Harvard Business Review

MAY 5, 2016

” That clean-sheet perspective emboldened Intel’s leadership to abandon memory and focus on microprocessors. So retailers dramatically shrink merchandising departments and defer procurement decisions to data-driven algorithms for selecting what goes on their shelves. But are they profitable?

Levitt 8

Levitt Disaggregation Kaizen Call Center 8

Harvard Business Review

JULY 3, 2014

Then: commit to a process by which the potential leaders they consider will be honestly, consistently assessed against those criteria and a winner will emerge. Among the others was merchandising experience, which the heir apparent, like his mentor, had in spades. Why is the early narrowing of criteria so important?

CEO 8

CEO Six Sigma How To Apparel 8

Harvard Business Review

JANUARY 27, 2017

At one American retailer, an autonomous ensemble of algorithms replaced the entire merchandising department. But I cannot speak too highly of Steve Levy’s superb Backchannel discussion of how Google has committed to becoming a “machine learning first” enterprise. CEOs and their boards need to monitor that closely.

Outsourcing 8

Outsourcing Software CAPEX Competitive Advantage 8

Strategy Driven

APRIL 4, 2014

Employee theft and shoplifting accounting for 15% of the retail cost of merchandise. Commitments to quality at all links in the chain. According to research conducted by the Ethics Resource Center: Employees of organizations steal 10 times more than do shoplifters. 35% of employees steal from the company. Organizational vision.

Budgeting 81

Budgeting Succession Consultative Crisis 81

In the CEO Afterlife

NOVEMBER 4, 2012

Everything that tumbled out of our heads and mouths was committed to paper. Economically I probably helped shift some merchandise. Scribbled headlines. Stick-men drawings crudely rendered in fat black Magic Marker. It was a kind of brain dump I suppose. At least creatively speaking. Enhanced a few companies’ bottom lines.

Advertising 265

Advertising Creativity Industry Bottom-up 265

Harvard Business Review

SEPTEMBER 4, 2015

This would mean, for example, working in R&D to lead pharma innovation, new product development for high tech, and product design or merchandising for fashion retail. Its key innovation was from the 1980s: a fast-fashion design, production, and replenishment process that brought more new merchandise into stores, faster.

CEO 8

CEO Innovation Pharmaceuticals Merchandising 8

Strategy Driven

JUNE 22, 2012

What is their commitment toward literacy, social services, health care, the environment, multicultural diversity and other key issues that really create a better life? My analysis: Productivity software does no good unless one commits to change, alters behavioral traits and commits to time management. In One Easy Lesson.

Brand 50

Brand Analysis Advertising Software 50

Harvard Business Review

MARCH 29, 2018

In intervention stores, store managers who chose to participate committed to trying out the two changes above, plus five additional changes: Giving a core team of associates a “soft guarantee” or 20 or more hours a week. The third was leadership visits, which meant extra hours were spent ensuring the store looked perfect.

Retail 8

Retail Productivity Products Cost 8

Harvard Business Review

JUNE 26, 2017

As the industry moved toward an emphasis on customer service and merchandising, the company fell behind, because its employees were focused more on increasing inventory turns and sales per square foot. For example, at a grocery store chain I worked with, employees were steeped in an operations culture that valued efficiency and productivity.

Brand 8

Brand Company Operations Merchandising 8