Harvard Business Review

JUNE 26, 2014

There is no fee charged to retailers who use it and no exorbitant interest rates lying in wait for consumers. retail businesses lose about $40 billion annually because of the theft of cash alone. This cost is also disproportionately borne by mom-and-pops, many of which operate in poor neighborhoods and rural areas.

Cost 8

Cost Transportation Banking Retail 8

Harvard Business Review

JUNE 13, 2014

Or that little book retailing site that opened its online door in 1995 and became the world’s largest online retailer. Historically, corporate Goliaths have taken one of two approaches to this kind of upstart competition—try to muscle them out of the market or bring them into the fold through acquisition.

Health Care 8

Health Care Innovation Airlines Retail 8

Harvard Business Review

SEPTEMBER 4, 2017

In the decade between 2005 and 2015, labor productivity in the US as measured by GDP per labor hour was less than 1% for 7 of the 10 years, according to the OECD. Managed by Q, a cleaning and office services company in New York City, decided to pay employees higher wages than the prevailing market rate. And wages are stagnant.

Human Capital 13

Human Capital Kaizen Agility Energy 13

Harvard Business Review

MARCH 6, 2014

I shared our goals for 2005 with him. We first introduced Neve Compacto, a low-energy paper product, in Italy, to help retailers save shelf space and moms save room in their storage closet. Our Brazilian team saw how well it was working there and adapted it for use in their market. It’s been a huge success there.

CEO 8

CEO Company Reputation Energy 8

Harvard Business Review

FEBRUARY 18, 2014

For one thing, thanks to a long history of exclusive municipal franchising regulations that didn’t end until 1992, the two companies don’t overlap in any market—TWC customers will become Comcast customers (and get arguably better technology and service in the process), but no local market will see a decline in the number of competitors.

Technology 8

Technology Content Information Technology Franchising 8

Harvard Business Review

DECEMBER 19, 2011

This post is part of the HBR Forum, The Future of Retail. In all my years of studying and interacting with retailers, I have yet to meet one who doesn't worry about the optimal level of aggregate inventory that their firm should carry. There are a number of metrics that can be used to benchmark a retailer's inventory levels.

Retail 13

Retail Marketing Benchmarking Fixed Assets 13

Harvard Business Review

DECEMBER 25, 2013

Bush took over American Express’s far-flung service operations in 2005. That kind of viral marketing would be invaluable in setting American Express apart from rivals and would power the company’s growth and profits. Jim Bush had a different idea, which I have now come to call “Leading by Letting Go.”

Call Center 8

Call Center Attrition Cost Center Learning-by-Doing 8

Strategy Driven

JANUARY 24, 2011

Execution Gap Maker #2: Nokia Nokia’s share of the worldwide market for mobile phones continued to slip in 2010. Why was this once-dominant player unable to execute and maintain its market position? This is a book for the times we live in—and one that for many companies could mean the difference between success and failure.

Execution 78

Execution Company 360-Degree Feedback Cooper 78

Harvard Business Review

SEPTEMBER 8, 2016

Free fall is a crisis of obsolescence and decline that can happen at any point in a company’s life cycle, but most often it affects maturing incumbents whose business model has come under competitive attack from insurgents or is no longer viable in a changing market. By 1993 the company had $1.3 billion in revenue.

Company 8

Company How To Business Model Engineering 8

Harvard Business Review

MAY 20, 2015

Organizations have always depended on data — to manage operations, to communicate with customers, to pay employees and suppliers, to plan their futures, and so forth. These businesses include Bloomberg and Morningstar, which provide data about financial markets. My friends in the industry tell me that bogey was met by 2005.

Business Model 8

Business Model Price Competitive Advantage Strategy 8

Harvard Business Review

MARCH 14, 2014

In 2005, Hamdi Ulukaya purchased a yogurt factory in upstate New York that had been shuttered by Kraft Foods. But for years, as Chobani gobbled up market share, the major food companies stuck to their regular lines of yogurt. He wanted to use it to produce a line of strained, or “Greek,” yogurt called Chobani.

Word of Mouth Marketing 8

Word of Mouth Marketing Brand Marketing Incubator 8