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How Separate Should a Corporate Spin-Off Be?

Harvard Business Review

The traditional advice, from Clayton Christensen’s work on disruptive innovations and Michael Tushman’s on organizational ambidexterity , is to set up the new activity as a separate unit, reporting to a manager at the corporate headquarters who can sponsor the new activity and help to integrate it with the rest of the company.

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Your Business Doesn’t Always Need to Change

Harvard Business Review

By now, the idea that organizations must adapt in order to maintain both relevance and market share in a rapidly changing world is so ingrained that it’s been reduced to pithy sayings. And there are many organizations — from Blockbuster to Kodak, print-only newspapers to pay-phone makers — that no doubt wish they’d followed the advice.

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Who's Your Brand's Editor-in-Chief?

Harvard Business Review

Here are four publishing approaches retailers are trying: The Mass Publisher. Mass publisher retailers create content of broad interest to their customers. They ask, "If we were a cable TV channel or a mass market magazine, what would our content, tone, and the experience we offered be? What topics could we own?"

Brand 15
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15 Decisions That Can Undermine Your Business

Frank Sonnenberg Online

You begin to sell your luxury products in mass-market retail stores to boost sales. — You accept orders even though you don’t have enough product to satisfy demand — Rather than being upfront with customers, you pray no one gets upset with the delay. Remember… Half the truth is often a whole lie.

Discount 105
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Why Dominating Your Category Can Be a Flawed Strategy

Harvard Business Review

Of the many contributions Jack Welch has made to business wisdom, one of his most famous was “Be #1 or #2 in every market.” ” That advice served GE well in shaping its portfolio of businesses and its strategy for many years, but it’s not clear to us that it is as relevant any more. steven moore for hbr.