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MCDA Business Brief
Insights on operations, finance, HR, and communications for growing businesses


The First 90 Days of Post-Merger Integration
Signing the documents ends the deal. For the people inside both businesses, the first 90 days are when the real work of becoming one company begins.

Marilyn Murua


Is AI Making Your Brand Voice Sound Like Everyone Else's?
When every post uses the same hook, the same structure, and the same closing question, readers stop noticing whose post it is.

Marilyn Murua


Fix the Process Before AI Implementation
AI doesn't correct how work gets done. It follows it, faster and at a larger scale. Here's what to check before adding AI to any process.

Marilyn Murua


The Manager's Role in Employee Mental Health
Workplace mental health has become a more visible topic in recent years, and with that visibility comes a common source of anxiety for managers: uncertainty about their role. Many managers worry they'll say the wrong thing, overstep a professional boundary, or take on responsibility that isn't theirs to carry. That uncertainty is reasonable. A manager is not a therapist, and shouldn't try to be one. But a manager is also not powerless, and the space between those two extremes
Sep 22 min read
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What Company Culture Should Actually Look Like (and How to Spot It)
Ask ten business owners to describe their company culture, and most will start with the same words: collaborative, supportive, fast-paced, family-oriented. These words are not wrong, but they are also not proof of anything. Culture is not a description a company gives itself. It is a pattern that shows up in how people actually behave when no one is performing for a client, a candidate, or a camera. This is where a lot of confusion begins. Culture has become associated with v
Aug 245 min read
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Workplace Culture in Remote Teams
Building Workplace Culture When the Team Isn't in the Same Room Culture used to be something that happened almost by accident. A shared kitchen, a hallway conversation, the way a team reacted together when a project went sideways. Remote and hybrid work hasn't eliminated culture, but it has removed the environment that used to build it without anyone trying. For many businesses, that means culture now has to be created on purpose, or it quietly erodes. This isn't a reason to
Aug 182 min read
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