT and Gantt charts -- Phased process evaluations -- Metrics -- A day in the life of an R and D manager -- Internet resources -- Summary -- 12. Other staff functions -- Legal -- What does the legal department do? -- Contracts -- Intellectual property protection -- Legal defense -- Public documents -- Senior management counsel -- Why is the legal department important? -- Communications -- Internal communications -- External communications -- Investor relations -- Corporate governance -- Corporate social responsibility -- Public affairs -- Health, safety, and environment -- Quality -- Customer advocacy -- A day in the life of a corporate affairs executive -- Summary -- Appendix : job/career training and preparation resources -- Glossary.