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Quick, pick the best indicator a brand will grow faster than its category: Brand size? Newness? Leadership within a category? Such is conventional wisdom, but a recent Bain study of 524 brands across 100 categories found none of the above. The study “winners”-defined as any brand that beat its category’s growth each year from 1997-2001-invested differentially in just two components of the marketing mix: product … [ Read more ]

Content: Article | Authors: John Blasberg, Vijay Vishwanath | Source: Bain & Company | Subjects: Best Practices, Marketing / Sales

It is conventional wisdom that Western companies are better at inventing and developing new technologies than at producing and commercializing them, while Japanese companies are particularly skillful at commercializing technology. Convincing arguments have been made for a continuous exchange of knowledge between Design and Manufacturing as a way to improve the entire product development process – from conception to commercialization. This article, based on extensive … [ Read more ]

Content: Article | Author: Sigvald Harryson | Source: Prism (Arthur D. Little) | Subjects: Best Practices, Innovation

Bain research has found that the companies most successful at creating long-term shareholder value tend to be constant acquirers through boom and bust.

Content: Article | Authors: Catherine Lemire, Sam Rovit | Source: Bain & Company | Subject: Best Practices

Welcome to the Security Capability Assessment Tool, created by CSO Magazine and the Software Engineering Institute’s CERT Coordination Center. This is an exercise for security professionals to assess their current security practices and to determine which practices are repeatable, documented, and regularly reviewed and updated — characteristics that enhance security strategy and policies. The tool is organized into four topic areas — Risk Assessment/Management, Management … [ Read more ]

Content: Online Resource | Sources: CSO Magazine, Software Engineering Institute CERT Coordination Center | Subjects: Best Practices, IT / Technology / E-Business

Why do so many executives feel their stomachs knot at the thought of turning over a vital business function to an outsider? Because they fear losing control. But a solid, collaborative business process outsourcing relationship can actually give you more control-and boost performance in the bargain.

Content: Article | Author: Jane C. Linder | Source: Outlook Journal (Accenture) | Subjects: Best Practices, Outsourcing / BPO

In today’s organizations, managers are required to do more with less. Everyone is looking for new ways to cut costs and increase value. A.T. Kearney is helping a growing number of companies take a new approach to cost reduction. Instead of focusing primarily on suppliers and prices, we are helping launch firmwide initiatives in “demand management” – a proven mechanism to take costs out of … [ Read more ]

Content: Article | Source: Kearney | Subjects: Best Practices, Management

To compete, companies are forming alliances as never before. But quantity does not equal quality. Succeeding in an alliance requires creating the right structures for the right situations.

Content: Article | Authors: John R. Harbison, Peter Pekar, Jr., Ph.D. | Source: strategy+business | Subjects: Best Practices, Strategy

The usual narrow approach to training hurts an organisation’s chances of reaching its full potential because training is unlikely to mesh well with the business strategy. On average, about 2% of payroll goes to training The right kind of framework will help training directors determine where and when to place the training dollars that are so vulnerable to the accountants’ red pens Performance management serves … [ Read more ]

Content: Article | Author: Steven Tallman | Sources: Bain & Company, The Economist | Subjects: Best Practices, Human Resources

Best practice doesn’t always equal best strategy. Best-practice benchmarking, rightly viewed as one of the most important tools for improving operational efficiency, can be a double-edged sword. Managers must guard against transforming what is a purely process-related technique into the overriding goal of strategic decision making. When industry competitors begin to herd around a single strategy, declining margins are bound to follow.

Content: Article | Sources: CFO Publishing, McKinsey Quarterly | Subjects: Best Practices, Strategy

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Good Leaders don’t grow on trees. All the more reason to nurture them carefully, say partners at Bain & Co.

Content: Article | Authors: Alan Bird, Dean Donovan, Marcia Blenko, Paul Rogers, Robin Buchanan, Steve Ellis | Source: World Link | Subjects: Best Practices, Leadership

This paper describes how to establish a process for continuing business model innovation. The findings are based on current best practices among companies that have gained large competitive advantages through continually improving and replacing their business models.

Editor’s Note: some useful findings, but unnecessarily long…

Content: Article | Authors: Carol Coles, Donald Mitchell | Source: CEO Refresher | Subjects: Best Practices, Strategy

Often, it’s not clear what it means for some practice to be “best.” Best at what? And by what standard?

What works well for one of your competitors or another company doesn’t necessarily mean it will work well for your organization. Following in the footsteps of other companies is called mimicry, and while it might be flattering, it is often very dangerous.

Content: Article | Author: Allen Weiss | Source: MarketingProfs | Subjects: Best Practices, MBA Related | Industry: Education / Training

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Less than a fifth of public companies have been able to consistently grow shareholder value in one of the most volatile business climates in memory, according to Accenture research. These companies know how to deliver results against current expectations, and know how to create future growth. In short, they appear able to balance today and tomorrow, when measured against multiple time horizons.

Accenture evaluated high … [ Read more ]

Content: Article | Authors: Gary A. Curtis, Michael J. May, Patricia Anslinger | Source: Accenture | Subjects: Best Practices, Management

With a “clean team” and a digital platform, BP and Amoco shaved months from their merger closing – and added immeasurably to shareholder value.

Editor’s Note: though the article focuses on client work on the BP-Amoco merger, a lot of interesting material that has broad applicability is discussed.

Content: Article | Authors: Amy Asin, Art Fritzson, Robert Lukefahr, Sanjay Bhatia, Viren Doshi | Source: strategy+business | Subject: Best Practices

Combining perspectives of “a doer and a teacher” with experiences of two dozen professional service firms representing the ups and downs of the Old and New economies, Aligning the Stars offers detailed analysis of such firms today–and specific suggestions for their future success. Jay W. Lorsch, professor of human relations at Harvard Business School, and Thomas J. Tierney, former chief executive of Bain & Company … [ Read more ]

Content: Book | Authors: Jay W. Lorsch, Thomas J. Tierney | Subjects: Best Practices, Organizational Behavior

It was interesting to note that these good to great companies spent no time ‘motivating’ people as such – it just wasn’t something they wasted time and energy on. The very idea of motivating people doesn’t make any sense if you have self-motivated people.

Content: Quotation | Source: Emerald Now | Subjects: Best Practices, Organizational Behavior