Consumer electronics giant USTech outsources to a Taiwanese manufacturer, which in turn farms out much of the work to its factory in China. If USTech removed the middleman, would it cut costs—or cut its own throat?
Now that providing services is more lucrative than making products, the old foundations for success in manufacturing are crumbling. Smart manufacturers are creating new business models to capture profits at the customer’s end of the value chain.
Procter & Gamble’s radical strategy of open innovation now produces more than 35% of the company’s innovations and billions of dollars in revenue.
U.S. and European information technology companies face a choice: cooperate or become design and marketing arms of their Japanese competitors. As digital.
It's the busiest time of year for North Pole Workshops. Production is in high gear, and the elves are on overtime in the sprint toward Christmas. But.
The Internet was supposed to make it possible for anybody anywhere to get anything anytime. Instead, it's magnified suppliers' miscalculations into global.
For the many organizations that depend on their rank and file to move the goods and delight the customers, motivation is an ongoing battle. The key to victory may be held by the Marines, who use five unique practices to spark extraordinary energy and commitment. Businesses can, too.
As industries and technologies evolve, value can migrate up or down the value chain. But the players have a big say in how—and even whether—that happens.
For most companies, there’s a big difference between the growth markets expect of them and the growth they can deliver through new product development or acquisition. Top managers can close the gap by identifying and populating families of strategic opportunity.
The battle plan for Operation Iraqi Freedom called for a rapid, responsive force capable of identifying and removing threats immediately. Commercial supply.
Today, most multinationals have a conspicuous social conscience. They publicize their internal codes of conduct, monitor labor conditions in their global supply chains, and require suppliers to meet basic labor practice standards. But despite efforts to be better global citizens, companies by themselves are unable to eliminate abuses in their supply chains. In fact, so […]
Time-tested practices of the federal government can help companies develop more inclusive supply chains.
As business-to-business commerce shifts to the Internet, companies like Chemdex and FreeMarkets that control the on-line markets will exert enormous influence over the way transactions are carried out, relationships are formed, and profits flow. Understanding how these electronic hubs work is crucial to creating a successful e-business strategy.
Most companies expect the supply chain to work efficiently without interference, as if guided by Adam Smith's famed invisible hand. In their study of.
A look at how the technology is transforming strategy, talent management, leadership roles, and supply chain management.
Time-tested practices of the federal government can help companies develop more inclusive supply chains.
