Harvard Business Review

SEPTEMBER 4, 2017

.” There is a virtuous cycle between productivity and people: Higher levels of productivity allow society to reinvest in human capital (most obviously, though not exclusively, via higher wages), and smart investments result in higher labor productivity. Unfortunately, this virtuous cycle appears to be broken. And wages are stagnant.

Human Capital 13

Human Capital Kaizen Agility Energy 13

Harvard Business Review

OCTOBER 21, 2016

Fostering innovation. Investing in sustainability is not only a risk management tool; it can also drive innovation. Nike embedded sustainability into its innovation process and created the $1 billion-plus Flyknit line, which uses a specialized yarn system, requiring minimal labor and generating large profit margins.

Supply Chain 8

Supply Chain Price Loyalty Efficiency 8

Harvard Business Review

AUGUST 27, 2015

Companies in the top one-fifth of profitability earn, in aggregate, about 70 times more economic profit (accounting profit less cost of capital) than those in the middle three-fifths combined, according to McKinsey’s database of 3,000 large, publicly listed, nonfinancial U.S. Consider what’s happening among corporations.

ROIC 8

ROIC McKinsey GDP Company 8

Harvard Business Review

DECEMBER 13, 2017

Some argue that profits are stagnant because of short-termism—that decades of focusing on current profits over long-run innovativeness has resulted, now, in companies that are hollowed out. One trend that has contributed to short-termism and lower innovativeness is the increased prevalence of outside CEOs.

Short-term 8

Short-term Decentralization Company Trends 8