Goods, trade, and consumer services

By building on a hierarchy of goals, consultants and managers can work toward mutual interests.

Meet the people who can coax treasure out of messy, unstructured data.

Everyone agrees that managing change is tough, but few can agree on how to do it. Most experts are obsessed with "soft" issues, such as culture and motivation,...

How an Indian hotel chain’s organizational culture nurtured employees who were willing to risk their lives to save their guests

Despite high-profile attempts at innovation, the industry has failed to reduce its environmental impact so far.

Many companies have become disillusioned with sales in the international marketplace as old markets become saturated and new ones must be found. How can they customize products for the demands of new markets? Which items will consumers want? With wily international competitors breathing down their necks, many organizations think that the game just isn’t worth […]

During economic slowdowns, consulting, law, and accounting firms often start offering services and taking on clients they really shouldn't, just to keep...

A Q&A with Barbara Martin Coppola, IKEA Retail's chief digital officer.

Nike is a champion brand builder. Its advertising slogans—“Bo Knows,” “Just Do It,” “There Is No Finish Line”—have moved beyond advertising into popular expression. Its athletic footwear and clothing have become a piece of Americana. Its brand name is as well-known around the world as IBM and Coke. So it may come as a surprise […]

360-degree feedback is all the rage in companies big and small. But it is frequently bureaucratic, politically charged, and agonizing. The good news is that by understanding four paradoxes inherent to peer appraisal, managers can take some of the pain out of the process—and get better results in.

How Nespresso used a simple business model canvas to change face of the coffee industry.

Your organization can become more decisive—and can implement strategy more quickly—if you know where the bottlenecks are and who’s empowered to break through them.

Retailers need to target customers with the right deal at the right time. Here’s how to nail the “next best offer.”

A simple approach to boost customers' visibility into how a garment was made.

Discount retailer Dollar Bill's has been struggling to maintain its margins over the past two years because of inflationary pressures, delays on imported...

The Internet promises to give marketing the same boost in productivity that new operational strategies have given to manufacturing.

Most companies plan how they manage employees, but how many consider how to manage their customers? Given how important customer-employee relationships...

A second generation of electronic commerce is emerging, one that will be shaped more by strategy than by experimentation. The battle for competitive advantage will be waged along three dimensions: reach, affiliation, and richness.

New technologies can be dazzling. But do they represent the future of retailing? Have the fundamentals really changed?

How the company finances its growth.