Industry Info

Startups: When Cutting Costs Won't Cut It - Entrepreneurs seeking capital in a downturn need a "must-have" business proposition, enough cash to keep operations on track, and a team that can execute

Strategy Innovation Takes Imagination - This article first appeared in the Journal of Business Strategy and urges company leaders to realize that no matter how bulletproof their current business model, it will be challenged by new ones. The new reality is that business models have shelf lives, like loaves of bread at the supermarket. Article addresses six places to "jumpstart your search for imaginative new business concepts for your firm," including #5, Look for Opportunities in How Customer Needs Are Currently Understood.

American Manufacturers: It's Time to Innovate or Evaporate - The USA lost three million manufacturing jobs in the last three years, and countless marginal players have ceased operations. There is a deep sense of resignation in this sector that asks, "how can we possibly compete with China when all they do is produce knockoff products with a wage scale that is so much lower than ours?" Can American manufacturing be saved? This articles argues that it can, but only by embracing innovation as imbedded process. Here are four strategies for launching an Innovation Revolution in your company.

Fixing the Marketing-CEO Disconnect - In many companies, the marketing function has wandered far from the company's overall strategy. The result: lower margins and declining productivity, says Professor Gail McGovern. She discusses what executives can do to repair the split and introduces a new diagnostic tool for measuring marketing performance used in HBS executive education programs.