Cut Loose From Old Business Processes
Making a break with conventional processes can free businesses from the ties that bind their management flexibility, product creativity, supply-chain collaboration–and profits.
Content: Article | Authors: John Hagel III, John Seely Brown | Source: Optimize Magazine | Subjects: Management, Strategy
Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
Whatever you can do, or dream you can, begin it. Boldness has genius, power, and magic in it.
Content: Quotation | Source: Optimize Magazine | Subjects: Achievement, Success / Failure
Are Most Layoffs Carried Out Fairly?
Dick Grote argues that the answer is yes; when the economy mandates workforce reductions, forced ranking is one way to weed out weak performers.
Jon Boroshok argues that the answer is no; the emphasis on immediate shareholder value leaves businesses with no concern for workers and families.
Content: Article | Source: Optimize Magazine | Subject: Human Resources
Taking The Frenzy Out Of Forecasting
Stop missing sales and earnings estimates by putting a unified forecasting process in place that’s based on industry best practices.
Content: Article | Authors: Darius Vaskelis, John Kelleher, Philip Bligh | Source: Optimize Magazine | Subjects: Finance, Management
The Touch-Point Wheel
Outside-The-Box Manufacturing
Competitiveness and customer service can improve greatly when business-process information is shared.
Content: Article | Author: Michael McClellan | Source: Optimize Magazine | Subjects: IT / Technology / E-Business, Operations
Step Into Action
CIOs need to consider the challenges, as well as the benefits, of adopting real-time systems.
Content: Article | Author: John Hagel III | Source: Optimize Magazine | Subjects: IT / Technology / E-Business, Management
Outsource IT, Not Value
If you don’t analyze your value chain first, you may outsource IT functions that are core to your business or base decisions on the wrong metrics.
Content: Article | Authors: Daniel Littmann, Michael E. Raynor | Source: Optimize Magazine | Subjects: IT / Technology / E-Business, Strategy
Trash The Budget
The annual budget cycle is out of synch with the real-time world of business.
Content: Article | Authors: Jeremy Hope, Robin Fraser | Source: Optimize Magazine | Subjects: Finance, Management
Brand Magnetism
When your product is based on technology, the old rules of marketing no longer apply. It takes a new strategy-and a more proactive CIO-to turn a brand into a market force.
Content: Article | Authors: John Volkmann, Ron Ricci | Source: Optimize Magazine | Subject: Marketing / Sales
Accounting For Higher Profits
Forget the benchmarks of the past. Here’s a way to improve processes by studying not what was, but what can be achieved.
Content: Article | Author: Ian Thompson | Source: Optimize Magazine | Subjects: Finance, IT / Technology / E-Business
Moving from hard-wired to loosely coupled business processes
Transforming IT
IT must change the way it operates to meet upcoming business challenges. Here is a seven-step transformational model.
Content: Article | Author: Bruce Allen | Source: Optimize Magazine | Subject: IT / Technology / E-Business
The Technology/Customer Disconnect
Maximizing the value of IT investments and boosting customer satisfaction should take the company outside its own borders.
Content: Article | Authors: C.K. Prahalad, M.S. Krishnan, Sunil Mithas | Source: Optimize Magazine | Subjects: Customer Related, IT / Technology / E-Business
Reducing Costs Across The Supply Chain
Build the business case for improving your supply chain on three pillars: customer needs, strategic sourcing, and information flows.
Content: Article | Author: Robert Handfield | Source: Optimize Magazine | Subjects: Management, Operations
Judicious Partnering
Online collaboration can be risky business without a clear understanding of legal issues and the roles and responsibilities of each participant.
Content: Article | Author: James Kalyvas | Source: Optimize Magazine | Subjects: IT / Technology / E-Business, Legal
CRM Market Breakdown
Disrupt And Prosper
CIOs at established companies can help identify and foster disruptive innovation to ensure future growth in existing and emerging markets.
Content: Article | Authors: Clayton M. Christensen, Jeremy Dann, Mark Johnson | Source: Optimize Magazine | Subjects: Innovation, Strategy
Keeping The Competitive Edge
It’s not enough to have a competitive advantage. You also need to hold onto it.
Content: Article | Authors: Geoffrey A. Moore, Paul Wiefels | Source: Optimize Magazine | Subjects: Management, Strategy
Deflation And The Oversupply Of Everything
The best strategy for weatheriing deflation is a constant focus on productivity to drive profitability.
Content: Article | Author: Carl Steidtmann | Source: Optimize Magazine | Subjects: Economics, Strategy