The View from the Glass House

Transparency challenges companies by making information about products and pricing, as well as corporate practices around labor, environment, healthcare and other issues, instantly available to potential customers. Empowered by YouTube and other new media, consumers have the power to reframe, even shatter, the reputations of products, services and companies. As transparency washes the windows of corporate headquarters, leaders of retail and consumer product companies will … [ Read more ]

Disarming the Value Killers

Risk management has become an area of significant concern for numerous companies in today’s volatile marketplace. However, a number of executives are still grappling with what needs to be done to protect their organizations.

A logical starting point is to gain a better understanding of the true risks facing companies. To accomplish this, Deloitte & Touche LLP and Deloitte Research, a part of Deloitte Services LP, … [ Read more ]

Good Ideas Are Not Enough: Adding Execution Muscle to Innovation Engines

An Accenture survey of Chief Executive magazine readers determined that the majority of CEOs feel innovation-in everything from products and services to business models-is one of the five most important factors required for competitive advantage. The research suggests that companies can improve their efforts by focusing on two fronts that are critical for innovation to flourish. They can build the context within their organizations by … [ Read more ]

You Can Bet on Idea Markets

Once an academic toy, idea markets are increasingly becoming a practicable business tool. Today software for idea markets is available from several vendors, and some firms and researchers have substantial experience in designing and running these markets. Corporations in Europe and the U.S. are beginning to apply these markets, from forecasting industry trends to picking merchandise categories that will be most popular with consumers. … [ Read more ]

eCommerce: The New Realities of Dynamic Pricing

Frequently varying online prices in response to changing market conditions can maximize returns and create a potential new source of competitive advantage. So why are so few companies putting this strategy to use?

Auto-ID Across the Value Chain: From Dramatic Potential to Greater Efficiency & Profit

Next generation Auto-ID technologies promise a range of business benefits in many industries. This paper from the Accenture Institute for Strategic Change discusses the potential benefits across the value chain, and business models for deploying Auto-ID.

Leading With an Invisible Hand

Adam Smith’s ideas about the competitive marketplace can work inside companies as well. Internal electronic markets can convert the widely dispersed knowledge, preferences and beliefs of people within an organization into decisions that can improve resource allocation, predictive abilities-and the bottom line.

Service Management: Building Profits After the Sale

After-sale parts and services are the new frontier of competitive differentiation and profit enhancement, offering nearly double the profit potential of first-time product sales. Of course, capitalizing on this opportunity is not simple, since comprehensive service management can complicate the typical company’s supply chain. However, new strategies, infrastructures and tools-combined with informed oversight-make it possible to create and deliver after-sale support more profitably than ever … [ Read more ]