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Why We Need to Update Financial Reporting for the Digital Era

Harvard Business Review

The market caps of just four companies, Apple, Alphabet, Amazon, and Microsoft, now exceed $3 trillion. Their combined assets of $944 billion are an order of magnitude lower than the combined assets of $7,700 billion of the largest 3,177 companies in 1986, when the aggregate market capitalization reached $3 trillion for the first time.

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How GE Stays Young

Harvard Business Review

That includes learning from the outside and striving to adopt certain start-up practices, with a focus on three key management processes: (1) resource allocation that nurtures future businesses, (2) faster-cycle product development, and (3) partnering with start-ups. Marketing plays a catalyst role, providing growth funding.

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An Inside View of How LVMH Makes Luxury More Sustainable

Harvard Business Review

The companies that are most vocal about environmental and social issues tend to be big, mass-market brands — well-known retailers , consumer products giants , and tech firms that are telling a new story to consumers who increasingly care about sustainability. As a result, Belvedere’s greenhouse gas emissions have dropped by 40%.

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How to Get People to Collaborate When You Don’t Control Their Salary

Harvard Business Review

My analyses show that “smart collaboration” — that is, collaboration targeted at the right opportunities — nearly always pays out, but only after people spend time developing the underlying relationships and processes. Many people and companies start the investment, but quit before seeing the returns.

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Accelerating Customer Adoption at the Bottom of the Pyramid

Harvard Business Review

While much has already been written about this challenge in the developed world, there are also some important lessons to be learned from the Bottom of the Pyramid (BoP). They encourage viral marketing through early adopters. Instead, we have developed a simple demonstration unit that runs off of a small water jug.

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How to Better Manage Your Company’s Utility Bills

Harvard Business Review

Utility bills in major markets have been consistently increasing faster than inflation and are forecasted to continue to do so. In our experience, well-designed retrofits can deliver 20%-50% energy savings with fast payback periods. Wind and solar developers want your business. Why not agree to buy electricity from them?