1302 Posts Found

Alliances offer a powerful way to gain new capabilities and market reach, but only if they are managed effectively.

Content: Article | Authors: Gina France, Sharyn Kohen, Yacin Mahieddine | Sources: “Ernst & Young”, “Quisic” | Subjects: Management, Strategy

The poster company for the new economy not only failed to anticipate the economic downturn, its much-heralded forecasting software and outsourcing infrastructure may have even made things worse.

Content: Case Study | Author: Scott Berinato | Source: “CIO Magazine” | Subjects: Operations, Strategy | Industry: Information Technology | Company: Cisco Systems

“…the basic concept is outsourcing. And seeing as we’ve had a quarter century to work out the kinks, you’d think that by now it would be a trouble-free, fill-in-the-blanks process. But you’d be wrong. Outsourcing, it seems, is one place where it’s a snap for history to repeat itself-with some calamitous results. While many companies have undoubtedly saved money, several others have seen costs spiral, … [ Read more ]

Content: Article | Author: Lauren Gibbons Paul | Source: “Darwin Magazine” | Subjects: Outsourcing / BPO, Strategy

A firm needs four resources in order to compete: physical, organizational, human and process.

Content: Quotation | Subjects: Competition, Management

Ever wonder why people have difficulty with commitment – what’s wrong with this picture?

Content: Article | Author: Rick Sidorowicz | Source: “CEO Refresher” | Subjects: Leadership, Strategy

Content: Book | Authors: Henry Mintzberg, James Brian Quinn | Subjects: Case Related, Strategy

It’s the essence of competition: big versus little, strong versus slight, heavy versus light. Now imagine that you’re the one who’s little, slight, and light! How do you use your opponent’s strengths to your advantage? Take a lesson from former judo champ Jimmy Pedro.

Content: Article | Author: Jill Rosenfeld | Source: “Fast Company” | Subject: Strategy

A general must see alone and know alone, meaning that he must see what others do not see and know what others do not know. Seeing what others do not see is called brilliance, knowing what others do not know is called genius. Brilliant geniuses win first, meaning that they defend in such a way as to be unassailable and attack in such a way … [ Read more ]

Content: Quotation | Source: “CEO Refresher” | Subjects: Leadership, Strategy

A century ago, King Camp Gillette created a business cliche – and made a fortune – by practically giving away his products. Does his idea make any sense today?

Content: Article | Author: Richard Martin | Source: “The Industry Standard” | Subject: Strategy

Now you see it. And then you don’t. The emerging economy that will dominate the next century will be governed by a series of factors or “discontinuities” that managers need to prepare for.

Content: Article | Author: C.K. Prahalad | Source: “ManagementFirst” | Subjects: Strategy, Trends / Analysis

Core ideology, core values, core purpose, “big hairy audacious goals” and envisioned future – from an HBR feature by James Collins and Jerry Porras.

Content: Article | Author: Rick Sidorowicz | Source: “CEO Refresher” | Subjects: Management, Strategy

Content: Book | Authors: Brian Tarcy, J. Peter Duncan, Peter Duncan, Robert W. Bradford | Subjects: Management, Strategy

Strategy and culture are arguably the most used and abused words in the business lexicon. So to discuss the creation and sustenance of a strategic culture as a source of competitive advantage is inviting trouble. Yet it is necessary to do so since this notion is a valuable one for strategists. Read on for Kepner-Tregoe’s 12 key drivers to ingrain this strategic culture.

Content: Article | Author: Mike Freedman | Source: “ManagementFirst” | Subjects: Organizational Behavior, Strategy

What are the organizational and environmental factors that precede the adoption of a certain strategy – and do environmental factors in particular, as perceived by managers, influence the formulation of strategies? In other words, are strategies limited only by the perception and imagination of a manager?

Content: Article | Authors: Donald L. Lester, John A. Parnell, Michael L. Menefee | Source: “ManagementFirst” | Subject: Strategy

Harvard Business School professor David B. Yoffie takes the martial arts into the executive suite. Your rivals will flip over his ideas (if you apply them right).

Content: Article | Author: Jennifer Reingold | Source: “Fast Company” | Subjects: Management, Strategy

Many purchasing organizations are being challenged to increase the level of “global sourcing” to tap into promising opportunities and to fend off competition. Unfortunately, many companies are ill equipped for the challenge: though global sourcing employs the same set of activities as domestic sourcing, there is also greater complexity. Based on our experience, most companies need to enhance the skills of their purchasing organizations to … [ Read more ]

Content: Article | Authors: C.V. Ramachandran, Timothy M. Laseter, Tonya M. Leary | Source: “strategy+business” | Subjects: Operations, Strategy

What does it take to grow shareholder value at world-class rates? For many years companies have successfully focused their efforts on cost reduction through increased labor and asset productivity and have achieved short-term increases in shareholder value as a reward. Today, with their businesses re-engineered and running efficiently, these companies have refocused their energies into developing long-term growth strategies. Aggressive revenue-oriented strategies are the most … [ Read more ]

Content: Article | Authors: Charles E. Lucier, Leslie H. Moeller, Raymond Held | Source: “strategy+business” | Subjects: Best Practices, Strategy

The ways of thinking that underlie strategy formulation are seldom addressed in business textbooks. But principles, or at least guides, can be reverse engineered by careful review of business case studies. The author has assembled some of these and presents them in a skeletal form in hopes they offer a useful checklist and
food for thought as to how leaders think.

Content: Article | Author: Charles Albano | Source: “CEO Refresher” | Subjects: Leadership, Strategy

Strategy is indivisible. Remove one part or take away the bridges and the glue that ties the parts together and you don’t have strategy, but tactics. Tactics are the elements that relate to the execution of the strategy. Those elements are discrete and divisible and can be examined and evaluated separately.

Content: Quotation | Source: “strategy+business” | Subject: Strategy

Therefore those who do not know the plans of competitors cannot prepare alliances. Those who do not know the lay of the land cannot maneuver their forces. Those who do not use local guides cannot take advantage of the ground. The military of an effective rulership must know all these things.

Content: Quotation | Subjects: Competition, Competitive Intelligence