The truth about relationships - May 1996 'Nation's Business' cover story on business alliances - Editorial

Nation's Business, May, 1996 by Mary Y. McElveen

In any relationship, certain attributes and goals of the parties involved enable the partnership to succeed or, conversely, cause it to fail.

Our May cover story, "Striking The Right Match," written by Associate Editor Roberta Maynard, examines why small companies are finding it essential to establish strategic relationships with other businesses and what makes such alliances work well.

If your firm is still going it alone or if your partnerships with other companies occasionally seem rocky, you'll find some useful advice in this story, beginning on Page 18.

Your company probably has one or more employees who work quietly behind the scenes, ensuring that the product or service you provide is the highest caliber possible.

Two people who play such roles at Nation's Business are Deputy Editor Terry Shea (seated in the photo) and Associate Editor Steve Rush, who operate our copy desk. While we demand high-quality work from every employee, these two serve as our quality-assurance team. Like the writers whose names appear on the stories, they have worked to make sure every article in this issue, as in others, is complete and interesting.

For information on trends, see "The Brave New World Of Business Security," on Page 29, and "X Marks The Spot For Low-Key Sales," on Page 32.

If you have employee compensation on your mind, see "Linking Payday To Cash In Hand," on Page 36, and "Check The Fine Print In Picking A 401(k) Plan," on Page 74. If technology is your interest, see how other entrepreneurs are doing business more efficiently in "The Case For E-mail," on Page 61.

Next month, we'll look at guarding against business espionage and how small firms are cutting insurance costs, among other topics.