Harvard Business Review

OCTOBER 25, 2018

To analyze the superstar dynamics of firms, our metric was economic profit, a measure of a firm’s profit above and beyond opportunity cost. (To To do this, we take the firm’s returns, deduct the cost of capital, and multiply by the firm’s total invested capital.)

Industry 12

Industry Company GDP Intangible Assets 12

Harvard Business Review

JULY 31, 2017

As incumbents fight back with their own digital strategies, our research shows that they often trigger a second wave of competition, closer to the notion of Schumpeterian imitation where incumbents start themselves to innovate, sometimes aggressively, against the threat of entrants slashing yet more revenue and profit growth.

Strategy 8

Strategy ROI Technology Cost of Capital 8

Harvard Business Review

APRIL 5, 2017

For instance, McKinsey considered a smaller ratio of capital expenditure to depreciation to indicate short-term thinking, because it’s assumed that short-term companies will invest less, and less consistently, than other companies. As I said earlier, measuring a company’s short-term orientation is incredibly tricky.

EPS 8

EPS Metrics Short-term Depreciation 8

Harvard Business Review

OCTOBER 21, 2016

Disruptions in the supply chain may affect production processes that depend on unpriced natural capital assets such as biodiversity, groundwater, clean air, and climate. Fostering innovation. Investing in sustainability is not only a risk management tool; it can also drive innovation.

Supply Chain 8

Supply Chain Price Loyalty Efficiency 8

Harvard Business Review

JUNE 27, 2012

We have been studying companies that seem to be able to endure and adapt for longer periods of time, and have come to the conclusion that the extinction of once-great innovators is less often caused by technological or market evolution, and more often by self-inflicted wounds and slow cycles of decision and adaptation.

Creativity 14

Creativity Long-term Kotter Cost of Capital 14

Harvard Business Review

APRIL 26, 2017

Recent analysis by Bain and SAP found that only 7% of bank credit products could be handled digitally from end to end. Banks’ cost of capital is typically 50 basis points or less. These low-cost and reliable sources of funds are from taxpayer-insured deposits and the Federal Reserve’s discount window.

Banking 11

Banking Credit Scoring Stage-Gate Competitive Advantage 11

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

Harvard Business Review

MAY 25, 2018

Companies are seeking to be quicker on their feet and more innovative. Best-in-class players, such as Intel (through technology partnerships) and Tyson (through new-product incubators), have developed the tools to incorporate many different flavors of deal making. Consider today’s trends in M&A.

Incubator 8

Incubator Insurance Cost of Capital Competitive Advantage 8

Strategy Driven

SEPTEMBER 9, 2011

Many people do not typically think of metrics and accounting as roadblocks to innovation, yet you call these out as potential problem areas. The logic of NPV is to project cash flows into the future and then discount those flows back into today’s dollars at a given cost of capital. Net present value [NPV] is a case in point.

Innovation 50

Innovation NPV Business Model Constraint 50