Harvard Business Review

MAY 27, 2011

It requires nothing more than data and hard work and Walmart is already ahead in the data game: having amassed the world's largest retail database that also contains millions of observations on its internal operations. Keep the low-cost strategy but seek alternative ways for supporting it.

Engineering 14

Engineering PR How To Reputation 14

Harvard Business Review

JUNE 1, 2016

Digital transformation halts, or fails, for many reasons—but most often it’s because minor changes at the surface level do nothing to affect the fundamental operations of a company. In retailing, leaders worry about customer retention and dollar per square foot. Uncover the core beliefs that motivate these behaviors.

Business Model 8

Business Model Industry Metrics Budgeting 8

Harvard Business Review

APRIL 4, 2016

Retailers need a lot of inventory.” Since it’s a measure on the return you’re making in the operations of your business, it can be used by industrial or manufacturing companies to measure efficiency. “A manufacturing company may have a lot of capital tied up in plants and equipment. How do you calculate it?

ROE 8

ROE Banking Comparison Industry 8

Harvard Business Review

MAY 28, 2015

Social life and the operation of organizations increasingly leave more or less permanent data traces, like the contrails left by jets. Instead of seeking management jobs at GM or Eastman Kodak or Westinghouse, MBAs from elite schools went into finance and consulting. The tasks are straightforward and largely supervised by computer.

Management 8

Management Retail Construction Ethics 8

Harvard Business Review

OCTOBER 6, 2016

The bank has since fired 5,300 employees for the illegal behavior and eliminated retail bank sales goals entirely. Instead, he called this an operations and compliance issue, perhaps not realizing that both of those functions influence corporate culture.

Banking 9

Banking Committee Leadership Ethics 9

Harvard Business Review

JANUARY 27, 2017

In reality, “handoffs” and transitions prove to be significant operational problems. At one American retailer, an autonomous ensemble of algorithms replaced the entire merchandising department. Autonomy is both the organizational and the operational center of gravity for innovation and growth.

Outsourcing 8

Outsourcing Software CAPEX Competitive Advantage 8

Harvard Business Review

AUGUST 5, 2014

“We’ll spend a lot of time bringing product to market, but we need to plan for the fact that a launch gives us a six-month head start and no more,” says Gary Booker, CMO of Dixons Retail. The truth is that for all the hard skills needed to master the operations of marketing, CMOs really need to excel at the soft skills to succeed.

P&L 9

P&L Banking Marketing Call Center 9

Harvard Business Review

OCTOBER 9, 2015

SCF engages all of its 1,700 employees in continuous training in relationship-building skills, betting that by nurturing long-term relationships they will be able to influence customer-owners’ behavior and decisions over time. SCF’s focus on relationships is mirrored in its approach to finance.

Health Care 8

Health Care Cost Kaplan Porter 8

Harvard Business Review

NOVEMBER 13, 2017

Just imagine the operational demand if primary care providers also had to actively monitor their patients’ health data between office visits. The workload problem is further increased by patients’ likely response to enhanced availability, such as what tax accounting and retail customers have enjoyed through digital channels.

Health Care 8

Health Care How To Insurance Incentives 8

Harvard Business Review

MAY 5, 2011

But that hasn't been the case at Danaher, DuPont, and Staples, which have continually improved their operations over many years, to the delight of their customers. Staples, the $23 billion office products retailer, began its formal process improvement activities in the late 1990s by consolidating them into an internal consulting group.

Six Sigma 14

Six Sigma Process Tips Lean Manufacturing 14

Harvard Business Review

MARCH 28, 2016

Because many companies are operating with lower margins today than in the past, they need increased flexibility to better manage costs and inventory. Stakeholders such as investors, suppliers, distributors, and even communities are growing in their influence over companies’ practices as well as their outcomes. Stakeholder appeal.

Advertising 8

Advertising Brand Company Attrition 8

Strategy Driven

MARCH 28, 2016

Most companies, whether start-ups or long-time players live in a world shaped by the laws of demand where low pricing can trump quality, and where targeted marketing, carefully crafted keywords, and social media engineering can build awareness, influence opinion, and generate sales. Then, there is 50 Shades of Grey.

Productivity 50

Productivity Products Marketing Strategy Budgeting 50

Harvard Business Review

MARCH 22, 2017

Such a policy alone could have a major impact on companies operating in the United States. Some retailers that are big importers could see their net profits plummet by almost 80%, while exporters of manufactured goods could see their net profits soar by 50% or more (see these exhibits ). Take the idea of a U.S.

Supply Chain 9

Supply Chain Chemicals Uncertainty Policies 9