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Welcome to the IPFW Corporate Advantage. Last month, the IPFW Division of Continuing Studies and its Corporate Training Department hosted the IPFW Applied Leadership Series and I am pleased to report that this premier presentation was a resounding success. I would like to take this opportunity to thank all those involved with the series, from the presenters, the participants and the planning committee to the companies who sent their managers and supervisors, as well as the IPFW Alumni Association for the use of their beautiful facilities. Without each of you, the series would not have been so successful. Thanks again to all of you!
This issue of the IPFW Corporate Advantage includes three insightful articles geared to business leaders. "The Value of Employee Learning," written by Jennifer Oxtoby, talks about the importance of keeping your employees happy and well trained to help increase your bottom line, and embracing a culture of learning within your organization. Meanwhile, Jorge Zazueta's article evaluates the advantages and disadvantages of being the first to market with your innovative product, and the third article is an online interview with Gina Kostoff for our IPFW Alumni Insight feature. Read about Gina's journey from being a student leader at IPFW to a community leader in Fort Wayne.
As always, we hope you find all the information included in this newsletter to be helpful as you explore new ways to use Corporate Training to your advantage. We welcome suggestions for future subject matter; please click here to submit them for consideration.
--Gary Schott, Director of Entrepreneurship & Corporate Training, IPFW Division of Continuing Studies - 260-399-1675 or schottg@ipfw.edu |
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 The Value of Employee Learning
By Jennifer Oxtoby, Program Coordinator, IPFW Center for Academic Support and Advancement (CASA) |
 Over the last 50 years, we have made a shift from the systems thinking that has predominated management theory to incorporating and knowing that overall employee well-being can and does have an impact on the bottom line. This shift is reflected in the term "human capital management" that is now used to designate what was previously called "human resources." While many companies state that "employees are our most important asset," we need to remember that employees are also our future through the creativity, ideas, and innovation they bring to our organization.
Read the entire article to learn why learning is so crucial in encouraging our employees' potential and maintaining a thriving workforce. |
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Losing to Win: The Second-Mover Advantage
By Jorge Zazueta, Management Consultant | |
It is common knowledge that being first to market constitutes a competitive advantage. After all, competitors will struggle to steal your customers as switching costs will work in your favor. Moving in first, you can take control of scarce resources by establishing strong relationships with key suppliers and, of course, you will ride the learning curve ahead of those slacking imitators. While all these are legitimate reasons, and examples abound of innovators who have succeeded by beating their competitors to introduce a new product or enter an unattended market niche, it is interesting to note that some of the most notorious household names in business are second- or late-movers.
Read the entire article to learn about various industry leaders who built their success upon being the second mover instead of the first, and why this strategy works. |
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IPFW Alumni Insights
This series features alumni of Indiana University-Purdue University Fort Wayne (IPFW) as they share their insight on a variety of topics related to business and organizational growth. We thank IPFW Alumni Relations for helping us identify community leaders for this column.
Online Interview with Gina Kostoff, Executive Director of the Urban Enterprise Association By Mary Popovich for Corporate Advantage
 IPFW alumna Gina Kostoff has been a City of Fort Wayne and public sector employee for most of her career, serving in a variety of positions, including Utility Services Manager, Southwest Neighborhood Advocate, and City Council Legislative Research Assistant. In November 2011, she was named Executive Director for the Urban Enterprise Association, Inc. (UEA), where she is responsible for overseeing the Fort Wayne Enterprise Zone, an area of the city targeted for physical revitalization, job creation and improvements in social and economic conditions. Kostoff is based at The Fort Wayne Enterprise Center, a small-business incubator located at 1830 Wayne Trace that is operated by the UEA to provide manufacturing, research and development, and office space to area businesses. The Enterprise Center is a "special place" for her because the building originally housed her father's business.
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| About IPFW Corporate Advantage
Providing Corporate Advantages Through Tailored Training | |
In need of training to elevate your company to the next level of excellence or teach your employees specific skills needed for future growth expectations? IPFW's Corporate Training specializes in providing your company with a competitive advantage through training specifically tailored to your needs. Unlike other "cookie-cutter" or "one-for-all" training programs that attempt to fit your needs into their existing courses, we conduct a thorough needs analysis and custom-design a program specifically for you. We provide training at your site or ours, carefully choose the right instructor from our vast network of community experts, and customize the training manual and hands-on instruction for your unique needs. What's more, we can schedule the training on your timeline, when it's least likely to impact operational and production goals.
Learn more about IPFW's Corporate Training and the many training opportunities, or contact Gary Schott at 260-399-1675 or via e-mail at schottg@ipfw.edu. |
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"Be at the Top of Your HR Game!"
May 16, 2012
IPFW Walb Union |
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IPFW would like to thank the following companies for choosing us as a corporate training partner since 2009.
Alconex
Allen County Public Library
Allen County Government
AutoForm Tool
Biomet
DRG
Fort Wayne Metals
Fort Wayne-Allen County Airport Authority
Indiana Physical Therapy
ITT
Jostens
Kraft Foods
Kosciusko County Community Foundation
LD Commodities
Lincoln Financial Group
Maple Leaf Farms
Multimatic
NIDIA
Pretzels
Paragon Medical
POET
Raytheon
STI
Summit Brands
Superior Essex
Symmetry Medical
Trelleborg Sealing Solutions
USSI
TRIN
Wieland Designs
Zimmer
Look for features on our customers in future issues |
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