N2Growth Blog

MAY 5, 2011

In today’s post I share my thoughts on how to develop a sound pricing strategy… While the topic of pricing is certainly not rocket science, it has indeed been a thorn in the side of business people since the dawn of commerce.

Price 343

Price Discount Brand Supply Chain 343

N2Growth Blog

MAY 16, 2010

The dumb factor not only applies to talent, capital, and technology, but it also extends throughout the entire value chain. It applies to your branding, marketing, supply chain, and ultimately to your customer base. Here is a simple rule of thumb…the bigger the key man policy the less scalable the company is.

Business Model 316

Business Model Brand Blog Supply Chain 316

N2Growth Blog

NOVEMBER 16, 2010

Does the company purchase an off-the-shelf solution, utilize an ASP (Application Service Provider) solution or embark upon developing a custom application? Oh, and what about development methodology? I could go on ad-nauseum with this line of thinking, but I’m sure you get the point by now.

Blog 309

Blog Outsourcing Competitive Advantage Innovation 309

Harvard Business Review

NOVEMBER 20, 2015

Some companies could get a jumpstart in their industry in organizing partnerships and even positioning themselves as leaders in sustainable development using the goals as a branding anchor. Realizing the Sustainable Development Goals will improve the environment for doing business and building markets. The case is clear.

Goal 8

Goal Supply Chain Development Globalization 8

Harvard Business Review

FEBRUARY 2, 2016

Instead, our interviews found a willingness to let organizational forms and structures evolve naturally, developing in line with the identity of the enterprise. Then came sales forces, finance departments, and R&D labs—including the original labs of Thomas Edison and Alexander Graham Bell.

Development 8

Development Supply Chain Incentives Outsourcing 8

Harvard Business Review

JULY 23, 2013

She also met with people from procurement and others in the supply chain organization to pull together a consolidated picture of the costs. Working together, the group then developed a work plan for addressing these problems, eventually leading to a substantial reduction in material costs.

Supply Chain 9

Supply Chain Power Engineering Group Facilitation 9

Harvard Business Review

APRIL 16, 2014

Most big corporations follow global development trends. That is the reactive approach to economic development. In the last few years, a more powerful dynamic has gained traction. CEOs are proactively engaging with emerging market government to spur economic development and create opportunities for their companies.

Globalization 8

Globalization Development Supply Chain Long-term 8

Harvard Business Review

DECEMBER 7, 2017

These two trends may seem separate—or, some people believe, incompatible—but together I believe they have the power to improve finance’s role in the world. Index funds can be a force for sustainable capitalism. In both cases, social and environmental metrics matter for the business’s financial success.

Supply Chain 8

Supply Chain Asset Management Chemicals Long-term 8

Harvard Business Review

SEPTEMBER 13, 2012

An impatient marketing or finance manager would, on the sly, secure some extra budget money and hire a contractor to build a little database that tracked mailing addresses or top-line financials. Departments can automate a business process in the time it would take to enter IT's development pipeline.

Supply Chain 15

Supply Chain CIO Budgeting Project 15

Harvard Business Review

MAY 6, 2011

To find these people, you have to develop a long-term, very consistent strategy. Every month, I have dinner with two of the top people in any field — finance, marketing, I.T., general management, human resources, supply chain, you name it — that I have heard about through our recruiters or by word of mouth.

Supply Chain 14

Supply Chain Collins Long-term Human Resources 14

Harvard Business Review

JUNE 14, 2016

Last week, at an internal Cisco meeting, the company’s VP of Supply Chain, John Kern, proudly reported that the project had identified ways to cut energy use by approximately 30%, which will likely save $1 million per year. Use advanced financing mechanisms to expand energy project options.

Energy 8

Energy Company Supply Chain Operations 8

Harvard Business Review

SEPTEMBER 4, 2013

and developed Europe — women entrepreneurs have higher levels of innovation than their male counterparts. On the other end of the growth spectrum, analysis of a dataset from 350 micro finance institutions across 70 countries indicated lending to more women was associated with lower write-offs and lower portfolio-at-risk.

Globalization 12

Globalization Entrepreneur Banking Supply Chain 12

Harvard Business Review

APRIL 18, 2016

It’s not implausible to imagine that one day a “strategist in a box” could autonomously develop and execute a business strategy. LTCM was founded, in 1994, by some of the best minds in finance theory, including two Nobel Prize winners. Remember Long-Term Capital Management ?

Strategy 8

Strategy Supply Chain Technology Engineering 8

Harvard Business Review

NOVEMBER 20, 2015

Challenged by other entrepreneurs in Scale Up Milwaukee’s Scalerator program to come up with a plan for rapidly ramping up his business, Cronce wondered: “What if I redefined Raphael as a strategic link in the global medical imaging supply chain, rather than as a paint shop?”

Supply Chain 8

Supply Chain Collins Golden Handcuff Pharmaceuticals 8

Harvard Business Review

OCTOBER 27, 2015

Virtually every leader wishes they had the power to inspire people to change. What if you’re just trying to change the way your people handle loans, manage a supply chain, or interact with customers? There is a simpler way to inspire change. Not surprisingly, this error makes us uncomfortable.

Charisma 8

Charisma Supply Chain Creativity Insurance 8

Harvard Business Review

FEBRUARY 22, 2016

Much has been made of this software-powered “hardware renaissance,” particularly as it has spawned a vibrant local “maker movement” and hardware hobbyist community. First, Kickstarter and other crowd-funding sources have opened up new options for initial finance.

Entrepreneur 8

Entrepreneur Contract Manufacturing Incubator Venture Capitalist 8

Harvard Business Review

NOVEMBER 30, 2018

My experience with even the most successful global companies is that they’re between average and poor at developing future talent. They’re often not transparent about your real needs and vague about the most effective development options. Development matters. Leadership & Developing People Book.

Career 8

Career Chief Financial Officer Supply Chain Chief Information Officer 8

Harvard Business Review

MAY 29, 2017

At the same time, multinationals are feeling pressured by the state to demonstrate their commitment to the market by further localizing their supply chain, labor, brand, and production. This has been beneficial for some Russian industries but has reduced market access for foreign firms.

Policies 8

Policies Supply Chain Politics Operations 8

Harvard Business Review

SEPTEMBER 29, 2016

Amazon has only a handful of brick-and-mortar stores, Uber doesn’t manage a fleet of cars, and Ebay doesn’t manage a supply chain. You’ll notice that the finance industry is included in this group as well. This will include the use of digital platforms to harness the power of networks outside their four walls.

Company 8

Company Intangible Assets Business Model Supply Chain 8

Harvard Business Review

SEPTEMBER 9, 2014

Madhavan: For many years, CEOs and executives have focused on improving the bottom line through cost cutting, finding efficiencies in operations and the supply chain. They don’t need to be part of every discussion, but CEOs do need to make pricing and new product development their priority.

Price 10

Price Productivity Products Simon 10

Harvard Business Review

APRIL 1, 2016

Right behind it are media, finance, and professional services, all of which have far more sophisticated digital capabilities than the rest of the economy. Companies in the leading sectors make more extensive use of digital payments, digital marketing, and design-led product development.

Industry 8

Industry Benchmarking Supply Chain Health Care 8

Harvard Business Review

NOVEMBER 11, 2013

E-commerce is already allowing Chinese manufacturers to accurately predict demand by improving communication throughout the supply chain, so retailers have less and less inventory sitting idle. It doesn’t matter how wealthy or powerful you are, if you can’t enjoy the sunshine, you can’t be truly happy.

Retail 8

Retail Supply Chain PR Learning-by-Doing 8

Harvard Business Review

AUGUST 13, 2012

A terrorist incident, a breakdown of the London rail system, power blackouts, volcanic ash clouds , flooding, an outbreak of infectious disease—the London organizing committee (LOCOG) and the International Olympic Committee (IOC) spent years thinking about every scenario they could imagine.

Risk Management 15

Risk Management Management Committee Insurance 15

Harvard Business Review

JANUARY 25, 2016

Few people realize the important role water plays in our daily energy use, or the energy required to heat, treat, and supply water. Powering one 60-watt bulb for 12 hours a day over the course of a year can require 3,000 to 6,000 gallons of water — enough to fill a large tanker truck.

Energy 8

Energy Price Telecommunications Industry 8

Harvard Business Review

OCTOBER 18, 2011

They go by names like corporate social responsibility, sustainability, shareholder advocacy, social assessment and auditing, consumer action, government regulation, leadership development, ethics, realignment of incentives , attracting long-term investors , creating shared value , and more. They can invest in for-benefit enterprises.

CEO 11

CEO Incubator Supply Chain Entrepreneur 11

Harvard Business Review

APRIL 11, 2017

To understand where this new mobility might take us, it’s important to distinguish between two types of AI-powered motor vehicles: self-driving and driverless. What’s our role in the value chain: facilitator, fleet operator, driverless “driver” supplier (versus vehicle manufacturer)? Aftermarket automotive.

Automotive 8

Automotive Transportation Health Care Maturity 8

Harvard Business Review

MARCH 2, 2017

See More Videos > See More Videos > The same applies to trade finance and financial assets, where companies such as Digital Asset Holdings (run by JPMorgan veteran Blythe Masters ), Blockstream, and Chain are trying to revolutionize how assets are issued and traded.

Finance 8

Finance Supply Chain Decentralization Maturity 8

Harvard Business Review

SEPTEMBER 1, 2017

A new paper by economists Jan De Loecker and Jan Eeckhout argues that the problem isn’t confined to finance, or even large international corporations. economy, suggesting firms today have much more market power. This is precisely the opposite of what we would expect in an environment dominated by large, powerful firms.

Supply Chain 9

Supply Chain Retail Price Trends 9

Harvard Business Review

FEBRUARY 8, 2018

BPM reflected the interactions of different stakeholders, from product creation through supply chain to final assembly. Lower costs have been reason enough for many companies to shut down their proprietary data centers and consume computational power and attendant software as a series of on-demand services.

Management 11

Management Software BPM Technology 11

Harvard Business Review

DECEMBER 16, 2010

These six ideas emerged in 2010 as powerful "innovation invitations" and seem sure to intensify in power and influence. That is, the importance of "research & development" to business innovation. Digital coupons aren't just "smart," they can be "brilliant" — linked to recommendation engines, GPS, supply chains, etc.

Innovation 16

Innovation Supply Chain Business Simulation Advertising 16

Harvard Business Review

FEBRUARY 10, 2012

The fact that the continent is tired of being lectured to and treated as a curiosity to sate the intellectual pretensions of Westerners doesn't mean that Africans are blind to the challenges they perceive as obstructing every aspect of their continent's development. Take any newspaper printed in Africa any day. infrastructure.

Supply Chain 14

Supply Chain Globalization Politics Franchising 14

Harvard Business Review

NOVEMBER 24, 2015

Stakeholders ranging from your supply chains to customers that walk into retail storefronts increasingly prefer to do business with companies that pursue cost-effective sustainability. ” In 1989, Amory Lovins coined the phrase negawatt to describe power saved through conservation or efficiency measures.

Management 8

Management Payback Period Energy Supply Chain 8

Harvard Business Review

OCTOBER 17, 2017

But this single-minded focus can be a major problem when it comes to tackling slow-building, systemic challenges, like global warming, that could take down not just supply chains but, over time, entire economies. Whether in politics, finance, or business, there is growing concern that many leaders have lost their moral compass.

Morale 8

Morale EPS Supply Chain Politics 8

Harvard Business Review

NOVEMBER 3, 2014

It takes more than one touch to close a sale; email marketing is so powerful because you’re staying in front of customers and prospects who have said that they want to hear from you. Leading Tools: MailChimp. Constant Contact. Marketing automation programs (see below) usually have robust email marketing capabilities built in.

Technology 9

Technology Marketing Company CRM 9

Harvard Business Review

NOVEMBER 3, 2014

It takes more than one touch to close a sale; email marketing is so powerful because you’re staying in front of customers and prospects who have said that they want to hear from you. Leading Tools: MailChimp. Constant Contact. Marketing automation programs (see below) usually have robust email marketing capabilities built in.

Technology 8

Technology Marketing Company CRM 8

Harvard Business Review

OCTOBER 28, 2013

But those impressive numbers may be eclipsed by a revolution in venture financing that is only being held back by final government approval: start-ups raising actual investment funds from individuals in exchange for equity or a share of profits. How big a deal is this “democratization” of finance? Last week, the U.S.

Disruptive Innovation 8

Disruptive Innovation Finance Venture Capitalist Supply Chain 8

Harvard Business Review

JUNE 7, 2017

Similarly, directors of power companies need to understand how advances in energy storage and information technology will accelerate development of micro-grids and the decentralization of the electric grid. Boards are not the only ones under pressure.

Tips 8

Tips Supply Chain Proposal Decentralization 8