Harvard Business Review

JANUARY 27, 2017

At one American retailer, an autonomous ensemble of algorithms replaced the entire merchandising department. “The machine learning model is not a static piece of code  —  you’re constantly feeding it data,” says one Google engineer. It’s a different kind of engineering.”

Outsourcing 8

Outsourcing Software CAPEX Competitive Advantage 8

Harvard Business Review

AUGUST 6, 2014

search engine company Inktomi in 2002. The previous year the company had generated more than $4 billion in gross merchandise sales through its platform, yielding about $50 million in revenue. Only legal, finance, and human resources still reported back to headquarters.

Chief Financial Officer 10

Chief Financial Officer Operations Learning-by-Doing IPO 10

Harvard Business Review

JUNE 26, 2017

Each of these companies has aligned and integrated its culture and brand to create a powerful engine of competitive advantage and growth. 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.

Brand 8

Brand Company Operations Merchandising 8