Harvard Business Review

APRIL 4, 2014

The tales of two companies, cell phone accessories retailer Cellairis and skin care products maker Rodan + Fields, illustrate the dangers of top-level strategic tinkering. They had the epiphany that they could use cheap retail space – the carts that sit in the middle of shopping malls – to sell mobile phone accessories, mostly cases.

Strategy 8

Strategy Wireless Company Retail 8

Harvard Business Review

DECEMBER 28, 2017

Zimbabwe’s new leadership faces a challenging task. After Mugabe claimed victory in a disputed election in 2013, however, corruption increased , while the strengthening U.S. An influx of capital could also result in a revival in the formal retail sector (e.g., Years of economic mismanagement.

Banking 8

Banking First-mover Advantage Politics Finance 8

Harvard Business Review

APRIL 23, 2014

In January 2013, Chip Blankenship, CEO of GE Appliances issued a challenge to the newly formed team: “You’re going to change every part the customer sees. At their training center in Louisville, they bounced ideas and product prototypes off of retail salespeople who came to learn about GE’s products. You won’t have a lot of money.

Ries 10

Ries Waterman Finance Competitive Advantage 10

Harvard Business Review

OCTOBER 27, 2014

doubled from 20% to 40% between July and December 2013, and has stayed at that level since. I studied large-scale change and innovation efforts in 56 randomly selected companies in the high-tech, retail, pharmaceutical, banking, automotive, insurance, energy, non-profit, and health care industries. Change leaders move fast.

Middle Management 13

Middle Management Six Sigma Taylorism Taylor 13

Harvard Business Review

AUGUST 17, 2017

Meanwhile, new technologies are making it easier for sustainability investments to pay off in the middle to long term. Since the tragic collapse of the Rana Plaza factory in Bangladesh in 2013, garment retailers such as Walmart have contributed to improving working conditions for workers. It’s not for every company.

Execution 11

Execution Metrics Long-term Incentives 11

Harvard Business Review

DECEMBER 14, 2018

Companies increasingly use digital technologies to circumvent distributors and enter into direct relationships with their end-users. Writing in the Sloan Management Review, Boston College professor Gerald Kane noted that 87% of executives surveyed indicated that digital technologies will disrupt their industries to a great or moderate extent.

Strategy 10

Strategy B2B Insurance Business Model 10

Harvard Business Review

JULY 24, 2017

So four years ago, when I was CEO of GE Capital Retail Finance and tapped to lead a mega change initiative — splitting off our unit into a new, publicly traded company, Synchrony Financial — I’ll admit I viewed it as a huge challenge. We have hired more than 5,000 new employees since beginning the effort in late 2013.)

Management 11

Management IPO Diversity Long-term 11

Strategy Driven

OCTOBER 11, 2013

Business shift from the retail dealer customer service mentality of Firestone shifted to a high-production tire operation. K-Mart had become the odd retailer out but still kept 1,500 stores for its reorganization. Inevitably, when retailers contract, they blame poor performance upon bad locations. In 1999, the U.S.

Crisis 58

Crisis Crisis Management Retail Budgeting 58

Harvard Business Review

SEPTEMBER 13, 2016

Retail giant Target, for example, estimated its losses from a 2013 data breach at more than $250 million. Our research found that nine out of 10 CISOs are now connected directly to their company’s top leadership team, and half of them are directly on the team. And the potential losses are significant.

Review 8

Review Training Execution Survey 8

Harvard Business Review

MAY 18, 2015

Research has shown that executives with social CEOs say their CEOs’ social media presence makes them feel inspired (52%), technologically advanced (46%), and proud (41%). For example, even in 2013, Scottish fashion brand Lyle & Scott put out a call for a new CEO on Twitter. Companies don’t want to be left behind.

Media 8

Media CEO Video Chief Executive Officer 8

Harvard Business Review

JUNE 30, 2014

In 2012, Electrolux leadership decided this had to change. These teams include consumer insight, brand, product, retail, digital, social, and consumer care specialists who now closely work together to create integrated consumer experiences and launch plans. Our transformation centered on the consumer.

Marketing 8

Marketing Brand Globalization Innovation 8

Harvard Business Review

DECEMBER 20, 2016

Good leadership certainly helps, but more often than not, the organization will revert to business as usual. I spoke with Patty McCord, the former chief talent officer of Netflix from 1998 to 2013. One of the biggest obstacles for brick-and-mortar retailers that are trying to win online as well is internal organizational conflict.

Airlines 8

Airlines Energy Self-aware Learning Curve 8

Harvard Business Review

AUGUST 5, 2014

“We’ll spend a lot of time bringing product to market, but we need to plan for the fact that a launch gives us a six-month head start and no more,” says Gary Booker, CMO of Dixons Retail. To hit P&L targets, for instance, the CMO at one technology company focused on shortening the sales cycle.

P&L 10

P&L Banking Marketing Call Center 10

Harvard Business Review

JULY 12, 2017

Yet in this short period, digital technologies have upended our world. Digital technology is widespread and spreading fast. Digital technologies are poised to change the future of work. Automation, big data, and artificial intelligence enabled by the application of digital technologies could affect 50% of the world economy.

Innovation 8

Innovation Policies Technology Politics 8

Harvard Business Review

JANUARY 5, 2017

Media companies are experiencing an extreme form of competition that comes with digital technologies: Everyone is a media company today. ” It explains why firms that have anchored their strategies to content have ceded digital leadership to those that have focused on connections. Rowling, sales rose to over one million.

Media 11

Media Advertising Fixed Costs Content 11